here comes the norwich beer festival 2012! - Norwich and Norfolk ...

No.162 Autumn 2012HERE COMES THE NORWICHBEER FESTIVAL 2012!Also inside:PUB AND BREWERY NEWS • GOOD BEER GUIDE 2013FRAMEWORK TO SAVE COMMUNITY PUBSBEER LEGENDS • CAMRA AGM • BEER FESTIVAL CALENDARFREENewsletter of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

Trafford ArmsChristmas menu now availableDate for your Diary20th Beer FestivalMonday 11th to Sunday 17th February 2013Raising money for for the Magdalene Group Jigsaw ProjectChris and Glynis invite you to the Trafford Arms -61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466www.traffordarms.co.uk traffordarms@btconnect.com

New policy willhelp save PubsNorwich & Norfolk BranchChairman: Graham FreemanTel: 01603 687495Email: chairman@norwichcamra.org.ukSecretary: Warren WordsworthTel: 01603 665557Email: w.wordsworth@ntlworld.comSocial Secretary: Michael PhilipsEmail: socialsecretary@norwichcamra.org.ukThe Queen’s Head in Hempnallis the latest in a long line ofpubs to be closed and sold forhousing. Lost to the communityforever. Others havebecome supermarkets, a deedwhich does not require planningconsent. You sense thatCAMRA’s focus is changing.The battle for real ale is won,but drinkers’ rights are whatwe must fight for now. Wewant a decent pint, at a fairprice, in a good local pub.Quality is in our own hands, ifyou think that the pint in frontof you is less than perfect – sayso. The others require a bit ofeffort from all of us. If you donot want the price of beer toescalate every single year –then sign the e-petition. Is yourlocal in danger of closing –what can you do?Maybe there is an answer –CAMRA’s Local PlanningAdvisor Paul Ainsworthexplains:The National Planning PolicyFramework – not words likelyto get anyone's pulse racingare they? Yet this new documentis a powerful weapon inthe battle to protect our beleagueredpubs.Over recent years, we've losthuge numbers of pubs throughconversion to housing andother uses that need planningpermission. When Councilsconsider planning applications,they must take into accountnot only their detailed localpolicies but also the broadernational policies. Until March2012, those national policiesoccupied a legion of documentstotalling over 1000pages. Some policies werevaguely helpful to pubs, albeitmainly rural ones.The new Framework sweepsaway this complex set of rules,replacing them with just 52pages of policy guidance.Thanks to intensive lobbyingby CAMRA, this new guidanceincludes national policies whichare potentially very helpful tocommunity facilities like pubs.Most importantly, Councils aretold to “guard against theunnecessary loss of valued facilitiesand services” whichspecifically includes communitypubs. What’s also crucial is thatthese rules apply to all pubs,urban and rural.Councils must have in place,by March 2013, local planningpolicies consistent with theFramework; in the meantime,Framework policies shouldgenerally be applied.So what does all this mean ifyour local is threatened by anunwanted planning application?You should object to theCouncil, of course, but whendoing so, make sure to refer tothe relevant policies in theFramework. If you can showthat loss of the pub wouldPubs Officer: Ian StampEmail: pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.ukWest Norfolk BranchChairman: Steve Barkeremail: steve.barker495@btinternet.comSecretary: Ian BaileyContact: Bruce WardTel: 01485 609107Branch websites:www.norwichcamra.org.ukwww.camra.org.uk/wnorfolkBranch mailing list web page:groups.yahoo.com/group/CAMRA_NorwichPublished every 3 months by the Norwich,Norfolk & West Norfolk branches of theCampaign for Real Ale © N&N CAMRA2012 Norfolk Nips is produced and distributedby members of the branch in theirown time. Views expressed in Norfolk Nipsare not necessarily those of the editor or ofCAMRA.Edited by:Mike BaldwinEmail: michaelbaldwin8@gmail.comChris LucasEmail: chris-stig@tiscali.co.ukDesign & Production:Daniel Speed - Orchard House MediaEmail: info@orchardhousemedia.co.ukDistribution:12,000 copies / four times a yearNorwich and Norfolk District:Tony Miles nips.distribution@gmail.comWest Norfolk District :Ros Harre r.harre@btinternet.comAdvertising:For advertising enquiries pleasecontact Jane Michelson or ChrisShilling on: 01778 420888 / 421550jane@shillingmedia.co.ukFront Cover:Sampling local ales in Blackfriar's Hallat the 2011 Norwich Beer FestivalAUTUMN 2012 | 3

The Smallest Pub in Norwich • Open Monday - Saturday • Families welcomeA great real ale pub in thecentre of the CityExceptionally good Thai Foodlunchtimes and eveningsWe arein the GoodBeer Guide2013The ONLY Thai Restaurantfor Norwich inTHE GOOD FOOD GUIDE!www.vinethai.co.ukWe are takingChristmas bookings,call now to reserveyour table!

NORFOLK NIPS | New Policy to help pubs - continuedreduce the local community'sability to meet its day-to-dayneeds, then the Council shouldrefuse the application.CAMRA has produced anadvice note on the bestwording to use and this can befound, along with much otherinformation on planning issues,at www.camra.org.uk/nppf orif you would like any of thesedocuments posted to you thenplease phone CAMRA’sCampaigns Officer Claire Cainon 01727 798 454.The Framework is alreadymaking an impact. Councils inCambridge and the Fylde haveused it to refuse planning applicationsto convert pubs tohouses. In those cases, theapplicants have appealedagainst the refusal and, in eachcase, the Governmentinspector, considering theappeal, has dismissed it largelybecause approval would runcounter to Framework policies.Sadly, not every developmentadversely affecting pubs needsplanning consent – conversionto a restaurant or a shop forinstance. CAMRA is campaigninghard to get planning lawchanged in these areas. In themeantime, the new Frameworkis very much a step in the rightdirection.If you have any issuesregarding a campaign to save alocal pub in your area pleasecontact CAMRA’s Local PlanningPolicy Advisor PaulAinsworth onpaul.ainsworth@camra.org.ukor go to camra.org.uk/nppfNorwich & Norfolk CAMRA’sRural Pub of the Year 2012 PresentationThe presentation of theNorwich & Norfolk branch ofCAMRA’s (Campaign for RealAle) award for 2012 Rural Pubof the Year to The GreenDragon, Wymondham tookplace on Tuesday 12th June.The certificate was presentedby Graham Freeman, N&NCAMRA Chairman to the jointlicensees, David Bear and JustinHarvey.David and Justin have onlybeen in the pub for eighteenmonths and are delighted withreceiving the Norwich &Norfolk CAMRA award. Theyhave also been nominated forSouth Norfolk District Council‘Community Pub of the Year’which they are hoping to dowell in and they said “it wouldbe wonderful if we could winthat award as well”.Joint Landlords David Bear and Justin Harvey with Graham Freeman,N&N CAMRA ChairmanThe Green Dragon is a 15th Ctimbered building, whichmiraculously survived TheGreat Fire of Wymondham in1615. You can see just howclose it came to beingdestroyed by the charredtimbers at the front of thebuilding. It used to belong tothe nearby Abbey and it isrumoured that monks used tofrequent the premises via asecret tunnel. The pub is inChurch Street, near the Abbeyand the Mid Norfolk RailwayStation.AUTUMN 2012 | 5© Warren Wordsworth 2012

Chairman’s Letters | NORFOLK NIPSWords from the WestAt last, we have some hotweather. The Olympics havecome and gone, Team GBmanaged a good crop ofmedals to go with the goodcrop of seasonal beers on theOlympic theme.I enjoyed an extremely pleasantSunday afternoon at Whin HillCider with members from WestNorfolk and Norwich Branches,for the presentation of thePerry award for East Anglia. Anexcellent buffet, with a fewglasses of the very best of WhinHill products were enjoyed byall. A well deserved award. Itwas good to meet Mark andLisa Jarvis who have taken overfrom Jim and Pete and best ofluck for the future.The Beer Festival at StuartHouse Hotel lived up to itsusual high standard an excellentrange of beers on offer atreasonable prices. This alwaysraises a good sum of money tofund the Lions charitable workand is well worth supporting.The presentation of third placein the East Anglian Cidercompetition was awarded toThe Railway Arms at DownhamMarket. It was a very enjoyableevening, with many regularcustomers and other Camramembers in attendance. Whenin Downham, this pub is especiallyworth a visit as the beersand ciders are all gravitydispensed and in excellentcondition.It is regrettable that in all partsof the country pubs seem to beclosing at an alarming rate, thisis certainly not helped by theever increasing duty levied bythe Government of the day.The E-petition that CAMRA hasset up now has in excess of80,000 signatures, and onlyneed 20,000 more to have theCommons Debate. Please go tothe CAMRA website to sign upand help achieve this veryworthy aim.The West Norfolk AGM is to beheld at Narborough Sports andSocial Club on Tuesday 14thOctober, please join us. At hismeeting the four choices forthe Branch Pub of the year willbe announced, all nominationsin advance to Jeff Hoyle please.CheersSteve BarkerWest Norfolk CAMRA ChairmanWest Norfolk CAMRA Pub of the Year Selection ProcedureNominationsThese will be accepted from any CAMRAmember living within the West Norfolk Brancharea of affiliated to the branch. They can besubmitted in person at a branch meeting or otherevent, by email to jeffhoyle@btinternet.com, orby post to Jeff Hoyle, 91 Tennyson Road, KingsLynn, Norfolk, PE30 5NGShort ListThe nominations must be submitted by theBranch AGM, normally the second Tuesday inOctober. At this time a short list of no more thanfour pubs will be complied. If more than fournominations have been received, the short listwill consist of the four pubs which have the bestaverage score on the NBSS system over theperiod of December to the AGM. Any CAMRAmember can enter scores on the NBSS systemfor any pub in the country. See the CAMRAwebsite for details.SelectionThe result will be decided by members visitingthe pubs and filling in scoring sheets as used inthe national CAMRA pub of the year competition.Any West Norfolk branch member oraffiliate can participate in the judging, but mustvisit and score all the short listed pubs for theirscores to be used. To request a copy of thejudging form and guidelines, contact me asabove. Completed forms should be returned byany of the methods above at or before thebranch Good Beer Guide selection meeting,which is normally held towards the end ofFebruary. It is hoped that the result will beannounced at this meeting.Jeff Hoyle

NORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s LettersBeer Festival BonanzaWell I'm not sure we can call this summermemorable with all the rain and little sunshine.However what has struck me is the considerableamount of Beer Festivals that are availableto us in the Norfolk area. Many Pubs andVillage Halls are now offering a great range oflocal beers & ciders and some other beersfrom far and wide. I recently visited theRanworth Beer Festival and had a very relaxingevening sampling the beers, although underconstant attack from the midges. Maybe theyliked my northern blood with a head on it.For some reason beer and steam trains seemto go together and my trip to the NorthNorfolk Railway Beer Festival was the usualwelcoming and enjoyable journey. They aregoing from strength to strength and arepromoting Real Ale and Cider in a populararea of our County. Well worth a visit.On the other hand the Mid-Norfolk RailwayBeer Festival is just getting on track and I wishthem well. The train trip up to Wymondhamcoincided with a call in at the Green DragonBeer Festival where I had to do more sampling.We receive many enquiries on how to set up aBeer Festival and we are always willing to assistin promoting Real Ale & Ciders. We canusually advertise a forthcoming Beer Festival inthe Norfolk Nips and on our branch website ifgiven enough notice. Further afield I made myusual trips to Ipswich and Peterborough BeerFestivals to research beers for our ownNorwich Beer Festival. I found some and hopefullythey will be available when it starts on29th October to 3rd November 2012. As usualit will be held in St Andrews and BlackfriarsHalls and if you would like to volunteer pleasecontact us early so we can make arrangementsfor you to attend. I know you will enjoy theexperience. If you are unable to help asstaffing then I hope you can help by drinkingour 220+ Real Ales, 40+ Ciders and Perries,100+ Bottled Continental Beers, but not all inone session.Finally I would like to thank Ian Stamp, PubsOfficer and his Campaigning Team whorecently carried out a beer census of all thePubs in the city centre. We found 254 Real Aleswere available and again enhance our claim toNorwich being the Real Ale Capital of Britain.This bodes well in the run up to the 2013National CAMRA AGM being held here nextApril.Graham FreemanChairman Norwich & Norfolk CAMRATraditional English InnRecently refurbished andre-open after three yearsSelection of three Real Alesall the time including ‘The Red Lion Ale’Senior Citizen Menuserved Mon-Fri: 12-2pm £4.95Full menu served daily lunchtime & eveningMonthly QuizzesMonthly Live Entertainment from local artistsOpening hours Mon-Fri 11-3pm & 5-11pm,Fri & Sat 11-midnight & Sunday 12-10:30pmFood served Mon-Sat 12-2pm & 6:30-9pmSun 12-8pmPlease call for more details 01842 829728AUTUMN 2012 | 7

