InnSpire - Chesterfield CAMRA

Page 1
InnSpire
Editorial & Production
Tim Stone & Debbie Jackson
Tel: 07773 141433
tim@hippographics.co.uk
Advertisements
Tim Stone
Tel: 07773 141433
tim@hippographics.co.uk
Article /Advertising Deadline
for June Issue 121
Friday 20th May 2016
Chesterfield & District CAMRA
Chairman
Mick Portman
88 Walton Road, Chesterfield S40 3BY
Tel: 01246 277757
Branch Contact
Jane Lefley
janelefley@yahoo.co.uk
07790 863432
Public affairs officer
Further Information
www.innspire.org.uk
info@chesterfieldcamra.org.uk
InnSpire has a circulation of 4,250 copies
and is produced by and copyright of the
Chesterfield & District Branch of CAMRA.
No parts may be used without
permission. Articles & letters are always
welcome and may be submitted by email
to the InnSpire Editor, address above.
Please note that the views expressed
herein are those of individual
contributors and not necessarily those of
the national Campaign for Real Ale
or the local Branch.
Chesterfield & District CAMRA is a Branch
of the Campaign for Real Ale
Alan Craw
mralancraw@gmail.com
Matlock & Dales Branch Contact
Peter Boitoult 07791 159 526
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Page 2
barrow Hill roundHouse
Rail
ale
2016
C
The mosT aTmospheric beer fesTival of The year!
Thursday 19th May
EBRATING
EL
12noon - 11pm
RA
IL A
AL
YEARS
L E FES
TIV
Friday 20th May
12noon - 11pm
saTurday 21st May
12noon - 11pm
over 300 real
ales, ciders,
perrys, crafT &
world beers!
Ticke
sale n Ts on
ow aT
www.s
e
e
t
i
cke
&a
ts.co
vaila
local ble from m
1 sT ma ouTleTs
rch 2
016
PLUS Train rides & live music (on Friday & Saturday)
ThUrSday:
advance £4.00, on The gaTe £5.00
Friday & SaTUrday:
supported
Festival
advance £6.50, on The gaTe £8.50
Campbell Drive, barrow Hill,
CHesterfielD, DerbysHire s43 2pr
www.railalefestival.com
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Chairman’s Report
Now that we’re past the Equinox, and the days
are getting longer, it’s good to see the season for
outdoor drinking. We’ve got some excellent country
pubs in the branch area which would welcome your
patronage. Until the County Council slashes its
subsidies to bus services you can reach many of them
by public transport, but don’t leave it too late.
The branch congratulates its Pub of the Year - the
Rykneld Turnpike, Clay Cross - and its Cider Pub of the
Year – the Chesterfield Alehouse.
Once again we’ve held an excellent beer festival and
introduced some novices to the joys of real beer. The branch sends its thanks to
our Beer Festival Organiser, Jane Lefley, and her band of volunteers.
I also want to thank our local publicans who have hosted our meetings – the
White Swan, the Tap House and the Rose and Crown. If I’ve forgotten any, my
apologies.
Happy Drinking
Mick Portman
Dronfield And District CAMRA Branch
Dronfield and District CAMRA has attained full branch status. Formed in 2012
as a sub-branch of Sheffield CAMRA, with pubs in Apperknowle, Unstone,
Sheepbridge, Troway, Millthorpe and Barlow transferred from Sheffield branch,
Dronfield CAMRA has quickly evolved into a lively, active CAMRA group hosting
a variety of social events and campaigning for pubs and cask ale, with plans for
further development of the branch to follow.
Dronfield and the surrounding areas are fortunate enough to have a number
of good pubs serving strong ranges of cask ale, and in addition is now home to
Hopjacker Brewery at the Dronfield Arms and is soon to be home to the local
community brewery Drone Valley.
Dronfield CAMRA branch meets on the second Tuesday of each month.
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ALE
CIDER
MUSIC
Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th of April
Page 5
TIGER
BEST BITTER
www.everards.co.uk
@EverardsTiger
Page 6
facebook.com/everards
Brewery News
Brampton
Brampton Mild won the bronze award in the Old Ales and Strong Milds at the
Winter Beer Festival in Derby earlier in the year.
Everards
Back, due to popular demand is sell-out beer Ascalon
from Everards. The beer has been specially brewed for
St George’s Day with 100% British ingredients and will
be available throughout April. The beer is named after
St George’s sword, Ascalon. Legend has it that as St.
George ventured to save the princess from the claws of
the dragon he became injured and sought protection
under a mythical orange tree, which both healed and
gave him power. When the dragon came to attack,
St George raised his sword - Ascalon - and plunged it
deep into the dragon with all of his might, slaying the beast.
Ascalon, a traditional chestnut beer, brewed with British grown Challenger and
Admiral hops. It has orange, zesty flavours complemented with chocolate, earthy
aromas, leaving a perfectly rounded finish. Claire Cannell, Brands Manager at
Everards said “This much loved beer celebrates a proud British tradition with the
image on the pumpclip and flavour of the beer telling the story. It is a must have
on pub bars this St. Georges Day”.
