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Newsletter of the Darlington Campaign for
Real Ale May-June 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darling,
What Did You Do ? FURIOUS pub landlords have set about banning the chancellor
Alistair Darling from every pub in Britain following the unprecedented
Budget increase in alcohol duty. The
campaign started when the
landlord of the Utopia bar in Edinburgh put a poster in his window saying
that Mr Darling - the MP for Edinburgh south-west - was barred. Licensees
across Britain quickly followed suit. The
not-so-darling Budget of March increased duty on beer
by more than on wine and spirits: by 4p a pint or 13%. But the pain
doesn’t stop there: the chancellor stipulated that alcohol duty will
rise by 2% above inflation over each of the next four years. The
Campaign for Real Ale estimates that this year’s rise alone will
translate to at least 20p on a pint over the bar.
Peter Hynes of the award-winning Crown Inn at Manfield is
among those displaying the ‘Barred’ poster. He told members of
Darlington CAMRA at the branch’s Annual General Meeting, “These duty
increases are a real threat to the viability of every pub, even successful
ones like the Crown. Opposing them should be a priority for CAMRA members
and all other pub goers.” The
chancellor denied the increases were aimed at combating binge drinking but
was clearly emboldened by pre-Budget media hysteria to announce what might
be seen as ‘good’ tax rises in some quarters. CAMRA’s Mike Benner said: “The chancellor has failed to recognise that well-run community pubs are the solution to Britain’s binge drinking problems. This budget will do nothing to stop binge drinking, but will widen the gap between supermarket and pub prices and lead to pub closures on a huge scale and more unregulated drinking. It’s a great big nail whacked into the coffin of the British pub.” “The
budget showed a disregard for our national drink and for the 15 million
people who enjoy it responsibly,” Mike added. Quaker
Shaker DARLINGTON’S much-loved real ale freehouse, The Quaker House, has been taken over by
Scottish & Newcastle in a deal which shocked and surprised its
regulars. The characterful
town centre pub, tucked away in Mechanic’s Yard, was in a package of 30
premises sold to S&N’s Pub Enterprises division
by the Tadcaster Pub Company in early April. With
the sale of S&N itself being concluded at the end of April the
ale-focused Quaker will - somewhat incredibly - pass swiftly into the
hands of Heineken. A Dutch-based multinational not previously known for a
love of British cask beer. As
DD went to press, the future of the pub and its tenants Steve
Metcalfe and Lynda Harland was still uncertain. The
couple have been involved with the Quaker almost continually since it
opened in 1998, initially with Steve as manager. They took on the lease
after Tadcaster acquired it in 2002 but a tie limited the
beers they could stock and things “did not work out well at first”,
says Steve. Ludicrously
to anyone who knows the place, in 2003 Tadcaster said it was “no longer
tenable as a real ale pub”. They gave Steve
and Lynda a week’s notice. Customer uproar prompted a Tadcaster rethink
and after lengthy
negotiations they agreed to let Steve and Lynda go free of tie “at a
price”, says Steve. Since then the Quaker hasn’t looked back. The
number of handpumps increased to ten and the pub has been boasting more
than 60 different beers a month - many from hard-to-find micro breweries. Regulars would love to see all this remain unchanged but it’s hard to
see how it can. As the job of S&NPE is to increase the sales of the company’s beers,
lagers and ciders, the Quaker could once again be fully tied. Only
time will tell. That
shouldn’t mean the end of cask beers from independent brewers. After
all, S&N’s Waverley TBS subsidiary supplies all the guest
beers to Britain’s newly-appointed national Pub of the Year, the Old Spot in Dursley, Gloucestershire. But
it could mean seeing more familiar names on the bar more often, fewer
obscure ‘tickers’ beers, fewer from micros and, dare we say, higher
prices. Discerning Darlington drinkers can only hope all goes well over
the next few months for Steve, Lynda and the Quaker. Darlington
Drinker .…Twenty-Five