The California TavernCalifornia Road, California, Great Yarmouth NR29 3QWFree House, Restaurant andLive Music venueGreat ales by Woodfordes, GreeneKing, Elgoods and Mauldons availableExcellent Food, very popular SundayCarvery, you will need to book!Live music every Friday and SaturdayWhatever your preference, you willnot witness finer bands for free.Function room • Kids adventure trailHave you been to California?www.californiatavern.co.uk email: californiatavern@btconnect.com Tel: 01493 7303408 | AUTUMN 2012

The Ed’linesWelcome to the eagerlyawaited autumn edition,bursting at the seams with allthat you need to know andwant to read! Thanks to allthose who have contributed.However, yet again some copyhas had to be held over for thenext issue!We are, of course, lookingforward to the 35th NorwichBeer Festival in October. I willbe working there again thisyear, so please take the opportunityto say hello and tell mewhat you like, or don’t likeabout this magazine.In this issue, Pub Post-itsmakes a welcome return.However, times and methodsof communication arechanging – fast. Time waswhen the editor would receivea hand written note or postcardabout a pub, then it wase-mails. Now it is more likely tobe a posting on facebook ortwitter. No matter how you doit, if you want to tell fellowreaders about a pub that youhave visited, let me know. Wenow have a twitter account -@norfolk_nips. But please bearin mind that whilst twitter andfacebook are immediate, wehave a three month lead time!We also have the first in anew series of articles, where weseek the views of those unsungheroes who have contributedso much to the Norfolk BeerNORFOLK NIPS | Words from the EditorsScene and have some fascinatingstories to tell. This ideawas suggested to me by areader on a CAMRA trip. Rogerand Anthea Cawdron are firstup and you can read what theyhave to say on page 27.It has been a golden summer(even the sun shone once ortwice) but sadly not for somein the pub trade. Pubs are stillclosing and you sense thatthere is worse to come.CAMRA’s new initiative willhelp, but the message is clear –use your local pub or lose it!The White Horse at Uptonfound a way, and you can readtheir story in the next issue.Enjoy!As the wettest summer in manyyears come to a close, autumnbeckons and no doubt loads ofsunshine!The Euros, Olympics andParalympics have passed intohistory, leaving some greatmemories, but doing little fortrade in pubs, shops or mostother places of business.Autumn is a good time for beerenthusiasts with Norwich BeerFestival in October plus a bitfurther a field Oktoberfest.Stig’s WordsBockbiers will be coming out inNorthern Europe and in Britainbeers of mellow fruitfulnessbecome the order of the day asit cools down, however there isstill time for a few hoppy onesin the late sun!There’s little I enjoy morethan autumn colours on theleaves of trees surrounding abeer garden brought to life bya golden sun. Hopefully there isplenty of variety for you to readwhilst you enjoy the autumnwith this issue, Travels worldwideby branch members andsome optimistic news aboutlocal pubs.Thanks as always to thosewho contribute to making thisa good read, contributionsalways welcome. Also news ofa new system for selectingWest Norfolk’s pub of the, yearplease see within.A pleasant autumn to all!StigAUTUMN 2012 | 9

| NORFOLK NIPSPub and Brewery NewsPub NewsStarting with the bad news, wehave to report the closure ofthe Railway at Coltishall,the Ship at Bacton, andthe Swan at Gressenhall – alltemporary we hope. Unfortunatelythe same cannot be saidof the Suffield Arms atGunton, which has been soldat auction and will not re-open.The Cricketers Rest,Norwich; and Cat & Fiddle,Norwich have all been closedfor a while, but nothing isknown about their future – ifyou have any information,about these or any other pubsin Branch area, please contactme atpubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.uk.Howeverthe White Lion, Somerton,which had been closed for awhile, has re-opened.The eagerly-awaited openingof the Fat Cat andCanary (formerly the MustardPot) in Thorpe Road, Norwichhappened just in time for theCity of Ale in May/June,following a major refurb. ColinKeatley’s third pub in the FatCat group is run along thesame lines as the other two,with a wide choice of regionaland national ales alongside theexcellent Fat Cat range ofbeers.10 | AUTUMN 2012Also in Norwich, LaurenGregory, lessee of the Birdcagein Pottergate has boughtthe freehold of the Sir GarnetWolseley, which has beenclosed for over a year, and aftera major refurbishment, reopenedit as the Sir Garnet,with two ales on handpump onthe bar (Brains and TimothyTaylors) and two more on stillagebehind (from localbrewers Golden triangle andTipples).The Garden House atFakenham has been bought byWetherspoons, the RampantHorse, at Freethorpe has reopenedunder newmanagement, and the GeorgeHotel in East Dereham hasbeen bought by a local businessmanand is beingrefurbished prior to re-opening.The Star in Fakenham has reopened.The new landlords,business partners Stuart andCarrie, have over ten yearsexperience in the trade and arekeen to develop the pub'spotential. Greene King IPA ison at present at £2.50 per pintfor a limited period. Woodforde'sWherry will join it later.In other news, real ale is on saleat the new Appleyard’s Caféin Exchange Street, Norwich –just a firkin (of Yetman’s at thetime of our visit) on stillage inthe cafe, but good to see realale making an appearanceoutside the traditional pubenvironment. And the CherryTree at Wicklewood haveadvised us that their openinghours have changed since wesurveyed the pub for the GoodBeer Guide – this will inevitablyhappen occasionally given thatwe do the surveys in Januaryand February, and the Guide ispublished in August. Thecurrent hours are 5-11pmMon-Thu and Sat, 3-11pm Satand 12-11pm Sun.Lastly, you may know that theNorfolk branches of CAMRAmaintain a Pub Databaseat http://www.norwichcamra.org.uk/pubdb. While we tryhard to keep it up to date, thespeed of change in theindustry, and the large area wehave to cover – more than 800pubs! - makes this a massivetask. With the national CAMRAMembers’ Weekend and AGMcoming to Norwich next year,we’d like to ensure that theinformation we have is as up todate as possible, so if you canspare a few moments, pleasecheck out your local pub, andlet us know if we need to makeany updates – you can emailthem to me at pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.uk, asmentioned above.Brewery NewsBlackfriars Brewery in GreatYarmouth, which was recentlypurchased by a drinks distributor,JV Trading, has closed,with the retirement of founderand previous owner Bill Russelldue to ill health, after nine

NORFOLK NIPS | News from the Westyears. Blackfriars YarmouthBitter was a past Beer of theFestival, and we wish Bill andhis family all the best.The future of the brewery isuncertain, but JV Trading ownthe rights to the Lacon’s name,and were in the process of trialbrewing using Lacon’s recipesand yeast, with a view toreviving the name. Latest newsis that the first beers may beavailable by the end of the year.Norfolk’s stock of breweriesremains undiminished,however, as PoppylandBrewery, based in Cromer,released their first beer on June30th. Owner Martin Warren,previously a researcher atNorwich Museum, intends torelease one-off, small batchesof “really extraordinary”bottled ales. The first two(brewed in Elveden while theex-Allen’s Garage in West St.,Cromer, is converted into abrewery) certainly fit the bill:Poppyland Pilot is a 5.8%American IPA, and Out of theBlue a 7.1% saison, brewedwith Belgian yeast andHallertau Hersbrucker hops andspiced with elderflower.Wolf Brewery will now besupplying Poppy Ale and PrairieGold to ten Sainsbury’s Supermarketsin the South East,Including Attleborough. Thisfollows The Sainsbury’s GreatBritish Beer Hunt, wherecustomers tasted and voted fortheir favourite beers to find thebest local beers in the country.The Brewery will soon bemoving to new premises, butremaining in Besthorpe.News from the WestWhat a pleasure it was at ourBranch Meeting in July to seehow the Victory atClenchwarton has been transformedfrom a struggling pubwith an uncertain future to athriving village local with threebeers and grand plans for thefuture. Look out for Chris’sarticle or better still, visit thepub for yourself. Wayne isn’tthe only landlord to transforma local pub. We were veryimpressed with the Old Bell atSaham Toney when we calledin, and hope to hold a branchmeeting there later in the year.Other pubs which are up andrunning again include theBedingfeld Arms at Oxborough,about which we havehad good reports, and Harrytells us that the SquirrelsDray at Sporle (formerly theChequers) has reopened as thePeddars Inn, selling ‘fine localcask ales’, which is confirmedby Michael, who scored theAdnams Flame Runner at 4/5.Not such good news for theWinch at West Winch which isonce again closed, even beforethe ‘new management’ signwas down. Further down theroad at Tottenhill, the Drayand Horses has been closedwhen we have passed recently.In Kings Lynn there are thelong standing empty pubs suchas the Jolly Farmers,Hogshead, Wildfowler andAntonio’s Wine Bar. Workhas not yet started on thetransformation of the QueensArms into a community centre,and Cobblestones (formerlythe Princess Royal) is awaiting adecision on an application toturn it into a funeral parlour. Ihave opposed this on CAMRA’sbehalf, but more in hope thanexpectation. Just out of town,at Bawsey, the Sandboy is stillclosed and up for let.Up at Old Hunstanton, theNeptune is the latest coastalpub to receive the SundayColour supplement treatment.Jay Rayner reviewed the foodfor the Observer, and whilst hewas generally enthusiasticabout the food, did commentthat the price of £160 for twowith wine is a tad expensive.I have rarely been in since thedays when retired West Indianpilot, Henry, used to run anexcellent locals pub. I doubtthat you can still call in just fora drink any longer, so headround the corner to TheAncient Mariner if you are inthe area. Contrast the price ofthe Neptune with the Chalkand Cheese in the convertedschool house at Shouldham,where I recently had an excellentsandwich for under a fiverwashed down with one of theElgood’s dog decathlonspecials at £2 a pint, in verycomfortable surroundings.Out at Congham, the Anvil isnow being run by Karl andCath Long, who also run theLondon Porterhouse inKings Lynn. Landlord and Batemanswere on the bar whenLes called, and good value foodis an added attraction.JeffAUTUMN 2012 | 11

Norfolk Brewhouse | NORFOLK NIPSOver the Moon withthe new breweryThe Norfolk Brewhouse, a new10 barrel brewery in northNorfolk started brewing thissummer - fulfilling a long termambition for owners Rachel andDavid Holliday.Located in north Norfolk in arenovated barn, the beers are allbrewed using chalk filteredwater from the brewery’s ownwell. Along with some prettynifty, state of the art brewingequipment shipped in fromCanada.Equipment which incidentallyallows them to brew a craftlager called StubbleStag –which recently appeared in caskat The Trafford Arms and Plasterers.The brewery brews three alescalled Moon Gazer - a referenceto the hares which live on thefarm. Moon Gazer Golden,Amber and Ruby are a rangewhich covers light citrus ales tothe more robust chocolatebitterness of ruby ale.The ales have been wellreceived by pubs across Norfolk.To find out more:www.norfolkbrewhouse.co.ukFacebook: Norfolk BrewhouseThe Gatehouse Pub391 Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8QJ Tel: 01603 620340Norwich’s oldest pubNorwich City of Ale FestivalBest Pub Award 2011Open 11am -11 pm Mon to Sat12 noon - 10.30pm SunFood served12 noon - 7pm Mon to Sat12 noon - 5pm Sundays17 Bishopgate, Norwich NR3 1RZ 01603 66742312 | AUTUMN 2012Best PublicHouse AwardNorwich inBloom 2011FOUR REAL ALESWednesday Irish Folk MusicThursday Folk Mixed MusicFriday & Saturday Live MusicSunday Celtic Folk MusicLarge garden overlookingthe River WensumOPEN: Mon - Thurs 12-11Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11

