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SOCIETY for the PRESERVATION of

BEERS from the WOOD (Founded 1963)

The original beer consumer organisation

PINT in HAND Number 134 May 2015

Belle Vue, High Wycombe (see page 13)

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PINT in HAND

Pint in Hand is published quarterly, in February, May, August and November. It is issued to all subscribing members and affiliated branches of SPBW.

All members are invited to contribute articles for publication on beer-related

subjects. Contributions for the August 2015 issue should reach the Editor by 25 July.

The Editor or the National Executive Committee of SPBW does not necessarily

share opinions expressed in Pint in Hand. © Copyright Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood All photos by Roger Jacobson unless stated otherwise

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Editorial address Roger Jacobson, 2 Elizabeth House, St Leonards Street, London E3 3BX; email editor@spbw.com; Tel 020 8980 9093 or 07906 400056 (m) Membership Secretary Roger West, Four Winds, 70 Chalfont Road, Seer Green, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 2QP; email membership@spbw.com Branch Liaison John Dearing, tel 0118 9580377; email gpwild@btconnect.com Products Bill English, email beeel@myway.com; tel 07910 657423 General Secretary Frankie Colclough, Eleanor Arms, 460 Old Ford Road, London E3 5JP; email frankie707@gmail.com Tel: 07896 208707 (m) or 020 8980 6992 National Chairman Patrick Deller, pgadeller@gmail.com

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Website: http://www.spbw.com.

On-line forum: http://www.spbw.com/bb

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Anyone reading this that is not already a member of SPBW might like to know that annual membership costs only £5 (£6 non-UK). For information about SPBW together with a membership form, please send a stamped addressed envelope to the National Membership Secretary as above or visit our website.

Printed by Panther Print & Design, Rainham, Essex.

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OPENING TIME BrewDog, that renegade outfit from Aberdeenshire, may not have many fans among ‘real beer’ drinkers, due to their keg and bottle only policy, but they’re clearly doing something right. James Watt and Martin Dickie set up BD in 2007 with a collection of second-hand equipment and have since ridden the wave of enthusiasm for ‘craft’ beer to the extent that they now own 27 bars worldwide and anticipate sales of more than £50 million this year. They are now seeking to raise up to £25m from ‘customers and fans’ in a crowdfunding project. In this way BD aim to “change small business finance for ever.” Quoted in the Guardian, Watt claims “By making profit king, the financial institutions of the City gave rise to the bastardisation and commoditisation of beer. We are burning the system to the ground and forging a new future for business from the flames.” This is fine rhetoric from Watt and Dickie who claim to represent “the misfits, the independents, the libertines”, rather than the business establishment by spreading ownership of the company to its customers. BrewDog, since its inception, has happily adopted this punk, don’t-give-a-shit attitude, which has doubtless rubbed plenty of people the wrong way. But I think back, OMG, some 40 years now, to when the battle to save ‘real ale’ was a fight against the establishment, one major reason why it appealed to me – well, I did like the beers as well. BD does brew some fine beer and, while I’d like it if some of it was available cask-conditioned, I do have a sneaking admiration for their attitude and will monitor their future with great interest. While BrewDog flourishes, it’s worth noting that one of the ‘establishment’ breweries – Thwaites of Blackburn – is apparently so cash-strapped that it’s sold off its two leading beer brands to Marstons, so that it can sell off the large city centre brewery and concentrate on brewing on a small scale at an out of town site. Having a 320-strong tied estate will presumably help to pay the bills but having the vast bulk of its beers trucked up from Wolverhampton is not exactly environmentally efficient. But then again, neither is shipping kegs and bottles around the world from the north of Scotland.

RJ

Articles on beer/pub related issues for Pint in Hand are always welcome! If sending articles by email it would be very helpful if they are in Arial plain 12pt, single spacing with absolutely no formatting! Pictures should be in JPG format. Thanks.

Some back issues of Pint in Hand are available:- numbers 46; 49; 86-104; 106-114; 116-133. These can be obtained from the Editor (address on page 2) in return for 15 second class stamps to cover postage for the full set. If you don’t want the whole lot, send enough stamps you think may cover costs. Every issue of PiH can now be found on the SPBW website, in PDF format (see page 9).

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NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The SPBW NEC holds its regular meetings on the second Monday of each month, starting at 7 pm or thereabouts, in the Royal Oak, Tabard Street, London SE1 4JU. If possible we use the upstairs room (it’s quieter but further from the bar). These are strictly business meetings, but they are kept as brief as necessary. All members are welcome to attend, particularly branch representatives.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The 2015 AGM of the NEC on 9 March attracted more than 30 members to the Horseshoe in Clerkenwell. The meeting was fairly brief and uncontroversial (maybe because of the absence of the Treasurer) and conducted in the customary convivial fashion. A fine buffet was provided and was partly paid for by the proceeds of our raffle, the draw for which seemed to go on for longer than the meeting! Thanks to all who donated prizes. With two exceptions, the Committee is the same as last year. Sadly, John Rooth’s creaking joints have rendered him fairly immobile so he’s unable to attend meetings. He has stood down as Secretary after 13 years in the post and we are very grateful for his efforts. In his stead we welcome Frankie Colclough, landlord of the Eleanor Arms in Bow, our London Pub of the Year for 2014. John Dearing, previously without portfolio, has now taken over as Branch Liaison Officer. The NEC in full is therefore: Patrick Deller (Chairman), Alasdair Boyd (Vice-Chairman), Frankie Colclough (Secretary), Jim Woodcock (Treasurer), Roger West (National Membership), John Dearing (Branch Liaison), Roger Jacobson (Pint in Hand), Bill English (Products), Garry Wiles (Wood), Mark Hutchison (Technology and Communications), Ken Davison (without portfolio).

52ND ANNIVERSARY GATHERING

The 52nd anniversary of the founding SPBW will be on Sunday 6 December and once again we will be making a pilgrimage to the Rising Sun in Epsom, where it all began. Put the date in your diary and we’ll provide more details nearer the event.

