Wolverhampton CAMRA Beerwolf Autumn 2017

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BEERWOLF 

Issue 30 | Autumn 2017 

Off the Chair 

A catch up with the 

Branch Chairman 

Incoming 

A look at local & 

national pub & beer news 

Brewery Update 

A look at what’s going on 

at local breweries 

Pub Update 

All the latest news on our 

branch pubs 

What’s On 

Forthcoming events 

Q&A 

With Hail to the Ale 

Event Recap 

Social Side with Amanda 

Hignett 

Feature 

We meet the team behind 

Wolverhampton’s 

newest brewery, Punchline 

LocAle 

A look at LocAle and the 

full list of our branch’s 

LocAle accredited pubs. 

4 

5 

7 

9 

12 

14 

20 

22 

24 

It’s been a while.. 

Welcome to the much anticipated issue 30 

of Beerwolf! A lot has changed in 

Wolverhampton in the three years since we 

last published. Not least, we have several 

new pubs to visit and a new brewery 

producing a selection of delicious beer. 

Wolverhampton is undergoing a 

transformation, with construction projects 

springing up throughout the city, art trails 

such as the successful Wolves in Wolves 

sculptures can be followed and monthly 

street markets take place on Dudley Street. 

That’s not to mention the inaugural 

Wolverhampton Food & Drink Festival that 

took place on a hot weekend in July. 

Hopefully you, the reader, will have made 

the most of summer, visiting pubs within 

our branch area and around the country. 

There’s never been a better time to drink 

real ale. In the year to October 2016, 

brewery numbers increased by 8% to 

around 1,700. The selection of good beer 

available is amazing - there’s something to 

suit all tastes. While Wolverhampton has 

seen new pubs open to provide us with 

tantalising selections from these breweries, 

there are still closures. The old saying 

remains true in regard to pubs - use it or 

lose it! I hope you enjoy the magazine. 

When you’ve finished reading it, pass it on! 

Editor 

Neil Hodgkiss 

Welcome 

Information 

30 Online 

Want to access Wolverhampton CAMRA 

news and information digitally? Follow us 

Disclaimer 

on social media: 

Beerwolf is published by the 

Wolverhampton branch of 

the Campaign for Real Ale Facebook - WolverhamptonCAMRA 

Ltd. (CAMRA). The views or Twitter - @WolvesCAMRA 

opinions expressed are not Instagram - @WolverhamptonCAMRA 

necessarily those of CAMRA 

or 

BEERWOLF | Autumn 2017 

3

Off the Chair 

It’s great news to have Beerwolf back after three years 

away. I must say a big thank you to Neil for taking on the 

editor’s role and getting Beerwolf in print again. 

We can get back to featuring the stories from around 

the Wolverhampton area and beyond, which will be of 

interest to real ale and cider drinkers. 

If you would like to write an article or want to place an 

advert for a future edition, please contact us. 

Locally and nationally we’re still losing too many pubs. Ahead of the 

next budget, CAMRA has launched a campaign focusing on the business 

rates and tax levels faced by pubs. Did you know that tax now takes up 

more than a third of a price of a pint in the pub? 

Join us by asking your MP to write to the Chancellor for a freeze in beer 

duty for the rest of this Parliament and ask for an annual £5,000 business 

rate relief for pubs. You don’t need to be a CAMRA member to do 

this, just visit this web page - www.camra.org.uk/keeppubsafloat. 

Cheers 

Branch Chairman 

Andy Parton 

A word from the branch chairman 

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BEERWOLF | Autumn 2017

Local and national pub & beer news 

Hayley looks into the past 

Landlady of the 

Lych Gate 

Tavern in 

Wolverhampton 

city centre, 

Hayley Hall, is 

researching the 

long history of 

the buildings 

which house the 

pub, which date 

back to the 

1500s & 1700s. 

She plans to put 

together a 

guide for visitors. If you have any 

information about this historic building, 

please email: 

info@lychgatetavern.co.uk 

Real Ale Hop gathers pace 

An exciting new beer trail is being 

planned by two Shropshire pubs, The 

Pheasant in Wellington and the Platform 

Ale House in Albrighton. It will 

take in pubs in the Wolverhampton 

branch area including those in Wolverhampton 

centre, Bilbrook and Codsall - 

near the localities’ respective railway 

stations, running on to Albrighton, Shifnal, 

Oakengates, Wellington & Shrewsbury. 

Users of the Real Ale Hop will get 

10p discount on each drink on presentation 

of their individual trail - which 

can be mapped out in advance on an 

In Brief 

Incoming 

interactive website - 

www.therealalehop.co.uk 

It’s hoped that the Real Ale Hop will be 

provisionally introduced by National 

Cask Ale Week (Sept 21—Oct 2). 

Wulfrunian running The Harp 

Just outside of our branch area, but a 

pub popular with Wolverhampton 

CAMRA members, The Harp Hotel in 

Albrighton has a new landlady in Faye 

White, who has moved from Wolverhampton 

to take the reigns at the High 

Street pub. Faye has previously worked 

in the trade at Penn Bowling Club and 

The Mermaid, and can’t wait to make 

her mark on the popular Hop Back 

Brewery pub. Faye mentions “We’re 

refurbishing but do not want to lose 

the wonderful 

character 

of the pub, 

so any 

changes 

will be 

very much 

in keeping 

with the 

age of the 

building.” 

