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Snug EncounterCarnforth’s new pub is a stationary experience.

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2 | Issue16

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3Issue16 |

If only his craft had docked at Lancaster, Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner would

have had a much better time of it. The Lunesdale area (from North Yorkshire to Garstang) is packed to the gunwales with real ale and great places to enjoy it in.

This cask ale paradise didn’t just arrive out of the blue. It’s thanks to hard work, persistence and imagination on the part of brewers, publicans and campaigners, and its most recent manifestation was the CAMRA Morecambe Beer Festival in August.

Talking of imagination, this quality was at work in the choice of venue – the wonderful Winter Gardens. The faded magnificence of the surroundings gave a very special feel to the atmosphere, a point commented on by many visitors, a lot of whom were new to the place. For others who had known the Gardens in their youth, it was like a nostalgic pilgrimage to a well-remembered icon. The beers were great too. A big thanks to the team who worked so hard to bring the dream to fruition. See George Palmer’s piece later in this issue.

We are extraordinarily fortunate in our breweries: Lancaster, Cross Bay, Kirkby Lonsdale, Old School. We also get a feast of York beers courtesy of Mitchell’s, while fine beers from slightly further afield (Bowland, Dent and Hawkshead) are

found in numerous pubs.And many pubs make a point of

being innovative, with festivals of all kinds, special promotions and offers. The Borough, a free house, is one of these, as are the York Hotel, Morecambe (read the article by Mike Dennison) and The Robert Gillow and Lord Ashton (see the interview with Mark Cutter), all seeking to redefine the pub for the modern age, while maintaining traditions of value and choice.

Of course, the downside to all this is the continuing closure of pubs, caused largely by an insane beer duty policy. But some places are bucking the trend. The Tap House, which calls itself a “world beer shrine,” is due to open as the Drinker goes to press. And your visit to Carnforth can now be enhanced by calling at a little bar on the station platform appropriately named The Snug – a gem of a place offering wonderful ales – read Jenny Greenhalgh’s feature in this issue.

All these good things are enough to make one wax lyrical. Any poets out there fancy writing a sonnet or an ode about our Lunesdale paradise? But a word of advice: don’t do a Coleridge. Keep off the opium, and with our recent summer please don’t mention water. Make cask ale your muse and stick to it.

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BEER, BEER EVERYWHERE & EVER A DROP TO DRINK...

The Lunesdale beer scene gladdens the hearts of punters and poets alike, writes the Editor.

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4 | Issue16

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With this issue we launch a new interactive feature in the Drinker.

Have a look at the accompanying photograph taken at the Morecambe Beer Festival and send us an appropriate caption or speech bubble(s). A prize will be awarded for the most amusing/ inventive submission.

Email your caption by the 1st December 2012 to editor@lunesdalecamra.org.uk.

No entries accepted from anyone connected with producing the Lunesdale Drinker or on the Morecambe Beer Festival committee. The winner will be contacted by email and the result will be announced in the next issue. The Editor’s decision is final.

CAPTION COMPETITIONWin a £20 Voucher, courtesy of Emma May at the Water Witch

ChairmanJenny Greenhalgh

Vice ChairmanBob Smith

TreasurerAnn Tanner

Media & Publicity Officer Julian HoltT: 01995 600848

Branch SecretaryMartin SherlockT: 01524 66131

Email: drinker@lunesdalecamra.org.uk

The Editor reserves the right to amend or shorten contributions for publication.

All editorial copyright © Lunesdale CAMRA 2012.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles are those of individual contributors and are not necessarily the views of the Lunesdale Branch, The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Lunesdale CAMRA accepts no liability in relation to the accuracy of advertisements; readers must rely on their own enquiries. It should also be noted that acceptance of an advertisement in this publication should not be deemed an endorsement of quality by Lunesdale CAMRA.

© MMXII Capital Media Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be transmitted, reproduced, recorded, photocopied or otherwise without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

Branch Contacts

PUBLISHED BY Capital Media Group

2 Halifax Court, Fernwood Business Park Cross Lane, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG24 3JPt: 01524 220 230 • e: lunesdaledrinker@thisiscapital.com

www.thisiscapital.com

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5Issue16 |

Defying the general gloom, this area now has more pubs than three months

ago - and more real ale. On the face of it this doesn’t make sense - aren’t more struggling pubs going to close in an economic slump? Although a lot of pubs are struggling, converting them to other uses looks unattractive in a recession; on the other hand, when times are hard, a pub will provide a reliable, if small, income. Few pubs are truly “uneconomic” in an absolute sense.