BEER & BUFFET The annual Eve-of-GBBF Beer & Buffet event will happen on Monday 10 August. As usual the venue is Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court, Ely Place, Holborn, London EC1N 6SJ, in the upstairs function room from 7pm. Tickets are just £5 (cheques to SPBW please) from Bill English (details page 2). YOM is a genuine historic pub, hidden in a narrow alleyway between Hatton Garden and Ely Place. Although owned by Fullers it serves beers from Adnams and Caledonian as well as guest ales from smaller brewers. It’s quite possible that something from the wood will be available on the night. Although the legendary Scottie retired earlier this year, the pub continues to be run along the same lines – which means to a very high standard of service and beer quality.

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NEC Chairman’s Report 2014-15

Overall this year has been a good one for the Society. The NEC started the year with a new Chairman (Help!) Having had a couple of years as member without portfolio I was not coming to the job without some knowledge of what I was letting myself in for but I approached it, nonetheless, with a degree of trepidation. It’s a bit unnerving when a matter is raised and everyone looks at you. We were also joined on the NEC by two new members, John Dearing from Common & Aldbrickham Branch and Ken Davidson from Camden Hill, both long-standing members and a very welcome addition. John has taken over Bill English’s role in Branch Liaison, allowing Bill to concentrate on Products, and Ken takes over my role as Member without portfolio. We have also decided to get rid of Research and Development post on the NEC as its functions has been largely subsumed into Products. The replacement of bits of John Rooth – no one could replace the man himself – put him out of the mainstream of events for a lot of this year and meant that an increasing amount of the Secretary’s duties fell on Roger Jacobson. I would like to express here, my appreciation, and that of the Society as a whole, of his efforts. I have seen at first hand the amount of work he has put in and it is, in no small measure, due to this hard labour that the Society has continued to run on an even keel. We hope to see John back in our midst as soon as nature and the medics permit though, knowing John, he’ll beat both of them to the draw. Your NEC has not been idle. This year we added new products to our range in the form of pin badges, tie clips and cufflinks. All credit to Bill English for coming up with the idea and getting them into production. They’ve proved very successful. Jim Woodcock, our Treasurer, continues to keep us solvent. Garry Wiles has maintained a sort of nationwide espionage network that enables him to keep us abreast of breweries using wooden casks. As ever, we owe a great debt to Mark Hutchinson, our indefatigable Webmaster. His work maintaining the website and Forum is something we all appreciate. This year has also been a year of losses. Sadly we said farewell to Richard Graham, who joined in the mid-sixties and was a founder member of Central London Branch. A former Chairman and always active, the number of members who went to his funeral was a testament to a man who kept his very considerable light under a quiet and self-effacing bushel. We also said farewell to Woolwich Branch who downed their last pint a couple of months ago. However, on the profit side we welcomed two new branches, one, Old Ford Pilgrim Branch, based at the Eleanor Arms in Bow and the other, Northeast England, which starts with an encouragingly large membership. The Society was represented at three beer festivals last year, Ealing, Bromley and Wallington. We made significant amounts at Bromley and Wallington from the sale of Society products. However, at Bromley we were only able to attend on the Saturday due to a lack of volunteers. Ideally we need a minimum of three people for each day at any one time so that nobody gets stuck at the stand and can’t enjoy the festival. Nobody need stay for the whole day. They’re really good festivals and you get to meet all sorts of people. At Ealing we met an American who runs his own beer journal in California and who was full of interesting information . . . and beer. Can I please register a plea for more volunteers?

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The National Weekend, this year, was organised by West Riding Branch and was based in Huddersfield. It started with a walk round about eight pubs between 1 o’clock and closing time, then a rail day trip including the Empire Brewery at Slaithwaite (pronounced Slouwit) and sundry pubs en route, and a trip to Holmfirth. Superb organisation and an amazing variety of great beers at prices to gladden the heart of an Aberdonian (the cheapest we found was £2 a pint), a huge thank you to Graham Hewitt and all West Riding Branch for a weekend to remember. Thanks also to Northeast Branch, who have opened their membership of the Society by offering to host the 2015 Weekend. It should be good. The 51st Anniversary Celebration was held on 6th December at, our birthplace, the Rising Sun at Epsom. Debbie and the staff put on a splendid buffet and we were delighted to see representation from Northeast and North Irish Sea Branches – an effort much appreciated. This was followed by a tour of local pubs by a route that only Peter Chutter knows (your Chairman got hopelessly lost trying to find his way back to the station!). The 2015 London pub of the Year was won this year by the Blyth Hill Tavern in Catford. It is a beautifully preserved multi-room Victorian pub which has been run by the guv’nor, Con Riordon, for 27 years and is well worth a visit. The number of local people at the presentation and local press interest made for a great evening. Many thanks to Con for putting on a great spread as well. So we venture on to a new year. We need to look at raising our profile in those areas where we have no presence, Scotland, Wales, the West Country and Southern England. The NEC meets on the 2nd Monday in the month. Members are welcome to attend and express their views and concerns.

Patrick Deller

We would normally print the previous year’s accounts here, but since they’re not yet available, you’ll just have to wait!

OUT AND ABOUT Running stands at beer festivals is a good way of meeting the beer-drinking public to publicise SPBW and hopefully recruit new members and sell products. Our next public appearance is expected to be at the Ealing beer festival (7-10 July). However, in order to have a presence we need people to help out and the more helpers there are, the easier it is – and you are allowed to drink on the job! If you are able to volunteer, please contact Frankie Colclough (details page 2).

TONY LITTLER TROPHY

The next inter-branch competition will be held on Wednesday 16 September at the Calthorpe Arms, 252 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8JR. Kick-off is 7pm in the upstairs room. Buffet will provided. Last year’s contest was won by an ad-hoc team led by Steve Elliott and, as tradition demands, they will be organising this year’s, which I suspect will take the form of a quiz. No doubt more will revealed in due course.

