magnet is local pub of the year 2011 - ssm camra …cider club every monday - all traditional cider...

February 2011

Magnet is LocalPub of the Year2011- more on page 11

Another Successful National Winter AlesFestival – but will it be Manchester’s last?More on page 13

2 OPENING TIMES February 2011

THE CRESCENT18-21 the crescent , Salford , Lancs

www.thecrescentsalford.co.uk01617365600

CURRY NIGHT EVERY WEDNESDAY 1700-2000CHOOSE UPTO 3 CURRIES FOR £5.00

Up to 9 Real Ales availableUp to 4 Real Ciders

Quiz night every Monday night for 21.30Curry night every Wednesday night 5-8

Car park & beer garden to the rear of the buildingFood served 7 days a week !!

Opening Hours:Mon – Thurs:- 1200-2300

Fri & Sat:- 1200-2300Sun :- 1200-2230

February 2011 OPENING TIMES 3

IT is almost ten years since Congleton’s Beartown Brewerytook on the lease of the Navigation. Luckily it Is not ownedby some faceless pub company but by the neighbouring

Nelstrop’s flour mill which towers over the white painted pub.Beartown have had a variety of managers and tenants in that

time and today it is run by Barry Harvey and Deborah Smithwho have been there since November 2008. In that time theyhave turned around its fortunes by working hard, employinggood staff and selling great beer.

Typically the beers on sale will include Beartown KodiakGold, Bearskinful, Bruins Ruin and Bear Ass. Barry also stocksa rotating guest beer which happened to be Beartown GingerAle when I visited.

The Navigation is a great community pub where friendlybanter is the order of the day and where local people of all agesmeet to discuss the finer points in life. The pub even has itsown football team which meets regularly before and aftergames. The combination of an adult community pub, localrapport, good beer, friendly staff, great regulars and a good‘crack’ have ensured that trade has increased to the extent thatBarry is now looking to introduce an extra hand pump. There was recent completely unfounded gossip in the areathat the Navigation was closing and Barry and Deborah wereupset enough to put notices around the area to quash thisrumour. Opening Times fully support the couple not leastbecause it is very important that the pub continues to thrivebecause of late the Heaton Norris area has been blighted withpub closures. The list of closures is as long as your arm so anypub that has survived in this area has to be doing somethingspecial.

Barry and Deborah have turned around a pub that had lostits way into a pub that is now one of the very best locals in thearea. So great is the improvement, that the award of CAMRApub of the month is now long overdue.

So why not join CAMRA to celebrate the award which will bepresented to Barry and Deborah on Thursday 24th FebruaryThe celebrations will begin from about 8:00pm. Make sure thatyou arrive early because the pub is bound to be busy.

The Pub of the Month award is sponsored by Stephensons, alocal family firm that has been supplying the local pub andcatering trade for over 140 years. Check out their advert on thispage.

The Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pubof the Month award for February is the Navigationat the top of Lancashire Hill in Stockport. StuartBallantyne went along.


Hot cookedfood

prepareddaily

sensibleprices

Sunday lunch

10 traditionalciders

2 perries

4 everchangingcask ales

Lunch 12-4weekdays

Cider Club Every Monday - All Traditional Cider and Perry £2.50 a pintAsk our help full staff for a free taste of our ciders

Live music at weekends Relax in a great atmosphere

Floral Dance3.6%

A pale and fruitysession beer, withbody that is morethan a match formany stronger

beers!

Hameldon Bitter3.8%

An unusually darktraditional bitter,with a dry and

assertive characterthat develops in

the finish.

Sunshine5.3%

A hoppy and bittergolden beer with acitrus character.

The lingering finishis dry and spicy.

Pitch Porter5%

A full bodied, richbeer with a slightlysweet, malty start,counter-balanced

with sharp bitternessand an obvious roastbarley dominance.

Rossendale Ale4.2%

A malty aromaleads to a complex,

malt dominatedflavour, supported

by a dry,increasingly bitter

finish.

Railway Sleeper4.2%

An amber, uniquelyintense bitter andhoppy beer, stillbrewed with our

Stockport drinkersin mind.

Our ales can all be sampled at The Griffin, Haslingden;The Railway, Portwood Stockport or The Sportsman, Hyde.


Opening Times - InformationOpening Times is produced by the Stockport & SouthManchester Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.Additional material is supplied by the High Peak & NE Cheshire,Trafford & Hulme, North Manchester and Macclesfield & ECheshire Branches. The views expressed are not necessarilythose of CAMRA either locally or nationally. 7,200 copies amonth are printed by Phil Powell Printing of Failsworth. Allarticles copyright CAMRA unless otherwise stated.

News, articles and letters are welcome to the editorial address45, Bulkeley St, Edgeley, Stockport, SK3 9HD. [email protected]. Phone 0161 477 1973. Advertisingrates on request.

Postal subscriptions are available at £8.00 for 12 issues (makecheques payable to Opening Times). Apply to Opening Times,4 Sandown Road, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, SK3 0JF.

Trading Standards – for complaints about short measure pintsetc contact Consumer Direct (North West). Consumer Directworks with all the Trading Standards services in the North Westand is supported by the Office of Fair Trading. You can emailConsumer Direct using a secure email system on their website(www.consumerdirect.gov.uk) which also provides advice, factsheets and model letters on a range of consumer rights. Theirtelephone no. is 0845 404 05 06.

Opening Times – CommentWell, the National Winter Ales Festival has come and gone.Possibly gone for good – but we’ll know more on that score inearly March. Suffice it to say that if this year’s event was aswansong for the Greater Manchester branches of CAMRAthen we went out in some style. Bigger and better than ever saidthe poster and it certainly was.

All credit to organisers Graham Donning and Peter Alexanderand their large team for something of a triumph. Something of atriumph, too, for Marble Brewery and their silver placing in theChampion Winter Beer competition. Well done to all concerned.Meanwhile the local pub and beer scene goes from strength tostrength (despite the continuing closure of marginal, largelynon-cask pubs). Manchester’s Port Street Beer House could besomething of a landmark, I think, while new breweries areimminent at both the Poynton Royal British Legion and in centralStockport, where the Quantum Brewery will be with us beforelong. It’s going to be an interesting year.

Copy Date for the March issue is Saturday 12 February.

