beer around 'ere issue 182

Ten Real Ales from £2.00 a pint

Permanent range of ales

Four Real CidersLive Sky Sports

Live Entertainment

Happy Hour Monday - Friday 5-7pm

P ETERBOROUGH CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 & 2011

CAMRA Gold award 2013

The Ploughman Staniland Way, Werrington Centre Tel: 01733 327696

The Dragon Hodgson Centre, Hodgson Ave PE4 5EG Tel: 01733 578088

Six Real Ales from £2.50 a pint

Proud supporter of

Live Sky Sports

Live Entertainment

Cash Quiz every Sunday from 8pm

P ETERBOROUGH CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 Runner Up

CAMRA Gold award 2013

Both pubs are in the CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2015!

‘Simmospoons’pubs have raised

over £45,000 for charity in

five years!

Editor: Jane [email protected]

Published by: Peterborough & DistrictBranch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

Produced on behalf of CAMRA by:Orchard House Media LtdSuite 30 Eventus, Sunderland Rd,Market Deeping. Tel: 01778 382758

Magazine Design & Production: Daniel Speed [email protected]

Advertising Sales Manager:Jane [email protected]: 01778 382718

Distribution:David [email protected]

Proof Reading:Bob Melville - 07941 246693

Printed By:Precision Colour Print LtdHaldane, Telford, Shropshire TF7 4QQ

Circulation: 7,000 copies distributed topubs, clubs and members throughout thePeterborough and District CAMRABranch area. A digital version of thismagazine is available to view and download at issuu.com

Cover Image:Illustration by Daniel Speed

Editor’s ramblings |3

Beer Around ‘Ere is publishedby the Peterborough & DistrictBranch of CAMRA Copyright© 2015, The Campaign forReal Ale Ltd.

Views or comments expressedin this publication may not necessarily bethose of the Editor or of CAMRA.

The next issue of Beer Around ‘Ere will beavailable on the 28th May. We must have your stories, news and advertisements by 3rd May. Please sendyour stories and other copy to the editor,Jane Brown.

Greetings! Annual Pie Night at Letter B,Whittlesey has been and goneand as usual was a very enjoy-able evening. Good food andale, what more could you askfor! Now we have the localbeer festivals to look forward

to. Spring must be on the way!

April is Community Pubs month and I have readrecently that apparently 40% of people no longervisit a pub and only 14% of adults visit the pubonce a week or more. In independent research,published by CAMRA in January 2015, 23% ofpub goers said that they visit the pub less often thanthey did 12 months ago. Therefore, we should beencouraging people to visit their local pub and doit soon! Please support your local in CommunityPubs month and/or join us on the CommunityPubs Month Pub Crawl on Saturday 18th April.For further information on this and other socialevents see Diary Dates page 27 or visit the websitehttp://peterborough-camra.org.uk/

Pubs really do need you to survive. They are notjust places to drink, they are places to meet peopleand to socialise. A press release in early Marchfrom the Department for Communities and LocalGovernment, Kris Hopkins MP and StephenWilliams MP stated that 23rd March would be a

national celebration day for the hundreds of pubslisted as assets of community value. It also statesthat due to the passion demonstrated for pubs,ministers are in the process of changing the law togive communities a say in the planning processwhen changes are proposed to the use of theirlisted locals. A step in the right direction? Let’s keep up the good work.

Cheers JB

IN THIS ISSUEWelcome from the editor 3

Chairman’s corner 5

Pub news 7–11

Shoulder of Mutton 12–13

Brewery news 14–17

Richard Boston remembered 18–19

Pub angels 21

Cider in May 23

Disappearing boozers

of Stamford part two 24–25

Gig guide 26

Diary dates 27

Membership matters 28

Contacts 30

Visit our web site for up-to-date news: www.real-ale.org.uk APRIL / MAY 2015 |BEER AROUND ERE

BEER AROUND ERE | APRIL / MAY 2015 Visit our web site for up-to-date news: www.real-ale.org.uk

4 | Please support our advertisers

Home cooked Sunday lunchesMeals served Tues - Fri lunchtime &evening and on Saturdays 2 - 5pm

Bands & Discos at weekendsFunctions & parties catered for

Conference room available for business useFour real ales, Three changing regularly

Six draught lagersLarge beer garden with children’s play area

Large car parkSky & BT Sports (Two TV’s)

Pool and Darts

Blue Boar, Eye blueboareyet. 01780 755141 w. jollybrewer.comFoundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP

• Food Served Daily •12-3pm Monday - Sunday6-9pm Friday & SaturdaySunday Roasts 12-3pm

Brewery coming soon

Chairman’s corner |5

Hey-ho here we are again at the start of another‘silly season’ but I don’t mean the annual festiveone. Every four or five years we have to endure thepolitical elite within our society babbling on aboutwhat they will promise to do, if elected, to improveour daily lives. The word ‘promise’ features quiteprominently in their speeches.

Now CAMRA has no alignment to or with anyof the political parties. We do however continuallylobby MPs on our main campaigns to protect thetraditional drinking culture of our country. Thisincludes pubs, breweries and real ale. The previousgovernment were a disaster for the pub and drinksindustry on the whole. The present governmenthave in some ways eased the pressure on the pubindustry by, for example, scrapping the hated dutyescalator and reducing the duty again in last year’sbudget. We have evidence that those two movesresulted in over 1000 pubs being saved fromclosure and pub beer prices may have increased,but by far less than if these measures had not beenimplemented. This comes from a report by theCentre of Economic and Business Research (Cebr)produced for CAMRA. With this evidence in ourgrasp we are calling on the Chancellor, GeorgeOsborne, to ‘make it three George’ with anotherduty cut.

There are still a lot of pieces of the jigsaw to beinserted to make a ‘level playing field’, forexample, the pubs versus supermarket disparity.This is a subject close to the heart of Tim Martin,chairman of the Wetherspoon chain. He has beenquoted as saying “these frustrations are par for thecourse in a democracy, and would criticism such asmine be tolerated in several other so called demo-cratic countries.” So we can be thankful that wecan make these comments about our rulers andnot get slung in prison for doing so.

So having got our point across to the politicians, I now make a plea to you. I am aware that manypeople dislike politicians and yes some may appearto look down on us mere mortals with little regardand maybe, in some cases, with contempt. I don’tcare who you cast your vote for, The RavingLooney Party, The Left Handed Bottle OpenerParty, The Beer is Nectar Party or even one of themain contenders – just go out and VOTE! No vote– no complaining, right. End of electioneering!

One of our local ‘spoons’ pubs has just celebratedits ten year anniversary. The Drapers Arms inCowgate, Peterborough, was opened on the 9thMarch 2005, having previously been The OldMonk and before that a drapers and carpet shop.They had sold over 100 different real ales frombeginning January this year to the end of Februaryand are continually in the top ten of thecompany’s pubs selling the most real ale. Anotherone of their pubs in the Branch area, The Hippo-drome in March, Cambs has opened a hotelalongside the pub. The former cinema and bingohall now has 13 bedrooms, comprising of 10doubles and three family rooms, one being acces-sible for those with disabilities. You can read a lotmore about our local pub scene in the pubs newspage from our Pubs Officer, John Temple, (seepages 7-11).

That’s it for now folks. Please do make the effortto vote in the election.

David Murray Branch Chairman

Chairman’s Corner


Hey-ho here we are again at the start of another ‘silly season’but I don’t mean the annual festive one.

12 Highbury Street, Millfield, Peterborough PE1 3BE01733 564653 www.thehandandheart.com

This Art Deco, backstreet local is a well kept secretjust one mile from Peterborough City Centre!

Citi One Stagecoach Bus stops on Lincoln Road, just 150 yards from the pub.

Umpteen years in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide including 2015!

