Socially Speaking 

► Deeside CAMRA Spitting Feathers Trip (19 May 2012)
"For the third year running we visited Spitting Feathers Brewery in Waverton on May 12th and, as in previous years, Matt gave the Lads (and the two Ladies ) a tour of the Brewery, followed by a good sampling of his beers along with some very tasty food.

"We took three Minibuses full this year with the majority of the folks being non CAMRA members and, as in previous years, I think we have “converted” more than a few of them over to the pleasures of drinking real beer.

"Matt has made some improvement to his Brewery over the last year or so which has enabled him to increase capacity. In particular he has replaced all his fermenting vessels and I think that has been reflected in the improved taste of some of his beers. He has also brought in a few new types of beers which went down very well, a particular favorite being his Revolution Pale Ale (4.6%).

"I would like to thank Gary for all his efforts and Organisational skills behind the scenes yet again and a big thank you to Matt for being the perfect host." (Edwincad)

► Stockport Pubs Crawl (13 April 2012)
Only a few turned up for this pub crawl of Stockport’s finest pubs so we set off in the 8-seater minibus instead of the usual 16-seater. Traffic was fairly free flowing on this Friday evening (yes it was Friday the 13th!) so we arrived at our first stop, The Railway, within an hour. We were greeted with the magnificent sight of 13 handpumps on the bar, a lot of which were different brews from Outstanding and Rossendale breweries. I had a pint of Outstanding Red followed by a half of Rossendale Pitch Porter, 5%, both OK but not as outstanding as the name might suggest! A quick check of what the locals were drinking revealed fancy sounding lagers served in what looked like flower vases. Oh well, no accounting for taste.

We moved on to the Arden Arms, a Robinson’s house full of Victorian character. I chose the Enigma as a change to the usual Unicorn or Mad Hatter but missed out on the Mild. Close by is the Queen’s Head, a Samuel Smith’s pub so only Old Brewery Bitter here but very well kept and so cheap – about £1-80/pint. The next pub, The Magnet, was the opposite extreme: too much choice from 14 handpumps which included a real cider. Here I tried Buxton - Dark Nights, a pleasant malty beer with hoppy aftertaste; then Old Vic – Oldfield Brown Cow.
Our final pub of the evening was the Crown Inn, nestling underneath the red brick arches of the Stockport Viaduct, an amazing example of Victorian engineering, completed in 1840 with 27 arches and used 11 million bricks in its construction. Back to the beers – another wide choice from 16 handpumps so I had Prospect - Nutty Slack. Sadly no time for another so we headed back onto the minibus and home.

► National Winter Ales Festival, Manchester (19 January 2012)
The poster advertising this event boasted over 200 beers but the website and advertising around the venue upped the ante to 300 beers – so an even larger selection to choose from!

We arrived just before 8pm and set about the task in hand – to try as many as possible before departure time of 10.15pm. I started with a pint of William Worthington - Winter Shield to quench the thirst from the journey then stuck to halves and thirds for the rest of the evening. Next was Wolf – Woild Moild but at 4.8% it was more like a porter but went down well. I then tried the Champion Beer of Britain: Oscar Wilde mild from Mighty Oak brewery. It was OK but nothing outstanding, I’ve had more exciting milds. Lancaster – Amber 3.7% was OK, as was Brewer’s Dark from Lees but not much bite. Time now for the porter bar and the third pint measures! Brunswick – Black Sabbath 6% (very coffee flavoured); Hesket Newmarket – Old Carrock Strong Ale 6% (not very strong tasting); Isle of Skye – Black Cullin 4.5% (OK); Moor – Old Freddy Walker 7.3% (OK). Attila at 7.5% from Oakham was described as a barley wine, lots of fruit flavours and aromas, with long bitter finish, but it was pale in colour, not dark as I expected. However it was very nice!
 
The venue wasn’t as busy as last year and by 10pm, nearing our departure time, it had emptied out considerably. Well it made getting served a bit quicker! An enjoyable evening out providing the opportunity to try lots of different beers, including a few strong ones in third pint measures. (John Bowyer)  

► South Cheshire Area GBG 2013 Survey (13 January 2012)
After a long spell of mild weather had lulled us into thinking it was permanently autumn, a sudden cold snap brought us back to the reality of winter and thoughts of mellow dark beers. Our first destination of the evening was the Pheasant at Higher Burwardsley, famous for spectacular views of Cheshire from its setting in the Peckforton Hills. However as it was dark we had to make do with the views of the 4 handpumps dispensing Weetwood Old Dog; Eastgate and Best Bitter, plus Spitting Feathers Old Wavertonian Stout. Beer quality was acceptable, I tried the Eastgate and others in the group had the other Weetwood beers.

Next stop was the Wheatsheaf at No Mans Heath, a local’s pub which is still a proper pub and not dominated by food. There is a small dining area but most of the bar space is for drinking! A pleasant pub now located off the main road due to opening of a recent by-pass. Beers available were: Spitting Feathers Special Ale and Beartown Kodiak Gold. General opinion was that the beer quality should be better, certainly the Special Ale I had was nothing special. Onwards to that old favourite – the Blue Bell at Tushingham. We received the usual warm welcome from the landlord and the real fire, but no dogs around this evening. A choice of Salopian Shropshire Gold or Oakham JHB was available, both in excellent condition.

