Sep/Oct 2012 - West Berkshire

FREE PLEASE TAKE ONE
September/October 2012
The Newsletter of West Berkshire CAMRA
Cider & Perry Month
1 – 31 October 2012
Rick Wyatt & Paul Scrivens at the Great British Beer Festival Cider and Perry Bar
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and Cask Marque
have organised Cask Ale Week to run from Friday 28
September to Sunday 7 October 2012.
Throughout the year, CAMRA recognises and supports real cider / perry
that is produced naturally from apples / pears and is not carbonated or
pasteurised. The basic process is to crush and press the ripe fruit in the
autumn and then allow fermentation to convert the juice into real cider or
perry ready for the summer. CAMRA designates October as Cider & Perry
month for promotion and campaigning purposes.
When Roy Bailey (Lambourn Valley Cider Company) stopped making cider
in Great Shefford in 2006, Rick Wyatt was able to use his source of apples and
start making cider in Southend Bradfield. He uses an electric mill for crushing
but uses a hand cranked cider press. Rick’s cider can be found at the Bladebone
Inn, Chapel Row; the Castle, Cold Ash; the Bull, Stanford Dingley and the West
Berkshire Brewery shop. This year Rick has been bottling Berkshire Gold (500ml
6.3% ABV) made with dessert apples and Abbey Gold (750ml 6.7% ABV) made
with cider apples from Douai Abbey.
This is timed to coincide with the publication of the Cask
Report, an annual report backed by all major brewers and
trade bodies in the cask beer industry, and written each year
by independent award-winning writer Pete Brown (see photo
on page 7).
West Berkshire CAMRA support for Cask Ale Week starts
off with a visit to the Newbury (see feature below) from
7.30pm on Friday 28 September. Keep an eye out for special
events organised by pubs in Berkshire during the week and
remember that the 6th Ascot Racecourse CAMRA beer festival
will be on Friday 5 & Saturday 6 October this year (see feature
on page 3 and advertisement on back page).
For Cask Ale Week events check Facebook (caskaleweek)
and twitter: @caskaleweek
www.caskaleweek.co.uk
continued on page 5
The Newbury
Sam Williams likes to drink Otter Bitter at the
Newbury, Bartholomew Street, Newbury. He says
the quaffable (3.6% ABV) beer is always very well
kept and expertly poured. The beer is brewed near
Honiton, Devon, and it reminds Sam of holidays
in Dartmouth where beers from the brewery
are available at the Cherub Inn, which dates
from 1380.
Sylwester, the Newbury’s General Manager,
mentioned that Otter Amber (4% ABV) will be
added to the pub’s range of beers which includes
Sharp’s Doom Bar. Since opening in June, the pub is
also gaining a good reputation for the quality of its
food, coffee, cocktails and range of whiskies. The
pub is on facebook (The Newbury) and twitter:
@TheNewburyPub
www.thenewburypub.co.uk
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
1
Ullage September/October 2012
Swift Halves
will be the usual friendly bar with a range of real
ales from West Berkshire Brewery and small brewers.
Dave and Helen Chilton are the new landlords at
the Rising Sun, on the A4 east of Woolhampton.
They are putting in a new kitchen and opening
up and redecorating the bars. James Arkell, the
brewery’s chairman, said ‘Dave and Helen were very
successful Arkell’s licensees for us in Royal Wootton
Bassett before they ‘retired’ to Portugal so we are
thrilled they have returned to take over the
Rising Sun.’ .
The good news from the Ibex, Chaddleworth, in
August, is that despite the ‘For Sale’ sign the pub is
still open and it is business as usual inside.
Neil Gander is the new landlord at the Dundas
Arms, Kintbury, near the railway station. Before
returning from a stint in Brisbane, Australia,
Neil worked within the Brunning & Price pub
group at the Sutton Hall, Macclesfield and the
Black Jug, Horsham.
After a gap of twenty years, Mickey Liquorish is
back in Newbury running an establishment
offering good food and drink. From 1984 to 1992
he ran Bruno’s Brasserie in Saddlers Court (later
to become Bar Cuba). After a long stint at the
Bunk Inn, Curridge, he was involved with setting
up Harry’s Bar and Grill (previously the Fox and
Hounds). His latest move is to refit the Cross
Keys, London Road, as Allsorts Café Bar,
opening in September.