DUKEof WELLINGTONTRADITIONAL REAL ALE HOUSECHRISTMAS BEERSAVAILABLE THROUGHOUTDECEMBERTHANK YOUto all our customers old andnew for supporting our2012 beer festival!Try our new range of BelgianBottled Beers!Enjoy your favourite takeaway with apint of real ale and friendly company!Just order your food to be delivered to the pubor bring it in and we provide plates, knives,forks and environment.We even have the menu’savailable - Indian,Chinese, Fish and Chips etc.CAMRA Good Beer Guide ListedOpen Monday to Thursday:12noon to 11pmFriday to Saturday: 12noon to 11pmSundays: 12noon to 10.30pm14 REAL ALESGRAVITY SERVEDavailable all year round fromour glass fronted tap room6 MORE ALESON HAND PUMPREAL LOG FIREIN WINTERWednesday Special (12 Noon – 11pm)FOUR guest ales, changing everyweek, just £2.00 per pint!Come and enjoy our Tap Room with aselection of Belgian bottled beers, Budvar,Erdinger and Riegele all on Draught.91 - 93 WATERLOO ROAD | NORWICH | 01603 441182

CAMRA News | NORFOLK NIPSNational Cask Ale WeekCask Ale Week will this year run between Friday28th September and Sunday 7th October.The campaign is organised by Cask Marque(with support from CAMRA) and aims to:• Encourage non-real ale drinkers to tryreal ale for the first time• Encourage inexperienced real ale drinkers totry more varieties of real ale• Encourage experienced real ale drinkers to visitreal ale pubs throughout the week• Encourage non-real ale pubs to stockreal ale for the first time• Encourage pubs to organise a number ofreal ale events to encourage more real ale tradeCAMRA are expecting thousands of pubs tocome on board to help raise the profile ofBritain’s national drink. Visit the Official NationalCask Ale Week website.Try before you buy“The theme and the strapline are aimed toattract people back into pubs,” says Paul Nunny,director of Cask Marque, “as well as to getpeople sampling cask ale, our national drink.They should provide a great platform for breweriesand pubs to talk about what differentiatescask ale from the other beers on the bar andfrom ale on the supermarket shelves,” he says.“By making Cask Ale Week into a real celebration,an extension of all the 2012 activities,between us all we can make a real impact.”The Caskfinder App, which has 50,000 uses amonth, will also be used to drive trade into pubsparticipating in Cask Ale Week, and prizes forpubgoers using the highly successful World’sBiggest Ale Trail will be doubled during theWeek.Beer SommeliersBeer sommeliers will be helping to launch CaskAle Week with tutored tasting sessions. They andmembers of the British Guild of Beer Writers willbe conducting tutored cask ale tastings in pubsthroughout the week.Greene King Pub PartnersThree hundred-plus Head Brewer’s Cask Clubsites will be using the “Try Before You Buy”theme and third pint glasses and paddles tocreate interest and encourage drinkers to trycask ale. Lots of Greene King pubs will behosting cask ale festivals and some will behosting “Meet the Brewer” nights.Punch TavernsNearly 1,000 Punch Taverns pubs up and downthe country will be taking part in a Free Pintpromotion. CAMRA members will be able todownload their voucher for a pint of cask alefrom the www.freedrinkspubs.co.uk website.Marston’sMarston’s are rallying over 2,000 pubs across theirentire pub estate as well as free trade customers toget involved with Cask Ale Week. The brewery willbe supplying ‘Only in Britain, Only in Pubs’ kitsto pubs and encouraging activity ranging frombeer festivals to tutored tastings.Ian Ward, Ale Category Marketing Manager forMarston’s Beer and Pub Company said: “CaskAle Week is a fantastic idea that allows pubs tohighlight their unique point of difference in theleisure sector.” Festivals will focus on persuadingguests to try new and different cask ales and barstaff will be recommending “try before you buy”on all cask ales.Great British Beer FestivalAround 47,500 people attended the event thisyear, a record for Festivals held at Olympia.The GBBF was back at Olympia this yearbecause the Olympic Volleyball had taken overEarls Court. Fears that numbers would be downbecause of high accommodation costs andtravel difficulties, caused partly by LondonUnderground refusing to reopen the OlympiaBranch, were unfounded.14 | AUTUMN 2012

Coniston Brewery won the accolade of ChampionBeer of Britain with its Number 9 BarleyWine. Silver was won by The Green Jack Breweryof Lowestoft for their Trawlerboys Best Bitter.Where will the GBBF be in 2013? Earls Courtwas due to be demolished after the Olympics andit is not clear whether or not there are other suitablevenues available. Where should it be? Sendyour suggestions to the Editor.Have you signed the e-petitionyet?CAMRA’s online petition needs 100,000 signaturesto get the Beer Escalator debated inParliament. At the time of going to press, afurther 15,000 are needed urgently. If you havenot done so, please sign today. No computer?Use the facilities at your Library or get a familymember or friend to help,SUMMER 2012 | 15

West Norfolk on the Buses | NORFOLK NIPSWest NorfolkCAMRA onTour 2012I organize the West Norfolk branch’s annualXmas pub crawl, and thought maybe a summerjaunt would be nice, but with a difference. So,putting my creative juices in full flow mode Icame up with the idea of using public transportout of Norwich to visit some pubs we wouldn’tnormally get to, using the Anglian Buscompany. And here is the story of our day!Our small group assembled in St StephensStreet at bus stand C, including some membersof the Norwich branch, caught the 1125 (whichwas 5 minutes early) Anglian Bus to Bungay, webought a day ticket which cost just 7 pounds.Took about an hour to get to Bungay and ourfirst stop (bus stopped right outside!), theGreen Dragon, home of the Green Jackbrewery, most started with Green Jack Chaucer,but you could also have the brewery’s BridgeStreet Bitter, Gold, and Strong Mild. Nice pubwith character, and a piano, you hum it I’ll playit, ha ha! Back on the bus for a short ride toBroome and The Artichoke, landlord JC &missus were out but the staff were very friendly,we took the chance of a light lunch to go withour superb ale, I had Elmtree Burston Cuckooand Hop Back Taiphoon (both delish); other aleson handpump and gravity included AdnamsBitter, Elgoods Black Dog, Nethergate Lightning,and Abbeydale Absolution (think there weresome Fat Cat beers too).Thanks to Pete & Phil we squeezed an extrapub to our itinerary, this was the Mermaid Innat Hedenham, and what an excellent pub, infact my pub of the day! Three brilliant local ales,Tindall Summer Loving, Winters Going for Gold,and Adnams Flame Runner (an Olympic theme Isense, hmm! Yoda Ed!), the Mermaid isa class pub full of atmosphere and a uniquecharacter. Back to the schedule and the RoyalOak at Poringland, they don’t usually do foodbut a BBQ was out back so some nice burgersand hot dogs were enjoyed, as well as somegood ales. I had Triple FFF Moondance, just oneof eight real ales which I failed to note down(sorry!), mind you the handwriting was gettingslightly dodgy by now. Wonder why?! Then itwas back into the fair city of Norwich (come onyou Yellows, let’s be havin’ ya!), arrived back alittle after 5, myself and Nuddsy popped intothe Champion for a swift one, only three on ofwhich we had Bateman’s XB (also SummerSwallow & Woodforde’s Wherry), the XB wasgood. One more stop and the Bell Hotel byCastle Mall, one of the better Wetherspoon’soutlets, good pint of Lancaster Decathlon Gold(they also had Hobgoblin, Adnams Gunhill,Brains SA, and Kelham Island Pale Rider). Someof the group headed off to a gig at the Waterfront,and others (like me!) headed home, agreat day out.Thanks to all who came along and made theday a brilliant one, I think everyone enjoyed theday, thanks also to the very friendly and helpfulAnglian Bus drivers. I’m glad it all came togetherso well. I got some good exercise too, due toother commitments my mate Stig couldn’tmake it (and he put as much effort into theplanning of this crawl as I did), so to save taxifares I walked to and from Brandon train station.My legs and feet felt it next day!!! See you all onthe next event. Cheers!!!Timbo.16 | AUTUMN 2012

GOOD BEER GUIDE 2013 | NORFOLK NIPSThe GBG is 40!Good Beer Guide DigitalA new version of the highly successful Good BeerGuide Mobile app will be launched for Appleand Android compatible devices. This newevolution of the app will go live on 13thSeptember 2012 and will incorporate a basicversion which will be free to download and allowlimited ‘near me’ searches and restrict availablefunctionality without a paid subscription.CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2013ISBN: 978-1-85249-290-8Pages: 944RRP: £15.99Editor: Roger Protz.The Guide is Britain’s best-selling and fully independentbeer & pub guide and has updatedlistings for 2013 - this 40th edition features over1000 pubs that did not appear in last year’sGood Beer Guide• It is a beer lover’s best friend, featuring 4,500pubs from around the UK all nominated andreviewed by CAMRA members.• The easy-to-use listings are groupedgeographically so you can find a friendlywatering hole wherever you are• The ‘Breweries Section’ lists over hundreds ofbreweries of all over the nation of all shapes andsizes, and tasting notes and a Beer Index helpyou to find and enjoy your perfect pintAvailable to CAMRA members for as little as£10 (online www.camra.org.uk/shop) or £11mail order.Once the basic version is installed, a 12 monthsubscription can be purchased in app for just£4.99 and will allow access to enhancedsearches by pub name, postcode and streetaddress and will provide a greater number ofpubs for the user to browse full listings of whenlooking for a pint. Detailed information on allUK real-ale breweries and their key beers willalso be made available. Subscribers will also beable to record the pubs they have visited andinput their own review notes using their uniquesubscribers account.*Please note the new version of the app supersedesearlier versions and cannot be installedfrom within earlier versions. In order to retainany existing user notes or data purchased priorto 13th September 2012, users should NOTdelete earlier versions of the app from theirphones.*CAMRA will also be releasing an e-bookedition of the Good Beer Guide 2013 that willbe available on numerous platforms, includingKindle, iPad and numerous e-pub compatibledevices.Point of interest (POI) files for Tom Tom,Navman and Garmin satellite navigationsystems will also be available.Find out more about all of these formats atwww.camra.org.uk/gbg18 | AUTUMN 2012

Competition TimeNORFOLK NIPS | GOOD BEER GUIDE 2013The North Norfolk Railway goes from strengthto strength, and following the successful BeerFestival in July, they are offering ComplimentaryRover Tickets for two lucky readers. These are forfour people to travel free of charge on thePoppy Line, and are valid up to the end ofOctober 2013.To win, simply answer the followingquestion:Which popular television seriesfilmed an episode on the PoppyLine forty years ago, in 1973?Please send your answer with your name andaddress to the editor Michael Baldwin atmichaelbaldwin8@gmail.comCongratulations go to Graham Smith of GreatYarmouth who won the competition in the lastissue. The answer to the question was Bateman’sBrewery.Please note that we do not collect personaldetails for any reason whatsoever, other than toverify the entries and know where to send theprize.AUTUMN 2012 | 19

Pub Post-itsNORFOLK NIPS | Post-itsAs always, remember that these post-its are subjective and reflect the personal experience ofour correspondents. Please feel free to email your post-its in to norfolknips@yahoo.co.uk - andif you really like the pub, why not nominate it for next year’s CAMRA Good Beer Guide?Kings Arms, North Walsham A large old innon the corner by the market cross. The centralisland bar has three hand pumps and the KAbitter (£2.80) is brewed especially by BeesBrewery of Walcott and was delicious. Check outthe lounge upstairs with its high ceiling andimmense mirrors.Black Swan, North Walsham Situatedthrough an archway off the market place thebuilding is a stand alone classic boozer full ofracing enthusiasts but not ale drinkers. The twohandpumps included Wherry (£3) but it was nottop notch. A shame as it is obviously a thrivinglocal.Bluebell, North Walsham The country pubon the edge of town as it declares itself provedto be a welcoming watering hole with five handpumpsof which two were from Norfolk.Woodfordes Once Bittern (£3.40) was excellent.An old photo of a S&P dray outside the King ofthe Belgians was notable. Where was it taken?Barking Smack, Great Yarmouth Anhistoric 19th century pub on Marine parade, itoffers a large range of Grain beers (£3.10-£3.40)and Crones cider (£3.50). Simple wooden decorand a great photo of a 1952 refit with Laconsmild and bitter on the bar. Next door theMarine, Great Yarmouth has had a modernrefit and has reopened as a family pub withgames room and beer garden (with a residentNetherland dwarf) at the rear. Two beers (£3) onoffer and a striking tropical fish tank mountedabove the fire place.Another 19th century classic with a Dutchdouble pantiled roof is the Theatre Tavern.This tiny pub by the market place is open againand selling Adnams and Smiths cask at £2 50.Troll Cart, Great Yarmouth was full on asunny Saturday with its £2 range of real ales andpunters were entertained by the Puppet Man,on tour?Ormesby Grange, Great Yarmouth istrading again, with six exotic ales available at£2.75. A beautiful imposing building with interestinghistory on the walls.Sadly the Suspension Bridge had closed againwhen the above tour was conducted.Tibenham Greyhound has a remote rurallocation on the mighty river Tib. A contemplativeMay evening was disrupted by the arrival ofa large troupe of morris dancers. They werekitted out in green and yellow and thus perfectlycomplemented the laburnam tree in floweroutside the saloon’s bay window. A roaring firewarmed the cockles by the bar which sold fourbeers at £3.20, two from Suffolk, one fromLondon and one from Yorkshire.Kings Arms, MarthamSince my last visit when the current Landlordtook over some twelve to Eighteen months ago,hard work and dedication in the cellar toproduce an excellent pint of bitter has paid dividendsby winning Adnams "Best Kept Cellar"award. The bitter is now served at the correcttemperature and in perfect condition, with theprices ranging from £3.10 to £3.40, includingguest ales. Both he and his wife, with the help oftheir chef, have now turned their enthusiasminto providing the finest of meals. The 26 coverrestaurant is bright with a warm atmosphere,and crisp white linen table cloths give it thatextra touch of class. Prices are also very attrac-Continued overleafAUTUMN 2012 | 21

