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Issue 169 | February - March 2013

Queens Head, Bulwick winsPub of the Year 2013

Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA | www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

With the dawning of a new year, yetmore challenges are still ahead for ourcampaign. Some of our members, as

reported in the last issue of BAE, did make thejourney down to London on the twelfth ofDecember, to be part of the Mass Lobby toParliament on scrapping the Duty Escalator onbeer tax. Whether our efforts are successful ornot remains to be seen, in spite of well over athousand CAMRA members turning up. We would certainly consider the exercise aresounding success!

Within our own branch we voted at ourDecember AGM to revise our pub nominationsystem, to award pubs accolades of recognitionof their efforts, in keeping the aims of ourcampaign foremost. We retain the nominationsystem whereby members can put forward pubsthat they feel deserve recognition of their servicesand efforts, to receive an award. We proposed todrop the divisive Hop award and use only theGold or Merit awards throughout the brancharea. Successful pubs receiving either of theseawards will automatically be nominees for thePub of The Year (POTY) award. The branchcommittee will also have the power to putforward a selection of pubs which they feelshould be considered worthy of some recogni-tion. This may also include the current holder ofPOTY to ‘defend their title’ the following year.All the pubs nominated would be subject toscrutiny by a sub-committee of members, with amaximum of 8 pubs going forward onto thePOTY voting form. Nominations must be madeby the 1st October, to allow for inclusion in thebi-annual newsletter to our branch members.

I would encourage all our members that haveconsidered nominating a pub to do so. Theymay not ‘make it’ to the final but you may getsome satisfaction from your efforts in helpingthem get the recognition they deserve. I alsoreported that our Pubs Officer Steve Williamsintended to resign the post at the AGM. In spite

of much arm twisting, grovelling, plying him withcopious amounts of alcohol and threats to hisgeneral demeanour - he’s gone! We may have anew appointment to the post in the near futurebut, at time of writing, I ask all contributors ofpub news to send it to me, or direct to our BAEeditor. (Please note copy deadlines).

Another new committee member has beenadded to our team in the form of Matt Macewho has agreed to take on the role of Vice-Chairman. In the event of me not being availableat any committee functions I’m confident Mattwill be a worthy stand-in.

Keep supporting our pubs at this difficult timeof the year. In the meantime we will continue ourbattle against the government to stop increasingtaxes and fight against the selling off of closedpubs to be converted into supermarkets thatalso are a cause of pub closures. We will alsokeep up the support of pubs that are losing outby the heavy handed practices of the pubcos.Here’s to a successful 2013 campaigning year!

Cheers David Murray,

Branch Chairman.

Chairman’s Corner | 3

Chairman’s Corner

ARE YOUMISSING OUT?Only the beer-stained copy left?

Get Beer Around Ere delivered to your door!For a year (6 issues) send a £3.30 for second

class or £3.90 for 1st Class cheque/POpayable to “Peterborough CAMRA” and your

address to:-

Daryl Ling, 19 Lidgate Close, OrtonLongueville Peterborough PE2 7ZA

Our first report of the New Year iscertainly a double edged sword. You maylove ‘em or hate ‘em but the fact remains

that Tim Martin, the big cheese of the JDWetherspoons pub chain, is well on target toreach the milestone of one thousand pubs. Mostof the pub conversions are done quite tastefullyeven if some are ’off the shelf’ clones. Locally, theclutch within our branch area are mainly wellsupported and accepted favourably. A few placeshave probably benefited from a ’spoons’ arrival,jogging some licensees to realise that you have towork hard to attract customers.

But! There are certain towns where the appear-ance of a new ‘spoons’ would not be welcome.The first place that springs to mind is Stamford.With a considerable wealth of pubs in the town,it’s not somewhere that you would think isdesperate for the addition of any more pubs, letalone a Wetherspoons. Yet the fact remains that itis on the cards, as they have secured the oldpremises of the country’s oldest newspaper TheStamford Mercury. Three pubs are all within ashort distance of the proposed site, with therecently renovated London Inn directly opposite.

It’s also reported that Oakham are in line tohave a ‘spoons’ as well. Not quite the same ascenario, but I doubt if the local licensees arejumping with joy. As I said, love ’em or not, thereare some places they really are not needed orindeed welcome! Nevertheless when the grandopening takes place I’ll most likely pay a visit tothe new pub, as I’d rather see a pub opening thanclosing.

The Spinning Wheel at Baston closed inOctober, but looks set to re-open soon afterbeing purchased from Wells & Youngs by locallandowner, Mark Richardson. Despite being newto the industry he’s hoping to recapture the pub’sformer glories with help from an experiencedpartner.

Bourne has a brand new family pub – the SugarMill. Situated opposite the Elsea Park estate justto the South of the town, this Marstons develop-ment is clearly aimed at the family market. A minimum of 3 Real ales are available -in theform of Pedigree, EPA and Hobgoblin on ourvisit. Those registering their names early atwww.marstonstaverns.co.uk /bourne/sugarmill arepromised a free pint on their first visit.

Also in Bourne, Smiths has undergone amakeover. The extensive range of beer remainsbut the downstairs restaurant at the rear of thepub has been converted into cosy ‘stable’ stylecompartments.

In Market Deeping, the former Rigby’s bar inthe Market Place has re-opened as the StoneLoach offering a range of ales from the Heinekenstable.

