Mine's a Pint - Winter 2018
The Winter 2018 edition of Mine's a Pint, the magazine of the Reading & Mid-Berkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
The Winter 2018 edition of Mine's a Pint, the magazine of the Reading & Mid-Berkshire branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
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THE MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID<br />
BERKSHIRE BRANCH OF THE CAMPAIGN<br />
FOR REAL ALE<br />
IN THIS ISSUE...<br />
PUB & BREWERY NEWS<br />
CAMRA GALA AWARDS<br />
SMALL BEER<br />
127 ROUTE PUB CRAWL<br />
BINGHAMS TAP ROOM<br />
& MORE...<br />
FREE<br />
WHEN IS A PUB NOT A PUB?<br />
ISSUE FORTY EIGHT WINTER <strong>2018</strong><br />
FREE - PLEASE TAKE A COPY
Branch Diary<br />
All meetings and social events are relaxed and friendly.<br />
Non-members are welcome to all events except branch<br />
meetings. Please check the website before setting out in case<br />
of any last-minute changes.<br />
December <strong>2018</strong><br />
FRI 7: (14:00) Social, SWM CAMRA The Pig’s Ear Beer<br />
& Cider Festival. Meet at the Round Chapel in Hackney<br />
at 2pm. www.swm.camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=36068<br />
SAT 8: Reading Ramble – North Hants CAMRA pub<br />
crawl of Reading. Start Hope Tap, 99-105 Friar Street,<br />
Reading, RG1 1EP (11:00) for breakfast, moving on at<br />
12:30.<br />
January 2019<br />
THURS 10: (20:00) First Social of the Year. Back of<br />
Beyond, 104-108 King’s Road, Reading RG1 3BY. Follow<br />
by pub crawl of “The Village” pubs.<br />
WED 16: (20:00) Branch meeting. Eldon Arms, 19 Eldon<br />
Terrace, Reading RG1 4DX. CAMRA members only,<br />
please.<br />
SAT 19: (12:00) Regional Pub Crawl of London. Meet in<br />
Hamilton Hall, Liverpool Street Station, EC2M 7PY.<br />
SUN 27: (12:00) Social starting at the Alehouse, 2 Broad<br />
Street, Reading, RG1 2BH.<br />
February 2019<br />
THURS 7: (20:00) First Thursday of the Month Social.<br />
Start at Nags Head, 5 Russell Street, Reading, RG1 7XD.<br />
SAT 9: Ale Trail starts.<br />
SUN 17: Walk from Henley to the Flower Pot, Ferry Lane,<br />
Aston, RG9 3DG for Sunday lunch (lunch must be prebooked).<br />
This is a guide only and Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA<br />
cannot be held responsible for any loss due to the alteration<br />
or cancellation of any of these events.<br />
See www.readingcamra.org.uk for more details of events.<br />
Contact Us<br />
Useful contact details for this<br />
magazine, CAMRA and other<br />
important things…<br />
Mine’s a <strong>Pint</strong> Circulation: 3,000.<br />
Outlets: Over 70 across the region.<br />
Editor: Phil Gill<br />
editor@readingcamra.org.uk<br />
0771 455 0293<br />
81 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG<br />
Magazine published on behalf of<br />
Reading and Mid Berkshire CAMRA<br />
by:<br />
Neil Richards MBE at Matelot<br />
Marketing<br />
01536 358670 / 07710 281381<br />
n.richards@btinternet.com<br />
Printed by CKN Print Ltd, 2 North<br />
Portway Close, Round Spinney,<br />
Northampton, NN3 8RQ<br />
01604 645555<br />
Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRA<br />
www.readingcamra.org.uk<br />
Social Secretary: Chris Hinton<br />
social@readingcamra.org.uk<br />
Contact for all other branch matters:<br />
Katrina Fletcher<br />
contact@readingcamra.org.uk<br />
0779 401 9437<br />
Local Trading Standards<br />
From time to time, drinkers receiving<br />
poor standards of service or poor<br />
quality products may wish to raise<br />
the matter with Trading Standards.<br />
You now need to do this through<br />
Citizens Advice, an organisation<br />
which provides free, confidential and<br />
impartial advice on consumer issues.<br />
To contact Citizens Advice Consumer<br />
Service call 03454 04 05 06 or visit<br />
www.citizensadvice.org.uk and click<br />
on Consumer.<br />
The next issue of Mine’s a <strong>Pint</strong> will be<br />
published in early March. Please feel<br />
free to submit any copy or ideas by 1 st<br />
February.<br />
The opinions expressed in Mine’s a <strong>Pint</strong><br />
are not necessarily those of the editor or<br />
the Campaign for Real Ale. © Campaign<br />
for Real Ale <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
3
From The Editor<br />
A pub is for life, not just for Christmas.<br />
That’s the message from Sarah Crawford,<br />
CAMRA’s regional director for Scotland<br />
and Northern Ireland. It’s just as true for<br />
England and Wales as the latest data shows<br />
pubs still closing at an alarming rate – a net<br />
loss of 18 per week across the UK. You can<br />
read Sarah’s thoughts in this magazine about<br />
Christmas drinkers and how we can support<br />
our pubs into the new year.<br />
Yes, that’s how “we” can support them.<br />
Don’t sit back and think that it’s somebody<br />
else’s problem. It’s yours, it’s mine, and it’s<br />
all our responsibility to do something about<br />
it. CAMRA has always been about customer<br />
choice and promoting good quality, with real<br />
ale and pubs at its heart. Without pubs we<br />
lose that choice, and we lose the best outlet<br />
there is for cask beer.<br />
January is often the leanest month for pubs,<br />
with various charities bizarrely encouraging<br />
people to boycott their local businesses by<br />
dressing it up as a health benefit. Yet we<br />
can all act to support our pubs through this<br />
tough time. It needs us to make a conscious<br />
effort to go out and spend money there, even<br />
if it’s cold and raining. If you don’t want to<br />
drink alcohol then that’s a shame, but you<br />
can still have a pub meal or support your<br />
local in other ways. If we don’t, when the<br />
sunshine and longer days come back, our<br />
local may not be there to share them with us.<br />
Here’s to the great British pub. Long may it<br />
prosper!<br />
Cheers!<br />
Phil Gill<br />
Editor<br />
editor@readingcamra.org.uk<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
5<br />
Contents<br />
BRANCH DIARY 3<br />
FROM THE EDITOR 5<br />
PUB NEWS 6-8<br />
BREWERY NEWS 9-13<br />
SMALL BEER 14-16<br />
GRUMPY GOAT 17-18<br />
GBBF WINTER 19<br />
CAMRA GALA AWARDS 20-21<br />
BINGHAMS TAP ROOM 22-23<br />
127 ROUTE PUB CRAWL 25-27<br />
A PUB IS FOR LIFE 29<br />
JOIN CAMRA 30-31
Pub News<br />
ARBORFIELD<br />
A local group is campaigning to save the<br />
BRAMSHILL HUNT which is at risk of closure.<br />
The owners Greene King are advertising it for<br />
sale – on Rightmove of all places – and the price<br />
plus the advertising details suggest that they see<br />
its future as a house or a restaurant rather than<br />
a pub. We understand that Greene King are<br />
interested in a new pub site in the new housing<br />
area.<br />
BURGHFIELD COMMON<br />
The latest in a long line of planning applications<br />
to demolish the BANTAM in Omers Rise and<br />
replace it with flats was awaiting decision as we<br />
went to press.<br />
CHARVIL<br />
PANGBOURNE<br />
The STAR on Reading Road has closed. Your<br />
viewpoint about this Greene King pub tended<br />
to depend on whether or not you were a regular<br />
there.<br />
PLAYHATCH<br />
Nick and Hazel are celebrating eight years at the<br />
FLOWING SPRING with a party on Saturday<br />
8 December, featuring music from Three Bar<br />
Fire. Looking ahead, this year’s Springstock<br />
festival was such a success that they’re already<br />
planning the next. Saturday 1 June 2019 is the<br />
date for “Springstock 2” and you can expect a<br />
music festival with six bands plus an outside<br />
bar, food and stalls.<br />
READING<br />
The PURPLE TURTLE has taken out its<br />
