Darlington Drinker 170

Darlington Drinker 170

Newsletter of the Darlington Campaign for Real Ale - Summer 2008

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Guide to Happy Supping

DARLINGTON CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has published the 2008 edition of its acclaimed guide to Real Ale in and around Darlington & Teesdale.

Even better - it’s absolutely free of charge, all 32 colour pages, 68 photos and five maps worth of it. Following the runaway popularity of last year’s edition a print run of 5,000 was placed. The guide gives details of 123 pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants and off-licences. They range from basic boozers to classy country retreats, with only one thing in common: they all serve traditional British beer in the most traditional way - real ale.

The guide spells out what real ale is all about: “Draught real ale is also known as cask conditioned beer. A cask contains living yeast, so real ale continues to ferment and mature in the cellar, unlike sterile, processed keg lagers and ‘smooth’ beers, giving it a richer, fuller flavour”. The guide covers the full Darlington CAMRA area - not just the town but the area around it, including parts of North Yorkshire as well as beautiful Teesdale.

It shows that at any one time discerning drinkers in the area have available 80 or more different draught ales, including countless ’guest beers’ - an astonishing 60 different brews within the town of Darlington. The editorial contrasts this with when the branch was founded in 1982 when out of 200 pubs in the whole of the branch area only four dozen served real ale. That constituted a grand total of just 15 different cask brews - a meagre five in the town itself.

Copies of the guide should be available wherever you pick up the paper version of DD. However they are likely to be snapped up quickly so further copies - including replacement bulk supplies for pubs, etc can be obtained on request from Alan Holmes of CAMRA on (07791) 239008.

Happy reading - and then, of course, happy supping!

Top Club Under Threat - Again

THE HISTORIC, award-winning Darlington Snooker Club is again threatened with closure, following a last minute decision by the owner to appeal against the refusal of planning permission.

The club’s proprietor, Peter Everett, leases the first floor hall above White Bros motorcycle shop at the corner of Northgate and Corporation Road and runs it with his family. It was purpose built in 1915 and has won countless awards for its real ale. It is the heart of the local community. 

Last year, the owner Derek White applied for planning permission to convert the hall (but not the shop) into four flats. Vigorous protests by members and local people prompted Darlington councillors to overwhelmingly reject the plans, citing a lack of parking, the loss of a community facility, too many flats in the area and alterations to a building in a conservation area.

Mr White had six months in which to lodge an appeal to the planning inspectorate. He did so at the eleventh hour, in April. The appeal will be decided by a planning inspector after reading representations from both sides, including objections to the original application. The deadline for fresh comments has passed. The decision is likely to be announced in late summer.

*SINCE the planning refusal for the club Mr White got permission to redevelop his second showroom further along Corporation Road for 12 apartments. The site is on the market at £350,000.

Darlington Drinker

.…Twenty-Five Years Ago

“WORK GOT underway last month on what promises to be the area’s next two cask ale outlets. First off the mark were Camerons, who are carrying out substantial alterations and extensions at the Otter and Fish, Hurworth.

A few days later Samuel Smiths sent the contractors in to give a new-old look to their town centre pub, variously known in the past as the Glittering Star, Pheasant and Casanova Bar. Both breweries have told us recently that they want to install handpumped traditional beer in these pubs.”

Darlington Drinker 16, August 1983

Richmond Brews

RICHMOND'S FIRST brewery in over a hundred years commenced production on 2nd June. The Richmond Brewing Company has been set up by two experienced brewers, Andy Hamilton and Richard Bowerman, in the town’s new leisure and business centre, The Station. The brewery operates a six-barrel brew-length plant in one of six small units available to rent by local food producers. Other units are occupied by a cheesemaker, ice-cream maker and bakery.

The first beer out of the fermenters was Richmond Station Ale, followed by Stump Cross Ale. Seasonal beers will feature in due course. The beers are being made available in cask and bottle - the bottling is carried out at Hambleton brewery - both within The Station complex and beyond.

