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Darlington Drinker 177 Newsletter
of the Darlington Campaign for Real Ale April-May 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IN
A RARE break with the pattern of recent years, the price of an average
pint of real ale in our area increased by LESS than the general
rate of inflation in 2009, according to the latest Darlington CAMRA
survey. However, the average masks the fact that most
regularly-stocked (or 'house') beers, usually the best sellers in pubs,
continued to go up in price ahead of inflation. The average was kept down
by pub 'guest' beers - usually sourced from independent breweries -
increasing on average only marginally, or even in Darlington town itself
falling in price. That suggests that small brewers, who depend almost
entirely on sales of guest beers in pubs, are making keener efforts to
keep their increases down in the face of the economic downturn than larger
breweries which own pubs or have fixed supply contracts with national pub
chains. A pint of real ale in Darlington and its surrounding
area went up by three pence, or 1.3% during 2009, a year when the official
CPI inflation rate was 2.9%. That made the average £2.46 by December
compared with £2.43p twelve months earlier. The Darlington branch of CAMRA has been monitoring the
price of real ale since the mid-80s. Other Findings: *The survey took in 95 prices in 34 pubs - 20 in the town and 14
in the rural area around it. In all, 61 different brands of cask beer were
represented. *Country
pubs generally charged more than Darlington town pubs:
£2.62 against £2.37. *Guest
beers on average also cost more than regularly-stocked
‘house’ beers: £2.50 a pint against £2.41. *The
cheapest pint was Ruddles Bitter at Wetherspoons’ William Stead and
Tanners Hall at £1.29p, with Samuel Smith’s OBB at the Glittering Star,
Darlington up just one penny from the year before to £1.42. *Dearest in
town was the £3.10 guest beer, Marston's Pedigree, at Darlington
Arts Centre. *The most
commonly-found brew was Black Sheep Best Bitter in eleven
survey pubs. *The 2009
Budget was responsible for upwards of one penny of the rises,
increasing with the strength of a beer. Magnet Axed ONE OF the
Darlington area's most popular real ales was axed at the turn of the year.
And the company responsible, the world's third biggest brewer, didn't
think it worth mentioning to drinkers and publicans. Yes, cask-conditioned John Smith's Magnet is no more.
'De-listed' by Heineken from 31st December, without warning or apology. It was only after Darlington CAMRA got puzzled calls
from local licensees and asked questions itself that official word came
out - via the equally uninformed PR boss of Heineken UK, David Jones. Falling sales? Hardly surprising nationally as barely a
penny was spent on promoting the handpulled brew by Heineken or its
predecessor Scottish & Newcastle. Peter Turnbull of the Old Yard Tapas Bar in Bondgate
was one of the stunned licensees: “We sold twice as much of that as we
do of John Smith’s Smooth, despite the way that Smooth’s promoted,”
he told the Echo's Mike Amos. “It’ll be a real loss to many of the
lads in here.” In fact some pubs are still in denial, with the
Traveller's Rest at Cockerton continuing to serve beer through a Magnet-badged
handpump. We don't know what it is (shouldn't the drinkers be told?) but
you can be sure it's not the real thing. Darlington Drinker .…Twenty-Five Years Ago “CAMRA IS GOING to court - to try and get more
relaxed licensing hours in Darlington District. Darlington Licensed Victuallers’ Association has
asked the local magistrates to allow pubs to open until 11pm Monday to
Saturday, instead of the present 10.30pm. The proposal is to be considered
in court on 16th April and Darlington CAMRA will be speaking in support of
the landlords’ request. Most other parts of the country now have opening hours
until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays at least, including North
Yorkshire.” Darlington
Drinker 33, March
1985 A Special One THE
GREYHOUND in Parkgate has been put up for sale following the failure of