handpumps but New Wharf beer is still<br />
available in bottles and on keg. A Turtle Ale<br />
sequel, a 6% ABV pale ale, is coming soon.<br />
Image by Brian Jones<br />
The Lands End has been refurbished including<br />
a new flagstone floor and renamed the HERON<br />
ON THE FORD. The beer range has increased<br />
from two to three, with Brakspear Bitter and<br />
Oxford Gold as regulars and a guest from the<br />
Marstons range. This spacious rural pub has a<br />
good sized garden with children’s play area and<br />
is dog-friendly. Don’t try and drive through the<br />
adjacent ford, especially in winter! The local<br />
fire brigade are regular visitors to rescue people<br />
who’ve got stuck in their cars in the middle of<br />
the river.<br />
The QUEENS HEAD on Christchurch Road<br />
is up for lease from Ei publican partnerships<br />
(what used to be called Enterprise). This is<br />
currently the sister pub to the MODERATION<br />
on Caversham Road. According to Ei, “An<br />
experienced operator who can build on the<br />
dry offer whilst maintaining the good levels of<br />
wet trade, is now being sought” for the Queens<br />
Head.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
6
After five or more years of closure, the old<br />
WELLINGTON ARMS on Whitley Street<br />
looks set to become a branch of Greggs.<br />
Building work has been going on for a while<br />
at the CORN STORES on Forbury Road and<br />
we’re eagerly awaiting its reopening, which<br />
should happen before Christmas.<br />
The JOLLY ANGLERS was closed at the time<br />
of writing and the ACV moratorium had been<br />
triggered. That means that when the owner of<br />
an Asset of Community Value wishes to sell it,<br />
they have to tell the Council who then ask if<br />
any community groups want to be considered<br />
as a potential purchaser. If the moratorium is<br />
triggered, as in this case, there is a six month<br />
period during which the owner can only sell the<br />
pub to a community group, or sell it as a going<br />
concern. There’s active community interest in<br />
the pub so we’re hoping for a happy outcome.<br />
The RETREAT in St John’s Road has had its<br />
cellar refurbished and other works undertaken.<br />
Best (Loddon), Inspector Morse IPA (Greene<br />
King) and Sheep Dip (Plain Ales) were available<br />
on a recent visit. You may find that sparklers<br />
are used on the pumps.<br />
There’s a planning application for a new<br />
pub on land opposite the BLACK BOY. The<br />
proposal is on behalf of Marstons and is likely<br />
to be food-led if it gets the go-ahead. The full<br />
description is “Erection of a part single storey<br />
and part two storey building for use as a<br />
restaurant and public house and three bedroom<br />
flat with associated parking and landscaping<br />
and creation of new access.”<br />
Down the road on Church Lane, the SIX BELLS<br />
is reported to have closed. We understand<br />
there’s interest in the building from a restaurant<br />
operator, although that would likely need<br />
planning permission so we’re keeping an eye on<br />
events.<br />
WARREN ROW<br />
The BISCUIT AND BARREL on Kings Road<br />
(what used to be the Warwick) was being run<br />
by a holding manager at the time of writing,<br />
with its future uncertain.<br />
Meat eaters will enjoy the New Year’s Eve<br />
menu at the LYNDHURST on Watlington<br />
Street. A five course game tasting menu with<br />
every course paired with a different drink starts<br />
at 8pm, with live music from 10pm. The pub<br />
was recently a finalist in the restaurant category<br />
of the Reading Retail Awards.<br />
SHINFIELD<br />
Stuart is the new landlord at the BELL AND<br />
BOTTLE – welcome! Red Kite (Vale), Reading<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
7<br />
The Snooty Fox in its time as a pub<br />
There was an interesting planning appeal<br />
recently on the old Snooty Fox, which has<br />
been closed for some time. In 2014 permission<br />
was refused to turn the pub into a house and<br />
in recent times it’s been trading as a “bicycle<br />
cafe” alongside various other uses including<br />
a meeting place for groups of cyclists. The<br />
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead<br />
had issued an enforcement notice against the<br />
unauthorised conversion to a mixed use, and<br />
in November the result of the owner’s appeal<br />
against that notice was received.
The inspector issued a split decision, approving<br />
the cafe and cycle repair elements of the use but<br />
refusing the retail and meeting aspects. This<br />
means that the loss of the pub has been accepted<br />
in planning terms. The inspector considered the<br />
cafe an “acceptable alternative” community<br />
facility. In providing a food and drink facility<br />
and a place for social interaction, she added, it<br />
had a positive effect on the community.<br />
PUB QUALITY<br />
BEER<br />
...AT HOME<br />
Drink Rebellion cask ale<br />
at home, fresh from the<br />
brewery shop<br />
Fresh beer, ready to drink<br />
1 litre bottles up to 72 pint barrels<br />
<br />
including 10% OFF beer<br />
Fresh cider<br />
Local produce<br />
Over 300 worldwide wines<br />
Free glass hire<br />
Call 01628 476594<br />
Shop opening hours:<br />
Mon-Sat 8am-7pm<br />
Or visit our website:<br />
www.rebellionbeer.co.uk<br />
@RebellionBeer<br />
RebellionBeerCo<br />
Rebellion Beer Co. Ltd. Bencombe Farm, Marlow Bottom, SL7 3LT<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
8
All images are courtesy of the breweries unless<br />
otherwise stated.<br />
BINGHAMS<br />
The current beer in the Hop Project series is the<br />
dangerously drinkable Summit Melon, at 4.5%<br />
ABV. Summit and Melon hops are used to give<br />
a subtle melon character. The next beer in the<br />
series will be Comet Blanc.<br />
Hitting the pubs for<br />
autumn is Woodsmoke<br />
Porter, 5% ABV,<br />
brewed using a<br />
German beech-smoked<br />
malt and double the<br />
amount of chocolate<br />
malt used last year, to<br />
give a subtle smokiness<br />
and a chocolate<br />
flavour.<br />
V Old Ale is being<br />
brewed in early<br />
November, followed by The Warmer <strong>Winter</strong><br />
Ale for December.<br />
All Binghams cask stouts and porters are now<br />
vegan friendly. The bottled Vanilla Stout isn’t<br />
(yet) but they’re working on that!<br />
And if you want to find somewhere to drink<br />
them – Twyford’s first micropub, “Binghams<br />
Tap Room” is now open at 2b High Street,<br />
Fridays and Saturdays only until Christmas.<br />
See the separate article in this issue for more<br />
information about this welcome addition to the<br />
local pub scene.<br />
CHILTERN<br />
Foxtrot, a 3.9% ABV winter ale should be<br />
available from mid December, just in time for<br />
Christmas. Described as dark,<br />
mellow, fruity and complex,<br />
it’s bristling with malt and hop<br />
character. The warming flavours<br />
of rich chocolate and crystal<br />
malts and the brewer’s selection<br />
of choice English Pioneer,<br />
Fuggles and Admiral hops come<br />
together to form this rich claret<br />
coloured dark ale. It’s said to be<br />
the perfect brew for cold winter evenings and<br />
the ideal accompaniment to winter stews and<br />
broths, sausages, pork pie, red meats and full<br />
fat hard cheeses.<br />
Looking ahead to the new year, Earl Grey IPA<br />
at 3.9% ABV is planned to be available in<br />
February.<br />
The online brewery shop has plenty of<br />
Christmas gift ideas and offers free delivery<br />
on orders over £50. Alongside the full range<br />
of Chiltern ales you’ll find spirits and liqueurs,<br />
as well as a range of foods including cheeses,<br />
