THE MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID
BERKSHIRE BRANCH OF THE CAMPAIGN
FOR REAL ALE
IN THIS ISSUE...
PUB & BREWERY NEWS
CAMRA REVITALISATION
SMALL BEER
READING BEER & CIDER
FESTIVAL
ALE TRAIL, NOW ON
& MORE...
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Branch Diary
All meetings and social events are relaxed and friendly,
and start at 20.00 unless specified. Non-members are
welcome to all events except branch meetings. Please
check the website before setting out in case of any
last-minute changes.
March
WED 7: Branch meeting. Queens Head (garden
room), 54 Christchurch Road, Reading, RG2 7AZ.
SUN 25: Ale Trail walk (6 miles). Meet 11.00 at
Henley Station Car Park. From Henley Station to
Flower Pot via Little Angel (no drink stop), cross
country to Remenham Wood and Aston Village
(Flower Pot), arrival 12:30 (2.5 miles). Stop for a drink
then at 13:15 walk back to Henley via Thames Path,
arrival 15:00 (3.5 miles). Once back in Henley there
are plenty of options for more pubs and food. Train
times: Tilehurst 10:10, Reading 10:18, Twyford 10:45
arrival Henley 11:00. Return Henley 18:00, Twyford
18:38 arrival Reading 18:45.
April
WED 4: Last Orders: Ale Trail ends. All entries must
be received by 23.59 on this day.
THU 5: First Thursday of the Month Social. Fox &
Hounds, 116 City Road, Tilehurst, RG31 5SB.
WED 11: Branch Meeting. Hop Leaf (back room),
163-165 Southampton Street, Reading, RG1 2QZ.
May
THU 3 – SUN 6: Reading Beer and Cider Festival. See
readingbeerfestival.org.uk for more details.
SUN 13: Pub walk from Pangbourne.
This is a guide only and Reading & Mid Berkshire
CAMRA cannot be held responsible for any loss due to
the alteration or cancellation of any of these events.
See www.readingcamra.org.uk for more details of
events.
Mine’s A Pint
3
Contact Us
Useful contact details for this
magazine, CAMRA and other
important things…
Mine’s a Pint Circulation: 3,000.
Outlets: Over 70 across the region.
Editor: Phil Gill
editor@readingcamra.org.uk
0771 455 0293
81 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG
Magazine published on behalf of
Reading and Mid Berkshire CAMRA
by:
Neil Richards MBE at Matelot
Marketing
01536 358670 / 07710 281381
n.richards@btinternet.com
Printed by Portland Printers, Bartley
Drive, Kettering,
Northants, NN16 8UN.
01536 511555
Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA
www.readingcamra.org.uk
Social Secretary: Chris Hinton
social@readingcamra.org.uk
Contact for all other branch matters:
Katrina Fletcher
contact@readingcamra.org.uk
0779 401 9437
Local Trading Standards
Reading Borough Council:
www.reading.gov.uk 0118 937 3737
West Berkshire Council:
www.westberks.gov.uk 01635 519930
Royal Borough of Windsor &
Maidenhead:
www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 683800
Wokingham Borough Council:
www.wokingham.gov.uk 0118 974
6400
The next issue of Mine’s a Pint will
be published in early June. Please feel
free to submit any copy or ideas by
7 th May.
The opinions expressed in Mine’s a Pint
are not necessarily those of the editor or
the Campaign for Real Ale. © Campaign
for Real Ale 2018.
From The Editor
There’s been so much happening lately
but I need to start with a big thank you
to Katrina for being guest editor for the
December issue. It was a period of a lot
of uncertainty for the branch and you
did a superb job!
Late last year we had a crisis where there
weren’t enough CAMRA volunteers
to keep the Reading & Mid Berkshire
branch going. After our AGM we
were lacking a chairman along with
ten other important posts. That’s not
a sustainable position for a CAMRA
branch and, if drastic action hadn’t
been taken, the branch would have been
dissolved and the territory divided up
among other neighbouring branches.
Nobody wanted that, not least because
it would mean an end to much of our
local campaigning activity like the Ale
Trail, LocAle scheme, Pub of the Year
and Beer Festival, not to mention this
magazine.
So what was to be done? Basically send
a plea for help to our branch members
and hope that some would step up
to help. And step up they did. At an
emergency “Save the Branch” meeting in
early December over 35 people attended
and most of our vacant roles were filled.
A few weeks later, and after a bit of
behind the scenes activity, we had a full
organising committee for the first time
in many years.
A massive thank you to everybody
who stepped forward to volunteer.
In particular to Arthur Pounder and
Royce Longton who offered to co-chair
Mine’s A Pint
4
the branch, and to Martin Hoare who
volunteered as vice-Chairman. This was
a massive step and we looked forward
to a much more positive 2018.
Fast forward to the end of January and
we were shocked to learn that Arthur,
our new co-chairman, had passed
away in a tragic accident. In the short
time that Arfs had been in post he had
shown a keenness to learn about branch
activities and a desire to move things
forward. Those actions will now be
taken forward by Royce, Martin and
the rest of the branch committee. We’ve
also recently welcomed James Moore as
co-chairman.
So there’s been a huge amount going
on at a local level, and that’s before
we’ve even started to think about
CAMRA nationally. It’s a crucial time
for CAMRA, one of the most important
and pivotal points since the campaign
was formed in 1971.