The King’s HeadKEG FREE HOUSEOpen 12.00noon - 11.00pm Monday to Saturday12.00noon - 10.30pm SundayRun by enthusiastic drinkersand CAMRA members.WE AREIN IT!Keg - Free Zone 14 Hand PumpsNorfolk Ales and CiderMild always availableWorldwide Bottled BeersBelgian BeersTelevision-freeBar Billiardswww.norwichbarbilliards.co.ukCAMRA NorfolkPub of the Year2006 & 2008The Kings Head, 42 Magdalen Street, Norwich NR3 1JEwww.kingsheadnorwich.com

NORFOLK NIPS | Post-its - continuedThe pub with no bar,ales direct from cask.Watch www.nelsonslocal.co.uk for forthcoming events.Tongue twizzling food, and great value.Huge garden and children’s play area.Shooting parties, lunch & dinnermenus availableVictory Barn Function Roomfor Weddings and PartiesCome & visit Nelson’s local.Walsingham Road, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk PE31 8HN01328 738241Come and visit this converted Victorian schoolwhere you will be transported into an eclecticworld with a touch of the Scottish highlands.Enjoy a a drink from our selection of Real Ales,local ciders or two premium lagers.~Wood-fired oven baked pizzas andother tasty local dishes available~Farm shop and antiques gallery~Accommodation availableQuality rooms and award winning breakfasts provide arestful night’s stay.www.bed-and-breakfast-west-norfolk.co.uk/contact_chalk_cheese.aspTelephone Andrew on01366 348039 for reservations and more detailstive with a Sunday Lunch costing from £6.25 to£9.75 for a three course, plus various otherdishes including Steak & Kidney Pie, fish coursesand vegetarian options, all at reasonableprices. Lets hope that they can soon add anaward for recognition of their catering.Lion Inn, SomertonAt long last, after a two year closure, it's good tosee a pub re-open, and after a facelift the Lion isback in business. It now has two real ales,(Woodforde’s Wherry at £3.00 per pint and“Nelsons” Revenge), with a possible third beingadded as trade and demand permits. After onlya weeks trading (Re-opened 14th July), thingslook good as several “Old and New” customersare filling the seats in a comfortable pub thatnow offers a friendly greeting. Food, althoughlimited at present, will I’m sure attract theholiday boating people from the near-byStaithe. Lets hope that they continue to supplygood beer and company, with a long time stay,and not a five minute wonder. Good Luck.White Horse, ChedgravePopped in to this lovely local village pub after afamily visit in Beccles. It was a sunny evening sowe started off in the garden with a very wellkept pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. The pubwas quite busy with diners and the Olympicsclosing ceremony was about to start on the tellyin the bar.We decided to stay for food as the pub wasdog friendly and allowed well–behaved dogs inthe bar. The food was nice but a little on thepricey side. The staff were very friendly eventhough they were busy. A pleasant country puband recommended for the atmosphere, wellkept ale and it’s dog friendly.AUTUMN 2012 | 23

West Norfolk | NORFOLK NIPSWhat’s cookingTime was, when you went into one of thoseposh pubs that served food, it was wise to askwhich beer they used in the kitchen. That wouldbe the one which was not selling very well,probably with good reason. You could thenchoose something else, safe in the knowledgethat you had avoided the worst of the ones onthe bar. Things are different these days. Pubfood has become respectable and is often goodquality, and cooking with beer is more aboutadding flavour rather than using up the dregs. Iwas reminded of this when the bar wife pointedout a query in her Sainsbury’s magazine. Katiewanted to know whether she should use lager,bitter or stout when making batter. The team’sanswer confirmed what many real ale drinkersinstinctively know. Lager contributes little interms of taste, whereas stout and bitter adddepth and flavour. However, to make batter werecommend a light fizzy lager as the idea is tolift the batter from the bubbles rather than toadd flavour’.So there you are. If you want depth and flavourchoose beer, but if bubbles are your thing, gofor lager. Sound advice, but rather compromisedby the suggestion that you choose somethingthat you will enjoy drinking with you meal, asfew recipes call for a whole bottle in thecooking. If the price of fluffy batter is having todrink a half bottle of fizzy lager, I might stickwith pies. Worryingly, the next question in themagazine is ‘Can you suggest an alternative tolard?’For the cooks who like their beer, salvation is athand with a recipe in the Guardian for Barley,Beer and Oregano Flatbread. (Not a dish thatwas popular in the terraced streets of Lancashirewhen I was young). Dan Lepard’s instructionscall for ‘a good flavourful sort of beer, ratherthan lager’. Proof if it were needed that themiddle classes are at last embracing beerculture.As for the bar wife, her culinary adventuressometimes involve cooking pork in cider, but Ithink her use of alcohol is mainly in puddings.These are often livened up with the contents ofthe mysterious bottles of spirits and liqueurs thatlurk at the back of the pantry. Are we the onlyones with a collection of bottles which wereeither won in a raffle or brought back fromabroad, whose destiny is to languish unlovedand untouched until called upon to perk up afruit salad?As for cooking with beer, the bar wife didspend a year in Belgium in her younger days,where she worked at a conference centre. Shesays that she can cook a wonderful “Carbonnadea la Flamande”, which is a beef and beerstew and looks fantastic. Enthusiastically, Isuggested we head down to Beers of Europe tobuy some authentic Belgian beer for the recipe.‘Great’, she said. ‘You had better invite a fewpeople around. The recipe serves 200.’bar.man@btinternet.com24 | AUTUMN 2012

In the 2012CAMRA GoodBeer GuideCaskMarqueaccreditedA popular pub with locals and holidaymakers alike, theCrown Inn is perched right on the seafront overlookingthe beautiful sandy beaches of Sheringham in Norfolk.Enjoy a meal or snack from our extensive and popular menuA fine selection of real ales • Heated smoking areaLive bands every Saturday from 9:00pmExtensive outside seating area overlooking the seaTel: 01263 823213 email: crownsheringham@hotmail.co.ukLifeboat Plain, East Cliff, Sheringham NR26 8BQwww.crown-sheringham.co.uk26 | AUTUMN 2012

This is the first of a new series, where we interviewpeople who have made the Norwich andNorfolk Beer scene what it is today.First up is Roger and Anthea Cawdron, now ofThe Ribs of Beef in Norwich. I caught up withthem recently, in the pub, which was surroundedby scaffolding.”We are having the roof done”,Anthea explains. Apparently being able to do it isone of the joys of owning a freehouse.Roger and Anthea have been married for 44years and during that time, the list of pubs thatthey have managed or owned is impressive –Fishers Free House, The Adam and Eve, TheMischief, The Black Horse, The George andDragon, The Bridge House and Catton Old Hall,a B & B.At one stage in the 80’s, they had five pubs atthe same time. I asked if there was a commontheme to the pubs, but Roger said that the individualmanagers meant individual styles. It didenable him to go for bulk buying and theNorwich Inns Buying Group was formed.I thought that they must have seen a lot ofchanges since they started in the 70’s and theyboth agreed. Anthea mentions the licencinghours, selling food and wine and Roger pointsout the sheer variety of cask ales now available,and the fact that they now sell water, unheard ofin the 70’s. Mind you, he remembers sellingMartini Dry with ice and lemon then!NORFOLK NIPS | Beer LegendsBeer Legendsadvice they would give to someone wanting torun a pub for the first time? Work for a goodlicencee in the first place, was the answer, thenyou will need a good business plan based onsound data – do your history, Roger advised.I wondered what they thought that the biggestchallenges facing the industry today where?“The Big People” Anthea replied. Roger nodded,“Government legislation and the Beer EscalatorTax” added. “ Not many people are aware thatit is 1p per pint on a 3.2% alcohol beer, but itreally mounts up, the stronger the beer” he said.Roger thought that CAMRA was a very usefulvehicle for promoting beer and pubs and alsopraised The City of Ale Festival. “That was verygood in the 1st year” he mused, “but this yearthere was too much going on at the same time,with the Jubilee, etc, but the organisation wasgood” he added.I was beginning to wonder how they foundtime to relax and how they unwound in theirspare time? Their eyes light up. “The water”,hey exclaimed, “we love rowing on the river atThorpe. “ We love spending time with thegrandchildren and have a caravan on a goodsite with a good pub, of course”, chimedAnthea.OK, where next I asked? The USA is a naturaldraw for them as their son lives there, and theywould love to run a real ale pub in New York.Roger remembers that in a restaurant inHouston, Texas, they came across the sign forThe Mischief, by John Crome, based on an originalby Hogarth.Anthea remembers selling her first drink on 4thJanuary 1972. It was a Mann’s Brown, whichcost 9d. On that first night they took £60, notbad when the annual rent was £150.The beer was good, so was the conversationand the ambience, but it was time to leave.“Any last thoughts?” I asked? “Keep Calm andhave another beer!” laughed Anthea.With all their experience, I asked them whatGood advice.AUTUMN 2012 | 27

FREE HOUSECOAST ROAD, WALCOTT,NORFOLK NR12 OPETelephone(01692) 650371Proprietor since 1989: STEVE BULLIMOREOPEN FOR FOOD & DRINKSALL DAY, EVERY DAY, 11am - 11pmFood available all day until 10.30pm10% off food and drink on production of CAMRA membership cardFOUR REAL ALES & CIDERwww.lighthouseinn.co.uk28 | AUTUMN 2012

THE ANGEL INNFREEHOUSENORFOLK CAMRA PUB OFTHE YEAR 2010!Open all day every dayExcellent home cooked mealsavailable from our awardwinning kitchenLarge Beer Garden with play areaEn-suite accommodationCamping and Caravanning availableLarling, Norfolk, NR16 2QU (17th Century former coaching inn)Tel: 01953 717963www.angel-larling.co.ukCAMRA Member’s DiscountsWith the price of the pint in your hand set to escalatefor the foreseeable future, it’s reassuring to knowthat you don’t always have to pay the full price.There are Pubs which offer discounts to CAMRAMembers on production of a valid MembershipCard. Discounts do vary, but finding out which Pubsoffer what is not easy.The Norwich and Norfolk Branch want to compile alist of those in Norfolk that do. Details from the list willbe published in future editions of Norfolk NIPS andCask Force and the list will be forwarded to CAMRAHQ, who are setting up a nationwide scheme. Thiswill mean that wherever you go, you will able to finda decent pub and save some money too.So, if you are a Licencee who does, or wishes tooffer such discounts, or a Happy Drinker who knowsa Pub that does, then please let us know. Contact IanStamp pubsofficer@norwichcamra.org.uk or anyCommittee Member.Downham Market PubCelebrates Regional AwardMembers joined locals at the Railway Arms in DownhamMarket on the 16th August to celebrate their success incoming third in the East Anglia Regional Cider Pub of theYear Competition.The Real Ale Shop is a unique off-licenceoffering over 50 bottle conditioned alesfrom 15 Norfolk brewers.We are located on a beautiful arable farmclose-by Wells-next-the-Sea, which providesmuch of the malt used in brewing theales we sell.The Real Ale Shop, Branthill Farm,Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1SB.Tel: 01328 710810The Railway Arms, which regularly sells cider fromnearby producer Pickled Pig, who are based atStretham near Ely, was one of 25 pubs in the EastAnglia Regional Cider Competition. The small cosybar on the platform at Downham Market Station alsosells two beers and is one of the towns entries inCAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.Ian and Lesley Ann Pinches, who have beenrunning the Railway Arms for nearly three years said"'We are very honoured to receive this award andwish to thank our customers and our cider and beersuppliers for supporting us. Particular mentionshould be given to Elgoods, The Small BeerCompany and of course, Charles Roberts at PickledPig, but there are many others as well. We carepassionately about our ciders and beers and we arepleased that so many people from far and wideappreciate our efforts"AUTUMN 2012 | 29