Years Ago “ANOTHER real ale has become available to Darlington drinkers following the opening last month of County Durham’s newest pub, the Locomotion One at Heighington Station. Drybrough’s Pentland - “a traditional 70 shilling ale” - is dispensed by handpump at 62 pence a pint in the main Locomotion bar. The pub derives its name from the fact that it was at this very spot in 1825 that George Stephenson first placed No.1 engine of the Stockton & Darlington Railway on the rails. It is housed in the station buildings which subsequently developed.” Darlington Drinker 12,
April 1983 KGB
OK ? THE
BEST
before date on the last brew of Kelly’s Golden Bitter was August 1983
but bottles still occasionally turn up on Ebay - and can fetch a decent
price. Number
15 of the 500 produced sold for £9.99 on 16 March. That’s five times
the original price. In comparison, a pint of beer in a Darlington pub has
increased by an average of 3½ times over the 25 years. The
seller lived in Suffolk and the purchaser was in Australia, so postage
will have added significantly to the cost. The
bottle was said to be scuffed but the label and foil top were “in
good condition”. The contents
were “not fit for
consumption”. But just how did they know...? Darlington’s
Last Brew EASTER
marked
the passing of 25 years since the last commercial brewery in Darlington
packed up its malt and hops. Kelly’s
Real Ale Brewery was housed in a tiny old former circus store at
Skipbridge kennels, a mile outside town on the road to Neasham. It was a
one-man business, founded in April 1979 by the eponymous Peter Kelly, a
resident of Whinfield and keen hobby brewer. Peter focused his efforts on
a single memorably-named ale: KGB, or Kelly’s Golden Bitter. It had a
stated original gravity of 1045 (around 4.3%), although Peter was known to
tweak the recipe to improve it ‘just that bit more’. At
the time Britain was experiencing the first serious expansion of new wave
brewing on the back of the ‘real ale revolution’. Drinkers were
demanding cask-conditioned beer again after decades of big brewer-led
decline and Peter Kelly wanted to be in on it. At
its peak, Kelly’s supplied just eight outlets spread thinly across
North Yorkshire and County Durham. They included the White Heifer at Scorton
and the Collector’s Arms in Darlington. But by 1983 only one bar counter
featured KGB on a regular basis. Its identity will surprise present-day
drinkers: it was the East End CIU Club in Darlington. So after four years
of struggle, and officially due to a “combination of ill health and
other commitments”, Peter decided to wind down the brewery. His parting shot was a commemorative special last brew of
KGB aimed at the collectors’ market. We believe it was the only bottled
beer Kelly’s produced. Released at Easter 1983 it was limited to 500
numbered and signed pint bottles. It had a lower o.g. of 1041-1042 but at
£2 its price was three times that of a pub pint. Folk
’n’ Beer Goes Down Just Fine VISITORS
TO
the beer hall at Spring Thing 2008 - Darlington’s beer festival
within a folk festival - greatly enjoyed the dozens of ales and ciders
provided judging from the buzz throughout, plus the draining casks !. Questionnaire
feedback to Darlington CAMRA was overwhelmingly positive with 70% of
respondents making comments such as “excellent range of beers”,
“great little festival” and “one of the best”. The opportunity to
try beers in third-pint measures was specifically praised, as were the new
tankard-style glasses, beer numbering system, the availability status
board and the fuller programme. The
main negative (voiced by 35% of respondents) was the lack of food. A lack
of music and shortage of CAMRA bar staff at times (especially on Friday
lunchtime) were both mentioned by around 10%. A small number felt that
despite an in-cask cooling system the beer could still have been cooler;
the beer cards didn’t work well for third-pint prices; and more seating
and better external signage is needed. CAMRA
will be addressing the points within its control for future events, and
the comments on food will be conveyed to the Arts Centre management. The
next Darlington CAMRA festival at the Arts Centre is Rhythm ’n’
Brews 2008, from Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th September. THE
BEER
of the festival, as voted by drinkers, was Easter Island, a seasonal 4.1% ale from
Captain Cook Brewery in Stokesley. This
marks a quick win for Jeff Hind who only took over the tiny brewery, based
at the rear of the White Swan, back in September 2007. Jeff is no stranger to brewing,
as he also owns the Consett Ale Works brewery in Consett, County Durham.