Wolverhampton CAMRA wishes her all 

the best in her new venture and looks 

forward to visiting her for a pint or two 

of Hop Back Brewery’s finest at the village 

local. 

Cask Ale Week 

CAMRA members are urged 

to participate in Cask Ale 

Week, 21 Sept to 1 Oct. 

There are many events 

planned, visit 

www.caskaleweek.co.uk for 

information. Publicans, 

brewers and drinkers are 

also asked to create their 

own events for the week. 

Rates relief call 

CAMRA is calling on the 

government to introduce a 

new £5000 annual reduction 

on business rates for 

pubs. This follows the government’s 

£1000 discount 

for some pubs in the latest 

budget, but CAMRA feels 

this does not go far enough 

to keep pubs afloat. 


Conman warning 

Publicans are warned to be 

aware of a man visiting 

pubs masquerading as a 

representative of the ‘Beer 

Guide’ & other publications, 

asking staff for a payment 

for reviews he is conduction, 

recently in the north 

Staffs area. Staffordshire 

Police are investigating. 

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Incoming 

One in, one out 

...branch & national news continued 

Goodbye Ada 

Popular Wolverhampton craft brewer, 

Sacre Brew, has unfortunately closed 

this year as Gwen Sanchirico makes the 

move back to her native New York - 

but not before spending time teaching 

new brewers, the team behind 

Punchline Brewery, the tricks of the 

trade and some of her delicious 

recipes. Gwen’s beer was very popular 

in Wolverhampton & further afield, with 

Wendigo winning beer of the festival 

award at Wolverhampton CAMRA’s 

41st Beer & Cider Festival last year and 

bottles of Buffalo Beer (2016) selling 

out this year’s event. 

Gwen says goodbye & introduces 

members of the Punchline Brewery team 

Punchline Brewery have purchased 

Sacre Brew’s equipment and are now 

brewing from the same unit in Stowheath. 

Wolverhampton CAMRA wishes Gwen 

all the best in her future exploits - 

we’re keen to see if a new Sacre Brew 

springs up in Queens. You can read 

more about Punchline Brewery in our 

feature (page 22 - 23). 

Wolverhampton CAMRA were sad to 

hear of the death on July 13th of Ada 

Loftus, former licensee of The Pyle 

Cock, Rookery Street, Wednesfield at 

the age of 95. She was licensee of the 

Banks’s pub for 16 years (1970 – 

1986)*. The pub was hugely popular 

with real ale drinkers and regularly 

topped the branch poll for inclusion 

in the annual CAMRA Good Beer 

Guide. Indeed, it was a fixture in the 

guide for many years. The pub was a 

regular venue for CAMRA meetings, 

and members can recall joining locals 

on 11 th June 1986 to wish Ada well in 

her retirement. Ada was a wonderful 

woman, who made her customers 

feel very welcome and at home in the 

pub. Towards the end of her tenure 

Ada fought very hard to retain hand 

pumps in the pub, as Banks’s at the 

time strongly favoured electric 

pumps. The Pyle Cock was one of, if 

not the, last pub in the borough to 

retain them. The battle was eventually 

lost, only for hand pumps to return 

some years later, after Ada's retirement, 

when the company’s policy 

changed. We would like to express 

our sincere condolences to her family 

and friends. R.I.P. Ada 

*with thanks to “Hitchmough’s Black Country 

Pubs” for dates of tenure 

What’s Brewing on the net 

CAMRA members monthly newspaper, 

What’s Brewing, now has a dedicated 

website with all the information in the 

newspaper and more. At present, the 

website is open to all, but will be restricted 

to members only in the future. 

Visit here - wb.camra.org.uk 

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Broughs Brewery 

Brewery update 

Broughs is a small family run Wolverhampton brewery established 

in 2008. A lot has happened at Broughs brewery since 

the last publication of Beerwolf. 

Brewery: First of all and most importantly, the brewery 

changed location in mid 2015 from the historic former Butlers Springfield 

Brewery due to the site being sold to Wolverhampton University 

for redevelopment into a new civil engineering campus. New premises 

were found at Fordhouse Road Industrial Estate in Bushbury. 

Core beers & specials: Shortly after the brewery moved, a new beer 

called Broughs LPA (Light Pale Ale) 4.3% ABV was introduced to the 

portfolio, this has been very popular and is now the breweries best 

seller. The award winning Broughs Superior strong mild was increased 

from 5% to an impressive 6% ABV and will be available in the colder 

months. Andy has altered the recipe for the popular Broughs Springfield 

4% ABV by adding crystal malt, this will change the colour to 

more amber than pale golden, and there will be a more pronounced 

malt character. More recently Andy has developed a new, very hoppy 

beer called Broughs Gold 4% ABV which uses unusual Olicana hops. 