During the short drive to the Willey Moor Lock Tavern we wondered if recent changes of licensee may give us cause for concern over beer quality. The gang of 9 of us bowled into the cosy main bar and were welcomed by the new landlady who was pleased to offer us a choice of 4 beers: Merlin – The Wizard and Gold; Old Speckled Hen and Stonehouse Station Bitter. I think we probably tried them all between us, some even squeezing in an extra half, and no problems with beer quality. The landlady was very knowledgeable about what was in her cellar so we departed most impressed, especially at £2-80/pint.

Final pub of the evening was the Queen’s Head at Sarn offering Timmy Taylor’s Golden Best or Deuchars IPA. I think the Golden Best took a bit of a hammering as it was certainly well kept. It was ‘Home James’ about 1130pm and although I didn’t find a dark, winter beer, the best for me was Golden Best at the Queen’s Head. Just have to wait for the Winter Ales festival next week! (John Bowyer)

► Frodsham Winter Ales Festival (6 January 2012)
About a dozen branch members made their own way, by whatever means, (trains and boats and planes as the song goes!) to the Frodsham Winter Ales festival held in the Parish Hall. Although not a CAMRA event entry was free to members and we just had to hire a glass and buy beer tokens. Choice of beers was very varied with a good mix of light and dark and most from breweries I’d never heard of before. My selection was as follows:

Barneys – Red Eye; Botanist 391 (went flat very quickly); Cullercoat – Jack the Devil; East London – Night Watchman; Haworth – Fallwood XXXX (no it wasn’t an Aussie lager but a nice malty beer!); Partners – Shoddy Porter; Revolution – Fairytale; Wilson Potter – Making Progress. Most of these were dark winter ales or reddish-brown beers, just the thing for this time of year. A total of 25 beers were available plus 2 real ciders and 3 perrys.

The event was well supported by locals and those who’d travelled from further afield and it had that cosy, sociable atmosphere which always seems present at small, local festivals. Well done to the organisers and the beer keeper. I was a bit disappointed with the Botanist 361 as it went flat very quickly but the other beers I tried were very good with such a diverse and interesting choice. I headed back to Chester on the train about 10pm and have vague memories of falling into the Cellar Bar for some Atomic Power, certainly gave me a jolt for the final journey home. (John Bowyer)

► Champion Beer of Cheshire Presentation (3 December 2011)
The finals of the Champion Beer of Cheshire competition took place at the Chester Real Ale Festival on 21st October and the winning beers were:
• Gold: Red Willow – Wreckless.
• Silver: Happy Valley - Black Magic Stout. 
• Bronze: Offbeat – Way Out Wheat.

Nick Bosley arranged a presentation for all three brewers at the Red Willow brewery in Macclesfield on Saturday 3rd December and invited members from those branches that had hosted the semi-finals and the final. Craig Papworth and I embarked on the slightly torturous journey from Chester to Macclesfield, changing at Crewe and Stockport. The train from Crewe was late so, of course, we just missed our connection at Stockport –grr! The next train to Macclesfield was a slow one so by the time we arrived it was raining and past the call time for the presentation. We jumped into a taxi and instructed the driver to head for the Red Willow brewery and don’t spare the horses! Well, talk about laid back taxi driver. He hadn’t heard of the brewery, or the industrial unit it was on. I produced my map and we eventually got near to our destination but couldn’t actually see the place. I phoned them up and eventually Toby found us on foot so we walked around to the premises, which were tucked away behind the main drag but with no sign – security measure announced Toby!

My phone call had be well timed – Nick was about to start the presentation so once Craig and I had full glasses, of the winning beer of course, we settled in with members of the other Cheshire Branches to listen to the speeches. After the photo call and social chit-chat it was on to the serious business of trying out some of the local pubs. Nearest was the Railway View, a GBG 2012 entrant very much a traditional local’s pub with welcoming real fire and Wincle Sir Philip and Happy Valley Lazy Daze on tap, though the latter a bit tired. Next was The Macc (ex-Three Crowns) which had: Hardknott Continuum; Marble Ginger and Summer Wine Brewery Vega. Tried the Continuum which was OK but a tad too cold. A bit of a trek up the hilly streets brought us to The Wharf which had the welcoming sight of 5 handpumps serving: Happy Valley – Tie The Knot 5%; RedWillow – Feckless 4.1% and Fathomless 5.2%; and Oyster Stout. A pint of the latter suited me and was on good form.

We now walked into the town centre and had to try the famous Treacle Tap. First impressions were of slight disappointment, it’s a bistro style wine bar whereas I had imagined a more traditional cosy pub. However 3 beers were available: Whim Arbour Light; Flower Power and RedWillow Smokeless, all at a very reasonable £2-50/pint and in the town centre! I tried the Flower Power which at 5.3%, went down quite well. Heading further into town I passed the George & Dragon, a Robinson’s pub, so popped in for a quick half of Unicorn. Appeared to be big on traditional pub games – pool, darts and bar skittles. Onwards to the Prince of Wales a comfortable pub full of shoppers and serving Brampton Impy Dark and Adnams Spiced. Tried them both and Impy had the edge.

Feeling peckish at this stage so into the Society Rooms, a large Wetherspoons establishment. Had a pint of Hooky and ordered fish & chips-but sadly no fish, so went for the fishcakes. Also sad was No CAMRA discount despite flashing the voucher and card, grr! Didn’t Mr. W do well last week! My next stop was supposed to be the Waters Green Tavern but it was closed (on a Saturday early evening?), so last noggins at the Nag’s Head opposite the station. An acceptable half of Robinsons Black Beauty Stout to finish off the day and prepare for the journey home. (John Bowyer)

(The photo shows one happy brewester and 2 happy brewers showing off their well deserved awards.) 

