BAE 160

Issue 160 | August - September 2011

Peterborough & District Branch of CAMRA | www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

Beer Around ’Ere

b a eFREE

please take one

AUGUST23rd - 27

th

OVER 350

REAL ALES

ON DRAUGH

T

FIVE DAYS O

F

LIVE MUSIC

HUGE RANGE

OF BOTTLE B

EERS

CIDERS

& PERRIES

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Peterborough Branch Website |www.real-ale.org.uk

Hello to all our readers. As usual in thisedition of BAE we are highlighting allthe information and details about the

34th Peterborough Beer Festival. Once again it’sbeing held on the Embankment in giantmarquees. Within this edition we have made aplea for more of our members to come and helpus set up and run the event, instead of justmoaning about the changes that have beenintroduced! Many of those are not within ourcontrol entirely. Once again our admissionprices include a fully refundable £3 token fora festival glass. If you don’t require a glassyou can either cash the token in or use it tobuy beer up to that value. When you leaveyou can hand your glass in for a full refund!I bet some still don’t get it.

With our ‘summer’ now well and truly upon usmany pubs are taking the initiative and holdingbeer festivals and Bar-B-Qs in their gardens. I have been contacted by a few licensees in thepast about holding a beer festival for the firsttime. I stick to my old theory that limitedpublicity, too many beers that are ‘samey’ andnot gauging your normal output of real ales toyour regular customers, can be disappointing onthe day. So hats off to the pubs that have triedputting on a beer festival for the first time and beensatisfied with the result. They all need our support.

Time for the serious bit now: The Business,Innovation and Skills Committee (BISC) havestated it is to look again at the need for a statu-tory code of practice to govern the relationshipbetween pub tenants and their owners. We wentdown this road last year and the findings were infavour of the pub owners. A debate ahead of theBISC meeting organised by All PartyParliamentary Save the Pub Group heard yetagain evidence of the failing relationship betweentenants and pubcos. The Independent PubsConfederation (IPC) – comprising CAMRA, FairPint, the Federation of Small Businesses andthe Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers

argued that the codes had failed to deliver andthe only way forward is a statutory code with anindependent ombudsman. IPC members saidthe pubcos had demonstrated a lack of progressand intransigence. So this could well be the ‘lastchance saloon for pub companies’ unless theycan wriggle out of making improved changes.

Less than a month before writing this piece wewere getting doom and gloom messages fromour farming friends that due to lack of rainfall inthe spring and early summer, the worst barleycrop for many years would be the result. Sincethen I’ve been soaked to the skin twice in thedriest region of the country (East Anglia). Yes I’msure a poor harvest this year will no doubt havean effect on our beer prices next year but, if thefollowing year is a bumper harvest, will the beerprice drop! Think oil – petrol. Nah.

My annual camping holiday down toSouthwold in Suffolk did not unearth any greatsurprises this year. An increase in beer and foodprices was inevitable, although the Adnams beerwas as usual spot on. This year the range ofbrews appeared to be greater with recently intro-duced Ghost Ship quite popular. Look out forthem at this years PBF- they’re back! That’s allfor now folks. See you at the PBF in August.

David Murray - Branch Chairman.

Chairman’s Corner | 3

Chairman’s Corner

ARE YOU MISSING OUT?Only the beer-stained copy left?

Get Beer Around Ere delivered to your door!For a year (6 issues) send a £2.46 or £3.06

for 1st Class cheque/PO payable to

“Peterborough CAMRA” and your address to:-

Daryl Ling, 19 Lidgate Close, OrtonLongueville Peterborough PE2 7ZA

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www.real-ale.org.uk

4 | Please support our advertisers

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I’m sure that so many of you have read thisannual load of tosh every year so many times youcan almost recite it word for word. Nevertheless I

am not daunted by repeating it yet again!

It may have come to your notice that weorganise, set up and then run a very large eventon Peterborough River Embankment each year inAugust. Who does all this? A dedicated band ofunpaid volunteers who give their time free. Theycomprise local and out of town CAMRAmembers from all parts of the country. In fact wehave on average around 80 volunteers from otherareas that make the journey and stay for the weekto assist. Our local members seem very reluctantto come forward in large numbers to do the same.This is in spite of us banging the drum every yearto try and coax them to spend a few hours with us.

