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POTTERS BEER Pub and Brewery News From The Area PUB NEWS THE GOOD PUB NEWS The most important piece of pub news this issue concerns the saving of The Coachmaker’s Arms in Hanley; after having the proverbial Sword of Damocles hanging over its head for the past eight years, Realis finally announced in July that they have downsized their redevelopment plans for the area, and their new scheme does not include the row of buildings that includes The Coach. Phil and Jason, along with all the regulars in the pub, are justifiably jubilant about the news. Due to a lack of space, there was no Pub News in the last edition of Potters Bar, so are plenty of new openings and developments to report on. Just outside of Hanley, on Dilke Street in Far Green/Northwood lies The Mason’s Arms, which has recently turned itself into The RAN Ales Taphouse, with the real ale being sourced exclusively from the Fenton-based brewery. The suntrap beer garden is a hidden gem and the Sunday roasts are reputedly well worth travelling for. Open for a while now and reportedly doing very well is Stoked Bar on North Street in Stoke; if the location is recognisable, but the name is not, that is because this is the new identity of the old Blacks Head. Trading mainly on its food, drinkers are still welcome and a decent enough drop of Sharp’s Doom Bar can be found on the bar. Just down the road into Hartshill, The Noah’s Ark re-opened at the end of June; now under the ownership of Inglenook Inns, a subsidiary of Punch Taverns, the owners sensibly decided to let the name of the pub remain unchanged after initial reports that it was going to be known as The Hartshill Inn. Regular beers are from Marston’s and the guests are sourced from Punch’s Finest Cask list. Burslem gained a new pub at the end of July in the shape of Johny’s Micro Pub, the new venture from the landlord of The Marquis of Granby in Penkhull. Converted from an old shop almost directly opposite The Bull’s Head, the pub serves four real ales, four real ciders and a good selection of lager. A discount card is available for use during the week; note that the pub is closed on Mondays. Up the road in Tunstall, The White Hart opened its door again at the beginning of June, having been very much spruced up both internally and externally; while on the corner of Tower Square, The Sneyd Arms is open again and serving Marston’s Pedigree. Note that only the bar is currently open, the restaurant remaining closed for the time being. Over in Fenton, The Angel Inn has a new landlord who instantly upped the real ale ante in the pub by installing local ale and other guest beers on the bar; a very successful beer festival was also staged in the middle of July and it is to be hoped that the pub now has a somewhat brighter future than previously. A discount for CAMRA members is also offered. Over in Dresden, The Red Gate has a new landlord and has been restored to its original name, much to the relief of the regulars. Not a pub but sort of in between the two, Union Crafted Ales opened its doors in June, located on Barker Street in Longton; also running a local fish shop, the owner hit upon the idea of selling beer when one of his customers said that he was going to drink a beer whilst he ate his fish. A good selection is stocked and the shop opens Monday – Thursday 4pm – 7pm, Friday 3pm – 7pm, Saturday 10am – 5pm & Sunday 10am – 4pm. Into Kidsgrove now, The Harecastle is once again a pub, after spending a period of time under the delightful name of A Potter Tea; the café side of the business is still open in the mornings (up to 2pm), whilst the pub opens at 4pm Monday-Thursday and 12noon at weekends. Very good news has occurred in Talke Pits, where The King William is under new ownership; having suffered from a less than inspiring reputation for the past few years, it appears that the pub is now well on the road to recovery, the new owners 14 POTTERS BAR AUTUMN 2016