► Llangollen GBG2013 Survey (11 November 2011)
On a mild, but wet and windy night, 10 branch members boarded the minibus at the Ship Victory, Chester for a tour around pubs in the Llangollen area. Our mission was to check beer quality of pubs that are in the current Good Beer Guide and may be nominated for entry into the 2013 Good Beer Guide.

First stop was the Mill at Cefn Mawr (pictured) and first impressions were similar to last year, most of the locals were drinking cans of cider! Only one real ale on offer: Marathon Bitter 3.5%, a charity beer brewed by Facers which was reasonable quality. Then off to the Abbey Grange Hotel where again, only one ale was available: Llangollen Grange No.1 Bitter 3.2%, but well kept.

As we boarded the bus again it was raining heavily so we hoped it would ease off by the time we were walking around Llangollen town itself, so quickly to the next pub which was the Sun Inn where a band called Pulsrock were setting up and 5 beers were available: Three Tuns 1642; Blackwater Reggae Bitter, (spicy with hints of coriander); two from Purple Moose brewery – Snowdonia Ale and Glaslyn Ale; Salopian Shropshire Gold. I tried the 1642 and Glaslyn Ale, both in very good condition but the choice was mostly light, hoppy beers and I was ready for something darker. By this time the rain had stopped and the group split, with some staying at the Sun to listen to the band, whilst the others agreed to take the minibus to the Corn Mill and we’d all pick it up on the car park by the old railway. However on returning to the bar after a comfort break I found out that our chairman had hijacked the bus and I was stranded! No matter, I set out on foot, thankfully the rain had stopped, and found the Bridge End Hotel, (surprisingly, just at the end of the bridge!), which sells Robinson’s beers so I enjoyed Black Beauty 4.3%, good to have a dark beer at last. Also available was Unicorn.
It was a short walk to the Corn Mill, a smart Brunning & Price pub, which had 5 beers available so I tried Orme 4.2%, brewed by Great Orme brewery, a very pleasant dark, malty bitter. No sooner had I tried the beer when in walked the other part of the group off the minibus! They had tried the Wynnstay Arms but found beer quality disappointing so headed to the Corn Mill. By popular vote we decided to return to the Sun and stayed until midnight enjoying the live music and well kept beers.

At an earlier point in the evening we decided not to visit the Sun at Rhewl due to, so we're lead to believe, an imminent change of landlord. (John Bowyer)

► Ceiriog Tour (30 September 2011)
A precis of events from our recent rekke of the Ceiriog Valley pubs:-

a) The Glyn Valley Hotel in Glyn Ceiriog (pictured right) served up Sandstone Post Mistress, Hanby Summer Belle and Draught Bass. Who brews Hanby stuff now? Plassey? Whoever it is it was very pleasant. Whilst here, a crude attempt to re-enact a scene from the Naked Gun movie was ruined when Heidi, the highly affable 'landlady' informed us that the decorative stuffed animal was in fact a marmot and not a beaver. 
b) Staying in Glyn Ceiriog the smaller, more food-led Oak, pleasantly filled with the light aroma of hickory smoke, had an excellent pint of self-styled golden spicy Three Tuns 1642 on handpump. Thumbs up from all.
c) Off to Llanarmon DC which, by contrast to the Glyn Ceriog duo, proved disappointing. The rambling, rather posh West Arms only had Fullers Organic Honey Dew - the Stonehouse Cambrian Gold having recently run out while the replacement Station Bitter wasn't  ready. The GBG listed Hand for once didn't have Weetwood on. Instead the surrogate cask was Tidy Pint from the Powys-based Waun microbrewery. In truth nobody thought it was tidy and probably wished they'd not had a pint. At least CAMRA Stiffs beat Pied Bull Staff 2-0 at pool.
d) Onward, well backward actually to the Swan at Pontfadog (left) which had one handpump dispensing an excellent Stonehouse Off the Rails. Pity therefore it ran out before we all got served. Youngs Bitter came on and was OK but poor consolation for those too polite not to have scrambled unceremoniously off the minibus to get to the bar first.
e) Final stop was the Hand in Chirk. Three Stonehouse beers and all in splendid nick - Cambrian Gold being pick of the bunch and this correspondent's beer of the trip. We stuck in the lounge side as the locals bar hardly exuded bonhomie.
f) An agreeable evening all told. This is a pleasant place to explore and sup. Experience tells that you could visit again in a fortnight and there would be different beer and tales to tell in all of the pubs. 
PS The Golden Pheasant at Llwynmawr wasn't visited due to time restrictions but rumour had it it shuts at 8.30pm and is run by a Swede. Is that a problem?

► Chorlton Recce - a trip along the Wilbraham Road and its environs (20 August 2011)
Note: * after pub names denotes it’s in GBG 2011
 
Now that the Metrolink tram service from Manchester has been extended to Chorlton it was time to try out some of the pubs and bars along Wilbraham Road and surrounding area.
 