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NATIONAL WEEKEND 2015

The 2015 National Weekend will be based in Newcastle (upon Tyne) and hosted by the dynamic North East branch, 13 – 16 November. Outline details are as follows: Friday Afternoon: Meet at Victoria and Comet (opposite Central Station); then an Evening Pub crawl around real ale hotspots in Newcastle. Saturday Morning: Brewery trip £5 (by local transport); Afternoon: Rail excursion along the picturesque Tyne valley to Haltwhistle for the start of our “Wood Wander”, then calling at Ovingham and Wylam, then return to Newcastle. Cost approx. £15 which includes Northern rail duo rail fare, pie & mushy peas (a North East favourite) at Haltwhistle Comrades Club and a light buffet at The Bridge End, Ovingham. Sunday Morning: Brewery trip followed by historical tour of the Ouseburn valley hosted by SPBW member and noted local historian Eric Larkham (cost approx. £10). Alternatively - Morning: Coach trip to visit some outstanding areas of beauty (real ale pubs!) in the historic county of Northumberland, including some examples on the coast. Returning to Newcastle about 7.30pm. Cost approx. £15. No food included here but there will be opportunities to eat en-route. Monday (for any survivors!) Dependant on time constraints a tour of real pubs in Durham or Darlington can be arranged. This is just a framework at the moment – there is provision to take high numbers if necessary and to be flexible. Can interested members please let Gordon Heal (North East branch Secretary) know so that the planning can be beefed up somewhat and include a £20 deposit. Please make cheques payable to SPBW N/E Branch and send to Gordon at 4 Percy Crescent Percy Main North Shields NE29 6HP It would be helpful if you could add your e mail address, telephone contact, and home address if convenient. You can email Gordon at: tooncheers@hotmail.com . This has all the makings of another excellent National Weekend and we hope a good number of members will support it.

LONDON PUB OF THE YEAR After the highly successful presentation to the latest LPotY winner, the Blythe Hill Tavern, it’s time to start the process of deciding the next winner. The first step is for members to nominate their favourite pub in the Greater London area (one per member or branch). Please contact Bill English (details on page 2) for a nomination form – we cannot consider any pub unless a completed form is submitted. Closing date for nominations is 7 June. The judging process will happen during summer and early autumn and we aim to decide the winning pub by the end of October. If you would like to be part of the judging panel – beware, this entails visiting pubs and drinking beer – please let Bill know.

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HI-TECH ONLINE SHOP NOW OPEN. Recently we informed our members about how we had successfully moved our online presence behind a more secure hosting option. Our shop software was then found to be lacking in utilising this secure option. Undaunted we started from scratch with a new and more up to date shop with easy ordering and payment options. We hope you enjoy the experience. Our online shop is now open for business at https://www.spbwshop.co.uk, sporting custom-made graphics and icons. Two branches have already come on board with us and have their own shop page with their branch clothing details. If any other branch would like to be part of the SPBW shopping experience then do contact us and we can get you set up. You can even download current membership forms or a standing order for membership. On the back page of this magazine can be found a list of the items we supply. You can still order there or see the items in full detail online. We accept personal cheques or Paypal.

FROM THE ARCHIVES The May 1985 issue of PiH saw a major technical advance: the purchase of a scanner meant that we could change from being just a typewritten newsletter. Instead there was liberal use of Letraset and an assortment of illustrations, some of which may have been relevant to the text! The contents reveal that we had run a stand at the first London Drinker Beer Festival. Among the Branch reports there was mention of the 80th birthday of Frank Bingham who was, basically, Titley branch; he was landlord of the Stagg Inn in this tiny Herefordshire village. Moving on 10 years, PiH 54 reported that Ossie had stood down after 20 years’ NEC service, the last 7 as Chairman. Chris Callow had replaced him to begin his own lengthy stretch in this post. Jim Woodcock had been elected Treasurer and he remains in situ. Another newcomer was Norvic Nippers branch which held its first meeting on 1 May in the Fat Cat, Norwich. After a brief hiatus and change of name, this somewhat eccentric group continues to meet. The Middle England branch, based in Nottingham, was about to formally affiliate and we also note that ‘a branch has been meeting unofficially in Northern Ireland.’ Finally, we read about one Ian Turnbull, a brewing consultant who was planning to build an all-wooden brewery! The idea was to produce an old Welsh drink named ‘braggett’ which dates back to medieval times. Hops were not used in brewing in that era so honey and spices such as cloves, ginger and nutmeg are added at the second, natural, fermentation stage. The resultant brew would weigh in at about 12%! What became of this venture I’ve no idea. And so to 2005 and a report of the notorious Beer & Curry event, of which John Rooth’s account is untypically restrained. Moving swiftly on, Andy covers pubs in Wakefield, York and Manchester, while I recounted a day sampling the drinking delights of Stockport (one of the pubs visited, the Navigation, is on the front cover). Finally there is a contribution from Andrew Nash of the then Mayday branch, based in Hastings. Most of the branch’s activities involved walking and Andrew’s piece covered one such event, taking in a few pubs in the Lewes area of Sussex.

