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Full Pints Autumn 2012 Edition. The quarterly newsletter produced by Ayrshire & Wigtownshire CAMRA - the Campaign for Real Ale
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Inside
News P3Festival Preview P12
FestivalVolunteering P13
Ray’s Round Up P14Map P18
Dumfries Folk ‘N’ AleFestival P24
Scottish Real AleFestival P25
CAMRA Raffle P28Quiz P29
Join CAMRA P32Ken More P34
AYRSHIRE AND WIGTOWNSHIRECAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE
FullInside
PintsVolume 13 Issue 3 Winter 2011 FREEVolume 14 Issue 3 Autumn 2012 FREE
It’s festival time!
IT’S BACK. CAMRA’s Ayrshire Real Ale Festivalreturns to Troon Concert Hall next month.
This year, the festival will once again stock more beerand cider than ever before.
There will be a choice of over 125 beers, similar to lastyear but many will now be in double-sized kilderkincasks, meaning the volume of stock is hugely increased.
Because real ale is living, breathing beer that must beallowed to settle for two days before serving the festivalstaff cannot simply run out and get more stock that isready immediately ready to serve.
The stock is limited to what can be racked in the hallbefore opening but thanks to a lot of careful planning thereshould be enough to last until closing on Saturday night.The advice from organisers is - as always - come early.
FESTIVAL PREVIEW PAGE 12
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TRADING STANDARDSOFFICES
Ayr - 01292 616060Irvine - 01294 324900Kilmarnock - 01563 521502Stranraer - 01776 703260
Contact
Editorial: Graeme [email protected] 990531Advertising: Bob [email protected] 990972
DISCLAIMERThe views expressed in thispublication are those of theindividual contributors and donot necessarily reflect the viewand policies of the editor or ofthe Campaign for Real Ale Ltd.© Campaign for Real Ale Ltd2012
MINUTES OF MEETINGSare available from the branchsecretary Ray Turpie:[email protected](members only)
CAMRA Scotland and Northern Irelandsurpasses 4,000 membersMEMBERSHIP of CAMRA inScotland and Northern Irelandhas reached the 4,000 mark for thefirst time.
Douglas Wilson of Edinburghsigned up to join the campaign at therecent Scottish Real Ale Festival inEdinburgh, one of 92 new membersrecruited.
At the upcoming festival in Troon,Ayrshire and Wigtownshire branchcould well exceed 400 members.
Across the United Kingdom,CAMRA membership is over143,000, cementing the campaign’sposition as Europe’s largest, andsome would say most successful,consumer rights organisation.
To join CAMRA, see themembership form on page 33 or goto www.camra.org.uk.
Douglas Wison receives acomplimentary copy of the Good BeerGuide from CAMRA national chairmanColin Valentine.
Scottish Real Ale Festival report by GraemeWatt on page 25
Membership report by Bob Wallace on page32
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Swannay Brewery’s Orkney Best takesChampion Beer of Scotland.HIGHLAND brewery’sOrkney Best was crownedChampion Beer of Scotland atthe Scottish Real Ale Festivalin June.
Orkney Best isdescribed in CAMRA’sGood Beer Guide as a‘traditional bitter, withlight hop and fruitflavour throughout.’
Capping a fine day forthe Orkney-basedbrewer, Highland alsoscooped the Runner upprize, with their OrkneyIPA finishing second. Inthird place, Fyne Alesimpressed judges with their best bitter,Maverick.
Rob Hill of theHighland BrewingCompany said: “It'sa good honest bitter,and it's a fantasticachievement for usthat it's beenrecognised.”
Owen Bell,Scottish Real AleFestival organiser,said: “Highland areregular winners of
CAMRA awardsand the islandbreweries arereally showing themainlandbreweries how it’sdone.”
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Lake District ale is Champion Beer ofBritain.AFTER a year of local tasting panelsand regional heats leading up tothe finals, CAMRA, theCampaign for Real Ale, istoday proud to announcethat Coniston brewery's‘No.9 Barley Wine’ hasbeen crowned the 'BestBeer' in Britain at theGreat British BeerFestival, Olympia,London.
