chester area news and reports

It's All Going On at the Bull  (29 June 2009)
News from the Bull in Shocklach where the Sunday farmers markets on the pub car park are proving very successful (something we can personally testify). Fourteen stalls are there now and the second market was run alongside the first village fête in memory and helped raised £1000 at the fete plus £2000 at the ladies lunch three days prior. The next farmers are on Sunday 26th July with another on Sunday 23rd August (both running from 10am until 2pm). Try them especially if you fancy eating a goatburger.

On August Bank Holiday there's going to be an end of summer beer festival. Last year this event sold over 1000 pints in three days. This year's theme is beer at 4% or under and, like the Easter event, they'll be trying to stock previously untried beers. Expect live music and some poor hog to get skewered on the Sunday night.

Finally there are future plans to have a showcase night with Moorhouse Brewery. Ale, food, discussion and talk by the chairman plus a beer quiz! Great stuff from what is without doubt one of our more innovative pubs.

Red Lion, Dodleston (28 June 2009)
As part of the Vintage Inns group, the Red Lion in Dodleston will be hosting a Golden Ales festival ("a refreshing and thirst quenching cask conditioned ale alternative to the light lager market") running for six weeks, commencing on Monday July 13th.

Beers you can expect include Black Sheep Golden Sheep, Youngs Kew Gold, Brakspear Oxford Gold, Adnams Explorer, Brains SA Gold and Everards Sunchaser. Alarmingly, during the first three weeks of the festival they will also be running a competition whereby visitors will be encouraged to write a poem or verse about their golden ale experiences. The poems will be judged and the author of the winning poem will win a VIP summer weekend in London. Any budding William McGonagall or Pam Ayres's out there? What rhymes with "citrus aroma"?

The pub's only a short distance out of Chester (head down Lache Lane and keep going) and has a lovely front beer garden with pond. Give it a try.

Kings Head Uupdate (25 June 2009)
As a footnote to the article below, the Old Kings Head has reopened once more. Our sentiments remain the same though. It needed a period of closure so it could be revamped, redecorated and basically reinvigorated otherwise it's just going to struggle along under it's tired evidentally unsuccessful formula.

Pub Beer Festivals Planned (10 June 2009)
Adding to a highly congested summer of beer related events (see diary) are two proposed pub beer festivals scheduled on and around the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Pied Bull in Chester, which currently sells six real ales (Adnams Broadside, Wells Bombardier plus four guests)  intends to open its event on Monday 24th and run the duration of the week. Drink six different ales in that seven day period and you get a pint free. Cider will also be available.

Meanwhile, at Barton between Broxton and Farndon, the Cock o'Barton will be having its own mini-fezza over the weekend proper. They are LocAle affiliated stocking the likes of Spitting Feathers and Weetwood. More details will appear on the diary page when known.

Old Kings Head Shut (8 June 2009)
What a grand job Punch Taverns are doing on Lower Bridge Street in Chester. Where as everywhere else seems to be doing OK - from restaurants to other pubs and bars such as Oddfellows, the Brewery Tap and the Bear & Billet - their two properties, the Cross Keys and now Ye Olde Kings Head, are currently shut for trade.

Punch are advertising both establishments with ten year lease agreements but you just do wish they'd do the decent thing by selling them off as freehouses and letting someone else make a better job of running them. One look at the exterior of the historic Kings Head (complete with blue plaque) suggests it ought to be a marvel on the inside. Sadly though, little has changed over the last 30 years except for a succession of licencees. No obvious investment means it remains a rather unwelcoming, drab and gloomy place. Surely with a bit of imagination - move the bar, free up floor space, install better lighting, improve the furnishings / decor, play up the history, get some decent beers in - the pub, which also boasts an upstairs restaurant and accommodation, could be a profitable gem. With Punch at the helm, we're not holding our breath.

Wheatsheaf Anniversary (2 June 2009)
They're celebrating in Nomansheath near Malpas this month where landlady Jenny Brownlee will mark the fourth anniversary of her taking charge at the Wheatsheaf pub by hosting a special (black tie optional) dinner. She's delighted to report, despite all the economic doom and gloom, that paradoxically the last six months have been the best in terms of trading she's so far experienced ... and nor is she complaining. 

There's good news on the ale front too where sales of cask are brisk. Copper Dragon Golden Pippin appears on a virtual permanent basis while this is supplemented by one guest beer supplied locally and typically from Hanby, Woodland and Weetwood. Hopefully we'll soon be signing up Jenny to CAMRA's LocAle initiative.