Once again it was Chester Race Day and had to get out of town. With some time to spare before the next train I nipped into the Cellar Bar on City Raod. Tried halves of Salopian Darwin’s Origin and Liverpool Organic Rakau, both good. Caught the 1350 train to Manchester and arrived at Chorlton 1525, first stop was the Oddest Bar; a modern bistro style establishment with tiled walls, timber floor and strange billowing fabric on the ceiling! Outside seating space with railings defining the boundary with the pavement. Appears quite popular. Six beers available, 5 of which were LocAle. Tried Oddest Bitter (brewed by Northern) which was OK at £1-50/half, others were: Kelham Island Riverfront Coliseum; Hornbeam – Black Coral Stout and Mary Rose Bitter; Phoenix Black Bee Honey Porter; Prospect Silver Tally. Tempted to try another but time and duty calls so across Wilbraham Road to The Bar*, very woody feel to this place – tables, chairs, floor, bar front. Plain décor and large windows to front with outside seating. CAMRA forms spotted on the bar and quite a few punters. Beers: Marble – Bitter and Ginger; Cross Bay Nightfall; Hornbeam Vibe; Millstone True Grit; Pictish Brewer’s Gold and Addlestones Cider. Tried the Marble Bitter at £1-45/half, a much better drink than last time I tried a year ago in 57 bar, very flat and tasteless then. Right next door is the very small Nook with a downstairs cellar bar called The Cranny. (Nook & Cranny – geddit?) The latter is only open at weekends or for private parties. It has a ‘speakeasy’ feel to it: Tiffany wall lamps, exposed brick walls, banquette seating, swing/jazz music and small bar with 1 pump sharing a beer with main bar. Owners are two brothers and a sister and business good at weekends, although very quiet at time of my visit. Two handpumps but only Hornbeam Vibe on at £1-50/half. Chatted to the sister owner, very pleasant lady and said they have plans for small range of food in the future. Outside seating space. A small, long and narrow bar but had good vibes about this one. Next door is the Gallery, lots of brown & beige décor and furniture plus a few sofas and loud, live footy on the TVs for the benefit of the one customer at the bar. On offer were Marston’s EPA and Tatton Blonde. Had a very quick half of the latter and left! A short walk along the road to the Electrik*, another bistro style bar with canopied outside seating area, 60’s retro décor and assorted old tables & chairs plus sofas. No TV- hooray! About a dozen punters. Tried Hornbeam Mary Rose at £1-50/half, seems to be the going rate here, other beers were: Brightside Maverick and Thwaithes Wainwright. Westons Raspberry Twist Cider also available. Beer was OK but noted that some of these bars serve half-pints of beer in chunky tumblers, usually used for soft drinks and not lined glasses – mmm. Next door is Dulcimer* the first bar without outside seating space although it follows the trend of others with wood floors, tables & chairs but did have upstairs seating. 5 handpumps but only 3 with beers: Thwaithes Original and Lancaster Bomber plus Titanic Stout. Half of the latter at £1-50, a pleasant change to the bitters of the afternoon! Two boxes of cider at back of bar. 
Estimated about a dozen customers at 5pm. 

Moving off Wilbraham Road down Barlow Moor Road and Duffy’s Bar, a long, narrow single bar with outside space for smokers. Hydes beers available: Swift Delivery; Saddleworth Moor Bitter and Original. Tried Swift Delivery at £1-15/half, which had a slight haze and not much flavour, but good head. Very much a local’s pub showing rugby on the 3 TV screens.

A longer walk now to the Escape, another long, narrow bar with wood floors, tables & chairs but did benefit from outside space covered with what looks like the original glazed canopy set on cast iron pillars. Beers: Robinsons Dizzy Blonde and Little Valley Ginger Pale Ale, plus selection of foreign beers in a fridge. Fancied a Dizzy Blonde at this stage but made do with a half of the Robinsons at £1-50! Pleasant laid back musak and friendly locals with dogs made this an enjoyable visit.
Moving on down Barlow Moor Road then a right turn into Beech Road to The Parlour, another doggy bar! Very comfortable bar aimed at middle aged clientele with mixture of modern tables & chairs, soft seating and good quality lighting comprising pseudo carbon filament wall lamps and table lamps. Etched windows to the front complete the cosy feel of this bar. Quite busy when I arrived at 1815. Beers: Dunham Massey Summer Meadow; Prospect Silver Tally; Boggard Dark Mild, (tried a half at the usual £1-50 very good); Outstanding Red; Smokeless Porter. Think there was also a cider. Just over the road is the Famous Trevor Arms – a real pub! However disappointing beer choice, Deuchars and Caladonian IPA both not on, not getting good vibes in this pub so didn’t bother with other beer. Next door is the Horse & Jockey, another real pub but this one had beer! A fine choice too: Offbeat Outlandish Pale (had a half at £1-65); Bootleg Contraband and Black Widow Stout; Acorn Light Ale; Offbeat & Friends (?); Venus Rouge. 3 real ciders also available. A very traditional style pub located opposite Chorlton Green with lots of space, inside and out. Interior is a mixture of tiled and timber floors, banquette seating and tables & chairs. Directly opposite, but shrouded in scaffolding and covers, is The Beech, again a traditional pub with 3 rooms currently being renovated by Enterprise Inns. A local’s pub serving: TT Landlord and Golden Best (half at £1-50, good); Black Sheep Bitter; Copper Dragon Golden Pippen; Jennings Cumberland Ale; Marston’s EPA and Hopback Summer Lightning. The latter 3 beers available in the public bar think I was in the lounge. Appears to be a well supported pub with pubco spending money on it!