No.9 Barley Wine, whichhas an ABV of 8.5% wasdescribed by the judges as‘having fantastic finesse,reminiscent of a fine cognac.’
The Coniston-brewed real alewas judged the supreme championover a host of other finalists in seven beercategories: bitters, bestbitters, strong bitters, goldenales, milds, winter beers, and the specialityclass, including.Roger Protz, of the final judging panel,spoke in praise of the winner.
He said: “The judges in the final tastingwere overjoyed by the tremendous qualityof the beers this year. There wasn’t a poorbeer in the competition, and they were allof the highest quality. It was a toughchoice, and the final results were veryclose.”
Coniston’s David Smith, said: “We weredelighted to win the competition in 1998with Bluebird, and we are delighted to winagain! We’ve always been at the top andwe’re glad to regain the recognition wedeserve. It’s an all-British beer using solelyBritish ingredients.”
With Coniston securing the Gold awardfor 2012, this year's silver went to GreenJack brewery's Trawlerboys Best Bitter,whilst the bronze award went to Dark StarAmerican Pale Ale.
Coniston’s No.9 Barley Wine isavailable at the Great British BeerFestival this week, and is best supped insmall or half pint measures. Barley winesgo perfectly with aged or blue cheeses.
Mike Benner, CAMRA chief executivesaid: “It’s great to see a rare beer stylebeing championed. Obviously it’s a fairlystrong beer, therefore it is a greatopportunity for pubs to try third pintglassware so consumers can enjoy thiswonderful ale in moderation.”
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On the A736 Irvine to Barrhead Road, at Lugton
Manager, Frazer Dunn,invites you to visit forgreat food and local realales from Arran,Houston and Kelburnbreweries
Tel:01505 850510www.thecannyman.co.uk
FRASERS BAR - MILLPORTQUALITY CASK ALES SERVED ALL YEAR
MEALS SERVED12-2.30 & 5.30 - 7.30 EVERY DAY
7 CARDIFF STREET - ISLE OF CUMBRAE - KA28 0DS
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Monday, September 17 Committee meeting. PoosieNansie's, Mauchline 8pm
Thursday, September 20 North Ayrshire social. Largs, venueto be confirmed
Thursday, September 20 Wigtownshire social. Blue Peter,Kircolm 7.30pm
Wednesday, September 26 East Ayrshire social. PoosieNansie's, Mauchline 7.30pm
Tuesday October 9 and Wednesday,October 10
Beer festival set up. Troon ConcertHall
Thursday, October 11 to Saturday,October 13
13th Ayrshire Real Ale Festival.Troon Concert Hall
Sunday, October 14 and Monday,October 15
Beer festival take down. TroonConcert Hall
Thursday, October 18 North Ayrshire social. Salt Cot,Saltcoats 8pm
Saturday, October 20 Beer festival staff outing. Strathavenbrewery
Thursday, September 20 North Ayrshire social. Venue to beconfirmed
Tuesday, November 13 Branch meeting. Venue to beconfirmed
Thursday, October 11 to Saturday,October 13
Ayrshire Real Ale Festival. Troonconcert Hall
Thursday, December 27 Christmas crawl. Troon. Details to beconfirmed
Any member wishing more information about social events orto book a place on trips is encouraged to contact the branchsocial secretary Donald Clark at [email protected]
www.ayrshireandwigtownshirecamra.org.uk
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Fyne Ales have been named as one ofthe UK’s most effective brands.
From Cairndow at the head of LochFyne, they beat a host of household namesto win the gold award at the DesignBusiness Association’s awards for designeffectiveness.
The redesign packaging and labelling forits specialist beers was judged to be moreeffective than those designed for the likesof Guinness, Fairy Liquid and Cadbury’sButtons.
After a redesign of the packaging andlabelling – on a budget of less than £7,000– the company has won distribution dealswith Waitrose, Oddbins andWetherspoon’s.