As well as the beer, there are also weekly curry nights plus a permanent sausage board to compliment the food menu. So, no more excuses not to pop into this village local seconds off the A41. 

The Magnificent Seven Cyclists (2 June 2009)
Friday 29th May saw what had been a fantastic sunny day turn into a balmy summer's evening and a coming together of some hardy individuals at the Bridge Inn on Tarvin Road for a pedal powered pub crawl. 

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Once we'd all gathered and supped a mighty fine pint (Stonehouse's refreshing Wheeltapper's Wheat Beer or two from Hornbeam including the dark mild Malt Mountain), the Magnificent Seven (more like the Secret Seven - Ed) adjusted our saddlebags, mounted our trusty steeds and set off into the sunset of the Wild West Cheshire countryside.

Heading down past Boughton Hall Cricket Club and cutting through the housing estates of Boughton itself, we came out not far from the Rake and Pikel in Huntington, our first stop.

With none of us on the wagon and with trigger fingers poised on our bicycle clips, this swarthy bunch of banditos swaggered into the saloon and ordered seven pints of Everards Sunchaser, an excellent thirst quenching blonde beer with some very delicate citrus flavours. Also available was Timothy Taylor's Landlord and Theakstons Bitter. Taking to a table outside, we all hastily took on the fluids we were badly in need of while enjoying the evening sun.

Setting off once more, we galloped on down Sandy and Saighton Lanes through the prairies of Cheshire to the next dusty town and the nearest bar. Imagine our surprise to find it full of native Wavertonians, well it was the Black Dog on the A41! We didn't want any trouble and so retreated to the excellent beer garden at the rear. Ignoring the Tetley's and Boddingtons, we indulged ourselves with another Everards brew, this time Tiger, their best seller, a malty, chestnut brown beer.

It was now time to take our lives into our own hands and traverse the A41 and head on down Quarry Lane, then Common Lane passing by the Spitting Feathers Brewery on our right. After that it was right onto Eggbridge Lane, followed by Brown Heath Road and up towards the Plough. Unfortunately with recent events this liquor stop was no longer open so we formed our own modern day pony express and pushed on up Plough Lane along Village Lane and into the beautiful village of Christleton and the Ring o' Bells, winner of 'The Family Friendly Award' and runners up of the 'Best Newcomer Award' at the Chester Food & Drink Festival 2009.

We tied our rides to a hitchin' post, pushed through the swing doors of the alfresco drinking area and made our way to the bar in search of some firewater to wet our parched throats. A very impressive update of the interior was recently undertaken to a very high specification. Definitely no cowboys there! Unfortunately, one of our gunslingers took a gamble on an Abbot Ale past its sell by date and short of needing a spittoon, it was replaced without any fuss. Also on sale was Greene King IPA and Morland's Speckled Hen.

Back in the saddle and off we set down Pepper Street to rejoin the trail and on to the next settlement, the Cheshire Cat (left), on the towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal. Here our prospectors were on the lookout for some kind of Gold Rush, but unfortunately none was forthcoming. Instead we were faced with both Thwaites Original and Bomber and Black Sheep Ale. Back outside, we staked our claim on more seating until our glasses ran dry.

Spurred on by the fading daylight, we rode back into town to our Last Chance Saloon, the Cherry Orchard in Boughton. Luckily the only shooting here was of the tequila variety, and so our bounty hunters finished off with a choice of Hop Back Crop Circle, Theakstons Mild and Theakstons Best Bitter.

All in all, a great night was had by all along with some great ales. The Magnificent Seven will ride again!

Fun at the Folk Fest (26 May 2009)
The Chester Folk Festival, staged as ever in Kelsall over the spring bank holiday weekend, was it's usual eclectic mix of entertainment. Spread across several venues, besides the usual ceilidh type stuff - much of it impromptu - there were was renaissance dance music, Appalachian clogging, poetry reading, jingling Morris Men, medieval mumming (pictured) and even Hatha Yoga classes. 

As usual this was all accompanied by some excellent ale. The Oak installed extra stillaging to run its own mini beer festival serving up the likes of Spitting Feathers, Elgoods, Barnsley and Oakham beers. Up at the Farmers Arms Weetwood beers were on offer at £2 a pint while the Morris Dancer served four Weetwood beers from the bar, restaurant and an outside stall. The splendid Kelsall Social Club also sold four Weetwood beers (it sells two permanently throughout the year) while the neighbouring Community Centre also had some Weetwood on purely for the festival. Well done to all - organisers, performers, staff and punters - on another splendid event.