The only pub within Cambridgeshire to be listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

70+ Real Ales (including festival specials from LocAle breweries)

Opening Hours for FestThursday 23rd & Sunday 26th - noon - 11:30pmFriday & Saturday 24th & 25th - noon - midnight

Live music all evenings on the stage

Presentation of Pub of the Year 2015 Award at 8:30pm on 23rd April

Home cooked food available all sessions Fri-Sun

In support of Help for Heroes & Coming HomeFriends of theHand & Heart

Pub news |7

“April is the cruelest month” said the poet. Not forme, for this is the time of the year when beer festivals resurface like spring flowers: Charters,Green Man (Stamford) April 3rd-6th, Coal-heavers Arms, Hand and Heart, April23rd-26th. If you are lucky enough to live inCastor you can follow the host of golden daffodilsalong Love’s Hill to the Prince of WalesFeathers. Simon and Kay are promising yetanother of their festivals on the 14th-17th May,many of which I have recollected in sobriety. Thetheme this time will be the two hundredth anniver-sary of the Battle of Waterloo. Meanwhile Roband Meri at the Heron in Stanground will beshowcasing Locales for the whole of April with aspecial focus on their anniversary on the 17th -18thwhen several bands will be featured. This is Roband Meri’s gesture towards all of the local brew-eries who have supported them over the past year.

On the BrinkI am continuously told on my travels that theproblem with the branch is that we are too Peter-borough centered and that we do not get aboutenough. Considering that it is the home ofElgood’s, the oldest commercial brewer in thebranch area, and that I hadn’t been there sincethey brewed the celebrated Mousehole Porter forthe PBF cellar team (silver medal 2005) I thought itwas time I returned to Wisbech.

Elgood’s is an original Georgian brewery and islargely unchanged except for its closed fermentingvessels. It is fittingly located on the elegant Geor-gian terrace along the North Brink. The nearestpub to the brewery is the Rose Tavern whichlandlord Dave O’Connell has run for the lastfifteen years. He told me, more than once, that hehas the biggest “wet sales” in Wisbech, and judgingby the quality of the Woodford Wherry and theLondon Pride which I drank I am not surprised.Bateman’s XXXB and Slaters Premium were alsoavailable and Dave will be running yet another ofhis beer festivals in the last week of June.

Along the road is the Red Lion, an Elgood’s tiedhouse promoting most of the range and servinggenerously-portioned Sunday lunches. The bar istraditional with photos and prints of old Wisbechand the restaurant is to the rear with accommodationfor over 50 diners. I drank the Cambridge at areasonable £3.20 and the barmaid told me thatthe Wi-Fi was free. Unfortunately she couldn’t tellme who brewed it.

I hope I did something to redress my failure toattend Straw Bear by drinking Elgood’s specialbeer for the event, appropriately called Straw Beer,and, frankly, I was impressed. I found this in theHare and Hounds where, unfortunately, JackieOwens is leaving to concentrate on the farm.Elgood’s Cambridge was also available here, and I was particularly impressed by the wood-panelledcorridor which flanks the bar and reaches back tothe hotel. I understand that this pub is likely to betaken over by Matthew Stewart of the KingsHead.

Over the BrinkAs the town has become the home of manymigrant workers over the past few years I am notsurprised to see some of them filtering into thelicensed trade. The Kings Head is run by AigarsBulsevics who intends to reintroduce real ale and isalso considering a concessionary price forCAMRA members. He is currently domiciled inthe Angel where he has an Elgood’s beer,currently Cambridge, constantly on gravity. Thebeer was so good here that we had to stay for asecond pint - it is good to get your tongue around atraditional English bitter. Another of Aigars’ pubsis the Three Tuns on the Norwich Road, and thelocals there have given him credit for completelyturning the pub round. I think it is the only pub Ihave been in where they have two fresh roses in asmall glass phial on every table in the public bar.Another Elgood’s pub, and amongst the advertisedrange I noticed Greyhound which I haven’t seenfor some time. Aigars informed me that the


Pub News

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8 | Pub news - continued

brewery intend to start brewing it again. He is anextremely congenial and enterprising host and Iam sure that his pubs will continue to prosper.

Perhaps the best situated pubs in Wisbech are theRose and Crown Hotel and the Globe, eitherend of the Market Square. Unfortunately there isno real ale in the former but this is more thanadequately compensated by the Globe. LandlordPhil serves five beers from the Greene King stableincluding Golden Glow which is especiallytweaked for the pub. On St. George’s Day he willrack a further five beers in the bar for a minifestival and hopes that the event will continue forabout a week. Selling IPA at £1.90 a pint, OldSpeckled Hen at £2.00 and Abbot at £2.30, thispub was packed on a Friday afternoon. I wonderwhat his secret is?

As the Great Lager Endarkenment draws to aclose, it is inevitable that we visit pubs where thisinnocuous product is being outstripped by realbeer. I am talking of course of the tasteless, gassydrink masquerading as real lager that has beeninflicted on innocent drinkers in this country forthe last few decades. I was therefore pleased todiscuss with the manager of the Wheatsheaf, MattThompson, the opportunity of furthering thisprocess by targeting the younger drinker. If thiscan happen in a Wetherspoons in Wisbech, Isuspect in future this product will be consigned todarkest Benidorm. Just to show that Wetherspoonsare aware of this invidious comparison, the chainis currently showcasing their International CraftBrewers range, which often features real lager. Ifound this the least food orientated Wetherspoons Ihave been in. Available were the usual suspects:Ruddles Bitter, Greene King Abbot, Sharpe’sDoombar and Adnams Broadside and four guests,including on this occasion Elland’s award winning1872 Porter.

Stamford updateDean from the Jolly Brewer in Stamford hasfinally opened his microbrewery in Ketton.Further details to follow. The Stamford andRutland Mercury has awarded “Best Bar of 2014”to the Five Horseshoes in Barholm. Consid-

ering the competition they have in the town itself,this is a considerable achievement. The Punch-bowl is still closed but I have picked up anunauthenticated rumour that it is being viewed bya microbrewer presumably intending to brew onthe premises. The facilities would lend themselveseasily to this kind of venture. Alun Thomas hasinformed me that the Millstone has now revertedto opening every day. Just as I said, this column isout of date as soon as I have written it.

North and SouthThose citizens of the south ready to break out oftheir cocoon might occasionally decide to jump ona No 1 bus and enjoy the delights of Werrington.Werrington is blessed with a number of excellentpubs and, as time and top ups wait for no man, Ihope to produce a more comprehensive survey inthe next issue. For the time being I should like tofocus on the recently reopened Blue Bell.

After a brief closure, Helen and Rob havearrived from the Decoy in Milking Nook andintroduced a wealth of new measures. Rob isrestyling the pub in the mode of “shabby chicrustic”. The cellar has been completely over-hauled by the Elgood’s team. Eight hand pumpsare now in place and are serving four Elgood’s anda featured guest brewery every month (St.Austellwhen I visited). The entire bar staff are trained incellar hygiene and the highest standards ofcustomer service are encouraged. Garden func-tions are being promoted and five weddings havealready been booked for the forthcoming months.Helen is turning the elegant entrance hall into apicture gallery with photos and prints celebratingthe history of Werrington – sure to be somethingof a tourist attraction. She understands perfectlythat a good pub is a mixture of people and this isreflected in the entertainment policy which istailored to the varied local populace that is herpotential custom. She took a business plan toElgood’s and they have supported it. I amextremely optimistic about the progress of thisventure as it strikes me as a beacon to all thosewho believe that growth in the pub industrydepends upon innovation, imagination and a senseof mutual obligation between supplier, landlordand customer.


