1. food and drink
2. beverages
3. alcoholic beverages
4. cocktails and beer

Spring 2015
FREE
Please Take One
the
tippler
The magazine of the Gloucestershire Branches of the
Campaign for Real Ale
©The Campaign for Real Ale 2015. Opinions expressed need not represent those of CAMRA Ltd or its officials
the
tippler
The magazine of the Gloucestershire Branches of the
Campaign for Real Ale
contents:
©The Campaign for Real Ale 2015. Opinions expressed need not represent those of
CAMRA Ltd or its officials
More Pubs of the Black Country page 24
Festival News Pull-out section
page 25
page
4
View from the Glos. Brewhouse
page 33
Obituaries page
6
Donnington: 150 years
page 34
Pub News
page
8
Brewery News
page 38
The Hunter’s Column
page 10
CAMRA’s Manifesto
page 42
Pubs & Clubs of the Year
page 14
Hook Norton Prize Wordsearch page 48
Cheltenham News
View from the Uley Brewhouse
page 18
What’s Coming Up? page 52
page 19
CAMRA contacts
page 53
Bath Taps
page 22
Letters to the Editor
Front cover: The delightful Donnington Brewery
CONTRIBUTION DEADLINES:
THIRD FRIDAY OF
FEBRUARY, MAY, AUGUST AND NOVEMBER
have you any pub news?
More details are posted regularly on the Facebook group 'Gloucestershire Pubs', an ideal forum
to keep other people informed of the latest pub developments in the county.
We value feedback and news from around the county, so, if you’ve got something
to say, want to make a contribution, compliment or criticise, then get in touch:
The Editor, The Tippler, 23 Theocs Close, Tewkesbury, Glos. GL20 5TX
tipplereditor@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
01684 439767
3
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
LETTERS
to the
for goodness
sake jeremy, can’t we
just send an email like
all those FRIGHTFULLY
modern chaps?
EDITOR
Some of
us old codgers
are still happy to use
the services of the Royal Mail, and we actively
encourage all forms of (preferably printable!)
communication. So get writing and get your
news, views and comments published!
tipplereditor@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
The Editor, The Tippler, 23 Theocs Close,
Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. GL20 5TX
Dear Chris,
Happy New Year!
Having finally had a chance to dip into the latest
Tippler we noticed an edit on our article (page 40)
that could give the impression something else was
meant.
The sentence: “We wanted to bring back brewing
to the Cotswolds and see if we could encourage UK
beer consumers to be a little more adventurous”
Should have read:
“We wanted to bring back brewing to the Capital of
the Cotswolds and see if we could encourage UK
beer consumers to be a little more adventurous”
If noticed, I think some of the local Cotswolds
microbreweries might raise an eyebrow or two as
they were already brewing some excellent tasting
beers before we came along. In Cirencester, however,
the ‘Capital of the Cotswolds’ there were no microbreweries at the time; although this is not the case
anymore!
The final media release I saw had cut out the
mention of the Cotswolds altogether and read: “We wanted to see if UK beer consumers could be equally adventurous and challenge their taste-buds more. We’d also like to see
4
new consumers encouraged to try it”. So not sure
quite what has happened.
Anyhow perhaps a correction could be made in
the next edition that explains we were referring to
the Capital of Cotswolds, Cirencester as opposed to
the Cotswolds as a whole.
Cheers and thank you for all the coverage we
have had in the Tippler; it is appreciated and is a
great publication.
Lucy & Colin
Chris replies:
Many thanks for clearing that up. To save you
worrying, and it was a self-effacing letter that
was really appreciated, I have had no complaints
at all.
I guess it’s simply because the brewers in the
county are a friendly bunch of people (and who
wouldn’t be brewing beer? It could be worse!).
On a slightly serious note, sometimes, in
order to ensure that the magazine has a ‘flow’
to it, I just can’t fit everything in without a bit of
jiggery-pokery and on this occasion, your feature
was the recipient of the editor’s blue pencil.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
LETTERS
to the
EDITOR
Dear Chris,
We'd also like to promote the Forest of Dean
(FoD) CAMRA through the Tippler to try and get
more people interested in the superb rich heritage of
pubs, breweries, ciders and perries that we have in
the region.
FoD CAMRA is a sub-branch of Gloucestershire
CAMRA and are looking for interested parties
to come and enjoy real ale with us in the Forest. We
hold regular meetings (known as Jolly's, or is that
Jollies?) on the second Thursday of the month at
different local ale pubs. We have a lot of socialising
to get through and organise trips/pub crawls as well.
Currently, we don't organise a Beer Festival ,but
we do support the Littledean Real Ale Festival which
is scheduled to take place over the Easter Bank
Holiday, 3rd - 6th April, 2015. This is the fifth
Littledean Real Ale Festival being held at The
Belfry Hotel, from 12.00pm - 12.00am Friday and
Saturday and 12.00pm - 11.00pm Sunday and
Monday. Amazingly it’s a FREE entry, with no glass
to buy and complementary Bread and Cheese
for those who are enjoying the Ale. The Monday
evening will be FoD CAMRA night and I will be
serving the Ale.
Cheers
Andy.
I’m Andrew Tubb (Andy) and you can contact me
@ forestofdean@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
or Tel : 01594822381 and also you can find out more
on the events page towards the back of the
Tippler.
pub news in brief. . . Jerry Ward
Good news as Samuel Smiths Brewery roll-out
their programme to serve cask ale in their pubs.
Three of our expensively refurbished and maintained
pubs will benefit by serving at least on real ale.
Gloucester’s Robert Raike’s House and The Old
Crown together with The Mill in Withington will
benefit and the move will encourage more visitors
to these historic buildings. It’s taken a long time for
Sam Smiths to make this move, and congratulations
are finally due.
News of three of our lost pubs. The former
Starting Gate at Hardwicke recently opened as a
One-Stop convenience store (Tesco owned) taking
advantage of the planning loophole whereby pubs
can be converted to shops without the need for
change of use! CAMRA now campaigns to close
this planning loophole and help save community
pubs.
Meanwhile at Cainscross, Stroud, the well sited
former White Horse pub, bought privately from
pubco Admiral Taverns in 2010, has just relaunched
as the ‘fresh ground’ café. A social enterprise
partnership with The Brandon Trust, the café
provides work experience for adults with learning
difficulties. The beauty of the café lies in its interior.
Expensively refurbished, to all ends it looks like a
tastefully fitted out pub with bar, now serving counter,
still in place. Accommodation is offered and who
knows, one day someone with a vision may once
again serve ales at a modern White Horse.
The closed King’s Head at Norton has since
being bought by New Dawn Developments and had
planning permission obtained for houses on part of
the car park, and in December on the beer garden.
The King’s Head Community Pub Group have been
unable to secure pledges enough to purchase the
pub and currently New Dawn say they could open
it themselves (?) or would like to hear from anyone
interested in joining them in a commercial enterprise.
News of the historic listed market place Red Lion
Inn in Northleach, seemed positive when bought
from pubco Punch by the incumbent tenants. However
change of use from pub to domestic was quickly
applied for. Subsequently rejected by Cotswold
District Council in December the pub remained
closed in January and no doubt change of
use will be sought again with the business
quoted as unviable !
5
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
OBITUARY
David William Gardner (Scraggy) 1953 - 2014
Not many people knew David by his Christian name; most knew him as
Scraggy the chimney sweep. Sadly Scraggy drowned in the Sharpness
Canal on the 20th December 2014 at the age of 61.
Scraggy was a member of Dursley CAMRA; his membership
card had one name on it Scraggy! He was a great character; he
would often join in with CAMRA pub-crawls and after a few pints
would entertain us by singing local folk songs in his dulcet
Gloucestershire tone.
His funeral in St Mary’s Church Wotton-Under-Edge on 20th
January was very well attended, the large church was packed
with people of all walks of life, and such was the influence this
wonderful man had on so many people.
His eulogy was read by his sister Kay, here follows an edited
version of the eulogy:
“Many of you here may only have known David in later years
as Scraggy the Sweep. Some of you have been lucky to know
him much longer. I will attempt to paint a picture of the man as seen through the eyes of his little sister.
My adorable, infuriating big brother, with the Beatles haircut, the hippy beard, or the silly hat.
“Born 29th January 1953, as soon as David could walk he was off into the Tresham Valley exploring
the local countryside and watching the wildlife. Mum and Dad gave him a wooden toy with bells so
that they could find him.
“By the time I came along my brothers David and Michael were lively boys and a kid sister would be
the last thing they wanted to entertain. However, they would spend hours with me, playing music and
singing, or pushing me around in a George Hensley grocery box. Later, my brothers would carry me
on bicycles and latterly motorbikes. David would often take me on long walks in the valley, when I
protested tiredness he would carry me home.
“Growing up around David was like being in a Gerald Durrell book, we would find newts, frogs and
bring them home in our wellies. I even had to share my pram with an orphan squirrel called Squeak
who David brought home before I was due. Squeak survived for some years and would hurtle up the
curtains and terrorise the cat. Squeak would also join David and I on walks through the valley in a
dray in David’s jersey!
“At senior school, the
two brothers were separated,
love of animals, was
Michael went to grammar school,
David went to secondary modern,
only matched by his love of
and this was down to character rather
fellow man, he could get on
than academic ability. David would
prefer to spend time in the woods, his with anyone regardless of age,
first school achievement was to score
race, class or
99/100 for bird recognition. David was
offered his dream job at Bristol Zoo, unfortunately the wages
were not sufficient to pay for his accommodation in Bristol, so David worked on the farm and picked
hops and apples in Herefordshire.
“David was restless to see the world and its wildlife, with a fiver in his pocket he set off and ended
up in Greece. In Greece, he slept in the goat shed, drinking fresh milk for breakfast, helping the elderly
owner whose shoes were made of used car tyres.
“Next stop: the Holy Lands, and a job picking oranges in a Kibbutz and befriending Bedouins to explore
ancient relics. In the early 1970s when war broke out, he stayed with the people regardless of advice
that all Europeans should leave; he spent his time looking after children in air raid shelters. He never
lost interest in the Middle East and would often spend time listening to Al Jazeera.
“David returned home from this adventure with a Danish Girl, Tove, who spent a happy summer in
“
his
“
religion.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
the family home in Tresham. When Tove’s father became ill, he travelled with her to Denmark to help
on the family dairy farm. He spent 10 years there becoming fluent in Danish and Swedish, to the extent
he had to show his passport to prove his nationality.
“During his time in Sweden, he worked with the elderly, some with severe mental health issues.
One formidable woman refused to go outdoors for over 20 years, despite her size and protests he
got her into a wheelchair and into the fresh air to enjoy the pleasure of nature, she never looked back.
“After buying his dream cottage in Hillesley, David had itchy feet and travelled to India and Nepal,
where he found himself by the Ganges among beggars, outcasts and lepers, as an act of kindness he
would roll them cigarettes.
“In Nepal he stayed with the locals, living in their Huts with the yaks and enjoying climbing the
Himalayas, enjoying the staggering views despite altitude sickness.
“David returned home met and married Ali and a family followed, with them he passed on his
knowledge of nature and farming. To support his family ‘Scraggy the Sweep’ was born, he enjoyed the
interaction with a wide range of people he met sweeping their chimneys.