Instant Karma
The Clay Cross microbrewery is now in full in production, brewing eight different
beers, which can be sampled at the award winning Rykneld Turnpyke.
Peak Ales
Chatsworth Gold was victorious in the East Midlands Beer of the Year competition,
where it took the gold award.
Spire Brewing Company
Developments at Spire Brewing include branded bottles for an Italian restaurant
supplier, and plans for a bar area. Beer lovers will be able to enjoy the brewery’s
finest in the lovely countryside around Sutton Scarsdale. Watch this space!
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FED UP WITH YOUR PUB CO?
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS IN CHESTERFIELD
EXPERIENCED PUB
MANAGER(S) REQUIRED
Rose & Crown, Sheffield Rd, Whittington Moor (Directly
opposite Chesterfield FC stadium). The pub will close at the
end of May and, following extensive refurbishment, re-open
in August.
LY
APPW
NO !
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Freehouse, no beer tie
High footfall location directly opposite Chesterfield FC
Established darts & dominoes team
No in-going costs
No rent to pay
Earn a fixed % of turnover; sell more = earn more
Enthusiasm for real ale a major advantage
Email CV and relevant info to sincchris@gmail.com or call Chris on 07834 950693 for an informal chat.
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Pub News
A recent InnSpire issue covered an interesting approach to pub management.
The ‘manchise’ model has enabled Kim Beresford of Ashover Brewery and the
Old Poets’ Corner to hand over management of the Ashover pub and extend his
pub portfolio to include the Black Swan in Crich. The model gives managers the
opportunity to develop a successful pub, and reap the rewards from it, rather than
being held back by the notorious PubCo approach.
Fin and Amy moved into
the Black Swan in February,
having previously clocked
up experience in pubs,
cafes and booze cruises
between them. They were
looking for a pub they
could run together and
had seen Kim’s advert for
‘manchisees’ at the Old
Poets and liked the idea.
Kim was impressed with
their application but felt
that the Old Poets was probably too big as a first pub. However, he promised to
be in touch should something else come up - which turned out to be only a week
later!
A few meetings followed and Fin and Amy were all set. “Kim’s model gives
us a great opportunity to put our stamp on the pub, while benefiting from
his support,” said Fin. The pub will close for ten days in April for some minor
refurbishment, with a re-opening launch weekend on 22nd and 23rd April. The
pub will feature eight hand pumps and will also start to offer traditional pub grub.
A similar model is also being employed by Chris Sinclair who owns the Dronfield
Arms and the Beer House micro pub in Sheffield. Chris bought the Dronfield
pub from Punch Taverns and wanted a different approach for his manager. “My
feeling is that the better the manager does, the more they should make,” said
Chris. “I’m not suddenly going to ask for more when they are successful - if they
are able to improve their turnover or margin, good for them!” Chris and landlord
Ed have now jointly invested in a five barrel plant at the pub and are brewing as
Hopjacker.
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S
ASK U OUR..
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ABO tering
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Self
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Bed & st
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Break
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LIVE MUSIC
9pm Friday 13th May
3 Legged Cat
Classic Rock Tribute
Chris is now looking for another enthusiastic couple or individual to take over the
Rose and Crown on Old Sheffield Road in Chesterfield. He bought the pub back
in 2013, but the lease coming to an end soon has provided the opportunity to
redevelop the pub, which doesn’t currently serve cask ales. It will close at the end
of May for a refurb, with a view to re-opening mid August. There will be six beers
on the bar as well as craft keg offerings.
Also in Chesterfield, Chandlers is
planning a permanent Abbeydale
brew as one of their three
handpumps. They have also
started serving food again, with an
exciting and different menu which
will see new dishes each month.
See Facebook for details.
Just up the road the White Swan
now has its new team firmly in
place following Simon’s move to
the Craft Burger Company. Jake
Wood, ably supported by Kim and
Oli, is planning more live music The Shambles play on 29th May
- as well as some ‘pump takeovers’
by a couple of featured breweries.
The Three Horseshoes at Clay Cross is expanding their offering of beer and food.
They now have regular Abbeydale and Thornbridge pumps, and a £2 real ale
on the bar at all times, which changes regularly giving people chance to try
something different. Landlord Craig said, “This has been really popular with
those who don’t normally drink real ale but want to give it a try.” The pub also
now serves full English breakfasts from 10:00 Monday to Friday and from 9:00 on
Saturdays.
And finally, the Neptune Beer Emporium celebrates its first birthday on 22nd
to 24th April with live music from the Groovy Cats on the Friday, an open mic
celebration on Sunday and a birthday disco on Saturday night.
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Socials
Chesterfield Branch AGM
5th May 8.00pm White Swan followed by Branch meeting at 8.30pm
All committee members are willing to stand for another year, but anyone wanting
to stand for a post on the committee can to be nominated, seconded and emailed
to johnrodd@ymail.com Nominations will be taken up to the start of the AGM.