As a footnote, Kelsall Community Centre will be the venue for the village's first beer festival on be held on October 16th and 17th. It will feature approximately 22 beers (some new!) plus cider. Admission will be £5 with proceeds to the local primary school and church. Get it in your diaries.

Spring Pub of the Year 2009 (21 May 2009)
The second of our seasonal awards for 2009 goes to the Queen's Head at Sarn, a hideaway pub if ever there was one, tucked away between Threapwood and Tallarn Green off the Bangor-on-Dee to Malpas road.

The cosy, three-roomed pub serves Marstons Bitter, Timmy Taylors Golden Best plus one guest beer conforming to the LocAle scheme such as Salopian Shropshire Gold. The grub also comes well recommended as does a visit to the rear patio garden nestling alongside Wych Brook. 

Well done to all at the Queens. A presentation night is planned for July 24th. 

Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion (1 May 2009)
The Ship Inn had represented for three years a depressing welcome to Handbridge for anyone crossing over the Olde Dee Bridge from Chester. Boarded up with metal sheeting on the doors and windows there seemed little hope for its revival. Happily though it’s now undergone a colossal new makeover and been transformed from a one-time two-roomed local into a glass-fronted upmarket bar and restaurant.

Traditionalists might moan but the interior is a smart blend of furniture, wooden floors plus a mix of white-walls and exposed brick adorned with a fantastic collection of local framed pictures. Also hard to miss are the lengthy blackboard menus, a gigantic abacus and an impressive Ship Inn tiled wall behind the bar. Up a stairwell featuring former Ship Inn and Greenalls signs the restaurant is decorated with adverts for D’oyly Carte posters and Bistos adverts while a gazebo like structure overlooks Edgar’s Fields.

Beer wise – ah, yes, beer – there are four hand pumps and on opening night these were three ales from Thwaites plus Black Sheep Bitter, all at £2.80 a pint. Our friends at Sandstone Brewery assure us a cask of their beer is scheduled to appear soon so hopefully ‘quirkier’ local beers will be a regular item (surely something it needs if it’s to boost wet sales and lure in folk from the Brewery Tap and the Bear & Billet just ‘across the water’). May God bless the Ship and all who ale in her.

Square Bottle on the Up (27 April 2009)
With Wetherspoon's nationally holding their Spring International Beer Festival it's a good time to mention that real ale is finally being taken seriously at the Square Bottle in Chester.

Shift manager Andy Beedle has been in touch with a candid admission before promising to improve matters. He says "I am aware that our pub in the past has had a very poor reputation for its ales, one which was unfortunately deserved. However, since joining the company two years ago and, having taken on the responsibility of running our cellar last year, I have worked extremely hard to rectify this. I know that a bad reputation can not be changed over night but we have had a number of CAMRA members in over the first few days of the festival who have given some very positive feedback. Our real ales sales are growing at a steady rate which will, in turn, allow me to have a greater choice on at all times."

Andy worked as cellar man between 2003 and 2005 at the GBG listed Scarborough Hotel in Leeds which, for those three years, was named Leeds CAMRA pub of the year. "My manager and mentor in Leeds was Toby Flint who has won the Leeds CAMRA pub of the year six times over the past decade. Having adapted the skills I learnt in Leeds to our pub here in Chester I am sure you will see a massive improvement. I believe the old days of poor quality ales served in warm glasses are well behind us."

Excellent news and there's more with the pub starting a 'recommend an ale' scheme (subject to availability) where the proposer of the ales will have their names shown on the pump clips when it comes on sale. There are also plans for a battle of the breweries between the Square Bottle, and its counterparts in Wrexham.

Best of luck Andy and thanks for contacting us. The Web Ed can definitely confirm improvements having recently enjoyed 'a few' third pints from the festival last weekend and an excellent pint of Otter Bright a few days earlier. Good to see an ale chalkboard there too. Local members are encouraged to get on down, enjoy the ales (and the cheaper prices!) and offer any advice on potential improvements.  

Childer Thornton's "Other Pub" (15 April 2009)
A branch life member has been in touch to draw our attention to the Halfway House in Childer Thornton, a pub that is often and unfairly overlooked in favour of its near neighbour the Thwaites-tied White Lion. 

