Booze Bulletin 54.pdf - Wigan

WIGAN BRANCHCAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALEwww.camrawigan.org.ukFebruary/March 2010Wigan Food & Drink Festival very much on the map !As some of you may be aware Wigan CAMRA and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust are working inpartnership to celebrate taste and tradition in the borough with the Wigan Food & Drink Festival. Theevent (which is yet again at Robin Park Sports Arena ) runs from 4 th March with the opening of the 23 rdWigan Beer Festival right up until 14 th March with the “foody bit” following the Beer Festival. The Food &Drink Festival was mentioned in a recent travel supplement in the Guardian newspaper in a feature onthe World’s Top Festivals for 2010 alongside events in Italy, Russia, France, China, Brazil andAmerica.Branch AwardsAs is our custom in February (which was traditionally when CAMRA‟s Local Pubs Week took place) atour last branch meeting we voted on our Community Pub of The Year. The final outcome was a closerun thing with the Railway Hotel in Garswood pipping the White Lion in Wrightington by just one vote. Wehave invited the licensees of both these excellent pubs to collect their awards at the sponsor session ofthe Wigan Beer Festival.At the same meeting we also decided to award LocAle accreditation to 3 Wigan pubs : The Crooke HallInn in Standish Lower Ground, The Crown in New Springs, and the Fifteens of Swinley. To gain LocAleaccreditation pubs not only have to sell a beer from a brewery within a 20 mile radius of Wigan but alsoto present the beer in a consistently high standard. We have also invited the Licensees of these pubsalong to the Sponsor session to get their certificates.Cask Marque POI on sat nav – available FREENot only can CAMRA members purchase the Good Beer Guide for their Sat Navs but they can also now find CaskMarque pubs. The beer quality monitoring firm Cask Marque has launched a Sat Nav application and textmessaging service. FREE downloadable Sat Nav software is available on the Cask Marque website (www.caskmarque.co.uk)and offers drinkers directions to pubs, while a text messaging service informs users of the addressesof the two nearest Cask Marque pubs close to their current location. Users who text “cask.” and their postcode to60300 will receive the addresses of their two nearest Cask Marque-accredited pubs within 60 seconds. Never againwill you need to wander around looking for a decent real ale pub when you are away on holiday !Brewery NewsAllgates Brewery : now have a beer on at the House of Commons bar – also now contracted to supplyWetherspoons nationally with a beer called Brigantian.Mayflower Brewery : not currently brewing as moving to larger premisesProspect Brewery : Patsy has now moved to new much larger premises on Bradley Hall trading estate– spitting distance from the Crown at Worthington which is the brewery tap for Prospect. The first brewshave been tested and with the increased production at the new plant we should soon be able to enjoyeven more Prospect beers in our locals. Patsy is planning a brand new beer to commemorate thememory of her late mother in law without whom there would not have been a Prospect Brewery and tomark the move to the new brewery. It is hoped that the beer will be launched at the Wigan Beer Festival.www.camrawigan.org.uk