Victory at Clenchwarton | NORFOLK NIPS“England expects ever pub to do its duty”The Victory inClenchwarton sailsinto clear seas.A few weeks ago West Norfolkbranch had our monthlymeeting a the Victory inClenchwarton just North ofKing’s Lynn, after the meetingthe landlord introduced himselfand told us a little about the rebirthof the pub.This sounded like a story worthtelling, so I returned later in themonth to get the details.The first person I spoke to waslocal resident Mary, in therestaurant. Her view of therenewed pub was, “The bestthing that’s happened toClenchwarton in years.”A good omen I think you’llagree!After salmon on samphirewith hollandaise sauce anddesert all home made, it wastime to hear the story…Wayne was looking for a pubto run when he was offered theVictory, he decided to lookaround. The pub had beenclosed for two weeks overChristmas and had not beenleft in good order; it was dirtyand hardly heated. Waynedecided to take a punt andtake it on; he admits his firstthought on starting to sort outthe mess was “What HAVE Idone?”After general clearing up itwas decided to open as soon aspossible, repainting took placewith local help whilst trading.There were no clocks in thepub; one with a nautical themewas found by local Clive. Therewere some HMS Victory relateditems in the pub and storesheds, a ship model was kindlyrestored by more local helpand a nautical theme isfollowed in decorating the pubwith items coming by localdonation.The donations took on a newpace when it came to sortingout the garden with all theplants being donated! Theheating has been improveddramatically making the Victorymuch more comfortable.Wayne decided the languagein the bar was a bit too“nautical”, so he has installed aswear box which has cured theproblem and raised £40 for theRNLI in the first two months! If£500 can be reached a localhas kindly agreed to match it.The improvement in the barhas led to a wider section ofthe village community usingthe bar from families to youngpeople. A quiz is held on thefirst Wednesday of each monthin support of the village PTA.Wayne’s wife, Beata is fromPoland and Polish cakes are a30 | AUTUMN 2012

feature of quiz nights, apparentlyPolish gherkins andcheese and ham kievs are alsopopular. The regulars make upa tasting panel for the newmenu items, trialed on the bar.NORFOLK NIPS | Hawian TripA TRIP TO THEHAWAIIAN ISLANDSWayne works from a tinykitchen not much bigger thana cupboard which has had asmany as nine people workingin it! In spite of this the menuof locally sourced foods haschanged three times since thepub re-opened…Wayne come from a bakingfamily and hopes to bake morewhen a larger kitchen isinstalled.Elgood’s seem delighted withthe progress at the Victory andare helping out with improvementssuch as new doubleglazing and re paint of theexterior plus improved car parklighting. The beers are from theElgood’s range plus gueststhrough the brewery, welllooked after by Wayne andBeata.Wayne feels that making thepub a hub for village contactsof all kinds both business andsocial.I think this is a good exampleof what can be done, with theright ideals making good businesssense.The most amazing thingabout the rebirth of the Victoryis that all this has happened inonly eight months!StigCAMRA members Craig andSandi Forcum who have livedin Thetford, are now residing inHawaii, Lt. Colonel CraigForcum was based at USAFLakenheath but was posted toUSAF Pearl Harbor. Craig andSandi invited some CAMRAmembers to visit prior to theirdeparture. This opportunitywas taken up and four of usflew out for a holiday on thesun. Craig and Sandi live in anoriginal house (pre 1942) onthe military base at PearlHarbor and that is where we allstayed.Their hospitality was secondto none, catering for all ourneeds even borrowing a sixseater truck for transporting usto various locations on theisland.Our first treat was an amazingarray of American bottled beersto drink at our leisure. Craig isalso renowned for his collectionof single malt whiskies, of whichwe tried a few.We were also privileged tovisit many sights that only militarypersonal would haveaccess to. There are nineteenbases on Oahu and most havebars with discounted prices.Happy hours are populararound Honolulu and Craig didhis best to locate most ofthem. One in particular wasthe Yard House close to Waikikibeach which featured overone hundred beers on tap. Noreal ale I’m afraid, all weregassed and very cold.During our two week stay wesaw most of the spectacularsights of our island (Oahu) andalso managed to visit Kauaiisland (helicopter trip included)and also the Volcanic Big islandbut this ended by our helicopterflight being cancelleddue to bad weather. We didlots of fabulous other stuffmuch to numerous to mentionor perhaps for another time.But overall our fortnight staywas brilliant thanks to oursuperb fantastic hosts, again ifyou do read this many manythanks.Bruce WardAUTUMN 2012 | 31

The 35th Norwich Beer Festival- a word from the OrganiserAs I write this, advanced ticketsfor the 35th Norwich BeerFestival have just gone on sale,as usual I'm expecting these togo rather quickly even in theseaustere times. As organiser forthe last few years, I have beenconstantly surprised by thepopularity of the festival andhow much buzz in brings tothe city for the month ofOctober.This year we have taken along look at our range of beersand come into this festival witha clean slate, although its earlydays in the ordering process,expect some new breweriesand new beers. No pesto beerthough...With the venue we have, wereally can't change too much,but we try to tinker andenhance what we already have,trying to improve the runningand organising of varioussections, so its easier for us andprovides a better experience foryou our customers. This year32 | AUTUMN 2012we aim to continue our Beerand Cider tastings which werevery successful last year andgathered quite a few plauditsfrom customers and organisersalike.We also will be bringing backthe half pint tankard which wasextremely popular with ourvisitors, I did look at trying outa pint tankard in similar vein tothe half pint but after consultationwith our suppliers, justcouldn't find anything remotelysuitable, perhaps next year.Planning has been going onsince the latter days of the lastfestival, and this year we bringback our excellent caterersNatural Nosh with theirfantastic commitment and flexibility,which is muchappreciated.Although the festival is still acouple of months away, thereis still time to volunteer, lend ahand, serve a pint. For furtherdetails please contact our newstaffing team of Sadie and Janewhom I'm sure will do afantastic job (seehttp://www.norwichcamra.org.uk/festival/staffing.htm forfurther details).As usual, I'd like to give mythanks to all those who haveput their name forward to helpout, it is appreciated and thefestival wouldn't work withoutyou.Martin WardNorwich Beer Festival Organiser

NORFOLK NIPS | Norwich Beer Festival 2012Tutored Tastings at the Beer FestivalDo you enjoy drinking realale, cider or perry but want toknow a little more about howit’s made, what the main ingredientsare and how theycontribute to the flavours andaromas we all love?If so, you’ll want to book aplace at one of the TutoredTastings we’re running for thesecond year at Norwich BeerFestival later this year. And thisyear we’ve added an eveningtasting to the four lunchtimeevents, and included a foreignbeer tasting with the opportunityto try both draught andbottled Belgian beers, whichkicks of the programme onTuesday at 12:30.The same evening sees thefirst of the three real ale tastings,with a Tour of Norfolkhosted by Stephen George ofthe award-winning HumptyDumpty brewery. Wednesdayand Friday lunchtimes will seetwo further real ale tastings,with Real Cider and Perrytaking centre stage onThursday, all hosted by expertsin the field.Priced at £12 per person forthe real ale and cider and perrytastings, and £15 per personfor the foreign beer tasting(reflecting the much higherprice of the beers), all tastingsinclude ‘fast lane’ free entry tothe beer festival and 6-8samples. And there’s a £2discount for CAMRA members.For more information and toapply for tickets, please see theBranch websiteat www.norwichcamra.org.uk,or write to CAMRA BFT, 45bBethel St, Norwich, NR2 1NR.AUTUMN 2012 | 33

Capital of Ale SurveySaturday June 30th saw thesecond UK ‘Capital of Real Ale’survey of Norwich pubs,designed to show that thevariety of real ales on sale inNorwich exceeds that of anyother city! Last year we foundan amazing 215 different realales, out of a total of just under500 on sale. This year’s surveyhad the added spice of a challengefrom the York branch ofCAMRA, who, miffed by claimsfrom Sheffield to the title, haddecided independently to holdtheir survey on the same day.Fortunately the rain whichhad been dampening spiritsever since the drought wasdeclared in April held off formost of the day, allowing our40 plus surveyors a dry runaround the city’s pubs. Asorganizer, I started the daybeing driven round several ofthe outlying pubs I hadn’twanted to ask people to walkto (driven by a non-drinkingpartner of course – thanks Oli!)Fortunately thanks to thenumber of volunteers who soselflessly (!!) gave up their time,there weren’t too many ofthese, and by 3pm we’d set upcampaign HQ in the Reindeeron Dereham Road, where Scottlooked after us all wonderfully.As volunteers started toreturn, the forms were pilingup – I really need to get abetter data entry system sortedfor next year! But with a lot ofhelp from the team, we finallycame up with the numbers for2012 – and had to go back and34 | AUTUMN 2012re-check because we couldn’tbelieve what we were seeing!259 seemed too good to betrue, and it was, but after closescrutiny we were able toannounce the result at around10:30pm - over 550 beers intotal, and 254 different ales, amassive total which wasenough to beat off a verystrong challenge from Yorkwho finished on 247.This has since been beaten bySheffield, who conducted theirsurvey in July and recorded 310different beers, but from amuch larger area and population– on both counts overtwice the size of Norwich –which we believe justifiescalling Norwich the UK Capitalof Real Ale!Unsurprisingly Woodforde’s,Greene King and Adnams werethe breweries whose beerswere in most pubs, with Woodforde’sin 46 pubs, 39 of whichstocked Wherry. 19 local brewerieswere represented. The FatCat had most beers in total, 31,and surprisingly, there were167 beers which were only onsale in one pub! The averageprice of a pint came out at£3.09, up 14p from last year -thanks Mr. Osborne - and theaverage ABV exactly the sameat just over 4.2%.I should also mention realcider and perry, which showeda huge increase on last year,with 38 different varieties outof 55 in total (30 more thanlast year), in 21 pubs, up from15 in 2011 - although thearrival on the scene of theWhite Lion, which has justbeen awarded East AnglianCider Pub of the Year, made amajor contribution.So a big thank you to all theteam, and to the brewers,publicans and bar staff for yourfantastic efforts which makeNorwich such a Fine City forreal ale!Norwich and NorfolkBranch Membershipup again!Latest figures announced byMembership Secretary DavidRackham show that the Branchnow has 2,571 members. Ofthese, 1,820 are male and 740are female. We also have 274Young Members (18 – 30) and3 “others”.David has also revealed thatour oldest member is 88 yearsyoung!Numbers are set to rise againin October when we welcomenew Members who join at theBeer Festival. Talking of which– why not beat the queues thisyear and join before theFestival and get free admissioninto the bargain?Simply fill in the form printedwithin this magazine orcontact your Branch MembershipSecretary.