A former coaching inn lying on the main A41, it derives its name from being equi-distant from Chester and Birkenhead and, while it might not do food, it remains a proper a drinkers pub where landlord Chris O'Grady has been making valiant efforts to encourage cask drinkers. Currently he has three handpumps serving Banks Bitter and a couple of rotating guest ales from the Marstons stable which includes the likes of Jennings, Ringwood and Brakspear. 

Ellesmere Port is hardly an area blessed with pubs selling real ale so please let's try and support one of the few that does.

Bull Hits the Bull's Eye  (13 April 2009)
Top marks to the Bull at Shocklach for their total commitment to National Cask Ale Week. See below (23rd March) for the series of events they staged throughout the week (beer menus, brewery trips, free ale for women, etc) but here's an additional quick word regarding their Easter weekend beer festival.

Additional stillaging was set up opposite the permanent bar to allow the pub to serve up around thirteen different beers at anyone time. Courtesy of cycling there and a welcome car ride back home, your correspondent was able to sample most of the beers on the temporary bar. Conditioning was faultless right through from Lymestone Stoney Broke at 3.2% (lots of flavour for its strength) through to Wincle Mr Mullins IPA and Otley O Garden - two very tasty 4.8% ers. All in all, an extremely pleasant time was spent supping them in the sunny beer garden trawling through the Sunday papers.

If you missed out, never mind, the pub usually stocks five SIBA listed ales so a visit any time of the year is recommended.

Boughton Hall Beer Fest  (12 April 2009)
We're pleased to report that the Easter bank holiday beer festival held at Boughton Hall Cricket Club in suburban Chester was a rip-roaring success. All six sessions, staged in a sumptuous marquee (complete with chandeliers!), were well attended and the feedback was overwhelming positive. 

A splendid array of handpumps, connected to rear stillaging, served up over seventy different cask ales over the course of proceedings. All varieties and strengths got a look in and included brews from Anglo-Dutch, Blindmans, Country Life, Black Dog, Cairngorm and Milestone as well as those from more familiar names. The quality, certainly judging by Good Friday's experience, was spot on.
 
All in all, a fine, enjoyable sociable event and one that certainly introduced real ale to many folk unfamiliar to its delights. Take the Chester Ladies Hockey Club for instance. They're probably more used to drinking Fosters out of a watering can but definitely seemed to like the proper stuff! 

Plough Closed (2 April 2009)
Last September we were congratulating the Plough at Christleton on being named the Morning Advertiser 'National Champion, Best Gastropub' for 2008. Fast forward just over six months and the pub is closed after the tenants - Raph Boydell and Philip Harland - quit following a rent increase from pub owners Scottish & Newcastle. 

The good news is that the pub isn't likely to remain shut for long - there are rumours of a temporary manager arriving with days plus a possible takeover by licencees from another S&N pub in Chester - and the Plough's livestock has been transferred to the farm at Spitting Feather's brewery. What is a shame though is that the affair smacks, yet again, of hard work and endeavour by landlords getting rewarded from above by a financial hit. 

Tarvin, Kelsall & Mouldsworth (30 March 2009)
More OutInn Cheshire drop-offs to report - this time due east of Chester.

Feeling decidedly under-dressed in multi-coloured bike leathers, amongst a throng of lunchtime drinkers/diners, we were stuck for choice from Banks's, Pedigree, Old Empire, Wychwood Paddy's Stout and Brakespear Bitter at the George & Dragon in Tarvin (pictured). With no complaints about the quality of the ales sampled it was onward to the Goshawk at Mouldsworth which offered Pedigree and Black Sheep. The place was full almost to bursting with families having lunch where the seafood / fish was very popular, so much so we had some.

To wash it down it was then onto the Morris Dancer in Kelsall where they served up an all-Weetwood range; Eastgate, Cheshire Cat and a cracking drop of Best. Shame none of the locals seemed to be supping a local beer!!! Finally it was on up the hill to the Farmers Arms (once briefly and bizarrely called Th`house at Top) where there was another good choice of beers - Weetwoods Old Dog, Thwaites Original, Youngs Bitter and Jennings Cumberland Ale. Shame that the Theakstons Mild was keg but you cant have everything.

The A56 Circuit (26 March 2009)
The weather was good and the Out Inn Cheshires needed delivering so the trusty bikes came out of the garage for a trip around the north east part of our branch.