Sales more than doubled to £820,000last year.
Cask beer sales in Scotland have beengrowing at a faster rate than anywhereelse in the UK.
However,there is still much to do asScotland accounts for eight per cent of theUK population but only four per cent ofcask beer sales.
In contrast, people in the south and eastof England account for 19 per cent of thetotal population but 24 per cent of casksales.
More pubs are trying to tempt newcustomers with cask ale, and thosecustomers are willing to try real ale
Moreover, cask beer is being drunk bymore people in more pubs but that a lackof knowledge remains the biggest barrierto trial.
Do what you can to introduce others tothe delights of real ale.
Design award forFyne Ales
Cask ale still on therise in Scotland
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Success for Ayr andArran breweries inSIBA awardsAYR Brewing Company and the Isle ofArran Brewery both won multipleawards in this year’s Society ofIndependent Brewers competition.
Arran Milestone won the gold medal inthe bottled bitters (5%+) category andtook bronze in the overall bottled beerscategory.
The Brodick-based brewery also tookbronze medals for Red Squirrel in thestandard mild ales section and ArranBlonde in the strong bitters section.
ABC won three silver medals: DrHornbrook in premium strong bitters andbottled speciality beers and Leezie Lundiein the standard bitters section.
Getting AroundBuses:Stagecoach West ScotlandCustomer Services01292 613500Disability Helpdesk07736 892253Trains:Scotrail Customer Services0845 601 5929Ferries:Caledonian MacBrayneEnquiries0800 066 5000All:Traveline Scotlandwww.travelinescotland.com
Microbrewery forKenmuir Arms?The new owners of the Kenmuir Armsin New Luce have hinted that they mayone day open a microbrewery at theircountry pub.
The Kenmuir was bought recently bythe Willoiughby family form WestYorkshire.
Paul, Alison and their daughter Helensearched for three years to find the perfectbusiness before settling in Galloway.
Helen said: “The Kenmuir Arms willbver open all day, every day and wil servefood at lunch time and for dinner.
“We hope to have our riverside campsite open soon and my dad hopes therewill even be time to set up amicrobrewery.”
Outlets news
Gain:The Clashwannan, Drummore is nowserving real ale.
Losses:The Hunting Lodge, Kilmarnock nolonger sells real ale
Cheeky Charlie’s in Troon has closed.
Mac’s bar in Brodick no longer sells realale
The Eden Lodge Hotel, Whiting Bay nolonger sells real ale
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This year’s Ayrshire RealAle Festival will be held inTroon Concert Hall from
Thursday 11 to Saturday 13October 2012.
After running out of beer lastyear early on Saturday evening,we have ordered extra suppliesfor this year’s festival and over120 Real Ales plus Ciders andPerrys will be available tosample, with wine and soft drinksalso available.
Entertainment on Fridayevening will be provided by TheHoodoo Crew, and on Saturdayafternoon by Troon BlackrockPipe Band, and Saturday eveningby Steerach. The Walker Hall willbe available on Friday andSaturday for those who wish aseat in a quieter part of thepremises.
Our logo this year commemorates thebicentenary of the opening of theKilmarnock and Troon line and features“The Duke” which was the first steamlocomotive to use the line.
NEW FOR 2012:On Friday and Saturday afternoons wewill be holding Tutored Beer Tastingsessions at 4.30pm. Do you want to tellthe difference between an IPA or a Mild,
a Bitter or a Blonde – we’ll tryto tell you, with some samplesfrom the festival ales. Numbersare strictly limited to 10 peopleper session and early booking atthe CAMRA Product Stall willbe essential. The cost of thesessions will be £5.
By Stuart McMahon
www.ayrshirebeerfestival
.co.uk
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Volunteers are the heartand soul of anyCAMRA beer
festival. However as this yearsees the 13th festival at Troon,the need for volunteers isgreater than ever.
When the festival began allthose years ago, most of thevolunteers were in their mid40s. They are no longer soyoung.