Contributors to this issue: John Clarke, John Tune, DaveHanson, Peter Butler, Robin Wignall, Peter Edwardson, FrankWood, Andy Jenkinson, Dave Hallows, Jim Flynn, Mike Rose,Mark McConachie, Caroline O'Donnell, John O'Donnell, DaveBurston, Stuart Ballantyne.

Opening Times 318 - Contents

Pub of the Month 3Stagger 7Curmudgeon 9Pub News 10Pub of the Year 11

NWAF Roundup 13T&H stuff 13High Peak Pub Scene 15Brewery News 17Membership 18

Your guide to CAMRA events across the regionLocal CAMRA branches organise regular events in pubs across theregion – members of other branches & general public are welcome toattend except some Branch business meetings (contact branchcontact if in doubt). Organising branch in brackets.

February

Thursday 10th – Social: Pendle Witch, Warburton Place, Atherton.From 8pm. (NM)Saturday 12th – Handforth Pub Crawl including Bull’s Head,Freemasons and Railway. (MEC)Monday 14th – February Branch Meeting and Spring Pub of theSeason Award: Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar. Starts 8.30pm. (HPNC)Friday 18th – Cale Green & Higher Hillgate Stagger: 7.30pmAdswood Hotel, Adswood Lane West; 8.30 Blossoms, Buxton Road,Heaviley (SSM)Thursday 17th- Ashton-on-Mersey Social: 8pm Plough; 9.30pmBuck (TRH)Saturday 19th – Trip to Outstanding Brewery, Bury. Meet 1pm at ArtPicture House (Wetherspoons); 2pm at the brewery. Cost is £10 forbrewery trip. Book with Roger Wood or contact branch. (TRH)Thursday 24th – Pub of the Month presentation to the Navigation,Heaton Norris. From 8pm. (SSM)

March

Tuesday 1st – Two pub City Centre social: Castle Hotel, Oldham St,8pm; Wheatsheaf, Oak St, 9pm. (NM)Friday 4th – Mild Magic Stagger: 7.30pm Nursery,Green Lane,Heaton Norris; 8.30 Navigation, Manchester Road, Heaton Norris(top Lancashire Hill) (SSM)Friday 4th – Congleton Pub Crawl (finishing at Beer Festival) (MEC)Saturday 5th – Pub of the Year presentation to the Magnet,Wellington Road North, Stockport. From 8pm (SSM)

Your Local CAMRA Branches:

SSM: Stockport & South Manchester www.ssmcamra.org.ukContact: Mark McConachie 0161 429 9356, [email protected] – North Manchester www.northmanchestercamra.org.ukContact: Dave Hallows 07983 944992, [email protected] – High Peak & North Cheshire www.hpneccamra.org.ukContact: Mike Rose 07986 458517. [email protected] – Macclesfield & East Cheshire www.eastcheshirecamra.org.uk

Contact Tony Icke 01625 861833, [email protected] – Trafford & Hulme www.thcamra.org.ukBranch Contact: John Ison 0161 962 7976, [email protected]

CAMRA Branch Business MeetingsThursday 10th – Magnet, Wellington Road North, Stockport.Selections for 2012 Good Beer Guide will be made at thismeeting. Starts 8pm. (SSM)Monday 14th – Stalybridge Station Buffet Bar - held in conjunctionwith Pub of the Season Award- see above. (HPNC)Wednesday 16th - New Oxford, Bexley Square, Salford. Starts7.30pm. (NM)Wednesday 23rd - Good Beer Guide 2012 Selection meeting & vote:Kings Arms, Bloom St, Salford. Starts 7pm. (NM)Thursday 24th – Volunteer, Cross St, Sale. Good Beer Guideselection meeting – your chance to vote for Good Beer Guide 2012.All members welcome. Starts 8pm. (TRH)


6.0

February 2011 OPENING TIMES 7Stagger…WithingtonWith Dave Burston

This stagger was a bit shorter than usual,with only five real-ale pubs. It ought tohave been six or seven, but shortly

before the day of the stagger we found out thatthe Cotton Tree on Cotton Lane had recentlyclosed and was to be demolished (seeDecember's OT). This, plus the lack of caskale in one of the bars that formerly sold it,reduced the number of pubs we sampled thebeers in to five.

The starting-point was the Old House atHome on Burton Road, an L-shaped pub withthe older leg of the L containing the bar andthe newer leg largely given over to food tables.A sign outside announces that food is servedevery day until 9 pm, so there was quite a foodemphasis amongst the other clientele whenwe met there at 7.30, but in spite of this thepub has the feel of a community local, andthere was still plenty of room for drinkers in theolder end of the pub, where we sat. Wesampled the two beers on offer, Greene KingIPA and the same brewery’s St Edmunds (agolden beer). There were also three hand-pumps not in use, with clips turned round forthose other GK regulars Old Speckled Henand Abbot and for a guest beer. Most of ussampled the St Edmunds and found it OK togood; the one person who tried the IPA foundit just OK.

The theme of the night that emerged was thememory of some closed and demolishedpubs, all lost in the last 20 years, even in thisrelatively prosperous area of Manchester. I'vealready mentioned the Cotton Tree, and onthe way to the second pub we passed areminder of another lost pub, The WaterlooHotel, demolished in the 1990s to make wayfor a housing development called BrigadierClose. Aplaque attheentrance tothe Closeexplainsthat it isnamed aftera famousgreyhound,Brigadier, who belonged to the owner of thepub in the late 19th century and won theWaterloo Cup.

The next pub still standing was The Orion.This is a street-corner Holts house, with afairly basic lounge bar and a small separatevault at the side with its own entrance. Onprevious staggers this pub has gained areputation for being - shall we say - a bit toolively for comfort? Tonight though the loungebar was relatively quiet, except for some pipedmusic playing fairly loud but not uncomfortably

so. The beers available were Holts Bitter(£1.96) and Thunder Holt (£1.50): the bitter,which was changed when we arrived, wasfairly good, but the Thunder Holt, even at thatprice, was deemed a little tired.

Cutting through the back streets of Withington,we passed the site of the former Katy Daly's(not much lamented) on Copson Street, andheaded for the main road, Wilmslow Road,where we briefly checked out the Albert puband Fuel café-bar - both still resolutely keg-only. This led us to probably the best pub ofthe night, the Victoria. This Hydes house hada major refurbishment in August 2010, turningit into one ofHydes' flagshipcask ale houses,with up to eighthand-pumpedbeers on at anyone time. Tonightwe were notdisappointed,finding threeHydes beers(Original Bitter,Owd Oak andVic's Fix) and fourguests: Marble Brew W90, WadworthSwordfish, Fuller's Chiswick Bitter andHarviestoun Bitter & Twisted. No one tried theHydes Bitter or the 6% Vic's Fix (a housebeer), but all the others were tried and ratedpretty good to very good, the most popularbeing the Marble beer.