fudge, mustard and chutney, plus unusual gifts<br />
such as wool fat bath soap and shaving soap.<br />
DOUBLE-BARRELLED<br />
BOND BREWS<br />
The on-site shop in Heathlands Road,<br />
Wokingham is open for the sale of bottles<br />
and collection of pre-ordered polypins. Go to<br />
bondbrews.co.uk/contact-us for the full address<br />
and to find out how to order your favourite<br />
Bond Brews beer.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
9<br />
Mike in the new brewery<br />
Works to the new brewery have hit some delays<br />
so the initial target of having beers available
from September wasn’t met, but Luci and Mike<br />
have been busy and finally released their first<br />
commercial batch in November. There are<br />
three: Red Jungle Fowl, a 5% raspberry and<br />
beetroot gose; Parka, a 4.5% pale ale; and<br />
Seven Dollar Saturday, a 5.6% milk stout.<br />
Initial deliveries were to the Fox and Hounds<br />
in Caversham and the Nags Head in Reading.<br />
They were on track to launch some cans of the<br />
stout and gose in November and opened the<br />
brewery taproom in Tilehurst at the start of<br />
December. It’s planned to be open on Fridays<br />
and Saturdays and you can find it at 20 Stadium<br />
Way, near the Oxford Road just off Norcot<br />
Junction roundabout. Card payments only.<br />
ELUSIVE<br />
Subject to licensing approval, Elusive plan to<br />
open to the public on Saturdays in December<br />
(8th/15th/22nd) at their site in Finchampstead.<br />
They’ll have brand new beers in bottle and,<br />
finally, some merchandise! Check on Twitter<br />
nearer the time for final confirmation and more<br />
details.<br />
LODDON<br />
The taproom at the brewery in Dunsden has<br />
really taken off with lots of drinkers over the<br />
weekends – a combination of locals, tourists,<br />
walkers and cyclists. Taproom opening times<br />
are Thursday – 10am to 6pm, Friday – 10am to<br />
7pm and Saturday – 10am to 6pm. But with the<br />
licence running until 11pm, they offer to stay<br />
open all the time that there are people in.<br />
Dan Hearn, the Marketing Manager of Loddon<br />
Brewery, says:<br />
“We’re delighted to have got a brewer of<br />
Jake’s calibre. Formerly of Bradford Brewery<br />
and Nightjar Brewery, he’s brimming with<br />
great ideas and will be part of a big change in<br />
direction for us, including a complete set of new<br />
beers which will be announced in the new year.<br />
The old classics won’t be going anywhere, but<br />
expect to see some very different beers from us.<br />
“It’s also bittersweet for us as we’re saying<br />
goodbye to Steve, after 15 years, who’s sailing<br />
off into a thoroughly well-deserved retirement.<br />
We couldn’t have asked for a better brewer than<br />
Steve, who has won us more than 60 awards<br />
and produced consistently great beers that have<br />
become firm favourites. He’s been an integral<br />
part of everything we’ve done and we’re hugely<br />
grateful to him, and wish him a long and happy<br />
retirement.”<br />
NEW WHARF<br />
The brewery has increased capacity by a fifth,<br />
taking the capacity up to 20,000 litres at any<br />
one time. Alongside that there’s a vacancy for<br />
an Assistant Brewer and also a Head of Sales<br />
and Marketing. All details can be seen at www.<br />
newwharfbrewing.co.uk<br />
They supply the University of Reading and in<br />
early December will be brewing a collaboration<br />
beer with them. Looking ahead to the new year,<br />
New Wharf will have a bar at Craft Beer Rising<br />
in February showcasing eight different beers.<br />
Loddon’s biggest news at the moment is the<br />
appointment of their new Head Brewer Jake<br />
Bartleet-Perry, who joined on November 5<br />
and officially took over from Steve Brown on<br />
November 27.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
10<br />
REBELLION<br />
Rebellion have brewed <strong>Winter</strong> Royal for a<br />
few years now as a special brew just before<br />
Christmas. Originally brewed by the Wethereds<br />
Brewery in Marlow, it became one of their<br />
flagship beers until the brewery closed in<br />
1988. In December 2016 Rebellion got hold<br />
of the recipe and brewed a batch, reviving this<br />
famous beer after a 28 year hiatus. Traditional<br />
Fuggles and Goldings hop varieties add to the<br />
authenticity of this classic English beer. The<br />
result is a deep, ruby winter warmer at 5.4%
ABV, with a rich maltiness, soft bitterness and<br />
a fantastic late and dry hop aroma.<br />
This year they’re brewing twice the amount and<br />
it will be available in pubs and bars and from<br />
the brewery shop. Release date should be at the<br />
beginning of December and they think they’ll<br />
have stock for a few weeks, though they predict<br />
it’ll run out sometime in the week commencing<br />
17 December.<br />
Available for rather longer is the winter<br />
seasonal Gold, which should be out now and<br />
last until February. As you might expect, this<br />
4.4% ABV beer is a rich golden ale with an<br />
intensely hoppy aroma. American Mosaic hops<br />
give the beer a huge aroma of tropical fruits,<br />
citrus fruits and red berry. The malt used is<br />
Crystal and Munich. The bitterness is relatively<br />
low despite the huge dose of late hops, so Gold<br />
retains its drinkability and balance.<br />
SIREN CRAFT<br />
meet current bottling quality standards<br />
and future-proof packaging options. This<br />
would allow them to tap into the growing<br />
demand for drinking at home in this<br />
format.<br />
• Strategically expand. This is investment<br />
in new equipment, more capacity and<br />
improvements to systems and processes.<br />
• Open new bars. Any overfunding will<br />
allow for increased capacity and improve<br />
efficiencies. If they raise over £1.5m, the<br />
intention is to fast-track plans to bring<br />
the Tap Yard experience to two city centre<br />
locations.<br />
One of the latest beers out of this prolific<br />
brewery is Fable, a 4.2% ABV session pale<br />
ale brewed with American hops. Interestingly<br />
this was the subject of a naming competition<br />
on Facebook and Twitter, with 497 suggestions<br />
being received. The suggestions went off to<br />
Siren’s collaborators Market Halls (a new<br />
London-based food hall business) who chose<br />
the winning name. Coincidentally it turned out<br />
to be the suggestion from Siren’s neighbours<br />
Elusive Brewing!<br />
WEST BERKSHIRE /<br />
RENEGADE<br />
Siren have been crowdfunding. They want to<br />
raise finance to accelerate the next phase of<br />
their growth. People will be investing for equity<br />
in the business, along with some rewards<br />
including discounts, exclusive events, brewery<br />
tours and more. In their own words “This is<br />
your opportunity to own equity in Siren Craft<br />
Brew and access exclusive investor rewards.”<br />
Initially they were seeking £750,000 and made<br />
it with five days to spare. The deadline for<br />
investment has now been extended to Sunday<br />
9 December.<br />
The three main objectives are:<br />
• Package Siren into cans. They want to<br />
install a top-rate canning line that will<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
11<br />
Dave Ball from Soft Cell enjoying a pint of Say Hello<br />
Wave Goodbye at the West Berks Brewery Taproom<br />
The latest of many beer and music collaborations<br />
saw West Berkshire Brewery hook up with 80s<br />
synth-pop duo Soft Cell to create a limitededition<br />
new beer. Named “Say Hello Wave<br />
Goodbye”, it was available exclusively in<br />
Mitchells & Butlers pubs (Nicholson’s, Ember<br />
Inns and Castle Pubs) in cask from September.