Pub news - continued |9

Country matters Steve and Sheila Shreeve will be celebrating theirtwentieth anniversary at the Rose and Crown atThorney with a similar sense of innovation. As the local post office is closing they haveprovided it with a new home in their back bar andwill also be running a cafe from 9am providingbreakfasts and cakes and coffees. Steve has writtento tell us that “the main function of the pub willremain serving a high standard of freshlyproduced and cooked cuisine alongside excellentbeers including 4 superb ever changing real ales -this week’s includes, Adnams Ghost Ship, MileTree Amber Pale, Greene King IPA and TyddSteam Cock. We provide special menus for privatefunctions and dinner parties as well as our barsnacks or ‘a la carte’ menus.”

Roy Baines at the Stilton Country Club hasobtained a pub licence and is renaming it theStilton Tunnels. The Waggon and Horses inLangtoft is currently closed, but as there is a “ToLet” sign outside, I assume that Enterprise intendto keep it open.

The last time I was in Ramsey I was informedthat the magnificent coaching inn, The Georgewas about to close and there was some speculationthat Wetherspoons had it in their sights. LeighShepherd, my Ramsey spy, has reassured me,reporting as follows: “The 400 year old, grade IIlisted George Hotel re-opened in January after ashort closure over Christmas and New Year. Theprevious tenants left at very short notice but newtenants Sean and Janine Moon have now takenover. Sean says he has been in the pub trade sincehe was a lad and has moved to the George from apub in Coventry. The pub has 3 hand-pumps andSean and Janine are selling a variety of real alesfrom the Punch Taverns list. At the time of ourvisit they only had Sharps Doom Bar available, butMarston’s EPA and St Austell Tribute had justfinished and Shepherd Neame Spitfire and BlackSheep bitter were ready to come on. This is one ofthe few pubs in the area that has 1/3 pint glassesavailable. The hotel has 10 motel style bedrooms, arestaurant offering traditional pub food and anattached coffee bar. Sean hopes to stage a beer

festival in the pub garden in the summer.” On mylast visit to the town all of the other pubs wereserving real ale: the Railway, the Jolly Sailor,the Angel, and the Three Horseshoes, andLeigh confirms that this is still the case.

Day trip to Deeping Easily accessible by the 101 bus from Peterbor-ough, this is one of the best pub crawls in thebranch. I was escorted by fellow inebriate and BeerAround ‘Ere Production Manager, Dan Speed, onone of his rare days off.

The first stop across the bridge is the OldCoach House. This is a long, stone built edificedating back to the eighteenth century, and I amgoing to hazard a guess that it was originally an oldcoach house. Landlord Tony Cook has been therefor eight years. His house beers are Adnam’s GhostShip and Potbelly Crazy Days. At ABVs of 4.4%and 5.5% this gives us some idea of how themarket is changing. Tony also rotates beers fromBatemans and Newby Wyke as guests.

Around the corner in Market Square is theStone Loach Inn, run by Johnny Parr who alsohas the Masons Arms in Bourne (see Issue 181).This is a long deep bar with attractive timberstructures supporting the now popular exposedbrickwork. The original snug at the front of thepub has had the bar removed and is now a dedi-cated pool area. Deuchars IPA and London Pridewere on tap and expect another guest in thesummer months. Another feature of the pub isThai in the Square, a restaurant that runs thewhole length of the upper floor and can accom-modate over 50 people. It also serves take aways.

The focal point of the square is of course theBull, which branch members will know as thefounding place of our CAMRA branch in 1975. It is still run by the ever popular Bert Murray ofChelsea and Peterborough fame and is an Ever-ards tied house. I have always been fascinated bythe “dugout”, an ancient cellar bar that was obvi-ously ideal for keeping the beer cool in the daysbefore controlled refrigeration. The originalstillage is still there, now adorned by five orna-


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Pub news - continued |11

mental oak casks. Bert showed us the originalcranking gear used to raise the cask as it emptied,an efficient forerunner of the modern self-tilter.

Across the road is the Deeping Stage Hotelwhich serves four real ales with Tim Taylor’sLandlord, London Pride and an Oakham as regu-lars. The hotel also has a first class Sunday carverywhich is so popular that I recommend that youbook. If you have children or grandchildren this isan ideal place to take them. Not only does it have acomfortable hotel lounge overlooking the MarketSquare, it also has an extensive, well furnishedgarden to the rear where the children can paddlein the shallow waters of the Welland and cut theirfeet on the pebbles.

Further along in Deeping St. James I regret tonote that the Bell is closed. I have no way ofknowing whether this is permanent and wouldappreciate any information. But just a fewhundred yards away is the Waterton Arms. Thisis a splendid L shaped pub dating back to a morecivilized time when houses were converted intopubs rather than vice versa. (Come to think of it,Wetherspoons do this all of the time havingconverted shops, banks, churches and evencinemas. Surely it is only a matter of time beforethey convert a tower block, with the toilets prob-ably on the top floor). It was originally twocottages and they must have been pretty big as thefoot of the L is now a restaurant area and it runsdeep into a spacious bar and a dedicated poolarea. It is warmed by two open fires and a woodburner and on my visit featured six real ales:Adnams Broadside, Springhead Roaring Meg,Oakham JHB, Sharps Doombar, Cottage Tornadoand Tim Taylor’s Landlord.

Church Street can boast one of the finest pubs inthe branch, probably in the country, in the Vine.Worthy winner of a branch gold award lastsummer, landlord Frank is still serving an excellentrange of beers including a specially tweaked brewfrom Charles Wells and a high gravity specialityfrom local brewer, Hopshackle. This is a typicalold English pub with a main bar not quite bigenough to swing a cat in. I sometimes wonder

about the origin of this ridiculous phrase but needscarcely point out the hazards of such an activityto saloon bar lovers. For it has occurred to me thatthe centrifugal force imparted to the cat couldpresent a nasty decorating problem in the event ofa collision with the wall. Apparently it also has atraumatic effect on the cat.

Further back into town is the White Horse,which I visited for the first time. I was delighted todiscover on entering that it was offering DraughtBass, which landlord, Graham was drinkinghimself: always a good sign. I have been reluctantto try this since the Coors intervention, but, oncetasted, the memory buds were stimulated: the smellof sulphur, the Burton snatch, and of course trueDraught Bass, like many if its drinkers, never keepsits head. Can anybody tell me if it is still brewedusing the Burton Union method?

Serious issuesOn a recent trip to the Trent Navigation inNottingham, I politely asked the barmaid toremove the sparkler. Looking quizzically at one ofher colleagues, she was told: “just unscrew it and itwill pour the beer flat.” Now this is a verycontentious statement, the hideous fallacy ofwhich I have often exposed in the past, but it seemsthat I shall have to go through it all over again.For the plain fact of the matter is that the only wayto get the head in the first place is to crush thecarbon dioxide bubbles in the liquid itself, bubblesthat should be exploding flavour on to the tongue;the bigger the head, the flatter the beer, the shorterthe measure. It really is time that this heresy wasput to bed.

I reported in the last issue that I intended to writein future under a pseudonym. I have since recon-sidered this cowardly proposal and instead havedecided to change my name by deed poll.

Pubs Officer


Send us your news!Calling all landlords and landladies! Had a refurb? Got agreat event on? Started selling a new range of ales orcider? Let us know and we will add your news to thesepages. Just email John Temple at [email protected]

The official opening of the New Craft Brewery atThe Shoulder of Mutton public house in Weldon,near Corby, took place at 12 midday on Friday 30thJanuary.

The event was attended by Andy Sawford, MP forCorby and East Northants, and CouncillorAnthony Dady, Mayor of Corby.

Also present were the landlord and landlady,Bogdan and Rada, head brewer Graham Moor-house, plus members of Peterborough CAMRAand of course pub regulars, who raised their glassesto celebrate past, present and future success of thisrevitalised Weldon pub.