Across the road, the Solomon Grundy café-bar once had a cask offering, but sadly itseems to have deserted the fold in recentmonths, although the hand-pump is stillpresent on the bar so there's always hope fora revival. As we walked back south downWilmslow Road, past the vacant site wherethe cinema used to be, we came to theimposing Grade 2 listed building that used tobe the White Lion (and for a while theWithington Ale House), boarded up for severalyears now, and destined to be turned into flatswith a Sainsburys Local below. So, ironically,alcohol will be sold there again, but this timefor consumption strictly off the premises.

The penultimate pub on the stagger was theTurnpike,which wasrecentlyadded toCAMRA'sNationalInventory ofhistoric pubinteriors byvirtue of itsunspoilt1960s interior - see December's OT for moredetails. It's a classic two-room pub layout withthe public bar on the left and the lounge on the

right. Both rooms have impressive fireplacesand there is a padded bar counter in thelounge, where we sat while we sampled thebeer and chatted with the landlord, a cask aleenthusiast. As this is a Sam Smith's house,only one cask beer was available, their OldBrewery Bitter, but at £1.46 this was thecheapest beer of the night and was ratedpretty good. Until about a year ago, only thekeg version was available here, so it is to thelandlord's credit that the conversion was made.

And so to the Red Lion, the oldest pub inWithington (also grade 2 listed) and the finalone on our stagger. There were once threeLions in the village: the White Lion has alreadybeen mentioned, and there was also a GoldenLion a little further down the road (renamedthe Manor House for a while); this wasdemolished several years ago and its site isstill awaiting redevelopment - yet anotherreminder of a recently lost pub. Anyway, backto the Red Lion. From the outside, this lookslike a typical old village pub. The inside,however, I have heard described as 'soulless',which I think is a bit harsh. If you enter fromthe front, aswe did, ratherthan from thecar park, youstill get animpression ofhow it musthave beenonce, withlow beams, asmall bar andsmall roomsto the right and left, although the right-handone has been opened out somewhat. Butventure further in, and you find yourself in alarge open-plan space with several TVscreens (switched off on this occasion), split-level seating areas and a larger L-shaped bar.An equally large conservatory at the backcompletes the layout inside, but behind thepub there is also a bowling green withextensive outdoor seating around it, makingthis a very popular pub in summer. This beinga November evening, though, we took ourplaces in the small room to the left at the frontand sampled the beers, which were Marston'sBurton Bitter, Marston's Pedigree, WychwoodHobgoblin and Jennings Cumberland. Allwere on reasonably good form, with theHobgoblin getting the highest scores.

And so ended another stagger. All the pubson it could probably be described ascommunity locals, with the possible exceptionof the Red Lion, which is also a destinationpub, but does have its share of regulars too.The best beer of the night was in the Victoria,but the standard was pretty good throughout.But, as always, these are only the impressionsand opinions of a small group of people onone night of the year, so it's up to you to trythese pubs and see what you think.


HOME OF ENGLISH FOODAND REAL CASK ALES

Banks of the Irwell,Opposite Peoples History Museum

Stanley Street, Salford M3 5EJPhone : 01618324080www.markaddy.co.uk

321 Deansgate, Manchester4 cask beers including guest ales

Home cooked food every day 12 noon - 8pm

Open 12 - 11 Sunday to Thursday12 - 2am Friday & SaturdayTelephone 0161 839 5215

The Deansgate

Roof Barand Terrace

Function Roomfor Hire


Schooner to be Launched

THE government has announced that, following aconsultation, they are going to permit the use of two-thirdspint measures, often referred to as “schooners”, in pubs

and bars. While it is currently legal to serve a third of a pint “nip”,it isn't legal to put two in the same glass. This apparentlyinnocuous move has led to a wave of ill-informed and prejudicedcomment.

It’s not going to lead to the demise of the pint, as there will be norequirement to drop pints, and the pint will undoubtedly remainas the standard beer measure in pubs. It won’t result in higherprices, as pubs will continue to price beer by the pint andpresumably price smaller measures pro-rata as they currently dowith halves. It isn’t a bureaucratic imposition, as it is in factallowing something that was previously illegal, so it is a measureof liberalisation. Far from representing creeping metrication, itdoesn’t correspond to any standard metric measure and indeedreinforces the traditional system by introducing a brand newImperial size. And no pub or bar will be forced to offer schoonersif they don’t want to.

It’s easy to foresee this new measure being taken upenthusiastically by specialist beer pubs, which may have severalstronger beers on tap, and where customers will want to samplea wide range of brews. But its potential appeal will spread muchwider than that, to women, drivers and indeed anyone who justwants to have “a beer” but for whom a pint on that occasion is toomuch. While some women are happy to drink pints, many othersfind pint glasses inelegant and unwieldy. On the other hand, fordrinkers of both sexes, half-pints often just seem too small andhave an image of being something of a distress purchase.

This is a sensible move to give drinkers more choice and it wouldbe a shame if it ended up running onto the rocks because ofpigheaded resistance to change.

Not My Round

GOVERNMENT adviser Richard Thaler, co-author of theinfluential book “Nudge”, has suggested that, to try todiscourage “binge-drinking”, people shouldn’t buy drinks

in rounds if they’re going to have more than a couple, but insteadgroups should set up a tab and settle it at the end of the evening.While the round-buying system may occasionally pressurisepeople into drinking more than they ideally want to, I can’thonestly see it as a major factor in increasing overallconsumption, and if anything may just as easily lead to a partydrinking at the pace of the slowest. Few ordinary pubs are likelyto be willing to set up a tab anyway, and even if they did it wouldtend to lead to arguments at closing time over who had drunkwhat, not to mention being completely unsuited to visiting anumber of pubs in the course of an evening.

This is yet another example of pointing the finger at pubs whenthey certainly can’t be held exclusively responsible for oursupposed drink-related problems. It’s a naïve, Puritanicalthrowback to the days of Lloyd George in the First World War,when the “treating” of others was outlawed, even to the extent ofbanning a husband buying one for his wife. Buying rounds ofdrinks is a friendly and sociable custom that maximises theefficiency of bar service and is something that has become anintegral part of British pub culture.