First port of call was the Bird in Hand at Guilden Sutton. It's a lovely little pub set down a quiet lane and offers good food and beer in the shape of Taylor Landlord and usually Black Sheep. So why does the pub continue to struggle? I think we need look no further than those pantomime villains the pub company. Another set of tenants have now been squeezed out to be replaced by a temporary manager though the rumour has it that the landlady of the Old Cottage in Chester has taken on a five year lease. Lets hope the pub can continue and eventually prosper.

Heading along the A51 we then arrived at the Stamford Bridge. The pub is very food orientated but we were pleased to see three beers on - Landlord, Black Sheep and Shepherd Neame Early Bird. A shame that no local beers were available but the Landlord was as reliable as ever.

A lung-busting ascent up the steep hill to Great Barrow then took us to the White Horse. This is a friendly locals pub which always has a decent drop of Banks bitter on. On this visit we were also treated to a pint of Bombardier Burning Gold, ideal when you've worked up a good thirst. I always think this place has a lot of unfulfilled potential as a destination country pub. The carriageway entrance to the side evokes images of horses pulling drays laden with fine ales into the courtyard at the back.

A pleasant cycle along country lanes then brought us out onto the busy and somewhat more dangerous A56. We headed past the forlorn Dunham Arms (never likely to reopen I think) and the cheap and cheerful Wheatsheaf to arrive at the edge of Helsby and the New Helsby Arms. Dining is popular here but it is still a place where you can sit near the bar for a pint or two. Black Sheep and 6X were spot on but by now were hankering for something a little more interesting to drink.

Cycling back to Bridge Trafford was hard work against the wind so it was a relief to arrive at the Nags Head at last. We've eaten here in the Chang Noi restaurant quite a few times as the food is very good (especially good value is the early bird special!). Thankfully drinkers don't have to put up with fizzy nonsense in there as, you've guessed it, Landlord and Black Sheep are always on draught.

Our final stop was a 10 second pedal to the Shrewsbury Arms on the other side of the River Gowy. At this point we were thinking that Timothy Taylors and Black Sheep had set up a brewery up the road as once again we had a choice of Landlord or Black Sheep. It's a pity one or two of the pubs on the route don't try and expand the beer choice a little by perhaps trying to gain access to the SIBA list. It would certainly give that pub an edge over the competition. Still, it's nice to have so many good pubs in the area to choose from even if the beer choice is very similar.

Free Ale for the Ladies  (23 March 2009)
Here's a chance for you stereo-type bearded beer-bellied CAMRA types to try and do a spot of cross-dressing to get yourself a sneaky free beer. The Bull at Shocklach, in recognition of Wednesday 8th April, being National FemAle Day during National Cask Ale week, is offering every lady a free half pint of the recommended ale to accompany each course ordered from the Ale & Food menu they are offering that week.

The Bull really is entering into the spirit of things. On Thursday they've organised a trip round Spitting Feathers brewery followed by a visit to the Brewery Tap (ten places left apparently; tickets are £20 including sausage baps before departure (1.30pm), beer at Spitting Feathers plus tour, transport, a pint at the Brewery Tap and then a steak pie dinner at the Bull on return. Thirty signed up so far!) This is then followed by their weekend beer festival with ales from, amongst others, Sandstone, Lymestone, Holdens, Shugborough and Conwy. If that's not all there's live music and a hog roast on Easter Sunday! 

Surely got to be worth the effort to get there at some juncture during the week!

Pubs of the Year 2009  (20 March 2009)
Voting took place at March's branch meeting for our English and Welsh Pubs of the Year for 2009. There were a variety of nominations for both categories but, after a show of hands, the winners were Old Harkers Arms in Chester and the Sun at Llangollen (pictured). Congratulations to both parties.

Old Harkers Arms won this award in 2007 and landlord Paul Jeffery and his staff have continued to serve a whole variety of superbly kept changing microbrew beers at this canalside marvel. Meanwhile, the Sun on the edge of Llangollen, also won the Welsh PotY award a few years back. It remains an excellent characterful ale-house with an undoubted bohemian atmosphere. In case you are unaware, landlord Paul Lamb used to run a similar operation at the Union Vaults in Chester.

Presentation nights will duly be shoe-horned into our hectic series of engagements by our ever-busy social secretary.