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THE WOOD BEER GUIDE Brewery activity The Partizan microbrewery (Bermondsey) has 5 large wooden casks, two of which (at least) seemed to be brandy barrels, which were are all full maturing five of their beers in oak for future bottling. BAD Company brewing is taking delivery of some Islay Whiskey casks which will be used for a small batch of Imperial Stout (to age for a year) and an aged version of Dazed & Confused Milk stout. Siren Craft Brew (Wokingham) hosted an array of rare barrel aged beers at its Maiden Festival of Wood in March, including a few rare beasts that haven’t made it into the UK yet. They take a carefully crafted American hoppy barley wine and age it in various barrels for the year, with the goal of bringing them together in a harmonious blend prior to bottling. This journey means that each individual barrel will impart different characteristics on the beer, sometimes from the quality and type of wood used, but more potent the liquid stored in it previously. Twickenham Brewery matures three very interesting beers in wood: Oud Bruin (8.1%) is a dark beer style originating in Flanders and is aged in wood for two years; Old Ale (9.5%), brewed in collaboration with Alvinne brewery, has had two years in Bourgogne wine barrels; Hill 60 (8%): a blend of dark ale, aged for two years in wood, and a fresh strong mild. Tarn Hows Brewery (Ambleside) had three beers in wood at the recent Liverpool Beer Festival: Puddled Duck (IPA), Grized Ale (Old Ale) and Beertrix Porter (Dark Stuff). These were the only beers from the wood at the festival, and Puddled Duck was voted beer of the festival. Tarn Hows’ Alastair Kirk intends to keep serving beers from the wood, and anticipates a wood revival gathering momentum in the North West soon. He had an enquiry from a national PubCo asking to stock Puddled Duck in wood needs a load more casks. Grafton Brewing Co (Worksop) has purchased some wooden casks and will be holding a beer festival at the brewery tap called the Grafton Hotel in Worksop on 11th and 12th July 2015. More details on the brewery website www.graftonbrewing.co.uk. Pub activity Jacob's Well pub, 14 Kent Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 5R, which received a SPBW award recently, is to have a dedicated pump for "beer from the wood". They will have two from Abbeydale in May and one each from Norlands and Oates in June. There will be 10% discount for anyone wearing a SPBW badge, so if you’re thinking of going it’s worth investing in a badge from the new SPBW shop! The Oddfellows Hall at Shipley has served four beers from a wooden cask: Norland Beers Showcase Red Ale (4.2% ABV); Saltaire New World Red (5.2% ABV); Baildon Brunette (3.9% ABV); and Yorkshire Dales Garsdale Smokebox, a 5.6% ABV Porter. These have all been matured in the wood for a minimum of two weeks. They intend to extend their range and welcome suggestions for any beers you have tried which you have particularly enjoyed, and will try to get them in casks at some point in the near future.

Garry Wiles, Wood Liaison Officer

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MEET the BRANCHES

We have 20 affiliated branches and details of these are listed below. We always encourage members to join a local branch and get involved with its social activities. Most branches would appreciate new members so you can expect a warm welcome. Branches tend to be fairly informal, meetings being free of boring bureaucracy. We are sorry to report the demise of Woolwich, our second oldest branch (see Branches in Action). If you don’t have a local branch, why not start one? Bill English, (Branch Liaison Officer, address on page 2), will be pleased to tell you what you need to know. BMAD: Meetings held first Thursday of each month at the Burnt Mill Snooker and Social Club (CIU affiliated) in Harlow, Essex. Contact Tony Syrett (01279 423174)

CAMPDEN HILL: Meetings held first Monday of each month, at the Gunmakers, 33 Aybrook Street, London, W1U 4AP. Contact John Rooth (see page 2). CENTRAL LONDON: Meetings usually held on the 18th of each month mostly in the form of pub evaluation walks - usually in central London. Contact Roger West (see page 2).

CHESAPEAKE BAY: Based in the area around Baltimore, Maryland USA - a great area for microbrews and brewpubs. Contact Ed James, email secretary@spbw.org. Website: www.spbw.org.

CHESHIRE REAL ALE PEOPLE: Are based mainly around the Crewe/Nantwich area. Informal meetings are held each Monday from 7.30 in the Borough Arms, Earle Street, Crewe, then to Hops, Prince Albert Street, Crewe – all real ales £2 a pint for Camra members. Contact Colin Donald 01270 623376 email colinsdonald@sky.com.

COMMON & ALDBRICKHAM: Meetings usually held at the Hop Leaf, Reading, on an ad hoc basis; contact John Dearing 0118 958 0377 or gpwild@btconnect.com to find out where and when.

CROYDON REAL ALE PRESERVATION SOCIETY: Meet on the first Tuesday of each month in The Green Dragon, High Street Croydon CR0 1NA, and also every subsequent Tuesday at a pub somewhere in, or easily reachable by public transport from, Croydon. Contact Pete McGill 07831 561296 (m) or John Smith 02071884844 (w).

FÝÇÝ: A social group formed by ex-pat SPBW stalwarts Peter Willett and Dave Brightwell. Contact Peter for more details: peterwillettuk@yahoo.com

IPSWICH: Contact Phil (01473 280822) or Iain (07707 465750) for details of meetings.

KINGSTON: Meetings held on first Wednesday of each month in the Willoughby Arms, 47 Willoughby Road. Contact http://spbwkingston.co.uk/diary or email mike.lapworth@talk21.com

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NORFOLKSOAKS (formerly Norfolk Bears): Meetings held first Thursday of each month at 12.30 in the Fat Cat, 49 West End Street, Norwich. The landlord, Colin Keatley, regularly supplies three pins of Fat Cat (and other) beers from the wood. More details at: http://www.spbw.com/norfolk/about.html

NORTHERN IRELAND: Normally meet at the Bridge House (JDW), Belfast, on a Friday night after 8pm, at the pillar beside the handpumps. Occasionally the Tuesday Bell (JDW), Lisburn, after 8pm on a Saturday. Contact Mark Hutchinson for details of meetings and events: admin@spbwni.co.uk. Event details can be found at: http://spbwni.co.uk/events.html - for those not online send Admin your mobile number for event notification. NORTH EAST: Meetings held on Saturdays at various locations across the north east, to be decided at the previous meeting. Contact Rob Shacklock robinshacklock@yahoo.co.uk 07512257837; or Gordon Heal tooncheers@hotmail.com NORTH IRISH SEA: The Isle of Man based branch meets on Friday evenings, usually in the Douglas area, but also has many unofficial visits elsewhere on the island, and from time to time in the coastal areas of the traditional Lancashire boundaries. Contact David Halliwell (07972807934) david.halliwell@manx.net Always happy to meet up with visitors to the IoM.