It was now about 1930 and time to head back to the other side of Wilbraham Road to try other GBG listed pubs. First on Manchester Road East is Marble Beer House*, a long narrow bar but with glazed roof lights at the rear providing daylight, similar décor style to other bars but no food, only crisps. Lots of Marble beers: Lagonda IPA; Bitter; Pint; No.4 IPA; Ginger; plus Hornbeam X-ray Ale and Copper Dragon. 
Tried the Lagonda IPA at £1-70/half, slight haze but Ok’ish. A short walk brought me to Pi*, a very busy bar at 20:00 with customers inside and out. Beers: Slaters Why Knot; Tatton Blonde; Buxton Gold plus Sheppy’s Farmhouse cider. Tried the Why Knot (£1-45/half) and managed to find a small table in the bar so ordered Minty Lamb pie with mushy peas and gravy – lovely!
 
Time to think about heading back to the tram but looked at Iguana (closed) and Charango had 3 interesting beers but too late (and too busy) to try.
Back in Manchester just had time for a half of Lees Brewery Dark (£1-24) nice malty beer, at the Rain Bar, a Lees pub in Gt. Bridgewater St. Train home at 2153.
 
A very full and enjoyable day out. In total I visited 15 pubs and 52 different beers were available. Difficult to pick a favourite bar but the Parlour and Oddest were very good and must visit the Nook again. (John Bowyer) 

► West Cheshire Brewers' Beer Festival (16 July 2011)

Tickets for the annual beer festival at the farm premises of the Spitting Feathers brewery in Waverton sold out for both sessions very quickly so must buy mine earlier next year! I managed to obtain a ticket for the afternoon session and after a short ride on the 41 bus from Chester was rewarded with the sight of 30 handpumps lined up along the bar in the barn, dispensing beers from 5 local breweries, including Spitting Feathers of course, plus a variety of guest beers. The weather was fine and sunny and contributed to the convivial atmosphere around the yard. I tried the following beers: Frodsham -Devil’s Garden, Northern – Casino & Stateside IPA, Weetwood -Mad Hatter, Hopstar – Lancashire Gold, Spitting Feathers – Fool’s Gold and Solstice, the former beer from the Ministry of Beer brand as a protest of government policies which penalise brewers, publicans and consumers with unfair tax increases. My favourites were Lancashire Gold and Stateside IPA.
 
Real food comprising Hog Roast baps, hotdogs and spare ribs was served from the BBQ hut and the constant queue served as a reminder not to leave it too late to eat! Tours of the farm and brewery were available and live music later in the afternoon rounded the day off nicely. The last bus back to Chester was just after 6pm but my friends and I decided to walk back – not too strenuous as we broke the journey a few times visiting pubs en-route. (John Bowyer) 

► Monty's Brewery / Bishops Castle Beer & Music Festival (9 July 2011)

Yet another Chester Races Day provided an opportunity to leave town in search of a more civilised drinking location, so a party of 10 set off for the wilds of Shropshire and the charming market town of Bishop’s Castle. En-route we made a planned stop at Monty’s brewery outside Montgomery, just over the border in Wales. Our driver had made an error when entering the postcode into his satnav so the device took us the wrong way and we made a couple of tours of Montgomery town but thought how lovely it looked and warranted further investigation. After resorting to real maps and correcting the postcode we arrived at the brewery, tucked away along a lane next to a builder’s yard. We were greeted by Pam, the brewster and her husband who ran a drinks wholesale business from the same premises.

In a previous life Pam had been a teacher but gave it up to start brewing however, not on a small scale – straight in with a 10-barrel plant! A nice touch is that all the fermenting vessels have names, each of significance to Pam e.g. the one called Vincent was made by a man of that name, who had also installed the brewing equipment. We were all impressed with the logical layout of the brewery and Pam’s knowledge of the brewing process, which she conveyed very effectively to a receptive audience; thanks to all those years of teaching! Monty’s brew five regular beers: Sunshine, Moonrise, Manjana, Midnight and Mojo. Seasonal specials are available for summer and Christmas but today we were treated to Windfall, a 5% strong bitter which went down very well, all eighteen pints of it. We thanked Pam for her hospitality and informative talk, then clutching our free glasses, boarded the minibus for Montgomery. By unanimous decision we’d agreed to go back there for lunch and try out the pubs. We split forces with some heading straight into the Crown (GBG pub), the others enjoying an alfresco lunch sitting outside the local chippy in the warm sunshine. This was washed down with Monty’s Desert Rat from next door at Checkers, a hotel/restaurant with modern interior. A short stroll across the square brought us to the Dragon, another hotel with a pleasant atrium formed over the original carriage entrance. Desert Rat and Wood’s Special Bitter available, both on good form.

Onwards then to Bishop’s Castle, a bustling market town in Shropshire blessed with two brew pubs and four others serving real ale. We timed our visit to coincide with the local beer and music festival and weren’t disappointed. At the Castle Hotel we tried Summer Lightning and Wyre Piddle Bitter, sadly served in plastic glasses but understandable with the vast number of people in the pub and outside in the large garden space listening to a band and soaking up the sun. The outside bar had just run out of beer but another barrel was swiftly racked up, tapped, vented and then served! We expressed our concern that the beer should be allowed to settle in time for the evening but customers wanted in now, so hope they felt OK next day! Off down the hill for a short walk to the Three Tuns, one of the brew pubs. Beers available were: 1642, Clerics Cure, Pale Ale, Mild, Old Scrooge stout. Tried the mild and 1642, very good. Out in the busy courtyard is the brewery, an interesting old building with a small tower. Apparently the brewery and pub are separate businesses.