Festivals & events: The Broughs bar has become a regular feature at 

the Codsall Dining Club food and drink festival held in the village on the 

first Sunday each month during 

spring and summer. In April, Andy 

was asked to brew a beer especially 

for the first Willenhall beer festival, 

the beer was named by a competition 

winner and was announced at the festival 

as Umpshire Gold 4.2% ABV 

Pale Ale. In June, Wolverhampton 

beer festival had Broughs LPA and 

the new Broughs Gold on offer. Andy 

Brough has recently converted a 

horse box into a mobile bar for outdoor events, it made its debut at the 

beginning of July at the Tettenhall Round Table Summer Fete. 

Pub & club news: Earlier this year Stonegate pub company changed 

the list of breweries their pubs can order from. Unfortunately this has 

resulted in Broughs beers no longer being available in the Hogshead in 

Wolverhampton which had previously been a constant outlet for the 

local brewery. Therefore Broughs is now looking for new regular outlets 

in the centre, but also in and near Wolverhampton. Andy is now managing 

the Croft bar at Wolverhampton Rugby Club, Castlecroft, and 

has refurbished it. At least one of his beers can be found there at all 

times. Outside of our branch area, Broughs beer is quite often available 

at the Platform Ale House in Albrighton. (by Rob Taylor, Brewery Liaison Officer) 


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Grey Friars Brewery 

Grey Friars Brewery, Featherstone based brewers of Bobby 

and Auld Jock have been quiet of late, with ales most often 

available at The Burnt Pig Ale ‘Ouse in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. 

Marston’s / Banks’s Brewery 

Building work on the White Rabbit at Bilston is well under 

way and it is expected to open in October. 

Brewing is near capacity and sales are up about 3% on last 

year. 

(by Dave Burney, Brewery Liaison Officer) 

Newbridge Brewery 

Head brewer, James McCann, is currently brewing. Newbridge 

Brewery was launched in 2014 and has a core range 

that includes Little Fox, Solaris, Hopscotch and Indian Empire 

alongside the occasional special. 

(by Amanda Hignett, Brewery Liaison Officer) 

Morton Brewery 

Morton continue to produce their core range of ales which 

can be found at the Hail to the Ale in Claregate and further 

afield. A recent charity beer was brewed & available at the 

micropub and Stafford Beer Festival amongst other locations. 

25p from every pint of Rescue Red 

sold is donated to the Crisis Point charity 

to raise money for an operation for the 

charities child therapy dog, Red. 

More information can be found at the following 

link: 

http://www.crisispoint.org.uk/support-ourwork/meet-our-therapy-dog-red/ 

Punchline Brewery 

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Punchline held a preview event on Sat July 22nd, which was 

to showcase the five beers that were brewed with Gwen’s 

(of Sacre Brew) assistance. The event was well attended and 

the beers that received the most favourable customer feedback 

will be brewed on a regular basis. 

(by Mick Young, Brewery Liaison Officer) 


Pub update 

Since the last edition of Beerwolf, a lot has happened in the Wolverhampton 

area. We’ve seen pubs open and close, often mirroring the national 

picture. If you have any news about your local pub, please contact Mark 

Hewitt, pub preservation officer, or the editor (contact details on page 

30). This first update covers some old news to bring people up to speed. 

City Centre 

The Hooded Ram, Victoria Square 

Opening its doors on 14 April this year 

in the building that formerly housed 

Rothwells and the Indi Bar, the pub / 

restaurant stocks Hooded Ram ales 

from the Isle of Man and boasts an extensive 

Punjabi street food menu 

through the Gali Kitchen. Regular cask 

ales include Mosaic and Cascade single 

hop beers, Little King Louis IPA, Ram’s 

Head Bitter and Jack The Ram Stout. 

Slater’s, Queen Square 

Slater’s opened on a cold evening in 

February 2016 and has seen considerable 

success since then, hosting outdoor 

bars in Queen Square during 

events and regular open mic nights 

throughout the year. The pub stocks a 

large range of cask real ale and craft 

beer, with a particular focus on Slater’s 

Brewery ale. 

Dog & Doublet / Numa Bar, North 

Street 

The Dog & Doublet (formerly The Tiger, 

Kipps Wine Bar and Mander Bar) now 

owns next door - the former Town Hall 

Tavern, Little Civic & Numa Bar. Plans 

are a relatively closely guarded secret, 

though there has been mention about 

reopening the cellar bar.. 

New Inn, Salop Street 

The New Inn has closed, been refurbished 

and reopened on 30 June as 

The Boardroom, a modern bar specialising 

in whiskey, wine and cocktails, 

with one cask ale available. 

Tap & Ale House, Chapel Ash 

The former Alexandria and The Globe 

closed and has now reopened (July) as 

Street Food, a smokehouse & BBQ restaurant. 

The White Hart, Worcester Street 

At present, closed. 

The Grain Store, King Street 

Refurbished this summer, now has a 

selection of Sharp’s real ales available. 

Prince Albert, Railway Street 

Reopened on 2 September, currently 

two cask ales from Salopian & Otter 

breweries. 

West Wolverhampton 

Hail to the Ale, Claregate 

The Hail is Winner of West Midlands 

County Pub of the Year 2017. 

