Darlington Drinker 182
Newsletter of the Darlington Campaign for Real Ale -
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Real Ale Saves Pubs !
FORGET the old images of flat caps and old men, cask ale drinkers are younger, getting
richer and many of them are female finds The Cask Report 2011-
Cask continues to outperform the UK beer market and now has a 15% share – that‘s
around one in every six pints drunk. While the recession, closing pubs and cheap
drink from supermarkets hit on-
The signs for real ale are looking good as 2,500 new pubs and clubs started to sell
cask ale last year – a 4% increase in distribution, and 7.8 million people drink
cask beer in the UK – an 11% increase since 2007. The number of 18-
Although cask drinkers are frequently described as traditional or set in their ways,
the report‘s author, Pete Brown, says they are in fact more adventurous than non-
Even the most enthusiastic cask drinkers switch to wine when ordering a meal, more out of a sense that “it‘s what you do” than having any basis in what drink provides the best match to food. Witness the growing band of chefs who agree that beer is frequently a superior choice to wine.
The report highlights the importance of CAMRA‘s 130,000-
The Cask Report is backed by CAMRA, SIBA, the Independent Family Brewers of Britain, Cask Marque, Adnams,
Caledonian, Fuller‘s, Greene King, Marston‘s and Wells and Young‘s. Check the CAMRA website by logging on a www.camra.org.uk for the online Cask Report in full.
165 Declared !
Brendan Boyle, one of the founder members of Darlington CAMRA edited Darlington Drinker from edition 1 in May 1982 (the day of the founding meeting of the Branch) until edition 89 dated March/April 1992, and then again from edition 105 of August 1995 until edition 180. That makes an amazing 165 of the 180 editions. The interim 15 editions were edited by Steve Last, who now lives in his home town of Doncaster.
Apart from being a founder member, Brendan has made his mark as a campaigner in our Branch, something that was acknowledged when he was nominated as one of the 100 top campaigners in the National Campaigner of the Year competition 2011. This was a great achievement and richly deserved.
Inn At The Beginning
The Buck Inn is a seven bedroom inn overlooking the green and cricket pitch in the picturesque village of Thornton Watlass. The village lies at the entrance of Wensleydale; the gateway to the stunning Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is an ideal country retreat for those seeking to get away from the busy pace of modern life. Whether you are looking for a romantic break, a family holiday or to indulge in outdoor pursuits, The Buck Inn can cater for all.
Being just a few miles from the A1 we make a much better stop off than those nasty service stations, or if you're travelling a long way, why not stay with us and break up your journey ?. For those long winter evenings our real open fire in our cosy bar will be a welcome sight. And in the summer we have a large garden at the rear shaded by mature trees where you can relax and refresh with a long cold drink and a bite to eat.
We have just reached our 25th Anniversary, and when we first arrived we started advertising
in Darlington Drinker – the very first advertiser !. Since then we have had more
than 2,500 guest beers on the bar. Michael has been a member of CAMRA since it started
in 1971. Before that he was a life member (at the cost of £1 or 3 pints!) of the
‘Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood‘. We open all day every day serving
food lunch-
Margaret and Michael Fox
Table Football -
I am the Secretary of Darlington Table Football Club, www.darlingtontfc.co.uk, a
newly formed not-
There is currently a lot happening nationally with our sport, the first national
Cup competition gets underway in November (click here for details) and the sport
now holds an annual world cup tournament in Nantes in France every January -
Our club raises money to expand our league by placing tables in venues that are willing
to accommodate them. Tables are of international standard, set to 50p per play and
we hand back 30% of the income to the hosting pub. Ideally we are looking to site
tables in as many venues as possible, including colleges, universities, schools and
work place canteens to lay the foundations for future inter-
We already run a monthly league night meeting at Northgate Club, High Northgate. However, we require a larger venue as around 20 of us have to squeeze in a small lounge. We really need a pub or club large enough to allow us to install two tables permanently so we not only have a home for the league but also a venue in which we can hold regular tournaments and exhibitions.
Our plan is to grow interest in the game attracting a whole new generation of players of any age. We believe that the best way of achieving this aim is to work with partners such as colleges, universities, schools, employers, pubs & clubs to create a network of venues with tables. The more tables there are the more opportunities people have to enjoy the game.
The formula we devised to achieve our aim is simple -
This wonderful game is not just for pubs and clubs, it‘s also a great way for student groups, schools, office or supermarket staff to raise money for worthwhile causes. Just install a table in your canteen or old smoking room and watch people having fun while the money rolls in.
That‘s not all – if you need support setting up or running leagues or competitions
we can help. Just let us know how many people you want to take part in your league
and we will e-
Martin Landers
Mithril Magic
Saturday August 6th was a very wet day, but this didn‘t deter a large crowd from gathering at Mithril Ales for their Open Day.
