A5 magazine template - Campaign for Real [email protected] 3 November2019-February2020 4 WirrAleDrinker 5 November2019-February2020 Congratulations toTheBeerLaband

Magazine of the Wirral branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

WirrAle Drinker

wirrale.camra.org.uk

Pub and Brewery news and more from acrossthe Wirral for the discerning beer and cider drinker

PRICELESS

November 2019 - February 2020

In this issue...• Birkenhead to New Brighton pubs walk• Local Beer in Finals of National Award

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The Great British Beer Festival Winterruns from 4th-8th February 2020 at theNew Bingley Hall, Birmingham. Find outmore at winter.gbbf.org.uk

Editor’s Column by Rob Carter

DisclaimerThe views expressed in articles are those

of individual contributors and are notnecessarily the views of the Wirral Branchof the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd.Wirral CAMRA accepts no liability inrelation to the accuracy ofadvertisements, readers must rely on theirown enquiries. It should also be notedthat acceptance of an advertisement inthis publication should not be deemed anendorsement of quality by Wirral CAMRA.

Hello and welcome to WirrAle Drinker, amagazine produced by the Wirral Branchof the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It'sall about real ale, real cider and the pubsthat serve it from Egremont to EasthamFerry, Hoylake to Heswall, everywhere inbetween and occasionally beyond.This second issue is more weighty thanour first. In it Dave Goodwin explains beerscoring, why it’s important and what weuse the information for. Gareth Owentakes a trip down memory lane looking atthe Good Beer Guide pubs of Birkenheadin 1990. Tim Smith has been inconversation with the boys from the Bow-Legged Beagle. Cider lover Jan Lawtongives an introduction to the drink includingit’s history. Mark Baxter from Brimstagebrewery tells us about Trappers Hat andit’s recent outing to the Champion Beer ofBritain awards. There’s a pubs walk fromBirkehead to New Brighton and I have aproblem with a guest that has overstayedit’s welcome. As well as all that we havepub news and a few other bits too. As youcan tell it’s a pretty packed issue, hope youenjoy!Cover photo: The Coach & Horses, Greasby

ContactsChairman: Gareth [email protected] Drinker Editor: Rob [email protected]:[email protected]: wirrale.camra.org.ukFor full contact details for Wirral CAMRABranch visitwww.wirral.camra.org.uk/Contacts.phpWirrAle Drinker is designed and printed forWirral CAMRA by Catshill Designdesign.catshill.com

Would you like to promote your businessor event in WirrAle Drinker?

£55 (¼ page), £90 (½ page), £160 (page)See website for

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please go to our WirrAle Drinker websitedrinker.wirrale.camra.org.uk or email

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Congratulations to The Beer Lab and it’sowner Ryan on winning Wirral CAMRA’spub of the season award for Autumn2018. A micropub in a former cycle shopthat opened in July 2018 it has quicklybecome a popular addition to the pubscene in Heswall. It serves four cask alesplus a large selection of keg and bottledbeers as well as five real ciders.Nominations and voting for the pub of theseason awards takes place at branchmeetings (see diary) so please attend ifyou want to take part.There was a fire on 24th August at theclosed Revolver / Hotel California on theroundabout near the Birkenhead tunnelentrance. The pub was already scheduledfor demolition.The Dell, Prenton which closed in July2019 has been demolished to make wayfor a block of flats.

On a positive note on Saturday 27th JulyThe Black Toad, Wirral’s fifth micropubopened in Hoylake on Market Street.Converted from a disused shop, it’s run byRobin Jackson and Shell Ellis. They livedabove and when the landlord half-jokingoffered them the shop for rent too theydecided to realise their dreams of having amicropub. The pub serves three cask ales,a dark, pale and a bitter, predominantlyfrom local breweries. It’s cosy and has afriendly atmosphere and has a beergarden to the rear. It’s dog friendly and thepub has it’s own cat!Full details of all our pubs can be found atwhatpub.com or by downloading theCAMRA Good Beer Guide app.

Local Pub and Brewery News

Send your pub and brewery news to [email protected]

The Black Toad

The Beer Lab

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Pub Names Poser Locale

Branch Diary and Events

How many pubs on Wirral that serve realale have a colour in their name? Wemanaged to get nine.

BlackHorse(Heswall),BlackToad(Hoylake),BrownHorse(Neston),GreenLodgeHotel(Hoylake),RedCat(Greasby),RedFox(ThorntonHough),RedLion(Parkgate),RoseandCrown(Bebington),WhiteLion(WestKirby)

The following events are open to allCAMRA members, but non-members arealso welcome to join us.Details are correct at the time of going topress. Please visit our website,wirral.camra.org.uk for up to dateinformation.NovemberThursday 14th - Branch Meeting at theRose & Crown, Village Road, Bebingtonfrom 8:30pmSaturday 23rd - Coach trip to Huddersfield.Coach leaves from The Brass Balance,Argyle Street Birkenhead at 10.00am thenThe Ship & Mitre, Dale Street Liverpool at10.15am. £15 to book please contactDave Hutchinson [email protected] orat 07769 617986DecemberThursday 12th - Branch Meeting at theRose & Crown, Village Road, Bebingtonfrom 8.30pm

JanuaryThursday 9th - Branch Meeting atGallaghers Traditional Pub, Chester Street,Birkenhead from 8.30pmSaturday 11th - Winter Pub of the SeasonAward presentation to White Lion, GrangeRoad, West Kirby from 2pmFebruaryThursday 13th - AGM at GallaghersTraditional Pub, Chester Street,Birkenhead from 8.30pm20th-22nd Liverpool CAMRA Beer Festival,Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt, BrownlowHill, LiverpoolMarchThursday 12th - Branch Meeting at theRose & Crown, Village Road, Bebingtonfrom 8:30pmAprilThursday 9th - Branch Meeting at the Rose& Crown, Village Road, Bebington from8:30pm

Locale is CAMRA’s scheme toencourage pubs to serve locally brewedbeer. For more information on Localethen please go towww.wirral.camra.org.uk/LocAle.php

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Photo: Chris Pearson

Photo: Chris PearsonDiscover

why we joined.camra.org.uk/

10reasons

Includes

£30Real Ale

Cider & PerryVouchers

Fromas little as

£26.50*

a year. That’s lessthan a pint a

month!