Contents
BRANCH DIARY 3
FROM THE EDITOR 4-5
CAMRA REVITALISATION 6-7
PUB & BREWERY NEWS 8-17
SMALL BEER 19-22
BEER WITH FOOD, OR FOOD WITH BEER? 23-24
READING BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL 23-24
ARTHUR POUNDER 25
ALE TRAIL NOW ON 26-27
JOIN CAMRA 28-29
The proposals from the Revitalisation
Project have recently been published
and will be voted on at the Members’
Weekend in April, which will set the
focus and direction for the campaign
for many years to come. It’s the chance
for all CAMRA members to think about
“What is CAMRA for?” and vote for
the direction they want the campaign to
take. Every member has a vote and you
can read more about the proposals in
this magazine.
Just a few days after the Members’
Weekend is the May Day Bank Holiday
weekend, the traditional time to enjoy
the Reading Beer and Cider Festival. It’s
no secret that the festival lost money last
year and, as a result, CAMRA HQ are
rightly taking a much keener interest in
the finances this time. There are a number
of measures that have been put in place
to de-risk the festival and we hope that
they will be successful. Budget approval
was received from HQ just before we
went to press so make sure you head to
Christchurch Meadows in Caversham
on 3 – 6 May to show your support for
what is one of the premier beer festivals
in the country. It’s run entirely by
volunteers and yet many people say that
it looks more professional than many
commercial events.
Katrina said in the last issue “We don’t
know what the future holds, but it’s in
your hands.” That’s as true now as it has
been at any point in CAMRA’s lifetime.
I think we’ve all earned a beer! Cheers!
Phil Gill - Editor
editor@readingcamra.org.uk
Mine’s A Pint
5
CAMRA Revitalisation
CAMRA’s Revitalisation Project is the
biggest review into the organisation’s
purpose, vision and mission conducted
in its 47 year history. Now it’s time for
members to take the decision on the
changes recommended by CAMRA’s
volunteer leadership.
This review of CAMRA’s function
and purpose has been going on since
2016 and the proposals from the
Revitalisation working group have now
been published. This root and branch
review of the organisation’s purpose and
objectives has now culminated in the
National Executive proposing changes
to CAMRA’s Articles of Association.
They will be voted on at the CAMRA
Members’ Weekend to be held in
Coventry from 20 - 22 April.
Because of the importance of the
proposals – they will set the future
direction of CAMRA for many years to
come – they are being proposed as Special
Resolutions rather than as Conference
Resolutions. The distinctions are subtle
but very important.
In short:
• Special Resolutions are binding on
the National Executive whereas
Conference Resolutions are not.
• Proxy voting is enabled for Special
Resolutions, meaning that every
CAMRA member has an equal
voice in the decision.
• Special Resolutions requite 75%
of those voting to be in favour in
order to be carried – it’s not just a
simple majority like for Conference
Resolutions.
The wording for the Special Resolutions
is being published following the deadline
for submission on February 16. All
Special Resolutions are also published
Mine’s A Pint
6
in the March issue of What’s Brewing,
CAMRA’s newspaper.
WHAT’S BEING
PROPOSED?
Full details are available at www.
revitalisationdecision.camra.org.uk
and I’d strongly encourage all CAMRA
members to have a thorough read of
the proposals there. A series of regional
briefing meetings have been held –
locally there was one held in Henley in
February – and in summary what’s being
proposed falls under several headings:
BEER
• Real ale remains core to CAMRA’s
campaigning.
• CAMRA’s representation widens to
include all pub goers and drinkers
of quality beer.
• CAMRA’s scope widens to include
quality beer of all types.
CIDER AND PERRY
• Real cider and perry remains core to
CAMRA’s activities.
• Cider and perry are explicitly
mentioned in CAMRA’s Articles of
Association.
PUBS, CLUBS AND THE
ON-TRADE
• The definition of the on-trade outlets
CAMRA supports is widened.
• CAMRA will campaign for and
promote all on-trade venues where
quality beer, cider and perry is sold,
not just traditional pubs and clubs.
• CAMRA will not extend its current
support of the off-trade.
EDUCATION AND
INFORMATION
• Education and knowledge will
be put at the heart of CAMRA’s
membership benefits.
• Positive alcohol and health
campaigning will be added into the
organisation’s objectives.
• Objectives will be added to recruit
discerning beer, cider and perry
drinkers into membership and give
them access to information and
education resources to introduce
them to the best quality beers,
including real ale, cider and perry.
QUALITY
• Increasing the quality of real ale,
cider and perry, not just promoting
their consumption.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
• Promote the benefits of moderate
social drinking.
• Build positive alcohol and health
campaigning into objectives.
HOW DO I VOTE?
Voting as part of CAMRA’s AGM can be
carried out remotely – via proxy voting
– which allows members who cannot
attend the meeting to make their views
known. You will be able to register for
a proxy vote at the start of March, with
reminders and a proxy voting form sent
out to all members ahead of the voting
opening. Members who attend the
meeting in Coventry in April will also be
able to vote on the Special Resolutions
and if they have already registered a
proxy vote, will have the opportunity to
change their vote if required.
Mine’s A Pint
7
We all care for the future of CAMRA
but there’s a wide divergence of opinion
about what direction the campaign
should take in future. Some believe the
battle for real ale has been won and the
focus should move to pub protection.
Others feel that real ale in cask should
remain the absolute focus of the
campaign and should not be diluted.
Others yet think that the campaign
should embrace good quality craft beers
to avoid being seen as irrelevant in the
future.
Consultation with the membership
as part of the process suggests that
some members may choose to leave
the campaign if it changes, but equally
that other members may also choose to
leave the campaign if it doesn’t change.
Whether the proposals are accepted or
rejected it seems certain that there will
be a re-focus of CAMRA’s membership
and activities, with a much greater
clarity over CAMRA’s purpose and
direction of travel.