Curmudgeon Online: www.curmudgeoncolumns.blogspot.com

10 OPENING TIMES February 2011Pub NewsOpenings and closures are in thenews this month, starting with….

Port Street Beer HouseTHIS eagerly awaited City Centre pub openedits doors to the public on Thursday 27 Januaryand has proved to be an immediate hit.

Taking its inspiration from Leeds' North Barand London’s Rake, the Port Street BeerHouse is the brainchild of the team behind theincreasingly beery Common on Edge Streetin theNorthernQuarter butwill operate ona much biggerscale.

Situatedjust aroundthe cornerfrom former cask ale flagship the Crown &Anchor (Hilton Street) and a few minutes fromManchester icon the Jolly Angler (Great DucieStreet) the Port Street Beer House will dragthe Northern Quarter's burgeoning beer scenea few hundred yards south - but it will be worththe journey.

It’s an impressive conversion of oldcommercial premises with the well stockedbar on the ground floor and a spacious“saloon” upstairs. The décor is a pleasing mixof modern and traditional. The presence ofsome fixed seating will please thetraditionalists while the use of refurbished G-Plan furniture adds a pleasing retro touch.

However it’s what’s on (and behind) the barthat is key here. Pride of place goes to the fivehandpumps – three are respectively reservedfor the products of Thornbridge, Dark Star andProspectbrewerieswhile theother two willfeaturechangingguest beers.Thus onopening nightcustomers were faced with the choice ofProspect Hop Vine, Thornbridge Chiron, BrewDog 5amSaint, Acorn Gorlovka and Dark StarMM Special Porter.

These are accompanied by 14 “craft keg”beers on tap which run the gamut from locallybrewed Moravka lager to German wheat beerand American specialities (Sierra Nevadahave two pumps – one for their classic PaleAle and the other dubbed ‘Sierra NevadaGuest’).

On top of that there is the bottled range.Currently this runs to 70 varieties and willincrease to 150. The accent is likely to be onAmerican imports but there are also to bebeers from Europe (Italian micros are alreadyrepresented) and the UK.

Food is currently crisps and nuts but a fullermenu will follow once the kitchen is ready.

Opening hours are 4pm-midnight Monday toFriday, and 12-12 Saturday and Sunday.

Make no mistake this is a majordevelopment on the Manchester beer scene.It might not be for every pub goer out there butfor those drinkers (and there are a rapidlygrowing number) who appreciate the wholeconcept of “craft beer” from both the UK andaround the world, it will be a magnet.

More City OpeningsWHILE something of a buzz was developingaround the Port Street Beer House, therehave been two other significant additions tothe City Centre’s cask ale scene.

Firstly, behind afairly anonymousdoor at 50A BridgeStreet, a flight ofstone steps will takeyou down to the twowhile tiled rooms thatmake up the GasLamp.

The cellar of the oldWood Street Missionhas been carefullyrestored with huge fireplaces, exposed joistsand archways all adding to the character ofwhat has something of the feel of an Americanspeakeasy from the Prohibition period. It’s aproject by Nick Greenhalgh, who used tomanage the Northern Quarter’s Bay House,and Ryan Thomas, who owns the Art of Tea,and they seem to have a success on theirhands. It’s certainly been busy every time OThas called.

On the beer front there is a small but wellchosen range of bottled beers (includingWatou’s Wit, arguably the best wheat beermade in Belgium) along with currently onehandpump selling a changing guest beer(Boggart’s Ray of Sunshine last time we calledin) but sales of cask have proved sosuccessful that two more handpumps are togo in shortly. Well worth a visit.

Meanwhile acrosstown, the Gay Villagehas spawned a new,and ratherimpressive, bar-cum-pub. This is the MollyHouse on RichmondStreet (just aroundthe corner from theRembrandt). Therehas been a bar in thebasement of thisbuilding for some years but now the groundand upper floors have also been taken intouse as licensed premises.

Upstairs at the Molly House is a venuecalled ‘The Bordello’ but the beery interest ison the ground floor ‘Tea Room’. While you canindeed have tea and cakes if you wish, there

is plenty on the bar of interest for the beerdrinker.

There are no fewer than five handpumps onthe bar – one dispenses Caledonian DeucharsIPA, one is for a cask Westons cider and theother three sell beers from Beartown Brewery– Black Bear, Ginger Bear and Kodiak Gold.It certainly seems to be selling, too, ascondition has been very good on the couple oftimes that OT has called.

Ye Olde WoolpackSTOCKPORT also had a very welcomereopening last year – Ye Olde Woolpack onBrinksway, a pub that many had written off asa permanent closure.

After afew falsestartsOpeningTimesfinallydroppedin lastmonth and chatted with owner Mike Quinn.This really is a good news story as the pub isnow going great guns. The former lunchtimetrade from the nearby Co-op Bank has beenfully restored (and with the tempting and well-priced menu with both set dishes and dailyspecials, that is hardly surprising) but moreimportantly, the pub is building a significantevening trade, something that eluded it in thepast.

Of note is the Monday Cider Club when thewide range of ciders and perries is sold at areduced price, and a series of promotions withPure Radio. This will involve a series ofthemed live music nights at the pub onSundays that will then be edited andbroadcast on Mondays.

Of coursethe widerange of ciderand perry isthe pub’sUSP, and isprovingextremelypopular, withtraditional yet accessible offerings fromBroadoak and Gwynt y Ddraig making up therange (with free tasters for cider newcomers).Beer drinkers aren’t overlooked though. Thefour handpumps are to increase in number toseven and Mike is confident that interest inand turnover of the cask is more thansufficient to justify this move. When we calledthe cask beers were from Rossendale andMoorhouses, with guests from Bank Top andTitanic to come.

It’s great to see this pub up and runningagain, and proving such an instant success.With Mike it’s always a case of onwards andupwards so we are sure there will be evenfurther developments in the pipeline. Highlyrecommended.


Hare & Hounds on TopLICENSEE Guy Marsh at the Hare and Hounds, Marple Bridge hascome out on top having won the award for Robinsons best kept barand cellar in a closely contested competition. Customers packed thepub at Mill Brow to see him receivehis award.

With a total score of 300 points toplay for Guy secured a hugelyimpressive 296½. This builds on hisaward credentials of having comethird in 2009 and being named asmost improved in 2008. In the finalround of judging there were just twopoints between the top three contestants. But with the dedicatedteam at the Hare and Hounds putting in a near perfect performancethey just pipped the opposition to the post.