We urgently need newpeople to come in and help outas much as possible.
This is particularly important inthe two days it takes to set up thefestival. This year that is Tuesday,October 9 and Wednesday,October 10.
When the festival is open thereare a range duties. As well asworking behind the bar we needpeople to act as stewards, man thecloakroom, collect admissionmoney, man the products andmembership stalls
Volunteering is great fun and wedo not ask you to work entirely forfree - there will be payment in beerand a subsidised outing to theStrathaven brewery for those whowork four hours or more.
To volunteer it essential that astaffing form is completed. Thesecan be found on the festivalwebsite:www.ayrshirebeerfestival.co.uk orfrom staffing officer Marie Grant:[email protected]
By Graeme Watt
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Earlier in the summer a fewof us went down to Lancaster forthe weekend.
We picked this location forhistorical interest and selectionof pubs. On both counts wewere not disappointed.
Tours are available at certaintimes of the historic castlewhich also hosts a prison. Withtwelve pubs on the Lancaster CityAle Trail we were spoilt for choice. Myfavourites were the White Cross on thecanal where I enjoyed a pint of Sharp’sDoom Bar and the Three Marinerswhere my tipple was York Guzzler. Ofcourse, we had to have a traditional hotpotserved with chunks of brown bread andbeetroot. I would thoroughly recommenda visit if you get the chance and I hope tovisit again sometime.
Another visit I managed recently was tothe new Scottish Real Ale Festival venueat the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh. Thelayout was similar to the Belfast festivalwith the bar in thecentre of the hall andtables all round. I wasjudging beers for theSIBA competition butnone of the ones Itried wereoutstanding. One ofthe first people I metwhen I arrived wasGerald Michalukfrom Arran Brewerywho introduced me tohis new brewer, ayoung Spaniard freshback from brewing inAmerica. You can
probably expect his new brew, Brew Dugat 5.5%, to be quite hoppy, in theAmerican style.
Talking about Edinburgh, I seem tohave been over to the capital a few
times recently using the PandaExpress from Ayr twice andDodd’s of Troon once. The firstwas to the above mentionedSRAF and then a trip with the
grandchildren to the zoo for thepandas and the second mentioned
was to the Military Tattoo. Both venuesare well worth considering. That is anothertwo things ticked on the bucket list.
The other item on my list for this year isa trip to Orkney in the autumn. No doubtthere will be more about that in the nextissue.
Before then, however, several branchactivities have been available to enjoyover the summer.
In keeping with one of this yearscampaigning targets, the first publictransport ale trail was blazed to Stranraer,Port Patrick and Kirkcolm.
This branch social was organised mainly
By Ray Turpie
Lancaster
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to support the rail service which is underthreat.
During September and October a dayreturn from Ayr can be had for £7.50.Local bus services were used for the rest ofthe journeys.
Optional pubs on the visiting list were theGrapes, Stranraer the Crown Hotel,Portpatrick, and the Blue Peter, Kirkcolmalthough some managed extra.
One of the main summer activities I haveto report on, however, is the Great BritishBeer Festival (GBBF), the other big eventin London during August.
Actually, the city centre was the quietestI can remember for a long time.
The GBBF moved from Earls Court toOlympia this year and, in my opinion it wasbetter, mainly because a lot of naturaldaylight comes in through the glass roof.Although smaller it was a lot easier to get
around the venue.The venue consisted of eleven CAMRA
bars and ten brewery bars along with thevarious food and product stalls. Our teamwere on the Champion Beers of Britain(CBOB) bar which contained all the beerssubmitted for the various competitions.
My choice beer from our bar wasKelham Island Pride of Sheffield.
From the brewery bars I had to try theiconic Worthington’s White Shield as Ihave never seen it on draught, only inbottle.
My favourite beer of the festival,however, was the unforgettable BirdsAmnesia from the staff bar.
Lastly, it will soon be time to choose ourown beer of the festival so make sure youget along to Troon Concert Hall fromOctober 11 to 13.