Andy and Richard are excited by the venture, saying they look forward “to producing high-quality, tasty ales that can be enjoyed by both the occasional drinker and by the real ale aficionado !”. The pair have 44 years’ brewing experience between them at larger breweries, including John Smiths, Theakstons and the Tyne Brewery in Newcastle.

Away from brewing, Richard owns the Stump Cross Caverns visitor attraction near Grassington and Andy has also managed a pub in the past.

RICHMOND STATION was built in 1846 but rail services ceased decades ago. In 2003 the grade I listed building was taken over by the Richmondshire Building Preservation Trust with the aim of restoring it and making it once again a focal point of the community.

It officially reopened in January after £2.7m worth of work and contains as well as the craft units contains two cinemas, a bar, restaurant, exhibition gallery, offices and meeting rooms.

Richmond Brewing Company Ltd, The Station, Station Yard, Richmond DL10 4LD. Tel. no. for the complex is (01748) 850123 or visit the website at www.richmondstation.com.

Pubs Win Prizes

THE PRESENTATIONS  have been made to Darlington CAMRA’s top-voted pubs for 2008.

Owner and licensee Ralph Wilkinson received the certificate commemorating the town centre ‘alehouse and canteen’ Number Twenty-2 in Coniscliffe Road being named champion branch Pub of the Year for the sixth time, winning for the first time since 2002. It was presented by Branch Chairman Peter Everett. Number Twenty-2 has now gone forward to the shortlist for the North East regional round of CAMRA’s national pub of the year contest.

The Crown Inn at Manfield won the title of Country Pub of the Year for the seventh consecutive year and Branch Pubs Officer Pete Fenwick had the pleasure of making the award to licensees Peter and Karen Hynes.

Being located just south of the Tees means the Crown also goes on to the national contest via the Yorkshire regional judging. It famously won the title of best real ale pub in Yorkshire in 2005 - the most northerly pub ever to do so !.

Travelling in Hope

THE Travellers Rest in the pretty North Yorkshire village of Skeeby, between Scotch Corner and Richmond, is missing from our new guide as it was closed as it went to press. We’re pleased to say it’s expected to reopen as this DD is put to bed.

The pub was one of a package of thirty licensed properties sold by the Tadcaster Pub Company to Scottish & Newcastle in early April. S&N in turn was swallowed up by Heineken. Village regulars have been understandably nervous about the future of their local. The pub had had a succession of tenants under Tadcaster, most of whom according to customer Richard Wright had had a “disastrous experience” trying to cover the hefty rent and high pub company mark-ups on beer at a small village local.

The last tenants Brian and Wendy did a good job when they came in late last year, “our best landlord and landlady for years”, Richard says. Their friendliness, good food and good beer - “well-kept quality cask-conditioned ale, Black Sheep Bitter” - brought back a number of estranged customers.

Then S&N took over, the Black Sheep was replaced by Theakston’s, Brian and Wendy departed - and the pub closed. Were S&N more concerned with property acquisition and development than running a traditional public house wondered the villagers ?. The company’s David Ballinger tried to assure them that was not the case, saying “We did not purchase the pub to have it closed”.

Now managers are being brought in to reopen the Travellers and hopes are rising that it the could yet host the Zetland League B Division singles quoits competition on 20th July. Mr Ballinger has offered his support for the event. Here’s hoping for a settled, amicable and viable future.

THE QUAKER House in Darlington town centre was another high-profile part of the Tadcaster package: we told of the concerns for it in DD169. Happily the award-winning alehouse is still operating as before under Steve and Lynda, with its usual wide selection of micro-brewed cask beers.