Admiral Taverns to find a tenant since the departure of Jerry Pateman at
the end of 2007. It is one of a batch of no fewer than 289 pubs being
sold by the troubled Admiral group - now effectively owned by the Lloyds
Banking Group after breaching banking covenants in 2008. The imposing redbrick building dates from 1903 and has
been identified by the Campaign for Real Ale’s pub heritage group as
having ‘an interior of special historic interest’ - one of only 49 in
the North East - because of the unaltered character of its public bar (the
lounge has little original character). Campaigners are hoping that future owners respect this
character but the pub is not a listed building so has no legal protection
from alteration. FLEURETS ARE also re-marketing the Bay Horse at Great
Smeaton as a 'star buy', months after it was withdrawn as under offer. The agents for the vendors, Scottish & Newcastle
Pub Enterprises (aka Heineken UK), say the village pub is “unexpectedly
re-available” and have reduced the asking price for a fourth time. They
are looking for offers in the region of £150,000; it was originally a
whacking £250,000. *OTHER LOCAL
pubs being marketed by Fleurets as we go to press are the Brown Trout at
Cockerton (freehold £185,000, 'under offer'), the Black Bull at
Melsonby (freehold £195,000) and the long leaseholds of two Branksome
area 1960s locals, the Jack Horner (£200,000) and the Archdeacon
(offers in excess of £100,000). IT’S
NOT all gloomy news on pub closures. The Angel Inn
at Gilling West, near Richmond, reopened after a short
period of closure in February. Owner Robert Bruce is now
running the free house himself, with partner Diane Whibley, after leaving
it to others since he bought the property three years ago. Robert’s
background is somewhat different - he's a nuclear decommissioning
engineer. The cask ales are Black Sheep
Bitter and a guest and opening hours are now Mon-Wed 5-11; Thur 12-12; Fri
& Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-11. Note the new phone number, (01748)
850448. The Crown Takes It
Again ! THE
CROWN has been crowned again! Karen and Peter Hynes' ale-specialising
village local at Manfield has been voted country and overall branch Pub of
the Year by members of Darlington CAMRA. It's the third time in six years Karen and Peter
(pictured) have scooped the champion award, ahead of more than 100 other
real ale selling pubs in the CAMRA branch area. Number Twenty-2 and the Britannia were second and third
in the urban category while the Langdon Beck Hotel and the Stanwick Inn at
Aldbrough St John took those places in the rural section. The Crown now goes forward into the Yorkshire CAMRA pub
of the year competition, a title it won in 2005. Meanwhile, the Quaker
House is entered into the North East region’s competition. THE FULL
Darlington CAMRA Champion Pub of the Year honours board from 1985 is: 1985 Raby Hunt,
Summerhouse; 1986 Arden Arms, Atley Hill; 1987 Tap & Spile; 1988
Pennyweight; 1989 not awarded; 1990 Golden Cock; 1991 Raby Hunt,
Summerhouse; 1992 King William IV, Barton; 1993 Golden Cock; 1994 Tap
& Spile; 1995 Strathmore Arms, Holwick; 1996-99 Number Twenty-2. 2000-01 Quaker; 2002 Number Twenty-2; 2003-04Quaker;
2005 Crown, Manfield; 2006 Quaker; 2007 Crown, Manfield; 2008 Number
Twenty-2; 2009 Quaker House; 2010 Crown, Manfield. (All Darlington unless
specified.) HARD
TO BELIEVE, to the longer-toothed among us, but it's a full decade and
half since the multi-award winning Number Twenty-2 was opened by
Ralph Wilkinson. The launch date was 8th March 1995. Ralph sold a whole
stack of real ales - the most ever in a pub in Darlington - when the
classy 'alehouse and canteen' in Coniscliffe Road opened. Within four
years it was a finalist in CAMRA's national pub of the year awards. Today
the bar sells even more - up to thirteen cask beers at any one time. DARLINGTON SNOOKER CLUB, on the corner of Northgate and Corporation Road, is
an another multi-award winner, having just been named Darlington CAMRA
Club of the Year for the seventh year running. And it's a touch older.
