C M Y CM MY CY CMY K JW Moles-Craft-MoleCatcher.2016.pdf 1 19/07/2016 17:14 SINCE 1982 WITH A SPICY HOP AROMA & LONG BITTER FINISH CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Gold Medal WINNER 2011 <strong>PINTS</strong> <strong>WEST</strong> The multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, plus the Bath & Borders Branch Brought to you entirely by unpaid volunteers Ten thousand copies of Pints West are distributed free to hundreds of pubs in and around the cities of Bristol and Bath ... and beyond. Also available on-line at: www.bristolcamra.org.uk Published by the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, August 2016 © Editor: Steve Plumridge (steve.plumridge.pintswest@gmail.com) Design & Layout by: Steve Plumridge Next edition: end of November 2016 (probably). Printed by: Caric Press Limited (www.caricpress.co.uk). 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Contents Page 16 BADRAG (rare ales group) Page 20 Bath & Borders pub news Page 22 Bath Winter Ales Festival Page 41 Beer in Prague Page 12 Bristol Pubs Group Page 46 CAMRA diaries & contacts Page 45 CAMRA membership form Page 44 CAMRA young(ish) members Page 25 Crossword Page 37 Good Beer Guide 2017 Page 38 Letters Page 29 Orchard: cider pub of the year Page 9 Pub crawl by train Page 8 Westbury Park (Kebab & Calculator) Page 32 Weston-super-Mare news Page 47 WHATPUB online pub guide Brewery news: Page 35 Arbor Ales Page 19 Ashley Down Page 11 Bath Ales / Beerd Page 5 Bristol Beer Factory Page 4 Butcombe Page 3 Cheddar Ales Page 42 Chew Valley Page 7 Dawkins Ales Page 25 Electric Bear Page 43 Exmoor Page 39 Good Chemistry Page 11 GWB Page 23 Kettlesmith (new) Page 39 Left Handed Giant Page 40 Lost & Grounded (new) Page 31 Moor Beer Page 34 RCH Page 34 RPM Page 31 Tiny Rebel Page 19 Wiper & True Page 42 Zerodegrees and much, much more... Ten years of Cheddar Ales Cheddar Ales are celebrating 10 years brewing with a beer festival to be held on the brewery site, located at Winchester Farm in Cheddar (Draycott Road, BS27 3RP). The event is running over a single day Cheddar Ales was set up by Jem Ham in 2006 after having brewed for Butcombe Brewery for 15 – Saturday 10th September – and split into years. He patiently waited until a unit became available in Cheddar and once in, he shipped a two halves, the first a family-friendly session 20-barrel brew kit over from Ireland. Brewing began in October 2006, and Cheddar Ales had their from noon to 6pm, the second an adults-only launch party in November 2006. Just four days later, Jem’s son Oscar was born, five weeks earlier than evening session between 7pm and midnight. expected. As well as a great range of beers, there Jem’s early aim was to establish a limited number of beers of recognisable and consistent quality in will be live music both sessions, and food local pubs and clubs. His first brew was Gorge Best and Potholer came a close second. These two remain offerings including a cake stall, hog roast Cheddar Ales’ best-selling labels. For fourteen months these were the only two styles on sale, while and pizza cooked fresh on site. Jem developed Totty Pot, then Bitter Bully, Goats Leap and then finally Crown and Glory. By 2008 his Tickets can be bought online at www. daughter Olivia was born, and he launched Potholer and Totty Pot in bottle-conditioned packaging. Totty cheddarales.co.uk or at Cobbs of Cheddar Pot went on to win a Gold Medal at the International Beer Challenge in 2009. or the Wedmore Paper Shop, or on the door Despite the recession, the company grew, and Richard Norman joined Jem as brewer in 2012 after on the day. Card-carrying CAMRA members completing his IBD certificate in brewing. He was joined in 2016 by John Mahon, who worked at Sprig get a 20% discount on the door (or ‘payback’ and Fern in New Zealand then the White Hag Brewery in Ireland. if tickets bought in advance). Cheddar Ales currently has five fermenting vessels, each one capable of holding 21.5 brewery barrels of beer, or around 6,150 pints, giving a weekly brewing capacity of around 30,000 pints, which may sound a lot but is certainly ‘micro’ in terms of the brewing industry. Jem says that by hand-crafting such relatively small volumes, Cheddar Ales can ensure that character, consistency and quality lie at the heart of all their beers. In the last two years, as the core range has grown in reputation, Cheddar Ales has introduced more seasonal brew styles. Both Firewitch and Hardrock were launched last year to a receptive trade. Firewitch was named in the top three UK saisons by beer writers Boak and Baily, and Hardrock won high accolades in the packaged beer and pale ale categories in Tuckers Maltings annual SIBA SW beer festival. This year Cheddar Ales will produce no less than five seasonal styles. Karst, an amber ale, sold out just weeks after its launch in March. Bedstraw, a German style Kolsch, was snapped up for the Glastonbury Festival though should be available in Bristol at the Lansdown in Clifton until end of September, and Wild Thing, a West Coast pale ale, is available at the time of writing, but moving fast. A firkin of each has been kept aside for the Cheddar Ales Tenth Anniversary Beer Festival, which takes place on Saturday, 10th September. Brimstone 10, a 5.4% red IPA, will launch at the party itself. Later in the year, an oatmeal chocolate stout called Velvet Bottom will replace the Festive Totty as their Christmas beer. Many pubs sell beers from Cheddar Ales, of course. The Ring Jem Ham, Managing Director Emily Kay Goodman, Marketing of Bells in Wookey, however, is the first pub to feature Cheddar Ales branding on its signs, and it stocks a range of Cheddar beers permanently; it is a great place to go and try out a few of the new styles, or old favourites. Thanks to this issue’s contributors Adrian Tierney-Jones Mike Watters Andrew Swift Neil Ravenscroft Bianca Ambrose Niall Hoskin Dave Graham Nick Jarman Denis Rahilly Nigel Morris Eddie Taberner Pete Taberner Emily Goodman Phil Cummings Henry Davies Phill the Pint Ian Beckey Richard Brooks Laurie Gibney Robin E Wild Laurie Jackson Roy Sanders Martin Gray Stephen Edmonds Mick Lewis Steve Hunt Steve Plumridge Tim Webb Tony Durbin Trevor Cromie Vince Murray BREWING CO. Richard Norman, Brewer Catherine Nicholson, Sales MOLE CATCHER The new-look Cheddar Ales brewery shop, OLD ENGLISH & FULL BODIED decked out by local company With Bear Hands, is: “No longer the dumping ground for deliveries and John Mahon, Brewer Simon Baker, Drayman 2 <strong>PINTS</strong> <strong>WEST</strong> even has a nice comfy seat for weary travellers.” <strong>PINTS</strong> <strong>WEST</strong> 3 DARK COPPER ALE 5.0%