Seasonal
Successes.
Following
on from the branch's inauguration of presenting Pub of the Season Awards
to pubs in its branch area last year, a vote among workers at March's
Spring Thing Beer Festival was to do a worker's trip visiting all our
Pubs of the Season and Pubs of the Year. Recently this trip took place and
also allowed an opportunity to present a number of outstanding
presentations for the award winners.
After popping into the Crown at Manfield, selected by members as the branch's overall Pub of the Year, the trip moved on to the Shoulder of Mutton in Kirby Hill. Branch Pubs Officer (and new brewer) Pete Fenwick presented Toni with the North Yorkshire Pub of the Season for 2010. Real ales on offer on a regular basis are Daleside Bitter, Black Sheep Best Bitter and two guest beers which during the presentation included Pete's Mithil Ales "Route A66", apt for a pub situated along the "A66 Corridor" above Ravensworth and the ruins of its castle. The Shoulder of Mutton won this award for the first time with the Grange Arms in Hornby came in second while the nearby White Swan in Gilling West was third.
Following
the visit to the Shoulder of Mutton, the Red Lion at
Cotherstone became the next point of call which had already been presented with its Teesdale Pub of the
Season award for 2009 back in October last year, pipping the Old Well in
Barnard Castle and the Three Tuns in Eggleston to win the award for the
second year running.
After visiting the Red Lion, a slight detour from the branch area was made to the Surtees Arms in Ferryhill Station to present Alan Hogg of the Yard of Ale Brewery with the Beer of the Festival Award for Spring Triple Tipple coming top in the Beer of the Festival voting at the Spring Thing Festival. Click here for details.
For the next award the trip descended on the Blacksmith's Arms in the hamlet of Preston-le-Skerne on the outskirts of Newton Aycliffe. Known locally as 'The Hammers', the Blacksmith's Arms received the County Durham Pub of the Season award for the second year running and branch Pubs Officer Pete Fenwick presented Martin Hayman, right in picture, with the award. Again, one of Pete's brews appeared on the bar with the seasonal "Heatwave" appearing alongside up to three other guest ales.
Finally
back in town a presentation was made to our most recent award winner with
branch members having only just voted for their Darlington Pub of the
Season. In a closely fought contest the Old Yard Tapas Bar pipped the JD
Wetherspoon outlet the Tanners Hall in Skinnergate to win the award for
the second year running.
Pete Turnbull, right in picture, received the Darlington Pub of the Season 2010 award from the branch's Pubs Officer Pete Fenwick.
The next round of surveying for the Teesdale Pubs of the Season 2010 has begun, which will be followed by the County Durham and North Yorkshire area awards for 2011. Thanks to all who surveyed and voted and congratulations to all our award winners.
The
Crown's Crown.
Members
of Darlington CAMRA have recently taken time out to take part in a postal
vote to nominate their branch Pub of the Year, with the vote allowing all
branch members take the opportunity to vote for their favourite branch
pubs in the town and country.
For the Country category, the Crown at Manfield beat off last year's winner the Langdon Beck Hotel and the Stanwick Inn to win the award. In the Town category, last year's branch Pub of the Year the Quaker House once again triumphed over the Number Twenty-2 and The Britannia to win the town award. In the Pub of the Year competition, the Crown edged out the Quaker House to win the overall award, winning for the third time following its success in 2005 and 2007. As a result the Crown now goes forward into the Yorkshire Pub of the Year competition - a competition it won in 2005, while the Quaker House enters the North East Pub of the Year competition.
A
presentation was made to the Crown on Friday 12th March to licensee Peter
and Karen Hynes (above left picture) during one of the branch's bus crawls
while a presentation was made to the Quaker House on Sunday 28th March by
Branch Chairman Peter Everett, left in picture, to licensees Garry Hewitt
and Brian Dourish.
Many thanks to everyone who voted for their favourite pubs and best of luck goes to the Crown and Quaker House in the regional competitions.
Coining
it in.
Members
of Darlington CAMRA along with regulars at Darlington Snooker Club had an
unusual way of paying for their beer recently. To coincide with the club's
recent beer festival and its 95th birthday on Saturday 27th February,
punters were able to purchase a half pint at 1915 prices ie. two and a
half old pence. Proprietor Peter Everett had managed to obtain an old
fashioned till, thus allowing anyone to buy beer at two and a half old
pence with any pre decimalised
coins
The
club situated on the corner of Corporation Road and Northgate was recently
awarded the branch's Club of the Year for 2010. It was the seventh time in
a row that the club has won this award and now goes forward as the
branch's nomination for CAMRA's North East Club of the Year competition,
an award which it has won on five occasions.
A presentation for Branch Club of the Year for 2010 was made to proprietor Peter Everett, right in picture, by branch committee member Ian Jackson on Saturday 27th February.
Our best wishes go to Darlington Snooker Club in the North East Club of the Year 2010 competition.