Branch meetings
2nd June Speedwell Arms at Staveley 8.30pm
7th July The Gate Inn at Cutthorpe 8.30pm
Derbyshire Pub of the Year Trip
30th April Transport available. Please send names to janelefley@yahoo.co.uk price is £5 per person. A trip round seven of the county’s Pubs of the Year (time to
be confirmed)
Saturday Survey Trips
The branch are going to do Saturday Surveys once a month where we will hire
a bus and survey three pubs within the Branch area that cannot be reached by
public transport. The price will be £5 per person, leaving town centre at around
3pm, and returning for 9.30pm so that people can get home. A minimum of eight
people will need to go on the trip and if you cancel you still have to pay the £5
bus fare. This is a CAMRA member’s subsidised rate - non-members are welcome
but will have to pay £10.
Market Beer Festival Helpers Trip
As a thank you to the people that gave their time up to volunteer to work at the
Market Beer Festival we went to Ashover Brewery’s new brewery at Clay Cross to
look at the set up they have and make a presentation to the winners of the Battle
of the Beers. Roy Shorrock and Kim Beresford for Zoo and John from Wilford
Brewery (formely Frontier) for Blue Bird were presented with a certificate for their
winning beers. The beer flowed and chip butties were eaten before heading back
to the Chesterfield Arms for their beer festival celebrating seven years.
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Campaign Update
Many of you will have seen the back page article in the February issue of What’s
Brewing under the regular sub heading of Industry insider. It was written by
Jackie Moodie-McNamara, a director of New River Retail; the one we love to hate!
Not Ms McNamara, but New River.
There are three underlying themes in what she writes, none of which can disguise
the fact that New River is a property company working solely in the interests of its
shareholders, which of course is the law. A limited liability company’s overriding
duty is to the shareholders. It must make its assets work profitably, and work to
increase the value of its balance sheet. The assets can only be profitable when
tenants pay commercial rents: the difficulty here is what constitutes a commercial
rent.
A property rented out as a convenience store can more easily pay a straight
commercial rent as the owner will not be acting as the wholesaler. A property
rented out as a pub is not in the same position: the owner is also the wholesaler
thus taking profit at both ends. Full commercial rents are charged, but are not
viable as the margins are too low. It is therefore disingenuous of Ms McNamara
to claim lack of profitability as a reason for closure. The wholesale side of the
operation will always be hugely profitable. All you need to read is the annual
report of Enterprise Inns to see just where the profit arises in that operation.
Secondly, the question of underused assets is discussed. This means land not
used for the purposes of drinking. I have been deliberately obtuse here, as we all
know this means car parks, beer gardens, bowling greens and any land that is not
developed. You can easily get a convenience store on the carpark of many pubs
that I know. Where will the cars park now? Where can the patrons go to in the
good weather to drink? What will they think when they are invaded by parents
and toddlers doing their shopping? I would certainly not like to share the space
with shoppers. Look at the converse argument for a moment. What if Tesco or the
Co-op decided to build a pub in their car park ? Would you drink there even if the
beer was of a quality to make the soul leap for joy! I somehow think not.
Finally, having been wholly negative in this article, let us examine the plus points.
New River are expanding their pub portfolio, not selling it. That means they have
faith in the future. At least the article in What’s Brewing is honest and open, albeit
with some truths disguised.
Alan Craw
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Page 16
A Colorado wobble
(or skid as the case may be!)
Never let it be said that
sport and supping are not
compatible! John and I, who
are probably the most far flung
Chesterfield branch members,
residing as we do near Leek
in Staffordshire (!), have
just returned from a skiing
holiday in Colorado. Not a
destination or an activity that
you would normally associate
with supping beer! However
we did manage to find two
independent breweries, both
just a short free bus ride away.
Our first find was the Breckenridge Brewery, a very welcoming bar with the mash
tun behind it, a large communal table and a happy hour from 3pm – 6pm which
meant some interesting conversations with beer lovers of varying nationalities,
tourists and locals alike. On our first of many visits we were lucky to meet a local
couple called Helen and Jay who were very interested to hear about CAMRA and
generous with their knowledge of beer, Breckenridge and Denver and shared
their shrimp dish with us! The local brew was Avalanche, a 5.5% smooth amber
ale with nutty caramel notes.
Over the course of our visits we sampled a very respectable vanilla porter, tasty
but light at 5.4%; an oatmeal stout (4.5%), with overtones of oatmeal, chocolate
and coffee; a citrusy pale ale called Mango Mosaic 6.0%, easy drinking, with tons
of fruitiness coming from Mosaic hops and then aged on Mangos! (only in the
good old US of A) and the local strong offering of Pandora’s Bock 8.0% a strong
malty lager with Special B malt, dark fruit and caramel tastes, only sold in half
pints!