Next pub along the High Street was The Vaults, with lots of beers in the outside bar, twenty three on the programme, and very busy. Had Katies Pride 4.3%, Ok’ish. Onwards to the King’s Head which had twelve beers on, tried Saddlers Samurai 4.2%, very nice bitter. Next: the Boar’s Head which had a good selection of beers from Offbeat, Titanic and Mayfield breweries, plus others. Opted for safe choice of Salopian Gold. Finally to the Six Bells, the other brew pub, which featured the Sheffield Bar having twenty four beers from that area plus six of their own brewed beers in the backyard. Live music, BBQ and lots of people. We wondered how a small town and surrounding community can support six pubs. No doubt because they all serve a variety of good quality beers, and with a smile? Tried the Festival Pale Ale, which I think was good but memory a bit hazy at this point.

Reluctantly we took our leave of Bishop’s Castle and headed home, stopping en-route at the Last Inn, Upper Hengoed for a final pint from a selection of six ales – really can’t remember what I had this time but the choice was: Banks Mild, Titanic Gold and Sundeck, Oakham Bishop’s Farewell, Wye Valley bitter, Bath Ales Barnstormer. We reflected on a lovely day out, good beers, good pubs and good weather! (John Bowyer)

► Southport Social (25 June 2011)

Knowing that Chester was going to be busy with crowds coming for the races a small group of CAMRA members headed out of town to Southport. It had to be the day of a signal failure on the Merseyrail Northern line but as they say – ‘Let the train strain your patience!’ or something like that? We decamped onto buses at Formby and arrived in Southport just in time for a civic procession which had closed the main road (Lord Street) to traffic. Undeterred we left the bus and walked to Baron’s Bar in the Scarisbrick Hotel where we met up with members from the Southport branch. Baron’s is a popular, comfortable bar with a good selection of beers, many from local breweries. I tried Lancaster Black and Gamekeeper, others had Sandgrounder Bitter, a local brew. Our local guides had prepared a list of pubs to visit so we set off for the Guest House, a fine pub with several rooms and a choice of 9 beers. I had Natterjack and Bank’s Mild, both well kept. Next was the Windmill, a large family oriented pub serving Theakstons beers and Bank’s Mild. Tried the latter and seemed OK. A bracing walk along the prom brought us to the Lakeside Inn (pictured), reputedly the smallest pub in England according to the Guinness Book of Records. It certainly was small inside but did have a nice terrace overlooking the boating lake, so we were entertained by the locals messing about on the water whilst supping Bombadier – the London Pride not being available. Leaving this charming setting, pausing to admire the floral displays in tubs and hanging baskets outside, we headed for our final stop in Southport: the Masons Arms. This was a traditional pub with small bar and separate snug, serving Robinson’s beers very much a local’s haunt. Only Dizzy Blonde available but on good form.
 
We thanked the local branch members for their guidance and, luckily, the trains were running again so we stopped off at Liverpool Waterloo to visit the Volunteer’s Canteen. According to the GBG entry table service is available in the lounge bar but we ordered drinks at the bar then observed that bar staff do come out to take your order! The pub interior has interesting photos, artefacts, duelling pistols and windows etched with ‘Higsons Brewery’, a distant memory of bygone days as were the bell pushes used to summon service. Black Sheep appeared to be the standard bitter with Pedigree, Bombadier and Ruddles County advertised as ‘Guest beers’. I tried the Ruddles which was OK but nothing like it used to be!
 
Back on the train to Liverpool and the Everyman Bistro bar. Here we had a ‘Last Supper’ washed down with Ossett Madelaine Lilley and Liverpool Organic EV as the building was to close the following week and be demolished. Look out for a grand opening of the new bistro bar in about 4 year’s time. Being close to the famous Philharmonic we decide to have a final drink there but found it closed – on a Saturday night! Must investigate further, meanwhile we found ourselves in Ye Cracke, a lively student atmosphere and lots of charming framed sketches on the walls. Peerless Gold, LV Organic Old Porter and Phoenix Hopsack were available so tried the Old Porter, went down well! Time to head home, still with the smell of the seaside in our hair, or was it the Mersey? (John Bowyer) 

► Derby Social (7 May 2011)
 
A group of eight members recently enjoyed a tour of Derby pubs, another city claiming to be the beer capital of the country, but perhaps with more justification than others? I arrived an hour later than the main group but caught up with them at the Flowerpot, a pub with several large rooms and a popular live music venue. Enjoyed a good pint of Burton Bridge, Moorish Mild and Kelham Island, Modern Love, reasonable golden beer. Rest of the group had the Whim Ales, Arbor Light. Eight other beers where available on handpumps plus two direct from the cellar, which appeared to be behind a glass partition to the right of the main bar. A few brave souls tried the food, looked a bit too ‘microwavey’ to me!
 
The group had started the tour at the Babington Arms, by all accounts an excellent Wetherspoon’s pub. Sixteen handpumps all with beer on! – and ten from local microbreweries. All beers well kept so a bit miffed that I missed out on that one. We moved on to the Old Silk Mill (pictured), currently Derby branch Pub of the Year and another live music venue but on a smaller scale to the Flowerpot. We had a choice of ten handpumps which included two ciders so I tried the Raw, Majestic Mild and Burton Bridge, Damson Porter – very nice. To the side of the main bar was the John Lombe Bar housing a impressive array of eighteen barrels, most untapped but two Thornbridge beers were available: Kipling & Jaipur IPA. There was also the Offilers lounge which was very small but cosy.