Whatever you think, it’s really important
that you make your views known and
register to vote.
Phil Gill
Pub & Brewery News
Pub News
CALCOT
Marstons have applied for planning
permission to build a new pubrestaurant
on the junction of the A4
and Dorking Way, directly opposite
the IKEA retail park. The plans for this
food-led pub also include 28 homes, as
the land is listed as a housing site in West
Berkshire Council’s plan. If approved
this development will be a big boost for
the area and provide a much-needed
community focus, after the closure of all
the other pubs in the local area over the
last few years.
a great way to buy and sell all your
motoring spare parts hoarded away in
your shed! Gates will open at 8am to
set up stalls, finishing up at 11:30am.
If the Autojumble is successful it will be
repeated through the summer.
READING
The monthly pub quiz returns to the
ALEHOUSE in Broad Street after a long
hiatus. Starting at 8pm on the second
Monday of each month and benefiting
the pub’s favourite charities. The
winning team set the next quiz.
PLAYHATCH
The FLOWING SPRING is going to host
its first outdoor hippy music festival.
Inspired by the classic Woodstock of
1969, “Springstock” will have live music
all afternoon and evening plus outdoor
food, an outside bar and various stalls
– all hippy style, so they encourage you
to dress up! The festival will be held on
Saturday 2 June with camping available
on the Saturday night. The line-up of
live bands is currently being finalised
and, once that’s done, tickets will be
available from the pub and online.
The pub garden is also hosting several
other events this year. The Classic Car
and Bike Breakfast Club returns for
its third year on the second Sunday of
each month from 8 April, running from
9:30 to 11:30am. And, for all motor
enthusiasts, there’s an Autojumble on
Sunday 15 April. The Autojumble is
Mine’s A Pint
9
As many of you have noticed, the
Castle Street bar formerly known
as Public Reading (and before that
Rynd, The Litten Tree, Dogma, Evissa,
French’s, Applejacks, Holy Rumes,
Whispers and quite possibly some other
incarnations that we’ve overlooked)
has been acquired by Scottish craft beer
ehemoths BREWDOG, who promptly
draped a mega-banner over the front of
the building advising Reading that there
was “hope for the hopless”. Certain
other local pubs may disagree with
that statement, but there’s no doubt
there’s a sizeable audience locally for
the BrewDog style of offering. Brewdog
Reading will feature 20 taps of their own
and guest beers, with burgers and wings
on the food menu. The photo shows the
bar under refurbishment and it’s due to
open on 16 March.
Fans of live music should make sure
they check out the BUTLER’s listings, as
live music is scheduled every Friday and
Saturday night at this Chatham Street
pub. facebook.com/thebutlerpub
Local drinkers have been enjoying
some great meet the brewer and tap
takeover evenings in recent weeks. On
8 February the CASTLE TAP in Castle
Street played host to the brewers from
the Tap Social Movement in Oxford,
while the following week Bath’s Electric
Bear brewery took over the handpumps
in Greyfriars Road at the GREYFRIAR.
Pete Lea is the new manager of the
PHEASANT at the top of Southampton
Street. He has no real ale but has bottled
ale (Doom Bar, Pride and Bombardier).
The long-term intention is to put on
some real ale. Why not pop in and say
hello? This is an area that has lost many
pubs over the last few years (Cambridge
Arms, Woodley Arms, Wellington Arms,
Red Lion, Red Cow) so this one is quite
the survivor.
Talking of the RED COW, planning
applications have been submitted for
extensions and change of use to allow
for a restaurant on the ground floor and
three flats on the upper floor. It’s been
closed for years and appears to be in a
poor state so this is probably a positive
move.
The BALI LOUNGE in Kings Road
appears to have closed. Formerly the
Warwick, this Greene King pub morphed
over time into a Thai restaurant with
a small bar. Earlier this year a notice
on the door simply read “Closed unto
further notices, Bye Bye Bali Lounge.”
RISELEY
The BULL has been under new
management since early October 2017
– Borislav Minkov manages the pub
as well as the Red Lion at Peppard
Common. On offer are Shepherd Neame
beers (Whitstable Bay and Master Brew)
and there’s also a new menu. This is
now the only pub in the village after the
loss of the Dog & Partridge a few years
back and is the only Sheps pub in our
branch area.
Mine’s A Pint
10
SHINFIELD
All change at the BELL AND BOTTLE.
It’s a fond farewell from us to Mark and
Chrissie East, who really pushed this pub
forward during their tenure and made it
a finalist in our last two Pub of the Year
competitions. The new landlord is Nigel
Lamb, a local CAMRA member who
has previously run a pub in Bracknell
and is promising to keep building on the
good work at the Bell and Bottle.
THEALE
From our correspondent: “I visited the
FALCON but the new owner still has a
full-time job so I spoke with Alex, the
manager. What a good change to this
pub. It feels much brighter and they are
certainly upping the ante on the beer
side.
They are now Cask Marque accredited.
Sales have improved since they got rid
of the two old stagers one of which
was Courage Best (I think the other
was Doom Bar). When I visited I was
very pleased to see Harveys Best Bitter;
Spitfire and Upham Punter on sale.
Alex said that a fourth handpump is
to be installed allowing them to have 4
rotating beers from the Enterprise list.
A nice idea is that when you buy a pint
you get to see this list and can vote for
which beer you want on next. One cider
in a box will be available when they
can find the shelf space for it (it will be
cooled). They do Pieminister pies and
Chinese dumplings; have a games room
and a real fire. I was impressed.”