Wiltshire Council has granted
planning permission for a new
Ramsbury brewery and
distillery, including a bat
loft, to be constructed at
Stock Close Farm,
Aldbourne. Vodka will be
made at the distillery using
wheat and barley from
Ramsbury Estates.
Ramsbury Brewery reports that
the well hopped Belapur IPA (5.5% ABV) has proved
popular. The beers that will be available in October
include Hell’s Highway (3.8% ABV), the ruby
coloured That Old Chestnut! (4.3% ABV) and Deer
Hunter (5% ABV), brewed with pale ale malt and
terrified wheat mixed with roasted barley to give a
malty flavour and bitter sweet finish.
Clive and Margaret, with experience of running
several local pubs, are the new management team
at the Gun, Wash Common.
Discounts are available to card carrying CAMRA
members at the following pubs: 10% off all drinks
- Gun, Wash Common; 5% off beer & cider Bowler's Arms, Wash Common; Lord Lyon,
Stockcross; Five Bells, Wickham; 50p off beer Diamond Tap, Newbury; Hatchet Inn, Newbury
(with a current Wetherspoon voucher).
Remember to ask for the discount before
ordering and show your membership card.
There are changes for two pubs in North
Hampshire. The Royal Oak, Ecchinswell, has
reopened after being closed for several months.
The Yew Tree Inn, Highclere, has been bought by
Cirrus Inns, and will reopen after refurbishment.
After closing for a few months for an extensive
refurbishment, following the departure of David
Dalzell-Piper, the Dundas Arms reopened in midAugust. Visitors to the pub will immediately notice
the enlarged bar and dining areas which have been
tastefully decorated and furnished. The garden and
picnic lawn, on the east side of the pub buildings,
border the river Kennet and feature a patio area
with marble topped tables and a variety of chairs.
The main bar with the polished pennies surface
has been retained and now features additional
handpumps. The regular beers are Fuller’s London
Pride, West Berkshire Good Old Boy and Ramsbury
Gold. Three guest beers will be featured and Neil
will source these from his favourite breweries which
include Titanic, Woods, Harviestoun, Castle Rock,
Brains, Meantime, Storm and Outlaw. He will also
feature guest ales from Adnams brewery of
Southwold. The garden bar has a handpump for
Tutts Clump Farmhouse cider.
The Dundas Arms is open for food and drinks
all day from noon until 11pm (Food until 9.30pm
Sun-Thu, 10pm Fri-Sat). Cask Marque inspections
have been booked in with a view to obtaining
accreditation. www.dundasarms.co.uk
Lottie Dod (4.3% ABV) is the latest seasonal beer
from West Berkshire Brewery. Lottie was an allround sportswoman. She moved to
Welford in 1905 and won a
silver medal for archery in the
1908 Olympics. The beer is a
light amber ale with all
English hedgerow hops to
give citrus notes for a
refreshing summer beer.
The brewhouse bees
have not produced much
honey this year but a local
beekeeper has come to the
rescue and this will allow a
new batch of Goldstar to be
brewed and bottled. It looks like the
bottlers are going to be kept busy because Good Old
Boy and Mr Chubb’s Lunchtime Bitter will be
available at local Waitrose stores from September.
Look out for the re-opening of the Rising Sun,
Stockcross, once redecorating work is complete, now
that a new team has been engaged to run it. There
Ullage September/October 2012
Mickey says ‘pubs have got to change’ and in
this case it is out with the pool table and in with
a Wurlitzer jukebox. The kitchen has been moved
next to the bar and will be visible to customers.
The main bar area will have a Rock & Roll theme
with the snug, a quiet area in the furthest corner,
featuring Newbury photos and memorabilia from
the fifties. The café bar will be open from 10am
to 10pm, Monday to Saturday (closed Sunday).
‘Modern British with a twist’ food will be served
all day. There are two draught ales from Arkell’s
brewery - Moonlight and the current seasonal
beer. A range of bottled beers and ciders from
local producers is also available.
According to banners on the front of the
building, the Wheatsheaf, Thatcham, is now an
Indian restaurant.
After closing for refurbishment, the Mill
House, Floral Way, Thatcham, is due to reopen,
under new management, in September.
Festival Roundup
The 9th Newbury Real Ale Festival organised
by Newbury and Thatcham Hockey Club features
beers from Cornwall and ‘The Isles’. This year
English wines will also be available as well as cider
and perry. The festival starts at midday on Saturday
8 September. www.newburyrealale.co.uk
The White Hart, Hamstead Marshall, is also
holding a beer festival on Saturday 8 September
from 3pm. This will include a selection of beers
The Bowler’s Arms
FREE HOUSE & RESTAURANT
FAMILY ORIENTATED
COMMUNITY PUB
Situated in beautiful cricket ground
- Large car park
HEATED OUTDOOR DECKING
Real Ales always available
- Cask Marque accredited!