Lead story this quarter is the opening of a totally new pub, the Snug (Carnforth). As this gets a whole feature to itself in this magazine, I will say no more here.

Three other pubs (at least) can be noted as cask ale gains. The Royal (Morecambe) is another venue to have escaped from a big pubco (Punch in this case), with the change being much for the better. It has been nicely done out with the remaining Edwardian features preserved and now has four handpumps – just two cask ales when I went in. They seem to be favouring local and familiar brewers at the moment.

Also in Morecambe comes the welcome news that cask ale is back at the Bath Hotel, in its heyday famed for excellent Boddingtons. There are currently three hand pumps.

Mood (Lancaster) - which many of you will know better as the Fat Scot - is to reopen after we go to press under the name of the Tap House. This is described as a “craft beer bar” which is certainly a change. Details are unclear but it will sell cask ale. It is still owned by Mitchells.

Byres (Bentham) has reopened under

the name of Hoggs ‘n’ Heifers. Despite that, it is selling Kirkby Lonsdale and Black Sheep beers. This is old news as it dates back to April, but we have only just caught up. We need a Yorkshire correspondent.

Two drinking establishments in our area which were converted to restaurants some time ago have had their bars reinstated. The Farmers’ Arms (Garstang) has reopened under its old name, while one end of the old Chicago Rock Cafe (Lancaster) has become Sphere Bar. Neither has cask ale, but we can hope in the case of the Farmers’ Arms, which has sold cask ale for most of its existence.

Another pub back from the (nearly) dead is the Greaves (Lancaster). This re-opened under new team Michael and Andrea, plus a new chef in August. Plans to turn it into a retirement residence seem to be on hold or maybe even scrapped.

In a surprising and possibly un-precedented move, the new manager at the Moorlands (Lancaster) is offering to redeem the Wetherspoons vouchers that CAMRA members get. I understand the rules are exactly as in ‘Spoons. (CAMRA members get 42 vouchers each year each worth 50p off a pint of ale. Conditions apply).

Although the past three months have seen dreadful weather, beer and pub-wise they have been pretty good. The only bit of negative news I have to report is that the couple who steered the Wheatsheaf (Garstang) to several successive Good Beer Guide entries have left the area. The pub is under new management and early reports on the new management and the beer range are very positive.

PUB NEWSMartin Sherlock finds it’s changes galore on the pub front...

Own or manage a pub or bar?The Lunesdale Drinker is the only local magazine to reach more than6000 discerning real ale drinkers and pubgoers in North Lancashire.Best of all, advertising costs as little as £3.45 per week.

Call 01524 220 230or visit www.lunesdaledrinker.com

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Sitting here t a p p i n g

away on the laptop it seems the festival was a long time

ago. Life is just about returning to normal and the work on next year’s festival doesn’t start for another month.

How do you summarise such an event in a few words? Fantastic? Brilliant? Superb? Somehow they all seem inadequate.

We, the committee that is, spent fifteen months pulling it all together and barring a few details it worked, and it worked well. If you’ve read any of the feedback on the social media you’ll know I’m not alone in thinking this. The teams that came together for the public sessions and the set up and take down worked hard, worked together and had a good time. Our bar manager got all fifty beers in fine fettle, great work Mike! Anne and Ann kept H&S and £££ under control, t’other Mike kept peripherals rolling and...well,

where do I stop?Special thanks to Cross Bay and

Morecambe Bay Wines, whatever we wanted we got. Also Bay Scaffold - we’d been let down by the original scaffolders and they stepped in at very short notice to get the festival going.

I personally have had a fantastic time organising the event. I’ve made many friends and previous acquaintances have become as close as family. This alone is more than reward enough.

Thanks to all who worked on the festival. Thanks to all the businesses who supported us. Thanks to the Winter Gardens. Thanks to the people who came through the doors. Thank you all!

To the future! If you want to help out on the second festival in any way, contact me on beerfest@lunesdalecamra.org.uk

The next one will be held at the Winter Gardens, August 15th to 18th 2013. Get it in your diaries now!