Onwards to the Royal Standard, brewery tap for the Derby Brewing Company. Very stylised interior comprising exposed brickwork and timber floors with the central, curved bar dividing the space into two rooms decorated in the rustic/modern manner. Nine beers available so tried Derby Brew Co, Dark Horse and Barlow Brewery, Dashingly Dark. Quality of beers was good and only £2-80/pint. Next stop was the Exeter Arms a former Marston’s pub now a freehouse. Some concern over beer quality as four  people returned their beer, maybe just the end of the barrel? Five handpumps provided: Marston’s Pedigree; Nutbrook Banter; Spire Twist & Stout; Dancing Duck Gold; RAW JR Best Bitter. I had the Twist & Stout of course! There were five separate rooms, all with tiled floors, and a wonderful range in the back room. The pub was built c. 1800 and adapted through the ages; an unusual feature was a glazed partition between the front bar and entrance vestibule which had vertically tilting windows. Staff didn’t know the origin of this feature.

Off again to the Smithfield which had a plain bar area but interesting back room featuring a fine fireplace and old radio! Small dining/function room was being set up for a 50th birthday party. On the bar: ten handpumps but only seven with beers:- Blue Monkey, BG Sips; Oakham, Bishop’s Farewell; Whim, Arbor Light; Flower Power, Hartington IPA; Oakham, Citrus; draught bass; Pedigree. Think I tried the Bass – not as good as it used to be. You may have noticed I favour the darker beers, well May is Mild month! Moving on to our final two pubs of the day; the Alexandra had seven pumps with lots of Castle Rock beers so tried Gatekeeper – good, dark malty beer. Final stop was the Brunswick brew pub. Sixteen pumps, lots of their own beers so tried Black Sabbath to finish off the day and set off into the black night, lol!

Overall another grand day out visiting excellent pubs selling a wide range of beers, mostly from local, or not far away, micro breweries. There are still more to try so have to do it all again, but will make sure I don’t miss the Babington Arms. (John Bowyer)

► Bunbury Area Social (8 April 2011)
 
Apologies for late posting of this report, there’s just been too many bank holidays and beer festivals since this trip! I recall it was a pleasant sunny evening when a group of 16 thirsty souls boarded the mini, correction, maxi-bus outside the Ship Vic. Yes it was a full sized coach with luxury seats and air-conditioning, just right for the barmy evening! Our first stop was the Stamford Bridge Inn to present the landlord, Neal Thacker, with a Pub of the Season award for Spring 2011. This is a busy dining pub but very much a real ale pub as well. 5 handpumps dispensed Weetwood Old Dog & Best Bitter; Piffle, a local bitter made for the pub by Brimstage; Theakstons Bitter and Brimstage Trapper’s Hat. Most of the group had the Piffle with a few on Trapper’s Hat and all agreed the beer was well kept. Neal is very keen to promote real ale and ensures the staff are involved in tasting the beers so they know what they are serving. A nice touch is the beer menu cards on the tables. A well deserved award.

Along the country lanes to the Little Man at Wettenhall and the sight of a coach pulling in to the small car park made some of the locals come out to take photos! This is a very traditional country pub with two rooms, lounge and public bar, but no dividing wall these days. Real fires, horse brasses, china horse figures, old rifles and tankards hanging from the beamed ceiling convey the olde worlde charm. On the bar were 7 handpumps providing: Wychwood Hot Chocolate Stout; Terrier; Ringwood Best Bitter; Clarke’s No Angel; Lees Bitter; Hydes Amazing Grace; FILO Ginger Tom. Among the group I expect we tried most of them, I had the No Angel which was quite a devilish bitter! Back on the coach to the Traveller’s Rest at Alpraham, a pub on CAMRA’s National Inventory for Pub Interiors. Built as an ale house in 1870 the pub has been owned and run by the same family since 1900, with the interior kept in the same style as it was in 1933. The lounge was added as an extension in 1937 and is accessed by a separate external door. It is very much like being in a time warp, even the till is a wooden drawer, no new fangled mechanical or electronic gubbins here! The pub has it’s own bowling green and this provides a good trade in the spring/summer months with competitions involving up to 16 members per team! The WC’s are classic outdoor facilities with bird’s nests above the water closet, how rural is that? Sadly there is no successor within the family of the current owner to take over the reins in the future so any one fancy running a country pub-in the old fashioned way?

Beers available were: Weetwood Eastgate and Tetley Bitter, both in fine condition which proves the point that you don’t have to have a wide selection of beers for a pub to be a rural gem, especially at £2-25/pint!.

Onwards then to the Nags Head in Bunbury. Another fine country pub with low beamed ceilings and several rooms for dining, lounge area and public bar with pool table etc. Beers available were: Salopian Shropshire Gold; Weetwood Bitter; Blondie from dB brewery (I think?); and Postlethwaite from Coach House brewery in memory of the eponymous actor Pete who had recently died.

Our final stop was the Yew Tree on the edge of Bunbury, another fine old pub with lots of beams and separate rooms but all in the open plan fashion. It is owned by the same people who run the Bull at Shocklach. Lots of eating space and good selection of beers:  Dunham Massey – Little Bollington Bitter; Spitting Feathers 1862; Stonehouse Station Bitter; Weetwood Ambush; Wincle IPA.