He plans to increase production at Stokesley and make the beers available
to “other discerning free houses in the region”. One
of his first steps was to appoint as new brewer Ian Jackson - one of the
organisers of Darlington CAMRA beer festivals and formerly of the Wear
Valley Brewery. Easter Island was Ian's first brew at the brewery, but he
stresses that he had no hand in the festival voting !. THE
WINNING voter for the beer of the festival was Liam Denny of Middleton St George.
Mrs R Stell of Darlington correctly named Haye Farm Cider as the cider of
the festival. Six
Times Twenty-2 NUMBER
TWENTY-2
in Coniscliffe Road has
been voted champion Pub of the Year 2008 by members of Darlington CAMRA. It’s
the sixth time Ralph Wilkinson’s
classy town centre ‘alehouse and canteen’ has taken the award but the
first time since 2002. On
the way to winning the overall title - ahead of 200 other pubs in the
Darlington branch area - it was named Darlington Town Pub of the Year. It
narrowly pipped the Quaker House in the urban category, with Sue
Carr’s Britannia in Archer Street in bronze medal position. Ralph
was surprised and delighted to hear of the news, saying graciously “I
thought the Britannia might win this year”. A
presentation will to Ralph in a few weeks time and the Twenty-2 will go
forward to the North East regional round of CAMRA’s national pub
of the year contest. THE
ACCOLADE of Country Pub of the Year has gone to the Crown
Inn at Manfield, for an
astonishing seventh year running. The
exemplary standards and dedication of tenants Peter and Karen Hynes
brought them the Yorkshire regional title in 2005 and their latest
category success ensures they can contest that trophy again. Richard
Robinson’s Red Lion in Cotherstone, upper Teesdale, was runner-up
in the country category, and the Shoulder of Mutton at Kirby Hill,
north of Richmond, was third. Congratulations to all six shortlisted
contenders, top pubs every one. 24
Hour Madness THE
MEDIA
and some opposition politicians couldn’t heap enough opprobrium on the
new licensing laws before they were brought in in England and Wales in
November 2005. They
kept quiet for two years when civilisation unaccountably failed to
collapse at the hands of drink-crazed domino players who, for the first
time, were allowed to buy a pint after 11pm. They had another go, of
course, recently when the Government published its review of the
regulations. “The damning evidence against the 24-hour drinking policy
is overwhelming”, said the Conservative Shadow Home Secretary David
Davis, MP. Is it really ?. Lets look at the figures Mr Davis. Out
of the thousands of licensed premises in the
North East and North Yorkshire 202 have been awarded 24-hour licences. However,
more than three-quarters of these (77%) are hotels, which could serve
drinks to guests at any time of the day or night under the old system and
are simply retaining reasserting that right. A
further 36 are shops and supermarkets, leaving just 11 pubs and clubs
between the Humber and the Tweed. So
where are these iniquitous dens - Newcastle, York, Darlington? No
actually, most (no fewer than seven) are in sleepy, rural, Teesdale, a
district known more for foot and mouth than an alcohol-fuelled punch in
the mouth. One of the 24-hour licensed premises is the Good Beer
Guide-listed Langdon Beck Hotel, miles from anywhere up in the Pennines.
Licensees Glen and Sue Matthews said when they applied for the licence
that they had no plans to open all day and night - they simply want to be
able to open when they wish. Similarly
Dave Nixon of the Strathmore Arms at Holwick.