“Life did not always run smoothly for David, often people would take advantage of his over-generous
nature, but he would not bear a grudge. There are not many people who enjoy a drink in Gloucestershire
pubs, that did not know David and he knew all the pubs and lots of people.
“A truly kind and considerate man, who is greatly missed.”
All CAMRA members who knew him will raise a glass in his memory.
OBITUARY
John Edward Barnard 1928-2014
It is with much sadness that we report the passing of John Barnard of the Red Lion at Ampney St Peter.
John died peacefully on Sunday 7th December aged 86
years.
Anyone who had the privilege of meeting John at the
Red Lion will remember him as a true gentleman who
treated all his customers as his friends, no matter how
infrequently they visited the pub. Moreover he had the
gift of remembering your name so you immediately felt at
home in his company.
Visiting the Red Lion was one of life's real pleasures.
John bought the pub from Whitbread in 1975 and realised
that the traditional interior of the roadside inn was
something special that was worth preserving, resisting the
urge for modernisation that ripped the heart out of so many pubs. The Red Lion deservedly gained an
entry into the CAMRA National Inventory of Pub Interiors of Outstanding Historic Interest. John served
his customers from behind a wooden bench as, uniquely, the Red Lion had no bar area. Beer was drawn
from a couple of hand-pumps set against the back wall in the corner of the room. Furniture consisted
of one table with benches and a window seat used for seating. Across the central corridor, which had a
hatch for service and off sales , was a second room which was used when the main bar was busy.
When John celebrated his 80th Birthday on 18th September 2008 a representative from Timothy
Taylor's brewery in Keighley came specifically to see John at the Red Lion to commend him on the
consistent quality of his 'Landlord' ale which was considered by the brewery to be one of the best kept
pints outside of their Yorkshire trading area.
John is survived by his wife Sylvia and daughters Caroline and Mary.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
pub news
This May, the Beaufort Arms, Hawkesbury Upton,
South Gloucestershire, will be celebrating an amazing
20 years in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide - without
a break. Perhaps uniquely, this has been achieved
within two different CAMRA branches and along the
way the pub has received several CAMRA awards,
culminating in the Gloucestershire CAMRA Pub of
the Year accolade in 2004. After all of these years,
they’re now going to mount their first mini-Beer
Festival. To help commemorate this achievement,
all card carrying Bristol and Gloucestershire CAMRA
members will be entitled to a discount of 50p a pint
during the festival period.
Landlord Mark Steeds commented:
“To all of our friends past and present, please
come along on May 1st, 2nd and 3rd and help make
it go with a swing.”
We just heard that The Ebrington Arms’ owners,
Jim and Claire, have just celebrated their ‘Pub
Anniversary’ on January 18th, and are now into their
9th year at the pub.
To add to the celebrations, the Ebrington Arms
has maintained its second AA Rosette for food for
the fourth consecutive year, showing commendable
consistency.
To complement the food, owner/brewer, Jim,
has tweaked the recipe and is really happy with
YPA (Yubby Pale Ale) which joins Yubby bitter
and Yawnie, our own craft ales. So happy with the
results, they are now wholesaling their beers to pubs
(never to supermarkets!). Anyone after information
should contact jim@yubbyinns.com.
The awards at the ‘Yubby’ are certainly no fluke,
as their sister pub, The Killingworth Castle in
Wootton by Woodstock, has just won The Oxford
Mail’s ‘Pub of the Year’ after last year winning
‘Restaurant of the Year’ in the same awards. As you
can imagine, owner Claire reckons she is: “Really
chuffed to bits.”
The Little Thatch, Quedgeley now offers a host
of goodies for real ale enthusiasts with up to three
real ales always on tap, with Bath Ales’ Gem and
Hook Norton’s Greedy Goose proving particularly
popular of late. The pub is concentrating on local
pub news
wanting to move the bar and he comments on the
work:
“I am very pleased with the result. It’s a lot more
practical behind, and spacious in front, with more
traditional character. Regulars have compared it to
the 12 Bells in Cirencester when Bob Ashley had it,
in layout and atmosphere.
suppliers and is eager to attract more local brewers
to further improve its real-ale credentials. It also
offers American craft beer, traditional ciders and a
range of spirits. From March they will supplement
the cask offerings by having a bottle menu of
specially selected real ales, ciders and lagers from
brewers within a short distance from their premises.
Along with all of these benefits, they also have
a new Sunday menu that will be the perfect partner
for your pint, with meals and drinks served either in
the restaurant full of old-world charm, or the cosy
wood-panelled bar area complete with a warming
fire for customers’ comfort. Menus are updated
every week depending on the availability of seasonal
produce, and always include a number of hot and
cold starters, meat, fish and vegetable mains of local
provenance and seasonal character. Hot off the press is the news that they have
also started a ‘Pie Night’ on Thursdays, serving
renowned pies from ‘Plenty - purveyors of delectable
pies’. Check out our Facebook page or find out more
at www.thelittlethatch.co.uk or drop in at 141 Bristol
Road, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 4PQ.
Over the winter, improvement works have been
going on apace at the Waggon and Horses,
Cirencester.
The bar location dated back to a time when the
pub was split into snug and lounge, the walls had
been removed long ago, more dining space added
and the bar location no longer made sense. With the
bar right at the doorway, customers having to climb
over those already stood at the bar, though there
were a few that enjoyed that sort of intimate contact.
For those visiting the town on the ale trail the pub’s
character B&B rooms are still very popular.
For some time Landlord, David Fulcher, has been
“Ale drinkers were
relieved that the six
pump Worthside beer
engine has been
retained, at some cost to my back, as the solid brass
and mahogany construction are not light. We still
offer some of the best local ales and ciders in town,
having served a few hundred varieties over the last
few years. Pump clips festoon the ceiling beams.
Unlike some recent refits we still have space at the
bar for drinkers.
“The menu, after four years of Thai chefs
changed in 2014 when the head chef returned to
Thailand and has been developed into a proper,
traditional pub offering, with the help of the late great
Justin Ashley.”
The Star Inn,
Wotton-under-Edge
has new owners.
On Monday 26th
January, the
Wickwar Brewery
took ownership of this
fantastic traditional
free house in the town of Wotton-under-Edge, which
is only a few miles away from their brewing site in
Wickwar.
Lita Ralston is delighted to continue as manager,
providing great customer service and well looked
after ales. To complement Wickwar’s own
excellent ales, the pub will continue to
provide Butcombe bitter and guest ales.
9
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
THE
HUNTER’ S
COLUMN
Our intrepid hero heads off darn the East End (gor blimey guv’nor) to get
himself acquainted with the meaning of life, speaking of which, I couldn’t
help wondering if he managed to swag himself some right lairy jeckyls to
go with the new T-shirt?...
The Answer To Everything
Let’s face it, sometimes alcohol is the answer.
You can try other things – yoga; yogic flying (if it’s
good enough for George Harrison); yoghurt; yodelling;
yachting; Yugoslavia (too late mate!); yak milk;
yakety sax; yakety yak (don’t talk back); yin and
even yang. Y not? But nothing else seems to fit.
We were at the 31st Pig’s Ear Beer & Cider Festival
in the Grade II* listed Round Chapel, off Lower
Clapton (no sign of abstinent Eric) Road, Hackney,
organised (although nobody actually played the
magnificent, piped instrument that dominates the
interior) by CAMRA’s East London and City Branch.
The festival takes its name from the old cockney
rhyming slang for beer – pig’s ear. I must admit I’d
seen it advertised in What’s Brewing over the years
and thought to myself that one day I’d make the
effort. We’ve always been big fans of pork scratchings
and were a little surprised that it wasn’t being held
in the Black Country, where the best are made.
My sister-in-law hails from ‘darn sarf’ and on being
introduced to scratchings, managed to pull from the
bag a big, hairy nipple. They do say that you can
eat everything on a pig except the squeal. It put her
off for life. It eventually dawned on me that we’d got
the wrong end of the stick, but I still wondered why
the festival was so called. Was it named after a local
pub or did they make such a mess of organising it
that they decided to own up? “Cor blimey Nellie, wiv
made a right pig’s ear ou’a that one!” All was revealed
on the branch’s website. Pig’s ear is cockney rhyming slang for beer and had been around for a
long time. Well so have I, but I’d never
10
heard of it. The phrase does appear in
a book of 1880 by D.W. Barrett, called Life & Work
among Navvies, where one of the said navvies goes
off for “a tiddley wink of pig’s ear”. I’d never heard
“tiddley wink” used for ‘a drink’ either. “Gone for a
Burton” was our pitch on it
The Punk Pig on the posters and front page
of the programme had his ear pierced or tagged
maybe; although I didn’t spot any tattoos. He looked
like a thing of nightmares (and probably thought the
same about me); this boar was from the dark side
of the forest and was stood upright, gripping tightly,
with his right, front trotter a beer pump, serving “666
The Number Of The Yeast”. 400 beers were advertised,
with 230 in casks, accompanied by a large bottled
beer section. One in four of the 50+ new breweries
in London are located in the east of the city. The
festival featured 27 London breweries, who between
them supplied 65 ales. Anspach & Hobday of
Bermondsey brew The Stout Porter, excellent at
8.5%, with close neighbours, Brew By Numbers,
offering two 03/03 Porters, both at 6.9 %. Bullfinch
was yet another Bermondsey brewer, although none
of them had named a brew after ‘The Bermondsey
Boy’ himself, Tommy Steele. By The Horns did a
lovely Lambeth Walk 5.1% and East London proved
that flattery gets you everywhere by serving up a
Pig’s Ear Christmas Ale 4.5% with nutmeg, cinnamon
and ginger. Anybody remember when beer used
to taste like beer? How about Hackney’s Calypso/El
Dorado 4.6%, a fruity, juicy, tropical Pacific Pale Ale,
with melon, lychee, peaches and lime hanging off a
medium malt body. I lieth not. I bet that’s the first
Pacific Pale Ale that you’ve heard of; it certainly was
for me. Laines of Hackney denounced the Bourgeois
Scum at 7.0% and prophesied a Red Empire at 5.2%;
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
whilst Hackney-ed London Fields produced 3 Weiss Monkeys,
plus “From the gates of hell we bring you Gyle 666, a smoked
chipotle, habanero, spiced ale at 6.66%. To be unleashed on all
sinners.” Count me in then.
Situated directly beneath the “King of Instruments” was my
favourite tee shirt company, Smart T’s, who have made me laugh
many a time, with their witty slogans, at various beer festivals,
including Worcester. Oliver Reed was well represented and,
following his sensational, cinematic adventures in the ‘Tipple of
Doom’, was declared to be ‘Lost in Action’ or was it all just “Pub
Fiction”? “Now, here’s a funny thing”, to slightly misquote local (Brighton
actually) comic Max Miller. It turns out that Ernie, the Joint CEO/
Stall Holder of Smart T’s (on their website the company name is
printed over some coloured sweets, geddit?), not only hailed from
nearby Dartford, but was an ex-Dartford Grammar School boy at
the same time as our own most venerated and punctilious (How’s
My Punctuation? Call 0800- !”*’?) editor. He also confirmed the
story that some of the text books at the school still contained the
‘autograph’ of young Michael Jagger, who had attended a few
years prior. Both Ernie & Ed were leading lights, during the
school’s mock elections, in the not-to-be-taken-too-seriously Fancy Dress Party, which trounced all opposition
on the day. (It went on to contest real council and general elections - Ed.) Warms the cockles of the heart,
does it not? My better half and I had had a couple of halves by then; Christmas was coming; a few presents
were still required, so we ended up walking away with an armful. My favourite had a completed ‘Hang The
Man’ drawing, over the letters ALC_H_L and the slogan, “Sometimes Alcohol IS The Answer”. I’ll drink to that.