The long-closed Oak Inn at Easton-on-the-Hill,near Stamford has been sold with ‘change of use’planning permission.

Pub NewsPub News| 5

Continued Overleaf

Spinning Wheel, Baston

Sugar Mill, Bourne

4 Real Ales and Cider~

Log Fire Every Evening~

Great Music Every Day~

Pool Table & Dart Board~

Whisky Rack~

Lagers - Bitters - Ciders~

Bottled Real Ales~

Choice of 9 Wines~

Covered Heated Smoking Patio~

Free Parking~

Hot Drinks – Costa Coffee & Twinings Tea

~Big Screens - Live Sports

~Bar Food & Snacks

~Free Function Room

749 Lincoln Rd, New England PE1 3HDwww.thecrownonline.co.uk Tel: 0843 523 5181

OPENING TIMESMonday - Thursday 12 - 3pm & 5 - 11pm

Friday - Sunday 12 - 11pm

New Year SaleOffers throughout February and March.Drinks from 50p. Food from £1.

FEBRUARY - ‘MONTH OF LURRVE’we are ‘Lurrving’ camra!50p off all real aleOffer open to CAMRA card-carrying members

WeeklyMondays – Free PoolTuesdays – Food Night

Thursdays – Twisted musicFridays – LIVE NIGHTSaturdays – DJ Mr Fez

Sundays – Free Pub Games8pm Free Pub Quiz

Check website for full details

6 |Pub News Continued

News from the FensYe Olde Bridge Inn on the outskirts of Crowlandhas re-opened under new ownership of Alex andhis family. Currently open from noon to midnighton Tuesday to Sunday there are two real alesavailable (Greene King IPA and Black SheepBitter) with a third being added when demandpicks up. The IPA was on very good form at thetime of visiting. Food is served 12 to 2.30pm and5.30 to 8.30pm. Alex is planning entertainmentand a revamp of the beer garden before thesummer. This is a great pub to watch the sunsetover the fens after a stroll around the local coun-tryside.

The George and Angel in Crowland town squareis closed and currently up for lease by EnterpriseInns. A beautiful old pub which has seen its shareof ups and downs over the years. The last land-lord made a good effort, really smartening theplace up and serving good home cooked food.But unfortunately the high costs of running a tiedpub just didn’t work, a real shame. Fingerscrossed for a new lease of life.

Crowning Glory of Lincoln Road reopens!The Crown on Lincoln Rd,Peterborough has reopenedunder the new management ofJohn Lawrence. Once a wellknown fixture on thePeterborough real ale scene(even having a pub crawlnamed after it - The Crown toTown) the Crown had beenclosed for a couple of years

despite the best efforts of builder’s Baxter andKing who spent thousands on refurbishment. Now John has taken the reins heplans to get the pub with the royal title back on it’sthrone as the place to be for a good pint inPeterborough.

The pub has had further refurbishment with apool room added to the side and a comfortablelarge seating area which is warmed by a real logburner. Currently offering three real ales and onereal cider John told us he is open to suggestionsfrom real ale drinkers on the ale they would like tosee on the bar. Also throughout the month of

February John is promoting the ‘month ofLurrrve’ by loving CAMRA! Every card carryingmember of CAMRA will receive 50p, yes 50p off apint or bottle of real ale. Just show your card atthe bar. For further information on this offer andany of the events John has planned please contactthe pub on 0843 523 5181 or check outwww.thecrownonline.co.uk. Good luck John!

Guinness Crisps spotted locally. Our ad man Chris Shillingpicked up a packet of crisps‘flavoured with malt and hops’on a recent visit to the BlueBell at Maxey. Produced byBurts of Devon, it seems thatavailability is currently limitedto certain supermarkets, butwe wonder if this could start a

trend amongst real ale brewers. How do theytaste? ‘reminiscent of marmite flavour’ hereported.

Bluebell wins AwardCongratulations to the Bluebell, Belmesthorpewhich has won the Rutland CAMRA Branch Pubof the Year 2013.

Peterborough & District CAMRA POTYOur Pub of The Year has been voted as TheQueens Head at Bulwick, in Northants. A delighted landlord Rob was completelysurprised when he was informed. “I certainly didnot expect our pub to be anywhere close toreceiving the top award” A presentation will bemade to the pub in February as soon as a date isarranged. Congratulations to The Queens Headfor their achievement.

Crown, Pool Room

John Lawrence

Brewery News | 9

Hopshackle Brewery - Market DeepingHopshackle has a new Double IPA available atthe end of January 2013 called “Fire Belly“ 7.0%ABV. It is amber in colour and made with Citra,Columbus and Chinook hops - one for the hopheads !

Hopshackle Restoration 2010 9.5% ABV camesecond in the East Anglian Region Bottled BeerCompetition and now goes forward into the“Champion Bottled Beer Of Britain" competitionat the GBBF this year in August 2013

Noel

Bexar County BreweryThose of you who adhere to stereotypes will nodoubt be horrified to hear that there is anAmerican residing in the city who has started abrewery to produce ‘American style beers’. The prospect of local pubs being swamped withlocal versions of ‘Bud lite’ is not a pleasant one.Those of us with a broader education will be reas-sured by the knowledge that the United States ishome to one of the largest craft brewery move-ments of modern times. Times have changedsince your average bloke over the pond had achoice of Bud and Coors as the country is nowawash with beers of truly exotic flavours. Notcontent with brewing just a variation on bitters,milds and porters this new breed of Americansmall brewer calls on a massive range of influencesand styles from around the world. Our local manis no different.

