mad cow issue 41

40

Upload: se-berkshire-camra

Post on 24-Jul-2016

225 views

Category:

Documents


4 download

DESCRIPTION

Issue 41 of the Mad Cow - Magazine of the Berkshire South-East ("BSE") branch of CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale)

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 2: Mad Cow Issue 41

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO BOOK...

The Wheelwright’s Arms, Davis Way, St Nicholas Hurst, Reading, Berkshire RG10 0TR T: 0118 934 4100 E: [email protected] www.thewheelwrightsarms.co.uk

...themed evening taking us back to the 50s & 60s

Rock with us from 7.00pm till 1am - with ‘�e Burger Bar Boppers’ from 10pm till late

£25 PER TICKET or book 10 tickets before 1st December and pay ONLY £200 - SAVING £50!

What your ticket gets you... entry, live music and an all American style bu�et

New Year’s Eve

Page 3: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 3

Editor’s WelcomeWelcome to our 41st edition of the Mad Cow. As we enjoythe turning of the autumn leaves, and start to turn our thoughts to the fun and festivities of Christmas, it’s hard to believe that the summer of 2015 is already behind us. The cover of this edition of our quarterly magazine re-flects on the fun we had savouring the last of the summer wine, (as well as copious quantities of Bavarian beers), at the West Berks Brewery Ok-

toberWest in September. Just two weeks later we were busy with our very own 9th Beer Festival at Ascot Racecourse, which, thanks to our merry team of volunteers, was hailed a resounding success, and is featured herein on pages 14 & 15. For those of you who enjoy helping at beer festivals, have you ever considered volunteering to help at the Great British Beer Festival in London? Take a look at our article on page 16 to discover how it feels to lend a hand. Those of you who prefer to be the other side of the bar, page 26 provides a round up of the upcoming local beer festivals. You will also find an array of news and updates from our local brewers on pages 11 & 12, as well as the exciting news of the arrival of a brand new brewery to our local area, the Black Pig Brewery in Bracknell on page 8. As for Christmas� Bring it on! Happy reading.

Cheers & Merry Christmas! Mike Rathge (Mad Cow Editor)

CHAIRMAN David Richards chairman@

BSE BRANCH CONTACT Andy Ross contact@

MAD COW EDITOR Mike Rathge madcow@

MAD COW PRODUCTION Jeremy Barber madcow@

Mad Cow Circulation: 2,400 Copies

WEBSITE www.seberkscamra.org.uk

@CamraBSE @Ascot_Beer_Fest

Berkshire South-East CAMRA

© Berkshire South East CAMRA 2015

www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Trading Standards 0845 404 0506

������������������������������ ������� ���������Email addresses are followed by seberkscamra.org.uk

The views expressed in the Mad Cow are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Campaign for Real Ale.

Page 4: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 4 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Pub News Crowthorne

The Prince has been undergoing some refurbish-ment and is planning to re-open on Friday the 6th of No-vember. We understand that Becky is planning to increase from four to six ale pumps, with Ascot Ales promised as the house ale. We have also been advised that two craft beer pumps are being in-stalled.

Here is an important lesson in life, cap-tured by one of our members whilst out and about.

Sandhurst The Rose and Crown.

If you are quick reading this in the first few days after publica-tion, you may catch the Hal-loween beer festival at this local real ale pub on the 29th October to the 1st of Novem-

ber. Peter and Michelle do like to stimulate the senses with their ghostly decorations and, judging by the string of skeletons hanging outside the pub, we are sure that you will be in for a real treat (or trick) this year. We have been told to expect 20+ real ales and 4 ciders. Although it is still some time away, you may also want to make a note in your diary of their Easter Beer Festival on 24th to 28th March 2016.

Warfield The New Leathern Bottle. The Burnham Steam Club’s annual ‘Steam-Up’ was held at the New Leathern Bot-tle on Saturday Octo-ber 10th. The annual event, which raises money for local chari-ties, included a mini real ale and cider festi-val as well as barbe-que, tombola and side stalls.

Plough and Harrow Are holding a beer festival on the 19th to 22nd November 2015. This is a first for Clive and the team at this local Warfield pub. The beer festival forms part of a re-cent campaign by the pub to promote real ale and cider, and is expected to feature eight carefully selected guest ales, plus two or three real ciders.

Page 5: Mad Cow Issue 41

The Ship InnThe Ship InnThe Ship Inn

WokinghamWokinghamWokingham

A historic pub in Wokingham, The Ship Inn is a wonderful grade-II-listed coaching inn dating back 400 years. It might be old, but it’s never been left behind - and a respectful refurbishment in 2015

means the pub feels every bit as fresh as the fabulous food and beer it serves.

A large, very popular venue for all age groups, a number of eating and drinking areas, including an enclosed, sheltered outside patio area, including a covered heated area. Full range of Fullers Real & Craft Ales along with a wide range of other drinks. Barn room available for hire, ideal for parties and groups. Extensive food Menu. Christmas bookings welcome.

Recently refurbishedRecently refurbished

The Ship Inn, 104 Peach Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 1XH 01189 780389 E: [email protected] Facebook & Twitter

Page 6: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 6 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

43 Editions and Counting for the GBG! By Anthony Springall

It is always an exciting time when a new Good Beer Guide is published and the one for 2016 was no exception. Whilst it was launched nationally on 10th September, CAMRA in Berkshire South East like to make it slightly special by getting all the landlords (and landladies) who are featured in the guide to-gether to celebrate the event. On the 21st September, nine of the eleven pubs from Berkshire South East featured in the 2016 Good Beer Guide were represented at the launch event at the Cannie Man, Hanworth, Bracknell at the kind invitation of the licensees, Amanda and Neil. They were joined by brewers from Longdog, Binghams and Black Pig plus the Mayor of Bracknell Town, Cllr Mark Phillips who expressed his support for the aims of the guide.

The chairman of CAMRA Berkshire South East, David Richards, spoke of the very special nature of the guide, it was not one where it was possible to buy a place but rather it was the cream of the crop of pubs chosen by unpaid vol-unteers from the more than ninety pubs in the area. The guide lists not only the best pubs but also provides an up to date guide to the burgeoning brewery scene as new brew-eries come on stream almost daily in the UK, as demon-

strated by the presence of Mark Cowell from Black Pig Brewery. David presented Amanda and Neil with a complementary copy of the guide, Amanda had prepared a splendid buffet and the evening finished with everyone agreeing that it had been a great way to acknowledge the best pubs in our corner of the Royal County.