Head brewer Graham Moorhouse said, “TheShoulder has always been a great pub for beerlovers. I first came here as a teenager when therewas a real buzz about the place. The bar wasalways packed, you could hardly move as villagersand steelworkers mixed easily, exchanging thestories of their day. Nearly forty years later I stillfeel a great affinity to this special pub, it is unpre-tentious but still as proud and honest as it was then,the welcome is as warm as ever and the beer isalways that little bit special. I first made beer aged16 from malt extract from the local chemist andhave continued to learn about the magic of thebrewing process and enjoying the amber nectar to

The Should

New brewery |13

this day. To say things have moved on over theyears is an understatement. There has been anexplosion of available ingredients and techniquesthat make brewing an everyday pleasure andadventure. We have embraced these at theShoulder and now brew all the beer the pub needsusing the finest available English and BelgianMalts and hops from 4 different continents; manyof the varieties that we use weren’t even cultivatedwhen the steelworks was in its prime. Craft beer isundergoing a tremendous renaissance and yetthere are precious few brew pubs or even genuinereal ale pubs in the area. The Shoulder is off themain road so we see the opportunity to furtherdevelop its unique selling point as a destinationpub for real ale drinkers. There is an array ofwholesome home cooked food here too, well worthgoing out of your way for.

We always offer beers from local and regionalbreweries but delight in our customers choosingour own beer made just below us in the basement -it is always tip top fresh and hugely popular withour discerning locals who know exactly what agood pint of ale tastes like. Since the brewerystarted in August 2014 we are also seeing visitorsfrom further afield, attracted by the grapevine andwanting to try both traditional and new worldbeers made right here in Weldon. The pub iscentred on the local community but alwayswelcomes all-comers with open arms. The beersevoke a nostalgia for the past bearing names likeDragline, a 3.9% Golden Ale named after thegiant machine so often associated with the steel-works in the area. Rosie’s Sweatbox 4.2%, asumptuous dark ale named after a World War Twobomber that crashed just a few fields from the pubin 1944. Weldon Cupola, a 3.6% ale forhopheads named after the unique cupola atopWeldon church, or the traditional Weldon Wind-mill 4.2% named after the last working windmillin the village that fell in 1915 following a storm.This one evokes memories of the tastiest of bitterbeers gone by. All these are supplemented by

monthly specials including seasonal beers, red ales,auburn ales, chestnut and oatmeal stouts, mild andlight ales, all of which are conditioning or plannedfor the next few months and all of which have alocal story to tell.”

It is clear that for Graham and the dedicatedlandlord and landlady, Bogdan and Rada, theShoulder of Mutton in Weldon is a labour of love.I have tried the beer and forgive me if I stayawhile, but I quite like it here!

David Fursdon

er of Mutton Brewery



Bexar CountyTwo collaboration beers have beenbrewed with Tom from Alphabetbrewery in Manchester. Tom usedto be with Hand Drawn Monkey.The beers are a 6.8% IPA and a

6.5% black IPA which will have an addition ofMexican Trinity chillies. Both of these beers willbe going to the Barcelona beer festival in March,but there should be some available locally too.Another beer which should be available from Aprilis a 7.5% stout that has been festering since lastApril in a large wooden cask. Had a sneaky taste, itwas good and you can definitely taste the flavoursfrom the cask. Most of this beer will be bottled,but there will be two firkins, one of which is goingto The Coalheavers beer festival in April.

Other new beers include Bonfire at 4.9% whichis a hoppy black beer, not a stout and not a blackIPA, just a black hoppy beer. There is also a 4.9%coffee flavoured beer called Not Just YourAverage Joe. In addition to these is the first in aseries of Gose beers (salty and slightly souredwheat beer) which will all be flavoured differentlyand the first one is flavoured with cucumber andlime. Hopefully it will taste better than it sounds.This beer and the coffee beer are destined forLeicester beer festival.

The Barcelona beer festival could be very impor-tant to Bexar County as Steve will be the brewer inquestion at a “meet the brewer” day and he willalso be conducting a cask beer seminar, which willhopefully promote himself and his beers alongwith cask ale generally. Steve will be sending apallet of beers to Spain along with beers fromXtreme, Mile Tree, Hopshackle, Three BlindMice, Hand Drawn Monkey and Revolutions, plusAlphabet, Track and Squawk from Manchester.

There will be a new concept beer going to TheIron Horse Ranch House in Deeping and with aholding name of ‘Tastes Like Brown’.

Collaborations with Xtreme, Alphabet and 3Blind Mice are imminent and the next edition of

Beer Around ‘Ere. will contain a report from theBarcelona beer festival.

Elgood’sThe Blue Bell at Werringtonis doing very well with 8 caskbeers available. The front barhas been refurbished and the

new landlady Helen seems to be doing very well.(see pub news p8).

There have been two recent brew days of theLambic style beers on 11th and 18th February.These beers were launched at Craft Beer Rising inLondon from the 19th – 22nd February. CoolshipDark, Coolship Blonde and Coolship Fruit ondraught and Coolship Fruit in bottle.

Hopshackle BreweryHopshackle’s new brewerywas installed during March.

It is a replica of the existingbrewery, to match the retainedfermenter and to keep the feel

of the old brewery and its sense of tradition andhistory. All the new vessels will be clad in pine withan antique finish. The existing mezzanine floor isbeing retained and the larger mash tun will gravityfeed the copper. This upgrade includes a new elec-trical supply and control boxes for fermenterattemperation and water supply. It will have amaximum brewing capacity of 13 barrels (468gallons) compared to the existing 4.2 barrels (151.2gallons).

Nigel has designed it so that he can brew anythingfrom 5 barrels up to the maximum of 13 barrels.Retaining one of the existing fermenters will enableit to be used for ‘one-off ’ seasonals and specials likeRestoration 9.5% and Imperial Stout 9.3%.

Double Momentum was Overall ChampionEast Midlands at the National Winter Ales Festival,which was held in Derby during February.

Brewery News

Brewery news continued |15

Kings Cliffe Brewery (KCB)The brewery were busythroughout January and Februarypromoting their porter P51 at

both the Cambridge and Colchester Beer Festivals. It wasmet with a good reception and sold out at both venues. It is now appearing in pubs in and around Peterborough.It was present at the Palmerston Arms Dark Beer Festival,where it again sold out very quickly.

Due to interest in the link between P51 andUSAAF-P-51D Mustangs of RAF Kings Cliffe inWW11, (see issue 181), an article was included inFlypast an international aviation magazine sold inover 30 countries.

After the magazine ‘hit the streets’ in earlyFebruary KCB P51 has now got internationalcoverage with enquiries coming from the USA,Canada, Europe and the Far East.

Mile Tree BreweryMile Tree Brewery beerscontinue to appear around thearea particularly at farmers

markets and food festivals including Peterboroughfarmers’ market, St George’s Fayre in March and theEly Food and Craft Market.

The brewery always likes to get their beers to localbeer festivals and have appeared at the Iron HorseRanch festival, the Rose & Crown festival in Marchand of course Charters beer fest in April. Slightlyfurther afield, the brews can be found at the Ely EelFestival and the Ely Food Festival in May.

All competitors completing The Eye CommunityRunners 10k road race on the 10th May, will bepresented with a 'finishing bottle' of Mile Tree beer.Not a bad way to put back those lost fluids!

Richard and Karen are continually looking forgood quality pubs in the local area to take their beersand look forward to any suggestions for new outlets.


Nene Valley BreweryCraft Beer Rising 2015 proveda successful outing for thebrewery in terms of the numberof new contacts made. Theyare looking to use a number of

distributors to extend the area in which thebrewery’s beers are available. Release theChimps (4.4%), described as an everyday IPA,was well received in the brewery shop and alimited supply has now gone into trade. It isavailable at the Tap & Kitchen along with therest of the Nene Valley portfolio.

Oakham AlesThose of you that have had with-drawal symptoms from a lack ofdraught Green Devil, need worry

no longer as it will be back in April andcontinues to chase the top awards. It was recentlyawarded the Gold Medal in its category at the bi-annual International Brewing Awards 2015 atthe National Brewery Centre, Burton-upon-Trent. The beer had also won Champion CaskAle at the awards in 2013. The panel of 43judges assessed close to 1,000 beers and cidersover the three days of judging. The beer will nowgo through to the finals again at The Guildhall inApril.

