go over to the 'dark side' - Norwich and Norfolk CAMRA

FREENo.147 December - February 2008Merry Christmas to all our readers!GO OVER TO THE‘DARK SIDE’ - ANINTRODUCTION TOWINTER ALESWHITE LION, NORWICH- RE-OPENSPUBCOS FEEL THEDRAUGHTNewsletter of the Norwich and Norfolk Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale

Chris and Glynis invite you to theTrafford ArmsWelcomeFrom next issue, we'll be'Norfolk Nips with Cask Force' –a single magazine bringingtogether news and views fromboth the county’s CAMRAbranches, West Norfolk andNorwich & Norfolk. We will beexpanding Nips, and we hopeimproving it too.NORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s LetterNorwich & Norfolk BranchChairman: Des O’BrienTel: 01603 270588Email: chairman@norwichcamra.org.ukSecretary: Graham FreemanTel: 07800 690048Email: secretary@norwichcamra.org.ukSocial Secretary: Tim MacDonaldTel. 01603 865505Email: socialsecretary@norwichcamra.org.ukBranch website:www.norwichcamra.org.ukBranch mailing list web page:groups.yahoo.com/group/CAMRA_Norwich16th ValentineBeer FestivalTheme: Planet Earth9th-15th FebruaryRaising money for Benjamin Foundation61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466www.traffordarms.co.uk email: mail@traffordarms.co.ukNorwich Beer Festival isover for another year; thestillage, taps, and cellarequipment all put away inthe store, huge amounts ofbeer drunk, converts to real alemade and new CAMRAmembers signed up. Mostimportantly it provided manythousands of people with thechance to drink beer and havefun – and without any trouble.The good humoured atmospherethat prevailed in StAndrew's and Blackfriars Hallsprovides a real answer togovernment puritans whowant to stop us all drinking, ortax our pints to perdition, onthe grounds that 'alcohol leadsto crime'. And we're obviouslydoing something right aspeople are willing to queue allthe way up St George's Street,way past the Playhouse, for thechance to come and enjoy ourCAMRA Beer Festival.And now an announcement.This will be the last NorfolkNips in its present format.A rough idea of where thebranches are, if you're notaware of it; Norwich & Norfolkcovers Norwich, obviously,together with South Norfolk,the east coast includingYarmouth, and the north coastround to Cromer, Sheringhamand Weybourne to as far asHolkham. N&N includesFakenham and East Dereham,with the dividing line drawnjust to the west of these markettowns. West Norfolk coversKing's Lynn, all of “Fenland”Norfolk including DownhamMarket, Swaffham, Watton, andThetford and the western partof the coast from Brancaster tothe Burnhams, Hunstanton,through to the Wash.It's exciting to be putting thetwo publications together – it'sgoing to take a lot of work, alot of coordination, and a lot ofcontributions from CAMRAmembers and other real aleand cider/perry drinkers. Sokeep those pub post-its andarticles coming – and if you'rea landlord with some interestingevents coming up, let usknow so that we can featurethem here.Published every 3 monthsby the Norwich & Norfolkbranch of theCampaign for Real Ale© N&N CAMRA 2008Norfolk Nips is produced anddistributed by members of thebranch in their own timeEdited by:Andrea KirkbyEmail: norfolknips@yahoo.co.ukViews expressed in NorfolkNips are not necessarily thoseof the editor or of CAMRAAdvertising:For advertising enquiries pleasecontact Chris Shilling on:Tel: 01778 421 550Mobile: 07736 635 916Email: chris@shillingmedia.co.ukRates:Colour Rates per insertion (exclusiveof VAT) are:Quarter page1 insertion £702 insertions £604 insertions £55Full Page1 insertion £2302 insertions £2104 insertions £190Half page1 insertion £1302 insertions £1154 insertions £100Cover RatesInside Front / Inside Back1 insertion £260, 2 insertions £2354 insertions £215Outside Back Cover1 insertion £300, 2 insertions £2653 insertions £235WINTER 2008 | 3

Steady Pints | NORFOLK NIPSPub NewsAs reported in last NIPS TheWhite Lion, Oak StreetNorwich was opened byCambridge brewers Milton atthe end of September.The Galley Hill on DraytonRoad , Norwich has now beenconverted to a hair salon.Scottish & Newcastle haspurchased nine Adnams pubsincluding two in our Brancharea - The Plasterers inNorwich and The TwoBrewers in Diss.The St Andrews Tavernwas closed for a while at theend of September for refurbishment,and reopened in midOctober under its old name ofRumsey Wells under thecontrol of brother and susterteam, Danny and Katie Searle.An application has beenmade to Norwich PlanningBeer Festival Diary2-6 December Pig's Ear Beer & CiderFestival, Ocean, Mare Street, Hackney, London E8.4-6 December, 7th Harwich & DovercourtBay Winter Ale Festival. Kingsway Hall, Dovercourt.Mid December - the Reindeer pub will beholding a beer festival - exact dates still to beconfirmed. For more details ring 01603 762223.9-11 January: Straw Bear festival at Whittlesey,featuring a good deal of morris dancing and anexpanded range of ale at many of the town's pubs.4 | WINTER 2008Dept to convert the Shoemakerspublic house inEarlham (which has beenclosed for about two years) to aprivate dwelling.An application has beenlodged to South NorfolkCouncil to convert the Fox &Hounds in Great Moulton to aprivate dwelling.The Buck in Thorpe StAndrews closed duringSeptember. Enterprise Inns,which owns this grade II listedbuilding, states that it islooking for new tenants andhopes the closure will only betemporary.Oak Inn, Fakenham andVictoria in Deopham arereported to have recently beenclosed.The Reindeer, Norwich isopen again with new tenants.Brewery AndTrade NewsInteresting news from Everards,which is buying up pubsand letting them to smallerbreweries – 'Project William' hasthree with Titanic, two withSteaming Billy, and one eachwith Ashover and White Horse.The brewers agree to have onepump of Everards, and areotherwise free of tie. Pubs arebought and refurbishedcheaply. Everards sees micros as“first generation familybrewers” - there should not bea difference between theregionals and the micros.Though it's out of our region, itmight be an interesting modelfor some of our mid-size breweriesto adopt - we certainlyhave enough micros in Norfolk!A number of branch members will be going on the10th departing Thorpe Station around 930 - emailthe social secretary for further details.21 - 25 January: Rose Winterfest at the RoseTavern, 235 Queens Road, Norwich21-24 January 2009 - National Winter AlesFestival, New Century Hall, Manchester.1st March 2009 St Peters Brewery - Beer festivalat the brewery. Free admission, St Peters and otherbeers, food and folk music, and possible brewerytrip for CAMRA members.9-13 April - Geldeston Locks Easter beer festival(Thursday to Monday)Batemans, which has anumber of pubs in our brancharea, recently announced thatin future it will link its rentincreases to inflation. Usually,rent increases are linked to thevolume of trade - but thatpenalises landlords whomanage to increase their pub'sturnover. Batemans, instead,will let landlords keep the extraprofit.Batemans also announcedresults which buck the trendfor the sector - turnover up 14percent, and operating profitswell up to £582,000. However,the brewer foresees a challengingyear to come.Adnams has launched a newbeer – Gunhill, a 4% ruby aleavailable in bottles. Thebrewery has also sold apackage of five Adnams pub toS&N (as reported in pub news)- the Plasterers in Norwich andPrince Consort in Yarmouth,Two Brewers in Diss, andCounty Arms and Grand OldDuke in Ipswich.A number of landlordsattending Norwich BeerFestival told CAMRA committeemembers that Adnams wasdiscouraging the sale of guestbeers in its tenanted pubs. Wehave not been able to confirmthis report, but if it is true, wewould be very concerned.Adnams has a large number ofpubs in our area and whileNorwich beer drinkers enjoy agreat deal of choice, such amove would mean many ruralconsumers had no choice at all.Grain Brewery handed out‘Grain Pounds’ to visitors to theBeer Festival. They can bespent on the brewery’s beer atits Alburgh shop or at its stallon farmers' markets.Overall beer sales in the UKwere down 8. 1 percent for thethree months to September2008, according to the BritishBeer and Pub Association. Thevolume of beer sold in supermarketsfell only 6 percent, sothe supermarkets are gainingmarket share (not surprisinggiven their silly prices), but stilllosing sales.Price of a pintReported from the White Horsein Parson’s Green, London;Hoegaarden and Blanche deNamur at four quid, and Westmalledubbel at seven - evenworse, Traquair House StuartAle four quid a pint and £3.75for Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold.2008 AA Pub GuideThe AA Pub Guide has an interestingselection of pubs inNorwich - the Adam and Eve,Mad Moose Arms, and Ribs ofBeef. Neither the Fat Cat northe King's Head make it intothe book. It seems this guidehas rather different criteria forselection from our own GoodBeer Guide (in fact the mentionof 'Elgoods Mild' in the AA guideis a bit of a giveaway - most ofus know it as Black Dog).“The perfect pub every time”,the guide boasts. Not if youlike your real ale.A real community pubThe Ship Inn at Weybourne maybe ‘soulless’ according to one ofour Post-Its contributors, but itsNORFOLK NIPS | Pubs Databaseregulars certainly have a heart.Landlord Terry Rayner, whotook over the pub last year, hasagreed with the Holt &Community First ResponseTeam - a local back-up for theAmbulance service - to house adifibrillator in the pub.If someone has a heart attack,access to the defibrillator couldsave a life. It's been designedfor anyone to be able to use it -a recorded voice tells themwhat to do.Terry has also sponsored thestylish blue and yellow kit forthe football team at KellingPrimary School.Finding beer on the internetA new website, PintPicker, mayhelp real ale fans find a beerthey'll like.It has been designed tocompare the flavour profiles ofdifferent beers using a quantitativesystem which rates themaccording to their hoppiness,sweetness and so on.If, for instance, you likeBatemans' Salem Porter, youcan search for similar beers,and the site will show you a listof other beers in descendingorder of similarity.Stonehenge Old Smokeycame first, then City ofCambridge Parkers Porter,Pitfield's Organic Norman Mild,Hambleton Nightmare and'Greene King Ridley'sWitchfinder Porter'. (Still available,I wonder?)The basis for the site is a databaseof users' reviews, so if youfancy adding your ownreviews, go to pintpicker.comand join up!WINTER 2008 | 5