We also tried the golden bronze Super Connector Double IPA 8.1% - a
collaboration of four breweries from two states. 100% NZ hopped double IPA
with a touch of kiwi puree and over 5lbs of hops per US barrel (don’t knock it until
you’ve tried it!)
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






Page 18
Encouraged by this local
success we decided to
venture further afield
and hopped (no pun
intended!) on a free bus
to a nearby town called
Frisco. Here we discovered
the Backcountry
Brewery, who have been
recognised six times by
the prestigious Great
American Beer Festival
and won numerous
awards at the Colorado
State Fair.
The Superbowl was live on TV, (Denver Bronchos being one of the teams in the
final so imagine the atmosphere!), another happy hour and a nice selection of
beers to try. We tried out two of their previous medal winners, the first Telemark
IPA 5.6% which was a blend of north west hops and lightly kilned malts which
gave it a well balanced, hoppy flavour. We then had Switchback Amber ale
5.4%, a deep copper colour, smooth malty flavour and pleasant hop aroma and
bitterness from German hops. Again much chatting with locals, a sunset over the
mountains and a win by the Denver Bronchos! This skiing lark is such hard work!
Never let it be said that Chesterfield branch members are not industrious when
it comes to seeking and sampling local brews, no matter how unlikely the
destination. And who knows we might have encouraged two new international
members of CAMRA!
Yvonne Nolan
Page 19
Chesterfield Be
February
Over 2,350 people attended the Beer
Festival held at the Winding Wheel,
consuming over 7,370 pints, despite
the torrential rain on Saturday
night. The winner of the Derbyshire
Beer of the Festival was Jaipur,
Thornbridge Brewery and the Beer
of the Festival was Chatsworth Gold,
Peak Ales - both local breweries, so
congratulations to them both.
Friday afternoon was a quiet session
with trade and judging of the two
East Midlands Regional category for
Champion Beer of Britain, Speciality
and Strong Bitters. Friday evening
the customers was entertained by a
local band Loose Change.
Saturday was the first time that we
had entertainment in the afternoon.
On stage were the Jumping Fleas, a
nine piece ukulele band. Saturday
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eer Festival
2016
afternoon also saw the Festival
invaded by Darth Vader, Storm
Troopers and other characters from
Star Wars (East Midlands Garrison)
who rattled the bucket to collect for
charity and they made £126. Added
to the unused tokens over £450 was
donated to Helen’s Trust. Saturday
evening from Buxton everyone was
entertained by The Fossils.
Thank you to everyone that came to
set up and take down, with record
numbers this ran very smoothly
and efficiently, all thanks to the
volunteers that gave their time
before and after the Festival. Thank
you to all the volunteers that helped
staff the Festival during its opening
hours, you did a great job. Dates
for your diary are Friday 3rd and
Saturday 4th February 2017.
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Page 22
Judging pub of the year
CAMRA members are always willing to give their time in the interests of
researching good beer, so the decision between Derby and Chesterfield branches
to assist in judging each others’ Pubs of the Year gave an opportunity to try some
pubs outside the normal area. With this in mind, we set out towards the north of
the county with a list of the finalists.
Although the pubs were scattered around
the Chesterfield branch area, preliminary
research showed, rather optimistically, that
it would be possible to visit them all in a
day by public transport. Looking forward
to the experience, we met at Derby Bus
Station to catch the Comet.
First stop was the Shoulder of Mutton at
Hallfield Gate. A ten minute walk from the
bus stop, with Russ showing off his hardly
worn, pale grey boots (more details later),
took us to this pub with glorious views
over the Amber Valley. First impressions
weren’t encouraging as the barman gave
us his frank views on CAMRA when we
asked for the advertised CAMRA discount. However things improved; three cask
ales available with Angelina from Coastal being our favourite. The barman also
turned out to be very helpful when asked about displaying NWAF posters – he
even gave us some Blu-tack so we forgave his earlier comments.
Although the pub was comfortable the tyranny of the bus timetable meant
another walk back to catch the Comet again to Clay Cross. It must be said that
our prejudice showed and we weren’t expecting a lot from the next pub. This
increased as we walked through the town without any sight of the Rykneld
Turnpyke. Fortunately some locals gave us directions and we found this exWorking Man’s club. Going in, all our prejudices vanished. This was a pleasant,
smartly converted pub but what caught our attention was the sight of 12 cask
ales on the bar. Six of these were from the in-house Instant Karma brewery, newly
restored to brewing, and six guests. The beers were all in excellent condition and
very good value with the house beers at £2.50 a pint.
The welcome was warm, with a visit to look at the brew house and being kept
Page 23
Page 24
up-to-date with the Rams cuptie. Needless to say, the planned
‘quick half and move on’ went
by the board as we had to make
sure that all the beers were
equally good. General consensus
was that the Instant Karma
Chameleon was the pick of the
bunch. It was explained that
this was originally brewed as a
special but was so popular it is
now a regular.