OLD FORD PILGRIMS: Meet at the Eleanor Arms, 460 Old Ford Road, Bow; dates and times to be advised. Contact Frankie at the pub: 07896 208707; frankie707@gmail.com

RACS: The Real Ale Club of Sawbridgeworth meets last Wednesday of each month in various pubs in Sawbridgeworth. Contact Caroline Macy, e-mail: cj43@intosawbridgeworth.co.uk or the website www.racs.org.

SPECIAL: The branch holds annual, week-long gatherings around the inland waterways network. There are also unofficial visits to pubs of renown in London, Cumbria, Cheshire and Shropshire, or wherever we happen to be.

WANTZ: Meetings are held third Monday of the month at the Old Fountain, 3 Baldwin Street (off City Road), London EC1V 9NU, starting at around 7.30 pm. Contact Roger Jacobson (see page 2).

WEST RIDING: Meets (usually) on last Sunday morning in month in various pubs in and around Leeds. Brewery trips, day trips and crawls and other socials. Contact Janet Dyson (janetdyson55@hotmail.com) for further details.

SPREADING THE WORD

We produce a publicity leaflet for SPBW incorporating a membership application form. We put these leaflets in friendly and obliging pubs but we

would like to spread them as wide as we can. If you can help us with this, please let Roger Jacobson (page 2) know and a bundle of leaflets will be sent.

If you can just recruit the odd friend or colleague, this would be ever so helpful as well. Thanks to those of you who have already helped in this way.

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BRANCHES IN ACTION

Campden Hill branch competed for the Keith Hudson darts trophy at the Horseshoe, Clerkenwell. The trophy was won by for the first time by Peter Chutter in a closely competitive final against Ken Davison. The Horseshoe is a former Courage house and is a traditional local's pub. In March we had a Branch meal event in Earls Court. We first met at the King's Head, a friendly corner pub rebuilt in 1937, which had a good selection of four beers including Hanlon's Port Stout, Portobello Triple Brown Ale, Adnam's Ghost Ship and London Beer Factory Paxton Pale Ale. The manager recognised one of us and served up some free food. After whetting our appetites we crossed the road to the Little French restaurant. Everyone decided on the £12.50 three course fixed menu of Anglo-French food washed down with the house red wine. A 50th anniversary Kensington pub crawl on 27 April took in the Elephant and Castle, Churchill Arms (former meeting place), Uxbridge Arms and Windsor Castle (original meeting place). On 21 May is another branch meal in Waterloo starting at the King's Arms, followed by a return visit to the popular Marie's Café that serves Thai food. On 14 June is the 'Arry Hart Memorial crawl in Hammersmith, details to follow. Central London branch has had two pub walks. In February we were in Southwark, starting at Goldsmiths, a popular and welcoming gastro pub, followed by Libertine, a popular pub with a mixture of different people. Then Lord Clyde, a former Truman pub with lovely tiling work on the outside and a very traditional interior. The pub has been run by the same family for the last 50 years. Last was the Trinity, a thinly disguised Greene King pub, with Thornbridge Swan Bitter as a guest beer.

Lord Clyde, Southwark

March saw us in in Chinatown and Soho. First was De Hems, a Nicholson's pub with strong Dutch connections and a beer and food menu to match. Next was the Blue Posts in Rupert Street, a small, grade II listed pub built in 1900 with a great cross-section of Soho life. Then the Lyric, a small pub that is bay-fronted with a tile panelled interior. Last was the Queen's Arms. A small pub popular for pre-theatre drinks and dining.

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In April we had an outing to High Wycombe, starting at the Bootlegger, close to the train station, a pub with ten handpumps and a great number of bottled beers from around the world. It serves up to five Rebellion beers. Then into the centre of town to the Falcon, a Wetherspoons converted from an old coaching inn. It had seven guest ales. Then to the Rose and Crown, a L-shaped comfortable pub, the William Robert Loosley, (Wetherspoons), the Bell, a Fuller's pub, ending up at the Belle Vue, a back street traditional community pub that serves six real ales. The next event, on 19 May, is the David Hewson Memorial pub walk that will take place in the Holborn area. Kingston members once again enjoyed the excellent SPBW East End crawl on Sunday 22 February. We went on to the noted Lahore Kebab House instead of joining the others in a Brick Lane restaurant. A couple of us joined the Central London branch crawl around The Borough. This was well-attended and interesting, as many of the pubs were off the beaten track. Once again, other SPBW area members were present at the Leyton Orient Supporters club for the Dark Star festival on 27 February and also the Whitstable festival 2 April. Hot cross buns were handed out at the Easter event. All beers were £3 a pint and there were vouchers offering a first pint for 50p. Some people managed to acquire more than one of these vouchers so had a particularly cheap evening. It really is an excellent venue. We enjoyed sessions at The London Drinker festival in Camden and festivals at the Lamb in Surbiton, the Hope in Carshalton and the Easter beer festival at the Fox, Hanwell. This is an annual event held in the pub and garden of this famous (almost) canalside venue with an excellent selection of beers on the bar and on stillages. Later in the year, Kingston branch will again be attending the Alton RE bus running day on Saturday 18 July. North Irish Sea branch (now in its third year!) held a gathering in the Thirsty Pigeon, Douglas, a welcome addition to the Isle of Man pub estate, and somewhat rarely, a new free house pub in a traditional format. Several SBW members came over to visit the Isle of Man Beer Festival in April, held at the prestigious Villa Marina in Douglas, featuring 125 beers plus 49 ciders and perries. Afterwards on the Sunday the visitors met up with branch members at The Queens Hotel on Douglas Promenade, an Okells (Heron and Brearley pub estate) Pub of The Year. In May a visit to Southport is planned, stopping at the Scarisbrick Hotel, with accompanying well known real ale Baron's Bar (PiH 130). The summer months and more frequent boats await and no doubt there will be further forays around North Irish Sea coastal towns, after June’s Isle of Man TT races, for which local brewers Okells, Bushys, Hooded Ram, and Old Laxey are already preparing, anticipating the massive increase in beer consumption during the festival fortnight! Northern Ireland branch has been going steady and has doubled its membership to twenty from last year. Most members are the very supportive type but not necessarily those who attend events. As long as they are behind the branch and renew their membership then that goes a long way to help us. We are always looking for new members. SPBWNI members benefit from our local membership scheme with discounts on food, ale, brewing equipment, with a special bonus from the local Horatio Group of a £10 voucher for each new member. We have our own branch clothing and can be found on the new SPBW online shop.