The 'unter
this publication is edited, designed and created by
CHARISMATIC MARKETING LIMITED
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literature services, and how we can help your local business
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11
NEWS FROM NORTH
COTSWOLD BRANCH
SOCIAL DIARY
BUSINESS DIARY
14th March - Skittles vs Shakespeare
Branch Coach & Horses Harvington
2nd April - AGM Kings Head,
Bledington
20th June – Day out to Swindon GBG
pubs.
MONTHLY PUB WALKS
We have continued our programme of monthly pub walks which have been well supported and we plan the
following Saturday walks (4 to 5 miles) meet at 10.30 am.
1st March
4th April 2015 2nd May 2015
- No 58 Great Western Arms, Blockley
- No 59 Bugatti Inn Gretton
- No 60 Norman Knight Whichford- Joint Camra event
THREE BEER FESTIVALS 2015
16th/17th May 8/9th August 11th/12th Sept.
- 7th Ale & Steam Spring Weekend - GWR Winchcome/Toddington Stations
- 2nd Ale & Steam Summer Weekend - GWR Winchcombe/Toddington Stations
- 8th Moreton Beer Festival - Moreton Cricket Ground.
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I
SALLY FORTH FIRST
HAILTHE CONQUERING HERO
THE NATIONAL PUB OF THE YEAR (POTY)
Huge congratulations to Peter and Claire Tiley
at the wonderful Salutation Inn at Ham, who have
deservedly won the highest accolade that the
Campaign for Real Ale can award; namely,
National Pub of the Year for 2015.
A winning combination of interesting, superbly
kept real ales, a growing range of ciders and perries,
allied to a refreshing enthusiasm for community-based
events and interesting food nights, have all played
their part in putting this lovely, lively pub on the map.
The ability of their (very supportive) locals to tolerate
the constant stream of random strangers and assorted
oddballs (some of whom will keep returning), having
that odd half of shandy or two, too often, obviously
helps. That said, the real fire, well trained, friendly,
attentive staff and the tolerance shown to families
and pets didn't exactly hinder their chances either.
Well done once again.
Making it through the judging criteria has been a
long process for this lovely hostelry, starting way back in early 2014 when the Dursley Sub-branch
of CAMRA made it their POTY. Due to the unique way Gloucestershire CAMRA is structured, this pub then went 14
up against the best pubs from each of the
other sub-branches, winning the accolade of
Gloucestershire CAMRA POTY back in the early
spring.
The next hurdle was going up against the other
branch nominations from the northern half of the
South West Region; with great pubs from Bath,
Bristol, North Cotswolds, Swindon and North West
Wiltshire being judged against it. Winning the vote
from the Northern region award meant it was then
judged against the best candidate from the southern
half, the lovely Star Inn at Vogue, Cornwall.
Winning this regional CAMRA award was itself
a fine and worthy tribute to the hard work that this
lovely, dexterous couple, and their wonderful staff,
have put into running such a fine establishment.
They then went forward to the Super Regional round
of judging, where they were up against the best
pubs in the Welsh, Central Southern and Wessex
CAMRA Regions for the Super Regional title. We
were delighted to hear that they triumphed here as
well, and a lot of good folk were on tenterhooks for
quite a while as the end of January approached.
Congratulations once again to all involved, their
regular customers and locals included.
Andrew Frape
Chairman, Gloucestershire branch of CAMRA.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
CHELTENHAM POTY
This year Cheltenham CAMRA decided that, instead of simply announcing the winner for Club and Pub of
the Year, we would announce the winner and two runners-up. The reason is to give recognition to those
pubs, landlords and staff who were close to the top prize, and to encourage everyone to put that little bit
more in to get to the top.
Sandford Park Alehouse - Pub of the Year
Cheltenham Motor Club - Club of the Year
The Cheltenham Pub of the Year award for 2015
goes to the Sandford Park Alehouse. Winner of the
Pub of the Year award in 2014, the High Street pub
only opened in April 2013. In that time Grant Cook
and his team have built a strong reputation for
quality and choice – the number of different draught
real ales served has just passed 1,000. In addition
there are 16 craft keg ales, 80 bottled beers, good
food, bar billiards and a beer garden next to the river.
Runners-up are the Jolly Brewmaster and the
Royal Union. The Jolly Brewmaster is a multiple past
winner of this award and is the current Cheltenham
Cider & Perry Pub of the Year. The Royal Union, a
winner of a Pub of the Season award, continues to
impress with a selection of great beers and themed
beer festivals, like the week-long Welsh Beer Festival.
The Cheltenham Club of the Year award for 2015
goes to Cheltenham Motor Club. As 2013 National
CAMRA Club of the Year and currently the
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, South West Region,
Super Regional and on the shortlist (final four)
for the 2015 National Club of the Year, this is not
unexpected.
CMC club steward, Neil Way, continues to source
and serve a range of exciting and unusual beers.
The club, in Upper Park Street, is very welcoming to
CAMRA members.
Our runners-up are the Charlton Kings Club and St.
Stephen's Sports & Social Club. Both clubs serve a
changing line-up of generally south-west real ales
and the Charlton Kings Club hold a popular beer
festival every November.
Cirencester's Pub of the
Year is the Royal Oak in
Tetbury, which, following a
wonderfully sympathetic
restoration, overseen by
owners Kate Lewis and
Chris York; has gained a
reputation as a cracking
freehouse and dining
room, serving well-kept
regional and guest real ales
(and good quality organic
food). Fans of wood and
stone will relish the decor
and design details used.
This dog-friendly, family
credit: Ayalem Photography
friendly locals pub is a
fun and interesting place to
visit, although the quiz and party nights can appear rather hectic at first glance.
Stroud Tom Long, Bath Gem and a vegan friendly offering from Moor are always available, plus two guest
ales and an offering from Severn Cider. The spacious garden hosts several small music festivals
over the summer, and their six en suite rooms have helped this lovely pub become the winner of
the best pub with rooms award in Sawday's Pubs and Inns of England and Wales. CIRENCESTER POTY
15
FOREST
OF DEAN
POTY
After much deliberation the
Forest of Dean members decided
that The Rising Sun at Woolaston
Common is their Pub Of The Year
for 2015.
Emerging victorious from a
list of nine candidates with last
year’s winner The Red Hart
at Blaisdon coming a close
second.
The pub location is a bit out
of the way, but worth the effort
when you get there, there is
a friendly atmosphere and a
warm welcome from Maria, John and their staff, all
of whom have a good knowledge of real ale. There
are two regularly available and a changing guest
ale. The ale prices and ABV are clearly displayed,
and along with the home cooked food, this
makes the Rising Sun a really enjoyable
experience.
To the delight of the more traditional
amongst us, the pub has no pool table,
darts or jukebox, so with only piped
background music you are encouraged to engage in
conversation. (Will that catch on? - Ed.)
There's a good garden area with country views and
dogs are welcome.
GLOUCESTER POTY
The Pelican Inn - Pub of the Year
Nestled in St Mary’s Street, just behind the
Cathedral, sits the Pelican Inn. Landlord Mike Hall
has transformed the pub since Wye Valley Brewery
opened it in 2012.
There is a
belief that the
pub contains
original
timbers from
the Golden
Hind, Drake’s
flagship, true
or not, the pub
has a long
history of
selling ale in Gloucester. Most of the beers on offer are Wye Valley and Dorothy Goodbody, but there are regular guest appearances
from other well known breweries.
16
Gala Club - Club of the Year
The Gala Club in Fairmile Gardens,
was set up as a social club for a number
of public sector organisations. Over the
years many of those organisations have
become privatised but the Gala Club
continues. The club has two skittle alleys
and a number of organisations use the
club for meetings. CAMRA members are
welcome (with card), and the stewards, Neil and
Maria Hiley usually have on offer three real ales,
recent offerings have included Timothy Taylor
Boltmaker and Moorhouses Blond Witch.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
STROUD
POTY
The Ale House
Stroud CAMRA
members voted The Ale
House in Stroud as Pub
of the Year for 2015. It
was also Pub of the Year
last year. This is the first
time members have ever
chosen the same pub
twice, let alone two years
running. So that's quite an
accolade.
This will come as no surprise to anyone who has visited the pub. An ever-changing selection of nine
beers on handpull run the gamut of styles, colours and strengths, from regulars like the Dark Star Hophead
(3.5%) all the way up to Oakham, The Kraken Wakes (6.8%) - a Black IPA. Local ales from Stroud and
Cotswold Lion breweries are always available, supplemented by an adventurous and catholic range of
guests from breweries like Brass Castle, Burning Sky, Downton, Mallinsons and Marble (to name just a few). A cider and perry are always available.
The Ale House occupies magnificent premises - a grade-II listed building built in 1837 for the Poor Law
Guardians. It is far and away the finest pub interior in Stroud and, unusually for a town centre pub, boasts a
blazing log fire in winter.
TEWKESBURY POTY
The White Bear - Pub of the Year
Situated on the north-western edge of Tewkesbury town centre
on the Bredon Road and became famous in 2007 when during the
floods it quite literally went under water.
The pub has been under the management of Darren Matthews
for a little over a year now during in which time he has served an
increasingly varied range of excellently kept beers over five handpumps . Regulars are the ubiquitous Doombar and Sadlers Peaky Blinder with three regularly changing
guests from smaller and local breweries. Real cider is a big draw here with a range of Thatchers ciders as
well as three guest traditional ciders and a perry This is a good-value, family-run pub that attracts a varied
and very friendly clientèle.
Royal British Legion - Club of the Year
This year, The Legion is celebrating its 60th birthday in an interesting
building formerly known as The Mason’s Arms, The Legion is very
comfortable multi-room club with a very well kept snooker table.
Wendy and Tony Parry are the current stewards and have worked
hard to make Real Ale central their offering and they were instrumental
in Moles Brewery brewing “Hoppy Poppy” which bolster the
Poppy Fund. The Legion has three pumps with up to two in
use at any one time with a constantly changing beer on offer.
17
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
NEWS FROM THE CHELTENHAM BRANCH
Planning for the first
Cheltenham CAMRA
Real Ale Festival is well
underway, with Cheltenham
Town Hall booked for the 14th and 15th of August 2015.
The beer selection panel has started work, aiming
to balance beer styles and strengths to come up
with a list as varied as the tastes of the eager real
ale, cider and perry drinkers. If anyone would like to
request any specific beers, then this can be done
online at:
http://www.cheltenhamcamra.org.uk/craf/beercider.php
The panel also hope to persuade brewers to create
‘Festival Specials’ to celebrate the first Cheltenham
CAMRA Real Ale Festival. We will feature well over
100 beers, ciders and perries.