Since late last year Steve Saldana has been busyexperimenting like a man possessed. Test brewafter test brew have revealed new and unusualbeers to challenge the beer scene not just locallybut also further a field. Whereas some brewerswould be content to produce an ordinary mild, Mr Saldana took another direction and produceda ‘Texas Pecan Coffee Mild’ using a coffee speciallyimported from his home town of San Antonio!Whatever next?

A look at some of the beers on the websitereveals a list of 9 beers which have been testbrewed. They range from the aforementioned mild to the unusually named San Jacinto, anAmerican style IPA with 6 hop additions.

Many of the beers are named to reflect Steve'sTexan heritage and as the history of the Lone StarState is inextricably linked with arguing, throwingrocks and generally shouting at Mexicans the beersare named accordingly. San Jacinto, El Alamo andCome and get it essentially commemorate battlesand collective fist shaking during the Texas War ofIndependence when the locals made it clear theydidn’t want to be Mexican. I’m sure there will bemore patriotically christened brews in the cata-logue soon! This close proximity to Mexico alsoaccounts for a certain Spanish influence in someof the names and La Perla Negra (Black Pearl) asingle hop porter is a prime example (there is alsoa La Perla Negra en Fuego meaning Black Pearlon fire which is dry hopped with Hatch chilliesfrom New Mexico!).

The name of the brewery is also a reflection ofhis San Antonian roots as the city resides in thatcounty, which incidentally isn’t pronounced as itlooks. Just think of the X in the middle being assilent as the grave and you’ll get on fine whenordering your pint.

Bexar County Brewery should be in full produc-tion by the time you read this and the beers willbe available locally although much of the outputwill be directed to the more specialised outletsaround the country. The beers have alreadyappeared in the Ostrich, Ploughman, Hand &Heart, Letter B in Whittlesey and several beerfestivals including Ely and the Pig’s Ear. Furtherinformation may be gleaned from the informative,hand crafted website where you can follow hisFacebook page, Twitter and other avenues tech-nical. www.bexarcountybrewery.com

Steve WilliamsBrewery Liaison Officer

Brewery News

parts of Millfield in the local press the day before!

Overall it was a good meeting and we were ableto get our points across. The most importantones being:

• The beer duty escalator doesn’t add up: it isfailing to generate the extra revenue that wasanticipated and eliminating it would increase beersales and hence beer duty into the Exchequer

• It is contributing to continued closure of pubs –currently 18 a week – which is harming localcommunities

• It is putting jobs at risk. There are almost 1000jobs in the local area supported by the pub andbeer trade

• The beer duty escalator disproportionatelyaffects pubs which offer a safe, sociable drinkingenvironment. Supermarkets on the other handcan offer alcohol as a loss-leader and sell higherstrength products without being held accountablefor anti-social behaviour

There were certainly signs that Stewart wassupportive of the overall aims of the campaignand he advised us to continue to lobby evenfurther up the chain by writing directly to theministers in charge. He also said he would help usto publicise the campaign if we can supply himwith relevant information. At other times howeverthere was evidence of familiar political rhetoric

with reference being made to the currenteconomic situation and the difficulties of reducingany form of duty. Despite attempting to argue thepoint of diminishing returns it appears there isstill some way to go to persuade our local MP ofthe benefit of scrapping the escalator altogether!We did receive an email shortly afterwards inwhich he offered his support to CAMRA sowatch this space.

When we returned to the Emmanuel Centre, viaa tavern or two (naturally !), there was a pleasantcelebratory atmosphere to the afternoon in thecapital. The auditorium was full of CAMRAmembers who had collectively lobbied half of theMP’s in Parliament and the news was starting tofilter into the media. The press was covering thestory, updates were being posted on Twitter andFacebook and there were cameramen (punintended!) gathered all over the place. For thenext hour and a half speakers took to the stage.These included Mike Benner and Colin Valentinefor CAMRA, MP’s Charlotte Leslie, GregMulholland, Andrew Griffith, Caroline Noakesand Hazel Blears, however the surprise of the daywas Dawn Hopkins, the owner of Ketts Tavern,The Rose pub and the Norwich Bear Brewery.She gave an impressive speech that got rousingapplause throughout as everyone in the roomappreciated the honesty of speaking from her ownpersonal experience of the pub trade.

In summing up she said: “You have to love this job to do it. Everyoneseems to know how to do our jobs better than wedo. I love working in my pub, I love the social life,I love the banter, I love my staff and I love most ofmy customers. But in this case love is notenough.”

And with that the biggest day in CAMRA’shistory came to end. The results of which will notbe seen until the next Budget when hopefully theTreasury will have considered carefully the soundeconomic arguments for not continuing with thebeer duty escalator.

Karl SimpsonPress & Public Affairs Officer

Campaigns Update: CAMRAWestminster Lobby Day

Campaigning | 11

On the 12th December over 1000 CAMRAmembers from all over the UK travelledto Westminster to lobby Parliament to

call for the end to the damaging beer duty esca-lator. This event, organized on the back of therecent 100,000 strong e-petition, was the biggestever campaigning event in CAMRA’s 40 yearhistory. Members from Peterborough were keen toshow their support too as a group from your localbranch made the journey to the capital to helpthe rally to “Save Your Pint”.