Good Food - Quality and Value
Regular Live Entertainment
Enborne Street, Wash Common,
Newbury RG14 6TW
Tel 01635 47658
e-mail: info@.bowlersarms.co.uk
Web Site: www.bowlersarms.co.uk
2
THE
LAMB
NEWBURY
Traditional local community pub
3 Real Ales
(London Pride + 2 “guests”)
Cask Marque accredited
Live horse racing and other sports on TV
Dart board · Pool table · Poker nights
Cozy snug available for private parties,
wakes, Christenings, etc.
Trivia quiz available at the bar - monthly prizes
The Lamb · 5 Enborne Road · Newbury RG14 6AG
Tel: 01635 40912
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
Tally Ho update
from Greene King and West Berkshire Brewery.
Four live bands will perform and there will be
a barbecue. Admission is free.
www.whitehartinnhamsteadmarshall.co.uk
The 6th Ascot
Racecourse Beer
Festival, organised by the
Berkshire South-East
branch of CAMRA in
conjunction with Ascot
Racecourse, is on Friday
5 and Saturday 6 October.
As usual breweries from
Berkshire and surrounding counties will be
represented. This year’s regional bar will feature
breweries from the Highlands and Islands of
Scotland. There will be over 200 real ales, ciders and
perries to choose from including a full range of
beers from Fuller’s brewery.
Entrance gates and bars will open at 11am on
both days, closing at 6pm, with a full programme of
racing in the afternoon. There will also be live
music and ‘Meet the Brewer’ sessions with Stephen
Crossland of Loch Ness Brewery, on both days.
CAMRA members benefit from half price
admission. See the advertisement on the back page
for further details. Remember to fill in the form to
nominate your favourite beer as these votes will
determine the winner of the ‘Beer of the festival’.
Beer and cider lists and volunteer opportunities
can be accessed from
www.ascotbeerfest.seberkscamra.org.uk
JD Wetherspoon pubs, including the Hatchet
Inn and the Diamond Tap in Newbury, will be
hosting a beer festival from Wednesday 24 October
to Sunday 11 November. This will include two
imported beers from Belgium and beers brewed in
the UK by eight international brewers including
World Beer Cup winners. Toshi Ishii, former Stone
brewer (San Diego 1998-2001) and founder of
Guam’s Ishii Brewing Co and brewers from
America, Australia, Canada, Italy, Lithuania and
the Netherlands will be featured.
Meet up with West Berkshire CAMRA members at
the Diamond Tap on Saturday 27 October (1pm)
for an afternoon visit to both Wetherspoon pubs.
The 4th Hampshire OctoberFest
(13-14 October) is a traditional County
Fayre that will include a beer festival,
fine food stalls and live music
inside the festival site of
Milestones Museum at Basingstoke
Leisure Park. Over 80 Hampshire
beers and ciders will be available.
The 2012 Great British Beer Festival
(GBBF) was held at Olympia, London (7-11 August)
and was attended by 47530 people. The Champion
Beer of Britain results,
announced at the festival, are
shown separately on this page.
Adrian Bean, Branch
Chairman, worked as volunteer
on the Hutton Bar. Jeff Evans
signed copies of CAMRA’s Book
of Beer Knowledge at the
CAMRA Bookshop. Tim
Thomas, editor of Ullage,
documented his trips to the
GBBF on 7 & 10 August with
photos that appear on pages
1, 6 and 7 of this issue.
West Berkshire planning committee has refused
planning permission to turn the Hungerford
Newtown pub into dwellings. The planning officer
was not at all convinced by the developer’s
statement that the pub could not be run as a
successful pub. He was also concerned that this
would see the removal of the last community venue
in the village. This of course is not the end of the
road as the developers still own the pub and so may
well appeal the decision.
The Tally Ho working party, set up some
months ago following the news of the pub sale, and
including West Berkshire CAMRA Pubs Officer,
Glenn Parsons, has been holding regular meetings
in an attempt to understand if there is sufficient
interest to possibly buy the pub back and run it as a
community venture. A meeting was arranged for
those who had expressed an interest in investing in
the pub to gauge the financial support they may be
prepared to invest. The working party was
absolutely delighted with the initial response.