On the night Guy said: “Winning this competition is a real coup forus. I would like to thank my team of staff for the tremendous workthey do and our customers for all of their support.”

As part of the well attended evening a presentation was made toGuy by Director Oliver Robinson who said: “The competition is allabout raising standards and demonstrating why cask conditioned aleis the only sector of growth in the beer industry. Guy and his staffhave excelled in this challenge with a beautiful pub where customersshow their appreciation for good food and drink.”

Now for the Bad NewsDESPITE our welcome news of new pubs and reopenings, the localpub trade continues to be hit by closures and demolitions. Howeverin common with recent trends the closures remain concentrated inpubs that have either sold little or no cask ales.

In Bredbury the Cherry Tree is closed and for sale / to let. No caskbeer has been sold there for years. Alate in the day conversion has beenunable to save the Ash in HeatonChapel from closure. This ispermanent we understand and thepub faces demolition – a variety ofrumours abound as to what use thesite will be put.

Not yet closed but destined for thechop if the proposed Sainsbury’s development comes off are theQueens and the Railway, Portwood. The Queens is a Robinsonshouse and of course the Railway is a long time favourite of local beer(and cider) fans. Licensee Sue Hitchen is however very upbeat – notonly is there no formal planning permission in place yet but she isvery confident indeed that she will find a replacement pub withinwalking distance of the Railway. Watch this space.

In North Reddish the long closed Bulls Head has been knockeddown. This now leaves the Fir Tree as the last pub trading in thatpart of town. Last on the bad news front – last December’s HillgateStagger dropped into the Bowling Green on Charles Street anddiscovered that cask beer was no longer on sale. This has been along time real ale outlet so the loss of the cask is something of amystery.

But It’s Not all Doom and GloomTwo closed pubs have new owners. In Stockport town centre theThatched House on Churchgate has been sold at auction. We don’tknow who has bought it but we are told that it will reopen as a pub.The new owners of the George & Dragon in Cheadle are theDorbiere Pub Company who will be spending a fair amount on thepub. No news yet of when it is planned to reopen but we think thereis a good chance that cask ale may feature when it does.

Finally, in Manchester City Centre Alibi on Oxford Street (formerlythe Varsity) has been rebranded as a Smith & Jones outlet byowners Barracuda. This has brought cask ale in its wake – more nexttime.

Triumph for Local Free HouseTHERE is always a strong field when it comes to the vote for theStockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Year. The winneris selected from the 12 previous Pubs of the Month and with such alarge number of excellent pubs in the area even getting to that stagecan be a hard fought battle. This year however there was a clearwinner – the Magnet on Wellington Road North, Stockport.

So, why such a conclusive win? Let’s go back to Friday 13 2009.This might not be the most auspicious date on which to open a pub butthis seems to have been the exception that proves the rule. This wasthe date that the Magnet became a multi-beer free house and sincethen it has not looked back, becoming a firm favourite amongst thetown’s cask ale fans.

The Magnet was a former Wilson’s pubthat had drifted into pub companyownership and over the years gave theimpression of slightly losing its way. Realale was still sold but the choice and qualityoften disappointed – at least to those whocalled in on various Staggers over theyears. So, news that it had been bought byIan Watts who along with former businesspartner Steve Alexander had establishedhis reputation at the nearby Crown onHeaton Lane, was greeted with muchexcitement and expectation.

Suffice it to say that since opening daythose expectations have been more than fulfilled. The pub is run byLesley and Lee Watts along with Sarah Bergin, of Cellar Rat fame.There are 13 cask beers on handpump along with a changing realcider on the 14th pump. In the cabinets behind the bar is a small, butgrowing, range of bottled beers from Germany, Belgium and the USA,with some real gems among them – check out the Anchor and FlyingDog beers amongst others..

The pub remains a work in progress. The latest development wasthe opening of the upstairsfunction room last autumn – thehigh class finish and real fire hasalready made it a popular venuefor meetings and socials.Comedy nights are also beingplanned. Outside is an excellentdecked area that will come intoits own in the summer.

Still to come are the cateringkitchen which will enable the pubto sell lunchtime food, and a brewery in the cellar, which will be thehome of both Cellar Rat and Flightpath ales. Both of these will be inplace by the end of the year.

This award will be presented on the night of Saturday 5 March whena good turnout Is certain. The Magnet is on the main A6 so is wellserved by buses, notably the 192.

Royal Oak, Didsbury is Runner-UpWHILE there can only be one winner,this year’s runner-up is an iconicSouth Manchester pub – the RoyalOak on Wilmslow Road in Didsbury.

As our Pub of the Month article putit, this pub is famous for its cheese andpate lunches, great beer and a rathereventful history. These days the pub isin the capable hands of Jim Garrowand Karen Fletcher whose experttouch has seen this Marston’s house regain its old glories. Marston’sBitter remains the best seller and is accompanied by Pedigree andother beers from the Marston’s range.

The Magnet –Local Pub of theYear 2011


Best Bitter, Old Oak, Navvy, Double Dagger,Monkeytown Mild, Arizona, White Monk,

Pale Moonlight, Midsummer Madness, Bantam,White Monk, Black Shadow, March Hare,

May Fly, Sticky Wicket, Double Gold,Flash Flood, Black Bee, White Tornado,

Last Leaf, Massacre, Porter, Snowbound,Wobbly Bob, White Hurricane, Uncle Fester,Christmas Kiss, Humbug, Tyke, Thirsty Moon