36 | AUTUMN 2012

St Andrew’s and Blackfriar’s Halls, NorwichMonday 29th October – Saturday 3rd NovemberDon’t forget that you can read Norfolk NIPS and Cask Forceon line on the Norwich and Norfolk Branch websitewww.norwichcamra.org.ukLatest info will also be posted on the Branch facebook page.And Norfolk NIPS and Cask Force now has a Twitter account@norfolk_nipsThe 35th Norwich Beer FestivalBeat the queues – join CAMRA now!Next issue of Norfolk Nips and Cask ForceCopy to editors by Monday 5th NovemberOn the streets by: Friday DECEMBER 7th

Beery dates for your diary | NORFOLK NIPSBeer Festivals20- 22nd September21st Letchworth GardenCity Beer & Cider FestivalThe Gallery, Station RoadLetchworth Garden City SG6 3BLfestival.staffing@camranorthherts.org.ukwww.camranorthherts.org.uk50+ real ales including localbrews. Excellent selection ofcider, perry + foreign beerincluding draught foreign beer.26 - 29th SeptemberSt Albans Beer FestivalCivic Centre, St Albans AL1 3LDwww.stalbansbeerfestival.comUp to 350 real ales in all pluscider perry, bottle conditionedbeers and large range of foreignbeers from all over the world.Daily breweriana auctions, quizon Saturday with superb prizes.27 - 30th September3rd Amber Valley Beer& Cider FestivalMidland Railway, Butterley Station,Ripley DE5 3QZnigelheathcote@live.co.ukwww.midlandrailway-butterley.co.uk100+ beers, ciders, perry + fruit wines.Coincides with Steam Gala Event Sat+ Sun, Trains every ½ hour.28 - 30th September2nd Oulton Broad BeerFestivalWherry Hotel, Bridge Rd, OultonBroad, Lowestoft NR32 3LN50+ Draught Ales, Ciders, Wheatand Fruit beers • Live Music.Contact:www.wherryhotel.com28 - 30th SeptemberFolk ‘n’ Beer FestivalMaddermarket Theatre, Norwichwww.maddermarket.co.uk38 | AUTUMN 201228 - 30th SeptemberStrictly NorfolkWhite Horse, OverstrandA weekend of Norfolk Food andReal AlesContact: 01263 57923729th Sept - 2nd OctoberWhite Lion Beer and CiderFestivalWhite Lion, Oak Street, NorwichCelebrating the first year of Benand Becky being at the pub.30+ Ales • 30+ Ciders and Perries3 - 6th October35th Bedford Beer &Cider FestivalCorn Exchange, St Paul's Square,Bedford MK40 1SLContact:www.northbedscamra.org.ukAbout 110 power-cooled realales, 40 ciders + perries and arange of draught and bottledforeign beers.10 - 13th OctoberNottingham “RobinHood” Beer and CiderFestivalNottingham CastleTop of Friar Lane, NottinghamNG1 6DHContact:festival@nottinghamcamra.orgwww.beerfestival.nottinghamcamra.org/A record breaking one thousanddifferent cask beers, plus over200 different real ciders andperries, mainly sourced from thesmaller producers.25 - 27th OctoberSt Ives Booze on theOuse Beer FestivalSt Ivo Recreation CentreWestwood Road, St IvesPE27 6WUContact:festival@huntscamra.org.uk55+ cask beers over 3 days, plusreal cider, perry and bottledforeign and British beers.25th Oct - 4th NovemberMurderers 7th Beer Festival2 - 8 Timberhill, NorwichOver 50 Ales.Contact:01603 621447www.themurderers.co.uk26 - 30th OctoberRoyal Oak, PoringlandAutumn Beer Festivalwww.poringlandroyaloak.co.uk1 - 3rd November1st South WoodhamFerrersHullbridge RoadS Woodham Ferrers CM3 5LJwww.maldonanddengiecamra.org.uk30 Beers, plus Cider - up to 5 beersfrom Crouch Vale Brewery.1 - 4th NovemberOld Bell, Saham Toney BeerFestivalContact:01953 884934www.theoldbellsaham.co.uk8 - 11 NovemberErpingham Arms,Erpingham3rd Beer Festival• 25 Real Aleswww.erpinghamarms.com9 - 11th November1st Annual Beccles BeerFestivalContact:www.becclesbeerfestival.co.uk30th Nov - 1st DecemberThe Pennoyer Beer FestivalPennoyer Centre, Station Rd,Pulham St Mary IP21 4QTAles from Yorkshire, West countryand the best of local brewerieswww.pennoyers.org.uk

Queen’s Headand Waveney Brewing CompanyTraditional Village Pub with a breweryproducing permanent and seasonalales on siteLarge beer garden, traditional games, lunchtime menu and a goodselection of real ale, spirits and soft drinksListed in the Good Beer Guide every year since 2000.Station Road, Earsham, NorfolkTel: (01986) 892623AUTUMN 2012 | 39

From the Archives | NORFOLK NIPSFrom the ArchivesIssue no. 111 Oct/Nov 2000Looking forward to the 23rd Norwich BeerFestival, Beer Festival Organiser Alan Edwardsexplained why some “favourites” would bemissing that year.The CAMRA AGM that year had passed a resolutionthat instructed Branches not to promotereal ales that share their names with keg,smooth or other versions.Alan said that the Norwich Branch was happyto comply, although some drinkers may bedisappointed that Boddingtons, Tetley, BrainsDark and Everard’s Tiger would not be makingan appearance.He went on to add that there would be anumber of beers from very new Breweries onoffer. Alan felt that the established Brewerieshad the edge on the new micros, because oftheir experience and Quality Control procedures,but each had to be judged on their ownmerits. Consistency should be the aim for all.Quality should not be confused with taste, headded, pointing out that although we may notlike the taste, that does not mean to say that thebeer is not top quality.Alan referred to the work of CAMRA’s trainedTaste Panels, whose reults can be found in thelatest Good Beer Guide on sale at the Festival.Why not buy the Guide and compare your opinionsof the beers with the descriptions in theguide, he suggested.Issue 112 announced that the Beer of theFestival was Chalk Hill CHB, which also won theBitter category. The Chalk Hill Brewery was setup in 1993 behind the Coach and Horses pub inNorwich and at the time of writing, it was thesole remaining Brewery in Norwich.Elgoods won the Mild category with Black DogMild and their Wenceslas Winter Warmer wonthe Strong Ale category.Other winners were:Best Bitter – Triple FFF Dazed and ConfusedPremium Bitter – Lidstones Rwalpindi IPAOld/Stout/Porter – Reepham Velvet StoutSpeciality Beer – Green Jack Orange WheatCider – Sam’s (matured in oak vats in premisesclosed by Bulmers)Perry - Troggi

26 St Leonards RoadNorwich NR1 4BL01603 618734A real gem,well worth a visit.Eight real ales to choose from, two ofwhich change regularly.Two pooltables upstairs.Pork pies and other light snacksavailable all day.Hog roast available sundays.Lovely enclosed beer garden withlarge sheltered smoking area.Only a ten minute walk from thetrain station and city centre.Open all day from 12 noon everyday.Sky Sports and ESPNENJOY THE AUTUMN WITH A FINE ALE IN OUR BEER GARDEN3rd Winter Beer Festival15th to 18th November 2012 • 12 Real AlesLight snacks availableat each sessionSESSION TIMES:THURSDAY: 5pm until lateFRIDAY: 5pm until lateSATURDAY: 2pm until lateSUNDAY: 12 noon until lateHeathlands Community Centre, WoodbastwickRoad, Blofield Heath, Norwich, NR13 4QHTel: 01603 714164 Mob: 07818466473www.heathlandscommunitycentre.org.ukRegistered Charity: 303909ENTERTAINMENT:Thursday Evening - Blofield Heath JammersSaturday Evening - Live Music withKay & Colin, Musical DuoOffering 12 real Ales, and 2 Ciders, plus FullyLicenced Bar offering a range of Lagers, BottledBeers, Wines and Soft Drinks.AUTUMN 2012 | 41

CAMRA Branch Calendar | NORFOLK NIPSNorwich and North Norfolk BranchTuesday 18 SeptemberBranch Meeting, Humpty Dumpty Brewery,Reedham, 8pm - Coach available from NorwichCome and join us for this popular event. The GoodBeer Guide 2013 Licencees Packs will be availablefor distribution.Thursday 27 September35th Beer Festival Planning Meeting, Take 5,Norwich, 8pmLast chance to have your say in the running of theFestival this year.Friday 28 SeptemberCampaign Trip visiting 5 county pubs to theNorth of Norwich - Booking EssentialSunday 30 SeptemberBranch Store tidy-up. Come and visit our Beer Storeand help get everything shipshape for the Festival!Friday 5 OctoberAscot Races and Beer Festival (up to 200 beers)– Booking EssentialFriday 5 OctoberFirst Friday Five (route tba)Our monthly jaunt around five pubs in Norwich.Check the Branch website or facebook for details.Saturday 13 OctoberPossible social event / brewery visitSunday 21 October6th Beer Festival Planning Meeting, Take 5,Norwich, 8pm Your very last chance….Sunday 28 OctoberBeer Festival Set UpMon 29 Oct - Sat 3 Nov35th Norwich Beer Festival @ St Andrews HallThis is it – what we have all been waiting for!Sunday 4 NovemberBeer Festival Take DownHelp is wanted to pack everything away and clearthe halls. Please come along and lend a hand – themore the merrier!Friday 9 NovemberFirst Friday Five (route tba)Coach pick-ups: 6.47 p.m. junc. SouthwellRd./Grove Rd.; 6.55 junc. Old Palace Rd./WestEnd St.; 7.02 junc. Mile Cross La./Eversley Rd.;7.06 Sprowston Fire Stn.; 7.10 Heartsease(Harvey Lane bus stop); 7.15 Norwich RailwayStn. (Thorpe Rd. bus stops).Please contact Michael Philips, our Social Secretaryto obtain further details or to book a seat onthe coach on 07851 923 554 or socialsecretary@norwichcamra.org.uk.CAMRA Members who have registered theire-mail address with the Branch will receive amonthly update on this list. If you would like totake advantage of this service, or have notreceived the latest e-mail, please contact theMembership Secretary, David Rackham, atpugs1985@googlemail.comWest Norfolk BranchAll Branch Meetings start at 8pm.Thursday 4th October, 1pm True’s Yard,Lynn, talk by Jeff Hoyle “Lynn’s Lost Pubs”Tuesday 9th OctoberNarborough Social Club, AGMTuesday 13th NovemberRed Lion, Hockwold, Branch meetingTuesday 11th DecemberBell, Saham Toney, Branch MeetingSaturday 15th DecemberChristmas tour of Norwich42 | AUTUMN 2012

GOLDEN STARCOLEGATE • 01603 632447H Up to six real alesH Fantastic evening menuH Sunday roastsH Bar billiardsH Live musicH Weekly quizH Free wi fiwww.goldenstarnorwich.co.ukAUTUMN 2012 | 43

Beer Tech | NORFOLK NIPSLadies and Gentlemen –Welcome to The Theatre of Pour!Regular readers will know thatin earlier editions of this magazine,we have looked at theNorth v South Divide and theproblems in getting real aleinto Hotel and Theme Bars.In the 21st Century, there hasto be a better way, we argued.Well maybe, just maybe, wehave stumbled on the solution.OK, perhaps stumbled is notthe right word, I hadn’t had adrink at that point, but poppedinto The Otter in ThorpeMarriott. Taking up mycustomary position in front ofthe handpumps, I opted for apint of Greene King IPA.Imagine my horror when theLandlady took two steps to theleft and proceeded to pour mea pint from the shiny chromeoffering on my right. Myprotestations that it had to bereal ale were met with a warmreassurance that I would getmy wish.And indeed I did. This newpiece of kit was worthy ofcloser inspection. It is made byAngram Ltd of North Yorkshireand was commissioned byGreene King as part of themulti million pound rebrandingof Greene King IPA. The newhandpumps, or to give themtheir correct name “The NewGreene King IPA IlluminatedBranding Stems” certainly havesome interesting features.44 | AUTUMN 2012Will traditional cask customersnotice the difference, will theyapprove?Angrams Operations DirectorMark Carrington certainlythinks so. The pump has asmaller footprint than traditionalhandpumps and thesleek modern designs wouldcertainly be at home in amodern chrome plated hotel orthemed bar.Theatre of PourThe first thing that you noticeis the high swan neck. If, likeme, you have stood patiently atthe bar waiting to be served,whilst the bar person is pouringa pint of frothy lager forsomeone else, you can’t helpbut notice that it is oftenserved at eye level. This isdeliberate. This is what MarkCarrington calls The Theatre ofPour. The customer observesthat a clean glass has beenselected and can only marvel asthe golden coloured liquid fillsthe glass, foaming with aboutas much added gas as isrequired. Watching it pour isrelaxing, it makes you feelgood and you can anticipatethe full flavour of a refreshingpint served at just the righttemperature. Who am Ikidding?But think about it, my pint isthen served in a glass I havenot had the opportunity toinspect and it is also servedbelow counter height. My beeris presented to me as a faitaccompli. No wonder some donot complain if their pint is lessthan perfect. With this newstem, I too can now enjoy thetheatre.North or SouthIn issue No. 160, CaskMarque’s Annabel Smithdiscussed the difference in

eers in the north and south ofthe country and the effect thatsparklers can have on the taste.She suggested that, where itwas possible, to ask for twohalves of the same beer, onepoured through a sparkler andone without, then see whichyou liked best.I doubt that many would, inall honesty, ask a landlord tofiddle around with a sparklerfor two halves. Pints, maybe.But here is the interestingsecond feature on these stems.The swan neck incorporates avalve, which acts as a sparkler.It can be turned on or off withthe flick of a wrist. A smallnotice on the stem says “Northor South – you decide”. I have,I prefer Greene King IPAnorthern style.Expect to see this device onother Greene King Beers, OldSpeckled Hen and Old GoldenHen.This is clever marketing. As aBrewery expands its network ofoperations throughout the UK,you have to be able to offerwhat the customer wants. Oneanswer is to tinker with thebrew to produce a southernbeer for a northern drinker andvice versa. Or how about onebeer and let the customerdecide – North or South, Leftor Right?Angram say that this, andtheir other new products, someof which have interchangeableNORFOLK NIPS |branding opportunities, will reenforcecask ale as a premiumproduct and appeal to a wideaudience.It’s an interesting thought,but what do real ale drinkers inthe East think?"Want to save money?See page 23AUTUMN 2012 | 45