MORECAMBE’S FIRST BEER FESTIVAL

George Palmer reflects on a milestone event

WHAT’S ON?NOVEMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thursday 15 : 8pm : Branch Meeting, Palatine (Morecambe)

Sunday 25 : Bentham saunter, only 2 miles. Catch 1248 train from Lancaster. This is really just a pub-crawl around the two Benthams, but we will walk along the riverbank so boots that can cope with mud are recommended. If you haven’t been to Bentham for a year or two, much remains the same, but there have been some distinct improvements.

DECEMBER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wednesday 12 : 8pm : Branch Meeting, Borough (Lancaster). Followed by more

short films from Roll out the Barrel.

Saturday 15 : Christmas Meal, Water Witch (Lancaster). To book, contact Emma Procter on 01524 381281 or email Procter.emma@gmail.com

JANUARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday 14 : 8pm : Branch Meeting, Snug (Carnforth)

FEBRUARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday 22 : Trip to Bank Top Brewery (Bolton). For a place on the coach contact Keith Knight on 01524 413346.

For further information about any of these CAMRA events, contact

secretary@lunesdalecamra.org.uk

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9Issue16 |

It’s a Monday morning, I’ve just cashed up from Sunday night and I’m scratching my

head wondering how I’m going to stock up for the rest of the week. I’ve managed to pay all my staff for the previous week’s work (not myself or the wife though) and an unforeseen repair bill took up the rest of the money. I’m looking in the diary to see just where the cash is going to come from this week. It is looking bleak: welcome to the world of a pub tenant.

Six years ago it looked great. We took over the York Hotel, which to be honest at the time was a disgrace. Not just the bricks and mortar but also the clientele as the decent locals migrated to other drinking establishments. The big challenges were to win back the locals, clean up the place and get real ale back on the bar.

Move forward six years and we have achieved quite a lot. The inside is getting to look like somewhere you would like to come out to, we have created a great menu, been voted Morecambe’s Pub of the Year in 2009 (still unopposed) and even managed to get a listing in the 2011 Good Beer Guide – so why are we not, as they say, rolling in it?

I may be preaching to the converted but the beer tie is more like a noose round the neck instead of a brewer/ tenant relationship. Let’s face it, CAMRA members are not backwards in coming forwards when it comes to finding a cheap pint. Unfortunately as a tenant, I have to sell real ale at jaw dropping prices due to the added amount of the tie. Real Ale is made in this country and if we all sold our local brews the transport costs would be minimal. I personally could pick up from

most of Lunesdale, so the only costs would be to me.

Another problem is the shortage of disposable income in Morecambe which forces a lot of folk from around the York over the bridge to cheaper chain pubs.

Tenants also increasingly have to carry out repairs to their pubs due to necessity, the list is extensive. That’s where a lot of profit goes – to repair a landlord’s building!

There also seems reluctance for CAMRA members to frequent my humble establishment, even though I have now started a discount for members where they can buy a pint for £2 on production of their membership card. In fact, a member informed me that “wild horses” wouldn’t get him out of Lancaster to Morecambe. Ah, I’m now beginning to see the light. Morecambe is an undesirable place.

In all this doom and gloom can any positives be found? Well, Morecambe put on a great 1st Beer Festival at the Winter Gardens. Hopefully this will bring attention to the town, helping out all cask ale establishments in the long term. We also have a great Morecambe Ale Trail that will get bigger every year providing all licencees with the chance to shine. To make these two events grow we need a willingness from CAMRA members to support local pubs in Morecambe all year round.

We, like many other tenancies, may be struggling financially but we are stubborn and won’t go down without a fight, despite the reluctance from banks to help out in any way or from the landlord to cut the reins a little bit. We’re in business to succeed, not fail.

Mike

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HARD TIMES, BUT A WILL TO WIN

Mike Dennison (York Hotel) on the joys of being a tenant in the trade

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• This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay by Direct Debits.

• If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

• If you request The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.

• If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when The Campaign For Real Ale Ltd. asks you to.

• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

Join CAMRA TodayComplete the Direct Debit form and you will receive 15 months membership for the price of 12 and a fantastic discount on your membership subscription.Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd. with your completed form, visit www.camra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201. All forms should be addressed to Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW.