PAGE 6

ADVERT

CANNIE MAN, BRACKNELL

HALF PAGE

Page 6 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

43 Editions and Counting for the GBG! By Anthony Springall

It is always an exciting time when a new Good Beer Guide is published and the one for 2016 was no exception. Whilst it was launched nationally on 10th September, CAMRA in Berkshire South East like to make it slightly special by getting all the landlords (and landladies) who are featured in the guide to-gether to celebrate the event. On the 21st September, nine of the eleven pubs from Berkshire South East featured in the 2016 Good Beer Guide were represented at the launch event at the Cannie Man, Hanworth, Bracknell at the kind invitation of the licensees, Amanda and Neil. They were joined by brewers from Longdog, Binghams and Black Pig plus the Mayor of Bracknell Town, Cllr Mark Phillips who expressed his support for the aims of the guide.

The chairman of CAMRA Berkshire South East, David Richards, spoke of the very special nature of the guide, it was not one where it was possible to buy a place but rather it was the cream of the crop of pubs chosen by unpaid vol-unteers from the more than ninety pubs in the area. The guide lists not only the best pubs but also provides an up to date guide to the burgeoning brewery scene as new brew-eries come on stream almost daily in the UK, as demon-

strated by the presence of Mark Cowell from Black Pig Brewery. David presented Amanda and Neil with a complementary copy of the guide, Amanda had prepared a splendid buffet and the evening finished with everyone agreeing that it had been a great way to acknowledge the best pubs in our corner of the Royal County.

PAGE 6

ADVERT

CANNIE MAN, BRACKNELL

HALF PAGE

The Cannie Man

Bywood, Hanworth, Bracknell RG12 7RF

A friendly family run pub in the heart of the community

Live Music & a Great Atmosphere

GOOD BEER GUIDE 2014,15 & 2016 CAMRA Most Improved Pub 2014 Discount to CAMRA members

The best selection of local real ales

thecanniemanbracknell

Page 7: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 7

Regional Roundup By Nick Boley

A number of you will al-ready be aware that CAMRA is undergoing a strategic review – the “Revitalisation” project, led by one of the founding members of the Cam-paign, Michael Hardman. Being involved is a real

honour for me, albeit peripherally as a cor-responding member of the Steering Group. The project team tasked with leading the review will be considering all aspects of CAMRA's role and purpose going forward, and will encourage input from members and key players in the trade. Please look out over the next few months for details of how you can get involved with this process, and if you are not already a CAMRA mem-ber please consider joining at this crucial point and help shape our future. By now most of you will know that the Re-gional Pub of the Year (POTY) is the Ris-ing Sun at Berkhamsted. This may not be the easiest place for Berkshire South East members to get to, but it is definitely worth the trip. It is a real community local with great beers from near and far, plus as good a selection of ciders as you will find in South East England.

Visiting the Rising Sun recently as part of my Super-Regional POTY judging duties, I discovered they were participating in the MacMillan Coffee Morning event. This brought home to me how well they engage

with the community, as a huge selection of cakes and pastries were available, follow-ing an appropriate donation, with members of the local community providing a deli-cious selection of cakes and pastries. The POTY presentation takes place on Friday 23 October at 18:00. At the Great British Beer Festival, the judg-ing of the Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) took place. As Chairman of CAMRA’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG), under which sits the Tasting Pan-els, I was pleased to be involved with the process of determining which beers were worthy of these prestigious awards. My taste panel training from years ago came in useful, as I was assigned to the panel judg-ing the Golden Ale category. Nine beers varying from 3.8% to over 5% abv were tasted (see picture below for the after-math).

Three stood out, so these were re-sampled, but personally I couldn’t separate them, so instead of 1st, 2nd & 3rd I select-ed three joint winners. One of these was the eventual overall runner-up, Kelburn Jaguar from Scotland, the others being Blue Monkey Infinity and Adnams Explorer. The TAG members have a wide range of views and technical expertise. At a recent meeting of TAG, held in the Old Manor, Bracknell, we discussed, whether Zerode-grees beers are considered to be Real Ale. We reiterated that they are, as they con-form to CAMRA’s definition. However, we will be keeping this under review (as we do with many other issues).

Page 8: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 8 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Black Pig Brewery A Slice of the Good Life By Anthony Springall

Mark Cowell and his “brew-pal” Gerry Lennon have started the first new brewery in Bracknell producing real ale this century and it fits in neatly with the other activities at Brockdale Cottage. In a beautiful part of Warfield, Mark and his wife Tam have a self sufficient lifestyle with their own pigs, hens, bees and home grown vegetables, and for a keen home brewer it was a natural extension to go on a Brewlab course and consider expanding a hobby into a commercial concern.

The address for the brewery is “The Shipping Container” and this gives the clue as to what the origin of the new brewery’s premises once were. Rather than going on trips across the high seas it is now in rural Berkshire and has been fitted out with a full professional stainless steel 'mini brewery' of the kind the big boys would use for a trial brew but a million miles from the traditional home brewer. It is a gleaming combination of boiler, mash tank, pipework, sparger etc which fills one side of its re-purposed home. It fits in with Mark's lifestyle that the pigs get to enjoy the used grains and the spent hops find their way onto the vegetable patch as mulch.

With a capacity of around 140 litres this would be termed a one barrel plant which currently brews once a week with the majority of its output destined for bottling in 660ml bottles (no meagre 500ml bottles here !). The two beers currently in production are Pig Tale Ale - 4.1% Tawny Ale, brewed with English Malt and US Cascade Hops and Pig Snout Stout - 5.1% Vanilla Stout, brewed with English Malts and English Fuggles Hops.

Mark quickly realised that to produce a quality product required quality ingredients therefore contact was made with The Hop Shop in Plymouth who recommended that malt from Tuckers Maltings in Newton Abbot, Devon would give the beer the right quality and whole cone hops should be used to give the beer its distinctive taste.