Grant Cook, licensee of the Sandford Park Alehouse
and Chair of the Festival Planning Committee, said:
“Cheltenham is a festival town, so we thought it
high-time we held an official CAMRA real ale festival.
The Town Hall is the ideal venue. The main hall is a
lovely space and there are plenty of side rooms for
seating and entertainment.
!
!!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
!!!
“As it is August we hope to have the terrace and
grass area to the side of the Town Hall available
as our outdoor area. We expect to attract up to
1,000 people at any one time, and with that number
attending we will need a lot of volunteers. If any
CAMRA members can help, there is an online and
downloadable form on the staffing section of the
festival website. We’d love to see you there.
“Meanwhile we are strengthening our expertise
internally so that we can run the best festival we
can. Two members have attended week-long
training courses at the Manchester and Derby Beer
Festivals, and four more are booked onto a one-day
cooling course at St Albans.”
Tickets for the festival will cost £6, including a
festival glass. Card-carrying CAMRA members will
receive £3 worth of beer tokens on the house.
There will be three sessions. Friday will be from
Noon to 11.00pm, with a quiet session until late
afternoon. Saturday will have two sessions, Noon to
4.00pm and 6.00pm to 11.00pm. Advance tickets will
be available, for all sessions, online from the festival
website in the spring, so keep visiting.
!
An independent true
free house in central
Cheltenham.
20 High Street, GL50 1DZ.
Tel 01242 574517.
www.spalehouse.co.uk
CAMRA
Pub Of
The
20142014
Cheltenham
CAMRA
Pub
Of Year
The Year
•Cheltenham
10 Hand-pulled
and
ciders––no
nonationals!
nationals!
•10 Hand-pulled
alesales
and
ciders
Over 600 different real ales since April 2013
•
1,000
real ales
since April
2013
taps different
featuring Belgian
& German
imports
+ craft keg
•Over16
Overfeaturing
80 superbBelgian
bottled beers
–
many
BC
•16 taps
& German imports + craft keg
Large garden at rear
•
80 superb
bottled beers – many BC
and comfortable
•OverStylish
foodat
at the
prices
you’ll like
•LargeGreat
garden
rear
CAMRA discount on Mondays
•
and comfortable
CIDER
& CHEESE FESTIVAL AUGUST 15/16 from 5pm Fri.
•Stylish
Great food at prices you’ll like
view from the
uley brewhouse
In the first of two very different Views from the Brewhouse, Chas Wright, owner,
founder and driving force behind Uley Brewery, shares his thoughts on 30 years
of beer, brewers, brewing, pubs, paradise and life in general...
Thoughts on Uley Brewery Heroes.
By Chas Wright
I have always loved the feel and the history of old
buildings, especially breweries.
the grist case in the roof into the warm spring
water in the mash tun on the first floor. The wort
runs into the copper below. It is boiled with Hereford
hops and then collected in the FVs, and fermented
with a yeast strain given to us by John Payne from
Smiles Brewery nearly thirty years ago. The beer
is casked and conditioned in our long low cellars,
which were built in the reign of William IV. On
March 1st 1985, we brewed our first Uley Bitter.
We did a bit of tweaking and fine tuning, and we
have been brewing to the same recipe ever since.
Another hero was Simon Whitmore at Butcombe
Brewery who brewed just the one beer, and brewed
Above: The Prices Brewery in 1844.
Right: Chas and Claude Arkell at Donnington
Forty years ago I sat in Claude Arkell’s office in
Donnington Brewery drinking cups of tea with Paul
Theakston. Little did I think that ten years later Mr
Arkell would come down to the semi-derelict Prices
Brewery in Uley and give very sound advice on
how to rebuild it. He even sold me a malt mill for
£30, and kept an avuncular eye on our fortunes
for many years. “Keep it local”, he said, “don’t deal
with wholesalers.” I winced, I’d been responsible for
introducing Theakstons into the South West in the
Seventies, but the advice was sound. He was the
chief of my heroes.
The Brewery
We took over the shell of the Old Brewery in
the winter of 1984, and made our own vessels in
a friend’s fabricating shop in Gloucester. We built
a tower brewery, with Tucker’s Malt dropping from
it very well. We intended to do the same with Uley
Bitter...However, we were asked to provide a one-off
Strong Ale for the 1985 Frocester Beer Festival,
which we called Old Spot Ale. Silly name for a beer,
some said.
We had a few nines left over, so we sent them down
to The Great Western Beer Festival in Bristol, where we
won First Prize, beating Wadworths and Eldridge Pope.
We were pestered by the Press and publicans, and
had to re-create this one-off brew, which has now
been with us for the last twenty-nine and a
half years. Other beers have followed, rods
for our own backs! We had to build two
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
19
view from the uley brewhouse
Bavarian style
fermenters
and enlarge
the copper to
cope with
demand.
Below Left: The mash tun.
Centre: The yeast head.
Top: Hirsute Ric Sainty and Chas in 1986.
The
Brewers
At Uley we have a life
style. Ken Lush
relates how when he came
to Uley as the
Director of the Prema Art
Centre in 1993 he
discovered Uley Bitter in
The Old Crown, and declared, “Et in Arcadia ego!”
(for those of us who are not Latin, Greek and classics
scholars, Ken wasn’t referring to the seventeenth
century painting by Il Guernico, but declaring his
delight: “And I am in Arcadia (paradise)!” - Ed.) In
1996 he joined the brewery, and is now Head Brewer,
supported by Stu ‘the brew’ Crawshaw and Jody
Veale. Ken plays bass and Jody plays harmonica
with the legendary blues and rock band Short Elbow.
Chas just sits in pubs and plays concertinas.
and new, yes, and you at the Red Lion in Arlingham,
welcome back to the fold!
The Beers
The beers speak for themselves, without tasting
notes, and here is the list:
Uley Bitter
4%
Laurie Lee’s Bitter
4.5%
Old Spot Prize Strong Ale 5%
Pigs Ear Strong Beer
5%
Old Ric 4.5%
The Pubs
We have brewed the House Beer of the Old Spot
We could brew the best beer in the world, which we
Inn, Dursley for twenty years. It is a fitting memorial
do quite often, but it is all cask conditioned and must
to Ric Sainty, the late landlord, a legend in the revival
be looked after by real publicans. We are jealous
of Real Pubs. The Old Spot Inn was voted Best Pub
of our reputation, and we avoid the world of beer
In Great Britain by CAMRA in 2008.
tickers’ guest ales and supply only real pubs that look
We are hard pressed for brewing capacity, but
after their beer.
every Spring Ken celebrates with a brew of Gilt
It would be rather
Edge 4.5%, which like our Harvest Special 4.5%,
made with green hops
invidious to pick out
discovered Uley Bitter in
in early September,
any of our customers,
the Old Crown, and declared,
is usually spoken
but we can safely name
for before it is
some of those who have
brewed! Every
been with us for 20 or 30
few years we brew years, such as the Edgemoor Inn, Edge; The Fleece
a Pigor Mortis 6.5%,
at Bretforton; George Inn, Newmarket; Old Crown,
Uley; The Old Spot Inn, Dursley; The Portcullis,
and we’ll probably have one this Christmas. Keep
Tormarton; Tudor Arms, Slimbridge; The Weighbridge, your eyes peeled.
Avening; The Woolpack Inn, Slad; The
There will be a special brew of Severn Boar to
Woolpack, Stonehouse, to name but a few. celebrate Thirty Years of Uley Beers when we have
Apologies to all our other customers, old
a chance. Oh for those halcyon days of just one beer!
“
He
“
“Et in Arcadia ego!”
20
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
PLUMBING MAD JOHN PICKLES
TAKES A TRIP TO CHECK OUT SOME
BATH TAPS...
The beautifully preserved John Pickles and some Cheltenham chums indulge
in some spa wars as they decide to plumb the depths, immersing themselves
in the murky waters that make up Bath’s real ale pubs...
On Saturday the 22nd November last year, on a
cold, clear day, 15 members of Cheltenham CAMRA
rendezvoused at the station to spend a day visiting a
selection of pubs in the city of Bath.
After an uneventful, but crowded journey, via
Bristol Temple Meads, we arrived and headed to our
first port of call, Le Coeur de Lion. This
cosy little pub is located in a passageway
in the city centre surrounded by shops
and cafes. Having’ ‘taking over’ the
place we enjoyed the ales on offer. I
tried XT8, a subtle bitter with a lingering
finish, and Oh Mr Porter, a dark smooth
ale. They also had Bellringer and Pride
too.
We then moved on to the Star Inn. This was a
busy, but cosy pub with a bar area and four small
wood panelled rooms. We had a choice of Bellringer,
Abbot, Bombardier and Navigation, plus Bass on
gravity at the back of the bar. I enjoyed a glass of
Navigation.
The latter pub is in a quieter location in the
City, but our next hostelry, The Bell, was in a much
busier area. On entering you find yourself in a long
room with the bar down to your right and the main
seating area up some steps to the left. This place
had the best selection so far, featuring seven ales:
We then sauntered over ‘The World Famous
Pulteney Bridge’, as you are told MANY times when
you have guided tour of the City! (Blimey, I’d never
heard of it - Ed.) heading for, coincidentally, The
Pultenay Arms! I was disappointed with the selection
available...only Otter and Butcombe Gold were worthy
of note, but neither were particularly good. Being close
to ‘The Rec’, Bath rugby ground it wasn’t surprising that much of the decor was rugby related...
pity the ales weren’t ‘Premiership’ quality!
22
Butcombe Bitter, Summer Lightning, Gem, Otter,
Bellringer plus the two I tried, Stonehenge Danish
Dynamite and Celt Experience Brigid Fire. Both
were in excellent condition with great flavours.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
This is a real ‘community’ pub as the walls are
plastered with ad’s and posters promoting local
companies, activities and events.
Our fifth destination, The Raven, was
right in the centre of the City, amongst
all the main shopping streets. It was very
busy, but this added to the ambiance of
the place. We managed to find seats on
both floors...the beers were the same. My
choices were Raven’s Gold and Hogfather from the
Orchard Pig Brewery. Both were really good, well
kept and tasty. I regretted not waiting to eat until
I got here as the food I saw being served looked
yummy. Next time!
I had to catch a train, so I missed visiting the
Bath Brew House. I have it on good authority
(cheers Ian!) that there were six ales on, including
two from the onsite St James Brewery, Emperor
and Gladiator
(there was
no sign of
Commodus or
Maximus!).
Obviously
a place to
include in any
itinerary!
A most
enjoyable day
out...good
company and a
great selection of ales of varying quality.
Very much worth a visit.
More
PUBS
OF THE
BLACK
COUNTRY
As always it was entertaining to read about one
of Geoff's forays, particularly the latest one, to the
Black Country. Having lived in Birmingham for three
years in the 1970s this brought back memories of
my own trips to this area to sample the delights of
the pubs, bars, beers and the people drinking in
them. Fortunately at that time one of my friends
was an avid real ale man and was
attempting to wean me (and a few
others) off the ever present Tartan and
Watney’s Red Barrel. I did venture to
try a few of Birmingham's other offerings M&B Brew XI was by far the worst
and largely avoided - it might have
been brewed for "Men of the
Midlands" but it certainly wasn't for a
Lancashire lad. Ansells (I passed the
brewery at Aston Cross every day)
was bearable and the best by far was
Davenports and Springfield Bitter not
far behind. Visits to the Dudley area usually started with Ma
Pardoe’s - not the Old Swan in Netherton, but the
White Swan on Holland Street in Dudley. This was
their other tied house which did also sell other beers.