The Kings Arms22 Hall Rd Norwich NR1 3HQTel: 01603 76636113 Real Ales always served fromBatemans, Adnams and Wolfbreweries plus many other local andnational beers.Always serving a mild plus a stout, porter or old and real cider.A range of Belgian Ales and Fruit beers now available!Quiz Night! - The last Wednesday in every month!Come and try our lunchtime bar menu or have anight out with friends and order in yourfavourite take-away!Now serving Roasts every Sunday !CAMRA GOOD BEERGUIDE 2009We arein it!Chairman’s BitImagine a Norwich with a pub on every streetcorner, twice the number of the present day,but no ale to drink in any of them. Pubowning breweries that terminated thetenancy of any landlord if they sold a cask beer,even those produced by the brewery itself, anda mock ‘real ale’ produced by the city’s onlybrewer, and sold in kegs. Orwellian? Well it wasNorwich in the eighties, with the era of a 70’s‘speakeasy’ culture for real ale drinkers an all too realmemory for most people in the city.Around two decades ago CAMRA achieved itsposition as the largest consumer organisation inwestern Europe, a position it still holds today;and though change was slow to reach Norwicha few more free houses were beginning to sellcask ale. They made a welcome addition to thethree that somehow survived all of the previousdecade with their hand pumps intact. ‘NorwichCapital of Ale’? Not yet; but it was on its way, asthe article in this month’s magazine explains.CAMRA was changing, becoming more professional,but sadly perhaps taking ourselves a bittoo seriously. The argumentative free-wheelingatmosphere of the previous years was about todisappear as CAMRA policy disappeared into thehands of a ‘magic circle’ executive who distrustedits own membership and were to become insteadobsessed with their own sense of exclusivity and abelief that they alone knew what was right for thecampaign; some might suggest, a stance thatlasts to the present day.Twenty years ago the real ale poseur had alsostarted to emerge, typically to the ribaldlaughter of most CAMRA members, -the hilariousspoof ‘Real Ale guide to Greater Grotley’*and the exploits of ‘Rupert Periwinkle’ took asideswipe at an emerging breed.The membership could still bite back though,and during the decade an unpopular executiveNORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s Letterdecision to hold the AGM in the Isle of Manoverturned, by a near unanimous amendmentto hold it ‘three miles west of the Isle of Man’!A subsequent EGM was required to reverse thatdecision. Also opposed by CAMRA’s executive, aNorfolk member went to CAMRA’s AGM andproposed that real ale should be defined as ‘thatwhich undergoes a substantive secondaryfermentation in cask or container’. Departmentof the bleedin’ obvious perhaps, but passed by ahuge majority, this principle continues tounderpin the campaign technical committee’swork, twenty years on.Unfortunately many active Norwich branchmembers left CAMRA in the eighties, however itwasn’t ‘mission accomplished’ at all. Theeuphoria of Real Ale becoming generally availablewas a great feeling but the Campaign now faceseven greater challenges, some would say, thantwenty years ago. If you haven’t consideredmembership, please do turn to our membershipapplication at page 43.You can really annoy a Pubco Finance Directoror a fake lager brewer today - Join CAMRA.Short Measure?If you are unhappy about the service you getin a pub, i.e. short measures, lack of a pricelist, or misleading listing of products, contact:Norfolk County CouncilTrading Standards Departmentat County Hall,Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2UD.Tel: 01603 222177Web: www.tradingstandards.gov.ukThe aim of the Trading Standards Service is toput consumer problems right or, better still, toprevent the problems arising in the first place.6 | WINTER 2008WINTER 2008 | 7

Pub Post its | NORFOLK NIPSPub Post-itsWe have more post-its this month from our correspondents. Keep them coming!All opinions in the Post-its are of course the personal opinions of our correspondents - not ofCAMRA. This month we have a little more focus than usual on NorwichGolden Star, NorwichNice traditional pub, Greene King house with aguest beer – Rev James from Brain’s, in very nicecondition - as well as decent IPA and Abbot.Friendly service. Bar billiards table in the back roomwhich was being well used when I was there.Hog in Armour, NorwichVery noisy (heavy rock on the sound system)but deserted, only three other people in the bar.Rather lacklustre beer.Wig & Pen, NorwichVery busy and welcoming on a Friday night –good food going by the blackboard but wewere welcome to have just a couple of beers.Good selection of real ales.The Horse and Dray, Ber Street, NorwichThis pub has re-established itself as a friendlypub serving very well kept Adnams Beers. Theydo a good range of food and the welcome fromthe staff is always friendly.King’s Head, NorwichWhy on earth hasn't this excellent pub figured inthe post-its yet? A huge choice of Norfolk beers,usually two or three dark beers,, and bottledforeign beers as well as the most interestingrange of spirits I've seen stocked in a Norwichpub. No music, but it's got bar billiards and theGuardian.Kings Arms, Reepham.Elgood’s Cambridge bitter very good. Foodgood. Charming pub spoilt by very badtempered bar maid.Ugly Bug Inn, Colton.House beer and Beeston Worth the Wait both ongood form. Food excellent and reasonablypriced. Staff very welcoming.8 | WINTER 2008Railway Hotel, North Elmham.Buffy's Norwich Terrier and Elgood's Pageantboth good on gravity. Food good and stafffriendly.Goat Inn, Skeyton.Woodforde's Wherry good if rather cold. Foodfine and staff welcoming.Cock Inn, Barford.Easy Life and Dark Side both good.Food excellent and staff friendly.Spread Eagle, Erpingham.Woodforde's Wherry a bit cold. Food good andstaff pleasant.Swan Inn, Ringland.Swan best bitter average only. Food good andstaff friendly but regrettable music.The Champion NorwichNew tenants Bruce Hanson and his wife haverecently taken over this popular City CentreBatemans pub. On my most recent visit therewere nine real ales available. The usual BatemansXB, XXB and Valiant, Woodforde’s Wherry andNelson’s Revenge plus three Bateman’s autumnseasonal beers and Saltaire Blond from Yorkshire.In addition to these cask ales there were also twodraught Belgian beers available.Lord Nelson, ReedhamQuayside pub which has undergone yet anotherchange of ownership, but this time to goodeffect. Four to six interesting real ales and twolocal ciders most of the time. Good pub food &Bar Billiards. One to watch.Trafford Arms-NorwichThis ever popular community local situated justsouth of the City Centre has been run by Chrisand Glynis Higgins since the early 1990’s. It wasvoted CAMRA Norfolk Pub of the Year in 2005.There is always a range of at least ten cask aleswhich include beers from Adnams and Woodforde’splus guests from other local brewers andfrom breweries from other areas of the country.Real cider from Kingfisher and a range of foreignbottled beers are also available. Hot and coldmeals are available Monday to Saturday lunchand early evenings and lunches on Sundays.The Fat Cat, West End Street, NorwichIn my view this is certainly in the top threeNorwich pubs. The atmosphere is friendly andthe staff always willing to help. There is a widerange of real ales and a variety of the Fat Cat'sown brews which are very good. There are alsoforeign beers on tap, as well as in bottles. Onmy last visit I tried a German beer, FranziskanzerWeisse (which was very good) and another ofmy favorites La Chouffe, a Belgian beer, was ontap. This is not a food orientated Pub but bapsare available. It is also music free.The Fat Cat - again!Visited a couple of times recently with relativesover from Canada. They came too early for theNorwich Beer Festival, but a return visit to TheFat Cat was top of their agenda. I can't faulttheir comment that if you cannot get to the BeerFestival, The Fat Cat is the next best thing. Justallow extra time on arrival to savour the comprehensivebeer list. Simple, basic food (well filledrolls and very tasty pork pies on offer).The Nelson, Nelson Street, NorwichA friendly local pub that serves a variety ofquality Real Ales. It is mainly a drinking pub butalso serves food at value for money prices.There are music evenings, I've seen Skiffle Petethere many a time and the pub has been packedwith people of all ages.King’s Arms, MautbyA very good pub, recently taken over by youngfolk, who were very interesting to talk to. Theyhad several real ales and all from local brewers...also the food, the ingredients used are fromlocal sources.NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post itsAngel Gardens, Angel Road NorwichFour real ales plus Angel Gardens Best Bitter at£2.10 a pint.Settled for Deuchars at £2.20 a pint(Superb!) followed by a pint of OldershawBrewery Newtons Drop (4.1%) at £2.30 a pintonce again in excellent condition. Also worth avisit on a Sunday for Ian's Sunday roast at £5.75.Barrel, BanhamA lot less cluttered than when it was the CiderShed but still a different experience from anormal pub. Very quiet in the bar when weturned up as all the smokers were outside in theevening sunshine. The beers on offer wereAdnams Bitter, Wolf Coyote, and Heacham Goldfrom the Fox brewery. The ciders were Jonty’sstandard sweet or dry, Jonty’s rum cask sweet ordry and Crone’s Organic.Albatros, Wells-next-the-SeaA lovely sunny day so the deck was busy, but inmy opinion the attraction of this convertedfreighter is to manage to get down the stepsand enjoy the atmospheric cargo hold. Thebeers, all on gravity, were Woodfordes Wherry,Nelsons Revenge and Sundew. I have nevereaten here but the Dutch pancake menu looksvery intriguing.Sunningdale Club, NewportOn a holiday camp area but open all year roundwith up to six beers on handpump and all daybreakfast, food from 1000 to 2100 daily. Lateopening weekends till 0100/0130.Whin Hill Cider, Wells-next-the-SeaVery busy with every table occupied in thecourtyard outside the cider shop so we sat insideand enjoyed studying the ever increasing collectionof cider memorabilia. The cider is cheaperwhen purchased by the bottle so we shared abottle of the still Perry followed by the bottleconditioned extra dry sparkling cider. Both wereexcellent. A must visit if you are in Wells.Feathers, AylshamPopped in prior to having a ride on the BureValley Railway. Fascinating interior with lots ofbreweriania and other collectibles. The beerContinued OverleafWINTER 2008 | 9