There were free tastings of three different beers, Feast, Tyke Ale and Route A66. Alongside the beers was some very tasty food, including sausages and chutney made with Pete‘s beers. A presentation was made to brewer Pete Fenwick by Publicity Officer Richard Jones for coming first and second at the Spring Thing Beer Festival with Route A66 and Folk ‘n‘ Ale respectively, a notable achievement for a relatively new brewery.
Games Day 2011
On Saturday 13th August at the Black Bull at Melsonby battle was joined between Darlington and North West Yorkshire branches of CAMRA for the annual pub games cup. Darlington, the holders, were supported by seven members whilst North West Yorkshire, who saw an opportunity to regain the trophy arrived with twelve members and after a few beers the contest began.
The quoits games which were held on the village green, progressed under various rules, the one held with correct rules lasted 40 minutes whilst the other games held under slacker rules lasted around 10 minutes each.
Back at the pub the games consisted of shove halfpenny, ring the bull, darts, dominos, bagatelle, bar billiards, skittles and the most addictive of games, shut the box.
After a day of nip and tuck the final result came down to the quiz, which was won by North West Yorkshire who regained the cup. The weather was kind, the competition and company friendly and the hospitality of the Black Bull with beer and food all made for a pleasurable day, and thanks were given to Pete for arranging the games.
Can‘t wait till next year for the return match.
John Magson
Can Pub Games save the Great British Pub ?
New research highlighted at the Great British Beer Festival by CAMRA suggests the return of traditional pub games would encourage more young adults to visit pubs at a time when 25 pubs across Britain are closing every week.
National Winter Ales Festival 2012
The National Winter Ales Festival takes place from 18th-
With a selection of 300 real ales, plus ciders and perries you are sure to be able to find something to suit your taste. It‘s not all dark, heavy beers either, there is a good selection across the board of styles. If you would like to read about a visit to the Festival in January 2011 that Vron and I made, please go to the Away Days section of our website by clicking here.
Mike Burningham
Real Ale in Barney
Two pubs are really flying the flag for real ale in Barnard Castle. At the Old Well Inn situated on The Bank, Peter Cockerill has just won Teesdale Pub of the Season, a great achievement as he only took over this large 17th century pub, hotel and restaurant last year. Five real ales are always available as well as an extensive wine list. What the pub does not have are fruit machines, pool tables or juke boxes, but it does have a great atmosphere, airy conservatory and lovely enclosed beer garden, with the Castle wall forming part of the boundary. There are ten en suite bedrooms and facilities for business meetings including wireless internet access.
Rob Marshall and Vanessa Teasdale recently took over The Black Horse on Newgate and
have refurbished it and installed two hand pumps. Rob is passionate about beer and
has Deuchars IPA as the regular ale with a second handpump for rotating guest beers.
Vanessa is putting her cooking skills to good use with their popular Sunday lunches,
and the couple plan to serve food from 2pm-
Norwich – The City Of Ale ?
Following a recent survey undertaken by Norwich and Norfolk CAMRA , Norwich now appears to have more real ales per capita than any other place in Britain. It‘s been ten years since I was last in Norwich so time to see if this was indeed the case, writes Ian Jackson.
On arriving in Norwich I headed to the Coach and Horses, the tap for Chalk Hill Brew-
On leaving the Coach and Horses, I headed towards the city, and on reaching the Wensum
turned right, following the river and ring road until I reached the Kett‟s Tavern.
This is one of two brewery taps for the Norwich Bear Brewing Co Ltd, the other pub
being the Rose Inn situated on the other side of the city centre, where a microbrewery
is being installed, and the owners also want to give enthusiastic brew-
I was staying in the west end of the city known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ and a short walk from my hotel was the Alexandra Tavern, a street corner local stocking three Chalk Hill beers: CHB, Gold and Tap along with Oakham JHB and Robinson‘s Young Tom.
Not far from the ‘Alex‘ was the Fat Cat, twice the CAMRA National Pub of the Year
in 1998 and 2004 -
The following day, I was in the Tombland area of the city and popped into Take 5, a cafe bar which had four real ales plus two ciders, including Wolf‘s Moonlight at 2.8% which, despite its low strength, had flavour and was easy drinking! A short walk along Palace Street from Take 5 brought me to the Wig and Pen, a Grade II listed building dating from the 16th century. Alongside five real ales on offer were an excellent range of whiskies.
The Duke of Wellington on Waterloo Road was next, with a large selection of real ales on tap, consisting of five on handpump and fourteen on gravity, the gravity ones being served from a small tap room visible from the bar. From the cellar I had the Oakham Citra, an excellent session ale with citrus flavours. Also available on the bar was a keg lager produced by Wolf Brewery, at 4.4% in strength.