Observations on an OIC Round  (19 March 2009)
Some musings and comments from an OIC drop off run to the south-east of Chester. More of our newsletter distributors should do this kind of thing ...

a) Rake & Pikel, Huntington. Former S & N owned pub, now in another pubco. Serving Theakston’s Bitter, Taylor’s Landlord and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber. All beers from “Cellermans Reserve” list and well kept. Lively urban pub with enthusiastic landlord.

b) Grosvenor, Aldford. Serving Blakemere Landmark, Northumberland Ale, Station House Maiden’s Cross, Weetwood Eastgate, Thwaites Original. Some frighteningly high prices but quality is assured.

c) White Horse, Churton. An Admiral pub co house serving Greene King Abbot Ale, Theakston’s Bitter and Black Sheep Bitter. An improving village local which could do with more exotic beer choice. The landlord is aware and thinking about SIBA.

d) The Farndon, Farndon. Getting busier. More like a pub now and all down to licencees being local and creating good ambience. Beers fast improving too. Signed up for LocAle. Serving Taylor’s Landlord, Spitting Feathers Thirstquencher and Sandstone Edge. Last named on fine form and going down great with locals. Watch for this pub coming back into the GBG frame next year!

e) Peal o’Bells, Holt. Serving Adnams Bitter, Brains SA and Sandstone Edge. All on top form. Phil in good form with written rants about pubcos, beer taxation, etc. Why aren’t there more “campaigning” landlords like Phil?

f) Cock o’ Barton, Barton. Weetwood Eastgate and Cheshire Cat, also Theakston’s Bitter. Still displaying LocAle stuff despite my fears that they would soon slip.

g) Durham Heiffer, Broxton. Totally empty when I called. Got a temporary manager installed while pubco tries to find another brave/foolhardy tenant. All beers from Marston’s stable: only Jenning’s Cumberland as example of the proper stuff. Incidentally, the Copper Mine is still shut, but there was a chalkboard sign saying ”reopening soon”. 

h) Calveley, Handley. Two handpumps at the moment, Sharp’s Doombar and Flower’s IPA. Purple Moose Snowdonia coming next. Landlord still bitter about CAMRA's poor turn out to his (splendid) little beer festival last May when only the Web Editor showed up (hurrah to me - Web Ed).

City Hotel Aspires to Own Brewery (15 March 2009)
Apologies for a being a bit too dismissive earlier in the year about the keg only No. 29 on City Road, Chester. Part of the Eaton Hotel, No 29, it's transpired, is only stage one in ambitious plans that include a further downstairs bar and an eventual in-house brewery.

As many of you will have seen, no doubt en route to Old Harkers Arms, work is already well on the way for the soon-to-be named Canalside Inn. A lift between street levels has been installed, steel work is in-situ and sign boards are waiting to be written. An area has been allocated for a sixty gallon brewing plant with the idea of a glass viewing door. Eventually it's hoped the bar will have four handpumps serving two house brews and two guests. Food will be good old simple English grub with specials cooked in their own ales. Regular live entertainment is also planned.

Although plenty of work remains, things are more or less on track for a targeted opening date to coincide with the May day meeting at Chester race course. Good luck to all with this exciting venture.

Mill 's Best of Class 2008 (3 March 2009)
Chester Grosvenor Round Table has officially announced that the 21st Chester Charity Beer Festival will take place on the 14th, 15th and 16th May at Chester Rugby Club, Hare Lane, Chester. The sale of entry tickets was launched at the Mill Hotel in Chester after a brief meeting between representatives of both the Round Table and CAMRA. Pictured behind the bar at the ticket launch are from left to right, Nick Wheeler (Vice Chairman: Chester Grosvenor 76 Round Table), Craig Papworth (Social Sec: Chester and South Clywd CAMRA) and a rather frightening looking Brian Vardy (Chairman: Chester and South Clywd CAMRA).

For those who cannot make it to the Mill Hotel you can buy your tickets on-line via the Round Table's own website (Chester Charity Beer Festival).

Whilst we're with the Mill from March the 23rd they'll be featuring on their vast array of hand pumps those ales judged by head bar staff to be the best sellers over the course of 2008. You can probably guess a few of the names  - Oakham JHB, Abbeydale Moonshine, RCH Pitchfork  - but it's good to see other tasty offerings such as Yorkshire Dales Buttertubs making it onto the elite list.