Try our Award WinningNorfolk AlesThe Wolf Brewery willsoon be moving to:Decoy Farm, Norwich Road,Besthorpe, Norfolk, NR17 2LATelephone: 01953 457775E-mail: info@wolfbrewery.comAvailable All Year RoundAvailable in bottles and 36 pint polypinson-line at www.wolfbrewery.com or from ourbrewery shopUp to EIGHT everchanging Cask AlesGood covered smoking area10 mins walk from railway stationAles from £2.00 a pint!Apollo Tavern | Northgate Street | Great Yarmouth | NR30 1BP46 | AUTUMN 2012

A warm welcome from Rob and Fawnda to...THE GREYHOUND• THE STREET, TIBENHAM NR16 1PZ •An old Fashioned, traditional country pub.Serving a selection of Real Ales and Fine food.Children’s play area and large car park.OPENING TIMESMon: 12 - 3pm and 6.30pm - midnightTues: 6.30 - midnight.Weds and Thurs: 12 - 3pm and 6.30pm - midnight.Friday: 12 - 3pm and 6.00pm - midnight.Sat and Sun: 12 midday -12 midnight.Carvery lunch Sunday afternoon 1pm - 3pm.Booking advisable 01379 677676.Camping space &Electric hook ups forCaravans availableDog FriendlyFor up and coming eventssee or websitethe-greyhound tibenham.co.ukTel: 01379 677676smithrjsmith@btinternetcomPint Rage?NORFOLK NIPS | CorrespondenceDear Editor,I have a Woodfordes glass which states CE PINT,The other day I poured a bottle of beer into a Woodfordesglass, it took all the beer and produced a nice10mm head. For the second bottle I tried to fill the glassas full as I reasonably could and still there was beer left inthe bottle.....mmm? I discovered that the first bottle was500ml while the second was a Pedigree at 568ml.Having drank the beer I washed the glass and measuredout a pint in our kitchen jug, pouring this into thepint glass, it took the full pint but only when it wasabsolutely level with the rim of the glass only avoidingspilleage by the surface tension on the water.In conclusion I was short changed at the beer festival Ipicked the glass up from as all pints were poured within10mm from the rim with no head.Secondly how many pint glasses are out there like thiswhere beer is poured with a head so a proportion ofyour paid for beer and £1.20 tax is foam.I am aware some glasses have a pint line which soundsfair to me which allow space for the head.Surely this is nothing new! What is happening here?Kind RegardsBruce VaughanEditor’s Reply:Dear Bruce,Firstly, the Woodforde’s glass that you have is a brimmeasure glass, i.e you have to fill it up to the brim to geta full pint. This means that any head that appears on topis part of the measure. If your beer is served to you inthis fashion, you can ask for a top up if you consider thatthere is too much froth and not enough beer.After all, as you say, you are paying for both beer andfroth. A pint is 568ml, so your glass would easily accommodatea 500ml bottle and I would expect some beerleft in the 568ml bottle, owing to gas/fermentation.Secondly, the Norwich CAMRA Beer Festival has usedover sized lined glasses for the last five years for thisreason. You get a full measure of beer, with a head ontop, and is easier to handle. Volunteers at the BeerFestival expect to be given an oversized glass to fill, so ifyou are using a brim measure glass of your own, thenplease tell the bar staff, who will then fill your glass tothe brim.Cheers!Ed.AUTUMN 2012 | 47

Brewery News | NORFOLK NIPSBloomers –Norwich inBloom’s 25th Anniversary AleNorwich will be judged as one of only five citiesnominated for the Best City category of theBritain in Bloom competition.”Bloomers launch at the Assembly House – Friendsof Norwich in Bloom celebrate the launchNorwich in Bloom’s 25th Anniversary Ale,Bloomers, was launched on the 10th July atThe Assembly House and is proving to be a verypopular brew! Bloomers is a refreshing blondeale, 4.0% ABV, and was eagerly taken by 17 ofthe best real ale pubs and bars in Norwich.The Beehive pub in Leopold Road was one ofthe first pubs to offer Bloomers, and itsold out fast! Beehive landlord, Alex Kerridge,was very pleased with the popularity ofBloomers. She said “We put the beer on handpump on Tuesday and it was gone byWednesday! It was great. Can I order anotherone?” she added.Bloomers is brewed by Mark Riches, of independentlocal brewery, Beeston Brewery, andwas named to recognise the contribution of themany volunteers (Bloomers) who haveworked so hard over the last 25 years to helpmake Norwich a blooming city.“We were initially aiming for Bloomers to beavailable until early August,” said Pam Ketenof The Friends of Norwich in Bloom, “when“Considering Bloomers’ popularity, we will haveto consider making it available in pubs andbars on a more regular basis, and hopefullymaking an appearance at the 35th Norwich BeerFestival to be held at St Andrews and BlackfriarsHall from Monday 29th October to Saturday3rd November. The Friends of Norwich in Bloomwould especially like to thank NorwichCampaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for supportingthe Bloomers launch”, Pam added, “and localfirm CIM Signs and Graphics for providing theartwork for the ale launch and organising thepromotional flyers.”For further information, please contact TheFriends: Bloomers 25th Anniversary Ale Organiser– Pam Keten 07904 584555 emailpamketen@talktalk.netCompetition Organiser/Secretary – Julie Brociek-Coulton 07786 694325 jewills064@aol.comor visit www.norwichinbloom.co.uk2012 Diary Future Activities:Saturday 6th OctoberBritain in Bloom Awards Ceremony - St. PeterPort GuernseyMonday - Friday 3rd - 7th OctoberFriends of Norwich in Bloom Schools GiantPumpkin Competition JudgingFriday 19th OctoberFriends of Norwich in Bloom PresentationEvening, The Assembly House - Theatre Street7.00pm - 9.00pm48 | AUTUMN 2012

Cologne and the Eifel Mountains | NORFOLK NIPSKolsch und Zwickelbier,not so Eifel after all!I went on a bus tour earlier thisyear which took in Cologneand the Eifel mountains, opportunitiesfor beer tourism werelimited but a couple of visitsdid transpire.The main target of theCologne visit was the enormousDom, a twin toweredleviathan of a Cathedral visiblefrom thirty Kilometres away!The cities most famous beerstyle is Kolsch. First brewed inthe city in 1906 the beer gotit’s name in 1918, however itwas not as popular as moretraditional German brews untilthe 1960’s when a boom insales saw Kolsch became thedominant beer of Cologne.Since the 1980’s sales havebegun to decline but the stylehas spread to America and50 | AUTUMN 2012other parts of Europe, onlybeer produced in Cologne canbe called Kolsch as the name isregionally protected like Champagne.Research indicated thatin the limited time a visit to theMalzmuhle brewery at 6Heumarkt would produce aclassic example of a Kolschbrauhaus not of the four giantmanufacturers.The bar was re-built after thewholesale destruction visitedon the city by allied bombingduring world war 2 only thedoorframe remains original!The beer has a clean, somewould say bland taste but isvery refreshing served in 2lglasses by blue uniformedwaiters called “Kobes”. Thename come from a traditiongoing back to the pilgrimagesto Santiago de Compostella,the German route was throughCologne. Santigo is St James inEnglish, Jakobus in German,Kobe is a German diminutive ofJakobus applied to the landlordswho provided thehospitality to the pilgrims.The blue uniform comes fromthe same tradition. The Kobesserve your beer from a specialglass holder called a Krantz andkeep replacing your glassunless you leave some or coverit with a beer mat. A score iskept on the beer mat fromwhich the bill is calculated.Kobes are famous for theirsense of humour and knowledge,when asked whathappens if someone “loses” thebeer mat our waiter replied“Simple, we charge for ahundred beers!” A highlyrecommended experience.We also visited Monschau inthe Eifel, famous for its blackand white timber framedhouses. On exiting the buspark I spotted BrauereiMuseum on a sign pointingaway from the town centre, infor a Pfennig…We discovered theFelsenkeller Brauhaus andMuseum just up the hill. Thebrewery stopped producingbeer on site in the 1990’s butall the plant and memorabiliawas still present. Only Germanwas spoken, but I managedand we looked around, the

Rainer near Aachen, and sold inthe excellent bar, food is alsotop notch. I have checked thewebsite for the museum and itseems production of bothbeers is being re-started at themuseum from September, so itnow has everthing!Above: Monschau Brauhaus museumI did manage to get downinto the town for a few photosas well.Stig.Felsenpils beer was producedfrom 1924.In order to keep the beer coolin the summer allowing adifferent fermentation techniquethe ice from themountains was gatheredduring the winter and packedinto cooling Kellars dug intothe mountainside! The unfilteredZwickelbier is nowbrewed by PrivatbrauereiTHE BANNINGHAMCROWN FREE HOUSEWe arein it!Traditional Country Pub and Restaurant5 Real Ales • Great FoodSheltered Patio and GardensFor information on Real Alesavailable on the bar NOWgo to yourround.co.ukColby Road, Banningham, Aylsham, NR11 7DY01263 733534www.banninghamcrown.co.ukEATON COTTAGEUNTHANK RD, NORWICH Tel: 01603 453048Fine Real Ales, lagers, wines and spiritsAll Sky Sports • A traditional pubGood covered outside areasDoggies welcome“A festival of beers every day”AUTUMN 2012 | 51

Earle ArmsHeydonTraditional Norfolkfreehouse and restaurantThree Real Alesalways availableGood Food • Real Fires01263587376Satnav: NR11 6AD(Just off B1149 Holt -Norwich Rd)AUTUMN 2012 | 53

CAMRA AGM 2013 | NORFOLK NIPSHelp Required for CAMRA NationalMembers Weekend and AGM 2013Many NIPS readers are probablyaware that the venue fornext year’s CAMRA NationalMembers weekend and AGM isgoing to be in Norwich. It willbe held over the weekend ofFriday 19th – Sunday 21st April2013 with the venue being St.Andrews and Blackfriars Halls,the same as our annual beerfestival. The formal conferencewill take place in St AndrewsHall with Blackfriars Hall beingused as a ‘beer ex’ selling localbeers.Arrangements for this eventhave already commenced andwe are looking for volunteerswho can help make this event agreat success. Can you help inthe following areas – staffingthe members bar in Blackfriars,glasses stall, stewards andhospitality for guests, tellers(during conference sessions),hosts for brewery trips, informationand general support.If you feel you are able to andwould like to volunteer for anyof these jobs, or have anyqueries or questions about theMembers Weekend, pleasecontact me onw.wordsworth@ntlworld.com.Help in any of the above areashowever small will be verymuch appreciated.Warren Wordsworth, LocalAGM 2013 co-ordinator.54 | AUTUMN 2012