The 4.2% ABV pale ale was inspired by the<br />
classic English Bitters that the band enjoyed<br />
during their early years in Leeds, with the<br />
addition of New World hops to reflect their time<br />
in America. The beer has flavours of digestive<br />
biscuit, toffee, grapefruit and orange. A 5.2%<br />
bottled version of the beer is also planned to be<br />
available as an extremely limited-edition oneoff<br />
brew.<br />
The name Say Hello Wave Goodbye is a<br />
tribute to one of Soft Cell’s best-known songs<br />
from their 1981 debut album Non-Stop Erotic<br />
Cabaret. The classic Number One Tainted Love<br />
also comes from the same album.<br />
Dave Ball of Soft Cell commented “A pint is<br />
a game of two halves, and I can confirm that<br />
no synthesisers were used in the making of this<br />
product.”<br />
more substantial, there are Christmas packages<br />
on offer that include a brewery tour and three<br />
pints of beer plus, with other options, a festive<br />
buffet, gift box and tasting session. Contact the<br />
brewery for details and bookings.<br />
WINDSOR & ETON<br />
Mandarin (4.7% ABV) is back in bottles for<br />
December. It’s a light orange-coloured, hoppy<br />
ale with a citrus aroma and the distinctive<br />
and refreshing seasonal flavour of mandarin<br />
oranges. Available in 330ml bottles – bottled<br />
conditioned – for £2.50 from the brewery shop.<br />
Paddy’s Christmas Pub Crawl of Windsor is on<br />
Friday 21 December. It starts in the brewery tap<br />
on the Vansittart Estate (Duke Street) at 5pm<br />
and finishes in the George on Eton High Street<br />
in time for last orders. Santa hats, Christmas<br />
jumpers and singing may be involved and all<br />
are welcome!<br />
XT / ANIMAL<br />
Available under the Renegade brand now and in<br />
the run-up to Christmas is Smoke on the Porter,<br />
a 6% ABV smoked rye porter. Bold smoky<br />
flavours combine with an intensely smooth<br />
mouthfeel and great complexity. Expect roasted<br />
malt, caramel and spice with a hint of umami.<br />
It’s available on draught and in 440ml cans.<br />
Over at the brewery tap room in Yattendon,<br />
every Thursday from 6pm you can get a free<br />
pint with every burger. Shaun the chef makes<br />
pizzas and burgers and has also added pies,<br />
salads, bar snacks and a brand new sandwich<br />
menu. And if you’re looking for something<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
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XT have released no less than three winter<br />
beers, and three new Animal specials.<br />
Animal Ermine – The Pale Milk Stoat Stout<br />
4.6% ABV. Pale but with a smoky smooth<br />
richness. A subtle sweetness from the lactose
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
13<br />
balances hints of beech, chocolate and liquorice<br />
from a variety of malts. Wheat bulks up the<br />
beer for plenty of mouthfeel and a satisfying<br />
silky finish. Pleasant citrus and peppery notes<br />
round off this beer, courtesy of high alpha<br />
American hops.<br />
Animal Snow Owl – Bottle only <strong>Winter</strong> Ale<br />
4.6% ABV. A clean <strong>Winter</strong> Pale Ale stuffed with<br />
Simcoe, Rakau and Wakatu hops. Flavours of<br />
fig, passion fruit, citrus and fresh pine on a bed<br />
of crisp pale malt. A little winter warmth and<br />
spice creeps into the background.<br />
XT-25 – Christmas Ale 4.7% ABV. A festive<br />
rosey red ale, with English Golding and<br />
New Zealand Wakatu hops for a top to<br />
bottom winter warmer. Uses a very slow cold<br />
fermentation technique in the German Altbier<br />
tradition.<br />
Animal White Lion - Collaboration Special<br />
4.6% ABV. Brewed in collaboration with<br />
the White Lion pub in St Albans. Dr Rudi,<br />
Motueka and Green Bullet hops deliver big<br />
lemon/lime, floral and bitter pine flavours with<br />
a subtle nutty note from the caramalt. Generous<br />
Motueka dry-hopping further enhances the<br />
lemon/lime notes for a citrus farewell.<br />
Animal Spaniel - Homebrew Competition<br />
Winner Collaboration Special 4.6% ABV. A<br />
collaboration with the “Friends of the Shed”<br />
homebrew group – this is an American IPA<br />
based on the recipe from their competition<br />
winning beer.<br />
Animal Jack Rabbit – American Amber 5.5%<br />
ABV. A heavily hopped American amber ale,<br />
packed with Summit, Columbus, Cascade,<br />
Citra and Chinook hops, “with a character to<br />
match the bouncy, big eared Yankee.”<br />
Several of our<br />
customers are<br />
featured in the<br />
2019 CAMRA<br />
Good Beer Guide<br />
THE<br />
FLOWER POT HOTEL<br />
4 Real Ales Available<br />
Food 12-2.30 daily, 6.30-9 Mon-Sat Evenings<br />
All types of dietry food covered<br />
Largest collection of cased fish, local focal point for<br />
fishermen<br />
Warm welcome to all old and new customers<br />
FLOWER POT HOTEL<br />
FERRY LANE, ASTON<br />
RG9 3DG<br />
TEL: 01491 574721
Small Beer<br />
A round up of news and information<br />
PUB OF THE YEAR<br />
final for the first time. A popular pub in the<br />
heart of the village, it serves four real ales from<br />
local breweries and is home to jazz sessions,<br />
quizzes and regular visits from food providers.<br />
The fourth and final pub in the top four is the<br />
current CAMRA National Pub of the Year -<br />
The Cricketers in St Helens. A friendly local<br />
community pub also saved from closure, the<br />
pub boasts 13 handpumps on the bar and<br />
offers brews from newer regional brewers and<br />
local microbreweries.<br />
The Cricketers Arms in St Helens (top left), Volunteer<br />
Arms (Staggs) in Musselburgh (top right), the Wonston<br />
Arms in Wonston (bottom left) and the Chequers in<br />
Little Gransden (bottom right)<br />
All of the pubs in the competition are selected<br />
by CAMRA volunteers and judged on their<br />
atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for<br />
money, customer mix and, most importantly,<br />
quality of beer. The four finalists will now<br />
have a chance to win the National Pub of the<br />
Year title for <strong>2018</strong>, which will be announced in<br />
February 2019.<br />
CAMRA has named the best four pubs in the<br />
country as part of its Pub of the Year <strong>2018</strong><br />
competition, one of the most respected and wellknown<br />
pub awards in the UK. Unfortunately<br />
our own Nags Head didn’t progress from the<br />
final 16 but they can be very proud of having<br />
won the regional stage of the contest.<br />
Among the final four is the Volunteer Arms<br />
(Staggs) in Musselburgh, a traditional local<br />
decorated with wooden floors, wood panelling<br />
and mirrors from defunct local breweries.<br />
Run by the same family since 1858, it offers a<br />
regularly changing range of real ale.<br />
Also in the running is the Chequers in Little<br />
Gransden, a village pub with wooden benches<br />
and a roaring fire, which has been run by the<br />
same family for over 60 years. It is also the<br />
home of Son of Sid Brewery and the pub offers<br />
a selection of their beers.<br />
Saved from closure and now run by a<br />
persevering community group, the Wonston<br />
Arms in Wonston has made it through to the<br />
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Now we turn our thoughts to next year’s<br />
contest, which starts all over again very soon.<br />
For details of the shortlist for Reading & Mid<br />
Berkshire Pub of the Year visit readingcamra.<br />
org.uk where you can also find an online voting<br />
form.<br />
MICHAEL HARDMAN<br />
Michael Hardman has resigned from CAMRA’s<br />
National Executive.<br />
Michael was one of the four original founders<br />
of CAMRA and was elected to CAMRA’s<br />
ruling body (essentially its board of directors)<br />
18 months ago, becoming Chairman of the<br />
Communications Committee. A journalist<br />
on national newspapers and BBC radio, he<br />
served as the Campaign’s national chairman<br />
for two years from its foundation in 1971 and<br />
later joined the fledgling organisation’s staff<br />
in St Albans, editing the Good Beer Guide<br />
and What’s Brewing, both of which he had<br />
created. After leaving St Albans, he worked<br />
in the brewing industry as a public relations<br />
consultant.
