Mine's a Pint Issue 45

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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LOCAL CAMRA VOLUNTEERS STEP UP TO 

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ISSUE FORTY FIVE SPRING 2018 

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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. 


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 


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 


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 


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. 


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 


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. 


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 

...AT HOME 

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Fresh beer, ready to drink 

1 litre bottles up to 72 pint barrels 

 

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Local produce 

Over 300 worldwide wines 

Free glass hire 

Call 01628 476594 

Shop opening hours: 

Mon-Sat 8am-7pm 

Or visit our website: 

www.rebellionbeer.co.uk 

@RebellionBeer 

RebellionBeerCo 

Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd. Bencombe Farm, Marlow Bottom, SL7 3LT 


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 


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


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. 


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 


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. 


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. 


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 


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 


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. 


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. 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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 


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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Mine's a Pint Issue 45

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