The VOLUNTEER is still up for a new
lease-holder but there have been no
takers (apart from an interest shown by
a certain local developer). Fuller’s may
decide to sell if they can’t get a new
landlord and then there’s no guarantee
it would remain as a pub.
Most of the pub news was collated by
Quinten Taylor
PUB QUALITY
BEER
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Call 01628 476594
Shop opening hours:
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Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd. Bencombe Farm, Marlow Bottom, SL7 3LT
Mine’s A Pint
11
BINGHAMS
Here at Mine’s a Pint we’d like to offer
our congratulations to Chris Bingham
and Michelle Joyce on their recent
marriage. It was a fantastic day with
plenty of Binghams beer flowing, and
Stout the brewery labradoodle (after
whom Doodle Stout is named) made
for an excellent ring-bearer! Pictured
are Michelle and Chris with Stout on
their big day. We all wish them every
happiness.
On the beer side, the latest 4.5% Hop
Project to hit the shelves and pubs is
Simco Columbus and is made with
citrus and spicy hops from the USA.
Also, V Old Ale is back. This lovely 5%
ABV (hence the “V”) ale is dark, malty
and fruity. To help those of you who
are unfamiliar with Old Ale, here is
CAMRA’s description:
Old Ale recalls the type of beer brewed
before the Industrial Revolution, stored
Mine’s A Pint
12
for months or even years in unlined
wooden vessels known as tuns. The beer
would pick up some lactic sourness as
a result of wild yeasts, lactobacilli and
tannins in the wood. The result was a
beer dubbed ‘stale’ by drinkers: it was
one of the components of the early,
blended Porters. The style has reemerged
in recent years, due primarily
to the fame of Theakston’s Old Peculier,
Gale’s Prize Old Ale and Thomas
Hardy’s Ale, the last saved from oblivion
by O’Hanlon’s Brewery in Devon. Old
Ales, contrary to expectation, do not
have to be especially strong: they can
be no more than 4% alcohol, though
the Gale’s and O’Hanlon’s versions
are considerably stronger. Neither do
they have to be dark: Old Ale can be
pale and burst with lush sappy malt,
tart fruit and spicy hop notes. Darker
versions will have a more profound malt
character with powerful hints of roasted
grain, dark fruit, polished leather and
fresh tobacco.
BOND BREWS
The limited edition Scrum Five returned
to mark the 6 Nations rugby. This 4%
ABV beer is an English Style Best Bitter,
brewed using a pack of 5 types of malted
barley and wheat whilst 5 hops bind to
provide the bitterness and aroma.
CHILTERN
After 12 months of research, Chiltern
have launched their first ever Low
Mine’s A Pint
13
Alcohol Beer. Codenamed
Chiltern 1630, it’s 1.9% alcohol
by volume and only brewed as a
small trial batch. Using a precise
blend of UK grown malt and
hops, the beer combines a low
alcohol content and the usual
award winning flavour and
quality that comes with Chiltern
Brewery beers. It’s also the first
beer in the Chiltern range to use
their new pump clip design that will be
used for limited run, trial brews.
Head Brewer, Tom Jenkinson, described
the ale as having “a lovely mellow, nutty
aroma. The flavours that come through
are those of honey and marmalade – a
rather splendid drop if I may say so!”
The ale has initially been successfully
trialled at a few select pubs and is now in
the process of being made more widely
available.
In January, the brewery were chosen
to represent their home county of
Buckinghamshire as a “Tryanuary
Champion”. Tryanuary is a nationwide
event which was launched four years
ago to support the independent beer
industry during the traditionally
difficult period of January, with its focus
being on trying new beers. On the 25th
of January, Chiltern Brewery joined
forces with West Berkshire Brewery to
showcase the best of local, independent
breweries across Bucks, Berkshire and
Oxfordshire on social media.
Throughout spring, Chiltern have an
exciting range of their award-winning
beers lined up for CAMRA members
to enjoy. Their first beer of the season,
called Pride of Bucks & Berks, is a charity
beer with smooth roasted malt flavours.
Chiltern then plan to release their Nut
Brown Mild (smooth & chocolatey)
and Colombian Coffee Porter (dark
mocha flavours) beers in April, with
the CAMRA favourite Cobblestones
(golden with hints of blackcurrant)
featuring in May. Full details of the
beers, including release dates, can be
found at www.chilternbrewery.co.uk .
You can also keep up to date by liking
them on Facebook, “chilternbrewery”,
or following their Twitter account, @
ChilternBrewery.
Chiltern have asked us to pass on their
express thanks for CAMRA’s support
to date, and look forward to enjoying a
glass of real ale with CAMRA members
throughout 2018. Tom said: “without
the invaluable ongoing support we
experience from both CAMRA and
CAMRA members, particularly their
enthusiastic and knowledgeable
feedback, we would have struggled
to have achieved so much as a small
independent brewery”.
HOOK NORTON
Towards the end of last year this historic
Oxfordshire brewery attained global
status when its Red Rye beer was named
as the World’s Best Speciality Beer at
the World Beer Awards 2017. Across
all rounds of the contest, Red Rye beat
almost 2,000 others ales from across the
world to achieve the title.
A special blend of hops and malts go
into this 4.7% ABV rich, red and fruity
ale. A combination of Maris Otter, Pale
Ale Malt, Crystal Malt, Crystal Rye,
Enzymic Malt and Wheat Malt, working
with the fruitiness from Willamette,
Sovereign, Citra, Amarillo and Chinook
hops. Sweet, dark fruits and a hint of
citrus are on the nose with rich fruit,
dates and raisins balanced with citrus in
the taste. It’s available in cask, keg and
330ml bottles.