THE ROSEWinterfest Sausage & Beer FestivalFriday 21st - Sunday 25th JanuaryNew & unusual ales hand picked(and delivered!) by the Landlord16 varieties of sausageEntertainment including free wine and beer tastingThe Rose Independent Freehouse,235 Queens Rd, Norwich NR1 3AE01603 767713THE KETTSUNDER OLD MANAGEMENT!Kevin and Dawn have returned to run The Ketts with newmanager Andrew Stallion. We hope you will join us tosample some really fine ales and afantastic atmosphere!• Traditional Main Bar •• Conservatory Coffee House & Bar•• Up to 8 Cask Ales from local and regional breweries •• Regular beer festivals •• Authentic curries served every evening •• Sunday Roast using locally sourced meat & veg •• Large car park •The Ketts Tavern Independent Freehouse, 29 Ketts Hill,Norwich NR1 4EX 01603 449654Pub Post-its continuedthough was another matter. An outside blackboardannounced that the guest wasTheakston’s Black Bull but there was no sign of itinside. The choice left was Wells Bombadier andDeuchars IPA so I went for the Deuchars whichwas not very good at all. All in all I was veryunimpressed with both beer choice and beerquality for a Good Beer Guide listed pub.White Lion, Oak Street NorwichGreat to see it open again A range of seven realales mainly from the Milton Brewery,Cambridge. Had two pints of Milton Sparta Ale(4.3%) at £2.70 a pint in excellent condition.The manager Ralph informs me that a selectionof guest ales will be constantly rotating.King's Head, FilbyNow up and running ,serving three local beersand doing a good food service, especiallySunday lunch, 1200-1800, with two courses forten pounds or three for 12.50. A pub reopened,for a change!Edith Cavell, Tombland, NorwichVisited on my way home from the beer festivalon Saturday afternoon. The single handpumpcaught my eye through the window so Ithought I had better give it a try.The beer was Wherry and it was in excellentcondition. I complimented the Landlord and hetold me that they are hoping to increase therange of real ales. One to keep an eye on.Woods End, BramertonVisited early on a Tuesday evening in September;there was a steady coming and going ofcustomers both from the boats tied up on theriverbank and by car. Not bad at all for such anisolated pub. The pub is comfortable, the guestbeer was Brakspears Bitter in top form, andsitting watching the antics of the ducks fightingover food made for a very pleasant experience.As we left quite a few tables were being laid upfor diners so it may get busy in the evening.NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post its continuedFerry House, SurlinghamThis pub is less than five miles from the centre ofNorwich as the crow flies but it feels as if it is inthe middle of nowhere as you approach it downa long narrow track with suspiciously lookingwet woodland either side. The pub has had anew Landlady since November and she has revitalisedit. It is open from 11 to 11 seven days aweek and food is served from 12 – 9. The pubwas bustling with diners when we arrived andthe food looked good and was very reasonablypriced. The pub may close during the afternoonin the winter, but at the moment in the Landlady’swords “the jury is still out and if the tradeis there they will be open all day”.The regular beers are Wherry and Broadsidealong with the current guest, Abbot. The originalpub has suffered some subsidence but thenewer parts of the building are still upright.New Inn, Rockland St MaryThird stop on a tour of waterside pubs. Verymuch a food pub with a modern restaurantextension to the side of the pub, but that saidthe original part of the building is a proper pubwith a good atmosphere. The regular beers areBlack Sheep and Broadside, the guest alternatesbetween Old Speckled Hen and GK IPA. Thepub is open all day every day, but may closeMonday and Tuesday afternoons if quiet.Farmhouse, NorwichGK Abbot, Theakstons OP, Wherry. The Wherrywas cold but drinkable and £2.60 a pint.White Horse, ChedgraveBeers as in the latest GBG; the guest beer wasBass. Thirty breweries in Norfolk and theychoose Bass! The Tim Taylors Landlord was staleand unpleasant.White Horse - South LophamWells & Youngs Bitter, GK Abbot and Adnams.The Adnams was excellent and only £2.50 a pint.Post-it contributors: Charles & Joy Boldero,Andrea Kirkby, Carolyn Jones, Warren Wordsworth,Bob Didwell, Michael Croxford, Mike Baldwin, PaulHolmes, Paul Harvey, John and Tessa de VilleWINTER 2008 | 11

Winter Ales | NORFOLK NIPSNORFOLK NIPS | Colchester to Norwich CycleNever underestimateTHE POWER OFTHE DARK SIDEAs the nightsdraw in andthe constantrain gets a littlecolder, so wecome to what'sperhaps myfavourite time ofthe year. This iswhen brewers putaway their recipesfor light, goldenbeer and turn to “the darkside”, brewing flavoursome,warming ales to enjoy on adark winter's evening in frontof a roaring fire. Ales with a fullbody, with a darkness in theircolour to match the nights, anda warmth in the taste to matchthe glow of the fire.Whilst many of the largerbreweries produce beers thatfit this season perfectly, it's theofferings from the smallerbreweries that, personally, Ifind more satisfying. There aresome good examples from ourlocal breweries that are worthseeking out and savouring –they're not that difficult to find.Many of these can be foundbottle conditioned, so just thething to warm the heart whenthe weather is at its worst. Butbeware, treat them withrespect - they tend to come inhigh strength.Some of these seasonal alesuse a mix of spices to give thetaste of the season. From theTipples Brewery comes Crackle,a beer that reminds you offreshly cooked Christmaspudding and Mince Pies (ifmince pies came at 6.5%).If you could distil the essenceof Christmas, it'd not be farfrom this. Warming, smoothtasting and well rounded, theunderlying sweetness combineswith the spices to give a tastethat's like warm mince pieseaten in front of a blazing fireon a cold winter's evening.Since it was first brewed in2005, this has been a beer Ilook forward to, and this year’sbrew (sampled at the NorwichBeer Festival) made for aperfect end to the day.Uncle Stuart also brews aChristmas/Winter ale (thename depends on if it’s beforeor after Christmas) that's full ofspice (helped by the variety ofhops). The use of chocolateand black malts and roastedbarley give this one a rich andwarming taste, helped by the7% strength. St. Peter's used tobrew a Spiced Ale, andalthough it's still advertised ontheir website, it's not one I'veseen around for a while.Other seasonal ales tendtowards a more barley winetype. Here, I suppose I have to“declare an interest” as this isone of my favourites – Yule Fuelfrom Spectrum Brewery. This isa dark, rich & fruity barleywine, ruby in colour and verydeceptive in taste – justbecause it doesn't taste 7%doesn't mean it isn’t (as a fewpeople can testify). Brewedpredominantly from pale malt,this is one to search out andsavour – but respectfully.Winklepicker is a new brewfrom the Norfolk Squarebrewery in Great Yarmouth.Amber in colour, and of lighterstrength (but at 5.5% still oneto be treated with respect), it'sbrewed with chocolate andcrystal malts and hopped withan English Porter hop. It has anoverall sweet taste, not unusualin a winter warmer – and this iscertainly one to warm on acold winter's evening. This isone I need to find more of.Moving back to the dark side,it would be difficult to getmuch darker than Black Moth,another seasonal offering fromTipples. Brewed once a year (at8%), this is a wonderfully dark,rich, double chocolate stoutthat was (rightly) 1st in itscategory at the 2007 NorwichBeer Festival. Like many of thestronger winter ales, it'ssupposed to benefit from beingleft to mature (although I'd findit difficult to leave a bottle ortwo alone for a year).That's just a small selection,albeit beers that suit my liking.But it's not all darkness. Asour ancestors would have seenthe Midwinter Solstice as aturning point and lookedtowards the light to come, soam I. Sitting at home I have abottle of Tipples Barley Twistthat, on the advice of thebrewer, I'm leaving well aloneuntil Christmas Day, to give itthat little extra time to developand mature. It should roundthe afternoon off perfectly!Keith GerrardOther fine locally brewedwinter ales include:Good King Henry, a rich darkbeer from Old ChimneysBrewery, Market Weston , at 9%Adnams Tally Ho, 7%,a fine barley wineBlackfriars Audit Ale, 8%,deep red barley wineGreenjack Warthog,13.5% (this is not a typo!)Front Street Tsar, 8.5%imperial stout, but with extraChristmas spiciness.Humpty Dumpty 10 9.2%strong, hoppy aleWoodfordes Headcracker,7% barley wine with fruityaroma and full bodyFox Brewery's Nelson'sBlood - 5.1% bitter with rumand spicesBottled versions of many ofthese beers are available fromNorfolk Square Brewery's beershop or from the Little BeerShop in Lingwood. Tipplesbeers are available from thebrewery's shop in Elm Hill,Norwich.By Bike to Beer!Intrepid CAMRA memberscycle from Colchester toNorwich Beer FestivalThis year a bunch of intrepidcyclists from ColchesterCAMRA decided to deprive therailways of their custom, andarrived at Norwich Beer Festivalby bike.Leaving Colchester at 630 inthe morning, they set out onNational Cycle Route 1.It actually goes as far north asthe Orkney Islands - but theirdestination was not quite thatfar away.It took them two days toreach Norwich, and as you'dexpect from CAMRA members,they stopped at a number ofpubs en route. The ThreeHorseshoes at Charsfield servedup a superb lunch of ham, eggand chips followed by asubstantial fruit crumble andcustard, washed down by acouple of pints of very goodquality Earl Soham VictoriaBitter. Even after this there wastime to get to Framlingham fora pint of Earl Soham GannetMild before cycling on to theovernight stop at Halesworth -in another pub.Dinner at the Angel Inn,which serves Adnams besides apizza and pasta menu, wasfollowed by a few pints ofAdnams Old in the White Hart.Unfortunately a few of themembers found their sleep wasinterrupted by a noisyHallowe'en party... or could ithave been a pub ghost?Despite injuries sustained inan accident on black ice nearStratford St Mary, a puncture(just the one), and a brokenpedal, the five cyclists allarrived safely in Norwich - atotal of 104 miles.Sad to relate, though, theexperience of the beer festivalseems to have exhausted thesepreviously indefatigable chaps -and they returned to Colchesterby train.Robin Taverner of Colchester& NE Essex CAMRA says “Wewere given a great welcome bythe Beer Festival Organiser whovery kindly rewarded ourefforts with a festival glass andsome free beer.”Colchester CAMRA would bevery pleased to return thefavour to any Norwichmembers who do the reversejourney by bicycle to visit theColchester winter or summerfestivals in 2009.12 | WINTER 2008WINTER 2008 | 13