You had to make a point of asking for the home brew
to get Pardoe's Bitter from a tap under the
counter. I believe that the pub was sold at
some time in the 1980s and became a
Wem house, but was up for auction in February
last year. Who knows what it is now. We also got to
the Jolly Crispin when it was still a busy Simpkiss
House and managed a few pints there before visiting
Batham’s Brewery and getting a barrel of bitter for
a party later that week. It was a some years later
before I returned to the The Vine (Bull and Bladder)
and took a few photos both inside and
outside, and the White Swan.
I've not been back to Ma Pardoe’s, but
for some years now but after reading
about Geoff's visit it might just prod me
into following the trail he has blazed.
Tim Barber
24
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
FESTIVAL
NEWS
From Around
The County
(and a little
bit further)
your 8 page pull
out guide
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
7th SPRING
ALE & STEAM
WEEKEND
16th & 17th May 2015
10:30 to 1900 (Sat) to 17.00*(Sun)
Winchcombe & Toddington
Stations
at
32 Beers total–12 at Toddington (Devon)
Hot & Cold Food with Soft Drinks
CAMPING near station at Winchcombe
Come by Train:
Cheltenham Racecourse 1st train leaves at 10:55
last return is 1900 (Saturday) 1700 (Sunday)
Regular trains from Toddington run throughout the day.
See timetable on GWR Website.
A train ticket on the day is required
or you need a platform ticket for entry.
Plenty of car parking at Toddington
*
www.northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
North Cotswold CAMRA & GWR
2nd Summer
ALE & STEAM
WEEKEND
8th & 9th AUGUST 2015
10:30 to 1900 (Sat) to 17.00*(Sun)
Winchcombe & Toddington
Stations
at
32 Beers total–12 at Toddington
Hot & Cold Food with Soft Drinks
CAMPING near station at Winchcombe
Come by Train:
Cheltenham Racecourse 1st train leaves at 10:55
last return is 1900 (Saturday) 1700 (Sunday)
Regular trains from Toddington run throughout the day.
See timetable on GWR Website.
A train ticket on the day is required
or you need a platform ticket for entry.
Plenty of car parking at Toddington
*
www.northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
North Cotswold CAMRA & GWR
view from the
gloucester brewhouse
A word on ‘craft beer’ (the phrase not the actual
beer).
You can’t move for ‘craft beer’ these days and
not being a legally protected term, anybody can
claim their beer as craft. This of course may lead to
dilution of the term as conveying any particular set
of standards. Plus you have the added complication
of some people thinking that this is a flash in the pan
term that is pulling us away from the great brewing
heritage we have in the U.K.
So why you may ask, do we continue to use the
term?
Well, rather than just giving up and giving it to
certain huge international brewing corporations who
use it purely as a marketing buzzword, we continue
to use it to remind ourselves of why we love our beer
and why we want to share it, namely the following
reasons:
We are a truly independent brewery, there is
no one behind us telling us what we should brew.
We brew with our hands, that is to say the extent
of automation in the brewery is in the form of a
few heating elements and a couple of pumps. We
brew in small batches of 40 casks at a time. We are
unashamedly embracing the use of new, exciting
ingredients to allow us to explore full and complex
flavours in our brews. And maybe most importantly
of all, everybody who works here brews beer.
So, is ‘craft beer’ good or bad? I wouldn’t be
presumptuous enough to tell you that you should
drink beer just because it says it is craft. However,
I would be presumptuous enough to tell you that
plenty of small breweries are making fantastic beer
that is modern, relevant, interesting and handcrafted
and that you should try them. Don’t assume that
‘craft beer’ just means a North American style pale
ale with hops, hops and more hops.
Jared Brown
Owner, Gloucester Brewery
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
donnington
150 years: the cotswold way
Thomas Arkell bought the beautiful 13th century
Donnington Mill near Stow on the Wold in 1827,
which had previously been used for both milling corn
and wool manufacture. In 1865 Thomas and his
nephew Richard Iles Arkell converted the mill to a
brewery. Richard realised that the pure water of the
River Dickler was perfect for brewing beer and the
mill race and water wheels could provide power to
the brewery. Thus, 2015 marks the 150th anniversary
of the Donnington Brewery. Moreover, after all those
years it is still run by the Arkell family. Traditional
values have been brought forward into the 21st
century but the passage of time has essentially kept
the brewery unchanged.
Nearly 40 years ago in May 1975 there was an
article in 'Cotswold Life' written by Harriet Daniels
entitled 'The Old-Fashioned Brewery'. Subtitled
"Everyone, it seems, wants to
run a Donnington pub", it
detailed the history of the
brewery up to that date when
there were 17 tied pubs. Harriet
began the article with the observation:
"It would be interesting to know how
many breweries there are which are
considered so attractive that a picture of
the building is used as a beer mat!
Enthusiasts for real beer in the Cotswolds
“
will have no difficulty in identifying one very close to
home - at Donnington, sitting in a gentle curve just
off the Tewkesbury to Stow road, so that travellers
catch a glimpse of the clear blue mill pond formed
from the waters that make this local beer." It is
interesting that Harriet uses the phrase 'real beer' as
this was written in the early days of the Campaign
For Real Ale.
In fact the 1974 CAMRA Good Beer Guide
listed six Donnington pubs - the Coach & Horses,
Ganborough; Fox Inn, Great Barrington; Halfway
House, Kineton; Merrymouth Inn, Fifield (Oxon);
Queens Head, Stow on the Wold and the Plough at
Ford. The map in the Good Beer Guide illustrating
the location of the real ale pubs in Gloucestershire
showed a bias towards of the north east of the county
where the Donnington pubs were located. To put
things in perspective there were no Good Beer Guide
the passage of time
“
has essentially kept the
brewery unchanged
34
pubs listed at all in the Cheltenham and Gloucestershire
conurbation. Unlike today, where there are around
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
20 active breweries in the county, the only serious
competition in the early 1970’s came from the
Whitbread brewery in Cheltenham with its one
solitary real ale - West Country PA. Little wonder
then that the Donnington Brewery now enjoys
legendary status and their delicious Cotswold ales
are held in high esteem by beer drinkers from near
and far.
In 1952, after his service in the Royal Air Force,
Claude Arkell inherited the Donnington Brewery
from his father Herbert. Claude ran the brewery for
55 years until he sadly died in June 2007, aged 89.
The brewery was bequeathed to cousin Peter Arkell
and his son James of the Kingsdown Brewery in
Swindon. Peter and Claude were friends in the RAF
and shared their love of fishing and brewing. Peter
Arkell has since passed away leaving James as
owner. James learnt the art of brewing at Donnington
in the 1970's so when he took over from Claude he
said "it was like coming home!" James Arkell's son,
John, has now joined the business and the last
“
everyone,
few years has seen the introduction of a new 'core'
beer to its portfolio -the delicious 4% ABV Donnington
Gold - and even the acquisition of two new pubs.
Two of the regular beers, BB and SBA, have their
own pedigree having been brewed at the Donnington
Brewery for more than fifty years. BB is a pleasant
3.6% amber bitter with a slight hop aroma, a good
balance of malt and hops in the mouth and a bitter
aftertaste. SBA, a stronger 4.4% premium beer, has
malt dominating over bitterness , with a hint of fruit
and a dry malty finish. Donnington Gold is described
as a golden ale with a citrus flavour followed by a
rounded malt finish.
Whilst having a spring clean in May 2011 an old
brewing book was discovered which detailed the
very first brew that Richard Arkell made on May 27th
1865. The replicated beer was called Founders Ale
and was very similar to a contemporary golden beer,
a 4% brew with a strong Austrian style hop flavour
derived from the Willamotte and English Goldings
hops. The finest Maris Otter malt was used and the
beer was an instant success - the first 'new' ale that Donnington had brewed for a very
long time. James said: "Inside the
brewery is very similar. We stood on
the pretty much the same spot to brew
and taste the beer as Richard would
have done, probably using some of
the same equipment too.
it seems,
wants to run a
Donnington pub
“
“...the clear blue mill pond formed from the
waters that make this local beer."
donnington
150 years: the cotswold way
The best things never change.” Founders Ale
proved so popular that it was brewed again. There
have been other occasional brews including a
luscious stout called Black Swan and last Spring a
beer called Life Sentence was brewed which was
bittered with Admiral hops. Diamond Queen was
bottled in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
year. A celebratory beer will be brewed for the
sesquicentennial year - a beer flavoured with honey
is in the planning stages.
In 2010 Donnington Brewery was voted 'Best
Small Brewery' by the Good Pub Guide. The 21st
century has also seen the acquisition of two new
pubs - the White Bear at Shipton on Stour in
Warwickshire and the Red Lion at Castle Eaton in
Wiltshire. These new tied houses bring the total back
up to 17 joining the portfolio of pubs that include
such well known pubs like the Queens Head at Stow
and the New Inn at Willersley that have been in the
estate since the brewery was first established 150
years ago.
A small number of staff are employed at the
Donnington brewery. Phil Janka is the head brewer
CAMRA National
Pub of theYear 2007
CAMRA
Excellent Home
Cooked Food Served
at Lunchtimes
Cosy Log Fires for
the Winter. ..Secluded
Garden for the Summer
dog
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uk
scan me...
T. 01453 54
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W ide
Range
of Guest
Ales
Always
Ava ilable
VISIT OUR SISTER PUB: THE OLD BADGER INN, EASTINGTON
Gloucestershire
Pub of the Year 2013
The Old Spot Inn . Hill Road . Dursley . Glos . Gl11 4JQ
and Richard Tonge is the drayman. Andy Driver is
the cellarman supported by Michael Pheasey. Roger
Dearman has the role of manager. A special
mention must be given to nonagenarian Val Teale
who still works on a part time basis at the brewery.
Val is a true gentleman who started working at the
brewery in 1983 after running the Mount Inn at Stanton
and ran the administrative side for many years.
After 150 years of trading the Donnington Brewery
remains true to its core values of tradition and has
an enviable reputation when it comes to looking after
its tenants in its tied houses. The observation made
by Harriet Daniels in 1975 that 'Everyone, it seems,
wants to run a Donnington pub' still has relevance
today particularly when compared to the less
fortunate publicans employed by the larger
avaricious Pub Co's.
Donnington Brewery are acting as sponsors at
the Cotswold Beer Festival at Postlip Hall this year,
for which Gloucestershire CAMRA are extremely
grateful.
Geoff Sandles
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
CAMRA enthusiast
and all round good
egg, our eponymous friend Steve Knibbs dips his pen and enters
the gastronomic sensual overload that is the world of ‘food matching’...
The heady days of sophistication used to involve
a prawn cocktail, well-done steak with chips and
onion rings finished off with Black Forest Gateaux.
