Mines A Pint issue 36

CAMPAIGN for REAL ALE

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THE CAMRA MAGAZINE FOR READING AND MID BERKSHIRE ISSUE THIRTY SIX • WINTER 2015 • FREE - PLEASE TAKE A COPY

IN THIS ISSUEPub & Brewery News Small BeerRoute 17 Pub CrawlJoin CAMRABehind the Bar… Bramshill HuntGala Award Evening

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Several of our customersare featured in the 2016 CAMRA GoodBeer Guide

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establishments nationwide

Call: 01628 826622 / 2781 Email: [email protected] Visit: www.birdinhand.co.uk

The Bird in Hand, Bath Road,Knowl Hill, Twyford,

Berks RG10 9UP

A charming 14th Century Country Inn betweenMaidenhead and Reading. The Inn serves a host

of regularly changing Real Ales.

The beautifully refurbished Restaurant overlooksthe garden and the Inglenook fire provides a

warm and cosy setting.

The Inn has 22 en-suite bedrooms - standard,superior and suites. One room is adapted forthe disabled. Free wifi available throughout.

Quiz Nights6th Dec, 17th Jan, 7th & 28th Feb, 20th MarchFree entry. Winning team get a

round of drinks.

Contact UsUseful contact details for this magazine, CAMRA and other important things…Mine's a Pint Circulation: 3,000.Outlets: Over 70 across the region.

Editor: Phil [email protected] 455 029381 Addison Road, Reading, RG1 8EG

Magazine published on behalf of Readingand Mid Berkshire CAMRA by:

Orchard House Media [email protected]

For advertising enquiries please contact Jane Michelson:01778 [email protected]

Reading & Mid Berkshire CAMRAwww.readingcamra.org.uk

Social Secretary: Quinten Taylor [email protected] 424232

Contact for all other branch matters:Katrina [email protected] 401 9437

Local Trading StandardsReading Borough Council:www.reading.gov.uk 0118 937 3737

West Berkshire Council:www.westberks.gov.uk 01635 519930

Royal Borough of Windsor &Maidenhead:www.rbwm.gov.uk 01628 683800

Wokingham Borough Council:www.wokingham.gov.uk 0118 974 6400

The next issue of Mine’s a Pint will be published in March. Please feel free to submit copy or ideas by 7 February.

The opinions expressed in Mine’s a Pint arenot necessarily those of the editor or theCampaign for Real Ale. © Campaign forReal Ale 2016.

DECEMBER

Wed 9: Branch Strategy Meeting. Castle Tap, 120 CastleStreet, Reading, RG1 7RJ. CAMRA members only, please.

Thu 10: Branch Christmas meal. Fisherman’s Cottage, KennetSide, Reading, RG1 3DW. Booking required as limited spaceavailable – contact [email protected] for details.

JANUARY

Thu 7: First Thursday of the Month Social. Royal Oak, 69Westwood Glen, Tilehurst, RG31 5NW.

Fri 8: Southall Curry Night. Meet 19.30 onwards for drinks atthe Conservative Club, High Street, Southall, UB1 3HB, thenNagina Karahi restaurant at 20.45. Contact John Robinson [email protected] / 0118 940 2787 / 0790 434 3187.

w/c 11th: Branch meeting. Date and venue TBC.

Sat 23: New Members’ Trip to Binghams Brewery. ContactBrian Jones ([email protected]) for details.

Sat 23: Regional Pub Crawl of London. Start 12.00 at BlackHeart, Greenland Place, Camden, NW1 0AP (close to CamdenTown tube). Contact Sue Thirlaway [email protected]

FEBRUARY

Thu 4: First Thursday of the Month Social. Venue TBC.

Tue 9: Board games social. Great Expectations, 33 LondonStreet, Reading, RG1 4PS. 19.00 for a 19.30 start with opportunities to join play as new games get under way.

See www.readingcamra.org.uk for details of these events asthey come available. For details of an event with no contactlisted, to suggest an event or to receive regular e-mail updatesof the branch diary, contact Quinten Taylor (Quinno):[email protected] / 07887 424232.

Branch DiaryAll events start at 20.00 and are open to everybody unless specified.

Stop Press: Red Lion in Theale registered as an Asset of Community Value.

Read more about ACVs on page 14

Local drinkers were shocked when, late thisyear, the news broke that the freehold of theNags Head had been sold. The popular pubin Russell Street, Reading had been ownedby Admiral Taverns but they suddenly soldtheir interest in the building. Not to the ten-ants, who knew nothing about it until ithappened, but to a private individual.

Now, selling a freehold is common in theproperty world. It means that ownership ofthe land and buildings transfers, but anybusiness on the site should be able to carryon as before. Nevertheless, given the pub’siconic status and the lack of informationabout the new owner or their intentions, thesale has made a lot of people very nervous.

That’s why a small team of CAMRA membersrapidly mobilised to submit an application toregister the Nags Head as an Asset ofCommunity Value (ACV). If granted, thatwill ensure that any proposals to demolishor change the use of the building will haveto go through the full planning process –hopefully making both those options muchless likely.

We have been told by the Abbey ward coun-cillors that they will support the ACV appli-cation, which is great news, and any othersupport would also be very helpful. You cancontact Reading Borough Council to sup-port the application and explain why thepub is such a valuable and treasured part ofthe West Reading community.

You can also submit an ACV applicationyourself – anyone can, provided they canfind a group of 21 like-minded people. Themore pubs that are protected by ACV sta-tus, the more we can help to preserve andconserve our pubs as the heart of our com-munities. See www.camra.org.uk/list-your-local for a lot more information on how toact to protect your local.

The tools are available – they may not bethe best but they can help us do some good,so let's use them!