The online support continues to grow with over
250 votes of support so far. If you don't want to see
another village pub lost forever please register your
support at www.savethetally.org.uk
CAMRA members were saddened to learn
of the death of former Newbury branch
chairman Dr David Arnold and his wife
Betty at their home in Wash Common.
In a letter to the Newbury Weekly
News, published on 9 August, Roy Bailey
mentioned that Dr David Arnold became
chairman of the Newbury branch of CAMRA
in the early 1970s and that 'He was
unquestionably the best chairman that
CAMRA locally has ever had'.
2012 Champion Beer of Britain winners
Champion (Winter beer) Coniston, No. 9 Barley Wine (Cumbria)
Silver (Best bitters)
Bronze (Golden ales)
Green Jack, Trawlerboys Best Bitter (Lowestoft)
Dark Star, American Pale Ale (Horsham, W Sussex)
Selected category results:
Mild - Gold Bitters - Gold Bitters - Joint Bronze Bitters - Joint Bronze Strong Bitters - Gold Speciality beer - Gold Bottled Beer - Gold Bottled Beer - Bronze -
Rudgate, Ruby Mild (York)
Purple Moose, Snowdonia Ale (Porthmadog, Gwynedd)
Flowerpots, Bitter (Cheriton, Hampshire)
Fuller’s, Gale’s Seafarers Ale (Chiswick, London W4)
Dark Star, Festival (Horsham, W Sussex)
Dunham Massey, Chocolate Cherry Mild (Manchester)
Stewart, Embra (Loanhead, Midlothian)
Molson Coors, Worthington’s White Shield (Burton upon Trent)
+$,"#+
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t: 01635 43026
The West Berkshire Brewery
Beers of Exceptional Character
Visit our shop for
bottles and takeaway beers in a
range of sizes.
Good quality locally sourced food
Home made meals cooked to order
6 nights per week (Tue-Sun)
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Wood fired Pizza oven every weekend
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Two steaks or two pizzas and a bottle
of wine £22.95 on Wednesday evenings
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New seasonal beer:
Headlock - (4.1% ABV) - a ruby
ale with all English hops
Golden ale:
Swift Pale Ale
(3.8% ABV)
The Flour Barn, Frilsham, Home Farm Business Units,
Yattendon, Berkshire RG18 0XT
Tel: 01635 202968 · Fax: 0560 3129099
email: info@wbbrew.co.uk · www.wbbrew.com
Ullage September/October 2012
Pub of the Year trail
On Saturday 28 July, Adrian Bean and Tim
Thomas visited five, of the eleven, CAMRA
Branch Pub of the Year (POTY) winners in the
Central Southern region as part of the judging
process to select the regional POTY. Members of
several other branches joined the minibus at
Reading and Oxford. Thanks go to Carol and
Richard Starkey for planning the route, driving
and organising the collection of our scores at the
end of each pub visit.
The Cross Keys, Thame (Aylesbury Vale &
Wycombe) was our first stop. We trooped in
soon after opening time and were greeted by the
landlord Peter Lambert who is also the brewer
for Thame microbrewery at the rear of the pub.
Thame’s Hoppiness was a popular choice from the
range of eight ales and three ciders on handpump.
The Fox Inn, Westcote Barton (North
Oxfordshire) was the lunch stop. The wide choice
of beers included LocAles from Hook Norton and
XT breweries.
From here, a route via
Brackley and Buckingham led
to the Watts Arms, Hanslope
(Milton Keynes and North
Bucks). This pub was where
Tim found his favourite beers of
the day – Oakley Blonde from
Great Oakley brewery
(Northamptonshire) and Jeffrey Hudson Bitter (JHB)
from Oakham Ales (Peterborough).
The Rising Sun, Berkhamsted (Mid Chilterns) is
the canalside pub featured on the cover of the 2012
Good Beer Guide and in the Autumn 2012 issue of
‘Beer’ magazine (a CAMRA membership benefit).
As well as beers from Hertfordshire brewers Red
Squirrel and Tring, there is a big choice of ciders,
cigars and snuff. Here we enjoyed drinking
outside, near a canal lock and the towpath,
in the evening sunshine.
We reached our final stop, the White Horse,
Hedgerley (Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead) via the
M25 and M40. Here a blackboard lists the beers
which are tapped from chilled casks in the room
behind the small bar counter. This was the last pub
to be visited and now it was up to Richard to collate
our scores which included weighted elements for
quality of beer / cider; service / atmosphere;
experience / value and clientele mix.