Instructions to your Bank or Building Society

Please pay Campaign For Real Ale Limited Direct Debits from the account detailed on this instruction subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with Campaign For Real Ale Limited and, if so will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.

Signature

Date

Banks and Building Societies may not accept Direct Debit Instructions for some types of account.

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FOR CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALES LTD. OFFICIAL USE ONLYThis is not part of the instruction to your Bank or Building Society.

This Guarantee should be detached and retained by the payer.

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Single Membership £23 £25(UK & EU)

Joint Membership £28 £30(Partner at the same address)

For Young Member and concessionary rates please visit www.camra.org.uk or call 01727 867201.

Direct Debit Non DD

I wish to join the Campaign for Real Ale, and agree to abide by the Memorandum and Articles of Association.

I enclose a cheque for _________________

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Applications will be processed within 21 days

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Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to:Campaign for Real Ale Ltd., 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts, AL1 4LW

Join CAMRA today – www.camra.org.uk/joinus

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11Issue16 |

The York Hotel

• Quality Beers, Spirits and Wines•Cask Ales •Darts and Pool

• Outside Patio • Quality Food• Full Sky Sports/ESPN Package

• Free wireless internet

87 Lancaster RoadMorecambe

LA4 5QH01524 425353

www.yorkhotelmorecambe.co.uk

ALL CASK ALES £2 ON TUESDAYS

�e George & Dragon 24 St George’s QuayLancaster, LA1 1RB

A Lovely Local Riverside Pub, all are welcome...

Five Cask Ales •Sky Sports Available •

Enclosed Beer Garden •Range of Lagers •

t: 01524 388808

COLLECTORS’ CORNER

Firkin pubs were started by David Bruce in 1979 at the Goose and Firkin in

Southwark, London. The enterprise grew rapidly and, as is often the case with successful beer companies, was taken over. Midsummer Leisure acquired it in 1987 for £6.6 million, then Stakis for £9.7 million. Since 1999 it has been part of Punch Taverns.

The different thing about Firkin houses was that they were brewpubs, and at one time 100 pubs were brewing. The most famous beer was Dogbolter, a superb 5.6% creation absolutely bursting with flavour.

The story of how the beer acquired its name has passed into legend. Apparently when the first brew was served in the Goose and Firkin the brewer hadn’t thought of a name for it. In the course of the

evening the strong brew triggered a fight in the bar, in the course of which the pub dog bolted in fear.

The number of beer mats produced by Firkin is unknown. I have 125 but am short of quite a few, including the Friary in Lancaster, whose beer was brewed at the

Footage in Manchester.

Dogbolter - Thereby hangs a tail. By Alan T. Gardner

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Right, let’s start with 3 myths:

Myth 1 - American beer is rubbishOnce upon a time this may have had some currency. American large production beers like Budweiser use a lot of rice and corn to make them thin and easy drinking. However, we should all thank Coors, Budweiser and Labatts for one thing: beer that bland - as anodyne and dull as elevator music - has triggered a reaction as loud and as brash as the New York Dolls or the Ramones, beers that scream FLAVOUR! AROMA! HOPS!

Myth 2 - American Beer is WeakThis is another persistent myth that is demonstrably untrue - take a look at a bottle of Bud, weak is one thing it isn’t at 5% abv - but it might just read 3.9%... And that’s because as well as using different pints and gallons in the USA they used to, and sometimes still do, measure alcohol by weight not volume (and let’s face it: volumes and weights are hard to differentiate if you’ve got that wrong!).

Myth 3 – American beer is tasteless. Well some is yes but there’s been an American Revolution in craft brewing. And like their cars they’re bigger, louder,

brasher and more extreme than most British craft beer – like seeing a ‘68 Chevvy next to a Morris Minor.

Like rock n’ roll the craft brewers have mixed and matched different cultural

traditions and histories to create beers that are bold, different and divisive. So let’s go west and take a whirlwind tour of some serious beers:

The Classic: American Pale AleSierra Nevada brewing company are the largest users of whole hops in the world. Their flagship beer is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and no beer is a better introduction to the flavours and styles of American Craft beer than this. Widely available, bottle conditioned, balancing US citrus hops with clean yeast and malt it’s an easy drinker. Available in bottles at the Tap House.