The day’s campaigning started at 11am as ourgroup convened at a specially selected venue, theEmmanuel Centre, a short walk from Parliamentitself. On arrival we received a briefing from our

guides from HQ and a pack prepared by thecampaign director, Jackie Parker. The purpose ofthe day was to see as many MP’s as possible andthis was an invaluable resource for our meeting.

Prior to the Lobby Day we had tried to set upappointments to see both Stewart Jackson(Peterborough Central) and Shailesh Vara (NWCambridgeshire). Unfortunately Shailesh was notin Parliament at the time of our visit. However wewere able to confirm a meeting with Stewart whovery kindly – and at short notice - arranged to seeus immediately after prime ministers questions.As soon as we were finished he was off to a radiointerview to explain in more detail somecomments he had made about the booze trade in

2012 proved to be Oakham Ales most successfulyear to date with sales up 15% on 2011. Awardsfor the year were numerous with the brewerybeing rightly proud of winning SupremeChampion beer at the S.I.B.A. National Awardswith Green Devil their 6.66% little hop monster.Following this success Green Devil became theirfirst regular brewed bottle conditioned beeravailable in 660ml bottles. With their beers nowbeing sold throughout the land more staff areneeded to flog it and the brewery now employs22 people and with it a brightly coloured fleet ofwagons shifting it around the highways andbyways.

This year sees a few changes to the brewingcalendar. The 5 regular beers remain with J.H.B.still by far the biggest seller in the portfolio. Theseasonal ales available for 3 months at a time incalendar order will be Preacher 4.3%, The Hareand the Hedgehog 3.9%, Endless Summer 3.4%and Asylum 4.5%. All have appeared before ashave the specials and vintage beers which atvarying times of the year will be Black HolePorter 5.5%, Green Devil 6.6%, Tranquility 6.5%and Attila 7.5%. A splendid quartet I think you’llagree!

The Oakadamy of Excellence continues togrow and new beers will be available to pubparticipants throughout the year. Brewed byOakham Ales themselves will be Jester’s Ferret3.6% in March, Eugene’s Lair 4.3% in June,Gilbert’s Fridge 4.1% in September, in Oct /Novwill be the brewery’s first attempt at a green hopbeer which is brewed using hops picked thatvery day so English hops it is then for GreenHarvest Ale at 3.6% and December has Edgar’sBazaar at 3.9%. The guest brewer idea went welland will be repeated with R.C.H. brewing a 4.1%Light Porter in Jan /Feb, a 3.7% amber beer fromSt. Austell for Apr/May and finally for July/Aug

the return of Green Jack brewing a Peach Wheatbeer at 3.9%. Bon appetit.

Still no firm news on the opening date of thenew London venue by The Oval cricket groundbut let’s hope it’s open by August as a celebra-tory pint or few after stuffing the Aussies in TheAshes wouldn’t arf be good.

For full details of the beers and other info visitthe brewery website at www. Oakhamales.com

Cheers,Dave Allett

A Look Through The Year Glass with Oakham Ales

www.real-ale.org.uk

Oakham Ales News | 13

www.real-ale.org.uk

12 | Please support our advertisers

Broad Street, Stamford - 01780 763426 A FREE HOUSE

Six Real Ales including Fullers London Pride,Abbot Ale and our very popular Doombar.

Food Served Monday - Friday 12 - 2pmSaturday 12 - 2.30pm

Open all day - every day • Large Beer Garden

Six Nations Rugby Live on Big Screen Starting 2nd Feb to 16th March

The Rose & Crown in March

5th Easter Beerfest Friday 29th March – Monday 1st April 2013

PUB OPENING HOURSFriday, Saturday & Sunday:

12noon-midnight Monday: 12noon-11pm

Pub food served 12noon-8pm

41 St Peters Road, March, PE15 9NA Tel: 01354 652077 www.theroseandcrownmarch.co.uk

20+ Real Ales

and RealCiders

LIVEMUSIC(Sat & SunEvenings)

Over the past few years TheCoalies tour party hasvisited many of the nation’s

finest real ale cities such as York,Norwich, Derby and Nottinghamto name but a few but this time wewanted to go somewhere a bit different and sodecided to stay local. After a bit of a discussion asto exactly where to go we decided to follow theCiti 1 bus route which runs between Werringtonand Orton, and for just £3.70 for a Dayriderticket, it was good value.

Whenever we go on tour we always start at TheDrapers for a hearty breakfast and we also hadour first pint of the day. There were 2Christmassy beers on and a couple fromOakham. We were there about 10ish and theplace was really busy. Posh were home that dayand we really wanted to avoid the football crowds.

After leaving Drapers, all 20 of us jumped on thebus and headed to Werrington and ThePloughman. We were a bit early for opening timebut when Andy saw 20 gasping people outside helet us in. He also bought us all a pint! And gaveus all bacon rolls. Top man. There were 5 beerson from Brains, Jennings, Hopping Mad andOakham. While there, 2 beers went and were

immediately replaced so 7 beers altogether. Thispub has been turned around so much since theSimmonds brothers took over but is still underthreat from the megabeast that is Tesco. If Tescoget their way and this pub closes it would be atravesty. Anyway, it was now time to leave andAndy, the landlord asked if he could tag alongwith us. Of course he could. We were now 21.