“To be awarded the Gold Medal in the categoryafter winning Champion Cask Ale for Green DevilIPA last time the competition was held, in 2013, ispraise indeed, especially as we are competinginternationally.” said M.D. Adrian Posnett.

Chair of judges Bill Taylor said, “The standardof entries this year was again extremely high andour judging panel put in long hours tasting anddebating the merits of the beers and ciders, toarrive at a consensus on the medal winners.Brewers and cider makers who entered thiscompetition can be confident that their productreceived quality consideration from our judges.”

Other beers that will be in a bar near you soon,will be the March Oakadamy of Excellenceoffering The Racketeer 5% and packed withF

Brewery news continued |17

Kiwi hops. For May there will be The Forger, a3.5% amber beer. The seasonal for April sees thereturn of The Hare & the Hedgehog at 3.9%.

Those of you that have enjoyed the brewery’sforay into draught cider will be pleased to knowthat two more will be available from Easter. Oaplewill be re-launched as Oaple Original with thelaunch of Twisted Tree a medium sweet cider at4.8% and Orchard Reserve at 6.8%.

Shoulder of Mutton BreweryShoulder of Mutton brewery officially opened on30th January. Attending were Andy Sawford, MPfor Corby and East Northants and CouncillorAnthony Dady, Mayor of Corby, plus a smallcontingent from Peterborough & District Branch.The event was reported in The NorthamptonAdvertiser and on local radio. Graham the brewersaid that he had no immediate plans to expand butthey have looked at local units. It is currently onlya two firkin plant, (for further information seepages 12-13).

Star Brewing CompanyStar have recently won “Best PaleBeer” of the Harwich and Dover-court Beer Festival with their4.5% Astral. This is a beer

brewed with pale malts and predominantly hoppedwith “Citra” and “Cascade”. Tendring CAMRAbranch are planning a visit Peterborough branchon a Saturday in April, in order to present themwith the award. Star are hoping to have an openday at the Brewery to accommodate them. Theguest beer brewed for Jan/Feb/March is achestnut 4.3% bitter called, Lilith.

They have now sold beer to over 300 outlets,delivering recently to Bury St Edmunds, Letch-worth and Lincoln. Sales throughout Decemberand January were very good.

Tydd SteamLubrication Ale 3.9%,which was one of the orig-inal beers to be brewed by

Tydd Steam, is to be brewed again.

Xtreme AlesThings continue to grow apaceat the brewery. February saw thestart of the beer festival season

with Ely having two Xtreme beers on show. A newbeer brewed for this occasion was Indian BlackAle which was greeted with glowing reports. Thismeans the beer will be brewed again at somepoint. Pigeon Ale continues to be in hugedemand, with it being seen at the Vine, Coates;Childers, Whittlesey; Heron, Stanground and ThePloughman, Werrington.

March saw the new release of Give Me 6! alight golden ale brewed with six different Americanhops. Leicester Beer Festival had four of our beerson show with Trouble in Store, brewed as afestival special. The Letter B, Whittlesey, will nowhave this on a semi-regular basis. However, themost exciting thing that happened in March wasthe Barcelona Beer Festival. Xtreme Ales werevery proud to send a beer to this event.

So what’s coming up in the next couple ofmonths? Easter weekend sees us make our debut atthe increasingly popular Egham Beer Festival. A special beer brewed for this is All Black IPA, ablack hoppy beer brewed with three different NewZealand hops. A new beer called Milk Stout willbe making its first outing at The Coalheavers ArmsSpring Beer Festival. Also on the same weekend isthe Hand & Heart St Georges Day Beer Festival,look out for something different and exciting fromus at this one! In May we will have beers appearingat Cambridge and Newark Beer Festivals.


Are you missing out?Get Beer Around Ere delivered to your door! For a year (6 issues) send £3.54 for second class or £4.08for 1st Class or multiples thereof for multiple years. Pleasesend a cheque/PO payable to “Peterborough CAMRA” andyour address to:- Daryl Ling, 19 Lidgate Close, PeterboroughPE2 7ZA

A recent edition of What’s Brewing contained anarticle covering this year’s beer writer’s awards.On reading it, I looked back on a time when thisspecies had not yet fully evolved if you leave asidethe functional writing of the trade papers. (TheBritish Guild of Beer Writers was not formed until1988). One of the first writers I became aware ofthat undertook this specialist task was RichardBoston who wrote a regular column for theGuardian newspaper and did a lot to populariseCAMRA in its earliest days. In fact it was throughreading this column I was persuaded to join themovement back in 1972.

Boston was in the great tradition of British satir-ical journalism which cocked a snook at authorityand he wrote with a compelling ironic and incisivestyle. His particular penchant was to undermineuniformity of all kinds and one of his targets wasthe Grand Metropolitan chain, which had takenover the Watney’s group. Many of us, who hesi-tate to remember them, will testify to the blandnessof Watney’s products. With his keen sense ofridicule he found a unique angle to deliver ascathing critique on this conglomerate. By thistime the company, obviously becoming aware ofthe unpopularity of their products, began tochange the identity of their pubs. This, Bostonspeculated, was probably the only occasion incommercial history that a corporate identity hadgone into disguise.

I had the good fortune to meet him in 1974 whenI was a member of a political organization andresponsible for inviting guest speakers. Tired of thenormal round of cabinet ministers and local MPs,I suggested that we invite Boston. “That’s fine”said the treasurer,” but how do we justify the

expenses?” “Not a problem” came my promptreply “we’ll use the pretext of the nationalisationof the beer industry”. When he arrived, I said tohim, “Don’t worry about the topic, just talk aboutbeer”. He did, and we had the best attendedmeeting all year.

Notwithstanding his journalistic eminence andironic manner, I found him the most cordial anddown to earth of guests. He declined to charge afee for the talk he delivered, merely accepting hisexpenses. I was particularly interested in his viewsabout writing on this minority subject and he wasglad to discuss this candidly and at length. He toldme that when he approached the somewhat stuffyand puritanical Guardian editorial management towrite column on beer, he did not think that theywould go ahead with it. They clearly knew theirman better than he did.

He also confided that he found it difficult tomaintain interest in his column as there is only alimited range of topics that you can cover on thesubject of beer and pubs. Not so with Boston ashe had a remarkable facility for improvisingaround an apparently limited theme. This ofcourse not only widened his audience, but consid-erably enhanced the exposure of the principles ofthe Campaign at a time that it was desperatelyneeded. I believe that his contribution to thegrowth of the movement continues to be underes-timated.

And quite often he would just fly off at a tangent.Who amongst us that read it can forget his “CastleRising” classic? Driving past this location he couldnot remember seeing a castle. If there was suchan item he suggested it should be called Castle


RichardBostonremembered

Richard Boston remembered |19

Rising Castle. And if there had been an uprisingthere in the Middle Ages, Castle Rising CastleRising. And if the then Minister of Transport(Barbara Castle) was born there, she wouldbecome Castle Rising Castle Rising Castle. And ifthe said person was witnessed in the act of gettingup in the morning, the whole incident should bereferred to as Castle Rising Castle Rising CastleRising. “But herein”, he concluded, “beginsmadness”.

Boston is often attributed with the remark: “Beer,horrible stuff ! Mine’s a pink gin” and many of hisfellow villagers said that whenever they saw him inthe pub he was normally drinking somethingstronger than beer. Strangely, he drank pint to pintwith me and spoke in a most informed manner onall that we drank. I am sure that all of us who religiously read his column on a Saturday morningwere in no doubt about his passion for traditionalbeer and traditional pubs.