He describes the law in operation
as “Good, because sometimes I can open up until one or two o’clock if
I need to, but there are times I’ve shut by nine or ten because it’s
so quiet. Holwick is more like a row of houses, so the drinkers can't
really disturb anybody.” As the official review of the system concluded, the perception of a
24-hour drinking culture is “clearly unfounded”. But why let that
spoil a good story? How
Much ? JD
WETHERSPOON
pubs are renowned for their good value prices (bettered in our area for
real ale prices only by Samuel Smiths). Theirs
may have risen as sharply as anybody in recent weeks but Darlington
drinkers were still shocked to see the William Stead in Crown Street
advertising international festival ales at £8.88 per pint !. Fortunately, management realised the error on the window
posters after a few days and inked out parts of the ‘digital’ numbers
to come up with a more digestible figure. BEER
DRINKERS at Darlington’s Spring Thing
festival once again donated generously to charity from surplus
‘change’ on their beer cards. A cheque
for £181.95 has been presented on their behalf to the local unit of
Macmillan Cancer Support, based in Valley Street in the town by festival
organiser Ian Jackson to support unit manager Jill Campbell. A total of £810
has now been raised for local charities at Darlington festivals since
Spring Thing 2005. For
details of Macmillan’s work in the community visit: www.macmillan.org.uk. Business Speak A
CHAIRMAN announcing to his company’s shareholders a “momentous and historic
day … a new opportunity” and that “the prevalent emotion today is
pride” could be expected to be describing a great business achievement,
such a successful merger or record financial results. But
those were the words of the boss of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries,
Sir Brian Stewart, as “Britain's largest brewer and one of Scotland’s
oldest independent companies … a top six global brewer … a market
leader in the UK, France, Russia and India - a major exporter to the US”
confirmed the end of the of the company after 259 years in business. S&N
shareholders voted overwhelmingly to back a £10 billion bid for the
brewer by a consortium of Carlsberg and Heineken. S&N’s breweries
and brands in the UK - including John Smith’s and Caledonian - will go
to the Dutch multinational Heineken along with its interests in Ireland,
Finland, Portugal, Belgium and India. Those in France, Greece, Russia,
China and Vietnam are being taken by the Danish giant Carlsberg. Handover
is expected from April 28th. AFTER
TWO and a half centuries taking over others S&N couldn’t resist
narrowing the ownership of British breweries one more time. In one of its
last acts before disappearing it bought out Edinburgh’s last remaining
brewery, Caledonian. S&N,
which already had a 30% stake in the firm best known for its Deuchar’s
IPA picked up the remaining shareholding from Caledonian’s directors in
April. In
triumphal business-speak similar that of S&N’s doomed chairman,
Caley’s managing director Steve Crawley said: “It's
great that Caledonian Brewery is surviving under S&N (make that
Heineken, Mr Crawley - Ed). We’ve
had some great success with Deuchars, but this gives us a chance to reach
many more outlets.” He
said no redundancies were planned but added that “everything was up for
debate” in the future. The brewery's 75 staff were told about the
acquisition by email. One
worker said: “Everyone’s worried about what will happen. This is a big
change for the Caley Brewery.” Hobgoblin,
Brakspear’s Gobbled Up MARSTON’S - the company previously known as Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries -
is continuing its spectacular growth of recent years with the acquisition
of another respected independent brewer. It
has taken control of Oxfordshire’s Wychwood Brewery, producer of
Hobgoblin and Brakspear’s beers, by buying its parent business Refresh
UK for an estimated £11m. Wolverhampton
& Dudley bought both Marston’s and Mansfield breweries in 1999. It
closed the latter but took on the former’s better-known name in place of
its own. In 2005 it acquired Jennings of Cumbria and this was followed
last year by the takeover of Ringwood of Hampshire for £19m. At
the same time it has been snapping up groups of pubs to take its tied
estate to over 2,500. These include in Darlington the Springfield and the
White Heifer That Travelled. The company has been noticeably reluctant to introduce guest beers from other brewers into its pubs, focusing instead on its own-brew brands. The acquisition of Refresh’s range on top of those of Ringwood and Jennings will allow it to present a wide selection of real ales in its pubs entirely from within its own empire. Both
Jennings and Ringwood’s breweries have remained in operation after being
absorbed by Marston’s and that is to be the case with Refresh’s Witney