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We have several events each month (such as the trip to visit the newly opened JDW premise outside Dublin) listed on our website. Lately we presented our POTY certificate to The Old Courthouse in Coleraine. Members may have seen this in the Wetherspoon News recently. We try to cater for members, so events, times & places, vary during the year and we are always open to suggestion. Find us at http://www.http://spbwni.co.uk - SPBWNI on Twitter (please support us and Tweet to us). North East branch is purchasing a further 2 casks from Alastair at White Rose cooperage. On 7 March at our monthly meeting at the Maltings South Shields there were 9 beers from the wood featuring beers from Three Kings, Jarrow and Maxim breweries and two beers from the wood at the Steamboat, South Shields including the 100th beer that the branch has had in a wooden cask. We have started a pub of the season vote for pubs who have had beer from the wood during that season. Joint first winners for the winter were the Bacchus, Newcastle and Oddfellows, North Shields and they were duly presented with their certificates by the Chairman.

Forthcoming events: Saturday 20 June branch meeting Museum Vaults Sunderland 1pm. Friday 26 June: branch trip to White Rose Cooperage, Wetherby and Junction Castleford £30 per person. Saturday 11 July: branch meeting, Berwick venue tbc 10:55 train from Newcastle Central Station. Saturday 22 August branch meeting and AGM BTU Club, North Shields 12.30 followed by a wooden wander around North Shields and Tynemouth. Wednesday 26 - Saturday 29 August: Durham Beer Festival featuring a number of beers from the wood. Thursday 8 - Saturday 10 October Sunderland Octoberfest featuring a number of beers from the wood. Old Ford Pilgrims undertook a St George’s Day tour of 10 Sam Smiths pubs in central London to celebrate the Great Leader’s birthday. Most of the party had the energy to finish the day in the Eleanor Arms. RACS continues to meet monthly – last time we did an “away” to The Rising Sun, High Wych a much-enjoyed pub just outside Sawbridgeworth. (RACS picked up the tab for taxis!). We had a day out on Saturday 25 April when we visited the Half Moon in Hitchin where long-time RACS Members Howard and Wendy were running their eleventh annual celebration beer festival. They always provide

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splendid beer selections and food and for those who don’t worry too much about beer there is a thriving Saturday Market. Wednesday 27 May sees our AGM to be held at Queen’s Head, Allens Green, again a taxi ride on RACS. Plans are now in the pipeline for our Summer Show in August. Special Branch is girding its collective loins for the next annual gathering in May. Warwickshire is the destination, our route taking in the Stratford and Grand Union canals. We expect make a few publicans happy along the way! In April we had our now regular joint social in Birmingham with CRAP to celebrate Colin’s birthday. Most of our time was spent in the Bartons Arms in Aston, which is highly recommended to all connoisseurs of pubs and beer. This was bookended with beers in the Wellington and Post Office Vaults in the city centre. Wantz undertook a gruelling pub crawl in the Temple area of London in March. Four pubs – the George, Devereux, Edgar Wallace and Temple Brew House, all about 20 yards apart! The last of these, in Essex Street just off the Strand, is an interesting newish enterprise offering 4 or 5 beers brewed on site. We are changing the dates of our May and June meetings, because of members’ holidays, and in July we are heading out of town. Our meeting, on the 20th, will be in the Golden Lion, North Street, Rochford. Any SPBW members in the area are most welcome to join us. West Riding made its annual trip to Ostend in January with over 30 members and guests. In April there was a trip to Mansfield and Chesterfield. On 13 June there will be a trip to Chester. The next meeting is on Sunday 31 May at The Works in Sowerby Bridge.

SPBW ONLINE The SPBW Members Forum is www.spbw.com/bb. The Bulletin Board is intended as a way for members to exchange information. You can also join

SPBW on Facebook at www.facebook.com. Our online shop can be found on the Products page on our website; just follow the links. We are aware people

change emails for various reasons and we would like everyone to log on to the

Forum and make sure their details are up to date - otherwise they will miss out on information mailed out by the SPBW.

Our two websites are now behind secure defences!

PINT IN HAND BY EMAIL

How would you like to receive PiH by email rather than by post? This would be

of particular value to overseas members and would save the SPBW a few bob in terms of postage and envelopes. Beware that PiH is a substantial document

(around 5MB) so you may need broadband if it’s not to jam your inbox. If you want to go for this, please email Roger West and Roger Jacobson

(details on page 2) and we’ll take it from there.