Of Dragons, Bulls and Naval Heroes

THE GEORGE & Dragon at Boldron - a quiet little village tucked away off the road between Bowes and Barney, and not far from the A66 - is now selling real ale. In fact, to our embarrassment, it has done for a while and we’ve sadly failed to report the fact…

It was only when researching the new Darlington and Teesdale real ale guide (see page 1) that we realised Terry and Julie Race had installed handpumps for a couple of guest beers. It’s a traditional, welcoming inn at the heart of the village, with a bold and distinctive pictorial sign on its gable. Until this summer’s sad round of closures it also doubled as the village post office.

The pub opens every evening from 7 o’clock. There is also afternoon opening on Sundays - a traditional roast is served - and bank holidays. Bed and breakfast accommodation is available.

THE BLACK BULL in Melsonby reopened in May after a period of closure following the departure of the previous landlord.

The new ‘captain’ of the small Admiral Taverns pub is Tim Humble. The Bull used to only serve real ale on a weekend, chosen from a limited range of four different beers. Now Tim has real ale on at all times and goes through at least three different casks a week. He can choose from the full range of Admiral’s guest beers.

Opening hours are 5.30-11pm weekdays (midnight on Fridays) and from noon until midnight on Saturday and 10.30pm Sundays.

THE CUMBY ARMS, on the outskirts of Heighington, has a new licensee and is selling real ale again, in the form of Black Sheep Best Bitter and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. The one-time sports social club opens daily from noon (except Monday lunchtime) but closes between 2pm and 5pm on weekdays. Meals are served in a large conservatory restaurant.

William Pryce Cumby, a native of Heighington, played a key role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

Beer World: Prague

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.

IS PRAGUE as beautiful as they say ?. Yes it is with lots of old buildings, a river and a castle on top of a hill.

As for beer, the Czechs invented pilsner and the brews from here have more taste than other lagers, particularly when unpasteurised from a ‘tankova’ pub. In a traditional pub the service is by a glum waiter; just sit down and he’ll bring you beer until you tell him to stop.

U Pinkasu is a tankova pub for Pilsner Urquell, near the bottom of Wenceslas Square. U Medvidku is a traditional tankova pub for Budvar: keep right as you enter for the traditional beer hall, which also does good meals. They have a brewpub at the back with beers at 5.2% and 12.8%abv. A must-visit brewpub pub is U Fleku (www.ufleku.cz) which brews its own dark lager. It is double the price of beer elsewhere (£2 for 0.4l) but is worth it. A tip: don’t accept the becherovka liqueur - it is £3 a shot.

Other micro-breweries include: Klasterni Pivovar, at a monastery near the castle (two beers). Novomestsky Pivovar is a restaurant in the new town also making two beers. Pivovarsky Dum, is a pub-restaurant in the new town specialising in unusual flavoured beers, like coffee and nettle, and serves very good food. U Bulovky/Richter Brewery is a bit out of town and makes pils and German and English-style specials. Find more pubs worth a visit on my website at www.adrianbell.co.uk.

DETAILS, DETAILS:

Food… Traditional Czech food consists of meat and dumplings, but it’s not as unhealthy as you might think. The dumplings are unlike our suet dumplings, they come in two main types: bread dumplings, which are like large slices of not-quite-cooked bread, and potato dumplings - smaller and sometimes containing bacon.

Sights… Prague Castle (including St Vitus Cathedral), the Old Town Clock, Tyn Church, Charles Bridge, Petrin Hill, Wenceslas Square. Details can be found on www.prague-guide.co.uk.

Accommodation… Botel Racek is a different kind of place to stay - it’s a boat moored on the river Vltava. Other options can be found on www.wshtravel.com.

Travel…easyJet from Newcastle, about £85. Then bus 119 to its terminus, then metro line A to the city centre. Prague has three metro lines and also trams which run all night: transfer ticket 85p, single 60p. Tip: don’t use a taxi!

Guide… Good Beer Guide Prague & the Czech Republic, Evan Rail, CAMRA £10.99.

Prague Pubs: Part 2

CHEAP FLIGHTS, good hotels and a beer drinker’s paradise, this is Prague.