Page 9: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 9

Black Pig Brewery (Continued)

Whilst Mark may be a fan of big, hoppy West Coast US beers using the aromatic hop varieties available to them, he has aimed his own beers to be enjoyed by everyone, not just “hop heads”.

Whilst for the moment things are starting in a modest way with beers being sold “at the farm gate” or in limited outlets, there is no reason that in the future you should not expect to find “Black Pig” beers in a local pub or beer festival. We wish Mark and Gerry all the very best in this new venture.

PAGE 9

ADVERT

PLOUGH & HARROW, WARFIELD

HALF PAGE

PLOUGH AND HARROW NEWELL GREEN, WARFIELD.

Plough & Harrow , Newell Green Warfield, Berks RG42 6AE Tel: 01344300701 Email: [email protected]

BEER FESTIVAL Thursday 19—Sunday 22 November

8 cask ales

Four cask ales on. Good food available every day. Curry Nights on every 3rd Thursday Steak nights on Tuesdays, buy two Steaks and enjoy a bottle of wine free. Destination for Sunday Roasts Free Parking inc. Parking available for Horses. Dogs Welcome Open Log Fire Free WiFi Beer Garden Heated Smoking Area Monday Quiz night

Page 10: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 11: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 11

Brewery NewsWest Berkshire Brewery has added four new awards totheir trophy cabinet. Maggs Magnificent Mild (3.8% ABV) and Saazbrucker Pilsner (4.9% ABV) both won Silver Awards at the International Beer Challenge. Saazbrucker Pilsner was also awarded Silver in the Society of Independent Brewers South East

competition (small pack beer), and Maggs Magnificent Mild also bagged local beer of the festival award in the under 4.2% category at Reading Beer Festival.

WBB held their inaugural beer festival, OktoberWest, in September, where a sell-out crowd of 600 beer lovers, including those seen on the front cover of this magazine, enjoyed a selection of imported Bavarian beers, the complete range of award winning ales from WBB and the brewery’s new Renegade Craft Beer range. It was a glorious sunny day and those attending were treated to live music from a traditional German Oompah band, with 4000 pints served in bespoke OktoberWest stein glasses.

Yule Fuel – WBB’s Christmas special, is available in bottle (5%) and on draught (4.3%) throughout November and December. This deep red ale has a warm hop/malt finish with raisin, liquorish and wild berry fruit overtones.

WBB are also looking at setting up a Home Brew Club and are keen to hear from any bud-ding Home Brewers. Why not drop them a line to register your interest? Their first brew evening is likely to be towards the end of November.

Siren Craft Brew’s Broken Dream Breakfast Stout was judgedSilver in the Stout Category for the London and South East Region Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) recently. CAMRA’s CBOB compe-tition is organised around a number of local areas, of which there are

a total of nine in Great Britain. By coincidence in the same week, Broken Dream picked up a Silver award at the Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival.

Siren Craft Brew hires a new Head Brewer, Markus Wagner. Originally from Dresden, Germany, Markus established his brewing skills at Radeberger Exportbier Brauerei, before heading over to Firestone Walker in California, where he worked in their brew-house operation with their barrel fermentation project, barrel ageing project and sour programme. After a spell in Switzerland at Heineken SUI, in 2013 Markus was attracted to the UK’s developing beer scene, joining Camden Town Brewery where he also developed a new barrel ageing program. Markus will be overseeing the on-going ex-pansion of the Siren Craft Brewery, as well as taking control of the brew-house. We un-derstand Markus will be making his debut with a Blackberry IPA, currently being brewed, and we wish Markus all the best with steering the Siren Craft Brew journey onwards.

Andwell Brewery have plans for a new cask store, function spaceand Brew-house Café, which we understand are progressing well. Situ-ated within Andwell (near Hook), next to the Brewery, The Brew-house Café will offer a unique dining experience, with a new Brewery Shop. Above the Brew-house Café will be home to meeting & function room space, available to businesses and private functions.

Page 12: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 12 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Brewery News (contd.) Windsor & Eton Brewery Seasonal beers currently on offer are Canberra (Oct–Jan) and Seattle Porter (Nov-Jan). Special beers available are: December: Conqueror 1075: 7.4% black IPA & Mandarin: Christmas ale using Mandarina Bavaria hops. Jan-Feb: Tree Tops Stout. The M&S contract for Windsor & Eton bottled Craft Beer range. “Island Hopper” is still going strong.

Work on merging the old office and shop to create one large shop and visitors’ centre, including a bar, is on hold until after Christmas. However, the new state of the art, meeting room is now operational and being hired by local businesses that want a “room with a tour”. The brewery’s tours have again received Trip Advisor’s highest approval rating with a certificate of excellence for 2015.

The Windsor & Eton ‘It’s My Local’ initiative is still at twelve pubs, ensuring that a Windsor & Eton beer will always be available. For those of you following progress on the Windsor & Eton Taverns, the Cat & Lily Tavern has just commenced remedial structural work, and the George in Eton is doing well and they plan to build a new central bar to make it a more traditional drinking pub before Christmas.

UPRISING are formulating a Christmas beer - watch this space. It is important to note that although Uprising beers are kegged, the bottled beers are bottle conditioned. Kieran is currently experimenting with kegging his beers without filtering! Treason, the West Coast IPA, won a top award this Autumn receiving a gold medal at the International Beer Challenge for the bottle conditioned beer.

Binghams competition to name their newRugby beer was won by George Blackwell, who came up with the slightly tongue in cheek name

of “Rucking Ale”. It’s a 4% dark copper ale using English hops. It’s a shame England didn’t do so well in the cup, but the ale seems to be selling well!

Vanilla Stout won gold in the Speciality Ale section of CAMRA’s London and South East Champion Beer of Britain, so for a second time, Binghams will be joining the other regional winners in the Champion Beer of Britain finals at the Great British Beer Festival in 2016.

Binghams’ seasonal special is the Woodsmoke Porter at 5%, so called because the malt used was smoked over beech wood to give it a mellow smoky flavour. The next Craft Hop in line is Pilot at 4.5%. The base pale ale is brewed using a different hop each time, so that you can get to see what the different hops taste like, without any other strong flavours to contend with.

Pilot has a lemon and marmalade character.