Phil Gill - [email protected]

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From the Editor

ContentsBranch Diary 3

From the Editor 4

Pub & Brewery News 5-13

Small Beer 14-15

Behind the Bar 17

Gala Awards 18-19

Route 17 Pub Crawl 21-24

When is a Barrel not a Barrel? 26

CAMRA Books 27

Revitalisation of CAMRA 28

Join CAMRA 30

Reading Beer and Cider Festival

Thursday 28 April - Sunday 1 May 2016

Venue announcement coming soon -

watch this space!

BURGHFIELDA planning application for change of useand extension of the BANTAM was refusedby West Berkshire Council. The proposal forflats was turned down because the applicant“has failed to submit sufficient informationin terms of an analysis of viability of thebusiness and attempts to sell the publichouse at a reasonable market value” (thesewords come from the council's refusalnotice). The applicant has appealed againstthe decision and the appeal is expected to beconsidered early next year.

CAVERSHAMThe RED COW in Star Road is our latestlocal Asset of Community Value. ReadingBorough Council registered the pub inSeptember after an application from yourCAMRA branch. It means that the Grade IIlisted pub can't be demolished or changed intoa shop or any other use without getting full

planning permission.Bearing in mind thenumber of pubs whichhave been lost in theLower Caversham area(the Golden Key, theStar, the Miller’s Armsand even theConservative Club) it was a great result toget an ACV granted on this building. Weunderstand that it is still up for sale and wehope that a buyer can be found soon who isprepared to give the Red Cow a new leaseof life and provide good beer and hospitalityfor the local population.

Just after we published in the last issue thatthe CLIFTON ARMS had started selling realcider, came the news that the cider pump hadbeen taken back out again.

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Pub & Brewery News

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Pub News

ARBORFIELDSteve and Marie at the BRAMSHILL HUNT in Bramshill Close are keen to welcomeCAMRA members. You can read more about their pub and the improvements they’vemade in the Behind the Bar feature in this issue. Bus 3, the Leopard, stops almost outside and links to Reading and Wokingham.

PLAYHATCHNick and Hazel celebrate five years runningthe FLOWING SPRING on Henley Road onSaturday 12 December. There will be plentyof food and entertainment comes from thehighly talented singer-guitarist Alice Reay.

READINGRecent events at the CASTLE TAP onCastle Street have included an excellent“cheese and beer tasting” evening hosted byGyle 59 Brewery. The cheese range benefitsfrom the pub’s association with the GrumpyGoat shop in Harris Arcade, of course.

A recent mention of the station pub theTHREE GUINEAS in getreading promptedthe following from one of our resident histo-rians, Laurence Hansford:“Now here is a little known fact with regardto what is actually on top of the ThreeGuineas: the 4 face Turret Clock. It maycome as a surprise to some of you but, priorto his untimely death last Easter, the actualmechanism of the clock was kept in runningorder by Russ Wood as a sideline andhobby. Had he still been alive, he wouldhave been up the ladder inside the turret thisautumn to set it back an hour!”

Russ was of course one of our branch pio-neers whose obituary you will have seen inthe Summer issue of Mine's a Pint. His

interest in horology – clocks in simple terms– was legendary but few of us knew of hisinvolvement with one of Reading’s land-marks.

The PURPLE TURTLE on Gun Street haveapplied for planning permission for changeof use for the building next door. A café /restaurant at basement to second floor levelis planned, including a basement extensionfor the Turtle. What makes this much moreinteresting is that it also includes a “replace-ment two storey building to rear for micro-brewery”. We look forward to this venturebecoming a reality and to tasting some beerfrom the new brewery. With regard to thebeers in the Turtle – generally only two alesplus a real cider are available during theweek with the range increasing to at leastfour plus cider at weekends.

Work is progressing at the BUTLER inChatham Street where parts of the old retailshop (the original Butler’s Wine, Beer andSpirit outlet) will be converted to new barand seating areas. There are usually six caskales available at this up and coming pubwhich is popular with rugby supporters aswell as real ale drinkers and music fans.

The beer offering at the TURKS on LondonRoad was Deuchars IPA and ShepherdNeame Spitfire when our reporter visitedrecently. The pub features regular live music,Sunday roasts, breakfast and special Chineseor Indian buffet evenings.

The security screens have been removedfrom the doors and windows at the REDCOW (Pell Street / Southampton Street) andthe “For Sale” sign has gone but there wasno sign of any works taking place. Thefuture of this old Simonds / Courage pub isunknown following its presumed sale so wewill keep an eye on it.

It looks like the final end for the COUNTYARMS at the top of Watlington Street.Planning permission has been in place for

PUB & BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED

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Three Guineas, Reading station

some time now and a sign has appeared say-ing “9 luxury apartments coming soon”. Soit’s “Thank you and goodbye” to this fineold establishment.

Older readers may remember the FOURHORSESHOES on Basingstoke Road. Long-closed as a pub, its most recent incarnationwas as the Eastern Pearl restaurant. Now itsfuture is as student accommodation.

Further down Basingstoke Road, GreeneKing is building a new Hungry Horserestaurant / pub. The development site alsoincludes an Aldi supermarket and a gym. It’srumoured that the pub may be called TheGeorge though that has not yet been con-firmed by GK. Whatever the name, it shouldoffer cask beers but they will likely be fromthe brewery’s standard core range. Still, itwill be a new outlet in a part of town that’s-

rather a beer desert (there's real ale at theWORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN butlittle else in the immediate area).

Towards the end of every month theALLIED ARMS in St Mary’s Butts holds a“Payday beer festival” with often ten different and unusual ales on simultaneouslyat lower prices than usual. There’s also along-established quiz night every secondWednesday at 8pm (£1 each entry – in aidof the Thames Valley and Chiltern AirAmbulance) and mulled wine has made areturn for the winter.