From what I understood of him, I suspect thatthis was an example of his mischievous habit offrustrating people’s expectations (witness hisWorthington White Shield saga mentioned in Issue181). He clearly enjoyed controversy. At the timewhen I met him, Truman’s had introduced a newbeer called Tap Bitter. It was a cask ale dispensedwith blanket pressure. This gave the beer someadded effervescence, but also created a carbondioxide interface. Boston correctly anticipated thatthis would incur some rejection from CAMRAdiehards, adding that he thought that they wouldbe missing out on some good beer. Does thisstrike a familiar note with the growing popularityof key keg? He suggested that a future schism inCAMRA was inevitable (remember this was 1974).Thankfully this has never happened. But perhapswe should bear in mind that the real ale movementas we know it was preceded by the Society for thePreservation of Beer from the Wood. Althoughsome new breweries are actively seeking to revivethis ancient tradition (e.g. Ridgeside in Leeds) thereare now scarcely any coopers employed by brewersand this is virtually a dead issue. Campaigningissues inevitably change with the times. I think itwas William Blake who said that the man who

never changes his mind is like stagnant water andbreeds serpents.

Boston’s legacy may be summarized by the widerange of publications he left to us, including theclassic Beer and Skittles. But I prefer to rememberhim in the great tradition of satirical journalismand I wonder that nobody has consideredcollecting and publishing his Guardian articles,Boston on Beer. He died on 22ndt December2006 making a point during his last days ofconsulting the obituaries to see if it was worthgetting up in the morning. Like all good writers heprovided his own epitaph. In an article whichlisted all of the good experiences of pub life, whatbetter way to end than with the classic clarion call?- “Opening time”.

John Temple

Photo credit: Frank Martin, The Guardian Archivewww.theguardian.com/gnm-archive/richard-boston




THE VINEMarket Deeping

Tel: 07501 465 646 19 Church Street, Market Deeping

Free House with 5 Real AlesLarge Patio area

2 Regular Ales and 3 Guest AlesStockist of Hopshackle Beers

GoldAwardWinner

BEER FESTIVALFriday 22nd - Sunday 24th May

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

VINYL NIGHTBring down your favourite recordsCheck Facebook for next event

UKELELE NIGHTEvery Thursday from 7.30pm

PHILOSOPHY NIGHTCheck Facebook for next event

LIVE MUSIC WEEKLY

from 4pm

For information on live entertainment go to:

Palmerston Arms

Check Facebook & local gig guides

Pub people |21

Sometimes in CAMRA we can concentrate so muchon the beer and the pub we maybe don’t shoutenough about the people involved in the pub tradeand what an amazing difference they can make oneveryday lives. I have one such story and at the sametime would like to publicly thank an amazing person.

I had a friend who, like me, was a freelance designerand due to deadlines worked strange hours. Togetherwith a few other mates, we managed to regularly setaside some time on a Friday afternoon to talk shopand relax after a week of burning midnight oil.

As we both lived in Woodston, our regular meetingspot was the Cherry Tree which always has anoutstanding pint of Landlord (my favourite), andOakham Ales Inferno (his tipple of choice). It was ahandy place for both of us, and my friend could pophome easily and cook his teenage son dinner as hewas a lone parent.

The landlady at the Cherry Tree for several years hasbeen a lady called Janet, she is a hard worker and hasa quick wit and an easy smile. She always had a niceword for us when we saw her on a Friday and occa-sionally joined us for a pint on her precious hours offbefore the night shift.

Over the years she has shown small acts of kindness,one such as having my friend over for Christmas dinnerat the pub. At a time which can be lonely for thosewithout close family, this meant a lot. When I was partof organizing a surprise 50th birthday party for myfriend she let us use the Cherry Tree function roomand laid on a massive spread of food, all unasked forbut welcome nevertheless!

Unfortunately the surprise party was the last time I saw my friend, as on January 6th he passed awaysuddenly and quite unexpectedly, leaving behind his

teenage son. Janet, one of the first to find out thistragic news, was an absolute rock. Contacting peopleand organising help, taking his son under her wing fora few hours until othes could arrive, along with amultitude of other tasks.

In the weeks that followed, Janet increased the priceof Oakham Ales Inferno by a few pence a pint andput this extra profit in a jar. These proceeds, alongwith kind donations from regulars, will be enough tocover the costs of driving lessons and get my friend’syoung son on the road, a really important steptowards his independence. Thank you Janet for allyour kindness, and thank you Clive, the long-servingbarman, for all you have done too.

So if any of you have a local pub hero, hold themdear, they may be involved in acts of small kindnesses,unnoticed to most, but can mean everything to some,and our world would be the poorer without them.

Daniel Speed

Pictured top: Janet, landlady of the Cherry Tree with BarManager Clive


PubAngels

29 North Street, Stanground PE2 8HR.

Tel: 01733 753544Friendly village pub with riverside mooring.

Up to 4 Real Ales available • Large Garden

• Dogs Welcome • BT Sport

Food Served: Tues to Sun 12 - 2.30pm Mon to Sat 6pm - 8pm

BEER FESTIVALFRI 17 - SUN 19 APRILCome and try a ale or two from Sussex!



The all day venue – Open for meals and snacks 12pm to 9pm daily

A conservatory restaurant with food served all day, nooks and crannies in the old stables, outdoor seating and extensive parking, plus a selection of

Real Ales.

Real food, Real ales, Real pubBEST WESTERN PLUS Orton Hall Hotel

& Spa, The Village, Orton Longueville, Peterborough, PE2 7DN

Tel: 01733 391111

The Ramblewood Inn‘The pub in the woods’

For special offers, news and travel directions visit www.traditionalinns.co.uk

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Terms and Conditions - Coupon valid only when £25 or more is spent on food, cannot be exchanged for cash, does not apply to spend on drinkscannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion, not valid for parties in excess of 8 people. Valid until Friday 29th May 2015.If you do not wish to receive further promotions please tick here.

Cider in May CAMRA has celebrated cider and perry duringthe month of October for a number of years nowand, this year, we are introducing a second oppor-tunity to celebrate this traditional drink in themonth of May.

May might seem a strange time to celebrate adrink made from apples and pears but there issome logic in the timing. May is a time when theapple and pear trees in our orchards are inblossom and, without the orchards and treeblossom, we wouldn’t have the fruit to make theciders and perries that are on offer throughout theyear. Unfortunately many of the old traditionalorchards have disappeared over the years but,thankfully, in recent years producers have startedto plant new trees to keep the tradition of ciderand perry production alive.

May is also the time when the juice that waspressed the previous year has fermented throughand is ready to drink. Real ciders and perriesdiffer from the more industrial products availablein that they are not fizzy and the flavours of thefruit used in their production come through in thefinal product. So why not take the opportunity tovisit some of the many pubs which now offer realcider or perry and give them a try.


Cider in May |23

Selection of Real Ales

Large Open Beer Garden

BT and Sky Sports

Function Room to Hire - very reasonable rates!

In the Christmas issue of Beer Around ‘Ere Iindulged my memories of drinking in south-western Stamford hostelries that are no longer. Inthis edition I hope to repeat the dose, this timecovering the rest of the town. However, I mustmake it clear that this is not a list of former Stam-ford pubs. That has already been done in MartinSmith’s seminal tome, “Stamford Pubs and Brew-eries”. The houses I mention are ones I rememberdrinking in.

The Black Bull (previously the Ostler) at the rear ofthe grand former Stamford Hotel at the top of St.Mary’s Hill, closed about three years ago. Myyoungest daughter worked behind the bar there fora while and I popped in occasionally out ofpaternal interest. It was only occasionally though -Mansfield beers have never done it for me. The pub is now a B & B.