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WEST YORKSHIRE WOOD FEVER A recent tour round some beer hot spots in West Yorkshire revealed that “Beer in the Wood” is most definitely on the up. It all began with a full Friday afternoon and evening session in Castleford where the pioneering Maureen Shaw and Neil Midgley have been serving cask ales only from the wood at their fabulous Junction pub since early last year. I can only agree with the locals that the most consistent and beautiful beers regularly served are those from Ridgeside, Elland and Stancill breweries. On this occasion it was Ridgeside Cascade (4.1 % ABV) and Lost Horizon (3.5% ABV) for me. Such wonderful tasting beers originally created by the late Simon Bolderson who (along with Master Cooper Alastair Simms) backed Maureen and Neil’s vision to return to wood from the outset. Today his legacy is continued by brewing team Matt Lovatt and Juan Mendoza. Later that weekend Elland 1872 Porter (6.5% ABV) appeared before disappearing rapidly. The reason being that jungle drums had been doing overtime to inform the eager top beer nuts that this cask was from the same gyle as that which was crowned ‘Champion Winter Beer of Britain’ at Derby. In the wood it was even better. Woo Hoo! Two days later, on Sunday 22nd February, beer from the wood went under close scrutiny at the Duck and Drake pub in Leeds which staged a special event with over 50 members of the SPBW West Riding branch gathering for their monthly meeting. Andy Yuill, who runs the pub, is keen on his cask beers served and offered four beers from wooden casks. Two were from Saltaire - Cascade (4.8% ABV) and Black Cascadian (4.8% ABV) and two were from Ridgeside – Black Night (5% ABV) and Phoenix (4.0% ABV). All of these beers were in tip top tasty condition and were gone within the day. That tells you something! Luckily for me, Andy gave me some of his valuable time and took me into the cellar to photograph and stroke the wooden objects of my desire. Next up for our delectation will be two from Ossett – Inception, a wonderful hoppy golden ale at 4.0% ABV, recently added to their core range and Excelsior, an award winning classic pale ale weighing in at 5.2% ABV. These will be in casks especially made for the pub by Jonathan Manby, the cooper at Theakstons. The following Wednesday I headed off to Shipley on my way to warm up for the Bradford CAMRA beer festival at the Victoria Hall in Saltaire which was to commence on the following day. Stopping off at the Oddfellows I found a beer in the wood. This time it was Yorkshire Dales Smokebox, a 5.6% ABV, a truly memorable smoked porter with a real complex depth of flavours, enhanced even further by being dispensed from a wooden cask. I had a good chat with licensees Tony and Teresa who a few months ago took the plunge and purchased their own wooden cask from Alastair Simms. This was the third beer in their wooden cask, the previous ones having been Saltaire New World Red (5.2% ABV) and Baildon Brunette (3.9% ABV). It is their intention to buy another cask from Alastair sometime soon. Great news indeed. A brisk walk took me to Saltaire and the recently opened Cap and Collar micropub where licensee Phil Garvey was on hand to serve me a pint of Challenger Special (5.2% ABV) from Saltaire Brewery. Naturally this was in the wood and another great treat.

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At the Bradford beer festival the following day there were four beers in the wood – all on the first floor Bar 3 in the York Room. Two were in 18 gallon “Woodies” from Saltaire, namely Celebration Ale (a strong golden ale at 6.5% ABV) and Imperial Stout from their XS range weighing in at a mighty 8.9% ABV. Wowee – so tasty. Alongside (well , above really) in the wood were Oates Lenten Bock (6.4% ABV) brewed in Halifax by head brewer Anthony Barrett with a little aid from myself a few weeks earlier and Moorish Mild (4.0% ABV) brewed by Joe Cox from Norland Brewery (based at Oates). After several photographs and copious volumes of tasting I met up with Christina Wagstaff from the CAMRA and SPBW award winning Jacobs pub in Bradford. In no time, Christina has pushed the envelope in many directions, one of which is the intention to have a dedicated handpump for beers from the wood. Good on you gal!! Sadly, it was soon time to retreat to the comfort of a warm bed at a friend’s house to prepare for the homeward journey on Friday. However, the journey to Hull could not be completed without a diversion to the “home of beers from the wood” at the Junction in Castleford to visit Maureen and Neil to see what was occurring. And it was quite a lot. It began with six beers on Friday with an afternoon on the Ridgeside Coda (a mighty 5.7 % ABV) for me. Over the weekend, there were ten cask ales from eight different breweries. Who said it was just a fad!!! So – a week to remember indeed for beers in the wood from all over Yorkshire. And there is more to come especially at the Junction where the annual “Woodfest” took place over Easter weekend. We can be sure that there were plenty of “oaky” delights on the bars, some aged, some rare and some newbies – all in tip top condition thanks to excellent cellarmanship and a vision!! The revolution rolls on.

David Litten

EMAIL UPDATES

You can receive news about SPBW events by email; send your email address to Frankie Colclough and he will add you to the circulation list. We promise

that your email details will only be used for the transmission of SPBW material.

PINT IN HAND ARCHIVES If you want to follow the history of SPBW over the last 30 or so years, as well as the development of PiH, you can look at all back issues, and some of the SPBW newsletters which preceded it, on our website: http://www.spbw.com/magazine.html. We also intend to set an Archive section, featuring all kinds of artefacts: photos, press cuttings, correspondence etc. If you have any such material I (Roger) would be delighted to receive it – either scanned by email or originals by post.

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SPRING, SPIRES AND SUPPING The Eighth Peter Smith Memorial Pub Crawl