Putting the Punch into IPA I would argue that IPA is a term the Americans rescued from its debasement by the likes of Greene King – reminding the world IPAs were originally seriously strong and seriously hopped beers rather than weak pale ales. And IPAs abound - Goose Island’s India Pale Ale uses traditional English hops (Styrian Goldings

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Steve Wright continues his series on real beer in a bottle and looks at US brews and where to find them closer to home.

PRAISE OF BOTTLED BEERS: AN AMERICAN REVOLUTION

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13Issue16 |

and Fuggles) alongside classic American ‘C’ hops (Centennnial, Cascade) to create a big flavoursome, well hopped 5.9%abv IPA. Find it in the Sun and the Tap House.

Flying Dog’s beers are gloriously, or garishly (depending on your view) illustrated by the legendary counter-culture art hero Ralph Steadman. Their Snake Bite IPA is an altogether bigger brasher affair at 7.1% using the powerful Warrior and Columbus hops to deliver a serious American citrus hop punch. You’ll find it at Atkinson’s and the John O’Gaunt.

Then there are some funkier variations on the IPA theme such as Raging Bitch and Wildeman both from Flying Dog and described as Belgian or Farmhouse IPAs respectively. They both use Belgian yeasts: Witbier, like that used in Hoegaarden for Raging Bitch, and Saison for the “Farmhouse” along with masses of hops to make something unlike any traditional Belgian beer or IPA. Look for these stars in Atkinson’s and the Tap House

Serious StoutsBigger is better seems to be an American brewing mantra – sometimes brilliantly sometimes badly. But bigger is definitely bigger and American Stouts exemplify this. Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout is a superb imperial stout – modelled on the traditional British export beers to the Czar’s court in Russia - weighing in at 10% abv with a thickness and body more like Kahlua than Guinness. This is best shared even in its 330ml bottle and ages well in a cellar for years. You’ll find it in the Sun, the Tap House and Atkinson’s.If you ever see it I would recommend you don’t ask the price (typically £7-9 for a 330ml bottle!) but just buy Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout. And split it 3 ways. At 14.5% abv it starts where Brooklyn Black Chocolate exits stage left, aged in bourbon barrels and a marriage of flavours and complexity from vanilla, bourbon, oak and midnight black malts that will age for up to 5 years. You’ll only find it if I haven’t seen it first.

Battle of the BelgeWhile the UK has left an indelible mark on the US craft beer scene Belgium holds a greater thrall. White-labelled bottles from Goose Island such as Matilda and Pere Jacques take a leaf out of Orval’s monastic tomes and bring wild yeasts into play. These beers are bottle conditioned

and mature and gain incredible depth and complexity over time – they are stamped by year and improve with age. Harder to find but recently seen lurking in the John of Gaunt. Brooklyn Local Ale is another bottle conditioned Belgian-influenced beer in the Tap House’s fridge.

An American Original: Steam BeerProhibition destroyed most of the USA’s beer heritage but one major brewery survived: Anchor. And their Steam Beer is one of the few truly original contributions to world beer from the USA. With no refrigeration the beer was cooled on the roof giving off steam and gaining its name. The yeast is a lager yeast but fermented at ale temperatures. Hopped with US grown Northern Brewer this beer blends hops, yeast and malts into perfect and distinctive balance. The other Anchor beers including their Bock, Summer Ale and Porter are all excellent as well. The White Cross, Tap House and Atkinson’s all stock some of the Anchor range.

So if you’ve never tried them, or you’re lucky enough to see any of these on tap there’s a whole continent of flavours out there to challenge your taste buds.

To Order – Get in touchTel: 01704 823 572

www.fiddlerslancashirecrisps.co.uk

Delicious crisps with genuine provenance

By ‘eck, you’ll find ‘em tasty!

Only potatoes grown on our family farm and hand cooked in our own kitchens are used.

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In November 1996 Carnforth Station Trust was set up to refurbish the station which

had suffered closure and dereliction after the installation of main line electrification in the 1970s. In the past Carnforth had been a major junction for the London and North Western, The Furness and the Midland Railways with the 1880 buildings as we see them today forming an attractive set of platforms with the large clock on what is now platform 3

In 1945 the Station had been used as a location for the film “Brief Encounter” and in 2003 the station reopened as a museum, a shop with railway “Brief Encounter” memorabilia and the Buffet echoing the film interior but with the four hand pumps. The success of the Buffet and the magic of railways encouraged others to take up residence across the main line. A model railway shop, ladies’ outfitters and a rugs and interior goods shop opened adjacent to the refurbished booking office and tourist information point.