Join up, join in,join the campaign

Join the campaign today atwww.camra.org.uk/joinup

Join us, and together we can protect thetraditions of great British pubs andeverything that goes with them.

Become part of the CAMRA communitytoday – enjoy discounted entry to beerfestivals and exclusive member offers.Learn about brewing and beer and join like-minded people supporting our campaignsto save pubs, clubs, your pint and more.

*Price for paying by Direct Debit and correct at April 2019.

Concessionary rates available.

Please visit camra.org.uk/membership-rates

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Opened in December 2017 on VictoriaRoad, New Brighton the Bow-LeggedBeagle has made quite an impact on thesocial scene in New Brighton. Started byJohn Smith (not the brewery) and AndyWilliams (not the singer), capitalising onthe regeneration of New Brighton andgambling that Victoria Road was due arenaissance and was in desperate need ofan outlet for interesting local (mostly)cask and craft beers they also stockciders, wines and spirits, including a widevariety of gins. Some may have thoughtthey were backing an outsider, but howwrong they were!Were you good friends from the start?AW. We hit it off straight away, John’s avery personable guy. We are very differentpersonalities so we bring differentoutlooks to the table on a daily basis. I’dsay I'm the grouchy one.JS. Absolutely! I hope Andy will tell youthe same. I’d say that anyone who knowsus will tell you that we are in many wayslike chalk and cheese and this worked forus and still does to this day.So, you are both obviously big beer fanshow and when did you each get into beer?AW. I can thank my dad for pointing me inthe right direction. Cask was so bad thatwe mostly drank Labatts, Fosters, Carlingand their ice derivatives. Guinness was mygateway and then Trapper’s Hat made an

impression. Beertoday is the bestit's ever been andit needs to becelebrated. It onlytakes one beer toget you going onthe path torighteousness.

JS. Like most people I began my drinkingcareer with some pretty awful brews,Flowers IPA, Trophy bitter, John Smith’s toname a few, then about 14 years agoduring a visit to the Harp Inn in Neston Itried a pint of ale called Golden Pippin byCopper Dragon brewery and absolutelyloved it, it was hoppy, astringent and full offlavour and I loved it, there and then I knewI was hooked.Were you fans of cask ale from the start ordid you have a moment of enlightenment?AW. The moments of enlightenment arehappening on a weekly basis. Some of thebeers being produced locally aresensational.I understand you did much of the workconverting the former shop and basementinto the pub, did you have experience in thelicenced trade or construction?AW. John’s very good at building fromscratch. Supremely untidy, but very good. Iwas fairly useless, my strengths are in anoperational capacity. Twenty years in retailmanagement has been put to good use.JS. I had no experience with the licencedtrade at all when we began, but I’d donemy research over the preceding year ortwo and was ready for the task by the timewe opened. The refit took around twomonths to complete and we did all thework ourselves, I was literally working all

The Boys From the Bow-Legged Beagle

Andy behind the bar in New Brighton

Bow-Legged Beagle New Brighton

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the hours under the sun to get it ready foropening at Christmas, it was a stressfuland physically exhausting process butultimately hugely satisfying too.Why did you pick the name The Bow-Legged Beagle?AW. John came up with the name. Itsquirky and memorable and I loved it.JS. I was on holiday with my family up inthe Lake District during the summer priorto the opening of the pub. I was workingon the planning application and licensingstuff and contemplating what the placewould be called, as I looked up from mylaptop, sat right in front of me was mysister in laws beagle Bobby who happensto possess the finest pair of bowed frontlegs.You have five handpumps serving caskales how do you choose the ales you wantto stock?AW. We have a preference for local beer,it's right that we should support theseamazing breweries on our doorstep,breweries like Neptune and Big Bog wehave stocked from the start. We thinkchoice is massively important, you willalways find a dark, a bitter, a strong optionand pale sessions alongside fruit ordifferent flavours of beer. It irks me thatpubs play it safe and it's just pale afterpale, the pub equivalent of magnolia paint,we have a rich resource at our disposalwhich is growing weekly as we becomemore established, we are no less than 60%local at any one time.JS. We decided very early that we wantedto showcase locally produced ales and sowe contacted local breweries thatproduced beers that we liked to drinkourselves, we arranged to visit them, trythere brews and select the ones wethought were best, we still do this now. Atthe Beagle we try our best to ensure thatno matter what your taste in beer, we willhave something that you will love, be that

a pale ale, best bitter, stout, mild, porter orsomething a bit off the wall we will have abeer for you.You have a Beer Wall with 10 taps. With themassive choice of craft beers available inthe market, how do you choose whatcomes through the taps? You also have avery colourful fridge stocked with cans andbottles, again how do you choose?AW. We research a lot, simple as, we havePenny Lane Pale as our house beerbrewed by Gaz at Gibberish in Liverpool,formerly brewed by Mad Hatter. We stockone lager which is Budvar Czech pilsnercurrently, it has to be a premium lager forvarious reasons! We stock sours, imperialstouts - everything you can imagine, it’sever evolving and that's the fun part.Finding new breweries to champion likeS43 in Durham or when we first startedstocking Polly's Brew Co, who now have apermanent tap, it’s fun and its inspiringwhat these guys can make.JS. Pretty much the same way we selectthe casks, most of the time we have triedat least one other of the brewers beersbefore ourselves, usually at beer festivalsor events such as Liverpool Beer Expo,then we expand through their range to findnew and interesting beers. With the taps,bottles and cans we tend to experiment