Cheers.
The Village Inn Dunlop
Only a two minute walk from Dunlop railway station.Raymond and Carol will be delighted to welcome you at The Village Inn.
Located at Dunlop Cross they are pleased to offer real ale from The HoustonBrewery and other Scottish Breweries.
Tel 01560 483130
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*
*
*CAMRA members have noted that real ale isnot always available at these pubs.
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Prestwick Pioneerphoto specialpublished in lieu of anadvertisement thatwas purchased butnot included in thelast issue of FullPints.
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PEOPLE power caused the government to u-turn on the damaging, unpopular pasty tax - wecan do the same for beer.Every year the price of your pint increases by 5 to10 pence down your local because beer tax rises anadditional 2% per cent above inflation annually -this is called the Beer Duty Escalator.Around £1 of your pint now goes to the taxman.This high rate of tax means pub going is becomingunaffordable and contributing to a closure rate of12 pubs a week.
PLEASE SIGN THEE-PETITION CALLINGFOR THE BEER DUTYESCALATOR TO BESCRAPPED.
www.saveyourpint.co.uk
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Catacol Bay Hotel, Catacol, Isle of Arran
Owned and run by the same family forover 30 years, the Catacol Bay Hotelis a small, friendly, licensed hotelnestling in the Arran hills 1.5 milesfrom the Lochranza ferry terminal andapproximately 16 miles from BrodickThe hotel boasts stunning viewsacross the Kibrannan Sound.We serve an extensive range of realales, draught beers, wines, meals andsnacks in the bar daily from 12 noon to10pm, or enjoy our famous Sundaybuffet served 12 noon to 4pmthroughout the year.Outside there is a large beer gardenwith children's play area, the perfectplace to watch the sun go down.
01770 830231www.catacol.co.uk
The WatersideBath Street, Largs Tel: 01475 672224
Two ever-changing REAL ALES nowavailable
Live Music Saturdays Karaoke Fridays
Poker Wednesdays Open Mike night Sundays
Food available every day, except Monday
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By Lindsay Grant
This annual event, organised jointlyby CAMRA’s Dumfries andStewartry Branch and the local Baw
Bee Folk ‘n Blues Club, features over 60real ales in 10 of the town’s pubs alongwith concerts, street buskers and jamsessions in the pubs.
This year’s festival ran from July 12 to15. Six of us visited the festival on theFriday. My wife Karen and were joined byJon and Patsi Mansell, Mick Lee and RayTurpie at Kilmarnock. We arrived inDumfries mid-afternoon.
Our first stop was the Waverley Barwhich overlooks the railway station. FyneAles Avalanche was the only beer on offer,Sulwath Waverley Steamer having run outthe previous evening. The Avalanche wasvery good.
A short walk took us to the Ship Inn inStaint Michael Street. This long-standingreal ale pub, opposite the cemetery inwhich Robert Burns is buried, offered sixbeers. I tried the Taylor Landlord and verynice it was too. One criticism of this pubwas that the ‘Cask Ales On’ blackboardadvertised McEwans 60/- and CarlsbergCool Draught, neither of which are caskales.
We next visited the Globe in a close offHigh Street. It can be difficult to find. Thishistoric pub, with strong Burnsconnections, offered Scottish BordersGame Bird and Caledonian Deuchars IPA.Again the Game Bird was a good pint butserved in a Theakston’s glass.
Continuing up the High Street, we turnedleft down Bank Street to reach the riversideand another long-standing real ale pub, theNew Bazaar in White Sands.Unfortunately the beer range here wasquite uninspiring, all national brews with
the beers from Cumberland, Geltsdaleand Scottish Borders breweries,listed inthe festival programme, not on. Wedecided to move on.
Next was the Cavens Arms. This pubhabitually wins the local CAMRAbranch’s pub of the year competition andten beers were on offer. However, thispub is very food orientated and this suitedus well on this visit as it was time for ameal break. Beers sampled wereThornbridge Wild Swan, Upham StakesAle, Maulden’s Blackberry Porter andBlack Hole Cyborg. All were very good.Here we met up with some CAMRA Fifebranch members, along with some localbranch members.