Near to the Duke of Wellington, at the far end of Lawson Road, is the Fat Cat Brewery Tap, which until February this year was known as the Cider Shed. Though not as many beers available as its sister pub, the Fat Cat, it still had eight beers on handpump and seven on gravity, including six of their own Fat Cat beers brewed on site. Also available were ciders, draught fruit beers and continental bottled beers. One thing that caught my eye was a set of traffic lights on one of the beams close to the bar. At the time the green light was on and I assumed the colours related to bar service ie. green meant bar open, yellow meant last orders and red indicated time at the bar. If this was the case, a very clever idea.
Just across the ring road was the Milton Brewery owned White Lion. I had hoped to try the Pegasus at 4.3% which had just run out, but as the rest of the Milton beers were strong, I had Vale Brewery‘s Wychert Ale.
From here, heading eastwards, I reached the King‟s Head with a choice of eleven ales to choose from, among them a house beer ‘KHB’ at 3.7% brewed by Winter‘s, plus beers from two breweries I hadn‘t heard of in Elmtree from Snetterton and Panther from Reepham.
The Ribs Of Beef was just a short walk from the King‘s Head next to the River Wensum.
Eight handpumps dispensed beers from large regional breweries plus a cider from King-
Just in time for last orders was the Gardener‟s Arms on Timber Hill, also known as
the Murderer‟s, due to an ex-
My last day in Norwich covered an area of the city close to Queen‘s Road. The Trafford
Arms, pictured, had eleven hand-
Heading out of the city, and at least a good half hour walk in the sunshine, I reached The Beehive and a choice of six beers including ones from Golden Triangle, Wolf and a Winter‘s beer, ‘On The Beer City’, brewed to celebrate Norwich City Football Club‘s return to the Premier League. This was a great pub and a hub of the local community.
Retracing my steps back to the city, I moved on to the King‟s Arms in Hall Road, one of the pubs I visited during my last visit to Norwich. Twelve handpumps served a selection of Bateman‘s beers plus guest beers, my choice being Beeston‘s Worth The Wait which after a good walk from the Beehive certainly was !.
Following a visit to the Rose Inn on Queen‘s Road, the sister pub to the Kett‘s Tavern, the last port of call was the Vine, Norwich‘s smallest pub, having reopened a few years ago with a Thai restaurant upstairs. I took the opportunity to indulge in an excellent beef curry washed down with a pint of Humpty Dumpty‘s Nord Atlantic.
It was time to head off to the railway station and catch the train home.
On the evidence of my visit, it was clear to me that Norwich is the ‘City of Ale’, and that besides the ales
on offer, the hospitality shown by the staff and regulars in the pubs was second to none.
* In the survey conducted by Norwich and Norfolk CAMRA, they found 215 real ales on sale in 136 of the city’s pubs and in one evening 489 handpumps were being used and 24 real ciders and perries were also on offer.
(Information courtesy of What’s Brewing, August 2011)
(A much more detailed version of the above article can be found in the Away Days section of this website, please click here to see this article).
Val Moss -
Members of Darlington CAMRA were recently saddened to hear of the death of longtime branch member Val Moss following a long illness. Val was a familiar figure at the branch‘s twice yearly beer festivals held at the Arts Centre working on the glasses stall and he also held the position of social secretary for a couple of years.
Ian Jackson, a former Beer Festival Organiser said, “Val was always willing to volunteer to work at the festivals on the glasses stall and as organiser, he was very often the first to contact me so his name would be one of the first I put down on the work rota. Even though he worked for a couple of hours or so at the sessions, the commitment was always there because he enjoyed doing it”. Val also kindly stored equipment for the beer festivals in his garage and when it came to setting up at each festival it was a case of “hire the van, collect the scaffolding and then onto Val‘s garage.”
The funeral for Val was held at Darlington Crematorium on Tuesday 30th August and was attended by past and present members of Darlington CAMRA, which showed the popularity of the man. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him, and there is a proposal to site a bench at the Cricket Club in his memory.
Acceptable or Accessible ?
There‘s a silent revolution going on, but where will it end? In a high-
Are they simply looking to pay less duty, or is there a dumbing-
GOM
Brews, News and Views
August was a busy month for events including several surveying trips to various parts of Teesdale, a trip to the White Swan at Gilling for their Beer Festival, as well as a ‘mini fest’ at Darlington Snooker Club and an Open Day at Mithril Ales.
Cask Marque have produced a leaflet whereby you can find real ale pubs, beer festivals
and breweries wherever you happen to be via your Smart-
The Good Beer Guide 2012 is now available. It is fully revised and updated with details of more than 4,500 pubs selling real ale and can be purchased online at www.camra.org.uk.