brew-house - for the time being at least. Refresh
founder and chief executive Rupert Thompson said it was the apparent
success of Marston’s takeover of Ringwood that convinced him to do the
deal: “Marston’s did it with sensitivity. They understood the value of
local brands and of keeping local breweries open. Local brands have
credibility and in the long term they add far more value than having a
major cost-cutting exercise.” Marston’s
managing director Alistair Darby says they are committed to continuing the
operation of the Wychwood brewery: “We plan to develop the brand as part
of our desire to meet increasing consumer demand for premium ales with
strong provenance and heritage.” Beer
World: Barcelona Budget
travel king ADRIAN BELL continues his mission to show Darlington drinkers
that good beer can be enjoyed overseas, in our DD series on short-break
destinations. BARCELONA is a huge city with lots to see. The local beer is Estrella Damm, which is very good. The famous Ramblas is mostly Irish bars, however Cafe de l'Opera stocks Belgian beers. The best places to drink are the small local bars found on every corner. Two worth seeking out are El Nus and La Confiteria, both of these have been converted from old shops. Details on more bars can be found on my website, www.adrianbell.co.uk. The city also has two brewpubs: Cervesera Artesana, in the Gracia area, brews English style ales. They brew a blond in summer, a pale ale and a stout in winter. It is done out in the usual modern style with bare brickwork and brewing equipment on show behind a big window. They also have draught Belgian Pauwel Kwak, served in the proper glasses, and for Spain quite a large bottled range. Vaso de Oro in Barceloneta brews a golden lager and a dark lager - bock - which I must admit is rather good. It is a very long, narrow, definitely Spanish place, famous for its vast array of tapas. I would get in early though or you won’t get anywhere near the bar, let alone a seat. DETAILS,
DETAILS: Food…La Ramblas is lined with restaurants but for a daytime bargain try a tapas stall in the Boqueria market. Also lined with restaurants is the street between the Barceloneta metro stop and the beach. For a bargain try carrer de Verdi in the Gracia area, it is lined with cheap cafes. Sights…include Gaudi’s La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Park Güell and La Sagrada Familia (Cathedral La Seu is better though, in my view). Tibidabo hill has good views, a funfair and a church on top of a church. Also Poble Espanyol (an open air museum), the FC Barcelona ground, Barceloneta beach, and of course there is La Ramblas and the Barri Gotic to wander around. See www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com. Accommodation…Lots of options on www.booking.com. I like the Gracia area, it has a local feel to it. Breakfasts are rarely included with accommodation but there are cafes are on every corner. Flights…Around £100 but check for bargains: I’ve got as low as £31. Go from Durham Tees Valley Airport to Girona with Ryanair then bus (1hr 10min, 21 euros return). Or Newcastle to Barcelona with Easyjet then by local train: 25min (metro zone 1; 10 rides on the metro for 7.20 euros). Young’s
Real
Bottle THE
RECENTLY-MERGED Wells
& Young’s brewing company are re-launching their range of Young’s
bottled beers entirely as bottled-conditioned ‘real ales in a bottle’
- the first such range from a major brewer. The
strong Special London Ale has always been bottled-conditioned but the
flagship Young’s Bitter was previously pasteurised. They are being
joined by a new take-home beer, Kew Gold. Chris Lewis, director of
marketing for the Bedford-based brewer says, “Bottle conditioned beers
are the nearest things to cask ale that you can get because the yeast
remains in the bottle, which means that the beer enjoys further
fermentation resulting in a fresher taste for our consumers.” He
says independent research shows that consumers are moving towards the
premium sector of many markets, and quality ingredients are a key driver,
“We see this as a new sector - ‘super premium ales’ which are
derived from the highest quality ingredients and are bottle
conditioned.” Young’s
Bitter is also the first major beer to be awarded a Red Tractor quality
assurance mark, a symbol to consumers that ingredients can be traced back
to the UK farm where they were grown, and Mr Lewis said, “It is
incredibly important to us that we work with our farmers and suppliers and
know for certain the exact source of our raw materials. It is a wonderful
feeling to be able to stand in a barley field in North Norfolk and know
that the barley grown there will be used in a pint of our Young's
Bitter.” The
Red Tractor logo is an independent verification by the Assured Food
Standards organisation. WELLS
& YOUNG’S are
offering a case of each of Young’s bottled beer to three DD readers.