The six other POTY pubs in the region, which
Adrian had scored after visiting on a previous
minibus trip, are: Old Manor, Bracknell (Berkshire
South East); Far from the Madding Crowd, Oxford
(Oxford); Nag’s Head, Reading (Reading & Mid
Berks); Red Lion, Brightwell cum Sotwell (South
Oxfordshire); Royal Oak, Yattendon (West
Berkshire); Shoulder of Mutton, Wantage
(White Horse).
The Central Southern region Pub of the Year
winner will be announced in September. The 16
regional winners will then compete to be crowned
National Pub of the Year, with the announcement
made in early 2013.
Listed below are the 29 pubs in our area that
continuously support our local breweries by
stocking at least one real ale from a brewery
within a 25 mile radius. More pubs are
following the initiative and we will add these
to the list below over the next few months.
Why not talk to your landlord and ask if
he/she is thinking about stocking beer from
one of our local breweries. Please let me know
of any interest and I will be happy to follow
this up by providing full details of the
LocAle scheme.
Glenn Parsons
pubsofficer@westberkscamra.org.uk
The Bell Inn
Aldworth
The Blackbird
Bagnor
The Bladebone Inn
Chapel Row
The Blue Ball
Kintbury
The Bowler’s Arms
Wash Common
The Bull
Stanford Dingley
The Castle Inn
Cold Ash
The Coopers Arms
Newbury
The Cottage Inn
Upper Bucklebury
The Crown & Garter
Inkpen Common
The Downgate
Hungerford
The Five Bells
Wickham
The Gun
Wash Common
The Hungerford Club
Hungerford
The Lord Lyon
Stockcross
The Monument
Newbury
The Old Boot Inn
Stanford Dingley
The Pot Kiln
Frilsham
The Red House
Marsh Benham
The Red House
Newbury
The Rising Sun
Stockcross
The Royal Oak
Yattendon
The Six Bells
Beenham
The Swan Inn
Great Shefford
The Swan Inn
Inkpen
The Three Swans
Hungerford
The White Hart
Hamstead Marshall
The Winterbourne Arms
Winterbourne
The Woodpecker
Wash Water
BREWED WITH
PASSION
DRUNK WITH
PLEASURE
The Ramsbury Brewery
Priory Farm, Axford, Marlborough, Wiltshire SN8 2HA
Brewery: 01672 541407 Office: 01672 520647 Sales: 07843 289527
*'
The Three Horse Shoes
Nr. Donnington Castle Newbury RG14 2LB
A warm friendly pub, offering a superb,
freshly prepared and cooked to order,
Thai menu as well as two quality cask ales
which change regularly.
Open All Day
Food served Tue - Sat (12 - 2 & 6 - 9)
Now serving Sunday roasts 12 - 4
For details: call 01635 41366 or visit
www.threehorseshoesdonnington.co.uk
Ullage September/October 2012
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After winning Swindon Beer Festival in October with “25 Silver
Pigs” Stout (ABV 4.7%), you can now enjoy it in the bottle.
A rich dark old English stout, full bodied with a great finish.
www.ramsburybrewery.com
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
Pub Profile # 42
Spotted Dog Cold Ash
Kevin Dobson and Caroline Nanney at the
Spotted Dog, Cold Ash are on a mission to
provide an excellent pub experience to the
people of West Berkshire, but more specifically
the residents of Cold Ash.
Kevin and Caz have been at the Spotted Dog
since July 2011 and have already overseen
numerous changes and improvements to pub.
One of the changes is an enclosed children’s play
area in the centre of the decking area at the front
of the pub. Other alterations include a separate
heated marquee which acts as a function room
that can be used for watching sports events or
music events.
Something that hasn't changed is the multiroom layout, but the lounge bar is a restaurant/
dining area, while the public bar is still the main
area in the pub. The building is old and there are
a number of beams, so watch out!
The pub regularly has four real ales available
and the current selection is Good Old Boy,
London Pride, Courage Best and Sharp’s Doom
Bar. Kevin has thought about offering other beers,
but the regulars like these four beers, so he
doesn't want to change them.
Louise Crozier & Kevin Dobson
Kevin supports the local community by
hosting two darts teams and runs events for the
locals. Monday night is darts night, Wednesday is
Pizza night.