Further up Buccleuch Street we came tothe Robert the Bruce. ThisWetherspoon’s conversion of a formerMethodist church had 12 beers on offer,mostly, if not all, Scottish. TheStrathaven Summerglow was probablythe poorest pint I had all day.
Heading back towards the railwaystation we made the Tam O’ Shanter inQueensbury Street our final port of call.This is yet another long-standing real aleoutlet which has undergone a bit of aresurgence recently.
Of the five beers available BroughtonClipper IPA and Andrews Wee WillieWonky were sampled. Both were fine .
Pubs also taking part in the festival, butnot visited by us, were Pleuchie’s HowfBroons Bar and Queensberry.
This was an enjoyable day out, anexcellent pub crawl with convivialcompany. However, it did lack thefestival atmosphere. There seemed to belittle local CAMRA input and the folkside of it was totally non-existent.Perhaps we visited on the wrong day ortime.
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CAMRA’s flagshipevent is Scotland, theScottish Real Ale
Festival, was held at theEdinburgh Corn Exchangeat the end of June.
Over 180 beers from morethan 40 Scottish brewerieswere on offer when thefestival moved to its biggestever venue.
Attendance remainedstable despite the largervenue although some peoplemight have been reluctant totravel to the west ends of thecity to what had always been acity-centre event in the past.However the modifications tothe Assembly Rooms mean thatholding the festival in the citycentre is now impossible.
Poor weather and theknockout stages of the Euro2012 football championshiparea also thought to haveaffected attendance.
Highlights of the festivalincluded the Champion Beer ofScotland final, see page 4, and aunique cider from Edinburgh’sAbundance project. The cider was madefor apples foraged in the wild and fromgardens around the city by a group ofvolunteers - and very nice it was too.
Talks as underway to hold the festivalat the Corn Exchange again next year.See the website www.sraf.org.uk to keepup to date.
SRAF updates can also be found onFacebook “Scottish Real Ale Festvisal”and Twitter @SRAF
By Graeme Watt
Behind the scenes. A view of the cellar at theScottish Real Ale Festival
…but but but. Real ale is only for middle-agedmen who have beards and wear sandals
CAMRAnationalchairmanColinValentineenjoys adrop ofAbundancecider
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CAMRA is donating the proceeds of this year’s raffle directly to Pub is the Hub.CAMRA’s figures suggest that 12 pubs are closing per week, four of which are ruralpubs. In total, 4,500 pubs have closed since 2008 with the loss of around 78,000 jobs.In addition, almost 70 per cent of villages no longer have a pub or a shop, Post Officeor other services. These worrying figures have contributed to the launch of Pub is theHub.
What is Pub is the Hub? Pub is the Hub (PITH) is a not-for-profit advisory group that encourages localcommunities and pub owners to work together to support, retain andlocate local services within the pub. They encourage pub diversification to supportlocal services that are either under threat or may have ceased trading.They also advise on scheme funding and the best way to progress projects.
Benefits of Pub is the Hub� By diversifying a pub to support local services, the pub is able to share
overheads.� Additional staff can be recruited helping to support local people� Raises awareness of pubs and services which increases footfall in pubs and
enhances pub sustainability� Encourages communities to use local services which in turn supports local
businesses
As a not-for-profit oranisation funds are not easily available which limits the amountof free support that PITH can provide. PITH needs to ensure that they have thefunding available to continue supporting local services, pubs and communities.By purchasing raffle tickets you are helping us to rise to the challenges that rural pubsare facing. We need your support to secure a future for Britain’s pubs.The raffle will close on Friday, October 19, 2012.For more information, see: www.camra.org.uk/raffle
Ticketswill beavailablefrom allCAMRAmembersfrom Julyat £2each.
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local services that are either under threat or may have ceased trading.