The Rock, Upper Street, Tettenhall 

The Rock recently closed and, following 

refurbishment, reopened as Goodwin’s 

Restaurant & Bar. 

The Claregate, Codsall Road, 

Following the successful battle to save 

the pub in 2015 & recognition of The 

Claregate as an ACV (asset of community 

value), Marston’s closed the pub in 

January of this year for an extensive 

refurbishment. Now part of the Generous 

George stable of Marston’s pub 

restaurants, The Claregate stocks a 

wide range of Banks’s / Marston’s portfolio 

beers. 

North Wolverhampton 

Keg & Comfort Alehouse, Stafford 

Road, Three Tuns 

A new micropub currently under development 

following receipt of planning 

permission in July. The micropub resides 

in the former Barclays Bank building 

at Three Tuns, 474 Stafford Road, 

with a possible opening date around 

October / November. 

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South & East 


The Albion, Wednesfield 

The Albion closed recently and following 

refurbishment, reopened under a 

new name, The Lancaster. 

The Pheasant, Wednesfield 

Has recently reopened following a 

three week refurbishment. 

The Vine, Wednesfield 

Biannual beer festivals take place at 

this Black Country Ales pub, The Vine is 

recognised as having a CAMRA National 

Heritage Interior. 

The White Rabbit, Bradley, Bilston 

A new build Marston’s pub restaurant 

that will operate under the Milestone 

Carvery branding at the Bilston Urban 

Village development, Bankfield Road. 

It’s name is a local mining reference. 

The pub is expected to be open in 

October. 

South Staffordshire 

The Bell Inn, Stretton 

Also known as the Ham ‘n’ Eggery, is 

currently closed. 

The Crown, Codsall 

The Crown closed in late 2015 following 

purchase by Joule’s Brewery, reopening 

in 2016. The pub has seven real ales, 

with at least three of these Joule’s regulars 

such as Joule’s Pale Ale and Slumbering 

Monk. 

Hartley Arms, Wheaton Aston 

The pub is continuing its successful annual 

Beer, Burgers & Bands festival, with 

the latest taking place in August. 

The Harrows Inn, Coven 

Has been recently awarded by the 

branch for its excellent selection of 

cider. 

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The Station, Codsall 

Held its 20th Codsall Station beer festival 

on August bank holiday weekend 

with live music and food & was named 

the Express & Star’s most popular pub 

of the year for the Wolverhampton area. 

Beer festivals at The Station - 

always popular 


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What’s On 

Branch Events 

12 Sep @ 7:30pm, New members meet + greet with traditional pub 

games, at the Duke of York, Members, new + old welcome. 

21 Sep @ 7pm, Young Members Meeting, visiting Walsall pubs, meet 

7pm Moon Under Water, Non-members + all ages welcome. 

26 Sep, evening trip to Hobsons Brewery, Meet @ 6:30pm Faulklands 

St Coach Station £15, Book w/Amanda Hignett 07933 441850. 

5 Oct @ 8pm, Branch Meeting, Royal Oak, Tettenhall Wood, All members 

welcome. 

Branch Meetings 

Are you a CAMRA member? Why not attend a branch meeting? You’ll 

be made welcome and there is no obligation to get involved - but it is 

the first place for all the latest pub, club, ale, cider and perry news! We 

vary location, forthcoming meetings are as follows: 

7 Sept @ 8pm - The Ashmore, Griffiths Drive, WV11 2LJ 

5 Oct @ 8pm - The Royal Oak, Tettenhall Wood, WV6 8EJ 

**No meeting in November - Branch AGM** 

7 Dec @ 8pm - The Vine, Wednesfield, WV11 1TN 

Other Local Events 

22 - 23 Sept - Sedgley Beer Festival 

Jubilee Hall, High Holborn Rd, Sedgley, DY3 3UA 

6 - 7 Oct - Codsall Beer Festival 

Codsall Village Hall, Wolverhampton Road, Codsall, WV8 1PL 

Codsall Beer Festival returns to the village hall for the third year running. 

13 - 15 Oct - Beer and Buses, Aston Manor Transport Museum 

Shenstone Drive, (Off Northgate) Aldridge WS9 8TP 

Beer Festival organised by The Rotary Club of Aldridge 

Friday, October 13th (7.00pm to 10.30pm), Saturday, October 14th (12,00noon 

to 10.30pm) & Sunday, October 15th (12.00noon to 5.00pm) 

**Includes vintage bus trips during the day** For more information, 

contact Keith Wild malcolmkwild@outlook.com 

9 - 12 Nov - Beer Festival at The Great Western 

Sun Street, Wolverhampton 

The popular annual beer festival returns to this railway themed pub. 

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The Royal Oak 

Compton Road 


WV3 9PH 

01902 422845 

www.royaloakwolverhampton.co.uk 

Well kept cask ales 

Bar snacks 

Heated patio area 

Weekly live music 

Free WIFI 

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Q & A 

Hail to the Ale 

Beerwolf caught up with Angela Morton, licensee of Hail to the Ale, 

Claregate, Wolverhampton’s first micropub, for a chat. 

BW: Since the last edition of Beerwolf, you've picked up a few more awards - 

tell us what you've won.. 