Plans were modified and we
took a taxi to our next stop, the Arkwright Arms at Sutton cum Duckmanton. A
completely different style of pub with changing guest beers and a good choice
of food. Although food was a possibility we weren’t tempted by the beer to stay
and a further taxi was booked to take us to the far side of the branch area and the
Gate Inn at Cutthorpe. It was probably a good job we’d not eaten as this ride was
white-knuckle; high speed through Chesterfield town centre and blind bends on
country lanes taken on the wrong side of the road in the dark and rain.
The Gate is a fine country inn on the moors; very popular in summer. It is fair to
say the conditions– dark, cold and pouring with rain – meant we didn’t see it at
its best, but nevertheless the real fire was very welcome. By this time we were
determined to finish our task, so another quick half (Black Sheep, Chatsworth
Gold and London Pride were
available) then a safer taxi back into
Chesterfield for our last two visits.
The penultimate stop was Brampton
Brewery’s tap, the Tramway Tavern.
As expected a selection of Brampton
beers plus Sambrooks was on
offer. The Impy Dark was good and
although the Tramway bitter tasted
funny, it was changed without
question and the beer immediately
taken off. The time for the last bus
back to Derby was approaching so
down the road to the last stop, the
Chesterfield Alehouse micropub. On
Page 25
the way Russ had to pause as the
sole of one hardly worn boot became
detached but he bravely limped on
to the pub. Emergency repairs were
not possible but there was time for
another half before the bus.
We’d only just left when Russ’s other
boot also decided to part company.
The lack of sympathy he’d received
earlier moved on to full-blown taking
the mick. We knew that Russ gave his
heart to CAMRA but now it was his
sole(s) as well! Last bus safely caught,
we travelled back to Derby only to
see Gareth doing a similar judging.
And the Winner was...... The Rykneld Turnpyke, as announced by Chesterfield
CAMRA.
Mike Ainsley
Page 26
Pub of the Year
Rykneld Turnpyke
A true phoenix rising from the ashes, the Rykneld Turnpyke in Clay Cross has been
award Chesterfield and District Pub of the Year 2016. Following a devastating
fire, the re-opened pub and its associated brewery, Instant Karma, has gone from
strength to strength.
For the first time the Pub of the Year was selected by an independent group from
Derby CAMRA who visited all of the finalists. The group was impressed by the
warm welcome from landlord Glyn and his team, and the 12 cask ales on the bar,
including six from the brewery.
The award was presented by Jane Lefley from Chesterfield CAMRA. Glyn said,
“I’m especially proud to win this award as we are a bit of an outpost for real ale.
It’s enough of a challenge setting up in a town centre where there is already a
market, but buying a derelict working men’s club on the outskirts of a small town
was quite a gamble!”
Glyn had to gut the building and start again, but three years later - despite the fire
- his hard work and vision has been rewarded. “We can be difficult to find if you
don’t know Clay Cross, but we’re on John Street which is a small residential road
off Market Street. We look forward to seeing customers old and new!”
Page 27
BREWER S O F AWA RD - WI NNI NG
HA N D C RA F T ED ENGLI SH ALES
H EN RIE T TA
HARLEY
CAV EN DI S H
RED F E AT H ER
P O RT LAND B LACK
We lbe c k Abbe y Bre wer y
B re w e r y Yard
We lbe c k, Work so p
Nott i ngha m shire
S8 0 3 LT
T 01909 512 539
E inf o @welbec k abbe y bre wer y.co.uk
W welbec k abbe y bre wer y. co.uk
Latest News
The Three Horseshoes
Bar & Eatery
4 Cask Ales -12 Draught Products
Sunday Lunch 12-3pm
Freshly Ground Coffee all day, every day
Steak Night - Last Friday in every month
2 x 10oz Rump steaks & a bottle of wine £24.99
plus full steak menu also available
Thursday Quiz night from 9pm with open the box,
Live weekend Entertainment.
49 Market Street, Clay Cross, Chesterfield, S45 9JE
Tel. 01246 861789
FREE HOUSE
Page 28
www.facebook.com/3HorseshoesCX
Not So Dry January
MAD CAMRA trip to Nottingham City Centre Pubs
On the sort of gloomy, wet winter’s day we’ve become accustomed to, nine
CAMRA stalwarts assembled at Matlock station to journey to the sparkling
metropolis of Nottingham in the hope of sampling fine beers in its welcoming
hostelries.
Our first port of call was the Castle Rock brewery tap of the Vat and Fiddle,
situated just across the road from the Railway Station and in front of the Castle
Rock Brewery. The beer doesn’t have far to travel, and was in the fine condition
one would hope for in that situation. I tried two here, Elsie Mo and Harvest Pale,
which I much enjoyed, though the dominance of the large TV and lack of seating
detracted somewhat.