Louis Flurontino makes the authentic Italian
pizzas in special double pizza ovens using Papa
Luigi dough and fresh ingredients. John Cowan is
the head chef responsible for the range of other
dishes on the lunchtime and evening menus.
Louise Crozier and Shanita Willis also have
important roles at the pub.
Cider ... (continued)
On 7 August, Rick Wyatt and Roy Bailey visited
the Great British Beer Festival at Olympia and Rick
delivered a sample bottle of each to Paul Scrivens,
who was working as a volunteer at the Rees bar,
serving real cider and perry.
Roy Bailey reported 'I started off with some
Minchew's Stinking Bishop perry and followed it
with some Salt Hill cider - both excellent.' Greg
Davies makes Salt Hill cider, with Berkshire apples,
in Slough.
Paul is the chairman of Reading and Mid
Berkshire CAMRA branch and orders the cider for
the Reading Beer and Cider Festival which is where
the judging for CAMRA’s National Champion Cider
and Perry of Britain takes place. Paul has been
instrumental in arrangements for the CAMRA
Apple and Pear Produce Liaison Executive (APPLE)
to visit Tutts Clump Cider in October 2012.
ciders, in local stores, once the bottling company
has obtained a SALSA audit certificate.
Nick Edwards is the other commercial cider
producer in West Berkshire. Based in Kintbury,
Ciderniks started producing in 2003 using locally
sourced apples wherever possible. Popular ciders
include Dab Hand (6.5% ABV, medium) and Combe
Raider (6.5% ABV, dry). Nick advises that the mixture
of apples used will produce a distinctive taste each
year. Ciderniks can be found at pubs including the
Royal Oak, Wantage; the Crown and Garter, Inkpen
Common and the Blue Ball, Kintbury.
www.wyattscider.co.uk
www.tuttsclumpcider.co.uk
www.ciderniks.com
www.salthillcider.wordpress.com
www.lambournvalleycider.co.uk
The pizza side of the business is taking off
and they will deliver to the local area centred on
Cold Ash, with free delivery within an 8 - 10 mile
radius of the pub that includes Thatcham and
Newbury. On Friday and Saturday nights, if you
are a local, you can spend the night at the pub
order a take-away pizza and then be taken home
with your pizza at the end of the night!
The Spotted Dog, Gladstone Lane, Cold Ash.
RG18 9PR
Tel 01635 862458 or 01635 864396
www.spotteddogcoldash.co.uk
Adrian Bean
West Berkshire CAMRA have organised a
trip to the Royal Oak, Wantage, on Saturday
20 October, during National Cider Month.
The Royal Oak is the Central Southern
region Cider Pub of the Year for the second
year in succession. The visit is timed to
coincide with the Newbury & District 107
bus service which departs from Newbury
bus station at 9.35 and returns from
Wantage (Market Place) at 14.37. The Royal
Oak opens at midday so there will be time
for a late breakfast and to explore Wantage
before visiting the pub.
www.royaloakwantage.co.uk
Tutts Clump Cider
Award Winning Real Cider
Tim Wale
Tutts Clump Cider
Nick Edwards
Ciderniks
Tim Wale also started making cider in 2006 at
Tutts Clump, near Bradfield. Tutts Clump Cider is
now the biggest cider and perry producer in
Berkshire with 43,000 litres made in 2011. A big
product range includes Repress (3.5% ABV made
from a second pressing of the apple pomace);
Traditional Farmhouse (6% ABV) and Royal
Berkshire (7% ABV). His cider is available in bottle
and on draught in a number of pubs including the
Bell, Aldworth; the Gun, Wash Common and the
Nag’s Head, Reading. A major supermarket chain
plans to stock a range of Tutts Clump bottled
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
made by hand with apples mainly from
within West Berkshire
Available in 275ml and 500ml bottles,
3, 5, 10 and 20 litre bag in box,
5 gallon poly-barrel and 9 gallon non
pressurized plastic barrel to go on
bar hand pump
Fittings to attach a bag in box to a
hand pump line also available
Tel: 0118 974 4649 Mobile: 07836 296996
Email: sales@tuttsclumpcider.co.uk
www.tuttsclumpcider.co.uk
5
Ullage September/October 2012
Good Beer Guide 2013
Save Your Pint
The 40th edition of the UK’s best-selling beer and
pub guide, CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide (GBG),
edited by Roger Protz, will be published on
13 September (RRP £15.99).
This pub guide is completely independent,
with listings based entirely on nominations from
CAMRA members and no paid placements. The
GBG features 4,500 pubs from around the UK
including over 1000 pubs that did not appear last
year. The comprehensive breweries section at the
back lists all the micro, regional and national
breweries that produce real ale in the UK, and the
key beers that they brew.