Tim Smith caught up with owners Andy and John

Andy and John receiving theirPub of the Season Award

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Photo: Lawrence Bland

with new styles of beer, to find excitingnew styles most accessible to ourcustomers, so alongside the more centredbeers you will see sours, double IPAs,goses, imperial stouts etc.Do you both taste everything before youstock it?AW. Yes, we taste everything, it’s hardwork, everyone told us the pub tradewasn’t easy, but we soldier on (said with awry smile).JS. Actually, that’s one of the highlights,no, actually it is THE highlight of the jobtrying all the new styles and flavours.Three months after opening you won WirralCAMRA’s Pub of The Season. Since thenyou’ve had some national recognition andpublicity, congratulations for that, can youtell us about these accolades?AW. I’m humbled by it really. The supportwe have had in New Brighton and now inUpton is fantastic. Being included in thetop ten micropubs in the UK wasoverwhelming for us. We just try to makepeople happy and provide great beer andatmosphere.JS. We were placed in the top ten mustvisit micropubs in Britain recently which isfantastic and we are naturally proud, butfor us the most flatteringacknowledgment has been from ourcustomers and the people living aroundour pubs, who have supported us andhelped us to establish ourselves into whatI believe is one of the best pubs around.Within 12 months of opening in NewBrighton you opened the Bow-LeggedBeagle Upton, when nationally pubs, bothPubco and independents, are closing bythe dozen. What is your secret of success?Do you have plans for further expansionand should Tim Martin be worried?AW. A third pub has been discussed, wehave also just finished the mobile bar, sothat's another string to our bow. I think itwill happen sooner rather than later.JS. I think for me it’s the realisation thatpubs aren’t just about beer. Whilst beer

quality and selection are important I’vealways known that the ‘pub’ was morethan that, it's about community andfriendship, a place for people to meet andbelong, a place where strangers becomefriends. I think we have achieved this atthe Beagle. Our beers are pretty good tooby the way!You’ve become a social hub in NewBrighton, can you tell us about some of theevents you hold?AW. We like to keep it simple and gimmickfree. We will do more meet the brewernights and tap takeovers. We have an ex-player evening lined up also, they are funbut we like it to be a pub for meeting,talking, discussing and tasting overeverything else.Is there anything else you think our readersshould know about yourselves or the Bow-Legged Beagle(s)?AW. Obviously we are dog friendly andhave treats and water available, we loveour four legged friends.JS. We’re two legged friendly too!Cheers gents! Thanks for your time and onbehalf of WirrAle Drinker and WirralCAMRA I wish you every success for thefuture.

Bow-Legged Beagle Upton

1111


Dedicated toserving local beermade with love,care anddedication…

88 Victoria Road New Brighton CH45 2JF07597 900 114@thebowleggedbeagle

At the Bow-Legged Beagle we believe the 3 key ingredientsto a stand out pub are good beer, good atmosphere andgood people. Therefore we endeavour to offer you all 3 in

copious amounts.

We offer locally created craft aleAll ales are lovingly sourced, lovingly created & lovinglypoured at the tapOffer all varieties of ale for all tastes – f rom rich stout &porters to malty reds to citrus hoppy IPAs.Speciality gins, whiskey/whisky, wines and other alcoholicbeverages availableCoffee, tea, infusions and cold soft drinks for saleWirral CAMRA Pub of the Season (Spring) 2018

Opening HoursMon - Thu 3pm - 10pmFri - Sat 12pm - 11pmSunday 3pm - 10pm

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Nearly every CAMRA branch uses asystem of beer scoring to help in theselection of pubs for entry in the GoodBeer Guide. Wirral branch has been usingits own system of beer scoring for morethan 35 years and it is now complementedby the National Beer Scoring System(NBSS). Only CAMRA members cansubmit scores. The Wirral system is usedby many local members who have beenusing the system for many years; fulldetails can be found on our branchwebsite (wirral.camra.org.uk).NBSS can be accessed by any CAMRAmember through WhatPub (whatpub.com)or the Good Beer Guide app where youneed to sign in as a CAMRA member. Wewill convert the scores into one system.CAMRA members can submit scores forreal ales available in any pub in thecountry.In addition to using beer scores to assistin the Good Beer Guide selection, Wirralbranch also uses the scores as one of thefactors in judging our Pub of the Yearcompetition and also now the Beer QualityAccreditation Scheme.Scores will depend on a number of factorsbut mainly whether the taste and qualityof the beer produced at the brewery is to ahigh standard and how well the beer hasbeen looked after since leaving thebrewery, particularly its length of time,

conditioning and treatment in the pubcellar.Low scores tend to be because either (1)the beer from the brewery is veryunbalanced, unpleasant or infected or (2)the pub has not looked after the beer well.Higher scores are sometimes more areflection of how much you personallyenjoyed the beer. Even a mass producedrather bland beer may score well if thebeer is kept well and properly conditionedin the pub cellar. Equally, a beer from asmall brewery may be badly produced orbadly kept and receive a poor score.We need bad scores as well as goodscores, so we get the full picture.We do not accept scores from anyonewho may have a conflict of interest suchas a pub licensee or anyone else closelyassociated with a pub. We also filter outunrealistic scores - for instance a pubregular who always gives the maximum ornear maximum score and clearly doesn'tuse any judgement.Each year we receive about 2500 reliableunbiased scores from both local membersand visitors. If you are one of thosemembers sending in scores, a big thankyou for helping us to get it right - wecouldn't do this without you.