� By diversifying a pub to support local services, the pub is able to share
� Encourages communities to use local services which in turn supports local
of free support that PITH can provide. PITH needs to ensure that they have the
9 6
4 7 5
6 5 3 2
1 2 3 6 4
6 2
5 9 6 8 3
1 6 3 2
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1 How many wire rings are on dartboard?2 Four of what made up an oldpenny?3 When was the battle ofBannockburn?4 What animal lives in a lodge?5 Who was Queen Elizabeth II’sgrandfather6 What game was originally calledlotto?7 Which American singer starred inthe Wizard of Oz?8 What birds are known for stealingshiny objects?9 What comes first: Boxing Day orNew Year’s Day?10 On which island is Tobermory?
Sudoku
Pub Quiz
WhatLinks…
A real cider,a ‘mouthy’journalist
andRudyardKipling?s
BeeragramsRearrange to following into thenames of real ales including - justthe beer.1 Oh dog lips
2 A goatherd’s donut
3 Iron cart
4 Painted plan
5 Lava done
6 Aw do lollygag
7 Jokier pa
8 Broken stye
9 Have canal
10 My falcon stings
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Pub Quiz1 Seven 2 Farthings 3 1314 4 Beaver 5 George V6 Bingo 7 Judy Garland 8 Magpies 9 New Year’s Day 10 Mull
2 1 8 4 5 9 7 3 64 3 7 8 2 6 1 5 96 9 5 1 3 7 2 8 41 8 2 9 7 3 6 4 53 6 4 5 8 1 9 2 77 5 9 6 4 2 8 1 35 4 1 7 6 8 3 9 29 2 6 3 1 4 5 7 88 7 3 2 9 5 4 6 1
What Links?Janet’s Jungle Juice: Brewed byWestcroft , Janet Street-Porter, wrotethe Jungle Book
SudokuBeeragrams1 Goldihops2 Dragonhead Stout3 Cart Noir4 Pentland IPA5 Avondale6 Galloway Gold7 Joker IPA8 Orkney Best9 Avalanche10 Flying Scotsman
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CROWN HOTEL9 NORTH CRESCENTPORTPATRICKWIGTOWNSHIREDG9 8SXTEL 01776 [email protected]
For the last nine months we have been serving real ale in our hotel bar. Two differentales are available daily with 5 or 6 different ales appearing weekly. Please popin the next time you find yourselves in Portpatrick.The Crown offers bar meals all day from 12-9 and our restaurant menu is availablefrom 6pm daily.Seafood is our speciality (AA awarded seafood pub of Scotland past winner).We also offer daily specials alongside our extensive menus.We offer bed and breakfast and dinner packages with 5 of our 12 en-suite roomsoffering sea views. Bed and breakfast is available from £40 per person..
CAMRA Membership is theperfect gift for any beer lover!Gift membership includes £20worth of JD Wetherspoon realale vouchers, a copy of ournew quarterly magazine BEERand monthly newspaperWhat’s Brewing, reduced orfree entry to beer festivals,discounts on all CAMRAbooks, and more!How the CAMRA Gift Membership works 1. Order the Gift Membership Online (We can send the pack to you or to the recipient.Amend the delivery address accordingly). 2. The initial pack will contain the full membership pack, plus any books additional items ifordered, plus a covering letter containing a unique voucher code to activate themembership. 3. The choice is yours. Take delivery and present it to the recipient or have it sent straight tothem. 4. The recipient will then be able to go online and activate their membership with the uniquecode supplied and their Membership card will be sent to the member.
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By Bob Wallace
Ayrshire andWigtownshire
CAMRA
Findus on
Membership of the Ayrshire &Wigtownshire has now reached400 with roughly the same
number of new members joining sinceChristmas, to replace the dozen or so whochose not to renew.
I thank you for your support if you areone of the latter but encourage you to keepdrinking real ale and to consider re-joining at some point in the future.
If you are reading this article and are nota CAMRA member then you can use theform opposite or visit the ‘Join us’ pageon the CAMRA websitewww.camra.org.uk.