This year, in the usual tradition of following the Twyford Christmas Fayre, the Binghams open day will be on Saturday 5th December. With free tasters and nibbles, along with short brewery tours, it is bound to be a fun day, so do pop along and join them. They will be open from 12 – 6pm.

Page 13: Mad Cow Issue 41

Hampshire’s odds-on favouriteTHOROUGHLY BREWED

FOR SERIOUSLY GOOD TASTE

B R E W E RY

U P H A M B R E W E R Y. C O . U K

T 01489 861 383Stakes Farm, Cross Lane, Upham, Hampshire SO32 1FL

available locally at the Winning Post, SL4 4SW

Page 14: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 14 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Ascot Beer Festival 2015 By Mike Smith, Festival Organiser

The autumn sunshine brightened up another hugely successful ninth festival at the racecourse as thirsty racegoers drank their way through over twenty six thousand pints of real ale, cider and perry.

First to sell out was our local favourite from Tongham in Surrey, Hogs Back TEA with Gwynt y Ddraig Two Trees perry first to go on the cider bar. The public vote for Beer of the Festival was a resounding victory for newcomers Hedgedog. Marc and Andrew Sage only started brewing last year and have now expanded into premises just down the road in Virginia Water.

Their winning beer, Amber, at 3.9% ABV is a classic malty English session beer nicely balanced with a crisp hop flavour. We look forward to presenting the award in the coming weeks.

We show-cased four festival specials from Wild Weather (Riders on the Storm), Binghams (Thirst Past the Post), Longdog (English Hopped IPA) and Indigenous (Frisky Mare) all proving a big hit with the customers.

The regional Greater Manchester bar was popular once again with some fantastic beer from Marble, Brewsmith and Deeply Vale to name a few. I am grateful to Chris Gill from Ascot Ales and Brian O’Kane who helped source these beers for us.

It is always a great pleasure to run the festival for the racecourse and introduce many non-CAMRA beer drinkers to the delights of our national beverage and at the same time for CAMRA members to enjoy the best flat racing at Berkshire’s iconic venue. The winner of the Ascot CAMRA Beer Festival Gordon Carter Stakes was won by Burmese ridden by William Buike. You may have spotted a local celebrity on TV presenting the winning owner, Sir Thomas Pilkington, with the trophy.

Finally, a big thank you to our 100+ volunteers who make the festival a big success every year!

Page 15: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 15

Page 16: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 16 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Lending a hand at the Great British Beer Festival By Terry Burrows

Like many of you who volunteered to work at the Ascot Beer Festival recently, both Trish and I are still recovering from the hectic time we all experienced there and we only worked on the Friday and Saturday. Our admiration for those who were involved in the preparation, setting up and clearing away at Ascot holds no bounds. Indeed, there were some of you who looked extremely tired before the event even started! It’s very much the same volunteering to work at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) but obviously on a much larger scale and with hundreds more volunteers. This year’s GBBF was once again held at Olympia from Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th August. For the last three years Trish and I have volunteered to work there as part of the Corporate Hospitality team. This year we were pleased to have with us fellow branch members Karen Scutter and Barry Garber who were volunteering in ‘Corporate’ for the first time.

So what is Corporate Hospitality and what does it involve? It is mainly for companies or organisations who buy corporate packages at various prices for the benefit of their guests. The guests are normally employees and/or customers who have been selected to attend the festival. The guest packages can range simply from an amount of beer tokens to the more comprehensive ones which would include access to the Corporate Lounge. Most packs include a festival glass, programme and some beer, food and game tokens. Some companies and organisations pay for additional items such as Tutored Tasting Sessions and/or

one of the rooms in Olympia for their private use. Basically, our job is to look after the corporate guests and make their visit to the festival as enjoyable as possible. Each individual guest pack is assembled prior to their arrival. When they arrive we greet them in the Corporate Reception, which has its own separate entrance. Here they are given their individual packs with a choice of festival glass and directed to the Corporate Lounge or into the festival itself.

Our team this year came from far and wide. In addition to the four of us the team included Mark Redhead (Our manager from Hants & Surrey Hants Borders) and his wife Wendy, Morris and Fiona Elsworth (North Devon), Andrew Taylor (Barnsley), Barry Mayles and Ray Hodgins (Exeter & East Devon), Ted Tomiak (West London), Chris and Steve Pampling (West Midlands) with Rob Ferguson and Gillian Dale from CAMRA HQ.

Page 17: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 17

Why we volunteer for the GBBF? (or “What’s in it for us?”)

Well apart from experiencing the festival from a completely different perspective, we feel very much part of the team running the biggest beer festival in the biggest ‘pub’ in the land. As we are there for the whole week, there are plenty of opportunities for us to be present at other events when not engaged in our corporate duties. There is also the social side to consider as well. These can include:

1. Being there on the Tuesday (Trade Dayfor Brewers and associates only) at about 3.00pm when the Champion Beer of Britain (CBOB) is announced. This year’s winner was Tiny Rebel’s ‘Cwtch’ (which means ‘Cuddle’ for us non Welsh speakers). Once the announcement has been made there is always a mad rush by some of the customers to find the bar that is selling the winning beer!

2. Helping out at the Tutored Tastingsessions where two corporate staff members are posted to check the tickets of those coming in. When everyone has arrived we go in and listen to the tasting presentation. Surprisingly, it’s not unusual for the odd taster of beer to come our way.

3. Sampling the different foods from themany suppliers at the festival. You can have a meal from a different country every day if you want and some give you staff discount as well. If that’s not for you then there is the staff canteen on the first floor, which provides a good selection of food.

4. Buying beer tokens for the festival fromthe staffing office at a discounted rate for volunteers.

5. Having the use of the Volunteer Arms upon the first floor where free (yes, FREE) beer, cider and the odd perry can be

obtained during lunch time, dinner time and after closing time every day. However, there are severe consequences for any volunteer who drinks too much, particularly whilst members of the public are in attendance at the festival.

6. Attending the staff party on Saturdaynight after the festival has closed. This can go on to the early hours of Sunday morning and all food and drink is free (yes, FREE again). Needless to say there is much singing, dancing and some strange standards of dress. Festival Organiser Ian Hill gave his report on how the festival had gone and welcomed the first time volunteers into the GBBF ‘family’.