Beer Scoring - A Brief Explanation by Dave Goodwin

Thousands of pubs at your fingertips!

whatpub.comFeaturing over35,000 real ale pubs

Information updatedby thousands of

CAMRA volunteers

Over 96% ofBritain’s real alepubs featured

Created by CAMRAwho produce theUK’s best beer& pub guide

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great reasonsto join CAMRA10

1 2CAMPAIGNfor great beer, cider and perry

Become a

BEER EXPERT

3Enjoy CAMRA

4BEER FESTIVALSin front of or behind the bar

GET INVOLVEDand make new friends

5Save

6YOUR LOCALFind the

BEST PUBSIN BRITAIN

8 DISCOVER7Get great

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pub heritage and thegreat outdoors

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HEALTH BENEFITS(really!) 10 HAVE YOUR SAY

Wirral CAMRA toadopt Beer QualityAccreditationSchemeThere are many pubs across the countrywhich consistently serve real ale in goodcondition but fail to get into the Good BeerGuide for various reasons, particularly lackof space and strong competition. Othersmay be known to serve consistently goodquality real ale but don’t appear in theGood Beer Guide because of the time lagbetween selection and the publication ofthe Guide which can take many months.CAMRA’s Beer Quality Strategy aims toreward licensees who consistently servetheir real ales in good condition via anaccreditation scheme.

Wirral Branchuses beer scoringfor shortlisting itspubs for inclusionin the Good BeerGuide.Accreditation willbe continuouslyreviewed usingthe same beerscoring systemused for GoodBeer Guideselection.Accreditation is ameans of recognising quality. Licenseeswhose pubs gain accreditation canpublicise the fact, which should result inincreased cask beer sales. Accreditedpubs will be able to display a windowsticker.

Beer Accreditation Scheme by Dave Goodwin

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Birkenhead to New Brighton Pubs WalkThis is the first of a series of pub trailswhich will appear periodically in WirrAleDrinker. This is a trail through part ofBirkenhead's Historic Docks and along theRiver Mersey to New Brighton. Most of the4.7 mile walk is along the Wirral CircularTrail so it is suitable for walkers andcyclists.Start at Gallaghers Traditional Pub,Chester Street, Birkenhead just 200 yardsfrom the Woodside ferry terminal, busstops and Hamilton Square Merseyrailstation. This friendly award-winning pubwas previously an innovative dual use ofthe premises with a barber’s shop withinthe pub. The barber’s shop was closed afew years ago to create more room in thepub which is decorated with a fascinatingrange of military memorabilia and acollection of shipping images. The widerange of small brewery beers includesTrapper’s Hat Bitter from Wirral’s ownBrimstage Brewery plus beers frombreweries such as Rat, Salopian,Hawkshead and Titanic.Turn left out of Gallaghers and headtowards the Mersey and pass immediatelyto the left of the Woodside Ferry terminalto follow the Wirral Circular Trail.Immediately you will pass the memorial toHMS Birkenhead which gave rise to the‘women and children first’ protocol whenabandoning a ship. Passing the brick-builtventilation shaft for the Birkenhead roadtunnel and following the trail inlandaround the disused entrance and lockgates to the Morpeth Dock (built in the1840s) and heading back towards theriver, you will soon pass the One O'clockGun. This was fired daily as a time signalto shipping on the Mersey and wasoperated from 1867 until 1969 exceptduring the Second World War.Continue along the trail with the river onyour right. From here you have one of thebest views of the iconic Liverpoolwaterfront. Continue until you reach the

Belfast Ferry landing stage where youhave to turn left and inland. Follow the trailacross a roundabout (you will see theEgerton Bridge to your left) and then turnright onto Tower Road, cross a bridge,another roundabout and then the last ofthe Four Bridges crossing of the docks –although this last bridge is the only bridgestill working and this was replaced with anew bridge last year.Immediately after the bridge at theroundabout, follow the trail turning sharpright along a made up foot and cycle pathwith the Alfred Dock immediately on yourright. Carry straight on the footpath backto the river. Turn left and follow the trail

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By Dave Goodwin

with the river on your right passing theSeacombe ferry terminal, the modernventilation shaft and extractors for theWallasey road tunnel. You will soon reachWallasey Town Hall on the left and seeprobably the best view of this impressivebuilding looking up from the river.After another 400 yards you will reach theFerry. Formerly the Egremont Ferry, aniconic multi roomed Higson’s pub into theearly 1980s and one of the last Wirralpubs to offer table service but latermodernised and now serving beerssourced nationally.Continue the trail along the promenadeand in slightly less than a mile you will seea piece of open grassy ground on your leftand 15 yards up the hill you will see theMagazine Hotel. This multi-roomed, low-beamed traditional pub,dating from 1759, sufferedfrom a fire in 2010 but hasbeen restored withoutlosing its unique character.Renowned for its DraughtBass, it also servesBrimstage Trapper’s Hatand several guest beersfrom small breweries suchas Big Bog and Higson’sand usually a real cider.As you leave the Magazine,you may wish to visit thePilot Boat 100 yards toyour left. This pub datesfrom 1747 and serves tworeal ales and meals.Returning to the waterfrontcontinue your walk to theleft along the promenade.When the trail is joined byroad traffic at a roundabout,continue to the nextroundabout and turn leftaway from the river upVictoria Parade, continuingstraight ahead into Victoria

Road. After about 450 yards on the righthand side at number 88 you will find theBow-Legged Beagle. This is Wirral'ssecond micropub opened in December2017 in a former street corner shop andfrom the start proved very popular withlocals and visitors. It has a friendlyatmosphere and a regularly changingvaried range of new and unusual localbeers.When you leave the Bow-Legged Beagle,

you can easily return to Gallagers inBirkenhead for a final beer. Turn right andcontinue along Victoria Road and walk200 yards to Rowson Street to catch the410 (not evenings or Sunday) or 411 busto Woodside or continue along VictoriaRoad to the station to catch the train toHamilton Square.

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27 Country Produce SectionBirkenhead MarketBirkenhead CH41 2YN0151 666 1842www.wardsfish.co.uk

Established in 1927 by Emily Ward, the wife of a ship’s cook from Birkenhead,Ward’s Fish is a local business currently operated by the 4th generation of the family.