A massive ‘Sign the E-Petition Today!’ banner hung
from the ceiling of London Olympia during the
Great British Beer Festival. This was part of the
CAMRA Campaign to scrap the beer tax escalator.
Every year this increases the tax on beer by 2%
above the rate of inflation, adding pressure on the
British pub, the cornerstone of many communities.
100,000 signatures are needed by the end of
October to trigger a high profile Parliamentary
debate and put pressure on the Government before
the 2013 budget.
In an open letter to Chloe Smith, Economic
Secretary to the Treasury, Roger Protz pointed out
that duty in Britain accounts for 40% of all the beer
taxes within the European Union, yet the British
consume only 13% of all the beer brewed and
consumed in the EU.
If you have not already done so, please sign the
e-petition at CAMRA.ORG.UK/SAVEYOURPINT
The Guide will also be available as a mobile
phone App and in an E-Book version. For further
details of these and for a link to the CAMRA shop
to pre-order the Guide, visit www.camra.org.uk/gbg
The GBG will be available for the special price of
£10 at our launch event which will be held at one
of the pubs featured in the guide, on Monday
17 September (7.30pm). Check our website
www.westberkscamra.org.uk (from 13 September)
for the event’s location.
Ullage September/October 2012
6
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
Great British Beer Festival 2012 – London Olympia – Scrapbook
Simon Martin – Beer Reviewer
Pete Brown – Beer Writer
Marverine Cole – Beer Beauty
Pete was promoting his new book
Shakespeare’s Local - Five Centuries of History
Seen Through One Extraordinary Pub
(Publication date 8 Nov 2012).
Marverine was filming and interviewing and
later posted Great British Beer Festival 2012
[Videos] onto her website
www.beerbeauty.co.uk
Her vivacious appearance on This Morning
(9 May 2012 on ITV1) can also be viewed here.
In this video she describes beer as ‘a chic and
elegant drink’ and leads a tasting of beers
including Loddon Brewery’s Ferryman’s Gold.
He is the
author of Man
Walks into a
Pub - A
Sociable
History of Beer
(2004); Three
Sheets to the
Wind - 300
Bars in 13
Countries: One
Man’s Quest
for the
Meaning of
Beer (2007)
and Hops and
Glory - One
Man’s Search for the Beer that Built the British
Empire (2009) as well as The Cask Report
(published annually in September).
Simon was at the Brains Brewery stand to talk
about the collaboration beer Barry Island IPA
that head brewer Bill Dobson invited him to
brew with him at their new craft brewery.
Simon is the Real Ale Guide beer reviewer who
posts video reviews on YouTube
www.youtube.com/realaleguide
Watch his joint review with Rob
Derbyshire (www.hopzine.com) of Stone
Brewing Co Sublimely Self Righteous Ale posted
on 9 Aug 2012 (filmed by Tim Thomas at the
GBBF that features Ullage and mentions Tim’s
beer blog www.beereurope.blogspot.com).
West Berkshire CAMRA group – Beer Drinkers
From left to right: Richard Scullion (Social Secretary), Steven
Green (Oxford CAMRA: Editor Oxford Drinker; CAMRA Good
Beer Guide Mobile App Developer), Tim Thomas (Editor Ullage),
Adrian Bean (Chairman; GBBF volunteer), Frank Jessett.
We are in the
CAMRA
Good Beer
Guide 2012
(4th year
running)
Meals served every evening
and lunch-times Wed to Sun
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Traditional Sunday Roast lunches
En Suite Guest Rooms &
Function Room available
Choice of 3 Cask Ales
"
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'Pie and Pudding Club'
every Wednesday!
%
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West Berks CAMRA
Pub of the Year 2008
#$ "
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THE SQUARE, YATTENDON, BERKSHIRE RG18 0UG
TELEPHONE: 01635 201 325
EMAIL: INFO@ROYALOAKYATTENDON.COM
WWW.ROYALOAKYATTENDON.COM
The Six Bells, The Green, Beenham
Reading RG7 5NX Tel: 0118 9713368
Email: info@thesixbells.co.uk
www.thesixbells.co.uk
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire
' )*# !