The sophistication was suitably enhanced when you
treated yourself to a classy bottle of Liebfraumilch to
accompany the culinary delights. Then, as we grew
to realise that this actually tasted rubbish, those
of us that wanted beer were often disappointed by
the selection. Sadly, it's a trend that's still repeated
today. A lot of restaurants, especially the chains,
will offer expensive 330ml bottles of ‘premium’ lager
with a fancy name that's pretty fizzy and makes you
bloated as you tuck into your food.
I get really disappointed by this and surprised
that in the current golden age of ale and the beer
revolution we aren't offered a decent beer alongside
the ‘chilled to disguise the taste’ fizzy stuff. Some
restaurants are taking the hint, but in my experience
they tend to pick cheaper high-volume beers seen in
supermarkets which, for me, never cut the mustard.
I have beer friends (not that I categorise my
friends into groups) who pontificate about how fabulous
beer and food matching is. It's a growing trend
and one which I can absolute see the point in. So
my beef about beer in restaurants is
that we should encourage them to be
more adventurous. The range of ales
and craft beers that could add to the
experience of good food is exceptional.
It just takes a little work. OK, there is
an argument that this is making it all a
bit too poncy and thinking too deeply
about having a beer, but we should
have the same offer when we go to a
decent restaurant that we get when we
go to a decent pub. A lot of independent
and, to their credit, many of the chains
promote food miles and their use of
local produce. Your steak has only
travelled 6 miles from field to plate etc.
But there are still those restaurants
who then serve imported lager. What
about the beer?
Even putting he food matching aside
just serving up a range of Gloucestershire
beers would be great. It offers diners choice, promotes
Gloucestershire and supports the brewers too. It's
something that we, as lovers of decent ale, should
try and promote more. Maybe there's some
campaigning to be done? But at its simplest level,
having a chat to the owner of the restaurant you
always go to to encourage them to try local beer too.
See how it goes. They might be surprised how filling
this gap in the market could work for them.
Steve Knibbs
Steve is the Gloucestershire reporter for BBC TV’s
Points West.
P.S. On a non-food, but beer related note I recently
spent a week in Cumbria and several pubs were
doing the triple-tasters (see pic). The idea being you
can taste a third of a pint of three different beers for
the same price as a pint. It's a fantastic idea and I'm
sure many Gloucestershire pubs are doing it. Except
I haven't found one yet! So let me know, via The
Tippler or @knibbsey on Twitter, if you know of one.
If you're a landlord and not doing this then why not
give it a try?
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
LISTEN CHRIS, I’VE GOT
SOME NEWS FOR YOU...
straight from the horse’s mouth...
brewery news
Well over 400 railway
enthusiasts and members
of the public journeyed to
the past at the Wickwar
Brewing Company open
day. The event took place
on Saturday 24th January
at the Old Brewery, Station road,
in Wickwar, where a working scale
model showing the Wickwar train
station as it would have looked
50 years ago was on display for
visitors to enjoy.
Crowds of people attended the
open day, commemorating the
50th anniversary of the last
passenger train leaving the now
closed station. The working ‘N Gauge’ scale model
of the station and historic 1860’s brewhouse were a
hit with all that saw it.
Barry Fortin, from Wickwar Brewing Company,
who was responsible for organising the event said:
“We had a fantastic turnout at the brewery to
support the unveiling of Farnham and District’s Model www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Railway, that includes our
heritage brewery. It was great to
welcome over 400 people of all
ages into the brewery to enjoy
the model and also learn how
we brew our ales.”
Brewers were on hand throughout
the day answering questions and
straight from the horse’s mouth...
brewery news
educating the public about the brewing process and
history of their site. Wickwar have also produced a
commemorative ale called ‘Last Train’ for visitors to
sample, or buy during the day. Mr Fortin added:
“Due to its success, we are extremely keen to
continue holding events such as this at the Brewery
in the near future, and urge the local community to
keep an eye out for future events.”
Wickwar Brewing Companies 25th Anniversary
On a separate note, this year will see Wickwar
Brewing Companies 25th Anniversary, since the
company started in the Old Cooperage in 1990.
There will be a number of offers and events throughout
the year, and we will endeavour to inform you of all
of them.
Excitement is mounting
as it has been confirmed,
after a long wait, that Sam
Smith is finally going to
appear in several
Gloucestershire pubs. This
is not the young English
singer and songwriter, who
has had several chart
topping hits during the last few years, but Samuel
Smith Old Brewery Bitter (OBB).
The reintroduction of real ale into Sam Smith's
houses in the county has been achieved after a long
and concerted campaign directed towards brewery
owner Humphrey Smith who has previously resolutely
refused to supply OBB in traditional wooden casks
to the area over claims that quality is compromised
when the ale travels so far from its Yorkshire heartland.
Another reason cited for the non-availability of OBB
were delivery schedules from Tadcaster, home of
Samuel Smith since 1758. It was claimed these
were too infrequent to enable the satisfactory rotation
of Old Brewery Bitter in the cellar to maintain a
consistent quality control.
A move to weekly delivery schedules in the local
trading area seems to have heralded a welcome
change of heart at Yorkshire's Oldest Brewery. OBB
should now be available in their four Gloucestershire
pubs - the Mill Inn at Withington, Robert Raikes
House and Old Crown in Gloucester, and the Circus
Bar in Cheltenham. The 4% ABV Old Brewery Bitter
is described in the Good Beer Guide thus: 'Malt
dominated the aroma, with an initial burst of malt,
hops and fruit in the taste, which is sustained in the
aftertaste.' Moreover, it represents excellent value
for money and should be around £2.50 a pint!
The Summer 2011
edition of the Tippler had
a lengthy article lamenting
the non-availability of
traditional Samuel Smith's
ales in their local pubs. It
was pointed out that the
managerial decision
was questionable given
the fact that one of their
tied houses in Newport - the Olde Murenger House
- had gained an entry in the Good Beer Guide on
the strength of the quality of their OBB! However,
now that discrepancy has been eradicated with
changes to delivery from brewery to pub, we can, at
long last, fully appreciate the picturesque Mill Inn at
Withington and marvel in the architectural splendour
of the Robert Raikes House in Southgate Street,
Gloucester.
The present delivery schedules may possibly
revert back to a less frequent time scale if the sales
of cask OBB are not considered to be economically
viable. It's been over 20 years since Sam Smith's
cask ales were last regularly available in
Gloucestershire. Let's hope that they are
now here to stay.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
39
straight from the horse’s mouth...MORE...
brewery news
I caught up with Bev Booth,
Company Secretary of the
brewery who are investing
heavily in premises and products. Bev comments:
“There a lot going on at Gloucester Brewery this
year. So I would like to start with a big thank you to
all our customers new and old(er).
“We are moving site a few hundred metres into
the old malt-house on the Gloucester Docks (how
fitting). The building was in a pretty bad state of repair,
but we saw the potential and are currently pouring
tenderness and love (and a fair bit of cement) into it.
It is a fantastic grade II listed building with a sack-full
of character, especially the main entrance which will
be transformed into a bottle shop and visitor’s centre
with plenty of information about us, about brewing
and about beer in general.
“Don’t worry, our existing brew site will not be
abandoned! It will be converted into Gloucester’s
first and premier craft beer bar. TANK. There’ll be
at least eight hand pumps serving cask conditioned
real ales, both our own brews and carefully selected
guest beers. Showcasing the best that the U.K. has
to offer, keeping us firmly in our roots.
The bar will also have 10 keg lines, all dedicated to
exhibiting the finest in real keg conditioned beers.
Again our own beers will feature alongside high
quality U.K. keg conditioned beers, European lagers
and other esteemed world beers, keeping your
fingers on the pulse.
“Another fantastic aspect of the bar will be the
100 litre nano brew-plant, on which we will regularly
be brewing ultra-small batches of one off beers,
ranging from established styles to more avant-garde
creations. These will be available exclusively from
our bar.
“We will also be serving a handpicked selection
of local cheeses and artisan charcuterie, to complement
our beers.
“After much debate on how we should fit out the
bar we have settled on a modern warm interior design.
Do we want to be up to date with the new and future
developments to Gloucester and relevant with regards
to our location? Of course we do.
“So if you would like to drink some modern,
relevant, interesting and handcrafted beers then one
place you could go would be TANK on the Gloucester
Docks, opening Spring 2015.”
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BREWERS...
Do your bit for the breweries in the county and support them by asking for their beers, bottles and
ales. Here’s a list of the county’s brewers:
Battledown
(Cheltenham)
01242 693409
Cotswold Spring
(Chipping Sodbury)
01454 323088
Halfpenny
(Lechlade)
01367 252198
Bespoke Brewing
(Mitcheldean)
01594 546557
Donnington
(Stow-on-the-Wold)
01451 830603
Hillside
(Longhope)
01452 830222
Ciren Ales
(Cirencester)
01285 652230
Force
(Cirencester)
07532 097050
Nailsworth
(Nailsworth)
01453 835715
Corinium Ales
(Cirencester)
07716 826467
Freeminer
(Cinderford)
01594 827989
Prescott
(Cheltenham)
07526 934866
Cotswold
(Bourton-on-the-Water)
01451 824488
Gloucester
(Gloucester)
01452 690541
Severn Vale
(Cam)
01453 547550
Cotswold Lion
(Coberley)
01242 870164
Goffs
(Winchcombe)
01242 603383
Stanway
(Stanway)
01386 584320
Stroud
(Stroud)
01453 887122
07891 995878
Terrace
(Aylburton)
01594 840100
07942 205947
Uley
(Uley)
01453 860120
Whittington’s
(Newent)
01531 890223
Wickwar
(Wickwar)
01454 292000
Beer and pubs are close to the hearts of many millions of voters. CAMRA is asking
General Election candidates to pledge their support for Britain's pub goers and beer
drinkers by committing to do the following if elected:
Back action to support well-run community pubs by:
•
•
ensuring pubs are better protected in the planning system
ensuring large pub companies treat publicans fairly
Celebrate and promote Britain's 1,150 real ale breweries by:
•
•
ensuring that beer duty is set at a level that supports UK brewing
retaining discounted duty rates for small brewers
Represent the interests of pub goers and beer drinkers by:
•
supporting consumer choice and the rights of consumers to fair treatment
CAMRA has set up a web page where you can read the full Manifesto and see which election candidates
have signed up so far. You can also find contact details to lobby candidates in your constituency. Go to:
http://ge2015.camra.org.uk/
In Gloucestershire we have written to as many of the candidates standing in our six constituencies as we
were able to find contact details for – 30 in total – and asked them where they stand on the issues raised in
the CAMRA Manifesto. We have pressed them to sign up via the above CAMRA
website and 10 of them have done so. We also offered all of them the opportunity
to make brief statement (of support or otherwise!) which we would publish in
full in this magazine. Some candidates told us that their party has rules against
them signing ‘pledges’, however all the major parties have candidates who have
signed up, if not in Gloucestershire then elsewhere in the country. No-one would claim that this is a binding promise but it is a declaration that the candidate if elected will be sympathetic to the aims of CAMRA and help wherever possible.