LocAle Social Trip (20 February 2009)
To promote Chester & South Clwyd CAMRA's LocAle initiative (check it out) the branch decided it would be a good idea to organise an outing to take in several of our area's pubs which promote locally brewed ale.

John Thomas (right), landlord of the Brewery Tap, poses with two CAMRA wallahs. (But why by the Becks Vier font? - Web-Ed)

A date was duly set and so, come Friday the 13th, a  full compliment of non-paraskavedekatriaphobes duly gathered at the starting point of the trip in the Brewery Tap in Chester. This marvellous new pub is of course the primary outlet for the Spitting Feathers brewery from Waverton. As well as having three of their own ales on permanently there are a further three guest beers available - many of these from nearby micros which fits nicely with the pub's ethos of sourcing locally produced ales and food.

Dragging ourselves away, our minibus headed down the A483 and over the border to the Mill Inn at Cefn Mawr. Our attempts to reach the pub were hampered by the access road being closed, but our thirsty group quickly dismounted and shot off into the darkness to reach it on foot. The pub sells many Hydes beers but isn't actually a tied house. This allows them to sell other beers such as the new brew from the Sandstone Brewery in Wrexham. This beer was just what the doctor ordered but then again it is called Doctors Orders. I just wanted to be one of the first to use that gag.

We headed eastwards next to the Cross Lanes Hotel near Marchwiel. The side bar is called Kagan's Brasserie and is long-time supporter of the Plassey Brewery which is situated a few miles away near Eyton. It is so local for the head brewer that he can often be found here keeping a close eye on the quality of his bitter.

Winding our way down narrow country lanes next brought us to the Queen's Head in Sarn which sits just on the Cheshire side of the English-Welsh border. As usual a roaring fire and a friendly welcome greeted us and we had a choice between Salopian Shropshire Gold, Timothy Taylor's Golden Best or Marston's Burton Bitter. Most went for the Shropshire which is still a fairly local brew to the pub considering how far south it is in our branch.

Next stop on the itinerary was the Red Lion in Malpas. Local beers here were Cheshire Cat from Weetwood and Thirstquencher from Spitting Feathers. This pub was a first visit for some of the branch members but given the quality of the beer and the enthusiasm of the landlord it's definitely a place to keep an eye on.

Our final stop was at our current English Pub of the Year, the Blue Bell in Tushingham. Shropshire Gold takes a constant place on the bar here with another local ale on this visit being Gypsy's Kiss from the WC Brewery near Chester. As usual we were warmly welcomed (thanks for the chips!) and stayed later than intended supping away merrily.

It was a great trip and a fitting way to launch our LocAle campaign. Look out for our LocAle clips on handpumps in a pub near you and help to support your local pubs and breweries.

Local Mini-Beer Fests (5 February 2009)
If they still exist, open those filofaxes now and ensure these dates are squeezed into your busy itineraries.

The Carlton Tavern will staging another of its highly popular beer festivals over the weekend commencing Friday 13th of March. Landlord Chris is hoping to stock about twenty different ales plus a couple of ciders. The event coincides with Red Nose Day but don't let that put you off.

The following month, to coincide with National Cask Ale week which runs from the 6th-12th of April, the Bull at Shocklach has decided to offer a cask ale and food menu that recommends ales for each dish. They also hope to be running on Good Friday a brewery tour for pub regulars to Spitting Feathers and then on to the Brewery Tap. See in-house for updates. Even better news is that from Good Friday to Easter Monday they will be staging their second beer festival with some live music and a hog roast thrown in. You can expect the hog and music on the Sunday night with eighteen ales over the weekend.

No Need For Hankies at the Morris Dancer (1 February 2009)
The Morris Dancer in Kelsall has undergone mixed fortunes over recent years. After being a highly regarded venue (Good Beer Guide no less) it gradually became more run down, the beer quality deteroriated, and frankly some rather undesirable elements crept in. Things are looking up now though under new landlord Paul Sweeney as he's rejuvenated the place in the last twelve months or so and brought it back to its former glory. We paid a visit on a cold January day so the roaring fire in the bar was very welcome. Three Weetwood ales were on handpump and they were all very good indeed. The brewery is only a couple of miles down the hill at Oscroft so Paul was very keen to sign up to our LocAle campaign which promotes the sale of locally produced beers. If beer sales continue to grow as they have then a fourth handpump may be added. It's great to have an old favourite pub of ours back on good form, long may it continue.