PHOENIX BREWERYGREEN LANE, HEYWOOD, OL10 2EP TEL. 01706 627009

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Crowds Flock to Sheridan SuiteLAST month’s National Winter Ales Festival proved to be anotherhuge success. Hosted by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, andheld at Manchester’s Sheridan Suite, a record crowd of almost 8,500people flocked down Oldham Road to sample the huge range ofbeers on offer.There were rave reviews from many attendees from both thebrewing industry and general public alike. Typical was the followingfrom Sue Chandler who journeyed from Worcester:We enjoyed the experience so very much – Thank You. We saw thefestival promoted in our local CAMRA publication for Worcestershirecalled Pint Taken. Very glad we decided to visit Manchester fromGreat Malvern. We stayed at the Old Trafford Lodge by the cricketground. Looking forward to next year already. The ales we tried werewonderful. Many thanks again to all involved.The highlight of the Festival is of course the judging for theChampion Winter Beer of Britain, announced on Wednesdayafternoon. There were four preliminary judging panels covering OldAles & Strong Milds, Stout, Porter and Strong Ale & Barley Wine.And the winners of these individual categories were:Old Ale / Strong Mild – Marble ChocolateStout - Hop Back Entire StoutPorter - Dow Bridge Praetorian PorterStrong Ale / Barley Wine – Holdens Old AleThese went on to the final judging and the winning beer was HopBack Entire Stout with ChocolateMarble in a very creditable secondplace. The 4.5% ABV Entire Stout fromSalisbury based Hop Back Brewery isdescribed in CAMRA’s Good BeerGuide as “a rich, dark stout with astrong roasted malt flavour and a long,sweet and malty aftertaste. A beersuitable for vegans” Steve Wright, HopBack Brewing Director and Head Brewer (pictured right) elated tohear of the brewery's success. He said:"This is obviously fantastic news! Entire Stout has been a verysuccessful beer for the brewery in both draught and bottle-conditioned form and to win this national CAMRA award will onlyencourage more real ale lovers to give it a try. We now look forwardto Champion Beer of Britain competition in August."The Marble team (pictured right –head brewer James Campbell,owner Jan Rodgers and brewerColin Stronge) were equally pleasedas this is the highest award won byMarble Brewery. “We’re over themoon”, James told Opening Times.“We all just went along for a drinkand came away with a gong! It’s justgreat news.”As well as the national judging, the festival’s customers were askedto vote for their favourite beer and cider. The ‘People’s Choice’ forBeer of the Festival was won by Kitty Wilkinson, a superb chocolateand vanilla stout produced by the Liverpool Organic Brewery. Thisonly just beat Matron’s Delight, a fantastic 8% ABV imperial stoutfrom Bury’s Outstanding Brewery, and brewed in conjunction withFestival Staffing Officer Margaret Corlett (don’t worry if you missedthat, we have a cask reserved for Stockport Beer Festival). On thecider bar, the winner was Westcroft Janet’s Jungle Juice, a serialaward winner these days.So, here’s to next year. But where will it be held? Derby CAMRAhave also bid to stage the Festival – CAMRA’s National Executivewill be making its decision in the first weekend of March.

National Winter Ales Peveril of the PeakReview and Round-Up 40th Anniversary

Award

Forty Not-Out for NancyTUESDAY 25th January saw landlady Nancy Swanick rack up 40years tenure at The Peveril of The Peak, Great Bridgewater Street(initially with her late husband Thomas, more recently ably assisted byson Maurice). CAMRA marked this unique occasion with a specialpresentation evening.

The pub was filled with a mixture of regulars, CAMRA members fromacross the region and a large contingent of the Swanick family whoflew in from Ireland especially for the occasion. In the Peveril's historicand unspoiled multi-room interior things were a little hectic as all &sundry tried to squeeze into the pub's "back room" for a view of thepresentations.

The evening kicked off with the presentation of Trafford & Hulmebranch's Winter Pub Of The Season award to cellarman Mauricebefore moving on to the main event.

Branch chair BeverleyGobbett holding the mirrorTo mark Nancy's 25thAnniversary in 1996 she waspresented with a silver salverby the brewery. For the 40th,CAMRA wanted to go onebetter so commissionedCAMRA member Colin "ThePewterscribe" Lilley toproduce a hand engraved pubmirror. From the depths of hisworkshop he found a vintage1954 shield shaped mirror,perfect for a pub approachingtwo hundred years old, andset to work.

The result was a stunningpiece of work that left Nancy &Maurice speechless. A line

drawing of the pub engraved from the rear dominates the centre of themirror, with the inscription below reading "Presented to TheresaSwanick to commemorate forty years as Licensee of The Peveril ofthe Peak". Theresa is of course Nancy's Sunday name, the name onthe licence and the name over the door.

Trafford & Hulme branch would like to thank the other branchesof CAMRA Greater Manchester for the assistance with the project.

Branch chair Beverley Gobbettholding the mirror

The Waters Green TavernLocal

CAMRAPub of the

SeasonWinter ‘08

96 Waters Green,Macclesfield,

Cheshire SK11 6LHTel 01625 422653

Ever Changing Guest Beers including:Phoenix, Pictish, Oakham

Acorn, Kelham Island and many more. Your Hosts, Brian and Tracey

Bar Meals Served Mon to Sat LunchThis is not a free houseX


High Peak Pub NewsWith Frank WoodThe Royal Oak at the bottom of the SnakePass at Glossop, added a fourth hand pumpover the Christmas period. The line up now isTaylor’s Landlord, Tetley Bitter, WychwoodHobgoblin and Wells Bombardier. BlackSheep was previously one of three but is nolonger featuring.In Stalybridge, the White House re-openedrecently and reports have come in that theHydes pub has been refurbished by thebrewery. Also guest beers are available and inthe opening few weeks, beers from Allgateshave been seen, Youngs Winter Ale has beenthe strong beer and plans are to try Marblebeers among others alongside the stapleHydesI called in the Lounge in Stalybridge, a placeoften missed by real ale drinkers, in midJanuary and as usual they were offering onereal ale. However, expecting ThwaitesLancaster Bomber as normal, they had TaylorLandlord on offer. The barman confirmed thatenough is sold to keep it in good condition andas usual I found that to be the case.Competing with Wetherspoons SocietyRooms across the road, the beer is on sale ata competitive £1.85 pint.At the Rising Sun on Manchester RoadMossley, ten hand pumps were all in use onmy visit on 9th January. Local beers byMillstone, Shaws and Howard Town are inevidence here but I chose to try two pints ofBrains Rev James on this occasion and it wasin cracking form.At the Railway in Greenfield on the same day,Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Wells Bombardier,Copper Dragon Golden Pippin and MillstoneTiger Rut were the four beers on sale. TheMillstone, as a favourite of mine, was tried tomuch satisfaction. The pub was packed, withlots watching televised football. An addedattraction on a Sunday afternoon is a Charitycheese board, with many cheeses to try oncrackers, with donations in a pot for thechosen charity.Note that on that day, the Church Inn furtherback towards the centre of Mossley remainedfirmly shut, so we called in at the StamfordArms at Heyheads, where Nicole, thelicensee from the Church has moved.Thwaites Lancaster Bomber, Wainwright andThwaites Original were the three beers onsale, the Bomber being on very good form.Plenty of customers here as well, to show thatwell run, clean pubs offering a good selectionof beers are still a great attraction despite therecent price rises.In the Kinder Lodge at Hayfield, TaylorsBitter, unusual for the area, is still on sale.When I called in, there were only two beers inevidence, the other being Brains Rev James,and it was very good.