Again I’ll give some idea of what we offer to ourstaff. If you can manage a whole day working weprovide you with a cooked proper lunch from avariable menu. We make a tiny charge for this –and I mean a tiny – 50p! In the evening you havethe choice of a hot or cold meal during opening

hours. You’re allowed free beer from our staff barwhilst we are open and at the end of each nightsession. Whilst working we allow you to havesome free beer from the bars with free beer tokensissued to you. Then if that’s not enough wesupply a free bus home within the city limits andto some outlying villages. If you are a CAMRAmember and have a friend or partner that wouldlike to help, but not a member, we are happy toaccept them if you can assure us of their integrity.

We have loads of tasks that need staffing aseveryone is not keen on working behind a bar. Letus know of any special skills you have that may beof use to us. The usual ‘begging letters’ will bedropping through the doors of our memberssoon.

So when is this all happening? First date is onSunday 14th August when we start erecting theperimeter fencing. Then back on Thursday 18thto start the building of the festival. This continuesthroughout the weekend till we are ready foropening on Tuesday 23rd. We run thro’ tillSaturday 27th when the festival closes. Thencomes the hard bit ! We are always in need ofmany hands to help take down the festival stuffand pack it away for another year. Volunteers whocome on this day (Sunday 28th) and stay all daywill be provided with a three course meal after thebulk of the work has been completed, and ofcourse any beer that needs supping.

Finally let me assure anyone not convinced thatthe PBF is a lot of fun both for staff andcustomers. We can only continue to make it stillbeing so with the help provided by our volun-teers. The more we have of them the easier it canbecome. Even a few hours in the evenings canmake a difference. It was suggested by one of ourmembers that we start this plea off with “Dearmiserable b-----ds” Hopefully we never have to!

David Murray and Richard SmithStaffing Officers PBF

YOUR BEER FESTIVAL NEEDS YOU!

www.real-ale.org.uk

Volunteers Needed| 5

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Local Brewery Update

www.real-ale.org.uk

6 |

Blue BellThe brewery is currently selling to around 20outlets. The bottled Old Honesty is the best-selling bottle-conditioned beer in the RedLion Quarter food centre, Spalding. Finally,Frightened Pheasant is the next beer to bebottle-conditioned.

Oakham AlesOakham Ales has almost 200 pubs signed up toits ‘Oakademy of Excellence’. Pubs who want tobe members of the academy have to pass a beerquality test, normally under the control of ouresteemed chairman, Dave Murray. If an outletreceives an accreditation it entitles the licensee tomembership benefits that include access to‘limited edition’ ales.

Adrian Posnett, managing director of OakhamAles said: “We don’t have the luxury of a largeretail estate to stock our beers on a permanentbasis. The success of the ‘Oakademy ofExcellence’ means that we are now developing thedistribution and profile for our beers to competewith those that do, enabling us to punch farabove our weight.”

More info onwww.oakademyofexcellence.com/about.html

Tydd SteamTwo new beers feature in this report, firstlyStargazer, 1041 OG 4.2 ABV best bitter. Thisbeer is quite mellow for a Tydd beer and has soldvery well. It is likely to become one of the regularbeers. Next comes Quench, a deep golden bitterflavoured with Chinese root ginger. This beer hasjust been released to trade and has sold outalready. The ginger flavour was restrained on thesample that I tried. Again this may become aregular beer if sales and feedback continue to bepositive.

Will has reported that this week has been oneof his busiest ever. Finally, the new cask washer isworking very well and has made a big difference tothe everyday labour required to run the brewery.

Ufford AlesDue to unforeseen planning delays the newbrewery at Stamford is unlikely to be open untilearly next year. Meanwhile the existing plant willcontinue to brew their three regular ales, WhiteHart (3.8%), Rupert’s Wardog (4.2%) and GoldenDrop (4.3%), together with seasonals, Nirvana(5.7%) in July, Black Hart Stout (4.8%) inSeptember & October, and Winter Ale (4.9%)between November and March. Work is alsounderway on a new beer for the PeterboroughBeer Festival.