YATES’S on Friar Street has been given amajor makeover and still retains a couple ofhandpumps although the selection is notvery adventurous – Doom Bar and LondonPride being the beers available when it re-opened recently. A little further down thestreet, real ale is no longer available atWILD LIME. This was never a big pub forcask beer.

The ABBOT COOK at Cemetery Junctionplays host to a regular board games nightevery Wednesday evening. The ReadingBoardgames group, started by Daryl Unwinand a few friends now attracts over 20 asession. Daryl recently hosted a boardgames night for us at CAMRA which was


CONTINUED OVERLEAF

The County Arms in happier times

Allied Arms, St Mary’s Butts

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Abbot Cook, Cemetery Junction

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great fun. There's also a monthly Tuesdaysession at a pub in town – the venue variesso keep an eye on the Reading BoardgamesSocial Facebook page.

The NAGS HEAD in Russell Street havebrewed a collaborative ale with WildWeather. Called Wyld Stallyns, it’s a 4.3%unfined pale ale that was aimed (unsuccessfully!)at being the pub’s 4,000th different ale.

SHINFIELDAll change at the BELL AND BOTTLE onSchool Green, where the new licensees areMark and Chrissie East. They move fromthe Butcher’s Arms in Tilehurst and we wishthem all the best in their new venture – it’sgreat to know that they're staying in thearea. The beer range at the Bell and Bottleshould be maintained or hopefully enhancedand we hope that many of our readers willpop down and give them their support.

TILEHURSTWhile the news of Mark and Chrissie'smove is good for Shinfield, it leaves thefuture of the BUTCHER’S ARMS in LowerArmour Road less certain. In their time atthe Butcher's they oversaw a transformationinvolving redecoration, an improved rangeof ale and a welcoming atmosphere. Theygained LocAle accreditation and steered thepub towards its entry in the newly-published

Good Beer Guide 2016. Whoever the newlicensees are, they certainly have a goodfoundation to build on and we hope theywill continue the good work at this tradi-tional two-bar pub.

The WATER TOWER on Park Lane is nowa Greene King bar / restaurant although itwill probably remain for the time being any-way as a Flaming Grill brand. The beersnow come from GK with IPA being the reg-ular brew plus one other often from thesame brewery.

TWYFORDA visit to the GOLDEN CROSS onWaltham Road (near the station) revealedthree real ales available, and served in goodcondition. Upham, Fullers and Harveysbreweries were represented, and we under-stand that the beers available change on aregular basis.

WARGRAVE

John Robinson recently presented the certifi-cate for Branch Club of the Year to theWARGRAVE AND DISTRICT SNOOKERCLUB. It was received by Graham (BarManager), Steve (Chairman) and Mel (mentor and ex-Bar Manager). Shortly afterthe presentation, the Timothy Taylor

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CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Bell and Bottle, School Green

Presentation of Club of the Year toWargrave Snooker Club

Boltmaker ran out and, to celebrate the special occasion, we were treated to someBrakspear Special – which Graham had collected personally from The Bell StreetBrewery in Henley. The Bell Street Breweryis a micro-brewery which sits withinBrakspear's newly-redeveloped Bull pub onBell Street.

Those present all raised their glasses to tenyears of the club being named the BranchClub of the Year. CAMRA members arewelcome at the bar which opens Monday toFriday evenings, 7 to 11pm.

John Robinson is a Wargrave local and for-mer branch chairman – actually he is ourlongest serving chairman of the branch,spending 17 years in the role.

WOODLEYLocal drinkers received a shock in Octoberwhen they found out that Woodley TownCouncil intended to not renew the lease onthe INN ON THE PARK, leading to thepub’s closure. The popular bar, which hasbeen a feature of the sports centre since thelate 1980s, has over the years raised lots ofmoney for charity – on one occasion £2,550in one 24 hour darts marathon.

The closure came suddenly, without warningor consultation, and deprives local people ofa comfortable and safe environment inwhich to socialise. The town council saysthat it is looking at other options for usingthe space, and that “the pub will notreopen.”

Brewery News

NEW BREWERY - BLACK PIGThis new microbrewery has started produc-tion at Brockfield Cottage in Warfield nearBracknell with two beers initially on offer –Pig Tale Ale (4.1%) and Pig Snout Stout at5.1% Look out for the beers in a pub nearyou soon or for off-sales from the brewery!Unusually, 660ml bottles are used. Theyhope to have two limited edition brewsready for sale just in time for Christmas /New Year drinking.

ANDWELLPlans are afoot for a new cask store, func-tion room and brew-house cafe.

ASCOT ALESWinter Reserve, the 5.2%lightly spiced winterwarmer is now availableon draught and in bot-tles. For a limited time avanilla infused version offour dark beers is also onoffer – Anastasia's Exile& Imperial Stout, PenguinPorter and On The Rails.

The latest Single Hop IPA at 4.6% is alsoavailable using Target hops, which are anEnglish variety with distinct spicy, floral,sage and citrus characteristics.

BINGHAMSVanilla Stout won a heat of the ChampionBeer of Britain competition so will now goforward to next year’s finals at the GreatBritish Beer Festival.

Not to be outdone by their owner, brewerChris Bingham’s bees have also won anaward. Their Runny Honey won first placein the Wokingham and District Beekeepers’Association Honey Show. In a blind tastingat the show in November, the honey came

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out on top of around 25 entries. Chris is “wellchuffed”. Unfortunately there’s not enoughhoney left this year to make a honey beer, butChris hasn’t ruled it out for next year.

HOOK NORTONThis Oxfordshire brewery whose beers areoften seen in the Reading area has startedbrewing a run of single varietal hopped beers.Running through to Christmas, a new beerwill be brewed each week. The first in earlyOctober used Sovereign hops, with aromasdescribed as floral, grassy and herbal with ahint of mint flavours.