Our next port of call was tobe The Hand and Heart inHighbury Street. For those ofyou who don’t know, this is agreat little backstreet boozerthat always has a good range ofbeers and with Bram at thehelm you know the beer willalways be in good nick. When

we visited there were a couple of Great Oakleybeers, Wherry, Brewsters Andromeda and a beerfrom Venus Project. All very nice. And also a bigthank you to Sue for the lovely chilli. Time tomove on again and Bram asked to join us. Nowup to 22.

Back on the No.1 bus into town to visit TheOstrich, which in my opinion, is the best real alepub in the town centre. There were beers fromOakham Ales, Nene Valley, Cliff Quay and a testbrew from Bexar County. Watch out for thisbrewery when it starts full time brewing hopefullyvery early in the New Year. I’ve tried a few andthey are good. The Ostrich usually has 5 or 6beers on at £3 a pint and, once again all the beerswere good. A bit of a quandary now. Englandwere beating the All Blacks and the 2nd half hadjust started. Do we stay or go elsewhere? As thebuses run every 10 mins we decided to get the

Coalheavers Tour ofPeterborough

www.real-ale.org.uk

14 | Out and About with the Coalheavers Crew

Real Ales - Open FireLarge Selection of Beers & Spirits

Function Room for Private Parties

Disco every Fri, Sat and Sun

SKY and ESPN Sports in HD

Pool Table • Outside Garden • Car Park • Free WiFi • Freshly Ground Coffee

Warm and Friendly AtmosphereOpening Hours

Mon/Tues/Weds 11am - 11pmThurs/Fri/Sat 11am - 1.30am

Sun 12noon - 12pmFood Served daily 11am - 9pm

45 Alexandra Road, Wisbech PE13 1HQTel: 01945 467435

Real Ales • Large Selection of Lagers & SpiritsPool Table • Darts • Fruit Machine

Coffee to drink in or takeawayOpen Fire • Friendly Atmosphere

Outside Garden • Taking Bookings for Private Parties

Open Sunday to Thursday 11am - 11.30pmFriday and Saturday 11am - 1.30am

Old Market, Wisbech PE13 1NJTel: 01945 464589

Freehouse

London Street, Whittlesey PE7 1BH Tel: 01733 351001

3 Cask Ale pumps with at least 1

LocAle and others from far and wide

Food served every day • Sunday CarveryFunction rooms available to hire for all occasions

Quiz Night every Wednesday 8.30pm start

Valentines Day 14th February

£17.50 per personCall for further details and booking

continued on Page 17

PALMERSTONARMS82 Oundle Rd

www.palmerston-arms.co.uk

14 Ever-changing, gravity fed real ales Wood burner for winter

Opening Times

Mon - Thurs3-12pm

Fri and Sat12 - midnight

Sun12-11.30pm

QUIZ NIGHTEvery Sunday from 7.30pm

Cash jackpot and a gallon of ale!

VINYL NIGHTFri Feb 22nd and March 22ndBring down your favourite records

UKELELE SESSIONSfirst Thursday of every month

PHILOSOPHY NIGHTTues Feb 26th (7.30pm)

LAZY SUNDAYSfrom February (3pm)

For information on live entertainment go to

Palmerston Arms

www.real-ale.org.uk

16 | Please support our advertisers

Peterborough & District Branch

PUB OF THEYEAR 2013

Oakham JHB, Digfield Barnwell Bitter and Shepherd Neame Spitfire on permanently with two changing guest ales from local breweries.

Thank you to all our voters for awarding us Peterborough CAMRA

Pub of the Year 2013!

CAMRA MEMBERS DISCOUNT in February

10% off all Food and Drink

(Enjoy a meal with drinks and show usyour valid CAMRA card and we will

knock 10% off the bill!)

Queens Head, Bulwick, NorthamptonshireNN17 3DY Tel: 01780 450272

www.thequeensheadbulwick.co.uk

Opening Times Tuesday - Saturday:12 to 3pm and 6 to 11pm

Sunday: 12 to 7pm

Food Served Tuesday - Saturday: 12 to 2pm and 6 to 9pm

Sunday 12 to 3pm (Roast Rib of Beef every Sunday)

You might be a rambler or a cyclist, a neighbour, atourist - or just hungry and thirsty – but whether youarrive on foot, by bike or on four wheels, this pretty

stone-built inn offers a welcome that is family friendly,dog-friendly and, quite simply, all-round friendly.

Out and About with the Coalheavers Crew - continued | 17

bus and go to The Swiss Cottage as they haveSky sports to watch the rest of the game.Unfortunately the next 3 buses didn’t turn up andwe got to The Swiss just as the game ended.Never mind, we would just have to drink beerinstead. The Swiss always has Roosters Yankeeand there was also St. Austell Tribute and DigfieldFools Gold. There are usually only 2 beers on andoccasionally 3, but it’s a great little pub and alwaysbusy. If you haven’t been before, it’s well worth avisit. We did intend visiting The Cherry Tree butbecause of the late bus we had to miss it out butwe will definitely do it on the next trip. The beerquality there has improved dramatically under thenew owners.

Next stop was a 2 minute walk away, ThePalmerston Arms. This once very busy pub hadbeen struggling a bit recently but with newlicensee Ian Benton, a former regular of the pub,now running things, the pub is now back to itsbest with about 10 to 12 very well kept beers on.It was here that the memory started to slip a bit,especially after having the 7.5% Batemans BBB.Batemans and Oakham Ales are always on hereand half a dozen others from various breweries. Ifyou haven’t been too pleased with The Palmyrecently, I urge you to visit again, you will beimpressed.