When the dress shop moved to other premises, Gregg Beaman and his wife Julie opened a micropub at the northern end of the platform. Greg had been an Independent Councillor and involved with various medical charities, but has taken to his new role as licensee with enthusiasm. Popular with railway folk, Gregg is finding that he is building a unique network of contacts willing to deliver beer by

invitation through his railway enthusiast customers.

The Snug is a single bar served by a chilled double stillage behind a two-door glass fronted cabinet visible to the public. The five hand pumps usually serve four beers with one cider, usually Old Rosie. The design was the idea of Carl Johannsen from Lancaster Brewery. There is a top shelf for wines and non-alcoholic drinks. No keg beers or lager fonts spoil the view, and there’s no musak to interfere with conversation.

Beers are usually local, but outsiders do visit. There are a dozen or so seats and food is limited to pork pies, crisps and the pickled egg jar. Outside seats are planned if we ever get a summer, but one would need to keep hold of the pints when the main line trains rattle through.

The Snug is a fine complement to Carnforth’s pubs and we wish Gregg and Julie all success. It is already attracting a good local following.

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SNUG ENCOUNTERJenny Greenhalgh visits Carnforth station

and has a brief encounter with a new bar

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When David Cameron left one of his children in the boozer there was

universal condemnation. A drinking den of all places! seemed to be the thinking. But one Lancaster landlord takes a very different view. Why all the fuss? he asks. Well-run pubs are safe, family-friendly places with strong roots in local communities and the cultural scene. He’d like all pubs to be like that.

Mark Cutter, licensee at both The Robert Gillow and the Lord Ashton, has an odd pedigree for a publican. He trained as a barrister and worked as a lecturer and researcher at universities in Lancaster and Preston. Not many people take on a pub “for research purposes” but it was while he was studying ways of encouraging responsible drinking that he got the Lord Ashton. He’s now buying the freehold from Thwaites.

While working on the Ashton he was approached by Hyde’s and invited to add The Gillow to his portfolio. Revolution has taken place at both venues, part of which involves beer. The Ashton hadn’t had real ale for ten years - this small pub now has two cask ales and a real cider. The Gillow had three hand pumps and eight dispensers for lager and other keg products - now there are five of the former and just four of the latter.

But the bigger revolution is about concepts. British pubs have evolved. Once there were just no frills boozers. Some of those still exist, but now you’ll also find places that specialise in food or music

and others with a lively community role. Mark’s vision goes much further.

Pubs should offer a complete cultural package, hooking up with a broad range of ages, groups and social backgrounds. “They’re not dens of iniquity but places where we bring our families and enjoy far more than beer.” There is music at the Gillow seven days a week, and thanks to its cinema license it can show films too. It also has a “take away” license.

Mark has built links with Waterstone’s for pub quizzes and is looking at hosting children’s festivals. “It’s all about working with our neighbours both socially and in terms of business.” This even extends to job creation. He is currently working with the local FE college and Job Centre to create new jobs for disadvantaged people. “Bar work is a skilled business when done properly and it’s important to give people the opportunity.”

Innovative happenings, such as last summer’s very popular Americana!, a week-long festival of US beer, food, film and music, are now part of the expected “menu” at the Gillow. The pub’s website and Facebook pages tell their own story of success and enthusiastic customer feedback. The place is a recognised centre of excellence for the blues, jazz and open mic sessions, not to mention its food. Every dish is prepared by hand using local produce and the burgers, made to a special recipe, are renowned.

But for CAMRA people it’s the beer that’s key. The evening of my visit they

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We profile landlord Mark Cutter whose distinctive vision of the pub aims to change old concepts.

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had Hydes Original (3.8), and two other Hydes beers, Golden Find (4.0) and their Olympics ale, Fit as a Fiddle (4.2), plus Explorer (4.3) from Adnams. There is always a real cider, and that night it was Gwynty y Ddrais Farmhouse Scrumpy.

Talking to Mark over a well-kept pint of Original I see a man who is seething with ideas, an innovator, but also someone who insists on high standards. “My staff know the importance of cleaning lines between every single barrel. I’d rather keep a customer waiting than lose them for good because of a bad beer experience.”