Single hop beers are made with just one vari-ety of hops, rather than the more usual prac-tice of balancing the flavours by using several.It’s something that many breweries have beenexperimenting with – locally, Ascot andBinghams are prime examples. As HookNorton say, it’s a great way to educate andenlighten the beer drinking public about thedifferent varieties of hops that are now avail-able, and the effects they have on both aromaand flavour. The beers are available at Hookypubs and in the free trade.

LODDONRusset (a multi-grain brew at 4.5%) has beenavailable in recent weeks and Hocus Pocus(rich, smooth and ruby at 4.6%) should makean appearance for the festive season.

SHERFIELD VILLAGE Their festival brew will be “Christmas Beer”at a very healthy 6.8%. This is a rich ruby-coloured ale with fruity flavours, coffee,chocolate and a hint of spices. Look out alsofor Green Hop IPA (4.8%), Butcher’s Brew at4.9%, Pioneer Stout (5% and vegan friendly)and Best of Both Worlds which is a combina-tion of British and New Zealand hops and isa very drinkable 4.1% ABV.

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BREWERY NEWS CONTINUED

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

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SIREN CRAFTWelcome toMarkus Wagner,the new HeadBrewer at Siren.

Hailing fromDresden, Markusstarted brewingaround seven years ago, learning histrade at Radeberger Exportbier Brauerie.After three and a half years and newly-quali-fied, he headed to California and FirestoneWalker. There he worked on quality control,brewhouse operation, the barrel fermenta-tion project, barrel ageing project and sourprogramme.

A year later and back in Europe, Markustook on a job at Heineken SUI inSwitzerland to gain a different kind of experience. From there he moved to the UKin 2013, taking up a post at Camden TownBrewery where he started a new barrel age-ing programme. Now installed at Siren inFinchampstead, his current favourite of theirbeers is Calypso, but his plans have alreadyincluded a Blackberry IPA with doubtlessplenty of other innovative flavours to come.

Broken Dream Breakfast Stout has won twoSilver awards in recent months – one beingat the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival!

TWO COCKSThe brewery near Enborne has been adver-tised for sale by Strutt and Parker for aguide price of £2.45m. The sale wouldinclude the newly-built farmhouse and 40acres of land. The owners, Michael Butcherand Phil Palmer, said that family reasonswere behind the decision to sell.

The Newbury Weekly News reported thatMichael said, “We are hoping someone willcome in and continue what we started. Thebrewery is in good shape and would be idealfor someone planning for something like we


Serving London Pride permanentlywith weekly changing guest ales

Bar Food Served Monday - Friday noon until 2pm

Hog Roast SpecialistsRing for details

Regular Jazz Nights14th January, 4th

and 25th FebruaryMarquee available for events

Arborfield Road,Shinfield,Reading,Berkshire,RG2 9EA

Tel: 0118 9884130

A UNIQUE, TRADITIONAL BAR

Courtesy of Siren Craft

Mine’s a Pint13

were seven years ago. What we haveachieved here is beyond our wildest dreams.We have been really happy here.”

The brewery was started in October 2011and the beer names contain the date 1643after the First Battle of Newbury, whichtook place in that year. There was a round-head encampment for this Civil War battleon the site of the farm.

A further point of interest is that the farm-house, which was featured on Channel 4’sGrand Designs in 2012, contains the largestdomestic sliding door ever made in Britain.It consists of a single piece of glass andweighs over a tonne. Certainly a talkingpoint if you have a few spare millions.

WEST BERKSHIREThe next seasonal ale will be Yule Fuel,which will be a 4.3% brew with a warmhop / malt finish and raisin, liquorice andwild berry overtones.

The brewery is “extremely thrilled” to havewon Rural Business of the Year at the WestBerkshire Business Awards. The awardfocuses on the supply of goods to the ruralcommunity, commitment to conservation,reducing environmental impact and thecommitment to promoting rural business.David Bruce, the Chairman of WestBerkshire Brewery, said, “I am delightedthat my brilliant team has been recognised

at such a prestigious awards ceremony andwe can add yet another award to our fast-expanding collection. All their enthusiasmand hard work during the past few yearshave paid off as we continue our excitingbrewing (ad-)venture.”

The awards were held in October atNewbury Racecourse. Appropriately, thebrewery has also recently become the spon-sor of the successful racing stable GeoffreyDeacon Training, based close to the breweryat Hamilton Stables in Compton. SimonLewis, the brewery's CEO, said, "Berkshirehas a proud history of horse racing andtraining and it’s a pursuit which many realale drinkers enjoy too. When we wereoffered the opportunity of getting involvedwith our local stables we “jumped” at thechance and were thrilled to see FrankieDettori riding at Ascot wearing WestBerkshire Brewery branded silks”.

WILD WEATHERThe Christmas Party at the brewery inSilchester is on Friday 11 December. Openfrom 6pm, you will be able to enjoy a beer,listen to live acoustic artists and enjoy agame or two (bring your own board games,tables supplied). The brewery shop will alsobe open for Christmas gift-buying.

WINDSOR AND ETONLook out for Canberra (4%) and Brew 882Seattle Porter at 4.8% over the wintermonths. The brewery's first pub, the Georgein Eton, is now trading and there are plansfor a large shop and visitor centre – but nottill after Christmas.

XTThe brewery extension at XT is nearly fin-ished – new storage area, cold room andbrewing space have been completed and thenew brewery tasting room is now ready. Thetasting room provides a new space for beertastings and to buy fresh beer in mini-casksand bottled beer to drink at home.


West Berkshire Brewery team

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Small BeerA roundup of news and information...

ASSETS OF COMMUNITY VALUEThe local parish council have applied to reg-ister the Horns at Crazies Hill as an Assetof Community Value. The decision fromWokingham Borough Council is due inDecember.

The Red Cow in Caversham has been listedas an ACV, as described in the Pub Newssection. This helps to secure the future ofthe pub in a part of town that has lost mostof its other drinking outlets.