Last stop today was home ground, TheCoalheavers Arms. For those of you who don’tknow ‘The Coalies’, it is tucked away in Park St.in Woodston. The pub has 8 hand pumps and arange of Belgian beers and for the unconverted;one English unpasteurised lager is available. Thisis a great little pub with a friendly atmosphere,well worth visiting, especially during its 2 beerfestivals each year. Several beers from Milton wereon along with 2 from Arbor, a Great Oakley andanother that I cannot remember. I blame theBBB.

All in all a great day and its good that you cannow do a decent tour of Peterborough. In allabout 44 different beers were available that dayand if we had visited either of the Oakham Ales

pubs that figure would have been at least 50,unfortunately we didn’t have time to visit these 2pubs. It was also unfortunate that we didn’t get tothe Solstice as I hear they have more beers onnow. The next time we do this crawl we willinclude The Solstice and Cherry Tree.

Dave Botton

Up to 4 Real Ales available • Friendly villagepub with riverside mooring

• Large garden • Dogs welcome

Food served: Tues to Sun 12 - 2.30pm, Mon to Sat 6pm - 9pm

LIVE MUSICSATURDAY 2ND MARCH - 9pmTHE ROCKET DOGS

www.real-ale.org.uk

18 | Please support our advertisers

~ Eye ~Blue Boar

46 High Street, Eye, Peterborough PE6 7UY Tel: 01733 222234

Selection of Real Ales includingOakham Ales

Sky Sports • Pool Table • Darts

Regular live music and KaraokeBar snacks available Tuesday to

Saturday lunchtimesHome cooked Sunday LunchesSmall conference room available

(Weddings,Christenings and business facilities)

FREE Beer FestivalMay 10th to 15th

Award winning village local in historic Castor. Close to the Nene Valley Railway & Ferry Meadows.Serves 5 guest ales & real cider. Walker & dog friendly. Home cooked food lunchtime & midweek evenings

The Prince of Wales FeathersCastor, Peterborough Tel: 01733 380222

© M

ick S

laugh

ter 2

009

Well-You could turn it into another tax-exemptcoffee chain, or you could open another‘Lloydaspoons’. But what if it’s a village bankbarely big enough for Two Tellers and sixcustomers?

Well if you are the Postmaster in Willinghamnear Cambridge you turn it into the area’s firstMicro Pub! Chris Warren always thought runninga pub might be a good thing to do betweenclosing the blinds at the Post Office at 5.30pmand letting in the postmen at 5am, so whenLloyds Bank decided to give up the bank inWillingham, wheels started turning in real ale loverChris’s mind and the “What if ?” scenario slowlyturned to “Why not?” and The Bank moved fromimagination to hard bricks and mortar.

With the help of wife Linda designing and plan-ning the customer side of things, and opening justbefore Christmas 2012, The Bank offers a selec-tion of real ales served straight from the caskbehind the bar in excellent condition.

The range on offer varies from week to week andoften day to day as the policy appears to be tooffer the greatest choice of available beers to thepublic without ties to Breweries.

The first time I visited there were only two beersavailable, Adnams Broadside and American IPA,both in superb condition. I was told that thereduced selection was due to the good villagers ofWillingham seeing off 5 different casks of ale theprevious night! A little investigation revealed theevidence- 12 empty casks awaiting collection atthe back of the premises! On my next visit toThe Bank there were four ales available, theAdnams Sole Star and Milton Pegasus that Isampled were, as I have come to expect, on topform. Quietly working on the stillage ready for thenext session were Black Sheep and Everards OldFlame.

The Bank is situated on High Street,Willingham and is approximately 5 miles north ofthe A14 at Bar Hill, it is also easily walkable fromLongstanton Guided Busway. The Bank is openfrom 6pm to 10pm on Tuesdays, 5.30pm to 10pmWednesdays and Thursdays to Saturdays 5.30 to11pm.

For more details call Chris or Linda at TheBank on 01954 260331

D.T.E. Clowne

News | 19

What do you do with aRedundant Bank?

Vince Cable steps in to protect pub landlords Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced plans for a statutory code of conduct togovern the relationship between pub companies and publicans. Here is the full letterprinted as received, it makes for hopeful reading!

20 | Campaigning News Campaigning News | 21

www.real-ale.org.uk

22 | Please support our advertisers

www.real-ale.org.uk

Please support our advertisers | 23

NOW SERVING SIX REAL ALESplus Ciders and Perries. Over 30 Malt Whiskies

• Food served daily •12-3pm Monday - Sunday6-9pm Friday & Saturday

• Sky HD and 3D showing Football and Rugby •

t. 01780 755141 w. jollybrewer.comFoundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP

NOW SERVING SIX REAL ALESplus Ciders and Perries. Over 30 Malt Whiskies

• Food served daily •12-3pm Monday - Sunday6-9pm Friday & Saturday

• Sky HD and 3D showing Football and Rugby •

The Cherry Tree9 - 11 Oundle Road,

Peterborough PE2 9PB

Tel: 01733 703495

FOUR Real Ales available including Oakham Inferno,Timothy Tayor Landlord and two

changing guest ales.