Quality, Service and Value are at the heart of everything we do. The vast majorityof our produce is caught in British waters strengthening our ethos of ‘Ship to Stall’.

Supplying many of the region’s Hotels and Restaurants, along side our popularBirkenhead shop, we stock a huge variety of Fresh Fish, Live Shellfish, Seafood andSeasonal Poultry and Game daily with the finest quality produce available. Our freelocal home delivery service is available throughout Wirral and Liverpool city centre.

Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 5pm

We are proud stockists of the Famous Free Range KellyBronze turkey,often imitated but never bettered and it cooks in HALF the time, LochFyne Smoked Scottish Salmon, Dry Cured Shropshire Hams fromDukeshill, Caviar, Terrines and the finest Shellfish to celebrate.

Our Christmas Brochure is now available. Please contact us to receiveyours, as ordering is essential to guarantee a stress free Christmas!

Christmas @Ward’s Fish

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Do Look Back in Anger By Gareth Owen

Like many appreciators of ourwonderful British pubs andthe cask products they impartI always make a point ofbuying the latest Good BeerGuide. While finding a spacefor it in my bookshelves Ihappened upon a ratherelderly and dog eared copy ofCAMRA’s 1990 edition. Beingthat I live in Birkenhead I wascurious to see how manyestablishments of thatyesteryear were still providingreal ale or had even managedto survive the worst excessesof austerity.From personal experience Iknow that Birkenhead hassuffered more than mosttowns when it comes to theignominy of closed pubs. 35years ago, when I first moved here, therewere lots of community-based local pubs

selling plenty of real ale.There may not have beenmuch in the way of choice butmany Birkenhead inns offereda traditional beer alternativein the shape of offerings fromHigsons, Bass and PeterWalker. To put things intocontext there are but threepubs in Birkenhead and Oxtonin the 2020 Good Beer Guide(no spoiler alerts - you’ll haveto buy a copy to find out whatthey are!) in 1990 there weresix.So what then has become ofmy hometown’s class of1990? The first entry was theCopperfield, a John Smith’shouse selling its now defunctcask bitter. The Copperfieldwas run by Ray Kerr and a

couple of hyper efficient barmen who,despite the crush at lunchtimes, knew theprecise order in which to serve thirstyoffice workers at the bar. Woe betidethose who tried to jump the queue! Sadly,after several years of delicensed closure,the “Copper” has recently reopened butnot as a pub.Next on the list was the George andDragon in Argyle Street. It was a PeterWalker house in 1990 serving both mild

The Copperfield George and Dragon

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Photo: University of Lancaster

and bitter. Popular with shoppers and asan evening destination it lost its real alemany years ago and now seems toconfine itself to cater to a few hardy soulsduring the day and a bit of more “lively”fare during the weekend evenings.In Rock Ferry the Lord Napier was offeringappreciative punters excellent pints ofBoddingtons mild and bitter. According tothe 1990 guide it also had keen darts andquiz teams as well as a bowls side -despite not having its own green! TheNapier is still open and still offered a realale choice the last time I was there,although I’m not sure as to type andfrequency of availability.Another entry which is still providing goodbeer is the Royal in Woodchurch Road.Better known now as the Cock and Pulletit used to be another John Smiths outletserving cask bitter and the strongervariant “Magnet”. Fair to say today’s pubhas a much wider choice of ales.Around the corner from the old Royal isthe Shrewsbury Arms. Although muchmore foody in 2020 than it was 30 yearsago it still offers traditional beers. In 1990goodly pints of Higsons and Boddingtonswere to be had.The sixth and final entry from that yearwas the Vittoria Vaults. The “Piggy”, as itwas and still is better known, served

Higsons mild and bitterand was one of a clutch ofclassic north-end workingman’s ale houses whichincluded the Old EnglishGentleman, two NorthStars, the New Dock andthe Pacific. Criminallythese have all closed andthe Piggy, although stillopen, has lost its real ale.That is why the title of thispiece is as it is. Thecommon perception is thatthe campaign for real alehas been won. In some

respects, as regards choice, it has. Asanyone who partakes of any of the qualitybeers in an excellent Birkenhead pub suchas Gallaghers Traditional Pub wouldattest. But over the last three decadesBirkenhead, the Wirral’s largest town, haslost many of its classic pubs and as a by-product much of its real ale. A battle forale choice may have been won but the waragainst pub closure goes on.

Lord Napier (1989)

Vittoria Vaults (1981)

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Autumn 2019

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CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2020 £15Now in its47th edition,the beer-lovers’ bible isfully revisedand updatedeach year tofeaturerecommendedpubs acrossthe UnitedKingdom thatserve the bestreal ale. TheGBG iscompletelyindependent,with listingsbased entirely

on evaluation by CAMRAmembers. The unique breweries sectionlists every brewery – micro, regional andnational – that produces real ale in the UK,and their beers. Tasting notes for thebeers, compiled by CAMRA-trained tastingteams, are also included. This is thecomplete book for beer lovers and foranyone wanting to experience the UK’sfinest pubs.CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide provides all theinformation you need for over 4,500 urbanand rural pubs across the country. Eachlisting provides details of pub openinghours, food offerings, beer gardens,accommodation, transport links, pubhistory, disabled access and facilities forfamilies alongside an informative featuressection, with articles on pubs, beer andbrewing.With a forward by Professor Brian Cox the2020 guide has informative colourfeatures on beer, brewing and consumerissues by award winning writers includingEmma Inch, Tim Hampson and RogerProtz.