James Clarke, Managing Director and
brewer said:
“We work incredibly hard each day to
produce the finest quality beer and to be
recognised on a global scale is a fantastic
achievement for everyone involved. Red
Rye was one of the first brews that we
did in our pilot plant which allows us to
experiment and push the boundaries so
to see it recognised in this way is great.”
Hook Norton has also launched a
partnership with Warwick Racecourse
that will see racegoers able to enjoy a
range of the brewery’s ales during race
meetings. There will also be “Meet
the Brewer” and other events such
as product launches and hospitality
functions at the racecourse, as part of
the agreement. Racing takes place on
weekdays and weekends, and afternoons
and evenings, from September to May.
If you fancy visiting
the brewery itself, you
can now enjoy the new
Malthouse Kitchen
restaurant which is in the
original maltings building.
It’s been restored back to
its original look with red
brick walls, ironwork and wooden floors,
and offers a café style menu featuring
freshly prepared local, traditional food
at breakfast and lunchtime.
Mine’s A Pint
14
Many of the dishes include Hook
Norton’s award winning ale – e.g Old
Hooky Steak & Ale Pie, Buttered Toast
and Hooky Gold Marmalade. There’s
a full range of teas and hand ground
coffee along with homemade cakes and
pastries. Plus, of course, a bar serving a
good range of Hook Norton ales from
cask, keg and bottles.
Customers can also visit the free
brewery museum, browse around the
expanded brewery shop or pop round to
the stables and visit the shire horses.
LODDON
NOTUS American Pale Ale has proven
so popular as a seasonal that it will
now be available all year long. Packed
with Citra hops, this 4.7% ABV beer is
tropical and perfectly balanced. It has
already won
a number of
awards and
looks set to
become a firm
favourite with
drinkers.
The brewery are
big supporters of
rugby and this year they celebrated the
Six Nations championship with 6 Pack.
Returning for its second year, this best
bitter is packed with 6 hop varieties and
6 malts. At 4.2% ABV, 6 Pack makes
a great session ale and offers drinkers
a complex, nutty taste with a smooth,
balanced hoppiness.
specials on tap, along with a full range
of bottles that you can drink-in or take
away. In addition there’s a range of
“specially curated” spirits, wines, soft
drinks and snacks. It’s advertised as
family friendly and dog friendly, and open
12-8 on Fridays and 12-7 on Saturdays.
The no. 3 (Reading to Wokingham) and
3b (Reading to Bracknell) buses run past
the site – you’ll need the Hogwood Lane
Industrial Estate stop.
REBELLION
The popular Open Nights at the
brewery are held on the first Tuesday
of every month (public) and on the
second Tuesday for members only. See
rebellionbeer.co.uk/brewery-tours for
more details. Barbecue specials for the
year have been announced with each
month offering a different special in
addition to the regular menu. In March
there’s a lamb Yorkshire pudding wrap
and in April chicken fajitas, while May
sees lamb koftas on offer.
SIREN CRAFT
With last year’s expansion under their
belt, the tasting room and bottle shop
are now open at Siren Craft, and
brewery tours are on offer.
The Tap Yard is the brewery bar,
showcasing a selection of core beers and
Mine’s A Pint
15
Image from Siren Craft Brew
Brewery tours run on the first Saturday
of each month. In their words: “We’re
delighted to invite you to our brewery
for some scheduled tours and tastings.
We’ll show you around our modest home
in Finchampstead and introduce the
brewing process, some of the equipment
we use and the stories behind some of
our most loved beers. The tour is split
over two sites on the industrial estate,
before finishing up in the Tap Yard – our
brand new tasting room. Here you’ll
sample 4 fresh beers, straight from the
source.” Go to sirencraftbrew.com for
details and to book tickets.
The Tap Yard was host to a Barrel
Aged Beer and Cheese Tasting event
in February, where beers from the
extensive barrel store were paired with a
great selection of cheeses from Reading’s
very own Grumpy Goat. The beers were
planned to include:
Old Fashioned – Bourbon Barrel Aged
Barley Wine
Odyssey 008 – Dark Belgian Inspired
Blend
Summer Encore – Double IPA aged in
Gin Barrels
Barrel Aged Shattered Dream – Imperial
Breakfast Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels.
Old Fashioned is Siren’s take on the the
Bourbon whiskey cocktail originally
mixed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1881.
The 11% ABV beer ages Barley Wine in
bourbon barrels for 12 months. During
the year’s ageing, Old Fashioned picks
up a well-rounded bourbon profile, with
some vanilla and caramel sweetness.
Siren suggest a classic zest to serve, with
Bitters optional! The RRP is £4.80 per
330ml bottle.
From the start of February, Siren Craft
beers have been permanently available
on cask across all Draft House bars
in London. The nearest one to us is at
Paddington Basin (near Edgeware Road
tube stations). There will always be at
least one rotating Siren cask available
at each of the 13 Draft House venues,
together with keg and bottle offerings.
Finally, look out for an anniversary party
on Saturday 17 March. Go to www.
sirencraftbrew.com for more details.
WINDSOR AND ETON
As the closest brewery to Windsor Castle,
it’s natural that Windsor and Eton
should brew a royal beer to celebrate
Harry & Meghan
tying the knot.
Called Harry
& Meghan’s
Windsor Knot,
the new beer is
a special limited
edition of the
best-selling Windsor Knot which was
first brewed for the marriage of Harry’s
brother, William. Just like the original
Windsor Knot, this pale ale will be
the only royal wedding beer brewed in
Windsor.
The new beer was inspired by the couple’s
first public appearance together at the
Invictus Games in Toronto last year.