A short walk to Canal Street brought us to the Newshouse, situated in a rather
unattractive part of town but still a welcoming pub with a good selection of
ales. This time we could sit down to enjoy them. I went for Blue Monkey Infinity
and Totally Brewed Punch in the Face. The latter sounds a dangerous pint to
order: “Can I have a punch in the face please?”. Luckily I just got the beer and face
remained intact. We were just getting settled when it was time to move on. Next
Page 29
was the King William IV in Sneinton. A popular pub with traditional interior and a
good choice of cask ales. My choices here were Oakham Green Devil and Dukeries
Pale Ale, both on good form.
The first three pubs being in fairly grim parts of the city, it was nice to head into
the Lace Market which is full of fine and historic buildings .The group divided
temporarily here, a small contingent wishing to try Brewdog, whilst the rest
continued to the Kean’s Head .This pub lies adjacent to St Mary’s Church and is
open plan with attractive exposed brickwork and architectural steel columns.
Another Castle Rock owned pub, it boasts a wide range of real ales, craft beers
and continental bottled beers. My choices here were Castle Rock Preservation and
Totally Brewed Four Hopmen of the Apocalypse. As we had a bit of time to spare
whilst the Brewdog aficionados caught up we had a chance to sample their fine
baguettes.
At this point we had to decide whether we still had time to visit the Canning
Circus pubs. Sadly it was felt that these would have to wait for another occasion
so we crossed Market Square to find the Barrel Drop micropub. This is a fine cosy
little establishment tucked away up a narrow cobbled alley - Hurt’s Yard - but well
worth the search.
Our party made themselves comfortable and a spontaneous Jenga tournament
unfolded with Simon K explaining the finer points of technique from an
engineer’s perspective, whilst I sampled Wentworth Frozen Assets and Lincoln
Green Joseph Keller - a cherry stout being an unusual choice for me. Quite
pleasant, if a little sweet.
Wending our way back to the Railway Station, we chanced on the Ned Ludd,
recently acquired by Nottingham Brewery. Obviously I had to have a Nottingham
EPA, which was as good as one would expect.
Our final call of the day was the Canal House, famous for having a narrow boat
sitting right in the middle. The beer must have been affecting my memory by
now, as I have no recollection of what I had in here. We left it a little tight to get to
out train on time, but just made it with two minutes to spare.
In all it was an enjoyable and interesting trip where I was introduced to two new
pubs, and also completely ruined the Dry January concept after a mere two days.
Jeff Glaves
Page 30
Brunswick A5 Landscape Advert_Layout 1 08/05/2014 11:17 Page 1
Award-winning ale from
Derby’s oldest brewery
G COM
IN
For orders and enquiries call 01332 410055 or
email: info@brunswickbrewingcompany.co.uk
Regular regional deliveries available.
PANY B
PANY B
ABV
1045
R
K B EW
O.G.
The Brunswick will offer
NSWIC
RU
NSWIC
RU
R
K B EW
New licensees Alan & Philippe
look forward to welcoming you
Real Ale, Real Food, Real
Brewpub. A great partnership
of two businesses!
G COM
IN
The Brunswick
Pub & Brewery
Keep a look out for our exciting new seasonal
ales created by James, if you would like to
know more, he would love you to pop in for a
chat or give him a call!
G COM
IN
PANY B
R
K B EW
NSWIC
RU
4.3%
O.G.
ABV
1042
4.2%
RAILWAY PORTER
THE USUAL
Award Winning Ale
Award Winning Ale
NSWIC
RU
NSWIC
RU
• Full range of six Brunswick Ales, Everards Tiger, Everards
Beacon, Timothy Taylor Landlord
• AND 8 regular changing cask ales
PANY B
PANY B
PANY B
G COM
IN
G COM
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O.G.
1058
G COM
IN
ABV
4%
R
K B EW
O.G.
1040
NSWIC
RU
R
K B EW
• Regular CAMRA discount - 20p off a pint
Alan & Philippe have accolades as winners of CAMRA Pub of
the Year 2010, 2011 and 2014 while at The Crown, Uppingham
& Brewer James has been brewing award winning ale at The
Brunswick now for 11 years.
R
K B EW
• NEW homemade menu using quality locally sourced ingredients
ABV
6%
O.G.
ABV
1038
3
3.6%
.6%
TRIPLE HOP
BLACK
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ACK SABBATH
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WHITE
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HITE F
FEATHER
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Award Winning Ale
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info@brunswickbrewingcompany.co.uk or brunswickderby@aol.com • www.brunswickbrewingcompany.co.uk & www.brunswickderby.com
The Brunswick, 1 Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU • For all enquiries please call: 01332 290677
Page 31
MAD Branch Diary
Sat 2 April 2016 Branch social trip to Newark
Catching 10.37 train from Matlock. There is a fifty minute wait in Nottingham, to
be filled by a trip to a pub near the station for a quick one. Arrive Newark 12.50.
Return train is 17.03 from Newark, with a further Nottingham pitstop, arriving
Matlock 19.25. Group savers will be obtained on the train.