Simply answer two simple questions: a) Which Wells and Young’s bottle conditioned beer has
been awarded the Red Tractor symbol ? b) Which half of the combined company was until recently
based in London ? Send your entry by 2nd June to DD Young’s Quiz, 6 Clareville Road, Darlington DL3 8NG or via email at dd@idnet.com. First three correct answers out of the hat win. Include a delivery address and a daytime phone number. Ale
Mail ONCE
AGAIN
a brilliant selection at the Spring Thing festival. Our houseful of guests
really enjoyed their annual visit to Darlington. I
was delighted to see my friends’ sons aged 20 and 18, and another friend,
also 18, all enjoying the real ale. They are very keen to come to the
September do, so we are catching them young before they get hooked on
lager and alcopops !. Please
pass on our thanks and congratulations to everyone who worked so hard
again this year. You may recall in DD162 you put a little piece about us going to the Amazon jungle and searching for locally made ale. When we were there we met a couple from California, Cliff and Natalie Crew. They invited us to visit them in California to ski and see the area around San Francisco. Of course we were very keen and went and as always searched out local brews. We
visited the Bucket of Blood saloon in Virginia City (pop. 1,000) and we
drank Bucket of Blood Ale !. A local cowboy and
retired state trooper, Mitch,
told us it got its name in the late 1800s when Irish and English silver
and gold miners had nightly brawls. It is much friendlier now. There was a
brewpub down the boardwalk but a hell’s angel chapter had taken it over
for the afternoon. Although we love real ale we were not quite that brave. We
also visited Cliff and Natalie’s local, Fosters, in Rio Vista in the
Sacramento River delta. Foster, the owner in the early 1900s, was a keen
hunter and this little bar now houses over 300 perfectly preserved, and
sometimes rare, stuffed animals. Amongst them an elephant head and a whole
giraffe head and neck. Although nowadays not PC to do, it’s great to see
it cherished as local history and sit in the bar with a wonderful beer
selection while looking at the display. Cliff
and Natalie will be visiting us in September and we cannot wait to take
them to our local beer festival !. JANE & PAUL GRAHAM, Darlington Festivals
Aplenty ! May
2-5, CROWN INN, Manfield, May bank holiday festival in pub and garden,
featuring the beers of Cornwall with live music, food and a craft fair. Details:
01325 374243. May
15-18, BOOZE ’n’ CUES 6, Darlington Snooker Club, on the corner of
Corporation Road and Northgate. More than 20 real ales, free admission. Details:
01325 241388. May
23-26, BAYDALE BECK, Low Coniscliffe. 6th annual beer & cider
festival. Beer tent with 13 ales & ciders, barbecue. Details: 01325
469637. May
24-26, LANGDON BECK HOTEL, 4th annual Spring bank holiday festival.
Twenty-plus ales high in the beautiful north Pennines. Open all day. Details: 01833 622267. June
5-8, COTTAGE INN, HAXBY,
near York. First Beer Festival, 15 beers, live music, gourmet barbecue,
free entry. Details: 01904 763949. June
27-29, WHITE BEAR, Wellgarth, Masham. Summer
beer festival. Over 30 cask ales with music and a barbecue. Details: 01765
689319. July
24-27, BLACK SWAN, Fearby, near Masham. Over 25 ales with live entertainment.
Accommodation, free admission. Details: www.blackswan-masham.co.uk
or 01765 689477. August
5-9, GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL, Earl’s Court, London.