The latest and possibly the most importantapplication is of course the Nags Head. The nomination was made in earlyNovember which means that ReadingBorough Council should issue a decisionearly in the new year. We were heartened tohear from Councillor Tony Page that thethree Abbey ward councillors would be supporting the listing, and we hope thattheir support ensures a speedy process andthe right outcome for the local communityand its valued pub.

PUB OF THE YEARCAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition has reached its regionalstage, where our winner competes against the best fromBerkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire plus a littlebit of Hertfordshire. The regional winner this time is theRising Sun at Berkhamsted in Herts, a lovely canalside pub– yet in an urban setting – with a particularly strongemphasis on real cider and perry.

The overall UK winner will be announced in February, andthen the process starts all over again...

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LOCALE UPDATEThere are two new LocAle breweries to lookout for. First up is Black Pig which comesfrom Warfield, just north of Bracknell. Twobeers have initially been available, withmore details in the Brewery News section ofthis magazine.

Also new is ThamesSide Brewery fromStaines. AndrewHayward, the Ownerand Head Brewer, says

“We are proud to be returning the craft ofbrewing to Staines.” The press launch washeld in November at the Egham UnitedServices Club beer festival, and initially thebeers have only been available fairly locallyto the brewery (including Staines, Chertseyand Twickenham) but we hope the swans onthe logo will spread their wings and findtheir way to Reading soon.

LocAle accreditation of pubs is an annualprocess – it resets each year and we draw upa fresh list from scratch. So we're particular-ly keen to hear from you if you know of alocal pub that always sells a local beer(brewed within 30 miles of Kings Meadow)and would be eligible for accreditation.

SMALL BEER

CAMRA GIFTSStuck for Christmas gift ideas? Take advan-tage of CAMRA's amazing selection ofChristmas gifts and offers to get a head starton the festive season.

A CAMRA Gift Membership is a great giftfor beer and cider loving friends and family.A standard Gift Membership is just £36(which includes a copy of the Good BeerGuide 2016) and a variety of joint and con-cessionary packages are also available.

All Gift Memberships include:• £20 worth of real ale vouchers

• Monthly Newspaper - What’s Brewing -Keeping you up-to-date on all things CAMRA

• Quarterly Magazine - BEER - A coffeetable magazine that will have you on thepulse of industry news and views fromaward winning writers

• Free or reduced entry to over 160 beer festivals around the UK

Go to shop.camra.org.uk for more detailsand to browse other gift ideas.

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Behind the BarSteve and Marie, the current Landlord and Land-lady have been manning the helm of The BramshillHunt in Arborfield for just over 4½ years.

THE BRAMSHILLHUNTWhen we took over thepub it had seen far betterdays in the distant past.However, it was then frequented by a trouble-some crowd and youngsoldiers from the local

Garrison. On taking over, we were told by thecurrent management not to waste our time selling real ale, as nobody was interested. Theoffer at that time was Greene King Abbot Aleand IPA which they struggled to sell – onefirkin of IPA and one pin of Abbot a week. In our opinion this was due to the poor condition of the beer served.

Always one to take on a challenge, Steve setabout turning the ale situation around and wenow have five different ales constantly kept tovery high standards. Having done this, wewere soon awarded Cask Marque and HeadBrewers Club accreditation. We have combinedour real ale offer with that of good traditionalpub food. So if you are looking for excellentcask ale and a wholesome bite to eat theBramshill Hunt is the place for you. We havealways endeavoured to be a pub selling goodfood, not a restaurant serving average ale.

With the closure of the Arborfield Garrison,our customer base has undergone an amazingturnaround. This is also due to the Swan public house in the village becoming an Indianrestaurant, and the Bull which is heavily

influenced by French cuisine, thus leaving theBramshill Hunt as the only traditional pub inthe Arborfield area. Further changes to thedemographics of the area are expected soon asthe old MOD buildings are levelled and3,000+ new dwellings and infrastructure areput in their place.

In addition to our vastly improved and developedbeer offer, we undertook, upon taking up thereins, to complete a thorough internal refur-bishment of the pub facilities. We also used theoutside areas to create a large decked area,beautiful in the summer and well frequentedand also a large grassed area to the rear of thepub, featuring well established garden furni-ture and recently a large play area, swings andslide and the addition of a Wendy house foruse by the children.

We have always endeavoured to be part of ourlocal community and allow well supervisedchildren until 8pm. Dogs are also always wel-come in the outside areas and the public bar.

Marie and Steve BanksThe Bramshill Hunt, 27 Bramshill Close,Arborfield, Reading RG2 9PL

It’s good to say “well done” to peoplewho’ve done well and there were plenty ofdeserving people at the Gala Awards Eveningin the Castle Tap last September. The eventwas triggered by the new awards that thebranch decided to create and the realisationthat there were certificates from existingawards, still to be presented. So an invitationwent out to all the appropriate deserving people – including those who had alreadyreceived their certificate, so that we could re-present it – at a big Gala Awards Evening.

The result was a throng of people frombreweries, pubs and CAMRA – plus a fewsurprised locals who’d just dropped in for apint. Brewery people don’t often get achance to chat to people from other brew-eries and the same is true of pub people, sothe air was thick with chat about the stateof brewing and pubs, as well as the usualsocial chatter you’ll get in any bar.

The array of certificates made an impressivedisplay, as did the array of recipients. Theawards were for Pub of the Year plus run-ners-up and, for the first time, finalists,Cider Pub of the Year and runner-up, Clubof the Year, the Reading Beer & Cider

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Gala AwardEvening

From top left to bottom right:Binghams Brewery - Beer of the Festival Bronze;West Berkshire Brewery - Beer of the Festivalunder 4.2%; Vale Brewery - Beer of the FestivalGold; Nag’s Head - Pub of the Year Runner Up;Kay Wesnes - Best Newcomer; Nags Head - CiderPub of the Year.