Sat 16 April 2016 Branch meeting at the Nelson Arms Middleton by Wirksworth
Transport available from Matlock, to depart 11:30 – The meeting will be followed
by a trip round further venues in the Wirksworth, Brassington and Carsington
area.
Thu 19th May 2016
Branch meeting 8pm: Plough Inn, Two Dales. (Used to be called ‘Toad Hill’ y’know)
Thu 16 June 2016
Branch meeting 8pm: Black Swan, Crich (Erstwhile named ‘Crice’).
Page 32
Matlock and Dales CAMRA
Pub of the Year 2016
Stanley’s Alehouse, Matlock
Anyone walking up Bank Road
for the first time will find it quite
a steep climb. At the centre of the
incline you will find it bisected by
the mile long thoroughfare that
is Smedley Street. Once called
Old Hackney Lane, the name
was changed in honour of John
Smedley himself, who in 1853
built the famous ‘Hydro’, which,
for a fee probably as steep as the
hill, employed hydrotherapeutic
techniques to cure the ailments
of the more affluent denizens of
Great Britain (and her erstwhile
Empire too no doubt).
Look across the road from the
Hydro and you can still see the
classic Victorian small shop
frontages, most still in use as
shops and offices today. One
such establishment has recently
converted to a micropub, and
goes by the name of Stanley’s Alehouse. Previously known as Café Central, Mick
and Mich McMaster, owners of Derbyshire’s Bumpmill Brewery bought the lease
on the underperforming building early in 2014 with the intent to turn it into
Matlock’s first micropub.
There are no hard and fast rules as to what a micropub is. The definition
according to the Micropub Association (yes, there is one) is ‘a small freehouse
which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation,
shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks’
- Their basic premise being KIS, KIS – Keep It Small, Keep It Simple.
Page 33
Stanley’s loyally adheres to these principles. Six (mostly local) real ales are
dispensed, with two further handpulls supplying real cider. The ever expanding
pump-clip collection behind the bar is testament to how many different ales have
been on sale since they first opened in July 2014, fittingly on Independence Day.
Conversation flows freely, and the bar is often furnished with complimentary
snacks ranging from peanuts through to bespoke olive-based hors-d’oeuvres.
(Although Nigel did distribute complementary Pickled Onion flavoured Monster
Munch once, to much acclaim!) Live music is played, but it’s not of the eardrum
shattering variety. More cool licks from musicians who know what they’re doing,
do it well, and are happy to share it.
So how are they doing? Well Bumpmill’s own Thunder Road bitter won the Beer
of the Festival at the Matlock Beer Festival in October 2015, (held just over the
road in the old Hydro, now County Offices on Smedley Street), and more recently
Mick and Mich have now added to their awards haul, because the Matlock
and Dales CAMRA 2016 Pub of The Year has now gone to Stanley’s Ale House.
Congratulations to them, and I’m sure there will be more awards to come.
Stanley’s is right on the corner of Bank Road and Smedley Street. You can’t miss it
as it’s got two huge picture windows with ‘Stanley’s’ tastefully etched into them,
both affording great views of the Derwent Valley towards Ambergate. If you do
plan to visit, please note currently the pub is closed Monday to Wednesday, with
doors opening from 5pm Thursday, and from 2pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Cheers, Tony Farrington.
PS. For the record, I had to look up how to spell hors-d’oeuvres, I’m not totally
sure if hydrotherapeutic is a real word or not, and I once saw Warwick Davis being
winched to safety off a Cromford cliff face from Stanley’s picture windows. True
story.
Page 34
MoCa Bar
Serving a selection of real ales from....
Abbeydale, Oakham, Blue Monkey,
Dancing Duck, Kelham Island & Brampton
Matlock CAMRA Pub of the Year
2013 & 2014
We now stock Matlock Wolds Farm Bottles
Mon-Wed real ales £2.80 per pint
Lunchtime light bites menu available
Open 11am until late
Try a Real Ale Rack - 4 x 1/3 pint with cheese!
77 Dale Road, Matlock Tel. 01629 583973
Page 35
Meet The Brewer
Gareth Jones of the Spire Brewing Company based at
Sutton Scarsdale is this issue’s featured brewer.
What did you do before you
became a brewer?
I was a Business Development
Director for an IT company.
Reorganisation meant that my
job moved to London so I took
redundancy. However, they
needed me part time to complete
a project so this gave me the time
to think what I wanted to do.
What made you become a brewer?
Desperation! Seriously, I’d always
wanted my own business and had
brewed at home in the past. I took
a training course then found out
that Dave McLaren was selling up,
so bought the kit from him.
What inspires the sort of beer you
produce?
I want to produce a relatively small
but diverse range. I’d like to be
known for producing consistent
beers which you can rely on. Our
strap line is ‘There’s a Beer for You’ - i.e.. there will always be something you’ll
enjoy.
What’s your favourite beer?
My favourite Spire beer is Jailbreak, an American IPA. Difficult to choose between
the rest! I’m partial to Abbeydale Moonshine, but also used to enjoy Old Peculier
when it was still the original Theakston’s brew.