The Kings HeadOpen 12.00noon - 11.00pm Monday to Saturday12.00noon - 10.30pm SundayRun by enthusiastic drinkers and CAMRA members.Keg Free Zone 14 Hand PumpsNorfolk Ales & CiderMild & stout always availableEuropean Bottled BeersBelgian and world Bottled BeersBar BilliardsTelevision-freeCAMRA NorfolkPub of the Year 2008& 2006keg free houseNORFOLK NIPS | Logo CompetitionBeer Festival logo design competitionWe have some wonderfulentries into the NorwichBeer Festival Logocompetition, including StainedGlass designs and Fest-o-scopic3D, but sometimes they arejust too complicated. So hereare a few hints . . .A Dragon - must be included,but abstract is okay; A blackand white design is fine, or useup to four colours, but noshading. NO clip art - the workmust be entirely your own; NObarrels, kegs or similarcontainers (at least not thisyear);Entries (one per sheet or e-mail, maximum size A4) can besent to 15a St. Augustine'sStreet, Norwich. NR3 3BY or tobeer.fest@ntlworld.com (.tifsunder 1Mb preferred) byFebruary 17th 2009. On theback of the paper, or within thee-mail, please specify ‘Adult’ or‘Under 18’ and include yourname, contact details and age(if under 18).All entries become the propertyof Norwich & NorfolkCAMRA and may be used fordisplay and publicity purposes.The overall winning design willbecome the logo for theFestival and be used on ourusual range of products – aselection of which will also goto the winner. A prize will alsobe awarded to the winner ofeach category (‘Adults’ and‘Under 18s’).Dating from the14th century, the pub hasbeen restored to a Victorian style.The Kings Head, 42 Magdalen Street, Norwich NR3 1JETelephone: 01603 620468 www.kingsheadnorwich.comAUTUMNN 2008 | 15

NORFOLK NIPS | Norwich Pub Re-opens!White Lion reopeningTwo views from local drinkersNew Opening HoursMon 5-11, Tuesday 12-11,Wednesday 12-11, Thursday 12-11,Friday 12-12, Saturday 12-12, Sunday 12-11New Lunchtime Menu Available6 Real Ales On HandpumpFreehousePool Room, Darts And Quiz MachineFunction Room Available For HireBeer Garden And New ShelteredSmoking AreaFree Wi FiThe Beehive, Leopold Road, Norwich NR4 7PJTel: 01603 451628 Email: thebeehive@live.comAfter it spent four yearsboarded up, graduallyfalling apart, I doubt ifmany people would have takena punt on the White Lion inOak Street reopening as apublic house. The mostcommonly expressed opinionwas that the building would beallowed to decay until the citycouncil planner would accept achange of use to privatedwelling, at which point thebuilders would finally move in.Nice to be proved wrong, isn'tit!Many local CAMRA memberswill remember the Lion as itwas in its glory days in the 80s,before a few pub companieslater, it was a sorry mess,closing in 2004. The questionon many minds was, will thenew owners ruin it, who will itattract, what atmosphere will ithave and more to the point willwe like it?Well it is early days but in thiswriter's anything but humbleopinion, Milton Brewery is wellon the way to giving the cityback a very fine, comfortable,and potentially character-fullpub, serving a range of theMilton beers and guests.Smokers may be disappointedby the lack of external provisionbut without even a courtyardto its name and a narrow pavementoutside, it may be a goodidea to get your fix beforeentering. Something tells methat a smoker’s corner crowdoutside the entrance would notbe too welcome.That caveat aside, welcomeback the White Lion!Jon KnightTwo days ago, my friend - afrequent user of the White Lionin days of yore - noticed thepub had reopened. Because itwas his birthday the next day,he suggested we go along andsee what it was like.We arrived about half pasteight. There were only about adozen people in the pub -quite a large establishment. Itwas a bit like the scene fromthe film "An American Werewolfin London", where ourintrepid back-packers decide torefresh themselves in a localcountry pub, and as soon asthey enter, the pub goessilent... Not good. Bit of anatmosphere.Anyway, we were still determined.Good beer by the way,if I could only remember whatit was.From this frosty entrance, wedecided to sit in the back bar.The over-whelming smell ofpaint was too much, and Idecided to finish my drinkoutside. It seemed an appropriatetime to have a cigaretteas well. We were both lookinginto the pub reminiscing aboutwhat a great pub it was, andbecame increasingly aware thatmembers of the bar staff, andcustomers were looking at us.Strange, we both thought.We had both nearly finishedour drinks and our cigaretteswhen some-one came out of thepub and said, "You can’t takeyour drinks out of the pub".That was it. No waiting till wehad finished our drinks, or ourcigarettes. No explanation orsigns in the pub, no apologyfor not telling us sooner. Whyhad they waited until then totell us? Was he plucking up thecourage to tell us? Who knows.We left, leaving the rest of ourbeer in our glasses and leavingthe glasses outside.This particular establishment,"The Old White Lion", havingjust re-opened, needs all thesupport it can get, and I amsorry to report that it will notbe getting mine.WINTER 2008 | 1716 | WINTER 2008

First Friday Five | NORFOLK NIPSParadise RegainedNorfolk's unofficial countymotto is 'Do different', andthis October members hadthe chance to find out how we'rebucking the national trend ofpub closures with two newlyreopened houses.Our October Friday Five wasvery much a City Centre walk,taking in two pubs that haverecently re-opened after a longperiod of closure.First was the The Wig & Pen,a regular Branch entry inCAMRA’s National GBG. Tonightthe pub was exceptionally busywith both drinkers and diners. Asusual a good range of real aleswere available that includedOakham JHB, Adnams Bitter,and Spectrum Wizzard.The next pub on our schedulewas The Maids Head situatedonly a short distance away.Unfortunately once we hadtrouped into the hotel to the‘Courtyard Bar’ where AdnamsBitter is normally sold we foundthe handpump turned round andno real ale available. This was apity as during the early 1970swhen Watneys “Red Revolution”controlled over ninety per cent ofNorwich’s pubs this was one ofonly two outlets in the city sellingreal ale.To make up for this we made aquick walk across the road toTake 5. This pub was also verybusy, and we were treated to achoice of Woodforde’s Wherryand Sun Dew, Fullers LondonPride and Deuchars IPA. In additionCrones real cider wasavailable.18 | WINTER 2008On now for another short walkto The Dog House. This pubformerly known as The Red Lion,situated just outside St AndrewsHall, has been shut for over threeyears and has recently re-opened.There has been a massive internalrefurbishment, including a baron the first floor. The mainground floor bar now haswooden floor boards and freestandingbar style chairs andhigh tables. In fact the onlyinternal feature that I could recallfrom the original pub surviving isthe old brick faced fire place atone end. Three cask ales wereavailable; Adnams Bitter, FullersLondon Pride and ShepherdNeame Spitfire.Next, The Woolpack(Muspole Street) was closed dueto refurbishment so to maintainour contingent of five pubs wehad to improvise again, this timeadding The Playhouse Bar toour list. Adnams Old and theirnew “carbon-neutral” East Greenplus Grain Oak were the real alesavailable in this bar.The last pub on the route,Norwich’s most recently reopenedpub, and the one mosteagerly awaited, was TheWhite Lion which has beenpurchased by Cambridge-basedMilton Brewery. Unlike The DogHouse, the interior of this pub,apart from a new lick of paint,was very much as I remember itin the 1980s and 90s when itwas one of Norwich’s premierreal ale pubs. On sale here wereseven real ales; five from Miltonbrewery and two guests (one ofwhich came from Castle RockBrewery of Nottingham).Altogether a very satisfyingnight, and a good turn out ofBranch Members considering thecold blustery weather. It's greatto see two old real ale outletsre-opened after long periods ofclosure - bucking the nationaltrend of pubs closing.Warren WordsworthThe Pub Quiz1. In the cult 1970s horror filmAmerican Werewolf in London,what was the name of the pub thetourists wandered into?2. What did Jason go in search of?3. Who sits on a Woolpack?4. Which part of mutton forms apub name?5. What do Black Welsh Mountain,Ouessant and Hebridean (alsoknown as St Kilda) breeds have incommon with a brewery?6. Of the number of people whoactually can, what is thepercentage of people who donateblood?Leo & Fiona1. The slaughtered lamb2. The Golden Fleece3.Speaker of the House of Lords (youhave to keep these traditions up - you'dbe no better than a foreigner otherwise)4.Shoulder5.They are all black sheep6.Six. If you're one of the ninety-fourper cent visit www.blood.uk and reducethe blood in your alcohol streamANSWERS

Curry at The Ketts | NORFOLK NIPSThe Ketts Tavern, NorwichWhen Andrea asked for avolunteer to write thiscolumn, I thought ‘Howhard can it be?’I’ve been wanting to do somewriting for a while, and withbeer and food being my twofavourite subjects, it seemedlike a perfect opportunity!My husband and I had a longchat, and tried to come up witha Norwich pub that would be asuitable starting point. We allknow that you can go to theFat Cat or the Kings Head andget a fantastic pint and porkpie combo, but it seemed thatsomething a little bit differentwas called for.Enter the Ketts Tavern……Their curry menu has been onoffer for around eight yearsnow, and is a refreshingchange for those curry-loversamong us who like a Madras,but aren’t necessarily keen onthe Cobra served alongside it!The curries served at the Kettsare prepared by the RipaTandoori, just across the streeton Bishop Bridge Road, and are20 | WINTER 2008usually delivered to your tablewithin twenty minutes ofordering. On the night wevisited, however, we did haveto wait slightly longer than that(not complaining though – moredrinking time!).Starters on offer includedTandoori chicken and samosas,with main courses encompassingsuch delights as lamb jalfrezi,Tandoori mixed grill, and agood selection of vegetarianoptions. A meal for fourpeople, including rice, sideorders, poppadums andpickles, came to a grand totalof £36.90, which is, in thesecredit-crunching times, not badat all!Moving on from the (excellent)curries, we turned ourattention to the beer. Therewere five real ales on offer onthe night we visited: NethergateJack’O’Lantern, HumptyDumpty Golden Gorse, NorfolkSquare Stiletto, BrandonLockjaw and WoodfordesWherry, with prices between£2.50 and £2.80 per pint.Purely in the name of research,we gamely worked our waythrough them all, with theexception of the Wherry (this ispurely because the pub closestto our house, the Swan atIngham, is a Woodfordes pub,so it seemed a bit unnecessaryto try it again!).The Brandon’s Lockjaw wasproclaimed as ‘the best pintI’ve had in ages!’, by our residentalcoholic, Brian, whilstthe Norfolk Square was theclear winner of the eveningwith the girls.Despite being so full of mushroombiryani that I was almostunable to move, I managed tohave a chat with managerAndrew Stallion, and barmaidLucy Brooks.Andrew told me: ‘I have beenmanaging the Ketts Tavern foraround four months now, andwould dearly love to see thepub in the Good Beer Guide’.At the time of writing thisarticle, Andrew and his teamwere preparing for theirupcoming beer festival, held onthe weekend of 21stNovember, which I hope manyof you attended and enjoyed!Aside from the curry menu,which is available from 6pm –9pm every evening, the Kettsalso offers an ever-expandingBARRELIEFMANAGEMENTYour local Bar Relief to cover foryour Holidays or Sickness.Personal Licence HolderFood Hygiene CertPlease Call Brian Mayhew on01603 301356 or 07714657752to discuss your requirementsemail: brmpubservices@aol.comwww.brmpubservices.co.ukmenu of traditional bar meals,including baguettes andburgers, and has a specialsboard which changes weekly.From 17th November theywill also have been openingtheir new coffee lounge dailyfrom 8.30am, offering a fullEnglish breakfast menu alongsidelighter bites.Barmaid Lucy told me: ‘I trulybelieve this is a fantastic pub inwhich to begin your night.A few weekends ago, nine ladscame in to begin a pub crawlhere – they ended up spendingthe whole evening here, andhave returned since.’It’s clear that Andrew and histeam are determined to builtNORFOLK NIPS | Curry at The Kettson this pub’s already goodreputation. Regular entertainmentin the evening includeskaraoke nights and quiz nights(with cash prizes!). They arealso due to hold their first ever‘Wii’ tournament, which ifsuccessful will become aregular event.All in all, we had an absolutelyfantastic evening at the Ketts.Overall beer rating was ten outof ten, with food scoring 8.5.Special mention must also goto Lucy the barmaid, who wasextremely friendly and knowledgeable,and played a largepart in making our evening soenjoyable.We will return!AttentionLandlords!DJ MarkTheme NightsMid-week trade boostersShort Term residenciesPrivate functionsSpecial EventsBand Support or stand aloneVery smart set-upHigh quality light and soundGenuine music and Real Ale Fan!07960 449379MusicologyDisco.comWINTER 2008 | 21