It uses a special blend of British hops
called Invicta in recognition of Prince
Harry’s role in creating the Invictus
Games, combined with some great
American West Coast hops. As with all
the brewery’s beers it uses barley grown
locally on the Royal Farms in Windsor
and, as a finishing touch, champagne
yeast. Marrying these ingredients creates
a new pale ale that is young, fresh and
full of character.
The beer will be available in both 330ml
bottles at 4.5% ABV and in cask at
4% ABV. The design on the bottle and
pumpclip features a tie made out of the
Union Jack and the Stars & Stripes,
and also has two interlocking male and
female symbols.
Launch date for the new beer is w/c
26 March with the first orders being
shipped from 3 April.
Mine’s A Pint
16
XT / ANIMAL
After 6 years and
brewing over 3 million
pints, XT Brewery have
announced a rebranding
of their cask beer range
from March. Following
a very busy 2017 with
significant investment in
new brewing equipment
and the new brewery tap
room – XT have clearly
shown a commitment
to producing quality
cask beer. The new look
brings the beers bang up
to date and will ensure the brand will
continue to grow and appeal to both
existing and new beer drinkers well into
the future.
For the real beer
connoisseur, in limited
availability is the XT
Oak Aged Imperial
Stout at 8.6% ABV
– available in bottle
conditioned, keg or
cask form – with
characteristics carried
over from the sherry,
brandy, whisky or rum
casks in which they
have been ageing for
over 12 months. The
casks will next be put
to work storing a new
strong Burton IPA, which will be kept
for 12 months and develop some of the
character of a true nineteenth century
beer headed for the tables of the Raj.
The Animal beers have continued to
grow in popularity over the years and
the first ever permanent Animal beer
now joins the stable: Hopcat, a hyper
hoppy pale ale at only 3.9% ABV has
been selling fast. Packed with Citra and
Cascade New World hops to excite your
taste buds but with a low strength, it’s
described as being “gentle on the head.”
More Animals are still to come with
the first being Tarsier. This 4.6% ABV
Pacific Amber is packed with sweet
malts and rye and crammed full of
Rakau, Casade and Chinook, layered
throughout the boil and during dry
hopping. Malty, biscuity, toffee and
raisin flavours are blended with bold
passionfruit, grapefruit and citrus from
the generous amount of hops. A slight
roasty hint with a splash of tropical
notes leaves a pleasant sweet and hoppy
finish.
Mine’s A Pint
17
Small Beer
A round up of news and information
CHAMPION BOTTLED
BEER OF BRITAIN
award is a huge testament to the hard
work of our brewing and bottling teams
which are very dedicated to producing
fantastic beers.”
CAMRA’s National Director responsible
for the competition Nick Boley said:
“Congratulations to St Austell for
winning the Champion Bottled Beer
of Britain award, one of the highest
accolades in the beer world.”
Big Job from St Austell Brewery has
been crowned the Champion Bottled
Beer of Britain in CAMRA’s prestigious
annual award which recognises the
best bottle-conditioned real ale in the
country. Runners up included Fullers’
Vintage Ale which took home silver, and
Oakham’s Green Devil IPA which won
Bronze.
Big Job is the big brother of the brewery’s
popular ale Proper Job. At 7.2% ABV
it’s powerfully hoppy with both citra
and centennial hops, and is jammed full
of Cornish barley. With a smooth, citrus
fruit taste and a hoppy, lemon smell, it’s
anything but subtle.
Roger Ryman, Head Brewer at St Austell
said:
“In a market where there are so many
fantastic beers available it is a huge
honour to take home the crown. This
Christine Cryne, master beer trainer and
judge added:
“The standard of competition was
fantastically high. Big Job is a moreish,
golden beer with honey caramelised
citrus notes, refreshingly smooth with a
warming finish with increasing spicy dry
bitter notes and a soft fruity nose. We
were particularly impressed with how
well balanced it was – we were looking
for a beer which showed the brewer’s art
of complexity, and that just gave it the
edge.”
PUB COMPANY
CHANGES – HOW DO
THEY AFFECT YOUR
LOCAL?
by Paul Ainsworth
CAMRA is investigating the impact
of changes to our pubs as the big pub
owning companies react to the Pubs
Code, put into force in 2016 after years
Mine’s A Pint
19
of campaigning by licensee groups and
CAMRA.
In the last two years, the number of pubs
run on traditional long-term tenancies
has fallen, as some tenants are replaced
by managers. Licensee campaigners
are concerned that this may encourage
management turnover, all to avoid pubs
being covered by the Code. The impact
on customers is less clear.
Our Pub Campaigns Committee is
looking, confidentially, for information.
It is particularly interested to see if
changes in management to pub company
pubs result in more or less choice for
pub-goers. Has your local pub increased
or reduced its range of real ale and cider
after a change of tenant? Or do you work
in a pubco pub and have seen changes?
The Committee would also like to know
about any changes in prices and in the
quality of the beer being served.
Please send information to the
Committee’s Chair, Paul Ainsworth –
paul.ainsworth@camra.org.uk
GOOD BEER GUIDE
BELGIUM
The 8th edition of the Good Beer Guide
Belgium is now available to pre-order
through the CAMRA shop at a special
advance price of £11.99.
This book is an indispensible companion
for anyone visiting or living in Belgium.
A complete guide to the world of
Mine’s A Pint
20
Belgian beer,
it’s packed with
information
on breweries,
beers and bars
from around
the country. It
also features
comprehensive
advice on
getting there,
what to eat,
where to stay
and how to bring the best of Belgium’s
beer offering back home with you.
The guide contains full-colour provinceby-province
maps and detailed city maps
with bar locations and includes details
of over 800 bars, cafés and beer shops.