Start at U Hrocha (The Hippo) near the Castle to see what a genuine smoky Czech local is all about, unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell and good food on offer.

Pass the statue of Winston Churchill near the British Embassy to find U Tri Cernych to sample one of the seven Bernard beers on draught. Around the corner in Nerudova is U Kocoura (The Cat), one of the few surviving pubs owned by the Beer Party serving Budvar beer. Not far away, quench your thirst at Baracnicka Rychta in Trziste serving Svijany and Pilsner Urquell.

Cross the bridge and behind the town hall enter U Spirko serving Krusovice beers. Near the Bethlehem Chapel is the U Zelenoho with labyrinthine cellar rooms serving PU and very good food. Head down to the New Town area to the Konvikt - opposite the police station - with dark and amber PU beers. Past the New Town Hall to Spalena where is found U Kotvy (The Anchor), a 24 hour bar serving Staropramen beers.

A longish walk towards the main station and at Opletalova and Politickyn arrive at the 2005 Pub of The Year, Ferdinanda, selling a selection of its own beers. Together with those mentioned in Adrian’s article above, there are a good selection of pubs which can be visited in a couple of days.

Hodne Stesti  - Good Luck.    John Magson

Enterprise Out

NORTH DARLINGTON looks set to lose another of its small Victorian-era ‘community’ pubs with the revelation that the Caledonian in High Northgate is being quietly de-licensed by its owners, Enterprise Inns. It is one of ten of their pubs being sold stripped of their licenses by the Newcastle agents Sanderson Weatheralls.

The agent’s website asks interested parties “to respect the confidentiality and under no circumstances make any approaches to any attendants or staff”, suggesting Enterprise want to minimise the opportunity for opposition by staff and customers. We at Darlington CAMRA believe the public has a right to know what’s happening to their public houses, particularly when they such long-standing community assets. That applies whether or not the pubs sell real ale, which the Caley doesn’t.

The pub is set in a terrace built in the mid-19th century to provide for workers at the nearby Stockton & Darlington Railway company. When it closes it will join a list of old local pubs in inner north Darlington, including the Globe, Rise Carr, Locomotive, Railway Hotel and Forge Tavern, which have been closed by their owners in the past five years, mainly for residential development. Unlike the others, the landlocked Caledonian probably has little development value.

Perverse Pints v Half-Pints Pricing Policy*

SHEILA & I chose Oban, western Scotland, for our ‘research project’ this year, partly because Shearings coaches did all the driving. Oban is a compact holiday resort and fishing port of 8,500 people, 91 miles north-west of Glasgow.

Early enquiries at the tourist office had revealed seven pubs in Oban, only two with real ale. We were also told there were nine hotels. Diligence uncovered 13 pubs and bars plus 14 licensed hotels, Five served draught real ales, as follows.

●The Lorne Bar, Stevenson Street: Caledonian Deuchar’s IPA, £2.90.

●The Oban Inn (est. 1790), Stafford Street: Orkney Red McGregor (£2.40); Atlas Latitude Cask Pilsner, £2.40, and later Fyne Ales Maverick, also £2.40.

●Cuan Mor, George Street: Cairngorm Nessie’s, £3.

●Markie Dan’s Authentic Ale House, Corran Esplanade: Fyne Ales Avalanche, £2.90.

●Tartan Tavern, George Street: Theakston Old Peculier, £2.60.

The Waterfront Bar also sells real ale in bottles.

We did find the above were rather ‘spit and sawdust’ pubs whereas those with better seating and décor eschewed handpulled beers. The high prices made one wince but they reflect Oban’s delightful panoramic views and hot sunny conditions in May.

*THE alliterative heading refers to the Scottish habit of charging more than 50% of a pint price for a half. The worst example was in the Lorne bar when I was charged £1.65 for a half of Deuchar’s.    Malcolm Dunstone

Festivals Diary

July 11-13, 3rd CROWN INN CIDER FESTIVAL, Manfield. Further details on 01325 374243.