Norwich Beer Festival WinnersYet again the Beer of the Festivalwas a local beer – Elm TreeBrewery's Nightlight Mild. At5.4% ABV, this strong mild has lotsof flavour; it uses First Gold hopsand a mix of roasted malts toachieve a rich, dark, but recognisablymild taste.Second in the milds category waslong time favourite Sarah HughesDark Ruby Mild – so Nightlight wasup against strong competition.Brewer Allan Cooper was going togive up the day job some time nextyear to concentrate on brewing.That plan might have to be acceleratednow he's won the award!Nightlight is a relatively new beerfor Elm Tree; the first test wasbrewed around the time of lastNorwich Beer Festival and it's onlybeen available since August this year.Originally named Nightwatchman,it was hastily renamed whenMarstons brought out their NightWatchman as a seasonal beer.Elm Tree also brews a Best Bitter,Dark Horse Stout, and Golden Pale Ale.The Trafford Arms in Norwichand the Kings Head Kenninghalltake Elm Tree beers regularly, andthey have also been spotted atNorwich Arts Centre and in theRose Tavern.Elm Tree Brewery – Snetterton,01953 887065www.elmtreebeers.co.ukFull list of festival beers:Beers of the festival1 Elmtree Nightlight*2 Winters From the Ashes*3 Grain Festival Special*Category winners:Mild1 Elmtree Nightlight Mild*2 Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild3 Hook Norton Hooky Dark.Bitter1 Grain Oak*2 Norfolk Square Pi*3 Palmer Copper Ale.NORFOLK NIPS | Norwich ChampionsBest Bitter1 Grain Festival Special*2 Oakham Bishops Farewell3 Felinfoel Double Dragon.Strong Bitter1 Winter’s From The Ashes*2 Dorset Durdle Door3 Green Jack Mahseer IPA*.Olds, Stouts and Porters1 Wagtail English Ale*2 Brown Cow Coffee Porterequal 3rd Grain BlackwoodStout* and Humpty DumptyPorter*.Special Styles1 Nethergate Umbel Ale2 Fat Cat Brewery Marmalade Cat*3 Tryst Zetland Wheatbeer.Golden Ales1 Winter's Golden*2 Humpty Dumpty Golden Gorse*3 Humpty Dumpty Hop HarvestGold*.Cider - 1st Pickled Pig Porter's Snout.Foreign - 1st Andechs Weissbier.* locally brewed beerSt Peter’s HallSt. Peter SouthElmhamNr BungayNR35 1NQjust 5 mins from BungayBeer FestivalSunday 1st March 12 middaySt Peters Hallhome of St Peters Brewerywith guest ales , hot roast baguettesand folk musicFree AdmissionFree Brewery Tours for CAMRA membersSample different beers in the Great Hall ofthis historic 13th century buildingMore info can be found on our websitewww.stpetershallsuffolk.co.ukor ring 01986 782288WINTER 2008 | 23

Interview | NORFOLK NIPSFat Cat landlord - Colin KeatleyColin Keatley, landlord of the Fat Cat, talks to Norfolk Nips about the history of real ale in Norwich.We’re lucky to have a greatselection of real ale pubsin Norwich. One of thebest, naturally, being the FatCat - the only pub to winCAMRA's pub of the yearaward twice.But Norwich hasn't alwaysbeen the real ale capital that itis today. Colin Keatley was oneof the pioneers - and heremembers that when he gotstarted in Norwich with theWhite Lion back in 1980, veryfew pubs were selling real ale.“The real ale revolution wasjust starting to happen,” hesays, “with the likes of DougieBrown at the Plasterers, Hazelat the Ten Bells, and PeterTurner at the Golden Star, withhis Tap Brewery next door.”Watneys was selling off manyof its pubs in the city atauction, and this gave landlordsa chance to buy old pubscheap. “Then they could sellreal ale from what decentbreweries were left,” Colincomments. The Golden Starwas selling beer from Paines inSt Neots (acquired by Tolly andlater closed), the Ten Bells soldFelinfoel Double Dragon andbeers from Home Brewery inNottingham, and the Plastererswas getting though fouror five 22's of Everards OldOriginal a week!Colin moved to Norwich after24 | WINTER 2008years of managing pubs forScottish & Newcastle inLondon, and started by buyingthe White Lion in Oak Street -just reopened under MiltonBrewery's ownership. His taskwas made easier by the factthat a couple of wholesalecompanies had now appearedon the scene, but he still had tobe flexible in his sourcing policies.Some wouldn't deliver toNorwich, and some brewershad a policy of only supplyinga limited area. He ended uphaving to drive down to thewastelands of East London (E17to be precise) to get Boddingtonsand Youngs beers.Consumers do want choice intheir beer, and that was shownclearly when in 1983 the TenBells was sold to Greene King.Colin comments “my trade atthe White Lion went up 40percent overnight.”Colin has also been quite aninnovator, operating ventureswith two local majors -Adnams, at the St Andrew'sTavern, and Greene King,which allowed him to sell fourguest beers as well as their ownales at the Pottergate Tavern.In 1991, he bought the NewInn, West End Street, fromCourage - he admits, “This wasa very rough pub”, so he hadhis work cut out. The pubreopened after four months ofrenovation, called the Fat Catin homage to the Sheffield pubof that name. Being a politegeezer, Colin rang landlordDavid Wickett to check hecould use the name - the quidpro quo was that the Fat Cathad to order some KelhamIsland beer from time to time.(And he still does - Pale Riderwas on when I visited the pub.)Choice has dramaticallyincreased for Norwich drinkerssince then - in the number ofpubs serving real ale, and inthe number of ales those pubsserve. The Fat Cat opened withfour beers on gravity and fourhandpumps; now, it hastwenty-five beers available ondraught, including some Europeanbeers, and more inbottles. Colin observes thatthough there were many morepubs in Norwich in the early20th century, most of themonly sold one beer - a bitter ora mild. Things have certainlyimproved in that respect.It's easier for publicans to gethold of beer now, too. Thereare numerous wholesalers - notjust the big three (Small Beer,TBS Waverley, and FlyingFirkin), and many small breweriesnow do reciprocal beersto get their beer sold aroundthe country. That's been a hugechange since Colin startedrunning freehouses. There aremore brewers, too, and Colinsays “The British brewer todayis creating a better range ofproducts than we've ever had.”But increased choice has itsproblems. Some wholesalersrun a beer for a while, thendrop it - leading to disappointedcustomers. Colin says“I absolutely hate picking up amenu and finding the thing Iwant is out of stock, so I alwaystry to stock stuff I can get on aregular basis.”At one time it seems ColinKeatley thought about worlddomination through real ale.He opened a Fat Cat in Ipswichin 1998, with his brothermanaging it (he's subsequentlysold his share). And he says “Idid have an aim once to have 6Fat Cats and a brewery - butafter I'd won the CAMRA Pubof the Year, this place was sobusy I had to give up the idea.”Even so, with the acquisitionof the Shed (formerly theWherry in Sprowston Road) hedid achieve his ambition ofopening a brewery.Colin doesn't stint on hispraise for other pioneers ofNorfolk brewing, such as RayAshworth, who left a career inbanking to start Woodfordes in1980. Colin was one of hisearly customers and has soldWoodfordes beer ever since -and Ray now works two days aweek with Fat Cat brewery.He's also glad to see othergreat publicans in Norwich -Chris Higgins at the Trafford,for instance, and RogerCawdron at the Ribs of Beef.More recently, he's enjoyedseeing Jon Smith and RolandCoomber - previously neighbours,running the Nelson -making a go of the King’s Headas a keg free zone. The greatthing about all these pubs,Colin believes, is that they aredistinctive.“The pub today - the propertraditional English pub - is now aspecialised business,” he asserts,“it's not same-same-same.Customers demand choice.”Individuality and independenceare vital. That's why Colin hasalways said no when he's beenasked whether he’d considerfranchising the Fat Cat brand.You can see that individualityin the beer list at the Fat Cat,which is currently stocking anumber of 'great names' ofBritish brewing that have beenthrough the wars - draughtBass, for instance, andNORFOLK NIPS | InterviewBoddingtons Bitter.Boddington's was one of thefavourites at the White Lion,and Colin points out that it'snow brewed by Hydes breweryin Manchester, only a milefrom the original location.The Fat Cat also makes somethingof a speciality of fruitbeers - both Belgian (includinga lovely plum beer) but alsoBritish brews such as EnvilleGinger Beer, Coach HouseGingerbut, and Greenjack FruitBat.However even the Fat Catisn't immune to recession. Thepub had seen continuedgrowth for 16 years, but took a5 percent dip in sales when theno-smoking law came in, andtrade is currently very erratic.Colin's recipe for survival is tokeep his beer prices affordable.“I'm watching my prices,” hesays, “aiming to give goodquality products at a reasonableprice.” For instance hesells Fat Cat Bitter (3.8%) attwo pounds a pint , and he'sselling 5 kils a week of it.Norwich has come a longway since the days when it wasa beer desert. It's now one ofthe top few cities in the UK forreal ale - rivalled only by Yorkand Derby. Colin says “We'revery lucky in Norwich - a cityknown for good pubs, goodpublicans, and good beer..”The Fat Cat, West End Street -www.fatcatpub.co.uk containsan up to date list of the beersbeing served.WINTER 2008 | 25