Tim Webb and Joe Stange are the coauthors.
Tim has written the seven
previous editions of the Good Beer
Guide Belgium and is one of the world’s
best-known beer writers. His “World
Atlas of Beer” and “Pocket Beer Book”,
co-authored with Stephen Beaumont,
has appeared in more than a dozen
editions worldwide. Joe is a freelance
journalist whose writing has appeared
in the New York Times and All About
Beer magazine, among others. He cowrote
the last edition of the Good
Beer Guide Belgium with Tim Webb. A
former resident of Belgium, he now lives
in Germany.
Publication date is 16 April and preorder
copies will be dispatched hot off
the press. Visit shop.camra.org.uk to
secure your copy today.
2018 MEMBERS’
WEEKEND – AGM AND
CONFERENCE
CAMRA’s annual members’ weekend
assumes even greater importance this
year because it will see key decisions
made about the proposals from the
Revitalisation Project. This will set the
future direction of the campaign and
there are strongly-held views on both
sides.
The event will be held at Warwick
University next April. For those not
familiar with the area, Warwick
University is not in Warwick at all, but
on the south side of Coventry (and not to
be confused with Coventry University).
It is easily reached by a frequent bus
service from Pool Meadow bus station,
or the railway station. The conference
itself will be in Butterworth Hall, a
world-class concert hall. The Members’
Bar will be in the nearby Students Union
building.
An event like this requires quite a few
volunteer staff. The organisers need
people to work in the bar area, as
“Meeters & Greeters” and tellers. If
you’re interested in helping out, please
see the advert in this issue.
And if you can’t attend, make sure
that you register your proxy vote in
advance. There are more details of the
Revitalisation proposals elsewhere in
this magazine and it’s really important
that as many members as possible have
their say.
Please see agm.camra.org.uk.
Mine’s A Pint
21
Beer with food,
or food with beer?
Pubs serving food is, of course, not a
new idea – they have been doing it for
centuries. There were the coaching inns
which provided refreshment for weary
travellers; there were the larger pubs
which had restaurants and then there
were the simple boozers which offered
a sandwich or a pie. However, with the
recent changes in our drinking habits
many more pubs are now concentrating
on food over beer and it is not unusual
to see what was once a little country
pub being transformed into a gastro
experience with high quality menus and
quite often celebrity chefs. There are
several within the Thames Valley and
quite a few with Michelin ratings.
Mine’s A Pint
23
The first thing to say about this style of
pub is that it is still open and trading
even though it has changed dramatically
from its original persona. Some of these
establishments have gone over to food
almost in total and it is really quite hard
to get a beer in many of them. Others
have, thankfully, kept a small bar area
for drinkers who can either pop in for
a pint or have a drink before heading to
the restaurant for lunch or dinner.
Other old pubs have been converted to
specialist dining venues such as Thai or
Indian restaurants and those pubs are
now considered as lost although it has
to be said that there are a large number
of pubs which now offer oriental style
food in the bar alongside the real ale.
This is fine as long as the drinker is not
discriminated against and has trouble
finding a table which is not set out for
dining.
Then there are the large pub chains
which these days offer an extensive
menu which tries to cater for all tastes
and are geared up for families (a huge
growth market since the days when kids
were not allowed in pubs). The food is
generally provided by national catering
suppliers and the menus often appear
to mimic each other (curry nights / fish
nights / steak nights etc.).
However, these pubs do have their place
and most of them will offer a cask ale
or two. Many of these new outlets are
being built from scratch and often have
accommodation alongside and they are
springing up all over the land at a steady
rate, while we note the closure of many
traditional pubs often owned by the
same companies.
Food advertising for pubs is often a
source of amusement or sometimes
bewilderment! “Home-cooked food”
– does that simply mean that somebody
has opened the catering pack and
followed the cooking instructions, or
does it actually mean that each dish is
carefully sourced, prepared and freshly
cooked to order? “Pub Grub” used
to be a common term but again what
does it mean? Have you ever driven or
walked past a pub which has an “A”
board outside advertising for a chef?
Well, no point in trying to eat in there if
they haven’t got a cook! Quite often, in
days past, the husband would look after
the bar and cellar while the wife did the
cooking. Today, it would appear that
there are a greater number of male chefs
in the pub kitchen than ever before.
substantial meals or snacks. You can’t
beat a good pub with great beer and a
selection of rolls or sarnies! You often
don’t want a four-course dinner, but a
cheese and onion bap will help soak up
the ale and keep you going for a while!
So, while it is always sad to see so many
pubs closing down we have to give credit
to the ones which have changed their
trading style; kept a bar for drinkers and
provided good quality food and beer for
all to enjoy. They will, of course, not be
to everyone’s taste but many of them
have brought new trade to the pub and
as long as the locals are not pushed out
then this may well be the way forward
for many Great British Pubs.
Dave McKerchar
Looking at the beer side, well it does
seem to be a general rule that if you
have good quality dining, then there’s
a good chance that the beer will be
good as well. In the Reading area there
are fine examples of pubs which may
otherwise have closed, being converted
into restaurants with bars where there
is a very good selection of ales kept in
excellent condition.
As for the old style boozers which often
provided a bar snack or “Pub Grub
/ ”Inn Food” as it was often called –
there are still a good number of these
still going strong and many do offer
Mine’s A Pint
24
Reading Beer & Cider
Festival
Thursday 3 May to Sunday 6 May 2018,
Christchurch Meadows
Here’s what to expect
from this year’s festival.