Britain’s Best Real Heritage Pubs by GeoffBrandwood £9.99This is the productof 25 years’research by CAMRAto discover pubsthat are eitherunaltered in 70years or havefeatures of trulynational historicimportance. It listsover 250 pubscomplete with greatdescriptions andmany exceptionalpictures. It is aninteresting read but it is also very usefulwhen travelling round the UK if you wantto easily find some of the best HeritagePubs around.The Pub Manifesto, A Comedian Standsup For Pubs by James Dowdeswell£12.99James is acomedian, born andraised in a pub, whodid a stand-upinternational tourcalled Perfect Pub.A big part of hisroutine was to askthe audience whatthey thought shouldbe in a perfect pub.This book is adistillation of thoseinteractions alongwith thoughts regarding the Perfect Pubas written about by no less than GeorgeOrwell, more famous for his vision ofdystopian futures. It is an interestingmeander through many different aspectsof pubs, beer, sprits, music, food and wellworth a read.These books and other merchandise, canbe purchased from shop1.camra.org.uk

Book Reviews

For anyone that didn’t make it along thisyear to the Great British Beer Festival, itwas a great day out. Although it’s an earlytrain journey from Lime Street to Euston,it’s well worth the trip to enjoy so many

great beers from across theUK and you can alwayssleep it off on the trainhome! With goodrepresentation from WirralCAMRA members andvolunteers on the bars, itwas a very enjoyable trip toLondon and well worthmaking a note in thecalendar for the 2020 event.Since 2006, Brimstage hasbeen proudly serving thevery best local pubs & clubswith a range of quality realales to satisfy the mostdemanding drinkers acrossMerseyside and beyond.

After 13 years brewing in the heart of theWirral countryside, the continued focus onquality has seen the popularity of

Trapper’s Hat grow fromstrength to strength. Wefelt to be back at theChampion Beer of Britainfinals for the third timewas a well-deservedrecognition for the localbrewery to be rubbingshoulders with 70 of thebest breweries from allover the UK.For so many of us acrossthe Wirral from ArrowePark to Woodside andeverywhere in-between,Trapper’s Hat hasbecome a firm favouriteand enjoyed by many aspart of the fabric of somany independent

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Trapper’s Hat by Mark Baxter from Brimstage Brewery

Flying the flag for Wirral atChampion Beer of Britain finalsBrimstage Brewery was once againrepresenting the Wirral as a returningfinalist (previously being nominated in2009 & 2010) in theprestigious 2019 CAMRAChampion Beer of Britaincompetition held in Londonon 6th August. It was a veryproud moment for thewhole team at Brimstageand especially Head Brewer,Tom Menaul and assistantChris Brown to be rewardedwith a place in the finalsonce again with the flagshipbrew Trapper’s Hat in theBitter category. It is withoutdoubt the ultimate honourfor UK breweries to benominated and a greatshowcase for the best ofBritish beers all under one roof at thehuge Olympia exhibition centre.

Great British Beer Festival at Olympia

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November 2019 - February 2020Merseyside pubs. At atime when the majorpub companies aresadly restricting thechoice of local beersavailable across thecountry, it’s refreshingto see so many localpubs thriving and newermicropubs across theNorth West stocking agood range of local realales. Long may itcontinue!Although there wasn’t agold medal to bringhome for Trapper’s Hat,worthy winners of the2019 crown were SurreyHills Brewery, Dorkingwith their best bitter‘Shere Drop’ at 4.2% ABVshowing that the Bitter categories werevery well represented and in fine form thisyear. Here’s hoping we can look forward to

raising another pint from Brimstage in2020 at Olympia.

A Pint of Trapper’s at GBBF

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Introduction to Cider by Jan Lawton

Cider as we all know is made from applesharvested, pulped and fermented toproduce a variety of styles from very dry toincredibly sweet. The addition of otherfruits and vegetables can also create awide range of varieties, such as mango,rhubarb and even dandelion and burdock.It has to be said that whatever your tastethere is bound to be a cider to suit.From Neolithic times apples have beenused to produce cider. 1204 AD has thefirst written record of cider, detailing apayment from a manor in Ruhnam inNorfolk, made with cider. During the DarkAges monks created orchards and alsoproduced cider. In the 1500’s Henry VIIIsupported the introduction of several newvarieties of apples from France, includingthe Pippin. The county ofKent became an area ofgreat orchards during thistime.The 17th century saw agreat increase in ciderproduction especiallyamong the gentry, and bythe 18th century cider wasbeing enjoyed by all classes, often given tofarm labourers as payment. However theTruck Act of 1887 put a stop to paymentsof this kind. Today cider is being producedon a huge scale but does still follow the

same basicprinciplesand isincreasing inits popularity.Real cider ismade fromreal fruit, notconcentratesand is still,not fizzy andcontrary topopularbelief it is notall a highABV. It isoften nostronger

than your average pint ofbeer or lager. So if youhaven't tried some yet, giveit a go. It's usually veganfriendly, suitable for coeliacsufferers, and there arenumerous organic varietiestoo. Wirral is blessed with

some excellent pubs that have real cideravailable all year round such asGallaghers, Beer Lab and the Red Fox. Afull listing of pubs that serve real cider canbe found using whatpub.com and tickingthe ‘Real Cider Available’ filter. As it isusually a 'bag in box' product, as long as itis kept cool it will stay fresh for severalweeks which makes it a cost effectiveproduct for the licensee. So ask your localif they will stock ittoday if they don'tdo so already.Jan Lawton isWirral CAMRACider Officer

“Real cider ismade fromreal fruit, notconcentrates”

© Barbourne Cider

Cider apples

The Red Fox, Thorton Hough,Wirral CAMRA Cider Pub of the

Year, 2017, 2018 and 2019

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Cask - The Fight Back Begins Now by Matt Eley