having given it a thorough refurbishment. Specialising in real ale and real cider, an inaugural beer festival was held in the middle of August. Families are welcome and food is served in the newly created restaurant; surely a boon for the area. Another pub that has reverted back to its original name is The Old New Smithy in Wolstanton, now The Archer once again and not a moment too soon for the locals in the area; the bar offers the usual range from owners Hop Back, plus Greene King beers and some well-researched guests, Six Bells when Potters Bar paid a visit. Down into Newcastle and The Hopwater Cellar is offering a discount for CAMRA members of 20p off the price of a pint, 10p off a half; note that this applies to the hand-pumped ale only. Across the other side of town, and maybe taking a leaf from The Hopwater’s book, Bar Social have opened The Bar Social Tap & Gin Bar above the original pub; as the name suggests, a variety of gin is stocked, plus “craft kegs” from breweries such as Beavertown and Burning Sky. Finally, pubs that are serving real ale again after a bit of a hiatus include The Burton Stores and The Tontine (both Hanley, both serving Bass), The Railway in Heron Cross (now serves Bass all the time), plus The George & Dragon (Longton) and The New Penny (Fenton). Potters Bar would like to wish all these new ventures all the best for the future; may real ale always be with you! THE BAD PUB NEWS It is, however, with great sadness that Potters Bar reports the loss of The Ale Corner in Hanley, which closed at the beginning of June, even before the Potteries Branch could present their inaugural Cider Pub of the Season Award. All the best for the future, Paolo! All pub news correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing; any errors and/ or additions can be sent to pottersbar.camrapotteries@gmail.com. PUB OF THE MONTH SUGGESTIONS REQUIRED! Do you know of a pub in the local branch area that you think is wonderful, but seems to get ignored? The Potteries CAMRA branch invites all local members to submit their suggestions for the Pub of the Month Award. Simply send the name of your chosen pub to the above email address, along with your name and a sentence or two saying why you think it is deserving of the award, and Potters Bar will put your suggestion forward to the local committee. BREWERY NEWS BIKE SHED of Stoke A brand new brewery for the area, Bike Shed launched their beers at The London Road Ale House in June with Billy Goat Trail, a strong, malty bitter weighing in at 5.3% and Carbon Fiend, a German-style witbier at 5.8%. A third beer, Puddle Water, was added to the range in the middle of August, being a malty, amber-coloured ale at the session strength of 3.7%. Bike Shed are a 1.3 barrel brewery and brew once a month in their garage in Stoke; two brews are produced every month, as both Ian and Emma have full time jobs. The beers have also been seen in The Bridge Street Ale House and The Greyhound in Hartshill and The Hopwater Cellar stocks their bottles. LYMESTONE of Stone Staff changes at the brewery in recent months have seen Sarah, Brad & Viv’s daughter start her training to become a fully qualified brewster; the brewery itself is gearing up for its bi-annual 20/20 beer festival to be held on Friday 16 th & Saturday 17 th September, while the Thursday evening is CAMRA Members Night, to which all neighbouring branches are cordially invited. The third Sunday of every month sees the brewery welcome The Reaper’s, a local society specialising in reproduced cars and renovated vehicles; the last one this year will be in October, after which the society closes for the winter. The now legendary annual Chilli Off Competition will take place on Saturday, 24 th September, while the following day sees the end of season 40 mile cycle ride begin and end at the brewery; these two events will launch the Stone Food & Drink Festival the following weekend. Beer-wise, stocks of the Whimsical Watermelon Wheat have run out and have been replaced with a bottled version of the everpopular Lymestone Cowboy. AUTUMN 2016 POTTERS BAR 15
Page 1 and 2: POTTERS BAR MAGAZINE OF THE POTTERI
Page 3 and 4: Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub of the M
Page 5 and 6: Potteries CAMRA Branch Pub of the M
Page 7: Staffordshire Moorlands CAMRA Pub o
Page 11 and 12: MERVYN’S MUSINGS Local historian
Page 13 and 14: VIEW from the Bar Room Floor In my
Page 15 and 16: AUTUMN 2016 POTTERS BAR 23
Page 17 and 18: CIDER AT STOKE BEER AND CIDER FESTI
Page 19 and 20: STAFFING FORM 36th STOKE BEER FESTI
Page 21 and 22: A reminder to all that the followin
Page 23 and 24: The Potteries Pub Preservation Grou
Page 25 and 26: THE CIDER CORNER APPLES ON TOUR: LE
Page 27 and 28: The Clubs Corner: Supporting Local
Page 29 and 30: CAMRA POTTERIES BRANCH LOCALE PUBS
Page 31 and 32: POTTERIES BRANCH CONTACTS CHAIRMAN,
Page 33: PASSION FOR GREAT BEER APPETITE FOR

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