First of all it’s easy to find, and simple
to get to from the station. The new
pedestrian and cycle bridge over the
Thames makes things simple and,
for those of you using the mapping
directions on a smartphone, the magic
numbers for Christchurch Meadows are
RG4 8DH.
wines. All served from the longest bar
in the county (and possibly the country).
There will be traditional pub games,
tombola, a quiz on Thursday evening,
live music Friday and Saturday, and
children’s entertainments and Morris
Dancers on the Sunday.
The format will be largely unchanged
from last year with a huge range of real
ale, cider and perry, a good selection of
foreign bottled beers, English white and
fizzy wines, mead and British country
Mine’s A Pint
25
Food is available at all times. There are
never any guarantees about the weather
of course, but should the delivery of
sunshine go as planned you can enjoy it
in our massive beer garden.
The beer festival is run entirely by unpaid
volunteers. It’s a great deal of fun, and
if you’re a CAMRA member and fancy
popping along to help out (and get free
entry!) volunteering forms are available
on the website: readingbeerfestival.org.
uk
Friday 4 May
11:00 to 23:00
Saturday 5 May (afternoon)
11:00 to 16:30
Saturday 5 May (evening)
18:00 to 23:00
Sunday 6 May
12:00 to 20:00
Tickets will be on sale via our website.
For prices, details of the ticket packages
and any other information please check
the website.
Once again the Saturday will be split
into two sessions and opening times are
planned to be:
Thursday 3 May
16:30 to 23:00
We look forward to having a pint (or
maybe two) with you all. Cheers!
Adapted from an original article by
Dave Scott, Festival Organiser
Mine’s A Pint
26
Arthur Pounder
It is with great sadness that the committee
of Reading and Mid Berkshire CAMRA
announce that Arthur Pounder, our
recently elected co-chairman, suddenly
passed away in January 2018.
Arthur stepped up to the plate to fill a
key committee role at our recent “Save
the Branch” emergency meeting. In
the short time he was co-chairman
he showed energy and leadership.
He started to revitalise the branch
and worked to remove procedural
obstacles to the Reading Beer Festival.
The really high attendance at the last
branch meeting – some 35 people – is
a testament to this.
As well as his branch work Arfs worked
at many beer festivals. With Scott Nichol
he had been joint organiser of the trade
session at Reading for six years. He
was chief steward at Maidenhead and
Ealing. He also worked on many other
festivals including the annual charity
beer festival at Twyford.
We offer our condolences to his family
and friends. We will miss him.
Martin Hoare
Mine’s A Pint
27
Ale Trail, Now On
Every spring sees hundreds of people
getting out and about and enjoying the
pubs on the Reading & Mid Berkshire
Ale Trail. Helpfully starting just after
the end of Dry January – although
unless you really want your local pub
to close down, we suggest you steer
well clear of that and aim for Tryanuary
instead – the trail consists of 24 pubs
and appeals to anybody who enjoys
a drink, anybody who likes exploring
the area and anybody that just likes to
“collect the full set”.
Late last year there was a strong
possibility of our CAMRA branch being
dissolved owing to a lack of volunteers
and, if that had happened, the Ale Trail
would have been the first high profile
casualty. Thankfully several CAMRA
members stepped up to fill vacant roles
and to save the branch, and the Ale Trail
is now very much in full swing.
The idea is simple. Pick up a booklet
for a pound from either the Nags Head
or Retreat in Reading, or the Fox and
Hounds in Caversham. Enjoy a load of
great trips out to the participating pubs
– you have until 4 April to complete it –
and collect a sticker for every pint or half
or real ale or real cider that you have.
Then send in your completed booklet
for the chance to win prizes including
beer vouchers for the Reading Beer and
Cider Festival, exclusive T shirts and
entry to various prize draws.
The 24 pubs are chosen to be a good
mix of urban, suburban and rural
destinations and to provide a good deal
of variety from year to year. It’s not
supposed to be our idea of the 24 best
pubs in the area – that’s what the Good
Beer Guide is for – but instead to give
people the chance to experience a wide
range of pubs that they might not have
had the chance to visit before. You will
always find our current branch Pub of
the Year and Cider Pub of the Year on
the list though. If you’re interested in the
full selection criteria you can read them
at readingcamra.org.uk/aletrail
PUBS TAKING PART IN THE
ALE TRAIL THIS YEAR ARE:
BELL, Waltham St Lawrence
BELL & BOTTLE, Shinfield
BIRD IN HAND, Henley
BISCUIT TIN, Reading
BLACK BOY, Shinfield
BLACK HORSE, Emmer Green
BULL, Theale
CASTLE TAP, Reading
ELDON ARMS, Reading
FLOWER POT, Aston
FORESTERS ARMS, Reading
FOX & HOUNDS, Caversham
FOX & HOUNDS, Theale
FOX & HOUNDS, Tilehurst
GOOD COMPANIONS, Woodley
GREYFRIAR, Reading
NAGS HEAD, Reading
PACKHORSE, Mapledurham
Mine’s A Pint
28
PARK HOUSE (UNIVERSITY OF
READING), Reading
PRINCE OF WALES, Caversham
RETREAT, Reading
SHURLOCK INN, Shurlock Row
VICTORIA, Tilehurst
WAGGON & HORSES, Twyford
Yes, there are three Fox and Houndses,
so make sure that you put the right
sticker on the right pub in your booklet!
Have an excellent time on the trail, and
please take the opportunity to send in
your beer scores by visiting whatpub.
com - this helps us gather more data
about pubs and might even mean that
your favourite pub gets into the Good
Beer Guide next time.
Phil Gill
T: 01984 623798 • E: info@exmoorales.co.uk • www.exmoorales.co.uk
Mine’s A Pint
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