Angela: Wolverhampton City Pub of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017, West Midlands 

County Pub of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017 and West Midlands Regional Pub of 

the Year in 2015. 

BW: What do you think 

you're doing that is resonating, 

not just with the 

people of Wolverhampton, 

but those further afield? 

CAMRA awards are proudly displayed at Hail to the Ale 

Gary / Angela: We adhere 

to the ‘original’ micropub 

formula as stated by Martyn 

Hillier when he set up 

the Micropub Association 

in 2005. There has been 

a lot of discussion lately 

about what is and isn’t a 

micropub, Gary will be 

producing a full article 

on this subject very 

soon. 

BW: There are an increasing number of new pubs on the scene, including in the 

west Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire area. If you had any advice to 

give to someone just starting out, what would it be? 

Angela: We think you need to have a clear vision of what you want to do and 

where you want to fit in to the local pub scene. This has to be backed up by 

quality products, reasonable prices and excellent service. 

BW: Hail to the Ale has proved a real success since opening in 2013. Since that 

date, you've added a small beer garden, the 'Doris Cooper Memorial Beer Garden'. 

Do you have any further plans for the pub? 

Angela: Since the beer garden, we have added a staff car park, so the premises 

is now fully developed to its capacity. All we can do now is continue as we are 

for the foreseeable future. 

BW: Tell us about any forthcoming events you have between now and 

Christmas.. 

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Angela: We update our ‘What’s On’ board 

every three months. Our forthcoming 

events are a trip to Ludllow Food Festival, 

open mic night on Weds 27 September 

and a Laurel & Hardy evening on Weds 

25th October. 

BW: If you had £10 million to spend in the 

Wolverhampton area, what would you 

spend it on? 

Angela: Anything to make the city more 

prosperous, so this could be a publicity 

campaign to attract investment to the 

area, or developing derelict buildings into 

attractive business units. I’d also look at 

establishing a city based animal sanctuary. 

Angela & Gary Morton are presented 

with the County Pub of the Year award 

2017 by Amanda Hignett 

Follow Hail to the Ale micropub online at: 

Facebook - 

Twitter - 

www.facebook.com/hailtotheale 

@httamicropub 

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16

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Beer Festival 

42nd Wolverhampton 

Beer & Cider Festival 

For the second year running, Wolverhampton’s Beer & Cider Festival 

was held at the city’s Newhampton Arts Centre in June, showcasing 

cask ales from around the country as well as an extensive cider & perry 

selection and an international bottle bar. Feedback, both during and 

following the event, was overwhelmingly positive. 

Dates aren’t yet set for 2018’s 43rd Wolverhampton Beer & Cider Festival, 

but keep an eye out for forthcoming editions of Beerwolf and on 

our social media pages - 

Facebook - www.facebook.com/WolverhamptonCAMRA/ 

Twitter - @WolvesCAMRA 

Instagram - @WolverhamptonCAMRA 

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Event recap 

As an active member of CAMRA I do believe that 

being a member is as much about social activities, 

as campaigning, which is why since I became social secretary 

nearly 5 years ago Wolverhampton CAMRA has a busy social life. 

We regularly meet with other branches for quizzes and pub crawls as 

well as having pub games nights, scoring crawls, brewery visits, beer 

festival trips, ‘Camraokes’ and treasure hunts. One of most popular 

events is the Cheese and Jazz night that is held at The Trumpet, Bilston, 

where everyone brings cheese. The next one is November 15 th , if 

you are interested. 

This year has seen us visiting Tewkesbury Winter Ales festival, Bishops 

Castle real ale festival, battling with Bridgnorth and Telford CAMRA in a 

quiz, hosting a town centre cider crawl in May and a successful Mild in 

May event that gets pubs that don’t always serve mild to try it. 

Everyone is welcome to come along and see what we are about, you 

don’t have to be a CAMRA member to join in- you never know you 

might like us so much that you sign up to CAMRA. 

More information about our events, usually 2 each month, can be found 

on our Facebook page, Wolverhampton CAMRA or on our website, 

https://wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

If you have an idea for a social event do get in touch: 

social@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Branch trip to Weston Super Mare 

As with most CAMRA branches that hold a beer festival, our branch 

runs a thank you trip for all those who have helped with and volunteered 

for our beer festival.New members that sign up at the festival 

are also invited to come along on the trip, to meet fellow CAMRA members 

and get to know the branch. 

Way back on a dark cold January Monday evening at a festival planning 

evening it was decided that this year we could have a day at the seaside, 

to Weston Super Mare for this years thank you 

trip. The Weston CAMRA social secretary was contacted 

and arrangements were made. 

A full 52 seater coach made its way down the M5 on 

Saturday 15 July, in drizzling rain, negotiating the 

roadworks, and after a stop over at the wonderful 

Gloucester Services farm shop for cheese and local 

ales, arrived at Weston Super Mare. The first pub 

was The Waverley, which had on 2 guest ales as 

well as the usual Tribute and Abbots ale. The local 

guest ales were much appreciated as was the pub, 

with its air raid shelter in the garden that is used as 

a meeting room and music venue. 