In Little Hayfield on New Years day, TaylorsLandlord was joined by Hartington Bitter.Usually a beer from Howard Town is also onsale on the third handpump.In the Beehive in New Mills, Storm beers arestill the beers on offer, Ale Force andHurricane Hubert on 4th January when wevisited. The Masons Arms also in New Millssells Unicorn, Hatters and Dizzy Blonde,which appears to be a favourite inthere. Chalkers Snooker Club, in New MillsNewtown (near to the station of the samename), Theakstons Mild and Bitter werejoined by Wychwood Yo Ho Ho (can't you tellit was just after Christmas!).Finally, on a circular walk to Hollinscloughrecently, via Chrome Hill from Longnor, wejust had to call in the Quiet Woman at EarlSterndale on the way back. Marston’s Bitterand Pedigree were on as ever. A dark mild isalways on sale here, the landlord Ken says hemoves two to three firkins a week, which isgreat for a village pub.

Winter Pub of the SeasonThe Sportsman in Hyde was presented withHigh Peak Branch Winter Pub of the Seasonlast night Pictured are landlord Geoff and hiswife Cangui ... and me, as I was told it was myturn!!

The Sportsman offers seven beers fromPennine Brewery, with Moorhouses Black CatMild and Wainwrights from Thwaites also onsale permanently. Periodic guest beers oftenappear and a cask cider is also on sale. Inaddition the pub offers authentic Cubandishes in its upstairs restaurant as well as barsnacks. It is back to its former glories thesedays, after Geoff and Cangui returned to run itthemselves some eighteen months ago

Peak PracticeWith Robin WignallThe pre-Christmas dining round with variousgroups has the advantage of visiting pubswhich get missed out at other times of the year.A small group of us sampled the culinarydelights of the Old Hall in Buxton, across theroad from the Opera House. Good portions ofsensibly priced food were washed down with

good Buxton Spa bitter. A Whim beer andTaylor’s Landlord were also available. It is afew years since I have been in the Buxton OldHall, and this December experience suggeststhat more frequent visits are in order.The Beehive at Combs still provides one ofthe best big group dining experiences that Iknow. In mid-December, a walking group ofnearly 50 diners held its Christmas meal there.Menu choices were pre-ordered to helpefficiency. Food arrives well cooked and onwarm plates. Service is slick and plentiful, sothat the whole group is served without delay.Copper Dragon Golden Pippin was in verygood form. Also available was CourageDirectors, brewed these days at theWells/Young’s brewery at Bedford. TheBeehive is well worth a visit. If intending diningbooking is recommended, even if there areonly two or three of you. The food at theShady Oak, Fernilee, makes this Marston’s,still badged Jennings’, house well worth avisit. I quite often comment favourably on thebeer range and quality at the Shady, and thefood also goes down well.The Old Hall at Whitehough, Chinley held avery successful Christmas Fair in December.There were stalls selling seasonal goods andlocal produce. The minstrel gallery was usedfor live entertainment, including Chapel en leFrith Male Voice Choir. On the beer front, theusual pale, hoppy brews faced stiffcompetition from winter and Christmas beers.These included Phoenix Snowbound,Abbeydale Winter and Thornbridge Merrie.This last is a 5.9% brew with the right balance,i.e. not too much, of herbs and spices. Thenext main event at the Old Hall is the WinterFestival at the end of February.I unfortunately missed the Christmas Marketat the Dog & Partridge at Bridgemont.Seasonal beers were available to accompanythe various attractions. I did catch a good pintof Cottage Polar Express a few days later.This was pale, hoppy and much less maltythan some Cottage beers.Seasonal beers were of course to be found inseveral pubs during December. Robinson’sMr. Scrooge had reached the Crossings inFurness Vale in early December, whilst a pinof Old Tom was stillaged behind the bar at theCock in Whaley Bridge. The White Hart inWhaley Bridge served Bateman’s RoseyNosey, the beer that comes with a flashingpump clip.Thwaites of Blackburn have been workinghard to get their beers to a wider audiencebeyond their tied estate. Thwaites Wainwrighthas been on the Punch Finest Cask list andhas been available at the White Horse andGoyt in Whaley Bridge. Wainwright has alsoreached the Enterprise estate, being in goodform at the Dog & Partridge at Bridgemont. Allof which makes for some interesting drinking.

High Peak Pub SceneFrank Wood with Pubs News from High Peak & North East Cheshire CAMRA plusRobin Wignall’s monthly round-up of the Peak District Pub scene


ó Beer Festival Cruises Onó

The Bell72ft Party Narrow Boat sailing on

the following datesFriday 4th March 7pm

Saturday 5th March 1pm & 7pmSunday 6th March 1pm & 7pm

The Bell will cruise you down the Macclesfieldor the Peak Forest canal for 21/2 hours. Whilston board you will enjoy real ale supplied by:

Storm Brewing Co. (HURRICANE HURBERT, BOSLEY CLOUD, SILK OF AMNESIA)Bollington Brewery (LONG HOP, OATMILL STOUT)Dunham Massey (BIG TREE BITTER, DEER BEER)Tatton Brewery (YETTI, TATTON GOLD)

On return you will then be servedwith a buffet at our pub,

The Ring O’ Bells, MarpleAll inclusive price £30 per

cruise per personPlease book via The Ring O’ Bells Marple

Telephone 0161 427 2300

February 2011 OPENING TIMES 17Brewery NewsHydes Craft AlesHYDES Brewery has announced its 2011 craftale range which this year centres aroundsporting themes. The Brewery’s 2011 CraftAle range comprises of six distinctive quirkilynamed ales all produced under the headline‘Winning Ales from Hydes’. Each has anamusing, individually illustrated pump clipdepicting different sports including rugby,horse racing, rowing and cricket.

The first in theseries with an ABV of4.4% is Splash &Dash, which has animage of a rugbyplayer scoring a trywith a pint of Hydes.This year’s rangefollows hot on theheels of the successof the Circus themedrange of 2010 which saw sales increase 12 %year from last year.David Safiruddin, Marketing Director at Hydestold Opening Times “Craft ales have seen acontinued success in what has been anotherchallenging year for the trade. Like manybrewers we are seeing a pocket of buoyancyin the cask sector and undoubtedly customersenjoy trying new seasonal ales. This is ourtenth consecutive quirky range, and as beforewe hope that they will add a bit of fun andinterest to many a bar top around the country.”