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Festival’s LocAle beers of the festival – catego-ry winners and gold, silver and bronze overall.

Finally there were the two new special awards.Newcomer of the Year went to Kay Wesnes ofthe Fisherman’s Cottage in her first ever role asa publican. And the Phoenix Award was pre-sented to our hosts, the Castle Tap, for show-ing how to transform a place into a lively suc-cessful pub embracing all that CAMRA mem-bers look for. The branch intends to continueto look for outstanding pubs, breweries andpeople deserving of recognition. When we findthem, we’ll create an award to celebrate whatthey’ve achieved. Judging by the feedback fromthe first Gala Awards Evening, the size of thegathering is only going to grow in future.

Brian Jones

Castle Tap - Pheonix Award

Fox and Hounds - Pub of the Year

GALA AWARD EVENING

A charming country pub. The friendly & relaxed atmosphere welcomes locals, families, walkers, dogs & cyclists alike

• Cosy seating area with wood burner

• Ideal for walks & to hack to, very near the Knowl Hill bridle path

• Home-made food served Mon - Fri 12-3pm & 6 - 9pm, Sat - Sun 12-9pm

• Sunday Roast from 12 noon to 3pm

• Beer garden overlooking fields

01628 822 010Knowl Hill Common, Berkshire, RG10 9YE

The Bull Hotel High Street,Wargrave RG10 8DDTEL 01189 403120 email:[email protected]

A PROPER PUB with bags of character,charm, beams galore and a crackling

log fire in our fabulous Inglenook fireplace.

FINE WINES • GREAT ALES (Cask Marque accredited)

TOP QUALITY HOME MADE FOOD

Fish, Chips and Fizz on a Friday night at £25 per couple

Jayne's Sunday Roast is a firm favourite- booking highly recommended

5 en suite bedroomsPlease contact Jayne and her staff for more details

The pub will be closed on Christmas Night, BoxingNight and New Years Night (Jan 1st 2016)

Mine’s a Pint20

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We start at the Wokingham Road terminusand THE THREE TUNS which is a largeroadside pub with two bars; TV; pub games;patio and up to 6 beers (though usually 3 onat any one time). They do food lunchtimesand evenings. The bus will now be display-ing Tilehurst Water Tower as its destination.If you get off at St. Peter’s Road stop thenit’s a short walk to Auckland Road and TheRoebuck which has Greene King ales onhandpump.

The next stop is Palmer Park Avenue andTHE COLLEGE ARMS. This is a large, student-friendly bar split into many areasand usually offers two cask ales, mainlyfrom national brewers (Greene King / Doom

Bar), plenty of games and TV screens.Discounts on the beer for CAMRA members.Note that it does not open until the after-noon during the week.

Back on the bus as far as Cemetery Junction(as featured in the Ricky Gervais film)where we come to THE ABBOT COOK.This is prominent pub which has had itstroubles in previous guises, but is now athriving bar with 5 beers on tap (Doom Barplus 4 changing guests). Food is available,there's disabled access, two patios anddraught cider is sold. You can get £1 offyour pint on a Tuesday.

Mine’s a Pint21

Welcome to Reading and the busy Purple 17 bus route which runs 24/7 at very regularintervals between Wokingham Road in the east, though the town centre and up to Tilehurstin the west. It offers a varied selection of Real Ale pubs on the way. The best way to travelis to buy a “Busabout” ticket which allows you to hop on and off as you choose and lastsall day – you can buy them from the driver. Pick up a route map and timetable on the busor online.

Pubs shown in Capitals are at or very near a bus stop; those in lower case are just a shortwalk away. All pubs are open all day unless otherwise stated. Some bus stops are staggereddepending on which way you are travelling and in some cases it could be easier to walkbetween pubs where they are just one stop apart.

Please note that beer ranges and other details may be subject to change since our survey.You can keep up to date by visiting www.WhatPub.com.

Route 17 Pub Crawl

CONTINUED OVERLEAF

One stop further down - Reading College -and a short walk takes you to the recentlyrevamped Eldon Arms. This is a Wadworth’shouse but usually has 2 guest beers fromany part of the country. A pleasant interiorand a friendly little pub with food (SouthAfrican dishes may feature), a TV screen,lounge area and small patio.

(Now, if you fancy a short walk you couldhead off behind the college and down toKennetside where you will find TheFisherman’s Cottage (4 beers – usually localbrews) good food and a riverside location.Further along is The Jolly Anglers whichgenerally has 3 beers on tap).

Our next stop on the bus is Eldon Roadwhere we have a couple of pubs – TheRetreat in St. Johns Street is an excellent little terraced pub with front and back bars,up to 6 real ales, cider and regular livemusic (often acoustic). It doesn’t open until4.30pm except at weekends when it’s 12noon. Just down from the bus stop is THELYNDHURST. This is a single bar pub withan alehouse feel to it. Usually 4 cask alesplus a cider are available and quite oftenone beer will be a LocAle. There's food, asmall patio and boxed games and newspa-pers are available.

Huntley & Palmers is the next stop,although the famous biscuit factory closedsome years ago. The Wynford Arms wasalso closed on our visit and is now availablefor lease. Next door is THE BACK OFBEYOND which is a aircraft-hanger of apub and is one of 3 Wetherspoons outlets inthe town. An extensive bank of handpumpscan often provide a good selection of guestbeers but many are simply used to double-up on standard brands. There’s a large seat-ing area and a very pleasant patio by theRiver Kennet as well as all the usual Spoonsfood deals.