The Black SwanTraditonal Village Pub

2 permanent Real Alesfrom £2.60

Large Beer garden with heated smoking area

Quiz night Mondays

Killer pool Wednesdays

77 Main Street, Farcet Tel: 01733 243596

[email protected]

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Please support our advertisers | 7

29 North Street, Stanground PE2 8HR. 01733 753544

Friendly village pub with riverside mooring. Large garden • Dogs welcome • Open all day

Food served:

Tues to Sun 12.00 until 2.30pm, Mon to Sat 6pm to 9pm.

Quiz night Sundays - cash prizes.

Live bands coming soonWatch this space!

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Pubs OpeningIt’s good to see the Queen’s Head in Bulwickopen after a brief interlude of closedness. Ourlocal pub spy spotted an Oakham dray outsidea while back so we can assume at least one localale will be on offer, presumably several more.The pub has had a bit of a spruce up and thewhole place is apparently a lot brighter than itsprevious incarnation. Our landlord Rob pointedout that although he does hail from Ashton hehas no connection with the Chequered Skipperpub as may have been implied in my previousmusings.

Work has at last started on the London Inn inStamford. It’s taken what seems like a lifetimebut the place is being clambered over by anassortment of artisans as we speak. We lookforward to the finished article.

And while in Stamford....the William Cecil,formally the Lady Anne’s Hotel is nearingcompletion. Hillbrooke Hotels who will berunning it have been busy refurbishing the hotelto what will no doubt be a stupendously magnif-icent standard, if their sister establishment theBull & Swan is anything to go by. There is nomention of ale on offer so it’ ll be a wait and see.

Meanwhile the rumour mill grinds everonwards. Rumours that the old Post OfficeSorting Office in Stamford will become the nextWetherspoon’s pub appear to be unfounded.The announcement of it becoming a restaurantin the Cosy Cafe chain has no doubt broughtsome relief to the landlords of the GoldenFleece, the Millstone and the prospectiveincumbent of the London Inn, all of which are ahop and skip from the place. Is Stamford theonly major town without a Wetherspoons?

Jolly BrewingAs Stamford is still in the mind I’ ll just give aquick mention to the award winning JollyBrewer in Foundry Rd. They now stock over 30different malt whiskies from around the world.Does this beat the Boat in Whittlesey? Notsure but who cares, there’s plenty to go around.The Brewer also has five real ales, half a dozenciders and a couple of perries just in case youhave an aversion to aqua vitae.

Down Chatteris wayWe would like to offer our congratulations toRichard and Cathy Savage of the Honest Johnfor their long service in the popular town pub.This year sees the beginning of their 25th yearbehind the bar. The pub was converted from alabour exchange in 1977 by Stewart Stacy whonamed the pub after his dad who had a reputa-tion for honesty in his dealings at local auctions.The pub was the first free house in the town.

A bit of a musical interludeI have no intention of writing a gig guide as thatlittle task is handled quite adequately by DanSpeed. What I would like to do however ismention that there are a couple of pubs whoprovide a venue for sounds of a more unpluggednature. The Palmerston Arms in Oundle Road

Pub News

www.real-ale.org.uk

8 | Pub News

Queens Head, Bulwick

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plays host to a little bit of folk music on aSunday afternoon after about 4pm. A nice venuefor a nice Sunday afternoon if ever there wasone. The Hand & Heart features somethingsimilar on the first Thursday of the month,sometime in the evening. Our landlord at the‘Hand’ also enjoys the sounds of a littlemakeshift combo known as Captain Backwash.A more diverse and disparate, or more rightly,desperate collection of individuals it would bedifficult to accumulate in one place undernormal circumstances. Is it folk, is it rock, is itpoetry, is it painting and decorating? Buggered ifI know but it’s a superb evening and in my diarypermanently. If you get your dates wrong andturn up a Thursday later you’ ll encounter theCheese Club which is marginally quieter but stillattracts those on the fringes of society.

Beer festivals all over the placeI’ve been told not to mention beer festivals as itisn’t within my remit as Pubs Officer, so in thebest tradition of ignoring missives from above I’ llgive a couple a quick mention. The Woolpack inStanground provided us with a superb choice ofales back in May in their little outside bar. A small intimate little event that gave us time tochat about beer, fast cars, fast women and theimplications of the 2010 Localism Bill now in its4th reading in the House of Lords. Crazy times!Quite why I chose the same day to go as most ofthe CAMRA Committee I don’t know but it wasnice to see a fine display of egos sunning them-selves.

