Mine's a Pint - Summer 2018
The Summer 2018 issue of the magazine of the Reading & Mid-Berkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
The Summer 2018 issue of the magazine of the Reading & Mid-Berkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Beers below 4.2% ABV<br />
WINNER<br />
RUNNER UP<br />
Ascot Ales, Gold Cup<br />
Elusive, Sunset Rider<br />
Beers from 4.2% to 4.9% ABV<br />
WINNER<br />
RUNNER UP<br />
Siren Craft, Undercurrent<br />
Wild Weather, King St<br />
Pale<br />
Beers 5.0% ABV and above<br />
WINNER<br />
RUNNER UP<br />
New Wharf, Breakfast<br />
Stout<br />
Siren Craft, Sound Wave<br />
Overall LocAle Beer of the<br />
Festival<br />
GOLD<br />
SILVER<br />
BRONZE<br />
New Wharf, Breakfast<br />
Stout<br />
Siren Craft, Undercurrent<br />
Siren Craft, Sound Wave<br />
Congratulations to New Wharf from near<br />
Maidenhead for their win, and to Siren<br />
Craft for scooping second and third place<br />
overall. In fact, well done and thank you to<br />
all our local breweries for the excellent ales<br />
produced in this area.<br />
THE LONGEST-CLOSED<br />
PUB?<br />
Have you ever looked at the boarded up<br />
building on Duke Street in Reading, just over<br />
the bridge from the London Street Brasserie?<br />
Have you ever wondered why such a piece<br />
of prime real estate right next to the Oracle<br />
has been out of use for so long? So have we.<br />
The Lower Ship<br />
It might surprise you, then, to know that the<br />
building used to be a pub called the Lower<br />
Ship, built in 1889 to replace a previous pub<br />
on the site. It might surprise you even more<br />
to know that it’s owned by the secretive<br />
Yorkshire Brewery Samuel Smiths, who have<br />
owned it since 1988 following its closure a<br />
few years previously. We wonder if it’s the<br />
longest-closed pub where no other use has<br />
been adopted in the meantime.<br />
Astonishingly it’s not the only historic<br />
building that Sam Smiths have acquired<br />
and then left to rot. In Bath the former<br />
King Edward’s School building on Broad<br />
Street has been empty since 1986 when<br />
the school closed. Sam Smiths bought the<br />
building in 1989 and, a mere 21 years later<br />
in 2010, obtained listed building consent and<br />
planning permission to convert the upper<br />
floors into hotel rooms. That permission<br />
was renewed in 2013 but, almost 30 years<br />
after they bought the building, there has still<br />
been almost no progress in transforming the<br />
former school into a pub and hotel.<br />
The photo shows the Lower Ship in 2010.<br />
There’s not much point getting a more up to<br />
date picture because it looks pretty much the<br />
same year on year; just the graffiti changes.<br />
Will it ever reopen as a pub?<br />
UPCOMING FESTIVALS<br />
June: Twyford Beer Festival<br />
Now in its 9 th year, Twyford Beer Festival<br />
is an independent event but with strong<br />
support from local CAMRA members, that<br />
raises money for Orchid, the male cancer<br />
charity. It’s open Friday 8 th June (5 to 11pm)<br />
and Saturday 9th June (12 to 10pm). Head<br />
down to King George V Playing Field in<br />
Twyford and expect to find a tent full of beer<br />
and cider plus plenty of outdoor seating,<br />
food and live music.<br />
July: Maidenhead Beer and Cider<br />
Festival<br />
Our friends at Slough, Windsor and<br />
Maidenhead CAMRA have one of the<br />
highlights of their year coming up, as the<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
26
Change language