The latest Pubs of the Season are the Number Twenty-
The Beer of the Festival at Richmond Ale Festival in October was Mithril Ales’ Flower Power
Thanks
Thanks to the following for hosting our monthly branch meetings:-
Darlington Snooker Club, Darlington (May)
Forester Arms, Coatham Mundeville (June)
Old Yard Tapas Bar, Darlington (July)
Quaker House, Darlington (August)
Glittering Star, Darlington (September)
The Britannia, Darlington (October)
Darlington Cricket Club, Darlington (November)
Branch Events:
Forthcoming Branch Meetings
Tuesday 6th December: Hole in the Wall, Market Place, Darlington. Meeting starts at 7.30pm
Tuesday 10th January: Darlington Snooker Club, Corporation Road, Darlington. Meeting starts at 7.30pm
Tuesday 7th February: Old Yard Tapas Bar, Bondgate, Darlington. Meeting starts at 7.30pm
Tuesday 6th March: Quaker House, Mechanics Yard, Darlington. Meeting starts at 7.30pm
North East Regional Meeting
Saturday 11th February: Darlington Cricket Club, Feethams South, Darlington. Meeting starts at 1pm
Social Events
Friday 9th December: 3rd County Durham surveying trip from Creebeck to Bishopton.
Bus departs from Dolphin Centre at 7pm.
Thursday 29th December: Darlington CAMRA Christmas Social
Darlington Snooker Club, Corporation Road, Darlington
From 7.30pm onwards.
Friday 13th January: 1st North Yorkshire surveying trip from Barton to Piercebridge.
Bus departs from Dolphin Centre at 7pm.
Friday 10th February: 2nd North Yorkshire surveying trip from Middleton Tyas to Kirby Hill.
Bus departs from Dolphin Centre at 7pm.
Rhythm ‘n’ Brews
September at Darlington Arts Centre produced a good combination with a music festival and another successful Rhythm ‘n‘ Brews festival. Around 1000 visitors came to enjoy the 55 beers and 9 ciders and perries which were on offer from Thursday 15th to Saturday 17th. The beer choice was highly commended having being sourced from 25 local breweries, 18 new breweries and also included two festival specials.
A core of CAMRA real ale enthusiasts built the bars and fitted the pumps and piping, as well as arranging the casks to ensure the beer was in its best condition. As a break from the tradition of voting for the beer of the festival, it was decided that first to sell out would be given this honour.
The beer flowed well and early Friday evening the first beer to run out was Mordue Northumbrian Blonde, closely followed by Mithril Bullfrog Blues and then Brewdog Trashy Blonde. A festival workers trip is currently being organised to make the presentation. The spot the mistakes in the festival programme competition also proving to be a festival favourite.
The Spring Thing festival has now been confirmed for 29th-
Snooker Club’s Seventh Heaven
Members of the North East Branches of CAMRA have recently judged Darlington Snooker Club as their CAMRA North East Club of The Year for 2011.
The club, situated on the corner of Corporation Road and Northgate, won this accolade
by beating off competition from three other clubs in the area, the Ashbrooke Sports
Club in Sunderland, Chester-
The Snooker Club held a beer festival from Thursday to Sunday early in November,
which was in full swing on Friday night for the presentation of the award. Making
the presentation, CAMRA North-
The club goes through into the final round of CAMRA‘s National Club of the Year award,
and our best wishes go to Darlington Snooker Club in this competition and also our
congratulations go to Peter and all his staff in winning the award once again -
The Who’s Who of the Branch ?
Chairman: Peter Everett
01325 241388
Secretary and Branch Contact: John Magson
Treasurer and Webmaster:
Ian Jackson
Membership Secretary:
Mike Burningham
Darlington Drinker Editor:
Vron Burningham 01833 640587
Publicity Officer and DD Deputy Editor:
Richard Jones
Social Secretary, Pubs Officer and Cider Officer:
Pete Fenwick 01325 374817 / 07889 167128 / 07792 093245
Beer Festival Organiser:
Paul Appleton
paul.appleton103@hotmail.co.uk
Printers:
Marford Lithographic, Victoria Road, Darlington. 01325 358456
Web : www.darlocamra.org.uk
Twitter (@darloCAMRA) and on Facebook -
The next Darlington Drinker will be published on 10th February 2012. Please send news and features to Vron Burningham by 1st February and any advertising to Peter Everett by 23rd January.
Advertising rates are: Quarter-
Contact Peter Everett on 01325 241388 or via email at: peterdsc@yahoo.co.uk
The views and opinions expressed in Issue 182 are not necessarily those of the Editor or Darlington CAMRA