As a bit of a day out, myself and a few likeminded inebriates let the train take the strainand visited March, home of the Rose & Crownbeer festival back in April. A super little fest thisturned out to be with about 20 beers on tap allserved by ‘bunny girls’ although that may havebeen a cheese and pickle induced hallucination.

The Hand & Heart did what it does best,serve ales. A festival with live music outside,acoustic music inside and landlord Bram beingworked to within an inch of his life. Marvellous stuff.

The Coalheaver’s festival appeared to go quitewell. Live music, acres of beers, a BBQ and lotsof people. No, make that lots and lots of people.If you ever want to see how a pub can be drunkdry this is where it happens.

Sorry that I can’t mention all of the excellentfestivals that happened over the last few monthsbut well done to all who made the effort to stagesome of the best events around.

Rest in PeaceAs previously mentioned the Royal Arms in EyeRd, Newark is up for sale. The For Sale signnow shows that it is ‘Under Offer’. A little inves-tigation in the planning announcements tells usthat an application for change of use has beensubmitted. What to I hear you ask? The newprospective owners intend to change the buildinginto a funeral parlour with chapel of rest. It’s asad state of affairs when a pub will be morepopular catering for the dear departed thanthose in the here and now. We won’t object tothe change of use although it is the only pub inthat area. I’m not convinced that the pub isunviable, after all most pubs are viable in oneway or another with favourable conditions. Butas there are no takers and no company willing tomake a go of the place we must reluctantly let itgo. A sad loss but not unexpected.

www.real-ale.org.uk

Pub News | 9

Continued Overleaf

Palmerston Arms, Peterborough

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5 Regularly Rotating AlesOpening Times :- 11am -11pm Monday to Thursday, 11am -1am Friday to Saturday, 12 - 11pm Sunday,

Live Music Fridays and Saturdays ring or check facebook for details!

Real traditional ale house in the heart of the city

North Street, behind Westgate House, Peterborough Tel: 01733 746370www.facebook.com/ostrichinn

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Recently reopened and selling alesI may have mentioned the Vine in MarketDeeping sometime ago but a bit more informa-tion is now forthcoming. We have a delightful littlepub with four handpumps in use. One of whichsells a competitively priced ale at £1.95.

Bourne identityOur rugby playing pub spy in Bourne nowinforms me that the real ale at the Red Lion hasbeen well received and they have now addedanother handpump to the bar. Sharp’s Doom Barand a guest ale will feature but as with all things,it’s subject to change. Meanwhile in other parts ofthe town the Nag’s Head has two handpumps,the Mason’s Arms has Deuchars and Directorson all the time and the Anchor is selling Wherryin encouraging quantities. Sam Smiths can behad at the Golden Lion and of course we haveone of Mr Thurlby's flagship establishments inthe middle of town called Smith’s. On the down-side the former Royal Oak in North St is in theprocess of being converted to flats and theMarquis of Granby in Abbey Rd is up for sale.

A new pub for OakhamMr Thurlby has been on the pub buying trailagain, this time in Oakham. The building iscurrently Nick’s Restaurant and will be thor-oughly refurbished in the style of the Tobie Norrisin Stamford. The idea is to offer 5 or 6 ales fromUfford or nearby. Mr Thurlby said recently ‘I’vebeen looking for a new site in the area and I’mtreating this as a personal project. The kind ofpub that I would seek out!’.

ClarificationIn the last issue I mentioned that David Rayner,who owns and runs the Duck & Drake in Yaxleyand the newly opened Black Swan in Farcet alsoowns the Stilton Country Club.

I am indebted to Roy Baines who runs the clubfor a little bit of clarification. Although Mr Raynerowns the club the business is entirely inde-pendent of him. For those of you who areunfamiliar with the club it has a full size snookertable, Sky TV, darts, dominoes, pool, a quiz on aSunday evening and off course quite a few realales. New members are always welcome.

Club NOT closingThere was a brief mention in the local press aboutthe possibility of the Royal British Legion Clubin Yaxley closing. This is not the case and it ismerely the local branch of the Legion that ishaving some minor difficulty, an entirely differententity to the club which is run independently ofthe branch.Well, that’s about it for this issue. I’d just like to

thank my various pub spies who report to meregularly negating the need for me to visit all thepubs in the area. Gits!