In 2015 Michael was invited to chair the<br />
Revitalisation Project, whose recommendations<br />
for CAMRA’s future policy and activities<br />
were, with one exception, accepted by the<br />
membership at the <strong>2018</strong> members’ weekend.<br />
He said: “I have enjoyed being back in the<br />
CAMRA fold and particularly helping to shape<br />
future policy but I now need to focus on other<br />
projects. I wish the Campaign the very best for<br />
the future.”<br />
MEMBERS’ WEEKEND,<br />
AGM & CONFERENCE<br />
2019<br />
Volunteers are needed for next year’s event<br />
- taking place in the great city of Dundee.<br />
Opportunities are available: during set up, with<br />
vote counting, on the Members’ Bar, at the<br />
Information Stand and with the CAMRA shop.<br />
Find out more at agm.camra.org.uk or email<br />
volunteer.services@camra.org.uk<br />
THE GIFT OF CAMRA<br />
A CAMRA Gift membership is the ideal<br />
Christmas gift for anyone who loves real ale,<br />
cider, perry and pubs. This year there are a<br />
number of great membership offers which<br />
give a selection of gift choices and save money<br />
too. One in particular that’s fun is the offer<br />
of membership combined with a “My point<br />
of brew” T shirt – they simply say “Bitter”,<br />
“Mild”, “Sour” or “Stout” and are available in<br />
a range of colours and sizes. See the advert in<br />
this issue for more details.<br />
MASS LOBBY DAY<br />
Jackie Parker, CAMRA National Chairman (centre) and<br />
members of the National Executive at the lobby day<br />
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Hundreds of CAMRA members descended on<br />
Westminster at the end of October for a Mass<br />
Lobby Day to send a message to MPs about<br />
the very serious threats facing pubs. All agreed<br />
there must be urgent reform to business rates,<br />
Beer Duty and the Pubs Code to save the Great<br />
British pub from extinction.<br />
The Lobby Day day saw the launch of CAMRA’s<br />
three point plan to save the Great British pub,<br />
and encouraged MPs to commit to:<br />
1. Introducing a preferential rate of duty for<br />
draught beer.<br />
2. Reforming the business rates system to<br />
address the unfair burden on pubs.<br />
3. Conducting an urgent review of the Pubs<br />
Code so that the Market Rent Only option<br />
becomes a genuine choice for tenants.<br />
CAMRA members held meetings with MPs<br />
throughout the day, which culminated in a rally<br />
with speeches from the Chairman of the All<br />
Party Parliamentary Beer Group, Mike Wood<br />
MP, as well as Ruth Smeeth MP and Alan<br />
Brown MP.<br />
The Lobby came the day after the Budget, which<br />
contained the very welcome decision to freeze<br />
duty on beer and cider, and the announcement<br />
of a new package of business rate relief that will<br />
help smaller pubs. While this change will see<br />
annual savings of up to £8,000 for some pubs,<br />
CAMRA is extremely disappointed that pubspecific<br />
rate relief has been scrapped, meaning<br />
that pubs with a rateable value of over £51,000<br />
will lose out. Many of these pubs saw the<br />
largest rates increases after the last revaluation,<br />
and are struggling under sky-high bills that<br />
threaten them with extinction.<br />
CAMRA’s National Chairman, Jackie Parker,<br />
said:<br />
“While welcome, the Budget measures are just<br />
a sticking plaster which doesn’t tackle the root<br />
issue. There must be long-term change and<br />
reform to business rates, Beer Duty and the<br />
Pubs Code to stop the decline of pubs closing<br />
which is currently 18 per week. The Lobby<br />
Day has been a huge success. It gave members<br />
an opportunity to speak to their MPs direct<br />
about tackling the root causes of pub closures,<br />
need for fundamental reform to ensure that
pubs remain at the heart of communities and<br />
continue to make a valuable contribution to<br />
our society, culture and economy.”<br />
Speaking at the Members’ Rally, Mike Wood<br />
MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary<br />
Beer Group added:<br />
“We need to make sure that we have a proper<br />
review of local business taxation which goes<br />
beyond what was announced (in the Budget)<br />
on business rates, so that pubs of all sizes are<br />
actually taxed at a fair rate and we have a<br />
taxation system fit for the 21st century rather<br />
than the 1950s, and one that recognises the<br />
economy as it is now rather than one that was<br />
based solely on land values.”<br />
award winning beers and I personally could not<br />
have done it without my Amigo. We have lost<br />
an amazing part of New Wharf Brewing Co<br />
and, in Stewart’s honour, we will brew a beer in<br />
his memory; “Amigo”.<br />
FLYING MONK<br />
Flying Monk Brewery from Wiltshire are<br />
looking for sales representatives in our area. If<br />
you’re interested or for more details, see their<br />
advert.<br />
WANTED: SALES REPRESENTATIVES<br />
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NEW WHARF<br />
Kevin Black has asked us to include this tribute<br />
to his friend Stewart who passed away in<br />
October, and we’re happy to do so.<br />
Amigo, Amigo, where are you Amigo? In<br />
October <strong>2018</strong> we celebrated the life of a<br />
friend and work colleague who gave so much<br />
to making sure every day ran smoothly in<br />
the brewery at New Wharf. Stewart wasn’t<br />
shy of hard work and always embraced the<br />
challenging environment that we faced. Many<br />
people around the world have enjoyed our<br />
Stewart and Kevin in the brewery<br />
The last couple of months have been hard but<br />
we must celebrate the life of a man who has<br />
touched many people’s lives. Stewart was funny<br />
and always laughed and joked about everything.<br />
Everyday at around 11am his mobile would go<br />
ping and he would say “ that’s my Sarah up” -<br />
this always brought a smile to his face.<br />
His other love in life was his daily packet of<br />
digestive biscuits and wine gums. These became<br />
a staple part of the brewery diet. Stewart was<br />
also fond of his Breakfast Stout and always<br />
got excited when we brewed it. Of course he<br />
sampled it most days in the brewery for quality<br />
control purposes. He treasured his son Dan<br />
and daughter Georgi and was always telling me<br />
about what they were up to.<br />
I say goodbye to my Amigo but his memory<br />
will live on in every beer I brew at the New<br />
Wharf. On behalf of New Wharf Brewing Co<br />
we would like to send our deepest condolences<br />
to Dan, Georgie and Sarah.<br />
Kevin Black<br />
Head Brewer, New Wharf Brewing Co<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
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The Grumpy Goat is Five<br />
All images courtesy of the Grumpy Goat<br />
Tucked away in Reading’s quirky Harris<br />
Arcade you’ll find The Grumpy Goat, a<br />
multi award-winning independent retailer<br />
of bottled beers, artisan cheese and small<br />
batch spirits. This winning combination<br />
has brought Anne-Marie and Charlie Beatty<br />
many successes over the years – most recently<br />
Reading Retail Award’s “Independent<br />
Retailer of the Year <strong>2018</strong>”. They’re just<br />
on the brink of their fifth birthday so we<br />
thought we’d say a few words about their<br />