Just up the road we come across The

Outlook - a two-level Greene King pubwhich does offer guest beers and GK season-als. Food is available and outside drinkingareas overlook the river. If you walk backand get on the bus again you will arrive atthe Minster Street stop by the OracleCentre. A short walk back and you will findthe excellent Alehouse which is almost aReading institution for cask beer. As well asthe 3 West Berkshire brews you will findnew and exciting real ales from all over theUK and beyond. No food but you can bringyour own snacks; there are tiny drinkingcubicles at the back and no mobiles! It'sworth missing a few buses for.

Our next stop – St. Marys Butts – offers agroup of pubs including THE PAVLOV’SDOG – a modern, young person’s pub withup to 3 beers although availability cansometimes be a bit erratic. Opposite is thevery pleasant ALLIED ARMS which hastwo small bars and an attractive patio / garden at the rear. No food but usually 5 or6 beers with Loddon’s Hullaballo being aregular. Well worth a visit but not open onSundays or Monday lunchtime.

Just near the bus stop is THE HORN - 2beers usually available and a London Irishrugby supporters’ bar. Round the corner inCastle Street is another local institution –Sweeney & Todd - a renowned pie shop (eatin or take out) with 4 beers, mainly fromWadworths and Adnams. A good place tograb a snack between buses, but it may beclosed on Sundays. A little further up is oneof Reading’s oldest pubs The Sun which stillhas much of its original atmosphere andolde-worlde charm. A couple of beers, oftenfrom the Courage / Wells range. The pooltable seems a bit out of place in the frontbar area but there is a pleasant patio at therear and the pub has several offers andevents advertised on its many blackboards.

Still around the St Marys Butts stop, in GunStreet we have ZERODEGREES which is a

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ROUTE 17 PUB CRAWL - CONTINUED

large modern bar with a restaurant and itsown brewery producing several “continentalstyle” ales and lagers. Pizzas are the special-ity and there is a small outside area.Disabled toilet available. Almost next dooris THE PURPLE TURTLE - another well-known landmark which has been in Readingfor over 25 years but not always at this site.A recent refurbishment has resulted in a clas-sic venue bar with old music and film posterson the walls; a cellar bar and an excellentrear patio area. 2 beers on weekdays and 4at weekends plus a cider are on sale andthere are plans to open a restaurant andmicro-brewery next door. Late night openingand live music may not suit everyone!

The 17 bus route deviates somewhat in thetown centre depending on which directionyou are travelling in. Our route takes us viaMinster Street and St. Mary’s Butts butcoming from Tilehurst the bus goes via WestStreet, Friar Street and the Market Place /Kings Road. The following pubs can be vis-ited on this section of the route. If youalight at the Cheapside stop you could walkdown West Street, turn right and find TheHope Tap (Wetherspoons). From the FriarStreet stop you can choose from THEBUGLE – an old, two-bar pub which sellsCourage Best or on the corner The Pitcherand Piano - a venue bar offering 2 beersfrom the Marston’s range. Inbetween theFriar Street and Blagrave Street stops youcould visit The Three Guineas at ReadingStation (Fullers beers) or The Oakford SocialClub (Doom Bar and possibly 2 others)

At the Blagrave Street stop we have THEBLAGRAVE ARMS. This is a smart, gay-friendly single room bar with usually 2beers available, often from local brewers.Very popular and busy at weekends but shuton Sundays. (Between this pub and the Kings Road stopyou could pop into O’Neill’s where 3 hand-pumps offer a reasonable choice of ales.Doom Bar is a regular but the other two canvary and often be quite interesting. Acrossthe road is The Monk’s Retreat(Wetherspoons) - up to 12 beers includingnational brands.)

Returning to our original journey, our nextjumping-off point is Waylen Street and abrief walk to 2 real ale pubs. Just up fromthe bus stop in Russell Street is the superbNags Head which has been Reading’s Pub ofThe Year on several occasions. It offers 12ever-changing beers plus ciders and perries.It is popular with Reading FC fans as wellas London Irish rugby supporters but everyone is welcome and you can be assuredof good service and great beer. Sundaylunches, bar snacks, TV for sport, darts andan outside drinking area.

Across the road from the bus stop anddown Eaton Place and we find The Butler.Once a Fullers pub but now a free houseoffering 6 cask beers, it is about to beextended into the old Butler’s off-licence andwill offer a new snug with the live musicbeing retained in the main bar. Home-cooked food is available and the Butler ispopular with sports fans, especially those ofthe rugby persuasion.

Back on the bus and you could stop off atGeorge Street and walk up Argyle Street toThe Rose & Thistle - a Greene King pubwith usually 3 beers on tap. However, ifyou stay on board your next stop would beBrock Gardens, where you will see THE

Mine’s a Pint23


CONTINUED OVERLEAF

Zerodegrees, Gun Street

ROYAL ALBION. This is a locals' pubwith one Greene King ale, although it maynot always be available.

The next stop matches the pub – ThePOND HOUSE which has recently had amakeover and is a bit smaller in size than itwas before. Sharp’s Doom Bar is the onlycask beer here. This was a formerWethered’s of Marlow pub but all traces ofthat brewery have now vanished.

The bus now heads along the Oxford Roadand turns left up Norcot Road towardsTilehurst where our next stop is ChurchEnd Lane and THE TYLERS REST. This isa “Sizzling Pub” brand and offers an extensive menu which is popular with localfamilies. Doom Bar and London Pride arethe beer offerings in this large modern pub.The 17 then stops just round the cornerfrom THE VICTORIA or directly outsidewhen you come back into town. Oncecalled The White House, this is a large com-fortable pub which used to have two bars

but is now open-plan with bright modernfurnishings. It is a friendly place with pooltable, food, TV screens and a garden area.There are usually 2 beers available – theubiquitous Doom Bar plus one other (WellsBurning Gold when we visited).