The Hydes Craft Ale Portfolio for 2011consists of the following:Jan – Feb 2011 Splash & Dash - ABV 4.4%Mar – Apr 2011 Amazing Grace -ABV 4.1%May – Jun 2011 Ship Shape - ABV 4.2%Jul – Aug 2011 Swift Delivery -ABV 4%Sep – Oct 2011 Thirst Aid - ABV 4.3%Nov – Dec 2011 Goalden Drop - ABV 4.5%

Lees SeasonalsINSPIRED by Phileas Fogg, Head Brewer,Michael Lees-Jones, set out to create fournew beers all brewed with strong hopcharacteristics with different hops from all overthe world.

The range starts withVindehop (3.8%), a new beerwith Challenger, BramlingCross and Perle brewed toaccompany the spiciest ofcurries. This will be followedwith Liberty (4.1%) brewedwith Liberty and Mount Hoodhops, from the USA.Next we move on with adetour that Phileas Foggfailed to make on his legendary world tour withthe German inspired Hopmeister (3.6%) intime for the Oktoberfest and which is brewedwith Willamette and Celeia hops beforeending the year with Rising Sun (4%) and anew beer brewed with Galena and Brewer’sGold.

In addition to these four seasonal beers 2011will mark the UK return after 100 years ofManchester Star at 6.5% ABV. ManchesterStar has been exported to the USA by JWLees over the last three years to great acclaim.

Micro Brewery NewsIt’s not quite all change at Marble Brewerybut in December the brewery said goodbye toDominic Driscoll who along with Colin Strongeand head brewer James Campbell made upthe brewing team.There was a small send off at the breweryattended by friends and fellow brewers.Pictured here (from left to right) are Colin, JoeAllsopp (Whim Brewery), Dominic, JanineShorrock (Ashover Brewery), SlawekMinchkowski (Marble), James, and RichardHough (Blue Beer Brewery)

Dom’s parting brew was the 5.2% Driscoll’sEnd, bursting with huge hoppy flavours. He isbeing replaced by Slawek (pictured above),Rich Andrew and Rob Hamilton, who arealready familiar faces at the brewery andMarble Arch pub.

Boggart Brewery – continue to score a bigsuccess with the Micro Bar in the ArndaleMarket which, apart from Boggart and otherguest cask ales, also sells an increasinglyimpressive range of bottled beers both fromthe UK and overseas. A recent cask beer fromBoggart was Bitter Blue (5%) a pale andhoppy beer. At least one new beer wasplanned for February but details had yet to befinalised when we contacted the brewery.

Hornbeam Brewery – the shop at thebrewery is proving very successful andHornbeam are also aiming to getting theirbottled beers listed by online retailermybrewerytap.com. New for February will bean as yet unnamed 4% dark mild.

Chorlton’s Bootleg Brewery still on a learningcurve and so popular are the beers that theyhave run out a couple of times. For the timebeing they are sticking with three core beersbefore adding any more to the range. Theseare Contraband (4.5%) a pale, dry, hoppy,citrussy IPA style beer; Lawless (4.7%) -crystal malts make this beer slightly sweeter

on the palate and give it a darker, goldencolour; and Black Market a 4.7% dark .Flightpath Ales -January has beena hard month forFlightpath Alesbut they arebeginning to seea light at the endof the tunnelagain. Having had two knock backs earlier thismonth they were able to offer three beers atthe Bent 'n Bongs beer festival. 'Tornado','Harrier' and 'Defiant' ales were all sold out bySaturday lunchtime. The latter two werebrewed with help from Flightpath’s new friendsat Lymestone brewery in Stone. Brian andValerie had good feedback from people theyhave never met before! They were even givena suggestion of a brewery who may offer themavailability but would prefer to brew locally (soif anyone can help them out please contactFlightpath c/o the Magnet). Once the breweryis installed at the Magnet (hopefully by the endof March) there should be more news.

Phoenix Brewery in Heywood always hassomething interesting coming up. Not muchnew for February, although look out forMassacre (4.5%) and next month there will beMarch Hare (4.4%) and Shamrock (4.3%) totry.

Out in Mossley, Millstone Brewery is still verybusy, so much so that nothing new is in theimmediate pipeline. However a new beer, stillin the design stage, is being planned for March.

Now – news of another new brewery for thearea. At long last (there have been vaguereports and rumours for some time), thismonth will see the Worth Brewing Co comeon stream at Poynton Royal British Legion,making it one of the very few clubs in thecountry to have an on-site brewery. The onlyother one that comes to mind is that at thewonderfully named Concertina Band Clubnear Doncaster.

The five barrel plant was salvaged from theTap ‘n’ Tin brewpub in Chatham, Kent whereit had apparently lain unused since brewingceased there in mid-2000. However Worth’shead brewer to be Paul Hession tells us that itscrubbed up a treat and is now installed andready to go.

The beer range is still in the developmentstage but Paul tells us that the aim will be tobrew what the Legion’s customers like to drink- which is accented to the pale and hoppy.Paul however likes fuller bodied beer so a fullportfolio of brews is planned, although thebrewery is likely to launch with two palesession beers in the 3.8% to 3.9% range.Sales won’t be restricted to the club though sothe beers should be out and about in the localfree trade. OT will be paying Worth Brewing avisit when everything is up and running so lookout for a full report in a future issue.


51 Wellington Road North, Stockport, SK4 1HJTel: 0161 429 6287 www.themagnet.110mb.com

Opening HoursMonday-Wednesday 4-11pm Thursday-Sunday 12-11pm

14 Handpumps

Real Cider

Foreign Bottled Beer

Pool Room Car Park

Function Room with 4 Handpumps

The Crown Inn, Heaton Lane16 Handpumps

Real Cider Guest Lagers Foreign BeersLunches Served

12 - 3pm Monday - FridaySpecial Occasions Catered For

Folk & Acoustic night

every Tuesday from 8.30 pm

Come along and have a sing or strumOpen every day from Noon

http://thecrowninn.uk.com/

Proud to be a CAMRA NationalPub of the Year 2008 finalist

magnet is local pub of the year 2011 - ssm camra …cider club every monday - all traditional cider...

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