A to Z | NORFOLK NIPSLetter EIt could stand for “excellence” or even “everything”,but that does not do Norfolk justice, solet’s go for “eclectivity!”It’s the eclectic mix, that broad range of all thatthere is to celebrate in the beer scene in the faircounty of Norfolk. It’s the number of real alepubs and breweries and the wide range ofquality real ales on offer. There is so much to beproud of, as visitors from other parts of the UKwill discover when they come to Norwich for theF for FakenhamUntil I started delivering Norfolk NIPS to the pubsthere, I have to confess that I had no reason to visitFakenham, except for the odd day out at the races.Most visitors, I suspect, go there for the regularThursday market, which overfills the market place.Despite having two major supermarkets at hand, thetown appears to have kept a good mix of localshops,including an old fashioned sweet shop –Sweets ‘n’ things, (run by Lisa Smerdon and GlenMallett), who were behind the first Fakenham BeerFestival, and pubs.If the Norfolk Orbital Railway succeeds in itsobjectives and brings the railway back toFakenham, linking the Mid Norfolk and NorthNorfolk Heritage lines, some visitors may alightthere and go in search of a decent pint, perhaps.And there is real choice here. As reported elsewherein this issue, the oldest pub in the town, TheStar, in Oak Street, which featured in an earlieredition of this magazine, has reopened. With it’slarge secluded garden to the rear, this will make agreat family pub, which will offer two real ales. Inthe market square, The Gallery Bistro offers theopportunity to eat inside or dine al fresco. There isalways one real ale on offer, sometimes Hobgoblin.Wolf Brewery’s award winning Poppy Ale was onwhen I visited. Just off the market place is The Bull,which is probably the jewel in the crown. No lessthan five real ales and a real cider on offer here,plus great food. Down by the river is The WensumLodge, a small hotel on the river, which offers one56 | AUTUMN 20122013 CAMRA AGM and Member’s Weekend.Let them discover Norfolk Pub of the Year TheFat Cat with it’s 31 beers found during the 2012Survey or delight in Woodforde’s beers,although they may miss the Admiral’s Reserve orTinseltoes which are coming soon. And there aremany, many more delights in Norfolk, far toomany to do them justice here. You know whoyou are – please take a bow!That was quick, and there is a bit of space left,so let’s do the next one, which is:real ale – Elgoods Cambridge on my last visit.Walk along the riverbank, or down the road tothe racecourse and you will come across TheFakenham Sports and Leisure Centre, which alsofeatured in an earlier edition of NIPS. Two real ales,Woodforde’s Wherry and a guest, sometimesSharp’s Doombar.If you have had enough of the town, retrace yoursteps, cross the road, walk passed the cottages andyou are in Hempton, where The Bell awaits withthree real ales – John Smith’s Cask is the regularhere, plus two guest ales.Further afield, there is The Henry IV, on GreenwayLane, a Greene King Hungry Horse establishment,which has Abbot as it’s regular plus one other fromthe Brewery, and right on the outskirts next toMorrisons is The Running Horse, a Marstons pub.Eight handpumps here, with three beers on at atime.There is good and bad news. The Crown, aformer 3 star hotel in the Market Square, standsempty and neglected and The Rampart Horse Innon Holt Road does not have real ale.But Wetherspoons will be here next year sometimeas they have bought The Garden House,opposite The Bull in Bridge Street. Just for therecord, I found 18 real ales and one real cider onmy last visit.

Freshly-cooked foodA range of ales • Beer GardenSituated beside Rockland St Mary staithe, The New Innis a traditional country pub offering a warm welcomein a relaxed and informal setting.Our food is freshly prepared using locally sourcedingredients and cooked to order. We have a largeselection of ‘All-time favourites’, plus a variety ofChef’s Specials. Our Sunday Menu is very popular.Cask Marqueaccredited, wealways have 3 or 4real ales on offer.Families, children,dogs and walkingclubs all welcome.Visit www.newinnrockland.co.ukor our page to keep up to dateNew Inn Hill, Rockland St Mary Tel: 01508 538403AUTUMN 2012 | 57

TheWillow House2 High St, Watton, NorfolkIP25 6AETel: 01953 881181Pub, Restaurant and Bed and BreakfastAccommodation in NorfolkA selection of great realales served includingconstantly changing guestsFood Availablefrom a la carte cuisine to bar snacks. Servingtimes areMon - Sat: Noon - 2pm and 7 - 9pmSun: noon - 2.45pmBed and BreakfastRoom rates from £55.00 per nightPets welcome by arrangementwww.thewillowhouse.co.ukMichaela and Rik welcome you toThe Kings Arms22 Hall Rd Norwich NR1 3HQ Tel: 01603 766361Everchanging 13 Real Ales, Cider and Mild.Fruit Beer also servedBEER GARDEN • Popular Quiz Nightlast Wednesday of every monthTexas hold-em poker playedThursdays and Sunday 8pm startEat yourtakeawayin the pub- plates andcutlery provided!See most of NorwichCity’s matches(Home andAway!)See www.kingsarmsnorwich.co.ukfor detailsFood served: 11.30 - 2pm Monday -Fri12-30- 3pm Sunday58 | AUTUMN 2012

NORFOLK NIPS | Local FeatureThe Fakenham Museum of Gas andLocal HistorySituated on the Hempton Road, just oppositeThe Wensum Lodge and a short stroll away fromThe Bell and The Bull, this museum is a littlegem. Many small towns had works for theproduction of “town” gas but this is the lastremaining example of an English small horizontalretort hand-fired Gasworks. Established asa Museum in 1987, it is now laid out as it wouldhave been in the 1960’s. The technology thoughis Victorian. When established in 1846, theworks produced gas “of an unusual purity” forstreet lighting. It closed in 1965, when it wasserving 500 homes and employed 8 men. It wasusing three railway wagons of coal per week,but as there was no siding, the coal had to bedelivered from the Railway Station.The front of the Museum is the showroom,which has a fascinating collection of gas appliancesincluding cookers from the early 19thC tothe 1960’s. You can watch the short video onthe early days and the discovery of the methodfor removing impurities from gas to create whatsome called “the flame of Hell itself”.Gas is produced in enclosed chambers, knownas retorts. Fakenham had fourteen of them, each3.3m long. They held about 250 kilos of coaleach, which had to be loaded evenly from theback, hard work for the stokers and hot too asthe furnaces reached 800 C and some of theretorts were above head height. When the doorswere closed, air was cut off, so the coal did notburn, but decomposed in the heat. The resultinggases escaped via an ascension pipe, and whatwas left in the retorts was coke. Some of this wasre-used and the rest sold in bags.The dirty brown gas cooled, and as it did so,tar was formed and collected in pits, and inFakenham this was sold for road building andused for waterproofing the buildings on site.The raw gas was then condensed, whichremoved the ammonia present, which inFakenham was dumped as waste. The tar pitand liquor tank held coal tar at the bottom andthe ammonia liquor on top. Handpumps atdifferent depths pumped both out as and whenrequired. Tar surrounds the pit from when theworks were in operation and the remaining tarwas removed from the pit in 2003 as it was asource of ground contamination.Now relatively clean, the gas was pushedaround the rest of the site by a pump known asan Exhauster. This had a small Lister petroldriven engine, but there was also a gas engine,made in 1910. Just to be on the safe side, anelectric motor was available as back-up.The Livesey Washer removed further ammoniaand the Purifiers extracted the hydrogensulphide. Now it could be metered and passedinto the Gas Holder or Gasometer for use.The museum also holds galleries on the historyof Fakenham, including the Printing Industry,which was the main employer in the town formany years, and also National Hunt Racing andmemorabilia from the two World Wars and theassociation with the USAF and RAF bases at WestRaynham and Sculthorpe.The Museum is open Thursday, Saturdays andBank Holiday Mondays from 10.30 – 3.30 untilthe 29th September. Group visits can bearranged at other times by calling 01328863507. Admission is free, but donations arewelcome.AUTUMN 2012 | 59

CAMRANORWICHCITY PUB OF THEYEAR 2011OPEN 12TO 11PM SUNTO FRI10.30AM - 11PMSATUP TO 10 CASK ALES PLUS TRADITIONALCIDERS AND PERRIESBELGIAN BEERS • BAR BILLIARDS • SATURDAY BRUNCH 10.30 - 2.30SUNDAY ROASTS 12-3 • HOT SNACKS AVAILABLE ALL DAY EVERY DAYLIVE MUSIC every Friday & SundayJAZZ JAM SESSION every MondayQUIZ NIGHT last Monday of the MonthTAPAS NIGHT first Thursday of the MonthKINGS HEAD HOLT6 BRILLIANTLY KEPT REAL ALES PLUS 8 NEW ALES ON OUR ALE WALLIncluding the ever popular Adnams Bitter, Broadside and Woodfordes Wherry.Proudly providing 3 guest ales (143 in one year and rising!)Giving everyone a fantastic accompaniment to our ever growing grill menu. So why not try a deliciouslocally sourced steak cooked to perfection on our char-grill!3 stylish, comfortable, yet affordable B&B self-catering single or double rooms.Recently re-furbished ‘George’ Lounge with Snugs and quiet cornersCome pull up a stool, grab an Ale at ‘The Question mark Bar’ and put the world to rights!Live music throughout Spring, Summer and AutumnEnclosed Courtyard Beer Garden in the heart of the AppleyardTo find out more you can visit our website http://www.kingsheadholt.org.uk/,give us a call on 01263 712543, or just come on down and give us a try, you won’t be disappointed!60 | AUTUMN 2012

NORFOLK NIPS | Reindeer NorwichThe Reindeer sets out to unite real aledrinkers and real food loversNew Licencees Dan and Katie Searle outline theirvisions of the future for this Elgood’s pub.It’s had a colourful past and siblings Dan &Katie Searle have no doubts that they still havetheir work cut out. ‘There is somethinggenuinely satisfying about returning a strugglingpub to it’s former glory, in terms of keeping itopen at least”, says Dan, who talks lovinglyabout his passion for the trade. “A freshapproach is required to meet the growingexpectations of our customers and to keeppeople interested” adds Katie. The pair alreadyrun the Rumsey Wells, and they have managedto offer something different at the Reindeer.Whilst the Rumsey Wells has a reputation forentertainment from DJ’s to bands and even anart gallery, the Reindeer has a greater focus onthe food and beer selection. “We have alwaysAngelGardensFree HouseThis independently run freehouse has been under theownership of Ian Warren since 1988 and is situated onthe north of the city near to Waterloo Park.Homecooked and speciality mealsPrepared by Ian - a qualified chef withyears of experience.Up to SEVEN reasonably priced RealAles including THREE guest alesMonthly Quiz & Darts • Live Music on Saturdays96 Angel Rd, Norwich NR3 3HT01603 427490email: ikwarren-angel@tiscali.co.ukwww.norwichinns.comwanted our next venture to involve food, somethingthat allows us to showcase really greatBritish cooking in an informal and unpretentiousenvironment,” comments Dan. There is always alarge selection of guest real ales (7-10) alongsidethe brewery staples from Elgoods in Wisbech.There is also a good selection of draught beersfrom around the world (12), including America,Germany, Belgium and of course the UK.Only British produce is used for the newmenu. Ingredients are sourced locally, wherepossible, and are seasonal. There is a strongfocus on dishes to share and the introduction offorgotten recipes that will serve to deliver thecommunal spirit of traditional pubs and payhomage to great British cuisine. “In order todeliver this the team here is hugely important”comments Katie.The LondonTavernFree HouseGreat real ales, fine wines and spirits.Food Served: Monday- Friday 11am - 5pmSaturdays 11am - 3pm Sundays 11am - 3pmEvening meals on requestRoast Dinners Sundays 12-3pmChilled bar rolls made daily only £1.00Attleborough’s only Good BeerGuide pub 2010, 2011 & 2012Camra Discount Scheme & Local AleParking, Disabled facilities, Baby changing,Smokers sheltered garden, and Beer garden.Well behaved dogs on leads welcome.Church St, Attleborough Tel :01953 457415

Award WinningReal Ale PubWe Don’t Have a Big Screen TV, Food Or a Juke BoxWe do have 17 handpumps, with Real Ale from far and wide,2 Real Ciders and 2 Real Ales From gravity, a large car park, large beergarden With heated smoking shelter, darts, pool, quizzes And crib.We now serve morning coffee from 11am, children are welcome.The Royal Oak lies at the heart of the community and newcustomers are always welcome. Come along and get a realwelcome from a real pub selling real ale!!!!!!Nick, Delia And The Team would love to see you soon.Autumn Beer FestivalFriday 26th October toTuesday 30th OctoberMusic Friday Night with Tosh and FriendsMusic Saturday Night with Murphys loreA dream of a pub situated in the village ofPoringland on the B1332 road to Bungay.Norwich And NorfolkPub Of The Year 2007Norfolk Pub OfThe Year 200714 years in theGood Beer Guide!The main bus route from Norwich stops right outside.44 The Street, Poringland, Norwich, Norfolk NR14 7JTwww.poringlandroyaloak.co.ukTel: 01508 493734