Guv'nor Peter Everett and his mother Rita hosted a 95th birthday beer
festival ( for the club not Rita!) - in February. The club, which occupies
the first floor above White Bros. motorbike shop, has been under threat of
eviction for a couple of years to make way for flats. But whisper it
quietly, the threat may now be a little less. Raby Change DARLINGTON
COUNCIL planners have confirmed to the local Campaign for Real Ale that no
application has been made to vary or cancel the legal agreement that ties
the Raby Hunt at Summerhouse to pub use. Darlington CAMRA had raised the question as, to all
appearances, the grade II listed village gem - a pub since at least 1856 -
had been operating as a restaurant since reopening under new ownership
last October. Following the Council's approach, they have agreed to
“change the name of the premises to The Raby Hunt Inn and Restaurant
with Rooms and will alter the sign outside and change the wording on
the website in order to comply with clause (ii) of the Section 106
Agreement. I have received written confirmation from the owners outlining
their intentions in this regard”. The binding agreement was put in place in 2003
following a contentious planning application by previous owners to
redevelop the pub and its grounds. As a compromise the Council agreed to
grant permission for four new dwellings provided the owners - and their
successors in title - covenanted “not to use the pub building or any
part thereof otherwise than as a public house”. Thanking the Council for pursuing the matter, CAMRA
said that they in no way object to diversification into ancillary sales of
food and the provision of B&B but in line with planning definitions
the building's primary purpose should be the sale and consumption of
alcoholic drink on the premises. DARLINGTON
CAMRA has joined
Skeeby parish council in objecting to the proposed conversion of the Travellers
Rest into a dwelling. John Budden, council chairman, said after a
public meeting that he hadn’t met anyone who thought turning it into a
house was a good idea. Campaigning village resident Richard Wright said
“The new owners have made no attempt to either run the premises, or sell
it as a going concern”.
One ‘El’ of an Idea AT
LAST a new brewery for the Darlington area! Local CAMRA member and renowned craft brewer Pete
Fenwick (pictured) is realising a long-held dream - opening a
micro-brewery in his home village of Aldbrough St John in North Yorkshire. But Pete - a founder member of the Darlington
Traditional Brewing Group (www.dtbg.co.uk) - is not giving up his day job
in the transport industry , right now at least. He plans to brew on
weekends just for the local market. Mithril beers should be launching soon in three of the
area's top real ale houses, including the Stanwick Inn in Aldbrough - an
easy cask-rolling distance of 200 yards from Pete's brewery and home. The
other pubs supporting him with pre-production orders are the Crown Inn, in
nearby Manfield, and the Quaker House in Darlington. The name Mithril comes from that of Pete's home, which
in turn was named almost 30 years ago after a character in The Lord of The
Rings: to the elves it meant 'stronger than steel'. Appropriately, an elf
maiden features on the new brewery logo. Pete’s contact details are
(01325) 374817 and(07792) 093245. *ALTHOUGH
this
is Pete's first venture into commercial brewing he already has a good
track record. In 2003 he produced - in his home kitchen - the prototype of
what was to become Jarrow Brewery's top-selling Rivet Catcher bitter. This
was awarded a silver medal in the Champion Beer of Britain awards in 2003,
and then took bronze in 2008. Champion
Winter Brew 1872 PORTER
from the Elland Brewery of West Yorkshire has been crowned the Supreme
Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010 by judges at CAMRA’s National
Winter Ales Festival in Manchester. Dave Sanders of Elland was elated: “It’s absolutely
brilliant; we came second last year and I am thrilled to finish on top. We
originally started brewing this beer at the West Yorkshire brewery, so
there's quite a history behind this Victorian recipe”. Silver went to Breconshire's Ramblers Ruin,
whilst the bronze medal went to the Acorn brewery of Barnsley for their
Gorlovka Imperial Stout. Belgian Bliss ON
A SHORT TRIP to Belgium I experienced four of the finest bars I have had
the pleasure to visit. Two are in Bruges and the first visited was De Garre,
located off Breidelstraat near the main square. A garre is a small blind
alley usually used as a fire escape and this bar is in such a location and