Overall, working at the GBBF is a tiring experience, with long hours and late nights, but a very enjoyable one nonetheless. Would we do it again? Yes, absolutely, and we can recommend it to other members who are thinking of doing the same. Trish has already volunteered us for next year and booked our accommodation. Put the dates in your diary: Tuesday 9th to Saturday 13th August 2016. A great way to spend a week in London. We may see you there. Cheers!�

Page 18: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 18 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

IS YOUR PUB SERVING YOUR ALE AS IT SHOULD BE?

We need you to submit scores for the Real Ales that you drink. You can do this using whatpub.com for almost all pubs within the UK. Alternatively, for pubs in our branch, you can email Lee Allsopp remembering to add the date of your visit, your name, membership number, the pub name, the beer and brewery, and of course your score!

Email: [email protected]

Importantly, you are judging the quality on how well it is kept and served, not whether you liked that particular brew.

The scores are used to help us choose our Good Beer Guide entries and local Pub of the Year. You can use half scores if you wish (i.e. 3.5)

IS THE DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LOCAL IN NEED OF AN UPDATE?

Please visit whatpub.com and check for your 'local'. Our Pub Database Coordi-nator, John Winkley, would love to receive any corrections you may have. Please do this using the “Submit Updates” feature. Alternatively and/or for any questions you may e.mail John at [email protected]

Page 19: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 19

PAGE 19

ADVERT

ROYAL OAK, SUNNINGDALE

HALF PAGE

PAGE 19

PUB WALK

HALF PAGE

The ROYAL OAK, Sunningdale

- Local Heroes pub serving up to six quality Real Ales - Good Beer Guide 2015 - Local Real Ales inc. Windsor & Eton + Rebellion ranges - Large enclosed rear Garden - Simple Lunch time food - Open all day. Noon-11pm - Nr. Ascot & Wentworth

19 Station Road Sunningdale

Nr. Ascot, SL5 0QL.

01344 623625 twitter

@oaksunningdale

Walk— Royal Oak, Sunningdale. THIS GENTLE, UNDEMANDING WALK EXPLORES A WOODED CORNER OF EAST BERKSHIRE, CLOSE TO HER BORDER WITH SURREY. BEGINNING IN SUNNINGDALE VILLAGE, THE ROUTE CUTS THROUGH THE WENTWORTH ESTATE, FAMOUS FOR ITS SPRAWLING GOLF COURSE. THE RETURN LEG TAKES IN COWORTH PARK, WHICH TODAY IS RUN AS A POLO CENTRE.

How to get there: SL5 OQL From the A30 between Bagshot and Englefield Green, follow the signs for Sunningdale which lies to the north of the Sunninghill train station on the A30. Parking: In front of the pub or along the village street. Length of the walk: 4 miles. Map: OS Explorer 160 Windsor, Weybridge & Bracknell (GR 951676).

Page 20: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 20 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

PAGE 20

PUB WALK

CENTRE SPREAD

On the north side of the A30, close to Coworth Park, is one of the entrances to Fort Belvedere, once the home of Edward VIII and where he signed the abdication document in December 1936. Long after Ed-ward had given up the throne and married American divorcee Wallis Simpson, the house still occupied his thoughts. Fort Belvedere had ‘laid hold of me in so many ways,’ he wrote in his memoirs. THE WALK 1. From the Royal Oak turn left and follow the Station Road, Take

1st left down Church Road. At the ’T’ junction at the Anglican church, turn right and continue down Bedford Lane . Cross a brook and turn right by some bungalows. Take the path to the A30, cross over, and turn left. Walk along to a sign on the right for Shrubs Hill Lane and Onslow Road.

Page 21: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 21

PAGE 21

PUB WALK

CENTRE SPREAD

2. Follow the path to a junction by a fence and turn right by the bridle-way/footpath sign. Curve left, making for a roundabout. Swing left on reaching it and look for a footpath next to a house called Highgate. Follow it through the woodland and when you join a wider path on a bend, keep left. Then a little firther keep Right and skirt the golf course, cutting between trees and bracken, and when you emerge from the woodland, follow the path across the fair-ways, keeping left at a junction by a bunker. Veer right at the first fork, into the trees, and follow the path to a junction with a tarmac drive.

3. Turn left and pass through the exclusive Wentworth Estate. On

reaching the A30, turn left and follow the road west. Walk down to the Berkshire/Surrey border and turn sharp right at the Bluebell Pub, a shared right of way. Follow the shaded path and beyond the trees you reach the buildings of Coworth Park.

4. Draw level with a bridge, turn left and follow the path across the

parkland, crossing a track on the far side. Enter the trees, turn left at the road and pass some houses. Turn right to join a byway by Sunningdale Bowling Club. Leading to a tarmac drive and continue ahead. Turn left at the road, then veer right after a few paces onto Station Road. Return to the Royal Oak, or the near by Nags Head.

This walk, is one of many and reproduced by kind permission. PUB WALKS IN BERKSHIRE (New Edition) by Nick Channer Published by Countryside Books www.countrysidebooks.co.uk Price £7.99 ISBN 978 1 84674 181 4 To Landlords: If you have a walk you wish published in a copy of the

‘MadCow’ newsletter please contact [email protected]

Page 22: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 23: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 24: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 24 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Real Cider at the 9th Ascot Racecourse CAMRA Beer Festival. By Mike Lee

We had a very successful cider Bar at the Ascot Racecourse CAMRA Beer Festival during 2nd and 3rd October. We had our largest cider bar at this festival and we were more cen-trally located and it made a big difference for both the CAMRA volunteers that were serving as well as the “cider seekers” at the bar. As the sun shone into the racecourse atrium we sold over 4000 pints of cider and perry (pear cider) over the two days, about 300 pints an hour during our opening times.

This year we sold 37 different ciders and perries, 16 from local producers and two from Lancashire to support the region beer bar from the same area. The Ascot festival de-mographics at the cider bar are noticeably different from the beer bars with predominantly younger customers and a higher proportion of women than men. The perries were in great demand as was sweeter cider, so as the cider procurer for the festival, I will make a note to order more perry and a sweeter stock of cider for next year.

I did have some strange requests from customers at the cider bar this year. Apart from a request for ice in their Real Cider and for “something light and fizzy” (I helpfully suggested they try the champagne bar!), I was asked for two straws for their pint of Real Perry!