There are more breweries in Britain thanthere have been for decades – around2,300. They supply over50,000 pubs, bars, hotels,restaurants and clubs withcask beers, making over10,000 different beersavailable each year.“It’s not just the number ofcask beers on offer that is soimpressive,” says Matt Eley,editor of the Cask Report2019. “It’s the variety ofstyles. The choice of colours,strengths, flavours and aromas just keepson growing, as people become moreadventurous in their tastes and brewersbecome more experimental.”Of course, not all in the garden is rosy.There is an ongoing decline in on-tradebeer consumption, fourteen pubs a weekare closing and the average number ofcask brands on the bar has reduced from4.4 to 2.8 in two years. This means thatcompetition for space on the bar isintense.“Given the sheer scale of competition, andthe level of support available fromreputable brewers, it is perverse that thereare still pubs that serve cask ale in poorcondition,” says Matt.He points to the fact that 70% of caskdrinkers have at some point been servedan off pint. “This deters them from goingback to the pub (40%) and puts them offthe brand (39%),” he says.As part of the research for the Report,drinkers were presented with cask beersat different temperatures to try. Aresounding 95% thought the temperatureof those served at the industryrecommended 11 to 13C was “just right”.“Our research showed that licensees whoare passionate about beer and proud oftheir cask ales are angry to see poor pints

being served in other pubs. They view it asa grave disservice to everyone.”

The Report contends thatpremiumisation – in terms ofquality, strength and price –offers significant potential tothe industry. “This is wherethe Cask Fight-Back begins,”says Matt. “Withpremiumisation.”Premiumisation – QualityCask drinkers spend over£1,000 a year on food anddrink at the pub. They are

worth looking after. Too many brands andnot enough throughput means poorquality. So does serving the beer toowarm. A concerted effort to get the rangeright and serve each and every pint in topnotch condition, at the right temperature,helps pubs to keep existing customersand to attract new faces through thedoors.Premiumisation – StrengthSales of premium-strength cask beers(4.2% to 7.5% abv) grew in in the last fourmonths versus the same period last year.Licensees should be looking to includethem in their range, particularly forevening and weekend sessions when theyare most popular.Premiumisation – PriceAccording to the research, 59% of drinkersthink that cask should be more expensivethan mainstream lager. Yet, despite beinga natural, fresh product, usually made insmaller batches, and with a short shelflife, cask ales are rarely priced muchhigher than standardlagers.View the Cask Report2019/20 atbit.ly/caskreport2019Matt Eley is editor of theCask Report 2019

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52 Garden Lane, Chester, CH1 4EWFacebook: goatandmunchTwitter: @goatnmunch

Email: baaar@goatandmunch

Great Cask & Keg from theregion’s finest & beyond!

The Campaign for Real Ale has thrown itssupport behind Castle Rock Brewery,which wrote an open letter to BBC EastMidlands condemning the use of stockimages of real ale and community pubs toillustrate a story about alcohol abuse.The letter from Castle Rock Brewery...Dear BBC East Midlands,On yesterday's 'East Midlands Today'programme, you ran a brief story exploringthe rising costs associated with alcoholabuse and then juxtaposed shots ofunconscious people laid out on the streetbeing treated by paramedics with a shot ofHarvest Pale being poured, which was onthe bar alongside Totally Brewed andBurton Bridge Brewery.Like many others in Nottingham, our pubsand bars are controlled drinkingenvironments with responsible policies. As

we are continually proving, they're alsovitally important spaces. They are placesof discovery and exploration, but also offamiliarity. They are places for solace, forkindling and maintaining friendships andrelationships, for waxing lyrical, taking partin quizzes, checking out live music andawesome events, eating good food andsupporting charity and community alike.

CAMRA Backs Brewery Complaint to BBC

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November 2019 - February 2020This ill-considered choice of library shot isjust one example of many used in themedia. It represents a small part of a bigproblem in which pubs, bars and 'beer'(usually cask beer) are all tarred with thesame brush and demonised viaassociation with binge drinking.If this issue is going to be explored, wesuggest that it's explored thoroughly andfairly, and if the media is only prepared todiscuss the 'consequences' of a problem(i.e alcohol abuse) then we can think of

more suitable places to look than well runpubs and bars and hardworking breweries,starting with ultra cheap supermarketbooze.CAMRA’s National Chairman, Nik Antonasaid:“It is completely right for Castle RockBrewery to call on the BBC and othermedia outlets to stop misrepresentingcask ale and traditional pubs by tarringthem with the brush of irresponsibledrinking. Traditional pubs are the home ofresponsible drinking, providing a safe,supervised and social environment toenjoy a drink. Cask ale itself has a lowerABV than wine or spirits, and represents amoderate drink of choice.“The media should be more mindful of theunconscious bias they are creating in theirstories, and should consider giving morefocus on the more prevalent causes ofbinge drinking - such as the availability ofcheap supermarket booze that ispredominantly consumed at home.”

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• Annual beer festival held the first full weekend in July (Thu - Sun)• 10% discount offered to CAMRA members when card is shown in the bar• Every Wednesday from 9.30pm Fun Fortunes Quiz followed byHigher & Lower cash prizes to be won

• Every Thursday Folk Night - come down and join in• Every Saturday Live entertainment in the main bar area from 9.30pm• Happy hour on selected drinks Mon - Thu 5-7pm

Winter Opening hours:Mon/Tue 4pm - 11pm, Wed 12pm - 11pm, Thu 12pm - 11.30pm,Fri/Sat 12pm - 12am, Sun 12pm - 11pm

Website the-magazine-hotel.co.uk email [email protected] The Magazine Hotel Twitter @themagazinehotel

Built in 1759 it was originally called the Black Horse and waspopular with smugglers.

Renamed The Magazine Hotel with reference to the areabeing the magazine storage for ships coming into port.

Multi award winning Wirral CAMRA pub, regularly featuredin the Good Beer Guide and Cask Marque accredited.