It’s his innovating spirit combined with professionalism that sets the tone for the new Gillow and the new Ashton. At the latter the front room is being preserved as a “local, traditional pub”, refurbished using products of local businesses (e.g. wallpapers from James Mackie), while the kitchen has been converted into a room for art exhibitions and films (a new kitchen is planned).

The Cutter vision of the pub as a social, cultural and entertainment centre for the whole community is rich with possibilities. At the Lord Ashton and the Robert Gillow those possibilities are being realised.

Mark Cutter was talking to Julian Holt.

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Pop in, we'd love to see you ...

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Over the past few years, Peter Livesley has amassed a large collection of

drawings of local and not-so-local pubs whilst on his travels, on holiday and on Morris dancing tours. The drawing coming from furthest afield is that of the Bull in Praia de Luz on the Algarve, which was notable for a nice pint of Old Speckled Hen as well as its pleasant location.

Part of Peter’s collection was exhibited under the banner, “Your local - use it or lose it” at the recent 1st Morecambe Beer Festival at the Winter Gardens. His drawing of the Pheasant in Toddington, Gloucestershire, was used on the reverse of the tokens for the local CAMRA-run beer festival last year, and several more d r a w i n g s have been framed by l a n d l o r d s for their pub

walls, or included in their websites. Every drawing is shared with the landlord by email, and all have been well received.

Working in ink and coloured pencil, Peter combines an enjoyment of historic and interesting buildings, a love of making art and an appreciation of good beer. It goes without saying that all the pubs in his collection serve real ale.

DRAWN TO PUBSA series of drawings of local pubs by Peter Livesley.

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The Boot & Shoe, Lancaster.

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Many of you will be aware of my history within the brewing industry. For those

who aren’t, I set up Brysons Brewery back in October 2000 with Caroline, my long suffering wife, after many years home brewing. After four years of sales increasing at better than 50%pa, it all became a bit too much for us and we stopped brewing. Morecambe Bay Wines came into the equation and the brewery moved to their premises on White Lund and I continued to brew there until a couple of years ago when I retired. Brysons has since been wound up and Cross Bay rose from the ashes to continue the brewing of fine beers in the Morecambe area.

So what do you do when you stop a lifetime’s passion? Simple really, go back to your roots and start home brewing again. Well, it’s nearly simple!

“You’re not messing up my kitchen again,” says the missus. (Funny that - it’s OUR kitchen when I’m doing the Sunday roast.) So first off, find somewhere else to do it other than Caroline’s domain. The utility room was out of the question for a variety of reasons and spare bedrooms were going to remain spare bedrooms, I was told. I considered the shed and the garage (detached) but power supplies and water services would cost a fortune. Then came the brainwave: behind the utility room there was a space with the central heating boiler and seventeen years of accumulated junk and debris. The obvious spot for a brewery!

So to work. Clear out all the rubbish, bags of it. Knock holes into the utility room wall for access to water and waste pipes and start to make good the walls and ceiling to make the space easier to keep clean. Then in goes the sink, better lighting and more power sockets (waterproof of course) and hey presto.

Then, of course, there’s the brew plant. I considered having the gear made up to my specifications by a good friend. Partly on the grounds of his commitments and partly on cost, I finally opted for some kit made up by one of the many home brew emporiums, having been to view three different plants.

The chosen shop supplied the mash tun and copper, not quite as I’d have liked them, but eminently workable. The hot liquor tank is a 30 litre catering urn, suitably modified. The copper is fired by an induction hob (the copper had to be suitable for this arrangement) having spent ages trying to find a gas burner suitable for indoor use. I must admit, the hob is far better than any gas ring.

With all the shiny vessels sourced, it was just a matter of fabricating the structural woodwork, setting up a bottling station, fermenting area and conditioning store.

Progress so far? Five different beers in their containers, three untouched and the first two conditioned enough to drink. Ah, the taste of home brewed ale again and the feeling of achievement in bringing the project to completion. Now, what’s the next brew going to be?

LIFE AFTER BREWINGGeorge Palmer on the art of downsizing

...to this - The Finished Plant

From this...

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• Six Cask Ales, soon to be eight!• New summer menu!

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23Issue16 |

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Tatham Bridge Inn

Set in the heart of beautiful Turner country.

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