" $ *#
#$
7
Ullage September/October 2012
LIVE MUSIC
THROUGHOUT THE DAY
EXCELLENT PROGRAMME
OF RACING
OVER 200
REAL ALES, CIDERS AND PERRIES
INCLUDING A HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS
OF SCOTLAND REGIONAL BAR
Tickets from £18pp, half price entry
for CAMRA members quoting BEER12
0844 346 3000 ascot.co.uk
Beer Festival Diary
CAMRA-run beer festivals provide
excellent opportunities for sampling
a wide range of real ales, from all over
the UK and overseas. Here are some
of the major and most accessible
festivals for West Berkshire drinkers.
Diary Dates 2012
The following is a list of all forthcoming
meetings of the West Berkshire branch
of CAMRA. Some are ‘social’ meetings,
lively and friendly occasions where we
enjoy a few beers; others are ‘branch’
meetings, which are slightly more
formal and where we discuss beer and
pubs issues. Unless stated, our meetings
are open to all-comers – and new
members are particularly welcome!
11-13 October
15th Oxford Beer Festival
Oxford Town Hall,
St Aldates, Oxford
Details: www.oxfordcamra.org.uk
7-9 September
1st Runnymede Beer Festival
Runnymede Meadows. TW20 0AE
www.camrasurrey.org.uk/festivals
13-14 October
4th Hampshire OctoberFest
Milestones Museum, Leisure Park,
Basingstoke. RG22 6PG
www.hants.gov.uk/octoberfest
5-6 October
6th Ascot Racecourse
Beer Festival
Details: See advertisement above
www.ascot.co.uk
25-27 October
26th Swindon Beer Festival
STEAM Museum, Kemble Drive,
Swindon. SN2 2TA
www.swindoncamra.org.uk
The Campaign for Real Ale
West Berkshire
Tue 11 Sept
Branch Meeting
Six Bells, Beenham RG7 5NX
Mon 17 Sept Good Beer Guide Launch
Venue - on website from 13 Sept
7.30pm
Fri 28 Sept
Cask Ale Week
The Newbury, Bartholomew Street,
Newbury (first pub of flexible itinerary)
7.30pm
Wed 3 Oct
Branch Meeting
Taste of England, Thatcham
RG18 3AP
Sat 20 Oct
Cider Month Social
Royal Oak, Wantage OX12 8DF - See
page 5 for travel details Noon
Sat 27 Oct Wetherspoon Beer Festival
Diamond Tap, Newbury 1pm
then Hatchet Inn, Newbury
see page 3 for details
Wed 7 Nov
Branch Meeting
Langley Hall Inn, Beedon RG20 8SA
Sat 10 Nov
Wantage Beer Festival
Wantage Civic Hall OX12 9BY
Travel as per Sat 20 Oct (page 5) 11am
All meetings start at 8pm
unless otherwise stated.
Please check our website for further
details of events:
www.westberkscamra.org.uk
Ullage September/October 2012
8
Chairman: Adrian Bean
Tel 01635 528762 (H)
(chairman@westberkscamra.org.uk)
Secretary: Mike Avery
Tel 01635 820481 (H)
Treasurer: Steve Kelly
(treasurer@westberkscamra.org.uk)
Membership: Rich Milligan
(membership@westberkscamra.org.uk)
Pubs Officer: Glenn Parsons
(pubsofficer@westberkscamra.org.uk)
Social Secretary: Richard Scullian
Tel 07818 401795 (M)
Ullage Editorial: Tim Thomas
(editor1@westberkscamra.org.uk)
Ullage Design: Richard Lock
Social Media & Web Site:
www.westberkscamra.org.uk
Facebook: West Berkshire
Campaign for Real Ale
twitter.com/UllageBeer
Correspondence to:
e-mail:
secretary@westberkscamra.org.uk
or write to:
Mike Avery, 2 Sutton Road, Speen,
Newbury, Berkshire RG14 1UN.
Printing: Clere (www.clere.uk.com)
Local Trading Standards office:
Tel 01635 519930
Ullage is published by the West Berkshire branch of the
Campaign for Real Ale and is copyright of CAMRA. The
opinions expressed in this publication are those of the
contributor and are not necessarily endorsed by the
Production Team or The Campaign for Real Ale. Every
effort is made to ensure that the information contained
in Ullage is correct, but the publishers accept no
responsibility for any errors or omissions.
The Campaign for Real Ale West Berkshire