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What drawsindividuals into apub?Reasons? For example, to meet withfriends and socialise, to enjoy our drink ofchoice, to attend an event, enjoy a snack, ameal out, or maybe a quiet period ofcontemplation or to read.Decline in alcohol consumption amongstthe younger generation has been in thenews recently. In a survey of ten thousandindividuals, 29% of 16 to 24-year-olds saythey didn't drink at all in 2015, up from18% a decade ago. Society’s social habitsare undergoing change.But does that mean that there is any lesssocial interaction? Social mediaundoubtedly plays a part. There are manyalternative places to meet such as fastfood outlets, cake shops and a fast-growing number of coffee shops. It seemsthat coffee is becoming an alternativestimulant to alcohol. They cater really wellfor the connected world to attractcustomers – reliable free fast WiFi, plentyof power points and even USB outlets torecharge phones.Whether young or older, we all know fromexperience that each generation takesnew paths. For those that enjoy alcohol it’sgins, interesting wines and tasty ‘craft’beers that are the newattractions.Cask beer is important tothe established and loyalpub users. When it’s inexcellent condition andthere’s a choice includingmodern styles then youngdrinkers can be attractedto try it. But if it’s not ingood condition and

enjoyable then why would anybody haveanother?Into the FutureGenerations evolve in their use of socialvenues, arguably faster now than everbefore. That sets a challenge for pubs tokeep pace and adapt. There are potentialcustomers out there, each with their ownexpectations.There are significant numbers of peoplewith mobility, sight and hearingimpairments that like to use pubs, andthey have the same right as anybody tosocialise. More could do so if there werefewer or no physical obstructions, levelaccess to the main areas along withadapted facilities - and that’s not justadapting for wheelchair users, which isn’talways physically possible. Oftenaccompanied by friends or carers, that’smore potential customers.Quality of beers is paramount forattracting and retaining beer drinkers andit’s entirely in the hands of the pub and thebar staff to ensure that every pint from thestart to the end of a shift delivers pleasurefor the customer. They’re paying goodmoney for it, after all.For those not interested in beer or alcohol,good quality coffee, hot drinks and snackscan be reasons to enter. Alongsideproviding comprehensively for theconnected world, it potentially opens up awhole new audience, particularly the

younger generation.Pubs already demonstrateadaptability byspecialising in music,food, gins, wines and soforth. There’s plenty morepotential to adapt andthrive.If you run a pub, whatwould you considerdoing?

How Can Pubs Survive and Thrive? by Nick Yarwood

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We have no lager, spirits or alcopops.

No television, juke box

or gaming machines.

A Guest that has Overstayed it’s Welcome?By Rob Carter

Imagine having a friend or relative youreally like turn up for Christmas one year."Great" you think at the prospect ofspending some quality time together,however four years later they're still withyou, never having left. Allnovelty of seeing them hasworn off a long time ago,their jokes and anecdotesyou've heard all before.Although you still lovethem a bitter resentmentbroods at the fact you don'tsee any of your otherfriends or relatives anymore due to their presence.This is the situation I findmyself in but with real alesin many Wirral pubs overthe last few years. Or morespecifically dark beers and the profusionof one in particular, Titanic Plum Porter.The sight of a Plum Porter pump clip usedto bring a smile to my face. It now brings asigh and thoughts of "oh no not again". Itis definitely possible to have too much ofa good thing! It's hard enough to find adark beer in a Wirral pub, when you dothere will oftenonly be one.Now asignificantproportion ofthose pubswho do serve adark beer putPlum Porter onas a permanentbeer ratherthan offeringany form ofrotation.The choices ofalternative dark

ales are vast, there are plenty of other darkbeers to choose from.I appreciate some pubs may be restrictedin what they can order but not so much

that there is only TitanicPlum Porter available as adark beer all year round.From the same stable asPlum Porter there is LastPorter Call, Stout, CaptainSmith's Strong Ale,Cappuccino Stout, SlackTide and Iron Curtain all ofwhich would be a welcomesight. Brewed on Wirralthere is Brimstage OysterCatcher, Peerless OatmealStout and Brooks LiverpoolPorter.

From other local breweries: Neptune'sAbyss, Big Hand's Spectre and SpittingFeathers Old Wavertonian. From furtherafield: Conwy's Telford Porter, Elland 1872Porter, Hawkshead Brodie’s Prime,Phoenix Black Bee, Siren Broken Dream,Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, LancasterBlack, North Riding's Honey Stout, to givebut a tiny fraction.

I challengecellar keeperson Wirral toshow someimagination,present uswith somevariety andleave us darkdrinkerswanting moreof a great beernot just put thesame one onweek in weekout.

“The sight of aPlum Porterpump clip

used to bring asmile to myface. It nowbrings a sigh”

Rob is feeling ‘plummed out’

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56 Mill Lane LiscardWirral CH44 5UG

Wirral's first micro pub andproud to be Wirral CAMRA Pubof the Year three times in a row.

Serving fine cask ales from localbrewer ies with guests f rom furtheraf ie ld .

We have no lager, spirits or alcopops.

No television, juke box

or gaming machines.

Up to five cask ales

Small range of bar snacks (with deliciouslocally sourced pork pies coming soon)

Warm friendly atmosphere in traditionalpub setting punctuated with pubmemorabilia to encourage good conversation

Selection of good wines

Boxed cider

Liverpool buses 432 and 433 Birkenhead/New Brighton 118, 119 and 410. 10 and 10A stop closeby on Mill Lane; 432 Cross River and 410 stop at junction of Mill Lane andWoodstock Road

By train - Park station then 410/118/119

Opening hours Mon Wed Thurs 4pm-10:30pmFri Sat Sun 12pm-10:30pm Closed Tuesday

PUB OF THE YEAR2019

5cask alesSelection of Bottled ConditionedBeers to drink in or take out

Documents

A5 magazine template - Campaign for Real [email protected] 3 November2019-February2020 4 WirrAleDrinker 5 November2019-February2020 Congratulations toTheBeerLaband