Next we reach Tilehurst Triangle and THE

PLOUGH which is a modernised old villagepub and still has its old Halls breweryplaque in the wall and is popular with horseracing fans and sports in general (TVscreens). You can watch the world go byfrom the windows overlooking “TheTriangle” and there are 2 beers on draught –Doom Bar being a regular but they dochange and Old Hooky was available whenwe stopped here. There's a nice little patioat the back. From the Plough it is a veryshort walk to reach The Prince of Walesacross the road where the only beer on offerwas Doom Bar again. This is a large, solidboozer with pool table, darts and live music(they were advertising Amy Housewine – a tribute singer). A kids’ play area is in thegarden.

The last stop on route 17 is THE WATERTOWER where the service terminates andthe bus turns round before heading backinto town. The pub – once The Bear – isnamed after the very prominent WaterTower next door (a local landmark) and ispart of The Flaming Grill pub group. This isanother large family restaurant / pub withgrills being a favourite as the name wouldsuggest! You can eat or drink anywhere andfood is available throughout the day. On thebeer front it was Greene King IPA or Fuller’sLondon Pride although GK seasonal beersmay be available in place of Pride. There isoutside drinking and disabled and baby-changing facilities.

Here we end the Purple 17 bus route pubcrawl which offers a good mix of pub stylesand a pretty good range of beers along theway, although the Tilehurst pubs generallylack a decent choice with Doom Bar beingvery prevalent. Anyway, get yourself aBusabout ticket and map and enjoy the tripand the pubs. You may discover some youhaven’t been to before and maybe some youdidn’t even know existed! Cheers.

Dave McKerchar

Mine’s a Pint24


The Victoria

There are many terms thrown around inbeer circles without much care as to theirexact meaning. This handy jargon bustermight help.

The problem with the word ‘Barrel’ is that itis both a container for beer and a specificunit of measure, as explained below:

A Firkin holds 9 gallons, or 72 pintsA Kilderkin holds 18 gallons, or 144 pintsA Barrel holds 36 gallons, or 288 pints

A full firkin weighs over 50 kilos and ismore than enough for one person to handleon their own. It is the most commonly seenbeer container for this reason and becausereal ale needs to be sold within three or fourdays of the cask being tapped. Its relativelysmall size therefore means that it should bepossible to sell all the beer in excellent con-

dition. For obvious reasons, it is often calleda ‘Nine’ in the trade.

A kilderkin is used by some pubs that havevery high turnover, but will need carefulhandling to avoid injury. It is also known asan ‘Eighteen’ or a ‘Kil’.

As far as I am aware, a barrel is no longerused to deliver beer, but it is the unit ofmeasurement used to state a brewery’s brew-ing capacity. Hence, a micro-brewerydescribed as a five barrel plant has thecapacity to brew up to 5 x 36 gallons (i.e.20 firkins, or 1440 pints) in one batch. Thiscapacity is also known as the brewery’sbrew-length. So you may see a brewerydescribed as ‘2½ bbl’ meaning that it has a2½ barrel brew-length, or 10 firkins.

David Richards

Mine’s a Pint26

When is a Barrel not a Barrel?

CAMRA has launched a review of its strate-gies, structure and activities that will givemembers a say in how the Campaign contin-ues to flourish in the years ahead.

The Revitalisation Project recalls CAMRA’soriginal name, the Campaign for theRevitalisation of Ale, before it became theCampaign for Real Ale in 1973. The projectwas born out of a meeting in Sheffield inMay when national and regional leaders ofCAMRA got together to discuss whetherCAMRA needed to change with the timesand how any changes could be implemented.

Chief executive Tim Page presented a proposal,based on the discussions at the Sheffieldmeeting, to a National Executive meeting inJune, which led to a steering group being setup to determine how the project couldensure that CAMRA remained fit for purposein a considered, detailed and highly profes-sional manner. The group, which will workclosely with a project group at CAMRAhead office, contains three former nationalchairmen — founder member MichaelHardman (the group’s chairman), ChrisHolmes and Tony Millns — along with representatives of the National Executiveand Branches Committee, and a recent NEmember in Christine Cryne.

Michael said: “We shall approach this taskwith completely open minds and with nopreconceived ideas about the outcome.” The project team will be carrying out inten-sive research before the next stage, whichwill involve wide consultation of CAMRAmembers, branches and key figures in thebrewing industry and licensed trade.“CAMRA, like all organisations, has regularlyreviewed its purpose and structure through-out its 44-year history and this is the latestinitiative to ensure that we are delivering

what our members want and continuing torepresent beer drinkers and pubgoersthroughout the land.”

CAMRA was founded in 1971 and had onlyfour members for much of its first year. Atthat time the 150 breweries in the UnitedKingdom were owned by fewer than 100companies. Six of them produced 80 per centof the country’s beer and owned 85 per centof the pubs that sold it. These firms, knownas the Big Six, were conspiring to replace traditional draught beer in favour ofprocessed and carbonated beer. Many of thesmaller brewers were following them blindly.

Michael said: “CAMRA’s activities over thedecades that followed changed all that.Today, CAMRA has more than 175,000members. There are now around 1,500 breweries producing thousands of beers. The majority of British pubs sell at least onereal ale and in some cases a dozen or more.Many people think CAMRA has done its job.But has it? “We want to make sure thatCAMRA’s campaigns are pitched at the righttargets and based on the best tactics in theface of the unprecedented changes takingplace in the industry. And we are giving all ofour members an opportunity to have a say inwhich direction the Campaign should go.”

Tom StainerHead of Communications

Mine’s a Pint28

The Revitalisation of CAMRA

As CAMRA members we all have a viewon what CAMRA is for and what direc-tion the campaign should take in thefuture. To make sure that your voice isheard, come along to one of our branchmeetings or contact the branch chairmanon [email protected]

2 Broad Street Reading, RG1 2BH

01189 508119the-alehouse-reading.co.ukenquiries@thealehousereading.co.uk

A Community pub in theheart of Reading

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3 West Berkshire Ales6 Guest Ales

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Mines A Pint issue 36