20 


We met our three guides from Weston CAMRA here who then took us, 

in groups, onto The Bear. This is a large spacious pub and B&B with 

open fire that is dog friendly, serving excellent local ales. 

After the Bear, our group of happy travellers split up and approached 

the pubs around the town by different routes. We did have a map, with 

15 recommended pubs to visit and some of our members did do them 

all, others did one or two then had a walk along the pier and had fish 

and chips on the sea front. Most people managed about 6 or 7. The 

members of Weston CAMRA were really helpful, full of information 

about the pubs and beers in the town. 

For me the biggest surprise was The Duke of 

Oxford, which had changed a lot since the last 

time I was there about 10 years ago. It is now 

a very stylish gastro-pub with real ale and real 

ciders. 

Our group also visited The Red Admiral and 

The White Hart and the very quaint Off The Rails, on the station at 

Weston, which is also the station buffet. It had 2 local ales and local ciders. 

The Riches cider went down very well. 

We then called into the Brit bar, which is the home of RPM brewery. 

Unfortunately none of their ales were on for our 

visit but our members enjoyed what beers they 

tried there. We then moved on to The Cabot, 

the sea front Wetherspoons pub and hotel. This 

is a large spacious pub, spread over 4 floors 

with lovely sea views. 

We had to make a decision where to go next as 

time was running out- luckily we made the right 

choice and went up to The Criterion. I think this 

is my favourite pub in Weston, with a friendly 

welcome and the landlord had put on a lovely buffet for the visitors, 

which was much appreciated. There was just time to have a couple of 

quick pints of local ale, one coming from Cheddar brewery, and a game 

of bar billiards before moving on to The Major From Glengarry. Chris 

and Michelle made everyone very welcome, with local ale and cider. 

One of our members noticed their range of bottled foreign beer and 

very quickly bought some to take home. 

We then had a brisk walk along the sea front, by now the weather was 

more like January than July, to reach our meeting pub, The Dragon. 

This is the other Wetherspoons pub in Weston at the top of the town, 

the beer quality was great with a good range of both local ales and 

ciders. 

Our three wonderful guides then came to the coach to see us off. (I 

think they were making sure we were really leaving) 

The members that came on the trip all had a great day- many were surprised 

by the amount of good pubs in Weston, a place I would recommend 

any real ale or cider 

drinker to visit. 

Amanda Hignett - Social Secretary 

21

Feature 

It’s always good news when a new 

brewery opens in your area. It’s even 

better when the owners of that 

brewery purchase the kit from a 

much missed departing brewer. 

Punchline Brewery had been a pipe 

(or should that be pint) dream for 

many years. When the opportunity 

came up to make that dream a reality, 

the five friends behind Wolverhampton’s 

newest brewery jumped 

at the chance. 

New brewery opens in Wolverhampton 

#NoJoke 

A welcome to Punchline Brewery 

brewing, bottling, labelling, off sales 

and open days around this. 

Louise said: “For us, the brewery is a 

social space as well as a working 

brewery, this is what we do in our 

spare time so it important that it’s 

fun.” 

Situated in what was Sacre Brew in 

Monmore Green, the Brewery is 

owned by Richard and Lisa Shackleton, 

James Plant who all live in Wolverhampton, 

Andy Bates (an ex- 

Wolvo) and his partner Louise 

Rowan. 

James explained: “When we heard 

Gwen (Sanchirico from Sacre Brew) 

was moving back to New York, 

James talked to her about taking on 

the kit and premises. She had very 

loyal supporters and it was important 

to her that the kit would stay in 

Wolverhampton.” 

Andy added: “We had been supporters 

of Gwen’s, as crowd funders or 

regular customers, and the opportunity 

– plus the chance to learn from 

her – was too good to miss. I have 

been putting on beer tasting events 

for friends for a while and was looking 

at brewing on a very small scale, 

so when this opportunity came up 

we decided to go for it.” 

All five owners are keeping their day 

jobs – including accounting, social 

media and IT – and are scheduling 

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Just like their dreams of brewing, the 

name and the concept behind Punchline 

had been around for years. All 

the beers are named after the punchline 

to jokes. “We wanted something 

distinctive, something that would 

stand out written on a chalk board or 

in a beer festivals booklet,” explained 

Louise. 

The first range of Punchline beers are 

all vegan and were brewed together 

with Gwen. “We have huge respect 

for Gwen and she was a great 

teacher,” added James. 

The initial range, Why the Long Face 

(an IPA); No Eye Deer (Saison); 

Dyathinkhesaurus (Imperial Porter); 

Sunburnt Penguin (Wheat Beer) and 

The Other Side (Black IPA) were all 

launched at a preview event in July. 

The distinctive labels have been designed 

by Wolverhampton company, 

The Studio. 

Despite the short notice the team 

were blown away by the turn-out 

and reaction to the beer (ratings 

from the first weekend ranged from 

3.25 up to 5 on Untappd). 

The first range of beers are all pretty 

strong – 6.1 to 7.7 per cent – and 

there are lower strength beers

currently in the fermenting room. 

These include a Hoppy Pale Ale and a 

Scots Ale. 