Britain's biggest beer festival under one roof: 750 beers, inc. 450 real
ales, world beers, cider, perry, music, auctions. Details/tickets: www.gbbf.org.uk.
Details: 01727 867201. August 14th-16th, 2nd SOUTH SHIELDS BEER FESTIVAL, Masonic Hall (near Asda, 3 mins from South Shields Metro station). September 18-20, DARLINGTON RHYTHM ‘N’ BREWS 2008, Arts Centre, Vane Terrace. Organised by Darlington CAMRA and the Arts Centre R‘n’B Club. October
17-19, RICHMOND BEER FESTIVAL, Market Hall, Richmond; organised by North West
Yorkshire CAMRA. Sheepish
Quiz BELOW
ARE this month’s Black Sheep quiz questions. The sender of
the first correct answer drawn out of the hat on 2nd June will win a
quality Black Sheep T-shirt, courtesy of the brewery. Send your entry to
DD Black Sheep Quiz, 6 Clareville Road, Darlington DL3 8NG or dd
@idnet.com. Remember to include your name, address and shirt size. 1,
Black Sheep uses a rare traditional style of fermentation vessel, initials
‘YS’ - what is it ?. 2,
What river flows through Wensleydale ?. 3,
Which would you brew with: Maris Otter or Maris Piper ?. Morris
Race of Staindrop won the DD168
quiz: there are two
breweries in Masham; Paul Theakston
formed Black Sheep when the Theakston brewery went to S&N (it’s
independent again); Black Sheep brew 2.125m
gallons a year; it was established in 1992; and Riggwelter
is Old Norse for ‘a sheep on its back’. BREWS, NEWS AND
VIEWS THE DOG INN on the A68 near Heighington reopened on Good Friday after a brief closure. The incoming tenants Dawn and Dave Walbey stock two cask beers, Black Sheep Best Bitter and a guest. An Enterprise Inn, it opens all day every day serving lunches and evening meals (not Sun or Mon evenings). Its website has a particularly memorable tag: www.dogA68.com. OUR APOLOGIES to the owners of the nearby Cumby Arms in Heighington village, which DD168 said was “temporarily closed”. It wasn’t and isn’t. What we should have said was that it no longer stocks real ale.
Darlington
CAMRA Diary Dates Fri
2 May : Trip
to Crown Beer Festival, Manfield.
Bus departs Feethams 7pm. Bookings: Pete Fenwick (01325) 374817; (07792)
093245. Tue 6 May : North
East CAMRA regional meeting.
Robin Hood, Jarrow, 8pm. All members welcome. Thu 13 May : Darlington CAMRA Branch Meeting: Stanwick Inn, Aldbrough St John, 8pm. Bus departs Feethams 7pm. Bookings: Pete as above. All members welcome. Sat 24 May : Trip to Langdon Beck beer festival (provisional). Contact Pete as above. Fri 6 Jun : Rural Coach Crawl.
Further information from Pete as above. Sat 7 Jun : North East CAMRA Regional Meeting: The Pollards, Etherley Lane, Bishop Auckland, Noon start. All members welcome. Sat 7 Jun : Yorkshire CAMRA Regional Meeting: Market Hotel, Elsecarr, Barnsley. Noon start. All members welcome. Darlington Drinker is published every two or three months by the Darlington branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. Circulation 3,500. News, articles and letters welcome. All items © Darlington CAMRA but may be reproduced if source acknowledged. Editor: Brendan Boyle, 6 Clareville Road, Darlington DL3 8NG; (01325) 362092; email dd@idnet.com. Additional contributors this issue: Adrian Bell, Ian Jackson, John Reed. To advertise, contact Fred Lawton: email Lawtonfred@aol.com; (07710) 493514. Rates a snip at quarter-page £30, half page £50, full page £80; sixth consecutive insertion free. Branch website: www.darlocamra.org.uk. CAMRA HQ is at 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, Herts AL1 4LW; (01727) 867201; see www.camra.org.uk for all other real ale information.
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