Hosting a Beer Festival | NORFOLK NIPSNominations are now beingaccepted for possible entriesfor the 2010 NationalCAMRA “Good Beer Guide”. Thedeadline for nominations is31/12/08.You may submit your nominationby post using the formbelow to Warren Wordsworth,(Pubs Officer), 16 Grove Avenue,Norwich, NR1 2QD, or by Email:pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.ukIf the pub is not in either the2008 or 2009 guide pleaseinclude a brief description. Willall nominators submitting newentries ensure that they havevisited the pub recently, so as togive an up to date review fortheir entry.NORFOLK NIPS | GBG Nominations 2010CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2010The voting meeting will takeplace, as usual at the FebruaryBranch Meeting on the thirdTuesday in February 2008 (venueyet to be confirmed).Voting procedures will remainunchanged from previous years.Warren WordsworthCAMRA Good Beer Guide 2010 Pub Nomination FormName of pub(s) and locations:Attach a brief description if your nomination(s) is not in 2008 or 2009 GBG:Your Name:Your Address:Please note, THIS IS NOT A VOTING FORM!The selection of pubs is via the Voting Meeting at next February’s Branch Meeting, so please do not send more thanone nomination form for the same pub as multiple nominations will not enhance its chance of getting in the guide!28 | WINTER 2008FREE HOUSECOAST ROAD, WALCOTT,NORFOLK NR12 OPETelephone(01692) 650371Proprietor since 1989: STEVE BULLIMOREOPEN FOR FOOD & DRINKSALL DAY, EVERY DAY, 11am - 11pmFood available all day until 10.3010% off food and drink on production of CAMRA membership cardFOUR REAL ALES & CIDERwww.lighthouseinn.co.ukThe Gatehouse Pub391 Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8QJ01603 620340FOUR REAL ALESLive Music, Friday & SaturdayLarge garden overlooking theRiver WensumOPENMon - Thurs 12-11Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11Plenty ofparking spaceThe Burston CrownJonj, Frances, Bev and Steve welcome youto our 16th Century country pub.We offer a fine range of gravity fed real ales,excellent bar and restuarant food every day anda welcoming, warm atmosphere. Every Thursdayevening we have a busker's night and host livemusic every alternate Sunday.For further details please contact us on01379 741257enquiries@burstoncrown.comWINTER 2008 | 29

73 Oak Street, Norwich NR3 3AQ01603 632333Oak Street’s only remainingpub re-opened!Rotating selection of 8 real ales from Milton Breweryand other British micro breweries. Great choice offine wines and malt whiskies.A Selection of Belgian and German bottled beers.www.individualpubs.co.uk/whitelion/Town Green, WymondhamTelephone: (01953) 605675Freehouse listed in The Good Beer GuidePub food 7 days a week served lunchtimesand evenings.Function Room for parties or meetings.Large Car ParkA warm welcome awaits you!Award Winning BeersFrom Grain BreweryAward winning Beers From Grain BreweryOak 3.8% - Champion Bitter 2008 Norwich Beer FestivalBest Bitter 4.2% – Champion Best Bitter, 2008 Norwich Beer FestivalTamarind IPA 5.5% - 3rd Strong Bitter, 2007 Norwich Beer Fest.Blackwood Stout 5% - 3rd Place Stout, 2008 Norwich Beer FestivalBeer for ChristmasDraught beers available in beer boxes for Christmas…Oak - moreish session bitter3.8%Best Bitter - smooth andmalty bitter 4.2%Tamarind IPA - strong andhoppy golden pale ale 5.5%Oak Best Bitter Tamarind IPA18 Pints £32.50 £32.50 £33.5036 Pints £57.50 £57.50 £59.50Here’s how to order…email info@grainbrewery.co.ukphone 01986 788884order online through the websitebelow (prices may differ slightly online)www.grainbrewery.co.ukAUTUMNN 2008 | 31

32 | WINTER 2008Simon and Karen welcomeyou all - young and old, twolegs or four!Great selection of real ales andwines, along with fine diningand excellent company.New guest ale every Friday.Burns Supper 2009please call to bookwww.whitehorsechedgrave.co.ukThe Lobster& Stables RestaurantFRESH FOODSERVED DAILYVegetarian and Veganoptions availableOPENING HOURSMonday to Thursday 10am to 11pmFriday to Saturday 10am to 1.30amSunday 12 noon to 12pmBEER FESTIVALS ONBANK HOLIDAYS10 Real Ales • Fine Wines • Childrens MenuBaby Changing • Disabled FacilitiesLarge Beer Gardens • Dogs are welcome13 High Street, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8JPTel: 01263 822716 www.the-lobster.comThe White HartThe Street, Rockland All SaintsSally Ann & Binz bid you a warm welcomewhere our aim is to make your visit aspleasurable as possible with good food, finedrink and a friendly atmosphere!OpenTuesday - Sunday11am - 3pm & 6pm - 11pmFood ServedTuesday - Sunday12pm - 2pm & 6.30pm - 9pmSUNDAY LUNCH SPECIAL1 course £7.952 courses (main & dessert) £10.95Midweek Lunch Special Menu £601953 483361Music & Real AleTRADITIONAL JAZZFor those early readers of thisedition of Nips, there is justtime to get along to theChristmas session at Acle RecreationCentre, details of whichare as follows:-Acle Recreation Centre,Bridewell Lane, AcleReal Ales include AdnamsBitter, Theakstons and TipplesRedhead.Tuesday 2nd December– Gambit JazzmenTickets/enquiries– Brian Davis 01493 701880And a date for your diary:-The next session at Acle will beon Tuesday 24th March, whenthere will be another sessionwith Rod Mason and hisChosen Six, a top class bandbased in Germany, whichincludes former local favouriteSean Moyses on Banjo.The ‘New Orleans to NorfolkClub’ recently moved theirbase from the Oasis Club inThorpe St Andrew, and nowappear to be well established atthe Quality Hotel inNorwich, and their next sessionis as follows:-The Quality Hotel (FilbySuite), Bowthorpe, Norwich(off Dereham Road) The goodnews is that the hotel is layingon Fat Cat Bitter specially forthe jazz sessions.Saturday 7th February – BarryMartyn (from New Orleans)and the Young BloodsAnd also a date for your diaryat this venue:-On Tuesday 10th March therewill be a return visit from theKen Colyer Legacy NewOrleans Jazz Band.Tickets/enquiries – Rod Playford01263 587120Ingleside Hotel, Mundesley(B1159 coast road betweenMundesley and Trimingham)Real ales include Greene KingOld Speckled Hen and IPA, plusseasonal guest beers. AlsoWeston’s Draught Scrumpy onhandpump.Sunday lunchtime 14thDecember – Just Jazz GoodTime Jazz BandFree admission, but phone01263 720530 to reserve tablefor special jazz carvery.Sadly, this will be the lastsession there featuring thispopular band, and it is notknown at time of writing thesenotes whether the venue hasany plans to continue with jazzsessions in the New Year.King’s Head Hotel, Beccles,SuffolkSelection of Adnams beers plusHumpty Dumpty Bitter.Every Sunday evening - Red Beans‘n’ Rice New Orleans Jazz BandFeathers Hotel, MarketPlace, HoltGreene King Abbot Ale and IPAFirst Friday every month –Lumiere Rouge Ragtime BandNORFOLK NIPS | Beer & MusicMarsham Arms, nrHevingham (B1149Norwich-Holt Road)Adnams Bitter, plus alternatingguests including AdnamsBroadside and Woodforde’sWherryThird Friday every month –Lumiere Rouge Ragtime BandTally Ho, Mettingham (nrBungay), SuffolkAdnams Bitter and Greene KingAbbot AleEvery Thursday -Sole Bay Jazz BandLimes Hotel, High Street,Needham Market, SuffolkReal Ales availableFirst Sunday evening everymonth, including the GambitJazzmen on Sunday 7thDecemberAlso, third Sunday lunchtimemonthly in Bugs Bar – BandsvaryMAINSTREAM/MODERN JAZZGreen Man, WroxhamRoad, RackheathWoodforde’s Wherry, AdnamsBitter and Broadside plusguests.Every Tuesday – Fullprogramme consisting ofvarious bands and musicians.For further details, phoneBarbara Capocci on 01603413443, or e-mailb.capocci123@ntlworld.comContinued OverleafAUTUMNN 2008 | 33

34 | WINTER 2008The Champion101 Chapelfield Rd, Norwich NR2 1SETel: 01603 765611‘Champion’ quality Cask Alesfrom Batemans, Woodfordes & otherexcellent breweriesA selection of classic dishes from ThePhilippine Islands alongside traditionalEnglish favouritesLive Jazz and Blues or Vinyl Musicon Thursday NightsNORFOLK NIPS | Beer & MusicMusic & Real Ale continuedDereham Jazz Society, LakesideCountry Club, QuarryLane, Lyng (nr Dereham)Adnams beers plus guestbeers on handpumpEvery Wednesday – Fullprogramme consisting ofvarious bands and musicians,which usually includes one‘traditional’ session eachmonth.For further details phone01328 863511 or 01362696741 or visit websitewww.lakeside-jazz-club.co.ukKeith ChettleburghFolk MusicThe folk music section isshorter than usual this time.Blame the Norwich BeerFestival - entertainment doesnot book itself, you know!To start with a new venue,Micawbers in Pottergate, wehave a folk slot on Tuesdayevenings 2030-2230 with Shufflewing,an acoustic collective.One to check out I think as Ican't remember live music herebefore.The Nelson, on NelsonStreet, now has folk onThursday and Sundayevenings. On Wednesday thereis skiffle with Pete Keegan whileFriday and Saturday there'sother live music. Click for informationatwww.myspace.com/nelsonpubnorwich.The pub also provides a lessthan spiritual home to CrudeApache, Norwich's finest puband open air theatre company,and their even cruder offspringAxis of Evil, who are well worthcatching.Meet in the Hedge, formed in2001, has a home at theFeathers Inn, Town Green,Wymondham for all sorts ofacoustic music (and poetry) onSunday evenings, monthly on30 November, 31st December,25th January and 22ndFebruary. Updates atwww.meetinthehedge.co.uk.Norwich Folk Club holdscourt on Fridays at the WhiteHorse Inn, Trowse, 2030-2330, with a monthly guestand weekly singaround. Moreinformation at www.norwichfolkclub.net.The Duke of Wellington,Waterloo Road, gives shelter tothe Von Krapp Family on Tuesdaysand is worth the visit. TheDuke has an extensive beerrange including draughtErdinger wheat beer andBelgian fruit beers as well asusually 6 real ales on handpumpand more on gravity.Geldeston Locks continuedits regular sessions with gueststhe Rum Brothers in October(also seen at Norwich BeerFestival), and will be celebratingthe Winter Solstice withMolly dancing and music on20th December from 2030.More information from222.geldestonlocks.co.uk.I have an apology to make... Ineedlessly slandered theWaterfront in the last Nips,saying it had no real ale, as awell hidden fridge turned outto contain bottles of WychwoodHobgoblin, London Prideand St Peter's, and otherassorted products which Ichecked out whilst watchingBellowhead in October. Amust-see is Show of Hands on25th November but that is,alas, too early for this edition ofNips - I'll be there!Jon KnightAppeal froma Nips readerI’m hoping that you can help.I’ve got a 1970s juke box andpinball machine. Is thereanyone you know who canhelp me service them/ getthem working again?Rowlands - - 01508 558668.AUTUMNN 2008 | 35