“The preview was our first opportunity 

to really talk to people about our 

beers,” added Richard, “The team all 

like very different styles so our first 

range was pretty diverse. We haven’t 

decided on which ones will become 

our core range so we’re always looking 

for feedback”. 

All the beer is brewed, kegged, bottled 

and labelled on the premises. 

The 200l kit itself was, in part, custom-built 

for Sacre Brew. Since taking 

over, Punchline’s methods and 

the kit itself are evolving; the fermentation 

room has been upgraded and 

there are plans to gradually expand 

the kit. 

There’s also a much smaller kit that 

will be used for experimental brews, 

the first batches won’t be for sale. 

Punchline see it as good opportunity 

to try out more unusual styles. 

After the success of the preview day 

the beers are becoming available in 

off-licences, pubs and bars across the 

Midlands as well as being available 

from the brewery. There are plans for 

more events and even a beer club. 

“It is still early days for us” said Richard, 

“We’ve got loads of ideas and 

are really enjoying ourselves. We’re 

always happy to chat about beer 

and brewing in general.” 

You can follow Punchline Brewery 

on Facebook @PunchlineBrewery; 

Twitter @Punchline_Brew and Instagram 

@punchline_brew. 


23

LocAle 

What is CAMRA LocAle? 

CAMRA LocAle is a scheme aimed at promoting pubs that sell consistently well 

kept locally brewed real ale, reducing the number of 'beer miles' from brewery to 

pub, and supporting local breweries. 

CAMRA LocAle is an initiative where a CAMRA branch encourages licensees in its 

area to stock at least one locally brewed real ale and if the guide lines are followed, 

awards them with free publicity and acknowledgement 

of their beer quality. The scheme also builds on a growing 

consumer demand for local produce with provenance 

and an increased awareness of 'green' environmental 

issues. 

Everyone benefits from local pubs stocking locally brewed real ale in the following 

ways: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public houses as stocking local real ales can increase pub visits by proud locals 

and interested visitors to the area. 

Consumers who enjoy greater beer choice and diversity. 

Local brewers who gain from increased outlets and sales. 

The local economy because more money is spent and retained locally. 

The environment due to fewer ‘beer miles' resulting in less road congestion 

and pollution. 

Tourism due to an increased sense of local identity and provenance - let's celebrate 

what makes our locality different. 

LocAle Accreditation 

Due to the different geographical circumstances of the various CAMRA branches 

around Britain, LocAle accreditation is at the sole discretion of the local branch, but 

is always subject to the licensee understanding and agreeing the following requirements: 

 

That they will endeavour to ensure at least one locally brewed real ale, as defined 

by the local branch, is on sale at all times. 

 

 

Only real ale, as defined by CAMRA, can be promoted as a CAMRA LocAle. 

Where the standard of real ale sold falls below an acceptable quality, accreditation 

will be withdrawn. 

 

That accreditation can be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the local 

branch. 

That should accreditation be withdrawn, or should the licensee withdraw from the 

scheme, all LocAle publicity material must be removed from the pub and the licensee 

cease using the CAMRA LocAle logo. 

To be considered for LocAle accreditation the pub/club will first of all be nominated 

by a CAMRA member, members of the branch will then visit the premises 

over a month or two in order to assess its suitability for accreditation. A vote will 

then be held at one of the subsequent monthly branch meetings to finally decide if 

it should be included in the scheme. It is important that the branch is confident that 

the pub/club consistently serves well-kept locally brewed beer before it will recommend 

it to the public. 

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If it is reported to the branch that a pub/club stops serving any beers that are considered 

local by the branch, or the quality of the beer becomes regularly poor, then 

the branch shall investigate over the course of a month or two and if the report is 

proven to be correct then the branch reserves the right to cease promoting the pub 

as somewhere to find LocAle. If a pub on the list changes hands then it shall be reassessed 

as beer choice and quality may be affected. 

Definition of Local 

The Governments Sustainable Communities Act, which 

CAMRA strongly supports, provides a definition of local 

as up to 30 miles from the point of origin to the 

point of sale. CAMRA recommends (but does not enforce) 

that the distance is calculated from the pub to 

the brewery and should be based on the shortest driving 

distance. Real ales from large regional and national 

breweries as well as from smaller microbreweries can 

be regarded as "local" if they are brewed within what 

the branch has decided as being their LocAle area. 

After much debate and a vote at a branch meeting 

earlier this year it was decided that the Wolverhampton 

branch of CAMRA would define its LocAle policy 

as including any brewery within the branch boundary 

and within 30 miles (as the crow flies) of the branch 

boundary line. This provides a definable area and a list 

of breweries in this area for all of our licensees to 

choose from if they wish to take part in the scheme 

(map and brewery list can be found on the branch 

website). The list of breweries was compiled from CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and 

shall be updated every 12 months when the new GBG is released every September. 

How do I find a LocAle Pub? 

If you would like to visit a LocAle accredited pub or club in the Wolverhampton 

CAMRA branch area then these are listed here and on the WhatPub.com website, 

where a visitor can search for “Wolverhampton (CAMRA)” then use the list of filters 

to display pubs that are “LocAle Accredited”. WhatPub is the best source of information 

as the list may change due to pubs/clubs joining and leaving the scheme. 