OPEN ALL DAY EVERYDAY

Traditional Meals Served Mon - Thurs and Sundays

Private Function room holds up to 40 people

Ideal for small meetings, weddings and parties

Covered Smoking Area

Valentine’s DayMeals for Two only £10

From the specials board • Bookings now being taken

AMPLE PARKING • CAMRA GOLD AWARDwww.cherrytree-inn.co.uk

FEBRUARY1st FEB - The Feds - Ploughman, Werrington

1st FEB - The Undercovered - Charters, Town Centre

2nd FEB - Electric Warriors - Prince of Wales, Castor

2nd FEB - Eyes Wide Open - Blue Boar, Eye

3rd FEB - Jimmi and Pep - Charters, Town Centre

8th FEB - Symptom - Charters, Town Centre

8th FEB - Ramshackled Serinade - Ploughman,

Werrington

9th FEB - Hooker - Blue Boar, Eye

9th FEB - Mid Life Crisis - Dragon, Werrington

9th FEB - Kickback - Carpenters Arms Stanground

10th FEB - Best of Unplugged - Charters, Town Centre

15th FEB - More I See - Charters, Town Centre

15th FEB - Circa 73 - Ploughman, Werrington

16th FEB - Les Woods - Prince of Wales, Castor

17th FEB - Lexie Green - Charters, Town Centre

22nd FEB - Honeywell - Blue Boar, Eye

22nd FEB - Mazlow - Charters, Town Centre

23rd FEB - Overdubs - Dragon, Werrington

16th FEB - Mistreated - Prince of Wales, Castor

24th FEB - Bon Rogers - Charters, Town Centre

MARCH1st MAR - 9pm - Children of the Revolution -Charters, Town Centre

2nd MAR - Bebop Alula’s - Prince of Wales, Castor

2nd MAR - 9pm - Rocket Dogs - Woolpack, Stanground

2nd MAR - Twenty4 - Blue Boar, Eye

8th MAR - Kickback - The Golden Fleece Stamford

8th MAR - The Zoots - Charters, Town Centre

2nd MAR - Children of the Revolution - Prince ofWales, Castor

9th MAR - Disco - Blue Boar, Eye

10th MAR - Best of Unplugged - Charters, Town Centre

16th MAR - The Wash - Blue Boar, Eye

16th MAR - Kickback - The Stage - Deeping

16th MAR - The Malingerers - Prince of Wales, Castor

22nd MAR - Kickback - Swiss Cottage - Woodston

23rd MAR - Amplified - Prince of Wales, Castor

29th MAR - Groove Cartel - Charters, Town Centre

29th MAR - Kickback - Ostrich - Town Centre

30th MAR - Glassheart - Blue Boar, Eye

30th MAR - The Les Woods Band - Charters, Town

Centre

REGULAR EVENTSCharters Unplugged takes place on the firstMonday of every month, hosted by Bon Rogers-White and featuring a guest artist. Also atCharters Pint of Poetry & A Dash of Dramaremain on every 2nd Wednesday.

Live Bluegrass Session every third Monday of themonth at the Shuckburgh Arms, Southwick.

Send any details for April / May gigs toinfo@orchardhousemedia.co.uk before 10th MarchIt’s FREE to list your gigs here!

Rhythmand Booze

GIG GUIDE

www.real-ale.org.uk

24 | Please support our advertisers

Real traditional ale house in the heart of the city

North Street, behind Westgate House, Peterborough Tel: 01733 746370www.facebook.com/ostrichinn

5 Regularly Rotating AlesOpening Times :- 11am -11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am -1am Friday to

Saturday, 12 - 11pm Sunday,

Live Music Fridays and Saturdays - ring or check facebook for details!

IN THE CAMRAGOOD BEERGUIDE 2013

FEBRUARYTuesday 5th February: Branch CommitteeMeeting at The Dragon, Werrington.

Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th:23rd Battersea Beer FestivalBattersea Arts Centre (BAC)Lavender Hill150 kils of beer from around the country,traditional ciders and perries, country winesand continental beers.Contact :info@batterseabeerfestival.org.uk

Saturday 23rd February: POTY presenta-tion to the Queens Head, Bulwick. DepartBrewery Tap 6 pm. Cost £7 each.

Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rdChelmsford Winter Beer & Cider FestivalKing Edward Sixth Grammar SchoolBroomfield Road, Chelmsford180+ beers with emphasis on winter brews;also cider + Belgian beersContact: camra@chelmsfordcamra.org.uk

Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rdDerby Winter Beer FestivalRoundhouse, Pride ParkDerby DE24 8JEContact: www.derbycamra.org.uk

MARCHMonday 4th March : Branch CommitteeMeeting at The College Arms, Broadway,Peterborough.

Wednesday 6th to Friday 8th29th London Drinker Beer & CiderFestivalCamden Centre,Bidborough Street London70+ real ales plus great range of importedbeers, ciders and perries.Contact: ianshacklock@gmail.comwww.camranorthlondon.org.uk

14th - 16th Empingham Cricket AndSocial Club 5th Annual Beer FestivalExton Road, Empingham, Rutland. LE158QB. At least 15 Real ales, Sports Quiz,Live Music.

Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rdLeicester CAMRA Beer Festival220 real ales, 35 ciders and perriesSee advert on this page.

APRILThursday 18th - Tuesday 23rdHand & Heart 4th St George’s Beer &Music Fest. A full itinerary of events &bands for the (very) long weekend will beposted on the facebook page & website.