Gooches Court, at the other end of St. Mary’sStreet, is home to a fish and chip shop these days,but during the late 80s and early 90s it wasChamps Wine Bar (ale was also available). It was astrange set-up; short of cash one night, I asked thelandlord if he would cash me a cheque. He said hecouldn’t as neither he nor the pub had a bankaccount. He lent me a score instead. Make of thatwhat you will! He also told me a very interestingstory about Noel Cantwell, Pat Crerand and theFA Cup...but I digress.

In the early 1980s, the former Greyhound pub atthe far end of St. Peter’s Street reopened as theVence Wine Bar (Vence is Stamford’s twin town)but it was as St. Peter's Inn that it really took off inthe 90s. The landlord, Graham (a former Metinspector) really knew his stuff and guest ales fromfar and wide (anyone remember Smiles) graced thecellar bar, along with regular live music acts.Graham had a somewhat cavalier attitude to thelicensing laws - “You’ll leave when I say you canleave” was often his retort to my feeble attempts tosay goodnight and on at least one occasion Iremember surprising the milkman as we exited theback door into Austin Street. The building hasbeen a private dwelling for some years now.

Just up from here was the Hit Or Miss in FoundryRoad, a classic back street Batemans boozer. Thiswas one of those pubs that should have been busy,given its large garden and car park, but in recentyears it never was, despite being only a couple ofminutes’ walk from two busy houses, the GreenMan and the Jolly Brewer. Indeed, the last time Irecall the place being truly busy was atFoundryfest, a joint venture between the Hitterand the Brewer. Successive landlords and ladiestried their utmost and I understand that Batey'swere very supportive, but eventually the plug waspulled. The lovely old building, dating from the1860s, was flattened and a small housing estatenow, erm, enhances the site. A lasting memory of

More Disappearing Boozers of Stamford


For further information on live events or for room reservations please call 01572 822302

14 High St East, Uppingham, Rutland LE15 9PY

Glyn and Alan would like to welcome you totheir old fashioned community pub.

Serving a family friendly menu full of pub classics with ingredients sourced, where

possible, from local suppliers.

We offer a great range of two permanent andtwo changing guest real ales alongside

two real ciders.

We also offer 3 Star AA rated accommodation.

the Hitter is the much-missed quiz nights organ-ised by then landlord Darren Cheeseman,featuring the worst prizes in the history of the pubquiz. My team of four won one week and we werepresented with three cans of Carling...

The Drum and Monkey on Casterton Road closed at Christmas. The Drum was a stand-alonepub with a large potential catchment area similarto those enjoyed by the Hurdler and the North-fields, yet (like the Hit Or Miss) it had not beenviable for years. A personal view is that the pubsuffered from pubco-itis ; with all due deference tothe respective breweries, a relentless range of Prideor Bombardier is not going to have discerningpunters beating a path to your door. The Drumand Monkey was built in the same year that I wasborn and I take no pleasure in realising that I willoutlive it.

Heading back into Scotgate, we come to theformer Gateway pub, which closed in 2000 and iscurrently given over to flats. I played football forone memorable season for the now defunct Stam-ford YMCA, who used the pub for post-match(and, in rather too many cases, pre-match)drinking. In the late 1970s this pub was known asthe Mr. Dillon and Thursday night was Disco Nite.I attended these now and again and my abidingmemory is of the wild reception (and wilderdancing) that greeted “My Boy Lollipop”! Earlierin the 70s, the pub was still called the Crown andWoolpack, a former Steward and Pattesons housewhich had fallen into the hands of Watneys. Theearliest landlord I can remember was an alcoholic(presumably he didn’t drink the Watneys) who usedto take the barman off on a pub crawl, leaving regu-lars to serve themselves and use a pint tankard as thetill. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the system worked.

Directly opposite is the Punchbowl, currentlyclosed and awaiting its fate - which will probablybe conversion to a private dwelling. For me thewriting was on the wall once all three handpumpsseemed to be given over to products from a certainBury St. Edmunds brewery. Yet in the 1990s thispub, then the White Swan (and a Batemans house)was my local and a wonderful bolthole it was under

Geoff and Beryl Barker. I really miss that pub.

Moving towards the town centre, the Scotgateclosed its doors a couple of years ago. Having beenCromwell’s and Dr. Thirsty’s during the previousdecade, this building, with its unique design, nowhouses offices. The last time I drank in there, thelandlord told me conspiratorially that he wasreplacing the Adnams Bitter with (pause for effect)Greene King IPA! I never returned and it wouldseem, as the pub closed a couple of months later,that no-one else did either. Just round the corner inAll Saints’ Street, the Otter’s Pocket (formerly theAlbion and St. Jacques) closed a while back. Withits cavernous interior, big screen tellies and eighthandpumps, it's difficult to imagine what wentwrong but obviously something did.

In Broad Street, the Toreador opened about tenyears ago and closed after a couple of years,mourned by no-one. I can report that this base-ment bar is now the pre-show choice for thoseattending the theatre above.

So - that’s another nine community drinking estab-lishments (not counting the Toreador) that we'velost. However, as I did in Part One, I must pointout that three have opened. The Melbourn, just offRed Lion Square; the Cosy Club (ales vary) andthe Stamford Poste, a Wetherspoon's house situ-ated in the former Stamford Mercury offices inCastle Street. I reckon JDW are the Brian Cloughof the beer-drinking industry - you either love ‘emor hate ‘em but you can't ignore ‘em!

I’d like to conclude with a pub that hasn't closed,but has lost its identity. The imposing LincolnshirePoacher building gazes impassively down Iron-monger Street as it has done since the 16thcentury. Even Nag's Head Passage, which runsadjacent to the pub, has always been known asPoacher Passage - so why would anyone changethe pub's name from that of an iconic county anti-hero to, erm, the Pear Tree? And to add insult toinjury, real ale is no longer on offer. No call for it,you understand...

Alun Thomas

More disappearing boozers of Stamford |25


AprilFri 3rd Opaque Charters, Town Bridge

Sat 4th Splash Conservative ClubChildren of the Revolution Charters, Town Bridge

Grumpy Old Men Heron, StangroundSun 5th Jimmy Doherty Charters, Town Bridge

Take Two Conservative ClubMon 6th Unplugged Charters, Town Bridge

Fri 10th Steve Perry Conservative ClubDave Jackson Blues Band Charters, Town Bridge

Sat 11th The Skyliners Conservative ClubThe Buzz Rats Charters, Town Bridge

Laurette Evelyn Heron, StangroundSun 12th Fenny StompersConservative Club

The Party Animals Heron, StangroundFri 17th Ian Graham

and Kat MooreWoolpack, Stanground

Fri 17th Travis GrahamConservative Club

Captain Obvious Charters, Town Bridge

The Soul Sisters Heron, StangroundSat 18th Nite OwlsConservative Club

Rocket Dogs Woolpack, Stanground

The Blues House(5pm) Heron, Stanground

Psych-O-Bombs(9pm) Heron, Stanground

Sun 19th Steve Bean Woolpack, Stanground

The StormsConservative ClubFri 24th Son of a GunConservative Club

Ben Callanan Charters, Town Bridge

Sat 25th WaddoConservative Club

Whiskey Twist Charters, Town Bridge

Autumn Storm Blue Bell, Werrington

Subway 77Heron, Stanground

MayFri 1st Jello Blue Bell, Werrington

Fri 1st Bianca & The Top Cats Charters, Town Bridge

John David Conservative Club

Sat 2nd Mike Nelson Conservative Club

Soul & Ska Blue Bell, Werrington

The TunnelHeron, StangroundSun 3rd Paul Copestake Conservative Club

Autumn Storm Blue Bell, Werrington

Mon 4th Savoy Jazz Band Conservative ClubUnplugged Charters, Town Bridge

Fri 8th Rhiannon Rae Conservative ClubSat 9th Plus One Conservative Club

Rocket Dogs Heron, StangroundCharters VE day celebrations Luna Nightingale Charters, Town Bridge

Fri 15th Dale Andrews Conservative ClubSat 16th Kenny Lee

& Hustler Conservative ClubJunk Puppets Heron, Stanground

Sun 17th Deeping Dixielanders Conservative ClubSat 23rd The Business Conservative ClubSun 24th Lexie Green &

The Indigo Blue Charters, Town Bridge

Sun 29th Pennyless Heron, StangroundSun 31st CJ Hatt

Folk Trio Charters, Town Bridge

Gig guide26 | Live Music in April and May


Diary dates |27

Diary datesMarchFriday 27th – Sunday 29thSkool of Rock and Roll Musicand Beer Festival, Iron HorseRanch House, High St, DeepingPE6 8EB. Further details:www.ironhorseranchhouse.co.uk

Sunday 29th MarchNorthants Crawl by X4 bus.Meet at Queensgate bus stationat 11.50 am for the 12.04 bus toOundle. Then on to Weldon andreturn on the 6.53pm bus fromWeldon, arriving back inQueensgate bus station at7.45pm. Dayrider Gold-£11.30.Please book places throughSocial Secretary John Hunt.