42
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Here are the results. If a candidate in your constituency is not mentioned then you can assume that, as of
going to press, they had neither signed up to the Manifesto nor given us a comment to use. The Manifesto is
open for signature right up until the General Election in May so if a candidate you support is missing please
feel free to lobby him or her encouraging them to sign.
Constituency
Candidate
Party
Cheltenham
Martin Horwood MP
LibDem
Signed up
“Happy to support Camra’s manifesto, having successfully backed beer
duty cuts & a fair deal for landlords in this parliament and worked with
Camra to defend local pubs.”
Cotswolds
Paul Hodgkinson
LibDem
Signed up
“I do support CAMRA. Pubs are a vital part of Cotswold life, for residents and tourists. We must do what we can to keep them!”
Forest of Dean
Steve Stanbury
UKIP
Signed up
“I fully support CAMRA, as does UKIP as a party. I believe that planning rules need to change to support real ale pubs and our tradiFonal heritage.”
Gloucester
Richard Graham MP
Conservative
Signed up
“Very happy to sign up to support well run community pubs/promote Britain’s 1,300 breweries and represent pub goers and beer drinkers”
Stroud
Neil Carmichael MP
Conservative
Signed up
“In Stroud, pubs are the heart of many villages’ community and economy – I will conFnue to fight for Beer Duty cuts, planning protecFon and fairness for Pubs and Brewers.”
Stroud
David Drew
Labour
Signed up
“I am very happy to support this excellent manifesto. I have always worked closely with CAMRA in the past and would like to do so again if elected this year.”
Stroud
Adrian Walker-Smith
LibDem
Signed up
“I am a CAMRA member and happy to sign up to the manifesto. Many great things have come out of discussions in the Pub.”
Tewkesbury
Laurence Robertson MP Conservative
Signed up
“As a regular patron of pubs, and a champion for them in Parliament, I support these establishments through word and deed!”
Tewkesbury
Alistair Cameron
LibDem
Signed up
“I support CAMRA’s manifesto including beSer planning protecFon, large companies treaFng publicans fairly, a fair level of beer duty and retaining discounted duty rates for small brewers.”
Tewkesbury
Stuart Adair
UKIP
Signed up
“Pubs are closing faster than ever before so I am very happy to support CAMRA. We are just passing through; our pubs were here a long Fme before us and I want to ensure that they are here long aVer we are gone.”
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
43
MANIFESTO FOR PUBS
Planning – Change of Use (England)
Hundreds of pubs are being lost as a result of weak
planning rules that allow pubs to be converted into
convenience stores, estate agents and a range of
other uses without any planning application being
made. The planning rules affecting pubs need to
be strengthened to ensure that planning permission
is required before pubs can be converted to any
other use.
Planning – Demolition (England)
Currently it is possible for developers to demolish
freestanding pubs without planning permission
provided the pub in question is outside a conservation
area and unlisted. The planning rules need to be
strengthened so that planning permission is
always required before a pub can be demolished.
Pubco Reform (England and Wales)
The Government is working to establish a much
needed Statutory Code and Adjudicator to support
tied publicans. CAMRA believes that the proposed
Statutory Code should be strengthened to allow
publicans tied to large companies guest beer rights
and the choice of paying a higher rent in exchange
for being free to buy beer on the open market. These
changes will help ensure that tied publicans are not
squeezed out of business by rents and wholesale
beer prices set at artificially high levels. The new
Statutory Code should include guest beer and
market rent only options for tied publicans.
MANIFESTO FOR REAL ALE
Beer Duty
The decision to scrap the beer duty escalator and to
cut beer duty in Budgets 2013 and 2014 has given
the beer sector a huge boost. It has helped keep
the cost of a pint down creating jobs and increasing
other tax revenues. Serious consideration should
be given to a beer duty freeze for the whole of
the next Parliament.
Small Breweries’ Relief
Britain’s smallest breweries pay 50% less beer duty
than large breweries in recognition of the higher
costs associated with small scale production. This
tax concession has been key to the number of small
brewers in the UK trebling to over 1,150 over the last
decade. Small Breweries’ Relief should be retained
to support the continued growth of small local
breweries.
Licensing Law (England and Wales)
Allowing well run pubs to open later than 11pm has
given consumers greater freedom and helped
support the profitability of pubs. The freedoms of the
2003 Licensing Act should be retained to ensure
consumers continue to enjoy greater choice.
EU Excise Duty Directive
The European Union imposes restrictions on how
alcohol can be taxed by national Governments.
These restrictions mean that beer sold in pubs and
supermarkets must be taxed at the same rate and
that reduced duty on low strength beers can only be
applied to beers at or below 2.8% ABV in alcoholic
strength. The UK Government should renegotiate
the EU Excise Duty Directive so it is possible
to charge a preferential rate of duty on draught
beer sold in pubs and enable reduced duty on
low strength beers to apply up to 3.5% ABV in
strength.
Standing up for Consumers
Consumer protection regulations are important to
protect consumers. CAMRA would like to see
action to ensure an end to the practice
of serving short measures and to ensure pricing information is clearly displayed.
Real Cider
Cider makers who produce less than 7,000 litres
a year are exempt from paying alcohol duty which
enables small scale production to flourish. The
existing duty exemption for small cider producers
must be retained.
44
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
CAMRA LocAle is an initiative that promotes pubs that endeavour to always stock at least one locally
brewed real ale, and importantly, kept in a consistently good condition.
Our definition of ‘local’ is a beer that is either brewed in the county, or within 30 miles of the pub. Only one
of the ales need be local to qualify. If your local isn’t part of the scheme ask the landlord or landlady why not.
If they’re interested in joining the scheme, then please get in touch with us and we’ll take it from there.
The list below, in order of city, town or village has ongoing updates, new additions are highlighted in magenta.
Alderton
Gardeners Arms
AmberleyAmberley Inn
Black Horse
Arlingham The Red Lion
Ashleworth Boat
AveningBell
Queen Matilda
BarnsleyVillage Pub
Blaisdon
Red Hart
BlockleyGreat Western Arms
Bourton-on-the-Hill
Horse & Groom
Bourton-on-the-WaterMousetrap
BreamRising Sun
Brimscombe
Ship Inn
Broad Campden
Bakers Arms
Broadwell
Fox Inn
Brockhampton
Craven Arms
Brookend Lammastide
Cashes Green
Prince of Wales
Cerney Wick Crown
CharfieldPear Tree
Charlton Kings
Royal
Cheltenham Adam & Eve
Beehive Inn
Cheltenham Motor Club
Exmouth Arms
Hewlett Arms
Jolly Brewmaster
Kemble Brewery Inn
Moon Under Water
Old Restoration
Retreat
Royal Union
Slug & Lettuce
Somerset Arms
St Stephens Club
Chipping Campden
Eight Bells
Noel Arms
Cirencester Bees Knees
Corinium Hotel
Marlborough Arms
Twelve Bells
Waggon & Horses
ClearwellLamb
Clifford’s Mesne
Yew Tree
CranhamBlack Horse
Royal William
Didmarton
King’s Arms
DursleyOld Spot
Eastington
Old Badger
Ebrington
Ebrington Arms
Edge
Edgemoor Inn
ElkstoneHighwayman Inn
Elmstone Hardwicke
Gloucester Old Spot
Forthampton
Lower Lode Inn
Frampton Mansell
Crown Inn
Frampton-on-Severn
Three Horseshoes
France Lynch
Kings Head
Gloucester
Cross Keys
Dick Whittington
Fountain
New Inn
Pelican
Water Poet
York
Gotherington
Shutter Inn
Great Barrington
Fox Inn
GrettonRoyal Oak
Guiting Power
Hollow Bottom
HamSalutation Inn
Hawkesbury Upton
Beaufort Arms
HillesleyThe Fleece
46
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
HorsleyThe Hog
StantonMount
Kemble
Tavern Inn
Stonehouse Woolpack
Thames Head Inn
StroudAle House
Kempsford
George Inn
British Oak
KinetonHalfway House Clothiers Arms
Crown & Sceptre
LechladeCrown Inn
Imperial Hotel
Riverside Inn
Prince Albert
Swan
Queen Victoria
Leighterton Royal Oak
The Retreat
Mickleton
Butchers Arms
Tetbury
Priory Inn Hotel
Minchinhampton
Old Lodge Inn
Weighbridge InnRoyal Oak
Snooty Fox
Minsterworth
Severn Bore
The Ormond
MiserdenCarpenters Arms
Tewkesbury
Nottingham Arms
Moreton-in-Marsh
Bell Inn
Redsedale ArmsOlde Black Bear
Royal Hop Pole
Nailsworth Britannia
Theoc House
Village Inn
NauntonBlack Horse Tudor House Hotel
White Bear
Nettleton Bottom
Golden Heart Inn
The Camp
Fostons Ash
NewentCobblers
Pheasant Inn
George Hotel Toddington
Todenham Farriers Arms
Newmarket
George Inn
Tormarton
Major’s Retreat
Newnham Railway
TwyningVillage Inn
North Cerney
Bathurst Arms
UleyOld Crown
North Nibley
Black Horse
Upper Soudley
White Horse
Oddington Horse & Groom
Waterley Bottom
New Inn
Painswick
Royal Oak
Westonbirt
Hare & Hounds
PoultonFalcon
Whiteshill Star
Randwick
Vine Tree Inn
WickwarButhay
Ruardean
The Malt Shovel
Wickwar Social Club
Sapperton The Bell
Woodchester
Ram Inn
Shipton Moyne
Cat & Custard Pot
Royal Oak
Shurdington
The Bell
The Old Fleece
Siddington Greyhound
Wotton Under Edge
Falcon Inn
SladWoolpack
Royal Oak
Slimbridge
Tudor Arms
Star
Snowshill
Snowshill Arms
Swan Hotel
Somerford Keynes
Bakers Arms Inn
South Cerney
Old George Inn
have you any pub news?
More details are posted regularly on the Facebook group
'Gloucestershire Pubs', an ideal forum to keep other people informed of
the latest pub developments in the county.
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
47
WORDSEARCH
We’re delighted to announce that
The Tippler has teamed up with Hook
Norton Breweries to provide the prizes
to our increasingly popular wordsearch.
This issue we have four brewery tour
tickets for this fascinating brewery set in
the beautiful village of Hook Norton.
Can you find the breweries and ales
listed in the grid, reading across, down,
or diagonally, forwards or back?
When you have found all the words, the
remaining unused letters spell out an
appropriate message.
Get your answers in ASAP to
tipplereditor@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Find in the grid breweries and ales from
Gloucestershire. Unused letters spell an
and win
on of FOUR BREWERY
appropriate
message.
N
O
T
G
N
I
N
N
O
D
V
L
L
N
E
R
I
C
T
E
R
R
A
C
E
M
A
P
R
E
S
C
O
T
T
E
R
R
U
I
B
A
T
T
L
E
D
O
W
N
A
I
L
E
W
I
C
K
E
D
B
R
E
W
N
S
S
J
E
S
T
A
N
W
A
Y
K
I
W
P
R
E
C
N
A
R
P
N
E
C
R
O
O
O
C
A
E
S
D
O
D
R
I
O
R
K
I
A
M
R
E
H
U
N
E
W
C
T
E
N
M
B
A
A
L
A
O
V
A
E
H
S
L
L
E
K
R
A
F
R
R
U
S
E
N
I
T
R
E
B
I
L
S
P
T
G
TOUR tickets available to lucky winners.