Pubs and clubs which have been awarded LocAle accreditation by the Wolverhampton 

CAMRA branch can display the LocAle sticker on their windows or doors. 

The stickers have the year for which they have been accredited as LocAle by the 

branch. They may also have posters up in the pub and there may be LocAle pump 

clip crowners displayed on the pumps that are serving locally brewed beers. 

A list of the Wolverhampton branch LocAle pubs (as at Summer 2017) can be found 

on the next page. 

If you have any questions about this scheme please email 

locale@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Look out for the LocAle 

logo above the pump clip 


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Wolverhampton CAMRA LocAle Accredited Pubs & Clubs (July 2017) 

# Pub / Club Area LocAle Brewery Beer Miles 

1 Ashmore Inn Ashmore Park Banks's 4 

2 Barley Mow Penn Common Hobsons 17 

3 Bentlands Codsall Holdens (Enville) 8, (10) 

4 Bridge Inn Brewood Banks's (Marston's) 6 (23) 

5 Builders Arms Blakenhall Banks's 1 

6 Bull Hotel Codsall Banks's (Thwaites +) 4 (4) 

7 Café Metro Bilston Salopian 30 

8 Chindit Merridale Salopian (Sadlers) 27 (9) 

9 Claregate Claregate Banks's (Marston's) 1 (25) 

10 Codsall Station Codsall Holdens 7 

11 Crown (Joule's) Codsall Joule's 22 

12 Dartmouth Arms Burnhill Green Salopian (Three Tuns) 20 (29) 

13 Dog & Doublet Central Ludlow 28 

14 Dog & Gun Tettenhall Thwaites 1 

15 Firs Club Codsall Various 6 

16 Great Western Bradley Banks's 3 

17 Great Western Heath Town Holdens (Bathams) 4 (7) 

18 Greyhound Lower Penn Enville (Hobsons) 6 (17) 

19 Gunmakers Arms Bradmore Banks's 1 

20 Hail to the Ale Claregate Morton 4 

21 Harrows Inn Coven Titanic 26 

22 Hartley Arms Wheaton Aston Banks's 9 

23 Hogshead Central Fownes (Holdens) 4 (4) 

24 Horse & Jockey Woodcross Hobsons 19 

25 Lych Gate Tavern Central Black Country Ales 5 

26 Moreton Arms Fordhouses Banks's 3 

27 Newhampton Whitmore Rns Enville (Three Tuns) 9 (36) 

28 Oddfellows Hall Compton Banks's (Marston's) 1 

29 Penn Bowling Club Penn Banks's (Marston's) 1 (26) 

30 Pigot Arms Pattingham Holdens 8 

31 Posada Central Hobsons (Marston's) 20 (25) 

32 Roebuck Upper Penn Banks's 1 

33 Royal Oak Chapel Ash Banks's (Marston's) 1 (25) 

34 Royal Tiger Wednesfield Marston's 25 

35 Slater's Central Slater's 17 

36 Stile Inn Whitmore Rns Banks's 1 

37 Summer House Whitmore Rns Enville 9 

38 Swan Compton Banks's (Marston's) 1 (26) 

39 Swan Hotel Brewood Broughs (Bathams +) 4 (14) 

40 Trumpet Bilston Holdens 2 

41 Vine Inn Wednesfield Black Country Ales 6 

Note - pubs appear in alphabetical order, ‘+’ 

under LocAle Brewery denotes more than two 

regular LocAle brewery beers. 

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28 BEERWOLF | Autumn 2017

29

Information 

Branch Contacts 

Consumer Information 

Secretary / Branch Contact 

John Nightingale 

secretary@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Chairman 

Andy Parton 

chairman@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Vice Chairman 

John Dearnaley 

vicechairman@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Membership Secretary 

Mick Young 

membership@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Social Secretary 

Amanda Hignett 

social@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Pub Preservation Officer 

Mark Hewitt 

pubprotection@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Branch Treasurer 

Sue Rostance 

treasurer@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Beerwolf Magazine Editor 

Neil Hodgkiss 

beerwolf@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

If you have any complaints over matters 

such as short measures etc, and have no 

satisfaction from the pub in question, 

please contact: 

Wolverhampton Trading Standards 

Initial advice directly from Citizens 

Advice 

Tel - 03454 04 05 06 (Monday - 

Friday from 9.00am to 5.00pm) 

tradingstandards@wolverhampton.gov.uk 

Staffordshire Trading Standards 

Initial advice directly from Citizens 

Advice 

Tel - 03454 040506 

www.staffordshire.gov.uk/business/ 

tradingstandards/ 

Advertising Information 

Beerwolf is funded entirely by advertisements. 

Many thanks to everyone who 

has contributed to this edition. To advertise 

in the next edition, please 

contact Neil by email - 

beerwolf@wolverhampton.camra.org.uk 

Prices start from £60. The copy date for 

the Winter issue is 1 November for publication 

in the first week of December. 

Printed by - Warwick Printing Company Limited, 

Caswell Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV31 1QD 

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Wolverhampton CAMRA Beerwolf Autumn 2017

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