DUKEof WELLINGTONTRADITIONAL REAL ALE HOUSENORFOLK NIPS | Pubcos feel the crunchPubcos feel the draughtCAMRA Good BeerGuide ListedCAMRA Norfolk Pubof the Year 2003OpenMonday to Saturday12noon to 11pmSundays12noon to 10.30pm14 REAL ALESGRAVITY SERVEDavailable all year round fromour glass fronted tap room6 MORE ALESON HAND PUMPCome and enjoy our Tap Roomwith a selection of Belgianbottled beers, Schneider Weiss,Erddinger and Dunkel.Just 15 minutes walkfrom City Centre91 - 93 WATERLOO ROAD | NORWICH | 01603 441182Pubco shares have taken areal hammering on theStock Exchange recently.Poor results from Wetherspoons,which saw its pretaxprofits fall 11.4 percent, aprofit warning fromPubs'n'Bars, and worries abouthigh levels of debt at Punchand Enterprise, have hit thesector hard.And it will get even moredifficult for pubcos from nowon. Wetherspoons, for instance,will have to increase its sales bythree percent just in order tocover cost increases.Pub vacancies are also up,with pubcos unable to findenough new tenants. Twoyears ago, only 10 percent ofpubs were vacant - now, it's 17percent.James Rollo, at investmentbank Morgan Stanley, believesthat Punch and Enterprise inparticular are in dire straits. Hesays as many as a third of thesefirms’ pubs are uneconomic,making less than the minimumviable level of £20k a year inprofit.Rents have been growingfaster than inflation - and fasterthan beer sales - putting thesqueeze on tenants, while thepubcos’ split of profits has beengrowing faster than theirtenants’.An average Enterprise pub,for instance, makes £68k forthe company and only £47k forthe tenant, and a Punch tenantgets only £38k profit againstthe company's £61k share.Rollo points out thatmanaged pub chains likeWetherspoons are weatheringthe downturn better since theyhave a higher proportion offood sales, and also have morecontrol over costs.But he also says the beer tie isdamaging income for Punchand Enterprise pubs. Thepubcos charge their tenants40p more a pint than wholesalers,on average, andlandlords then have to chargemore for their beer. That's nowbeginning to deter consumers.Rollo’s research shows a freehousecan get beer at £75-100discount to the brewer's listprice of £350 a barrel (120p apint). Larger managed pubcoscan claim a discount of £150-170. But, he says, Enterpriseand Punch lessees are onlygetting a £20-30 discount onaverage. To maintain their cashmargins, these pubs have tosell the beer for 30-50p more.A study from market researchhouse Nielsen shows thatWetherspoon and Mitchells &Butlers, for example, sell standardlager for 220-230p a pint,whereas the average for a tiedpub is at least 40p more.Rollo comments that “Inmany ways, the tie looksincreasingly archaic,” and thatopposition to the tie is growingamong tenants.But he believes the tradecould go one of two directions.Enterprise and Punch mightjust decide to shut down theirleast profitable pubs - possiblylosing as much as a quarter oftheir estate. That's the worstcase scenario as far as CAMRAis concerned - reducingconsumers’ choice.On the other hand, it'spossible that the pubcos willreassess their business modeland offer a split of profits that ismore in favour of theconsumer. And if this is thecase, it might attract newtenants - and help keep ourpubs open. Certainly the initiativesfrom Batemans andEverards that we reported inour Trade news suggest thatthe regional brewers see thesense in this - but whether thepubcos will follow that leadremains to be seen.WINTER 2008 | 37

Norwich & Norfolk Pub Walks | NORFOLK NIPSTheReindeerComingsoon!The Norwich and NorfolkPub Walks book iscurrently in productionand is scheduled to bepublished by nextFebruary 2009.The book which will bein A5 format will contain18 pub walks, of which 7 are in Norwich and11 in various County towns around Norfolk.Each pub walk will feature a colour map ofthe route, a colour photograph and descriptionof each pub. The book will also contain acomprehensive brewery section coveringbreweries in Norfolk and around East Anglia.Warren Wordsworth38 | WINTER 2008NowRe-opened!Beer Festival12-14th December 2008Bitter, Ales and Stouts availablealong with food and Live MusicTerry & Lisa look forwardto welcoming you!01603 76222310 Dereham Rd, Norwich NR2 4AYNorfolk Square Brewery is pleased toannounce that our real ale shop is now open inGreat Yarmouth. Currently Stocking over 50 alesfrom as many as 15 East Anglian breweries.Please visit us at:Unit 7, Estcourt Road, Great Yarmouth,Norfolk, NR30 4JQ or visit our website:www.norfolksquarebrewery.co.ukCAMRA MEMBERS GET 5% DISCOUNTON ALL ORDERSTel: 01493 854484email: beer@norfolksquarebrewery.co.ukTheSpread EagleEagle Road, ErpinghamA warm welcome awaits you at The Spread Eagle.This traditional family run pub is set in the middle ofthe Norfolk countryside..Fine selection of ales, and winesExcellent range of home made meat andvegetarian coursesEnclosed garden with thechildren’s climbing frameLive music once a monthChildren and dogs are welcomeTel: 01263 761591www.the spread-eagle.co.ukSoon to be re-launchedwith a new look, eventsearch, beer listing andphoto upload, the selfnamed ‘Official Beer Club’website is available find outwhat’s going on & what’sbeing served in the pubs ofBritain.While budding socialites canfind out where there’s livemusic or a quiz night, thoseorganising events can registerfor free and create their ownbeer club to get their friends(fellow beer drinkers) out easily& regularly. With the launchcomes new event featuresallowing site members to invitetheir friends along to pubs orvenues of their choice withdetails, attendance &email/SMS reminders; thinknights out, birthday parties orreal ale tasting sessions madeeasy! There are currently 281venues listed in Norwich and433 within 20miles of the city.For pubs & venues the site actsas an online blackboard, afacebook for pubs & a loyaltyscheme in one – landlords canNORFOLK NIPS | Note from our advertiserNew online pub resourcefor ale drinkerslist events & build a community;helping increase footfalland trade.And currently they are offeringthe next 100 pubs who signup free access for a year.To find out more click the “I servebeer” link on the homepage.Finally, there is a launch partyrun in association with GrainBrewery on 31st Jan - to findout more visitwww.officialbeerclub.com/grainparty”WINTER 2008 | 39

Beer Festival feature | NORFOLK NIPSBuying the WorldOne of the great successes ofthis year's Norwich BeerFestival was the fact thatthe foreign beer bar actuallysold out of all its draught beers,and ended the week with onlya few bottled beers left. KeithLoney, Foreign & BottledBeers Manager for NorwichBeer Festival, tells us how hemakes his selection - andanswers a few questions thatget asked every festival.When Norwich Beer Festivalexpanded into a marquee inthe cloister garth, a fewintrepid volunteers decided touse the space to try selling afew Belgian bottled beers.From this simple beginning theForeign & Bottled Beers Bar hasexpanded to feature over 100bottled beers, with a changingrange of up to 8 draught beersalso available at any one time.But why have foreign beers atall in a British beer festival?Primarily it is to show what anincredible variety of styles thereare available, some of whichmay be totally unfamiliar to thelocal drinker. There is also thechance, with so many differentflavours, colours and strengthsto choose from, to converteven the most hardened nonbeerdrinker to the wonders ofbeer.The selection and orderingprocess starts months beforethe Festival. Suppliers tell us40 | WINTER 2008How we buy foreign beers for the Norwich Beer Festivalwhat is likely to be available.Our eager beer gnomes siftthrough pages of small print.With up to 3500 beers tochoose from, this is no smalltask. The first consideration isto ensure a wide range of stylesare covered, not just the morepopular, but the obscure andesoteric as well. Then discussionsstart in earnest. Ales aretasted. The crew all have theirown personal favourites, mostlyBelgian, mostly including LaChouffe. Someone recommendsa smoked wheat beerfrom a small brewpub inBamburg. Another asks can weget some draught lambic? Iinsist on a couple of beers fromDolle Brouwers and Abbaye desRocs and a few gorgeous, butlittle-known, strong goldentriplesEven when a final shortlist hasbeen drawn up, there areusually a lot of changes to bemade. A particular beer maynot actually be available. Somebrewery has closed. Anoutstanding new beer isoffered to us. One of thebrewers may send us somethingextra, just to try. Onlywhen the beer is finally deliveredwill I finally be sure ofwhat I have to sell.In the meantime, I have towrite the tasting notes for eachbeer – an arduous task, butsomeone has to do it. Luckily,very few of the beers that I tryare actively unpleasant, thoughthere have been some wherethe smell alone is enough toput me off. Many are not actuallyto my taste, but some ofthese I can appreciate as fineexamples of their type. Thenthere are the gems that makeall the effort worthwhile. Justoccasionally, you come across abeer that literally stuns you,perhaps at a Belgian beerfestival, maybe in a mixed selectionbeer box. (‘ I wonder if wecan get that one next year?’)I get asked a lot of questionsabout how and why we choosecertain beers and not others.Some of the more frequent andpertinent ones are dealt withhere.Why don’t I recogniseany of the brand names?Wherever possible we prefer tosell beers from small and independentbreweries. They maynot be the best knownexample of a style, but theymay very well be the best. Wetry to stock great beers, not theinternational brand leaders tobe found in every circuit bar.Why do you sell kegbeer? Why no foreign caskales? The vast majority offoreign breweries have notradition of brewing Britishstylecask ale. In manycountries, bottle conditionedbeer is the norm and the kegales emulate the original.bottled product. Much of theforeign draught beer we servewith gas assist is, in fact, livebeer, unpasteurised and refermentedin the keg. Many ofthe cask versions of continentalbeers that are seen elsewhereare actually tankered into thiscountry, re-seeded with Britishyeast, primed and casked,often bearing little resemblanceto the brew as served in itshome nation. Those foreigncask ales that do become availableare usually sold from thestillage in St Andrews Hall. Thisis so that they can receive thesame love and attention fromthe cellar team as all the othercask beers.Why not all the TrappistBeers? Why no Trappist Westvleteren?We try to stock aselection of Trappist alescovering all the styles. Withthe 7 brewing monasteriesproducing over 20 beersbetween them there is notroom to stock them all. Someof the beers are not generallyavailable, being reserved forthe monks or just for sale at alocal café.The Westvleteren beers areavailable by the case, but onlyby booking in advance, and itis a condition of sale that thebeer must not be sold on. Ifyou want to try these superbales, you will have to make thepilgrimage to the monastery.NORFOLK NIPS | Beer Festival featureI don’t like beer, whatcan I drink? Beer, of course.For the alcopop and iced cidergeneration, there are the sweetfruit beers, but from there it isonly a short step via honeybeers to Trappist and abbeytriples. If wine is your preferredtipple, try a Flemish red ale or aspicy saison. If you like traditionalcider, try an OudeGueuze.Is this the lager tent?Definitely not. Most of whatwe sell are ales. Many of thelagers that are here do notconform to the pale, lowstrength, minimal flavour fizz thatmost people now associate withthe term. Even the confirmedlager drinker can be switched toales by trying Kölsch, wheat beer,or a Belgian blonde ale.Why on Earth do you dothis? Its fun. Really, it is fun.All the work that goes intosetting up & running theForeign Beers Bar pays offwhen we can get people whodon’t normally drink beer intosampling some superb brewsand maybe help them to findtheir own beer heaven.Perhaps they will even startdrinking real ale.WINTER 2008 | 41