Friday 19th - Sunday 21stCAMRA Members’ AGM Weekend inNorwich see advert on oppostite page.

Diary DatesDiary Dates | 27

www.real-ale.org.uk

28 | Please support our advertisers

29 Scotgate, Stamford Tel: 01780 753 598

Established in 1796 as one of the ORIGINAL Stamford Ale Houseswith a large beer garden, providing accommodation with free WI-FI.

Serving eight real ales and six real ciders.

We also host two annual beer festivals in April and September.

Live Music eventsplease call for more information

Please support our advertisers | 29

30 | Contact Details

The next issue of BAE will beavailable on: 21st MarchWe must have your stories,news and advertisements by: 4th MarchLate copy cannot be guaranteed entry.

Please contact Chris Shilling01778 421550Mobile: 07736 635 916 or Jane Michelson01778 420888Mobile: 07732 393621jane@shillingmedia.co.ukfor all of your advertising needs.

Neil Holmespubs-officer@real-ale.org.uk or 07886 974977 isalways looking for pub news.

Please send stories and othercopy to bae-editor@real-ale.org.uk

Beer Around ‘Ere is published by Peterborough &District Branch of CAMRA Copyright © 2013, TheCampaign for Real Ale Ltd.

Views or comments expressedin this publication may not necessarily be those of theEditor or of CAMRA.

Beer Around ’Ere

Editor: Jane Flewbae-editor@real-ale.org.uk

Distribution: David Murray(See Chairman on the left)

Advertising: Jane Michelson01778 420888Mobile: 07732 393621jane@shillingmedia.co.uk

Magazine & AdvertisingProduction: Daniel Speed01733 211001info@orchardhousemedia.co.uk

Postal Distr: Daryl Ling01733 235881

Brewery Liaison Officers

Blue Bell: John Hunt07923 489917Bexar County Brewery:Steve WilliamsCastor Ales: Mike Lane07850 334203Digfield: Dave Waller07821 912605Elgoods: John Hunt07923 489917Hopshackle: Noel Ryland07944 869656Melbourn: Lew Clayton01780 765063Nene Valley: Bob Melville07941 246693Oakham Ales: Dave Allett07966 344417Tydd Steam: John Hunt07923 489917

Trading Standards08545 040506www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Check out our websites at:www.real-ale.org.ukwww.beer-fest.org.uk

Branch Committee

Secretary: Dickie Bird4 Cissbury Ring,WerringtonPeterborough, PE4 6QH01733 574226 (tel & fax)07731 993896 info@real-ale.org.uk

Chairman: David Murray01733 560453chairman@real-ale.org.uk

Treasurer: Paul Beecham01733 31198107710 0086930870 7620848 (fax)treasurer@real-ale.org.uk

Vice Chair: Matthew Mace07809 629241vice-chair@real-ale.org.uk

Social Sec: John Hunt07923 489917social-sec@real-ale.org.uk

Pubs Officer: Neil Holmes07886 974977pubs-officer@real-ale.org.uk

Press Officer: Karl Simpson07737 297072press-officer@real-ale.org.uk

Young Members: Katie Barrett07951 919451young-members@real-ale.org.uk

Membership: Steve Saldana07988 067260membership@real-ale.org.uk

Festival Org: Mike Lane07850 334203festival-organiser@real-ale.org.uk

LocAle Officer: John Rice07759 342702locale@real-ale.org.uk

Webmaster: Harry Mortenwebmaster@real-ale.org.uk

The Simmonds Family present:

THREE GREAT PUBS serving Real Ale with fantastic prices!

Staniland Way, Werrington centre PE4 6NA Tel: 01733 327696 www.savetheploughman.com

Peterborough CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011Seven Real Ales from £2.00 a pint

Live Satellite Sports • Live EntertainmentHappy Hour Monday - Friday 5-7pm

31 Station Hill, Brixham TQ5 8BNTel: 01803 852074

6 hand pumps and a regular £2 specialWeekly Live Music and EventsFacebook: The-Queens-Arms

The Queens Arms

THE DRAGONHodgson Centre, Hodgson Ave PE4 5EG

Tel: 01733 578088Six Real Ales from £2.20 a pint

Live Satellite Sports• Live Entertainment

A great welcome awaits you at The Farmers, Yaxley. We are famous for our fresh vegetables and great carverymeats, succulent and served with all the trimmings, thenfinished off with a tantalising hot or cold dessert!

Check out our lunch time grill menu’s and our ever changing specials boards. Put it all together with three fine cask ales and you have the perfect place to enjoy dinner with friends or a family celebration. We have aself contained function suite which is ideal for parties,weddings and all of life’s celebrations.

So if you’ve not been before give us a try and you’ll bepleasantly surprised.

More than just a Carvery!

At Least Three

Real Ales!

Open Every Day10am - 5.30pm All Day Menu & Coffee

Midday - 2:30pm Carvery & Specials Menu5:30pm - LATE Carvery & Grill MenuSunday Open From 12 Noon - 9pm

All Day Carvery

Big

Breakfast

every

Sat 8 to 11

am

Help yourself from the carvery,

as much a

s you can ea

t for

only £5.95!

200 Broadway, Yaxley Tel: 01733 244885Email: thefarmers@btconnect.com

www.thefarmersyaxley.co.uk

Now Taking Bookings for Valentines Day and Mothering Sunday