fantastic little shop which has become a<br />
Reading treasure.<br />
The beer and cheese shop was set up in late<br />
2013 and quickly became a success with<br />
people buying Christmas presents and treats<br />
for themselves. Over the years Anne-Marie<br />
and Charlie have built upon their Grumpy<br />
Goat brand to bring customers tastings, pop<br />
up events, wedding cheese cakes, an annual<br />
Home Brew competition and even their own<br />
craft beer and music festival “Craft Theory”<br />
www.crafttheoryfestival.co.uk which will be<br />
in its third year in 2019.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
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When talking to Anne-Marie and Charlie you<br />
can see how passionate they are about their<br />
shop and brand. They seem to have hit on a<br />
niche market but, with that combination in<br />
mind, who doesn’t like beer and cheese when<br />
there are so many combinations to try? They<br />
now stock in the region of 450 different types<br />
of beer from around the world, 50 different<br />
cheeses from the UK and the continent and<br />
around 70 different types of gin, rum, vodka,<br />
whisky and liqueurs.<br />
share a glass with them at the shop on Sunday<br />
9 December (2pm-4pm). The Grumpy Goat<br />
team will be brewing a special beer for the<br />
event with Reading’s newest brewery Double<br />
Barrelled, and there will be canapés from We<br />
Are Friends (a local vegetarian and vegan<br />
pop up). So, head down and raise a glass to<br />
their continued success. See you there!<br />
Phil Gill<br />
Over the years you can see that Anne-Marie<br />
and Charlie have invested more money where<br />
they can to ensure that customers are happy.<br />
For instance the addition of new fridges to<br />
keep the beer cold in summer, and the wide<br />
selection of spirits and liqueurs which is<br />
probably bigger than any other selection in<br />
an independent store in Reading.<br />
They’ve introduced a loyalty card system<br />
this year (to find out more about this take a<br />
look at their website thegrumpygoat.co.uk).<br />
Other ways they’ve developed the shopping<br />
experience include the fact that they’re<br />
happy to take beer recommendations and,<br />
at Christmas, they have a pre-order service<br />
for their cheese so customers can just drop<br />
in and collect their Christmas cheese boards.<br />
Anne-Marie and Charlie pride themselves<br />
on their customer service and say they feel<br />
privileged to employ such fantastic staff<br />
who are also very knowledgeable and keen<br />
to make a good impression on everyone<br />
who steps through the door. When I asked<br />
the pair about their plans for the future they<br />
shared with me a couple of ideas. In the near<br />
future they will be introducing a growler<br />
fill system to enable customers to purchase<br />
fresh beer straight from the taps and they<br />
also have plans to set up a monthly beer box<br />
which you can purchase online.<br />
But the real reason for this article is to mark<br />
their big fifth birthday! To celebrate, Anne-<br />
Marie and Charlie are inviting everyone to<br />
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Offering a wide range of real ale in all styles<br />
Plus World Beers - Cider - Perry<br />
GREAT BRITISH<br />
19 - 23 FEBRUARY<br />
Tuesday 19 th Members Preview 17:30 - 22:30<br />
Wednesday 20 th - Saturday 23 rd 12:00 - 22:30<br />
Free Entry For CAMRA Members<br />
BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE<br />
winter.gbbf.org.uk/tickets<br />
The Halls, St Andrews Plain, Norwich NR3 1AU<br />
GBBF<strong>Winter</strong> GreatBritishBeerFestival<strong>Winter</strong>
Reading CAMRA<br />
Gala Awards<br />
and dedicated the award to him. There’s a tribute<br />
to Stewart elsewhere in this magazine.<br />
We also paid tribute to a couple of long-serving<br />
licensees, Carole from the Magpie & Parrot,<br />
Shinfield and to Jenny & Vic from the Swan at<br />
Three Mile Cross, all of whom have been inpost<br />
for more than 30 years, a very impressive<br />
achievement in this day and age.<br />
Every year, Reading &<br />
Mid Berkshire CAMRA<br />
hold an annual “gala<br />
awards” ceremony to<br />
promote and celebrate<br />
the best, the longest and<br />
sometimes the unusual.<br />
Recipients of awards<br />
from local pubs and<br />
breweries are invited<br />
for an evening of fun,<br />
networking… and the<br />
odd pint or three!<br />
This year, we hosted our<br />
event at Park House, at<br />
the University of Reading; a very apt location, as it<br />
had just learnt that it was celebrating its first-ever<br />
entry into the Good Beer Guide!<br />
And to prove we aren’t a bunch of stick-in-the-mud<br />
traditionalists, we marked a couple of pubs which<br />
have been refurbished / extended / remodelled in<br />
an exceptionally impressive way – the Black Boy<br />
in Shinfield and the Shurlock Inn at Shurlock Row.<br />
Also this year we did an award as a one-off<br />
“longest closed pub for no good reason”. Not<br />
really an award as such, but to mark the sad fact<br />
that the Lower Ship on Duke Street was purchased<br />
by Samuel Smith Brewery over 30 years ago but<br />
has never opened. A fine building going to waste<br />
as well as local drinkers being deprived of an<br />
outlet for traditional Yorkshire brews! The photo<br />
for this is on the cover.<br />
A fine evening was had by all, with a number of<br />
people hanging round until closing time (that’s a<br />
Awards were presented for various “of the year”<br />
or “OTY” awards. The Nags Head celebrated yet<br />
another win as overall Reading CAMRA Pub of<br />
the Year, voted for by local CAMRA members and<br />
judged over a variety of different factors, ideally<br />
looking for an excellent quality all-rounder with<br />
top quality beer as the most important aspect, of<br />
course.<br />
Awards from the Reading Beer and Cider Festival<br />
were also presented, for various style winners and<br />
of course Beer of the Festival, as selected by two<br />
rounds of rigorous blind judging. Congratulations<br />
were in order to New Wharf who won with<br />
their Breakfast Stout. The award was especially<br />
poignant as Kevin Black, who collected the award,<br />
revealed that his co-brewer and best friend Stewart<br />
had passed away just a couple of days previously,<br />
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sign of a good night!). We’d like to extend our<br />
gratitude to Matt and Kathy of the University’s<br />
bar team, who helped host this event and laid on<br />
an excellent spread of food and local beer.<br />
We’ll be having this event again next year, so if<br />
you can think of pubs, publicans or breweries who<br />
deserve a special award, why not contact us and<br />
let us know?<br />
Quinten Taylor<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
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Binghams Tap Room -<br />
Twyford’s First Micropub<br />
All images courtesy of Sue Thirlaway<br />
Binghams Brewery has opened a pop-up tap<br />
room in the heart of Twyford. The venture,<br />
which unfortunately is temporary as the<br />
unit is only available until Christmas, will<br />
be open every Friday and Saturday until<br />
Christmas from 11am until 10pm.<br />
Tucked away in a corner but easily<br />
identifiable by the striking red signage, it’s<br />