We are looking forward to our first decade of Ascot Racecourse CAMRA Festivals next October when, apart from great beers, you will find the best selection of ciders and perries in the South East Berkshire region.

PAGE 24

ADVERT

THE OLD MANOR BRACKNELL

HALF PAGE

THE OLD MANORGrenville Place, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1BP Tel: 01344 304 490

Subject to local licensing restrictions and availabilty at participating free houses

QUALITY REAL ALES FROM £2.40 PER PINT

£2.99PINT

£2.49PINT

BOOKINGS

NOW BEING

TAKEN FOR

CHRISTMAS

J13475_P65_Half page advert_V2.indd 1 05/10/2015 17:24

Page 25: Mad Cow Issue 41

The Duke has free WiFi access (high speed compu-fi x system)

www.TheDukeOfEdinburgh.com

The Duke of Edinburgh, Woodside Road, Winkfi eld, SL4 2DP Tel: 01344-882736Located in the hamlet of Woodside, just 1/2 mile from Ascot racecourse

Real Ales @ the DukeThe Duke’s real ale collection is popular. Arkell’s of Swindon provide an excellent range of beers, with favourites offered such as: 2B, 3B, Wiltshire Gold ale, Moonlight and Kingsdown special ale, with others such as: Bee’s organic ale and Noël ale also offered in different seasons.

A Menu for all OccasionsBar & Light Lunch menu availablelunchtimes & evenings. Evenings alsooffers our extensive A-la-Carte menu,with a large selection of ‘Specials’always available.

Christmas lunch & dinner menu nowavailable! Bookings being taken.Book your Xmas lunch or dinner now!

Check out our website for all news, menus, events, local information, as well as info on our range of real ales, lagers & wines. The Duke also offers a spacious beer garden which boasts a large avery.

bit.ly/UuEEFk

bit.ly/Qag3nQ on.fb.me/SzsVcd

Page 26: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 26 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

���������������������������������������

����������������������������������������������� ����������������������

����� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ���� ��� ������ ���� ���������� ����� �������� ��� �������������������������������������������������������������

 ����­������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������­���������������������� �� ��� ������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������� �� � � ����������������������������������������������������������� � ��������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������� ��������­������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����������� �� � � ������

��������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������� ���� ���� ��� ���� ����� ���������� �������������������������������������� ������������� ��� ����������� ����� �������������������� ���������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

�­������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������� ����������������������� �� ���������������������������������������� �������� �������� ������� �� � ������������� ���������������������������������������������� ���������������������

���������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������� ��� ����� �������� �������������� ���������������� ��� ���������������������������������������������������������������������� ��� ������� ������ ������������ ����� ���� ���� ���������� ����������������������������������������������

Page 27: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 27

PAGE 27

ADVERT

QUEENS HEAD, WOKINGHAM

HALF PAGE

��������������������������

CAMRA is pleased to announce that the Berkshire Pub of the Year (POTY) award has recently been presented to the Queen's Head, Wokingham. CAMRA’s Berk-shire Area Organiser, Darren Stock, presented the certificate.

Local branch chairman, David Richards, said, “This is the first time in the history of our branch that one of our pubs has won the County round of the Pub of the Year competition. To get this far, a pub has to have won the local branch award and been judged against all the other CAMRA branch POTYs in the County round. We are all extremely pleased that the Queen’s Head came out top and are immensely proud of licensee Carol Williams, who took the pub over in 2013. There are four CAMRA branches in Berkshire and so to be judged the best pub is quite an achieve-ment. So it is now official – the Queen’s Head is the best pub in Berkshire! ”

Page 28: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 29: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 29

Campaign FocusBy Barry Garber

The CAMRA 2016 Good Beer Guide was published in September and highlights the rapidly changing trends in Real Ale. As editor Roger Protz said ' The great British beer revolution rolls on and appears to be unstop-pable'. There are now more than 1400 breweries in the UK, a far cry from the 1970's when the industry appeared to be declining to the point of ex-tinction. A relatively new concept is the micropub. This is often situated in a small high street shop unit where a traditional pub would not fit and can be adapted to serve beer usually, but not always, straight from the cask. There are now around 200 micropubs in the UK and the number is ex-pected to grow rapidly. The range of beers on sale has never been better so whether your tipple of choice is a golden ale or a strong full bodied stout (or something in between), there is bound to be a beer just for you!

As summer becomes a distant memory and we turn our thoughts to Christmas and the new year, what better time to pay a visit to your local pub and enjoy a pint of Real Ale. A winter's evening in a cosy pub with a real log fire burning conjures up all sorts of lovely thoughts, and topped off with a pint of real ale and good conversation. How better could life be! Yes, you could buy a few bottles of beer in the supermarket and drink it at home in front of the TV, but it's just not the same as drinking cask ale in

the only place where it can be drunk as the brewer intended, and that's in a pub. Cask ale sales are on the rise again as people recognise that Real Ale choice and quality has never been better. Sales are increasing at a faster rate than other drinks sold in pubs. With a greater choice of product as a result of an ever-increasing number of breweries in the UK it is imperative that, in order to sustain this choice and the outlets that sell the beer, we make the effort to go to the pub regularly. One of CAMRA's key campaigns encourages people to go to the pub, so why not make it your resolution to visit your local pub more regularly.

CAMRA has increased the target for pubs it wishes to see listed as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) in England to 3000 by the end of 2016. Currently there are around 900 pubs with ACV protection in England. This vital protec-tion enhances the very weak planning laws that allows pubs to be closed and even demolished without any recourse to the local council or community. From April 2015 additional protection was afforded to pubs listed as an ACV which makes it compulsory for the community to be consulted over any proposed changes. If you are aware of any pub in our branch area that you believe would benefit from being listed as an ACV please get in touch by email to [email protected]

Page 30: Mad Cow Issue 41

Pete and Michelle welcome you to

The Rose & Crown, Sandhurst Find us in CAMRA’s GOOD BEER GUIDE & WhatPub.com

- Real Ales, constantly changing on 7 pumps. - Quality homemade meals: Tuesday - Sunday - Traditional Sunday roasts - CAMRA LocAle accredited, & members discount - Comfortable surroundings and Large garden area. - Family friendly and dogs welcome - Freshly ground coffees and other hot beverages - Live music most Fri. & Sat. Plse see facebook