Y
E
L
U
S
F
F
O
G
A
A
S
S
Amber
Arkells
Battledown
Bespoke
Ciren
Corinium
Donnington
Fleece
Goffs
Guvnor
Libertine
Nailsworth
Otter
Prancer
Prescott
Sharps
Stanway
Stroud
Terrace
Uley
Wicked Brew
Wickwar
The best things
in life are three
Visitor Centre open Mon - Sat 9.30am - 4.30pm all year round
www. hooky.co.uk e: vc@hooky.co.uk
twitter.com/hookybrewery
facebook.com/hooknortonbrewery
The Brewery, Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, OX15 5NY 01608 730384
HANDCRAFTED BEERS FROM THE
COTSWOLD HILLS SINCE 1849
of Tw
A Campaign
Fai
r
on dea
tax beer l
now
!
Save
Britain’s
Pubs!
Join CAMRA Today
Complete the Direct Debit form opposite and you will receive 15 mont
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.cam
All forms should be addressed to the: Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Alban
Your Details
Title
Surname
Single Membership
Forename(s)
(UK & EU)
Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
Joint Membership
Address
(Partner at the same addr
Postcode
For Young Member and o
www.camra.org.uk or ca
I wish to join the Campaig
the Memorandum and Art
Email address
Tel No(s)
Partner’s Details (if Joint Membership)
Title
£
Surname
I enclose a cheque for
Signed
Applications will be processed w
Forename(s)
Date of Birth (dd/mm/yyyy)
Email address (if different from main member)
Campaigning for Pub Goers
& Beer Drinkers
Enjoy
&
Join CAMRA today – www.camra.o
wo Halves
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
To the Manager
Bank or Building Society
Address
Postcode
Name(s) of Account Holder
Bank or Building Society Account Number Branch Sort Code
ths membership for the
n.
mra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201.
ns, AL1 4LW.
Reference
Service User Number
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
Direct Debit
Non DD
£24
£26
Membership Number
Name
Postcode
Instructions to your Bank or Building Society
£29.50
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 Guarantee. I understand that this
instruction may remain with Campaign For Real Ale Limited and, if so will be passed electronically
to my Bank/Building Society.
£31.50
ress)
other concessionary rates please visit
all 01727 867201.
gn for Real Ale, and agree to abide by
ticles of Association
Signature(s)
Date
Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account.
This Guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer.
The Direct Debit Guarantee
Date
within 21 days
01/15
ying Real Ale
& Pubs
org.uk/joinus
• This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay by
Direct Debits.
• 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
• 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
- 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
• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building
society.Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
events: what’s coming up
Gloucestershire Branch Committee Meetings
5th May 8.00 pm - Royal Hop Pole, Tewkesbury GL20 5RS
Cheltenham Branch - Email: cheltenham@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on second Wednesday or Thursday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Veronica Emary 01242 244397
16th March
8th April
13th April
14th May
26th May
7.30 pm - Business meeting - Quaich
8.00 pm - Social - start Kings Head, Bishops Cleeve
7.30 pm - Business meeting - Royal Union 6.50 pm - 41 bus to Tewkesbury, social - start Hop Pole
7.30 pm - Business meeting, Plough, Prestbury,
Cirencester Sub - Branch - Email: cirencester@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on second Tuesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Rob Tough on 01285 851194
10th March 8.00 pm - Bathurst Arms, continuing to the Cheltenham Motor Club, Strand, and Sandford Park Alehouse.
14th April 8.00 pm - Mystery bus trip to somewhere starting with a B and ending in ristol.
12th May
8.00 pm - Swanning around at the Swan, Bibury, the Swan, Southrop, the Swan, Faringdon and Swan, Swinbrook
9th June
8.00 pm - Cycling evening starting at the Royal Oak, Tetbury, Whole Hog Malmesbury, Potting Shed, Crudwell and the Bakers Arms, Somerford Keynes.
Dursley Sub - Branch - Email: dursley@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on last Tuesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Chris Arrowsmith on 01453 548991
Forest of Dean Sub - Branch - Email: forestofdean@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on second Tuesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Andy Tubb on 01594 822381
12th March
8.00 pm - at The George Inn, Aylburton
9th April 8.00 pm - at The Globe Inn, Alvington
14th May 8.00 pm - at The Malt Shovel, Ruardean
1th June 8.00 pm - at Royal Spring Inn, Lydbrook
Gloucester Sub - Branch - Email: gloucester@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on second Wednesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Where bookings are essential or for further details please
contact Margaret on 01452 551400; by email on Gloucester@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk or visit the website www.
camraingloucester.org.uk
11th March
8.00 pm -Social meet at the King Teddy, moving to Greyhound
27th March
6.30 pm - Minibus to Worcestershire. Bookings essential.
15th April
8.00 pm -Social meeting. Start at the Dick Whittington and see where we end up!
24/25th April 11.30 am - 3rd Camra Gloucester Beer and Cider Festival at Blackfriars Priory. 11.30 am - 23.00 pm both days. Tickets on the door, admission £6 to include festival glass. CAMRA members wishing to volunteer will be most welcome.
2nd May
12.00 am -Meet at the Bank House Cheltenham, then on the A bus to Prestbury for a wander around the village pubs
13th May
8.00 pm -Social meeting. The Imperial and beyond!
29th May
6.30 pm - Minibus trip via Wainlodes and out to the Boat. Bookings required
6th June
TBC
-Pauntley Beer Festival by charabanc! Trip in conjunction with the Stroud RE Bus group. Bookings will be essential.
10th June
8.00 pm -Social meeting – the Fountain Inn, a nice summer location!
26th June TBC
-Please check the website for details
Stroud Sub - Branch - Email: stroud@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on third or fourth Tuesday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Andy Burston on 01453 882410
Anyone interested in Stroud meetings should contact us by email on stroud@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk and ask to be
added to our email list.
Tewkesbury Sub - Branch - Email: tewkesbury@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Meetings on third Thursday of the month at 8.00 pm. Call: Steve Kisby on 01684 295466
19th March
8.00 pm - Social - Lower Lode, Yew Tree, The Boat
16th April 8.00 pm - Social - The George, Swan at Staunton Cross, Royal Exchange
7th May 8.00 pm - Business - AGM - The Tudor House Hotel
9th May TBC
- Trip - Ludlow Spring Festival (SIBA Wales & West Fest)
14th May 8.00 pm - Social - Tewkesbury town walk with Cheltenham CAMRA (Hop Pole, Berkeley, Nottingham,
Tudor House, White Bear)
52
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Cheltenham CAMRA Branch Officers and Committee
Press Officer
Tony Lucas
press@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Chair
Veronica Emary - 01242 244397
chair@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Secretary and Branch Contact
Rob Coldwell
secretary@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Membership
Chris Chadwick
membership@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
News Letter
Ian Scott
news@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Social Secretary
Roger Merrett
social@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Treasurer
Grant Cook
treasurer@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Pubs Officer
John Crossley
pubs@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Webmaster
Chris Martin
webmaster@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Young Members’ Contact
Alistair Kerr
youngmembers@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Committee Members
Leigh Norwood
comm-rc@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
Clubs Officer
Andy Forbes
clubs@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
John Pickles
comm-jp@cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
www.cheltenhamcamra.org.uk
facebook/twitter details: CAMRACheltenham@CheltenhamCAMRA
North Cotswold CAMRA Branch Officers and Committee
Chairman and Festivals Director
Roger Price
6 Greenlake Close, Bourton on the Water
GL54 2PR
01451 810305
07850 429630
chair@northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
Secretary:
Jonathan Sankson – (Bourton on the Water)
01451 821513
secretary@northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
Treasurer:
Dawn Harrison (Bourton on the Water)
01451 822410
dickanddawn@tiscali.co.uk
Membership Secretary:
Garry Hayward (Winchcombe)
01242 621140
garryhayward@btinternet.com
Pubs Officer and Good Beer Guide Co-ordinator:
Phillip Ellis (Bourton on the Water)
01451 822524
phillip-ellis@btconnect.com
Media Officer:
Martyn Herbert (Exmouth)
07760 134866
gloscamra_media@yahoo.co.uk
Young Members Officer:
Nick Avery nick@coldastonplough.com
01451 822602
Social Secretary and Webmaster:
Peter Rowe (Bourton on the Water)
webmaster@northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
Beer Festivals Coordinator:
Martyn Herbert (Exmouth)
07760 134866
gloscamra_media@yahoo.co.uk
BLO Cotswold Brewing Co.:
Peter Rowe (Bourton on the Water)
webmaster@northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
BLO Donnington Brewery:
Dick Harrison (Bourton on the Water)
01451 822410
dickanddawn@tiscali.co.uk
BLO Goffs Brewery:
John Stocks (Toddington)
01242 620442
jandmstocks@btinternet.com
BLO Stanway Brewery:
Garry Hayward (Winchcombe)
01242 621140
garryhayward@btinternet.com
www.northcotswoldcamra.org.uk
53
Gloucestershire Branch
Elected Committee Members
Position Name, address and contact details
Chairman Andrew Frape
Sunnybank, Cheltenham Rd., Bagendon, Cirencester, GL7 7BH
07941 670371
chairman@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Vice Chairman Mike Bristow
mike@tewkesburycamra.org.uk
Branch Secretary Steve Kisby
01684 295466
Branch Contact
secretary@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
branchcontact@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Treasurer Patrick Phair
01242 527068
treasurer@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Membership Secretary Ali Turner
07825 565943
membership@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Tasting Panel Chair Trevor Carter
07717 841233
tastingpanel@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Webmaster
John Barrett
01242 239785
webmaster@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Public Affairs Officer Martin Parker
01242 252085
publicaffairs@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
Young Members Contact Currently vacant
Newsletter Editor Chris Leibbrandt
01684 439767
tipplereditor@gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
54
TRADING STANDARD DEPARTMENT
Gloucestershire Trading Standards, Hillfield House, Denmark Rd., Gloucester. GL1 3LD
Telephone: 01452 426201 email: tradstds@gloucestershire.gov.uk
www.gloucestershirecamra.org.uk
ABV 4.0% vol
T AND
FRAGRAN
BUXOM,
G WITH
BURSTIN
GOLDEN,
E
SUNSHIN
STRAW AND
ABV 4.2% vol
p
ly cris
kerous
Cantan
with
stnutty
and che
finish
hoppy
a subTLe
ABV 4.6% vol
stout and
Y dark,
ding
SUITABL
comman
with a
robust,
ss
fruitine
malty
WYE’S WORDS No. 2
“
PINT OF BUTTY AT NIGHT,
FESTIVE DELIGHT
”
Winter evenings and Christmas get-togethers are perfect for sharing
good times with friends and family. But no festive gathering would
be complete without our ‘little friend’ Butty Bach – a smooth,
satisfying premium ale brewed using locally grown Fuggles, Goldings
and Bramling Cross hops. 4.5% ABV
facebook.com/wyevalleybrewery
@wyevalleybrew
Find gifts for real ale-loving friends at www.WyeValleyBrewery.co.uk
SHARE OUR TASTE FOR REAL LIFE