located at Twyford Crossroads, at 2b High<br />
Street, and in the past has been a bridal wear<br />
shop (hence the chandelier!), an antique<br />
shop and, before that, a pub called The Bell.<br />
The brewery team received the keys to the<br />
premises only the day before the tap room<br />
was due to open and worked into the night<br />
to be ready to welcome customers on Friday<br />
2 November. On the opening day there were<br />
four cask beers available to drink on site or<br />
take home:<br />
• Twyford Tipple, a 3.7% tawny bitter<br />
with a citrus hop finish<br />
• Hop Project Summit Melon, 4.5%<br />
with a refreshing, subtle melon hop<br />
character<br />
• Space Hoppy IPA, 5% with citrus hops<br />
• Vanilla Stout, 5%, deservedly<br />
Champion Beer of Britain for 2016<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
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Expect to find changes on each visit. Bottled<br />
beers from Binghams, and wine and cider are<br />
also on sale.<br />
As the brewery is located just down the<br />
road in Ruscombe, the tap room qualifies<br />
for CAMRA’s LocAle scheme, designed to<br />
promote local breweries and reduce beer<br />
miles. An impromptu presentation of a<br />
Locale sticker was made on the opening day<br />
and it now takes pride of place on the front<br />
door.<br />
There’s no music, sport, TVs or WiFi: this is<br />
somewhere to come for a friendly welcome<br />
and to sit and chat with friends over a beer.<br />
Sue Thirlaway<br />
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HORSES LOVE IT<br />
Back in the day, Fuller’s beers were transported<br />
through the city using horse and wagon. The horses<br />
would get thirsty and the drivers would give them a<br />
bottle or two. Soon the horses developed a fondness<br />
<br />
refused to drink water. So, in effect the wagons were<br />
powered by Fuller’s beer. These days we use vans<br />
for those narrow London streets, but no one’s tried<br />
Fuller’s beer in the fuel tanks, yet. Is that possible?<br />
D R I N K AWA R E . C O . U K
127 Route Pub Crawl<br />
There’s a rover ticket that lets you get on and<br />
off the bus as much as you like during the day.<br />
With Sonning, Twyford, Hare Hatch, Knowl<br />
Hill and many other places on the route we<br />
couldn’t cover everywhere. So we decided to<br />
start at Littlewick Green with the Shire Horse,<br />
one of many pubs that lend their names to the<br />
bus stops on the route.<br />
Our group at Binghams Brewery<br />
When you’re a beer drinker and you think of<br />
a day out, where springs to mind? London<br />
perhaps? Bath? Oxford? Maybe even a part of<br />
Reading that you haven’t visited for a while.<br />
Perhaps “the A4” wouldn’t be high on your list.<br />
But think about it for a while – an old coaching<br />
road will have a great selection of pubs and,<br />
while some will have closed in recent years,<br />
there’s still a good number along the road and<br />
in the villages that it bypasses.<br />
But how to get to those pubs without driving?<br />
Luckily Courtney Buses run a route 127 on<br />
Saturdays between Reading and Maidenhead.<br />
So, back in September, a group of us met up on<br />
Friar Street one sunny morning for a pub crawl.<br />
This is a Chef & Brewer pub, a lovely 18 th<br />
century building that used to be one of the<br />
coaching inns, and has been modernised while<br />
still retaining many period features. Like all<br />
in the chain it offers a discount on real ale to<br />
CAMRA members. The menu looked good but<br />
it was a bit early for food so we enjoyed a few<br />
beers from Rebellion Brewery and chatted with<br />
a couple from Maidenhead branch who had<br />
cycled out to meet us.<br />
A quick check on the timetable, then it was<br />
outside to catch the next bus. The same bus<br />
driver that had driven us there in the morning<br />
then realised what we were up to. “Pub lunch,<br />
is it?” “No, a pub crawl.” “Ah, good stuff.” It<br />
was only a five minute journey to our next stop,<br />
Knowl Hill, and we met two other CAMRA<br />
members on board who were joining us for the<br />
rest of the crawl.<br />
The Royal Oak in Knowl Hill was our next<br />
choice and, although the pub sign is prominent<br />
on the A4, if you’re driving past at speed you<br />
could easily miss the pub itself – it’s actually<br />
a short walk up the road called Knowl Hill<br />
Common. It’s a free house that’s popular with<br />
locals and welcoming to visitors, and offers<br />
two regular beers plus a guest. Most of us went<br />
for the guest mild but unfortunately it died as<br />
soon as it was poured. After a few minutes<br />
the replacement guest from the local Stardust<br />
Brewery of White Waltham came on, and was<br />
in much better condition. This was our planned<br />
food stop and we all enjoyed the generous<br />
portions of home-cooked lunches.<br />
The Shire Horse, Littlewick Green<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
25
The Royal Oak, Knowl Hill<br />
After that we split up to cover the two other<br />
remaining pubs in the village. Both are largely<br />
food-based but both are also happy for people<br />
to come in just for a drink. Those who visited<br />
the New Inn reported an unexceptional pint of<br />
Rebellion IPA while, further down the road,<br />
the Bird in Hand offered a range of Wadworth<br />
beers.<br />
The Bird in Hand, Knowl Hill<br />
Back on the bus, then, for another short hop to<br />
Ruscombe. Here we split up again, some having<br />
a quick drink in the Royal Oak (Buratta’s) – the<br />
bus arrived about 15 minutes before afternoon<br />
closing time! – while others went straight to<br />
Binghams Brewery. We’d phoned ahead and<br />
found there were a few spaces on the brewery<br />
tour that afternoon so we settled in.<br />
New Inn, Knowl Hill<br />
When the Bird in Hand was a family-owned<br />
free house it offered a wide selection of real<br />
ales from microbreweries and was a proper<br />
destination venue, being regularly in contention<br />
for our branch Pub of the Year award. Since<br />
being taken over by Wadworth a couple of<br />
years ago it’s been refurbished and seen major<br />
investment, but the beer range is now restricted<br />
to the owners’ products and there seems less<br />
of a reason to make a special journey to go<br />
there. The first beer we chose was off but it<br />
was replaced with a much better example and –<br />
after a brief bit of miscommunication between<br />
the bar staff – the first one appeared to be taken<br />
off sale.<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
26<br />
The Royal Oak, Ruscombe<br />
Chris Bingham was hosting the tour that day<br />
and he gave an entertaining talk about how<br />
he got into brewing as a student, the long and<br />
involved process of setting up his own brewery,<br />
the brewing process and the ingredients used in<br />
the recipes, alongside tasting several glasses of<br />
the beers. Stout, the brewery dog, even made an<br />
appearance at the end and of course received<br />
plenty of fuss. Beers from Binghams and their<br />
new craft label Ricochet (unfined, unfiltered<br />
and suitable for vegans) were available for<br />
purchase and the shop was doing a steady<br />
trade from locals while we were there. Look at<br />
binghams.co.uk for tour details and to book<br />
online.