The Rose & Crown, 108 High Street, Sandhurst. GU47 8HA. www.roseandcrownsandhurst.info

Catering for parties and special events available. Please call. 01252 878938

Pete and Michelle welcome you to

The Rose & Crown, Sandhurst Find us in CAMRA’s GOOD BEER GUIDE & WhatPub.com

- Real Ales, constantly changing on 7 pumps. - Quality homemade meals: Tuesday - Sunday - Traditional Sunday roasts - CAMRA LocAle accredited, & members discount - Comfortable surroundings and Large garden area. - Family friendly and dogs welcome - Freshly ground coffees and other hot beverages - Live music most Fri. & Sat. Plse see facebook

The Rose & Crown, 108 High Street, Sandhurst. GU47 8HA. www.roseandcrownsandhurst.info

Catering for parties and special events available. Please call. 01252 878938

Page 31: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 31

Berkshire South-East Public TransportBy Barry Garber

In the Berkshire South East CAMRA area there has recently been changes to the bus schedules, which have particularly impacted on evening services. This now makes it very difficult to access some of our pubs without using a car, which is unfortunate, as without doubt this affects our pubs business volumes, and can impact long-term viability. Our branch area includes a mixture of towns and villages with a train line running East-West (Waterloo to Reading Line) calling at Sunning-

dale, Ascot, Bracknell, Wokingham and Winnersh. Services run on this line every thirty minutes, seven days a week, until approximately 23:30hrs. Another train line (Reading to Gatwick Airport) runs through Wokingham, Crowthorne and Sandhurst, all of which are in our branch area. Services on this line run hourly Mon-day to Saturday, with a two hourly service on Sunday, although this level of service is expected to be increased in the New Year. Services also run until approximately 23:30hrs.

The train services described above are adequate and provide a valuable link across the branch between towns. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for bus services with last services finishing by 9pm at the lat-est. It is clearly not seen as viable to run bus services outside big cities late into the evening. This is some-thing CAMRA needs to have a say in as part of its cam-paigning role. In future col-umns we will go into detail about our remaining daytime and evening bus services and possibilities that still exist to take the bus to the pub and hopefully get home again!

Page 32: Mad Cow Issue 41

Page 32 Issue 41, Winter 2015

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Branch DiaryVisit our branch website for the latest diary updates. We welcome your suggestions for a future social visit. Contact our social secretary, Clive Doran at: [email protected]

NOVEMBER Wednesday 4th November Wobbly Wednesday Minibus Social to visit pubs in Winkfield Area, including; Squirrels, Old Hatchet, White Hart and Winning Post. Pick-up points: Wokingham Train station at 18.50, Crowthorne (Prince bus stop) at 19:05, Golden Retriever Bracknell at 19:10 and Bracknell Train Sta-tion 19:20. Cost £5.00 payable on the day. Pre-booking required - Contact Clive Doran for more details at: [email protected]

Saturday 14th November Egham United Services Club Beer Festival, 111 Spring Rise, Egham. TW20 9PE. Meet at 1pm.

Thursday 19th November Thirsty Thursday Minibus Social to visit pubs in Warfield Area, including; Cricket-ers, Plough & Harrow, Shepherds House, & New Leathern Bottle. Pick-up points: Wokingham Train station at 18.50, Crowthorne (Prince bus stop) at 19:05, Golden Retriever Bracknell at 19:10 and Bracknell Train Station 19:20. Cost £5.00 payable on the day. Pre-booking required - Contact Clive Doran for more details at: [email protected]

Thursday 26th November Social at the Village Inn, 21 Yorktown Rd, Sandhurst. GU47 9DX. Meet at 8pm.

DECEMBER Wednesday 2nd December Open Meeting & GBG Shortlist Meeting. Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell. RG12 1BP, Meet at 8pm.

Thursday 10th December Christmas Social at the Prince of Wales, 184 Rectory Road, Farnborough. GU14 8AL Meet at 8pm.

JANUARY Thursday 14th January Social at the Wheelwright’s Arms, Davis Way, Hurst. RG10 0TR. Meet at 8pm.

Saturday 23rd January will be the date of the next Central Southern Regional Pub Crawl. The route will be decided in No-vember after a thorough and gruelling sur-vey! Watch this space�

FEBRUARYWednesday 3rd February Open Meeting & GBG Selection Meeting. Old Manor, Grenville Place, Bracknell. RG12 1BP. Meet at 8pm.

Advertising Rates

Quarter page £20 (new adverts) Half page £60* Full page £120* Full page premium £135* * Discounts available for annual sub-scription (four editions) paid in advance. For all Mad Cow enquiries contact [email protected]

Next Edition Deadline (Feb–Apr Edition) Advertising 6th January 2016 Articles 8th January 2016

Page 33: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 34: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 35: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 35

LocAle Update By Graham Holt

The list of local breweries and LocAle pubs is opposite, and the Cricketers Warfield has recently been added as it now regular-ly serves a beer from Windsor & Eton brewery. In addition to the pubs listed, local ales are known to be served in many other pubs/bars, with CAMRA members suggesting that LocAle status be consid-ered for the Bull at Barkham, and the Dog and Partridge in Sunninghill.

Records also show local beers are occa-sionally served at the Village Inn in Sand-hurst, Gig House and Roebuck in Woking-ham, Golden Retriever in Bracknell and the Binfield Social Club where a CAMRA card will get you a warm welcome. But the re-quirement is for LocAle accredited pubs to have at least one hand-pump continuously offering good quality local beer, so for the-se pubs, confirmation of this is needed before I can schedule a visit. Are you able to confirm an unlisted pub dedicates a hand-pump to LocAle? If so please send an email stating pub/info to: [email protected].

In my recent travels I have been very im-pressed by the welcome given and the connection with LocAle at the following pubs. If LocAle is your thing, then why not try The Queens Head or the Crispin Wo-kingham, New Leathern Bottle Jealotts Hill, Royal Oak Sunningdale, Squirrels Wink-field, White Hart Winkfield, Jack o'Newbury Binfield?