Page 36
Where in the world is your favourite place to drink beer?
No question that would have to be in a British pub. I love the Still and West in
Portsmouth where I used to sit and watch all the ships as a student. The Old
Dungeon Gill in the Lake District is also a great pub.
What’s the most important thing we can do to protect real ale pubs?
I think it’s important that pubs have a good range of beers on offer, and therefore
the more free houses the better. The growing number of breweries need the pubs
to sell to, and that is in itself a challenge. However, we need to be careful not to
limit what’s out there by relying too heavily on brewery swaps.
What are your first drinking memories?
There were three or four of us in East Lancashire who used to go out in search
of Thwaites pubs, taking turns to drive. We were determined to seek out decent
beer!
1 King Street North,Whittington Moor, Chesterfield S41 9BA
Open
4 -11pm Mon.- Fri.
12pm -12pm Sat.
1pm -10pm Sunday
Dawn
CAMRA PUB of the SEASON
Autumn 2014
Phone 07870 693411
EA
LK
EEP
IT R
Draught beers changing on the bar every week
Real ales and craft ciders in bottles and on draught
Page 37
The fact that you are quite possibly reading
InnSpire while sampling a pint of real ale in your
local pub is largely down to the efforts of CAMRA,
founded in the 70s. CAMRA is an independent,
voluntary organisation campaigning for real ale,
community pubs and consumer rights. CAMRA was formed in March 1971 by
four men from the north-west who were disillusioned by the domination of the
UK beer market by a handful of companies pushing products of low flavour and
quality onto the consumer.
JOIN
CAMRA
In the present day, CAMRA has over 160,600 members across the world, and
has been described as the most successful consumer campaign in Europe. So
why not join today and be part of a highly successful organisation?
But, you may say, in that case the battle must be over – there’s no need to join.
Well, local pubs continue to disappear at an alarming rate, and the story of the
Crispin Inn continues as we go to print.
So, apart from helping to preserve our drinking traditions, what’s in it for you?
For just £23 per year you receive a quarterly copy of the magazine BEER, and
a monthly colour newspaper, What’s Brewing, informing you of beer and pub
news.
There are also discounts on books,
entry to over 160 beer festivals and
various holidays and attractions.
Various pubs also offer discounts
to CAMRA members, and each
year you will receive £20 worth of
Wetherspoons real ale vouchers.
Most importantly of all, however,
by joining CAMRA you are helping
to ensure that you will still be
enjoying a pint of real ale in years
to come!
You can join online at camra.org.
uk, complete the form opposite or
contact our membership secretary
Jane at janelefley@yahoo.co.uk or
on 07790 863432
Page 38
Fai
r
on dea
tax beer l
nw
o
!
A Campaign
of Two Halves
Save
Britain’s
Pubs!
Join CAMRA Today
Complete the Direct Debit form and you will receive 15 months membership
for the price of 12 and a fantastic discount on your membership subscription.
Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd with your completed form, visit
www.camra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201. All forms should be addressed to the:
Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW.
Your Details
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01/15
Campaigning for Pub Goers
& Beer Drinkers
Enjoying Real Ale
& Pubs
Join CAMRA today – www.camra.org.uk/joinus
Instruction to your Bank or
Building Society to pay by Direct Debit
Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to:
Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts AL1 4LW
Name and full postal address of your Bank or Building Society Service User Number
To the Manager
Bank or Building Society
Address
9 2 6 1 2 9
FOR CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE LTD OFFICIAL USE ONLY
This is not part of the instruction to your Bank or Building Society
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Reference
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This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building
societies that accept instructions to pay by Direct
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If there are any changes to the amount, date or
frequency of your Direct Debit The Campaign for
Real Ale Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance
of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.
If you request The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd to collect
a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will
be given to you at the time of the request
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Please pay Campaign For Real Ale Limited Direct Debits from the account
detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit
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Ale Limited and, if so will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.
If an error is made in the payment of your Direct
Debit by The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd or your bank
or building society, you are entitled to a full and
immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank
or building society
Signature(s)
- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you
must pay it back when The Campaign For Real Ale Ltd
asks you to
Date
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confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
Page 39
Sunday 26th June- 3.30pm-7.30pm
Australian
Wine Tasting & BBQ
Come and join us for our Australian wine tasting. The afternoon
will consist of a blind tasting of 6 Australian wines
(prize for the winning team!) along with a 3 course meal
Starter
Caramelised Onion & Goats Cheese Tart,
Rocket, Honey & Wholegrain Mustard Vinaigrette
Main
Homemade Aussie Burger,
Barbequed Chicken, Roasted Veggie Salad, Homemade Chips
Dessert
Homemade Lamington Cake,
Roasted Pineapple, Coconut Ice Cream
£35.00
Please make your reservation at the bar
The Market Pub
Page
40 Square,Chesterfield.
95 New
01246-273-641 www.themarketpub.co.uk