As a member you will receive thefollowing benefits:1. What's Brewing, a monthly colour
newspaper, delivered direct to yourletterbox.
2.Beer, a quarterly magazine, alsodelivered direct to you.
3. Reduced admission to over 150CAMRA beer festivals
4. Discounts on CAMRA books,including the Good BeerGuide.Discounts from a number ofpartners, such as. Cottages4you andHire a Canalboat.Remember also that every new, and
renewing, member will also receive £20of real ale vouchers from JDWetherspoon, which equates to the cost ofa single, full, direct debit subscription,and you are effectively getting a year'sfree membership.
Regrettably the only two of their 700+outlets which still do not accept thesevouchers are the West Kirk in Ayr andthe Prestwick Pioneer. Come on SouthAyrshire Council, surely a 50p discount
on one pint is not going to encouragebinge drinking.
Indeed, should you not be encouragingdrinkers, especially the younger agegroup, to drink alcohol in the controlledenvironment that is the pub rather thanconsume without such controlselsewhere?
Vouchers can of course be used at theSalt Cot in Saltcoats and the Wheatsheafin Kilmarnock as well as all other JDWoutlets in Scotland and beyond.
If you have any questions please contactme, Bob Wallace, branch membershipsecretary. My email address [email protected] and mymobile number 07929 990972.
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He’s the
man inthe know!
CAMRA is about more than justgetting more people to drink realale.
As mentioned elsewhere in this issue ofFull Pints, CAMRA is Europe’s largestand arguably most successful consumerrights group.
That means we undertake some veryserious campaigns on behalf of the beerconsumer.
One such campaign is the fight to reformthe ‘beer tie’.
This is where a pub is locked into anagreement with a brewery or puboperating company (pubco) to buy beersolely from that brewery or pubco. Whilethere is nothing wrong with this in itself,the prices charged for beer are ofteninflated, meaning lower margins for thelicensee and a dearer pint for the drinker.
For years, CAMRA has beencampaigning to have the beer tie re-balanced to enable a fairer deal in the pub- on both sides of the bar.
The campaigning targets are an optionfor lessees to become free of tieaccompanied by an open market rentreview and, for those that remain tied, theoption to buy one real ale from outside thetie as a guest beer.
However, because the beer tie hasworked successfully for over century,particularly with regional brewers in
England, CAMRA suports anexemptionfrom the free of tie and guest beer optionsfor companies with fewer than 500 pubs.
But change is slow. The House ofCommons Trade and Industry SelectCommittee first expressed seriousconcerns about the conduct of largepubcos in December 2004. Other selectcommittees have subsequently issueddamning verdicts of pubcos and called onthe government to intervene, passinglegislation if necessary.
In June 2009, CAMRA used its status asa consumer organisation to submit a‘super complaint’ to the Office of FairTrading. This was rejected. CAMRAappealed and the investigation wasreopened.
In March 2010 the Business SelectCommittee called for governmentintervention if satisfactory reform had notbeen delivered by June 2011. This wasaccepted by the then Labour governmentand later endorsed by the coalition whenthe business secretary said pubcos were‘on probation’.
When June 2011 came, CAMRA gaveevidence to MPs that self reform hadfailed and government action was nownecessary.
Last November, the governmentannounced a deal with the British Beerand Pub Association which offered somesmall steps forward but failed to addressthe key issues.
And in January this year MPs debatingin the House of Commons unanimouslypassed a motion criticising togovernment’s lack of action on pubcosand called for an independent review ofself regulation in the pub sector.
So what can CAMRA do now. We dowhat we always do and what we do best.We keep campaigning.
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FULL PINTSAt Sulwath Brewers,
we give you thechance to see the craft
of brewing in action,and to taste our
speciality ales, at ourfully-licensed brewery
tap visitor centre.
Open Mon-Sat 10am until 5pmOff-sales also available
The Brewery, King StreetCastle Douglas DG7 1DT
www.sulwathbrewers.co.uk
Telephone: 01556 504525