Well, another pleasant tour of pubs in the Cheshire countryside, most of which are difficult – nigh impossible - to access by public transport, so cheers to Jim’s Taxis! (John Bowyer)

► CAMRA Founders Crawl - Chester (2 April 2011)

A fitting start to this special day - the sun was shining and may it continue to do so on all CAMRA members! We assembled at noon in the Ship Inn at Handbridge, the start of a long day’s 40th birthday celebration of the beginning of CAMRA. A special pamphlet giving details of the route and pub changes since 1971 was handed out to each participant. Beers available were: Phoenix Navvy; Thwaites Nutty Black & Original; Frodsham Splash. Between 30 and 40 people were expected and I think we were close to 30 when the first group of 15 left for the Bear & Billet, including our guest of honour Graham Lees, one of the 4 founder members of the Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale, later renamed Campaign for Real Ale. About 10 minutes later the 2nd group headed over the bridge to the Billet. Our mission was to recreate the original pub crawl done by Graham and his friends on the evening of 16th March 1971 prior to them flying out from Liverpool Airport to Dublin to start a holiday in Ireland. It was during this pub crawl, and the holiday in Ireland that they discussed the poor quality of beer available with comments such as ‘too fizzy’, ‘tastes sickly’, ‘no character’ or ‘too dear’ – sounds familiar? It was almost a year later when Graham and Michael Hardman were doing the rounds of Chester pubs again, with same poor choice and quality of beer, that they seriously started to think about doing something about it, and so started CAMRA. 

Beers on at the Billet were: Okells Bitter & Spring Ram; Phoenix Hopsack; Cottage HST; Ilkley Mary Jane. We left in dribs and drabs heading to the Albion for a special presentation. Mike Mercer has been the licensee of this pub for 40 years and Chester branch of CAMRA commissioned a special certificate to mark the occasion which was presented by Graham Lees. Both Graham and Mike made speeches, the latter on good form enjoying banter with an appreciative audience. Part of Graham ‘s speech explained the St. Albans connection of CAMRA. He moved there to take a job on a local newspaper and met a man who claimed to have drunk in every Youngs’ pub in London and surrounding areas. Graham promptly offered him a job with CAMRA as the first secretary with an office above a bicycle repair shop! Beers at the Albion were: Adnams Bitter; Hooky Gold; Rudgate Viking.

The next pub on the original crawl was the Golden Eagle in Castle St. but sadly it is currently closed, awaiting a new tenant and refurbishment. In 1971 it was one of few pubs in Chester to sell Draught Bass but in latter years the pumps have been dry. Our substitute pub was the Cross Keys where Hancock’s HB; Cornish Tribute; Black Sheep Bitter and Bombardier were available. Our next pub was Ye Olde Customs House at the lower end of Watergate St. In 1971 this was a Border Brewery house but now it’s owned by Marstons and a very respectable choice of 8 beers from their range was available. I think at this stage some of the crowd had formed a break-away group, whom I suspect headed for the Brewery Tap on Lower Bridge St. Those of us in the Customs House were able to try three beers in ‘3-thirds’ presentation trays. Beers on offer were: Marston’s Pedigree, Empire, EPA and Double Drop; Hobgoblin; Jennings Cumberland & Cocker Hoop; sadly the Paddy’s Stout had just run out.

Our final pub on this commemorative crawl was the Boot, tucked away on Eastgate Row. Only one beer to try here: Samuel Smith Old Brewery Bitter. So ended the crawl but we omitted some pubs which have either closed down or no longer sell real ale: Olde Vaults, Deva (now the Amber Lounge), King’s Arms Kitchens.

Now we all headed off to the Brewery Tap!

All good pub crawls end with a curry and this one was no exception. The Brewery Tap kindly provided a free chicken, or vegetarian curry to all participants on the original crawl, and although your author is not a great curry fan, this dish was very tasty and not too spicy. It was now 6pm and a food break was most welcome, especially to provide stamina for the evening crawl around some of Chester’s best real ale pubs that have emerged since the start of CAMRA.

Beers available at the Tap: Spitting Feathers Old Wavertonian Stout; WC Founder’s Crawl; Heritage Empire IPA; Roosters Yankee; Conwy Telford Porter; Tring Side Pocket for a Toad; Hawkshead Red.

Around 7.30pm a smaller group moved on to the Marlbororough to sample the range of Stonehouse beers: Off The Rails, Station Bitter, Cambrian Bitter, KPA. Then onto the Ship Victory, a very traditional locals pub. Tetley Bitter; Blakemere Gold and Sandstone Edge were available here. At this stage fatigue was starting to set in, or was just the effect of the beer?, so we decided to miss out the Mill Hotel and finish off at the Pied Bull – a much shorter walk! In 1971 this pub was owned by Greenall Whitley and served their beers, as did a lot of pubs in Chester at that time. Today the pub is privately owned and a true freehouse offering a choice of 6 real ales. Two beers are regulars the remaining 4 are from local micro-breweries or further afield.

For our final drinks of the evening we could choose from: Facers Pied Eyed; Adnams Broadside; Titanic Black Ice; Headless Redwillow, all ideal to wash down the sandwiches kindly provided by the landlord.

Facts & Figures: A final head count taken during the curry break came to 43 participants and the total number of beers available during the whole day was 43 – pure coincidence or just shows that there is a beer for everybody! (John Bowyer)