A crisp March morning that soon melted away to perfect early afternoon spring sunshine, a fitting honour to the late and great SPBW member Peter Smith amid the “dreamy spires of Oxford”. Circa twenty SPBW members from various South-East haunts assembled in Oxfordshire’s fair city, to be marshalled around the best watering holes by the Reading real ale messier Mr. John Dearing. Some early arrivals participated in a Four Candles (Wetherspoons) late morning beer & breakfast, before venturing to the White Rabbit (Friars Entry), our first official port of call for the day’s beery jovialities. A pleasant enough airy pub that specialises in its myriad of pizzas, Shotover Scholar (4.5%) was the popular choice of the ales available. A healthy walk up to South Parade where the mystical Rose & Crown resides with its listed interior and quirky beer garden. An ingenious rear door opening mechanism operated from behind the pub bar exiting customers added to the novelty factor that this pub owns. Cotleigh Honey Buzzard (4.5%) was sampled from the four beers on parade here. The Gardeners Arms, adjacent to the R & C, was mentioned in todays’ itinerary as a ‘try also’ so it would be rude not to put in an appearance, a house ale from the three Thwaites beers residing was tried. A leisurely amble back to St. Giles where The Lamb & Flag and Eagle & Child were frequented, the two pubs standing opposite one another across the vast road width that separates them. Amongst the eight ales on show at the L & F, a couple of XT brews were targeted, notably the XT (Animal/Moogbrew collaboration beer) B*****d Bunny Brew Ha Ha. A double hopped rocket-fuelled IPA at 7.2%! The Eagle & Child boasted both drinkers and diners in their plenty, as the SPBW throng filtered through this Nicholson’s owned pub, associated with J R Tolkien, C S Lewis and Charles Williams. Broken Dial (4.5%) from Scottish brewery Harviestoun and house ale Nicholson’s Pale Ale (4.0%) from Cornish brewery St. Austell, were navigated from the four ales on offer. Next on the agenda came The White Horse (Broad Street) in the city centre, a pub where countless episodes of Inspector Morse were filmed. A cosy, low beamed bustling public house gem, where in the late afternoon sun Cloak & Gown drinkers were overflowing onto the front pavement. LocAle brew Billie (3.5%) from the appropriately named White Horse brewery at Stanford-in-the-Vale, West Oxon was one of the ales enjoyed here. Whilst in Broad St., both The King’s Arms (Holywell St.), a large street-corner Youngs pub, and the legendary Turf Tavern (Bath Place) were put through their paces, both being rammed with revellers, especially the latter that never seems to be quiet due to its quaint setting in the treasured hideaway where it resides and their plethora of fine real ales. Fabled to be the oldest pub in Oxford, The Bear (Alfred St.) is renowned for its endless collection of ties that adorn the walls of this low ceiling public house. Team leader Dearing highlighted an old SPBW tie from yore framed alongside the thousands on view, this tie’s donator to the pub a mystery that will need the boy Lewis and his sidekick Hathaway to solve. This Fullers pub hosts guest ales but both the Oliver’s Island (3.8%) from Fuller’s, and Gale’s Spring Sprinter (4.0%) were probably the most inviting brews at the handpumps.

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Formerly known as The Bulldog and The Hobgoblin, The St. Aldates Tavern, adjacent to the St. Aldates Town Hall, is another Oxford hostelry steeped in history, that local pub historian John Dearing put pen to parchment to give our SPBW gathering a detailed account of each pub pit-stop on today’s perambulation. A good assortment of ales on here, Great Heck Amish Mash (4.7%) and Half Sovereign (3.4%) from Wiltshire brewer Box Steam, pick of the alcohops. A short amble to The Royal Blenheim (St. Ebbe’s), a Victorian street-corner Everards owned establishment, recently leased to the White Horse brewery to showcase their fine brews alongside hosts Everards ales and others. The Tight Five (4.5%) from White Horse had to be trialled in their cities brewery tap pub before venturing onto alas our last imbibing indulgence of the day. The Grapes (George Street) is now a welcome breath of fresh air, showcasing Bristol’s full range of Bath Ales, gaining GBG 2015 inclusion, from its previous ownership which languished in the “just another boozer category”. Golden Hare (4.4%) was dispatched before we set off for the train station to depart Oxford for our respective abodes. Another well organised and enjoyable SPBW outing around a city that I’ve not visited for a few years with its wide spectrum of real ale pubs offering great choice and variety. Cheers John.

Delph Asparan (possibly not his/her real name)

BEER & CURRY

The annual B & B bash in February proved to be an enjoyable Sunday afternoon and evening. There was a good attendance, with quite a few from outside London, who enjoyed beers in some fine east end pubs before eating at the Masala in Brick Lane.

LAST ORDERS

For those of you who distrust beer tasting notes, try this gem, courtesy of Adrian Tierney-Jones, describing Thornbridge’s Jehanne. He writes: “Ten years ago I visited a clutch of biere de garde breweries in northern France certain in my knowledge of what this beer style was: amber in colour, rugged, malt forward. I returned chastened and newly aware of the influence of Belgian tripels and saisons on the style. Now, I can recall the Damascene character of my trip with Thornbridge’s latest invocation of this classic French beer style. Pale copper in colour, it’s got a Depardieu of a nose: iron-like, sweetness, fusils, hot fiery alcohol and in the background the delicacy of orange blossom alongside a shadowy ghost of pear-drop. I taste a malt sweetness on the tongue, contrasted with a caramel crunchiness, then there is alcohol fieriness, peach/apricot skin ripeness and an oiliness you get in a blonde barley wine.” Now, given Thornbridge’s excellent reputation, I’m sure this is an excellent beer. But after that description, you hardly need to drink it, do you!

Beer description lifted from Original Gravity issue 3, a freebie for beer lovers.

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SPBW PRODUCTS New items: Enamel badges £3 (£4.50 inc P & P) Tie Clips £5 (£6.50) Cuff links £6 (£7.50) Ties Windsor purple, green, navy blue £11.50 (£13) T-shirts XL black, royal blue, jade, red; L black, royal blue, red. £9 (£14) Sweatshirts XL black, jade, royal blue, red £15 (£21.50) Polo Shirts XL royal blue, red, jade; L jade, royal blue, black, red £13 (£19.00) Hats Acrylic knitted, royal blue, red, burgundy £5 (£7.50) Baseball Caps black, green) £7 (£10.70) Glasses Straight handled pint mugs with etched logo £8 (£14) Please contact Patrick Deller if you wish to order a glass – pgadeller@gmail.com

We also have sweats, polo and t-shirts, hats and caps with the ‘old’ logo, plus rugby shirts, fleeces, enamel badges and sew-on badges. You can admire our product range on the SPBW website! And you can buy products through our on-line shop: http://www.spbwshop.co.uk/

Please send your orders to Bill English (see page 2)

Please make cheques payable to SPBW and include a telephone number or email address with your order. Allow up to 28 days for delivery.

Products are cheaper if they can be collected in person; contact Bill to see if this can be arranged.

The Windsor Castle, Kensington – birthplace of Campden Hill Branch 50 years ago