OPENING TIMESMon-Thurs12noon-3pm, 5.30pm-11pmOpen all day Friday, Saturdayand Sunday from 12noon.THE RED LIONEast Church Street, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2EP01953 887849 Email: theredlionltd@aol.comA traditional country pub with real ales andexcellent home-cooked food.Restaurant open lunch and evening.Regular live music events.Open for Bed & Breakfast every night of the week.MUSIC AND REAL ALEFriday December 12thBazza Bizarre & the boysSunday 14thDecember from 3.30pmChristmas Themed AcousticJam SessionNew Year’s EveLive music with Tony Weatherburnand Friends.Featured in the CAMRA Good Beer GuideGreene King’s Free Trade National CommunityPub of the Year (2007)Greene King’s East Anglian Pub of the Year (2006)www.redlionkenninghall.co.ukCambridge Bitter 3.8%Gold AwardChampion Bitter of Britain 2006Available all year round:Norwich’s oldest alehouseFour Real AlesAspells Cider & over 50 Malt Whiskys.Food served from 12noon-7pmMonday to Saturday. 12noon-5pm Sunday42 | WINTER 2008SEASONAL ALESThin Ice 4.7% Jan/Feb Old Wagg 4.0% March/AprilDouble Swan 4.5% May/June Mad Dog 4.4% July/AugBarleymead 4.8% Sept/Oct Old Black Shuck 4.5% NovSnickalmas 5.0% Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5% DecNorth Brink Brewery, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Tel: 01945 583160Real ales, sweet spirits and delicious winesGaming lounge and garden • Function RoomLive music on ThursdaysThe Shindig on SaturdaysThe Sunday social....well on Sundays(Formerley the St Andrews Tavern)4 St Andrews Street, Norwich NR2 4AF01603 614858Open Midday Till Midnight17 Bishipgate, Norwich NR3 1RZ 01603 667423WINTER 2008 | 43

The RailwayFreehouseStation Rd, North Elmham01362 668300In the current Good Beer Guide,CAMRA members andsupporters of local microbrewersREAL ALES • REAL FOODREAL PUBColin & Julie Smithlook forward toseeing you!NORFOLK NIPS | Cider CompetitionEast Anglia Cider Competitionproducers attracting publicityin their local papers.Three years on, the competitionis still going from strengthto strength with a record 20entries this year, To judge thisrecord number of ciders andperries, judges were split intofive panels. Three panelsdecided the first round of thecider competition with the bestfrom these going forward intoa final round of judging. To ourdelight we were able to hold aseparate competition for perry.And after much deliberationand tasting a Norfolk cider wasjudged to be the best. The fullresults are:-6 St Martins Palace Plain,Norwich NR3 1RN01603 625891www.thewigandpen.comThis warm and friendly 17th century Freehouse is to thenorth side of Norwich cathedral. Owned by Craig & LynneMcLaren since 1993. ‘The Wig’ as its affectionately known,has built a reputation for fresh, fast, affordable British cuisine.• Good Ale • Good Food • Heated smoking areaSky & Setanta Sports TV • Late Night Opening • Real FireLook out for our CaskMarque Plaque.This guarantees beer qualityin the Wig & Pen and theopportunity toTRY BEFORE YOU BUY.For the 12th successiveyear, the Wig & Pen hasbeen included inCAMRA’s Good BeerGuide. We are very proudof this achievement.Afew years ago, some ciderenthusiasts based in EastAnglia gathered in a pub inCambridge for a glass or two ofcider to discuss the problemthat East Anglian Cider did notalways get the recognition itdeserved. How could we raisethe profile of cider produced inthe Eastern Counties? Muchdiscussion (and a few ciders)later we had an idea; why nothold a competition for EastAnglian ciders? All we neededwas a venue, and Norwich BeerFestival fitted the bill nicely.Entry forms were sent to ciderproducers throughout the EastAnglia CAMRA region andprinted in various branchmagazines in the area, and toour delight we attracted 17entries in our first year.Of course, once we had ourentries, we had to find judgesto join our panels, so ciderexperts we knew from aroundthe region and further afieldwere invited to join us at thefestival, along with some lessexperienced people who enjoya good cider, to give us a rangeof different tastes. That firstcompetition was a greatsuccess and also succeeded indoing what we had originallyplanned, with the winningCider1st Whin Hill Medium Cider,(Norfolk)2nd Buffoon’s Cider Ribcracker(Essex)3rd Pickled Pig Cider PorkersSnout (Cambridgeshire)Perry1st Pickled Pig Cider Tim’sPerry (Cambridgeshire)Pickled Pig was also successfulin the public vote for Cider ofthe Festival, with Porkers Snoutwinning their support.Thanks are of course due tothe organisers of Norwich BeerFestival for all their help inorganising and running thecompetition.Andrea Briers44 | WINTER 2008WINTER 2008 | 45

Branch Diary | NORFOLK NIPSBranch Diary DatesPlease note we have made achange to the regular coach servicefor out-of-town meetings; the 715pickup will now be from ThorpeStation, not from the Wig & Pen,which we hope will be more usefulto those who have to take a traininto the city. For those arrivingearly, the Coach & Horses andRosary Tavern are both nearby andserve real ale.Friday 5th DecemberFirst Friday FiveBranford Arms, 3 Branford Road(8pm), then Cider Shed, Whalebone,Duke of Wellington andfinishing at the Angel Gardens,where the landlord will very kindlybe providing some food for us.Tuesday 16 Decemberbranch meeting at the Railway,North Elmham, 2000; usual pickups.This meeting will include ourbranch Christmas Quiz, with achance to win prizes.Friday 19 Decemberbranch Christmas pub crawl. 17.00Kings Arms, Hall Road; 17.45 TraffordArms, Grove Road; 18.30Coachmakers Arms, St. StephensRoad; 19.00 Champion,Chapelfield Road; 19.30 Coach &Horses, Union Street; 20.15 MicawbersTavern, Pottergate; 20.45Reindeer, Dereham Road; 21.30White Lion, Oak Street; 10.15Kings Head, Magdalen Street.Everyone welcome to join us for all, orpart, of the crawl. We will keep fairlyclosely to this schedule.Saturday 20 DecemberWest Norfolk Branch pub crawl,starting around 11am. More info atwww.hockwold.info/wncamra/9 JanuaryFirst Friday Five15 Januarypresentation of Beer Festival awardsat the King's Head, Magdalen.Tuesday 20 Januarybranch meeting at the White Lion,Oak Street (to be confirmed)Friday 30 Januarycampaigning trip in the directionof Holt. Usual coach pick-ups.6 FebruaryFirst Friday FiveTuesday 17 Februarybranch meeting, which will includevoting on GBG entries; upstairs atthe York Tavern, Leicester Street (tobe confirmed).Friday 27 FebruaryCampaigning trip (destination tobe arranged)Tuesday 17 Marchbranch meetingThe Royal Oakat PoringlandWe Don’t Have a Big Screen TV,Food Or a Juke BoxWe do have 17 handpumps, with Real Ale from far and wide, 2 RealCiders and 2 Real Ales from gravity, a large car park, large beergarden with heated smoking shelter, darts, pool, quizzes and crib.We hold two beer festivals each year.The Royal Oak lies at the heart of the community and new customers arealways welcome.Come along and get a real welcome from a real pub selling real ale!!!!!!Nick, Delia And The Team would love to see you soon.Westgate Street, Blakeney, Norfolk NR25 7NQTel: 01263 740341Situated in beautiful BlakneyRecommended by most Good Pub and Food GuidesFood Served all DayLovely en-suite accommodation.Children & Pets WelcomeCar Parking • Beer Garden • Dogs welcomeOPEN ALL DAY THROUGHOUT THE YEARwww.blakeneykingsarms.co.ukNorwich And NorfolkPub Of The Year 2007Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2007Good Beer Guide ListedA dream of a pub situated in the village of Poringlandon the B1332 road to Bungay. The main bus routefrom Norwich stops right outside.Contact us on01508 493734royaloak@poringland14.fsnet.co.uk

Up to 30 real ales available all year round80 bottled beers from around the world15 draught continental beersDon't forget to order your Christmas tappit or polypin!