August 5-9, GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL, Earl’s Court, London. Britain's biggest beerfest under one roof: 750 beers, inc. 450 real ales, world beers, cider, perry, music, auctions. Details/tickets: www.gbbf.org.uk or on 01727 867201.

August 14-16, 2nd SOUTH SHIELDS BEER FESTIVAL, Masonic Hall (nr. Asda, 3 mins from Metro station). Further details at www.camra-angle.co.uk.

August 28-30, DURHAM BEER FESTIVAL, Dunelm House (Durham Students' Union), New Elvet, Durham City. Festival open 5-11pm Thursday, 11am-11pm Friday and (if the beer lasts) 11am-11pm Saturday. More details on www.camradurham.org.uk.

August 29-31, 13th CROWN INN, Manfield festival in pub and garden, live music plus food. Further details on 01325 374243.

September 18-20, DARLINGTON RHYTHM ‘N’ BREWS 2008, Arts Centre, Vane Terrace; organised by Darlington CAMRA and the Arts Centre R‘n’B Club. Evening session tickets on sale from the Arts Centre and Darlington Borough Council box offices: Tel. (01325) 486555.

October 17-19, RICHMOND BEER FESTIVAL, Market Hall, Richmond; organised by North West Yorkshire CAMRA.

Sheepy Quiz

HERE ARE this month’s Black Sheep quiz questions. The sender of the first correct answer drawn out of the hat on 11th August will as ever win a quality Black Sheep T-shirt, courtesy of the Masham 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: no size, no prize.

1, Before 1992, the Black Sheep brewery building was last used as what?

2, In the early 20th century the building had housed which ‘nimble’ brewery?

3, Masham is one of the smallest towns in Yorkshire but it has the largest … what?

Derek Steel of Brampton, Cumbria won the DD169 quiz: the fermentation vessels are Yorkshire squares; the river in Wensleydale is the Ure; and Maris Otter is a brewing malt.

BREWS, NEWS AND VIEWS

THE FORESTERS Arms at Coatham Mundeville also has new licensees, and Kate Umbleby and Greg Kinsler have been refurbishing the old stone listed building inside and out. The handpulled ales are John Smith’s Magnet and a guest beer. Meals will be available from late summer and there is to be live music every other Sunday night.

THE BUILDERS ARMS in Hopetown Lane, Darlington is now stocking a guest beer as well as the regular John Smith's Cask Bitter. Taylor’s Landlord featured on our visit recently.

DARLINGTON CAMRA DIARY DATES  

Fri 4 July : Rural coach crawl (upper Teesdale). Dep Feethams 6.30pm, bookings: Pete Fenwick (01325) 374817; (07792) 093245.

Thu 8 July : Darlington CAMRA Branch Meeting: Tap & Spile (upstairs room), Bondgate, Darlington, 8pm. All members welcome.

Sun 20 July : Darlington CAMRA annual cycle ride. About 20 miles around fine country pubs. Meet at Bland's Corner (A167/A66 roundabout by entrance to Stressholme Golf Club) at 11.15am. Contact Brendan on 01325 362062 or via email for further details.

Sat 26 July : Games Afternoon Social. With North West Yorkshire CAMRA Branch at the Fox & Hounds, West Witton, Wensleydale. Further information from Pete as above.

Tue 5 Aug : Darlington CAMRA Branch Meeting: Angel Inn, Gilling West, 8pm. Free bus departing from Feethams (Time to be confirmed). Bookings from Pete as above.

Fri 8 Aug : Rural coach crawl (mid Teesdale). Dep Feethams 6.30pm, bookings Pete as above.

Fri 5 Sep : Rural coach crawl (lower Teesdale). Dep Feethams 6.30pm, bookings Pete as above.

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. Tel (01325) 362092 or via email. Additional contributors this issue: Adrian Bell, Malcolm Dunstone, Pete Fenwick and John Magson. To advertise, contact Fred Lawton by email or on (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.