is signposted with a barrel. The second bar was the Cafe Vlissinghe, an
unspoilt Flemish classic, which is set off a quiet back street and is the
oldest in Bruges (1515) The bar is a spacious wood panelled room decorated
with images and tapestries from Bruges past and furnished with long wooden
tables and a very good range of beers are served. Unchanged and timeless,
don’t miss it. On to Ostend and the Botteltje, the Little
Bottle, which is on the ground floor of the Hotel Marion. The beer list is
extensive and hovers between 250 and 300 and has beers from small
independent breweries served by very knowledgeable and helpful staff. The
decor is wood and brass with small alcoves set back from the bar and very
good seafood and steaks are served. On a recommendation from our branch's beer stalker,
Adrian, I ventured to Brussels and found up a small alley close to the
Grand Place the Imaige de Nostre Dame which looked like a Flemish
living room and kitchen from the last century. It was full of interesting
locals who all recommended their own favourite beers from the good beer
list. John Magson *GOOD BEER
GUIDE BELGIUM, edited by Tim Webb, is the definitive 350 page guide to
the best that Belgian brewing has to offer, including over 600 cafes like
these. £14.99 from bookshops or www.camra.org.uk. Shock Station Stop THE STATION
at Hurworth Place was hardly open a month at the end of
last year in the hands of new owners before it closed again. The once-thriving local had been bought as a free house
swiftly after coming onto the market (the guide price had been £250,000)
so its continued and future viability as a pub has never properly been
tested. THE ROSE & CROWN
at Mickleton, in Teesdale, has been advertised for sale
in the Darlington & Stockton Times for a massive £375,000. Ale Mail SECRET
KINGDOM: I enjoyed
reading the latest edition of DD, but would like to send a correction to
the Border Reviver article in which ‘Northumberland Brewery’s’
Secret Kingdom is mentioned twice - this beer is in fact brewed by Hadrian
and Border and not Northumberland. Keep up the good work! CHRIS
MANSFIELD, Tyneside & Northumberland CAMRA (Ed:
Quite right Chris, our apologies to both breweries. Sorry, too, to readers
who were misled by some erroneous dates in Diary Dates last time. Never
trust what you read in the press…) BREWS, NEWS AND VIEWS THE
ARDEN ARMS at Atley Hill, South Cowton has been named Pub of the
Season by the Copper Dragon brewery. Alex and Charlotte Liddle have
recently been stocking two of the Skipton micro's ales and say the quality
has been “amazing”. The Arden normally stocks three real ales,
increasing to four on busy weekends and during the summer. THE CHEQUERS at Dalton-on-Tees will seem a little
quieter from now on, as chirpy landlord Barry Dowson has moved on after
nearly ten years behind the bar. He's helping out at Oven restaurant in
Darlington. THE COPPER
BEECH in Neasham Road, near the Darlington Arena, is stocking
two handpulled ales - Cameron's Strongarm and Black Sheep Best Bitter. THE CRICKETERS
in Parkgate, overlooking Darlington’s inner ring
road, also has real ale again, with Well's Bombardier on good form on a
recent visit. DIARY
DATES THURS 15TH APR: Darlington CAMRA Annual General Meeting: Darlington Cricket Club, Feethams South. 8pm start. All welcome. FRI 16TH APR: Darlington suburbs coach crawl: White Heifer, Model T, Copper Beech, Highland Laddie, Springfield, White Horse. WED 5TH MAY: Darlington CAMRA Branch Meeting: Britannia, Archer Street. 8pm start. All welcome. FRI 7TH MAY: Darlington town centre pubs crawl: Meet at 7pm at the Glittering Star, Stonebridge, Darlington. NOTE: All rural coach crawls depart from Feethams (opposite Town Hall) at 7pm unless otherwise stated.
For further information and reservations contact Pete Fenwick on 01325 374817 or 07792 093245 or via email by clicking here. PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to cancel a reservation on any of the above coach crawls we require at least 48 hours notice otherwise a cancellation fee will be charged. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darlington Drinker is published 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: Malcolm Dunstone, Pete Fenwick and John Magson. Advertising: Peter Everett (01325) 241388. Ad rates a snip at quarter-page £30, half page £50, full page £80; sixth consecutive insertion free. Branch website: www.darlocamra.org.uk. For colour PDF versions of Darlington Drinker see www.adrianbell.co.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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