The brewery was the end of our organised pub<br />
crawl as the buses only run in the daytime, but<br />
some of the group walked on into Twyford and<br />
had some very good quality beer at the Golden<br />
Cross before getting the train back to Reading.<br />
Others headed back to the Royal Oak once it<br />
reopened for the evening and had an excellent<br />
meal. It was a fine day out.<br />
If you’ve been inspired to check out the A4,<br />
visit courtneybuses.com for details of the 127<br />
timetable and fares. Also, looking in the other<br />
direction, the Reading Buses (reading-buses.<br />
co.uk) Jet Black route no. 1 takes you west<br />
along the A4 from Reading to Newbury and is<br />
also a great way to visit a wide range of pubs.<br />
Both the pubs and the buses will be grateful<br />
for your custom and the two complement each<br />
other perfectly, so get planning your day out!<br />
Phil Gill<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
27
Shop and Taproom<br />
Opening Hours<br />
Shop Open Daily:<br />
10am to 6pm<br />
Taproom Open Daily:<br />
10am to 6pm,<br />
Weds - Sat until 11pm<br />
Kitchen Open:<br />
Tues - Sun 12pm to 3pm,<br />
Weds - Sat 6pm to 9pm<br />
Phone: 01635 767090<br />
Email: info@wbbrew.co.uk<br />
wbbtaproom<br />
Available for private tours<br />
Please call 01635 767090 or<br />
Email: taproomandkitchen@wbbrew.co.uk<br />
West Berkshire Brewery Shop, Taproom & Kitchen.<br />
The Old Dairy, Yattendon, Berkshire, RG18 0XT<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
28
A Pub is for Life<br />
A pub is for life … not just for<br />
Christmas!<br />
Christmas is the time of year where people like<br />
to socialise more with friends, family and some<br />
are even forced to socialise with colleagues! The<br />
pubs are bursting at the seams with “Seasonal<br />
Drinkers”. Seasoned drinkers lose their favourite<br />
spot at the bar as their chairs are moved to<br />
accommodate the swathes of new customers.<br />
Regulars get annoyed as their local is taken over<br />
by the new celebrating clientele. Publicans are<br />
rubbing their hands, counting the money ringing<br />
into their tills.<br />
But, with the final bars of Auld Lang Syne still<br />
echoing in our ears, when the New Year bells<br />
have fallen silent, so do the tills. The chairs are<br />
moved back in front of the bar and usual service<br />
resumes. What happened to the Christmas<br />
drinkers, people ask? All licensees can do is<br />
shrug their shoulders and hope their December<br />
windfall can last them through the new year.<br />
According to official figures, every week 18<br />
pubs close their doors forever. The high cost of<br />
drinking is usually cited as a reason for people to<br />
drink at home. While CAMRA still continues to<br />
campaign on behalf of pubs and breweries these<br />
said tax rises add extra pressure on the industry.<br />
Pubs are struggling under a triple whammy of<br />
high beer duty, rapidly rising business rates and<br />
VAT. As a result, a third of the cost of a pint is<br />
now made up of various taxes.<br />
So what’s your New Year’s resolution? I’ll let<br />
you into a secret and tell you what mine is. I’m<br />
going to make sure I visit at least one new pub a<br />
month. Why don’t you do the same? I promise<br />
you, it’ll be loads of fun!<br />
Sarah Crawford<br />
(adapted from an article originally written for<br />
Scottish CAMRA magazines)<br />
A GOLDEN WONDER<br />
FRESH MIX OF HOPS FOR A DELICIOUS ALE<br />
RICH RUBY ALE<br />
SMOOTH AND MALTY WITH A FULL BODY<br />
Mine’s A <strong>Pint</strong><br />
29
The ultimate<br />
Christmas Gift<br />
for the beer<br />
lover in your life<br />
Give your beer or pub lover a whole year’s<br />
worth of enjoyment ent with CAMRA membership<br />
£27 *<br />
Single Gift<br />
Membership<br />
A full year’s<br />
membership<br />
subscription<br />
£38 *<br />
£38 *<br />
*Joint and under 26 prices are also available.<br />
Gift Membership + T-Shirt<br />
available in bitter, mild,<br />
sour or stout<br />
Gift Membership<br />
+ Good Beer<br />
Guide 2019<br />
Visit www.camra.org.uk/gift-memberships<br />
for fantastic Christmas gift ideas<br />
Please visit www.camra.org.uk/membership-rates for more information
Merry Christmas and<br />
Happy New Beer!<br />
Order your Gift Membership online<br />
at www.camra.org.uk/christmasgifts<br />
Alternatively you can send this form to:<br />
CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road,<br />
St Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW<br />
Please complete the following details<br />
and tick the membership you would like<br />
to buy for a friend or family member.<br />
Your Details (please print all information)<br />
Name<br />
Address<br />
Town<br />
Post Code<br />
Mobile Number<br />
Email<br />
Are you a CAMRA member (please tick as appropriate)?<br />
Yes No<br />
If Yes, please state your CAMRA membership number:<br />
Payment<br />
There are two ways you can pay for your gift:<br />
• Cheque - please make payable to CAMRA Ltd<br />
• Complete the following to pay by credit/debit card<br />
Name as it appears on the card<br />
Address (if different to above)<br />
Total Cost £<br />
Please charge my (delete as appropriate)<br />
Mastercard/Visa**<br />
Card<br />
Number:<br />
Start Date:<br />
Expiry Date:<br />
Signature<br />
Details of the person you are buying<br />
the gift for (please print all information)<br />
Name<br />
Address<br />
Town<br />
Post Code<br />
Mobile Number<br />
Email<br />
Date of birth (DD-MM-YYYY)<br />
Please confirm which address you would like the<br />
gift to be sent to:<br />
My address Address of the person you<br />
are buying the gift for<br />
Gift Memberships (please tick the appropriate box)<br />
Gift Membership £27***<br />
Gift Membership with Good Beer Guide £38***<br />
Gift Membership with T-Shirt £38***<br />
Choose brew: bitter / mild / sour / stout<br />
Choose size: S / M / L / XL / XXL<br />
Visit www.camra.org.uk/gift-memberships<br />
for your perfect Christmas gifts<br />
Find out more about membership at www.camra.org.uk/benefits<br />
**We don't store personal details so our Membership Team will<br />
contact you for your 3 digit security code.<br />
***All gifts listed on this page are valid until 31st December <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
Please note all Gift Membership orders need to be received on<br />
or before Monday 17th December for dispatch before Christmas<br />
<strong>2018</strong>. Gift Memberships are only available for residents of the<br />
UK & Channel Islands. All membership prices are based upon<br />
standard full single membership rates. Offer only open to new<br />
members and not renewals. Only one book or t-shirt included in<br />
a Joint Membership Christmas Gift. Only one membership can<br />
be ordered per form.<br />
Postage and packing (p&p) included for all Gift Membership<br />
Gifts. All other shop items include p&p.
CHRISTMAS T<br />
MENUE<br />
AVAILABLE<br />
WED 14 NOV – MON 24 DEC<br />
THE BACK OF BEYOND<br />
104–108 KINGS ROAD<br />
READING<br />
BERKSHIRE, RG1 3BY<br />
TEL: 0118 959 5906<br />
THE BARON CADOGAN<br />
22–24 PROSPECT STREET<br />
CAVERSHAM<br />
BERKSHIRE, RG4 8JG<br />
TEL: 0118 948 1078<br />
THE HOPE TAP<br />
99–105 FRIAR STREET<br />
READING<br />
BERKSHIRE, RG1 1EP<br />
TEL: 0118 958 2266<br />
GREAT RANGE OF QUALITY REAL ALES AVAILABLE<br />
Featuring ales such as<br />
RUDDLES<br />
3.7% ABV pint<br />
FROM £1.99<br />
GUEST ALES<br />
Various ABVs pint<br />
FROM £2.59<br />
ABBOT ALE<br />
5.0% ABV pint<br />
FROM £2.69<br />
Available on<br />
iOS and Android<br />
323ADVERT18A5V2<br />
Subject to local licensing restrictions and availability at participating free houses. Photography is for guidance only. J D Wetherspoon plc reserves the right<br />
to withdraw/change offers (without notice), at any time. See main menu for additional details of our terms and conditions.