Local Pubs/clubs InfoThe Gerrard Arms in Aspull is now owned by the former owner of Gallaghers in Little Scotland and isreported to be selling Black Sheep, Tetleys and Prospect beers.The Ben Jonson in Goose Green is rumoured to be having a conversion of the first floor to flats butkeeping the pub on the ground floor.Another rumour is that the Old Engine in Orrell has been bought by a building developer.The Stocks Tavern in Parbold is now under new management (Gareth) but still selling real ale.Meanwhile John who formerly managed the Stocks is now managing the Red Lion in Ladies Lane,HindleyThe Bowling Green on Wigan Lane is selling 3 cask beers.White Lion at Upholland has Thwaites Wainwrights availableBritannia at Upholland has real ale availableFifteen in Dicconson Street (ex Gems) has 4 real ales available (3 guests and Tetley bitter)The Shamrock at Standish has 5 real ales availableThe Vale Royal in Orrell has Greene King and Lancaster Bomber availableJust out of our area Allgates brewery are buying the Jolly Nailor in Atherton.Not far from there the Railway in Waring Street, Tyldesley has just had a handpump installed afteryears of being keg only – the landlord (Earl) apparently had to argue with the pubco to get a cask beeron so is keen to prove that real ale will sell. Beers sold so far have been Spitfire and Bombardier withBishops Finger on at the moment selling at £2 a pint. We are told that „it is a lovely little back street pubwith original green tiles on the exterior. Earl is a little eccentric when it comes to dressing up the pub forevents... he still has the turrets in place outside from when he decorated it as a castle for St Georges daylast year!‟Don’t forget if you have any new information about Wigan & district pubs (or real ale clubs) then please letus know – either in person at a branch meeting (details as shown below) or by return email to me, address isshown at the end of this bulletin.29 th March to 5 th April is National Cask Ale Week – why not speak to the licensee ofyour local to sort out special events to encourage Cask Ale lovers to get along ?Forthcoming Branch Events15 th March Branch meeting at the Masons Billinge, 8pm start all welcome2 nd April Brief meeting followed by a Cask Ale Week Town Centre crawl. Meeting starts at 12:30 atthe Old Pear Tree Frog Lane. Crawl to follow at approximately 1:30pm.For further details contact our Social Secretary Ian Prior- ianprior52@hotmail.com or tel 01942 748753 orcontact Ken Worthington Branch Chair on ken.worthington@virgin.net or tel 01942 728204.FebruaryForthcoming Local(ish) Events22 nd – 28 th Wetherspoons mini beer festival events – the Brocket is holding a Champion Real AleFestival with 15 Beers including 4 national Champions. Special themed charity fundraisingby the staff are being held on Thursday 25 th and Saturday 27 th . Also The Robert Shaw inWesthoughton are having a mini beer festival over the same period featuring beer fromProspect Brewery which will include a visit from Patsy to the pub on Thursday 25/02/10.Meanwhile the Sir Thomas Gerrard in Ashton has deferred the start of its mini festival fora couple of weeks – more news to follow .www.camrawigan.org.uk

March4 th – 6 th 23 rd Wigan Beer Festival Robin Park Sports Arena, Newtown, Wigan, not to be missed -more beer than ever ! Around 56 real ales, 30+ ciders, bottled and draught continentalsand fruit wines. Open 5:30pm to 11pm Thursday, 12 noon to 11pm Friday and 11:30 to11pm Saturday. Free admission at all sessions for CAMRA members. Checkwww.wigancamra.org.uk for more info.11 th – 14 th Bitter Suite Festival The Bitter Suite, 53 Fylde Road, Preston, PR1 2XQ. About 25 alescheck www.bittersuitepreston.co.uk for info18 th – 21 st 17 th Preston Beer Festival - St. Walburge's Parish Centre, Weston Street, Preston, PR2 2QE about50 alesMarchEvents (a little) further afield12 th – 14 th Foxfield, Punchbowl and Manor Beer Festival around 20 beers at each location seewww.princeofwalesfoxfield for more info18 th - 20 th 31 st Burton Beer Festival Town Hall, King Edward Place, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 2EB over100 ales for more info see www.burtoncamra.org.uk18 th – 20 th Leeds Beer Cider and Perry Festival Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawsons Corner, Stanningley,Pudsey, LS28 5TA about 175 ales for info see www.leedsbeerfestival.co.ukApril16 th – 18 th Isle of Man – CAMRA AGM/Members WeekendCarol WorthingtonCAMRA Wigan BranchMembership SecretaryEmail: carolworthington.pcs@virgin.netwww.wigancamra.org.ukAre you thinking of changing your internet provider or email address? Don’t forget to let us know your newdetails so that we can continue to send you branch and national information.Disclaimer;The views in this bulletin are not necessarily those of CAMRA nationally nor may they be the views of Wigan CAMRABranch. The majority content is supplied by individuals and is correct at the time of publication. No responsibility istaken if you go somewhere recommended and the beer or service is crap rubbish or if the information supplied iswrong.www.camrawigan.org.uk