AprilThursday 2nd - Monday 6thCharters Easter Beer Festival,Town Bridge, Peterborough PE11FT. 25+ locally sourced real ales,cider and perry available. Greatentertainment throughout thefestival. Entry free – all welcome.

Friday 3rd - Monday 6th Rose and Crown Easter Beerfest,41 St Peters Rd, March PE15 9NAFeaturing 20+ real ales andciders. Live music Friday andSaturday. Open 12 til midnight.

Sunday 5th Peterborough Conservative ClubBeer Festival and Fun Day in thecar park. Bouncy castle, AdultEgg & Spoon Race, food and livemusic. Everyone welcome.Opens at 11am.

Tuesday 7th at 8.30pmBranch Committee Meeting atthe Ostrich, North Street PE12RA. All members welcome,please bring membership card.

Friday 17th - Saturday 18th The Heron 1st Birthday BeerFestival, The Heron, StangroundPE2 8QB. Beers from Digfield,Tydd Steam, Castor Ales, BexarCounty, Xtreme Ales, Star andother local breweries. Go alongand enjoy beer and entertain-ment! Further details:www.heronpub.co.uk

Friday 17th- Sunday 19th Woolpack Beer Festival, NorthSt, Stanground PE2 8HR. Largegarden. Dogs welcome.

Saturday 18th Community Pubs Month PubCrawl. We will be visiting someof Peterborough’s finest commu-nity pubs. Meet at the Woolpack,Stanground at 12.00 midday.(The Woolpack and Heron bothhave beer festivals on this date)Please book places throughSocial Secretary John Hunt.Phone John Hunt on07923489917 for a locationupdate if you plan to join us laterin the day.

Thursday 23rd (evening) Hand and Heart, HighburyStreet, Peterborough PE1 3BE.Official presentation of Pub ofthe Year Award.

Thursday 23rd - Sunday26th Hand and Heart StGeorges Day Beer Festival. High-bury St, Peterborough PE1 3BE

Thursday 23rd- Sunday 26thCoalheavers Arms Spring BeerFestival. Park St, Woodston,Peterborough PE2 9BH. 50+real ales plus perry and cider.BBQ food all weekend. Livemusic every night.

MaySunday 3rdPeterborough Conservative ClubBeer Festival and Barbeque.Food and live music. Everyonewelcome. Opens at 11am.

Tuesday 5th at 8.30pm.Branch Committee Meeting,venue to be confirmed. Allmembers welcome, please bringmembership card.

Friday 22nd - Monday 25th Blue Bell, Werrington PE4 6RUMay Bank Holiday Beer Festival20 real ales and live music

Monday 25th - Thursday 28th Black Horse Elton, PE8 6RU.First Beer Festival sincereopening as a pub/restaurant.20 + beers, mostly LocAle.

CAMRA meetings, socials and beer festivals in the coming months


28 | Membership Matters

CAMRA Members’Weekend, featuring theNational AGM andConference, takes place inNottingham this yearbetween 17th and 19thApril. This is wheremembers discussCAMRA’s future policy

and direction. The weekend also offers the oppor-tunity for members to socialise with friends, visitrecommended pubs and go on organised trips.

The venue is the Albert Hall Conference Centre,a few minutes walk from the Old Market Square inthe centre of Nottingham. Transport links toNottingham by car and train are fairly easy, so aday trip or weekend stay is a possibility.

The conference hall (pictured) seats up to 700people, so should accommodate visitors in somecomfort. The Members’ Bar, which will featurebeers from breweries in the local area, is situated inthe Osborne Suite in the same building.

If you have never beer to a Members’ Weekendthen perhaps this is the year to give it a try. Further information, for members only, is availableat camraagm.org.uk. The local NottinghamCAMRA branch also have an excellent website(nottinghamcamra.org/agmnottingham2015/agm_home.php) where you can find more specific localinformation.

See you in Nottingham in April.Bob Melville

Membership Secretary

Membership Matters

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Branch CommitteeSecretary: Dickie Bird4 Cissbury Ring,WerringtonPeterborough, PE4 6QH01733 574226 (tel & fax)07731 993896 [email protected]

Chairman: David Murray01733 [email protected]

Treasurer: Paul Beecham01733 31198107710 [email protected]

Vice Chair:Matthew Mace07809 [email protected]

Social Sec: John Hunt07923 [email protected]

Pubs Officer: John Temple07905 051 [email protected]

Press Officer:Mike Blakesley01733 390828 (h) 07747 617527 (m)[email protected]

Young Members: Kara [email protected]

Membership: Bob Melville07941 [email protected]

Festival Org:Mike Lane07850 [email protected]

LocAle Officer: Dave McLennan01733 346059 (h) 07854 642773 (m)[email protected]

Webmaster: Harry [email protected]

Brewery Liaison OfficersBlue Bell: John Hunt07923 489917

Bexar County Brewery: Dave Botton01733 345475

Castor Ales:Mike Lane07850 334203

Digfield: Dave Waller07821 912605

Elgoods: John Hunt07923 489917

Hopshackle: Noel Ryland07944 869656

Kings Cliffe Brewery:Mike Blakesley07747 617527

Melbourn: Don Rudd01733 323133

Mile Tree Brewery:Steve Williams07756 066503

Nene Valley: Bob Melville07941 246693

Oakham Ales: Dave Allett07966 344417

Tydd Steam: John Hunt07923 489917

Shoulder of Mutton Brewery:John Temple07905 051 312

Star Brewing Company: Dave McLennan - 07854642773

Xtreme Ales:Matt Mace07809 629241

Trading Standards08545 040506www.consumerdirect.gov.ukCheck out our website at:www.real-ale.org.uk

Pub Merit Awards & Gold AwardsDoes your local pub have excellent beer, friendly staff, a great atmosphere/ community spirit, or havethey introduced additional hand pumps? If so nominate them for Gold or Merit Award. The newMerit Award is for pubs that are continuously outstanding, so if you know of a deserving pub withinthe branch area, please complete the form below indicating Gold or Merit Award and post to thesecretary or email nominations to [email protected]. Pub name:

Pub address/town/village:

Reason for award:

Your name:

Your phone number or e-mail address:

Your membership number:

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, then finished off with a tantalising hot or cold dessert!

Check out our lunch-time grill menus 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 a self-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 Menu

Sunday Open From 12 Noon - 9pmAll Day Carvery

Big

Breakfast

every

Sat 8

to 11

am

Help yo

ursel

f fro

m the c

arve

ry,

as m

uch a

s you

can

eat f

or

only £5.95!

200 Broadway, Yaxley Tel: 01733 244885Email: [email protected] www.thefarmersyaxley.co.uk

Planning a wedding or special family

event? We have lots of packages available

including our new Green Room facility.

Please call for further details.

Now taking bookings for Father’s Day

beer around 'ere issue 182

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