Finally - your CAMRA Branch would love to receive comments about the pubs you visit either by email [email protected] or go to WhatPub and use ‘Submit Update’

Cheers! Graham Holt - CAMRA BSE LocAle Officer

Accredited LocAle Outlets

Ascot Station Inn (Jagz) Thatched Tavern

Binfield Jack O’Newbury Roebuck

Bracknell Cannie Man Green Man Old Manor South Hill Park

Eversley Tally Ho Jealott's Hill New Leathern Bottle Sandhurst Rose & Crown Sindlesham Walter Arms Sunningdale Royal Oak Warfield Cricketers Winkfield Squirrels Bar

White Hart Wokingham Crispin

Molly Millar Olde Leathern Bottel Queens Head

Wokingham Without

Pinewood Bar & Cafe

LocAle Breweries (within 25 miles of Bracknell)

Abbey Ford (Chertsey, Surrey) 14 Andwell (Andwell, Hampshire) 19 Ascot Ales (Camberley, Surrey) 9Bell Street (Henley, Oxon) 14 Bingham’s (Ruscombe, Berks) 9 Brightwater (Claygate, Surrey) 22 Frensham (Frensham, Surrey) 20 Hogs Back (Tongham, Surrey) 16 Loddon (Dunsden Green, Oxon) 13 Longdog (Basingstoke, Hants) 25 Malt the Brewer (Prestwood, Bucks) 22 Rebellion (Marlow, Bucks) 15 Sherfield Village (Sherfield, Hants) 19 Siren Craft (Finchampstead, Berks) 9 Tillingbourne (Shere, Surrey) 21 Triple fff (Four Marks, Hants) 25 Twickenham (Twickenham, Middx) 21 West Berkshire (Frilsham, Berks) 24 Wild Weather (Silchester, Berks) 19 Windsor & Eton (Windsor, Berks) 10 Zero Degrees (Reading, Berks) 13

Page 36: Mad Cow Issue 41

Andy and Pauline welcome you to the

Pinewood bar and café

All day breakfast, Good selection of Freshly cooked food,

Baguettes, Sandwiches, Tea, coffee, and cakes.

- Home to many clubs - Darts /pool - Tuesday night is Bike night MX5 & VW campers - Ballroom dancing to Burlesque - New skittle alley for hire

Decked Patio Area Function room available for hire Ideal for weddings, parties, wakes etc. Party’s catered for all ages Real Ales, Licensed bar & Catering

www.pinewoodbarandcafe.co.uk Unit 8, Pinewood Leisure [email protected] Old Wokingham Road, 01344 778543 Wokingham, RG40 3AQ

Page 37: Mad Cow Issue 41

www.seberkscamra.org.uk

Issue 41, Winter 2015 Page 37

Landlord’s Witter By Barry Fenton An Interview with a Landlord from a local Pub.

This time we welcome Nathan Jones from the Village Inn in Sandhurst.

Q. How long have you been in the pub business and at the Village Inn? A. I’ve been here for six months. Previously at the Jolly Coopers in Epsom for six years and before that many holiday reliefs up & down the country. Q. What do you most like about the pub trade? A. The social aspect. Being part of the community. Meeting new people and the challenge of building the business. Q. And the least? A. The hours and the hard work, but it’s worth it when it all works well. Q. What Real Ales are you selling today? A. We’ve just had a third handpump installed, so I can increase the ales on sale. I believe that to be enough at the moment, I will concentrate on quality. As trade improves I will increase the offer, to four or maybe five. Now we have FFF Alton Pride (3.8%). St Austell Tribute (4.2%) and Dark Star Hophead (3.8%). Q. And how will these change over the coming weeks and months? A. All rotated, and bought from the SIBA list. I want to highlight local beers and try some ales from Windsor & Eton, Hogs Back and Surrey Hills breweries.

Q. How important are Real Ales to your Pub? A. It’s beer that makes the pub. Real Ales are about the only thing that we sell that you can’t buy at the supermarkets. In my Epsom pub we won the CAMRA Kingston & Leatherhead branch, Pub of the Year, two years running, and we were in the GBG every year 2009-2015. Here we have just got Cask Marque accreditation. Q. What plans have you got for your pub in the next year? A. We are new here and are still finding our feet. Apart from the ales, we are currently building the food trade with a complete refurbishment of the kitchen. We will do Sunday lunches, a Thursday steak night. We concentrate on traditional pub food with locally sourced products. Q. What would you like to get over to our readers to encourage them to come into your pub? A. We have live music at weekends. Our new cocktail bar is open and we hope to run Real Ale festivals during the winter. We have a BBQ pit, a good range of wines by the bottle and most of them are on sale by the glass. Q. What wrong would you most like to put right in the pub trade? A. High taxes and the cost to me of buying the beer, make it difficult for me to sell at an acceptable price and to make a profit. Q. Which celebrity would you most like to work behind your bar and why? A. Al Murray, but I would have to teach him how to pull a decent pint!

Page 38: Mad Cow Issue 41

Local Walks, Dogs welcome. Welcoming log fires on cold days. Real ales, CAMRA LocAle accredited Quality food includes homemade favourites. Steak nights every Friday night. Karaoke on the last Friday of every month. Brilliant kids play area,

01344 421 282 Facebook 'The New Leathern Bottle’

http://www.newleathernbottle.co.uk

Jealotts Hill, Warfield, Berkshire, RG42 6ET

Quiz Answers — How well do you know your pub gardens ? The Winner is—Andy Ross with all correct. Well Done

Visit www.whatpub.com - for branch area pubs search ‘Berkshire South East’

[email protected] Supported by: White Horse,

Jack o’ Newbury, Binfield,

Royal Oak, Sunningdale

White Horse Wokingham

White Hart Winkfield

Duke of Edinburgh Woodside

Rose & Crown Sandhurst

Green man Bracknell

South Hill Park Bracknell

Our new Face Book page…...

are you connected? Berkshire South-East

CAMRA

Berkshire South-East CAMRA

Read this magazine on-line www.seberkscamra.org.uk/madcow

or follow the QR code. Our new Face Book

page…... are you connected?

Berkshire South-East

CAMRA

Berkshire South-East CAMRA

Read this magazine on-line www.seberkscamra.org.uk/madcow

or follow the QR code.

Page 39: Mad Cow Issue 41
Page 40: Mad Cow Issue 41