For those of you who would like to have a chatwith me about any local pub related subject, issuewrits, threats or fatwas, I will be fully engaged inschmoozing, chatting and ingratiating myself topub landlords at the Trade Session ofPeterborough Beer Festival on Tuesday 23rdAugust. I will however be spending some consid-erable time listening to the Malingerer’s who arebooked for the evening. Feel free to text meduring the festival and I’ll do my best to drinkbeer with you and chat. Pub Landlords..... doyou want a free write up about your pub? It’s free.Just come and chat with me and we’ll see what wecan do.

Cheers for now

Steve Williams0775 6066 503

[email protected]

www.real-ale.org.uk

Pub News continued | 11

Stilton Country Club

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On 11th June your local CAMRA enjoyeda visit to the Oakham Ales brewery inWoodston and as always the hosts went

out of their way to welcome both seasoned andnew visitors (myself included) alike. Always apopular visit in the local ale calendar, this tripwas attended by around 30 members.

For the uninitiated, head brewer John Bryankicked off the tour of the brewery giving anoverview of the operations. Yes I admit to being anewbie to the process but it never ceases toamaze me how innovative some of these enter-prises are when it comes to sourcing the kit thatis needed to produce the brews that we all knowand love. Who would have thought, for example,that a major part of the brew plant shared someheritage with that most English ofdelicacies….Marmite!

As a sign of just how far Oakham have comesince the early days, John demonstrated the high-tech set up where the correct calibration ofequipment plays one of the most importantparts of the brewing process. However, as with allcomputers, garbage in usually equals garbageout, and without John’s expert knowledge, careand understanding of what makes a fine ale thosesystems would be rendered pretty useless. Given

that most of the CAMRA group had opted forthe bar only tour I can only imagine they were inagreement!

John’s further commitment to the cause washighlighted when he recalled the early days ofbrewing Citra and experimenting with thearomatic lychee. On one occasion he managed toinhale the contents of one of the giant tuns withalmost disastrous consequences. Fortunatelywhen he finally came round he discovered he’dfallen backwards and not forwards into the thing.He lives to fight another day.

The highlight of course was the tasting.Oakham had kindly laid on White Dwarf, Citraand Inferno, drawn directly from the cask in thecold store. Probably the shortest travelled pintyou will ever drink.

At the event Oakham BLO, Dave Allett, gave afew words of thanks to Adrian Posnett and theteam and, I’m sure, promised that we would beback very soon! And of course at Beer Around‘Ere we certainly echo the sentiment, so manythanks from us too chaps.

Now then, I wonder what surprises are in storeat their brewery bar for this year’s PBF.....?

Karl Simpson

www.real-ale.org.uk

12 | Brewery Visit

Oakham Ales Visit

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14 |

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During the months of April and May thepeople of Peterborough were ratherspoilt for choice with the number of

local beer festivals going on. They were spreadover the Royal wedding weekend and Easterand, I believe, were all quite successful with onein particular doing fantastically well.

The 8th annual Coalheavers Arms Spring beerfestival was a monster. I am going to be slightlybiased here as I work at the Coalheavers, buteven so, it was a tremendous success. Thisfestival had the advantage of being after thewedding / Easter weekends and so had a bit of amonopoly and the Saturday was also Posh'slast home game of the season as it always is forthe Spring festival. The Autumn event will alsocoincide with a home game.

It all kicked off on Thursday and was fairlysteady right from opening time and ended beinga record Thursday, with Buntingford Citra takinga big hit closely followed by St. Austell Proper

Job. Friday was again steady all day and becamepretty manic in the evening with the Citra andProper Job long gone along with a couple ofothers. The darker beers such as Cloven Hoofand Pressed Rat & Warthog were flying out ofthe firkins. Not surprisingly Friday was also arecord day. We had to drag a few more casks outof the cellar to fill the gaps in the marquee.

So far so good and we knew Saturday wasgoing to be busy but were not quite prepared forthe madness that was to come that day. Peoplewere queuing at the door long before openingtime and once they were let in the door just didnot stop opening and the garden was soon full

Coalheavers record bee

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of blue shirts and, once again, the beer wastaking a battering. The Mallinsons Butterflycame on and finished about 90 minutes laterand Mersey Mist, Tring Fletton Ale andGoldblade vanished very early on. A great resultfor Posh ensured the army of blue shirtsreturned after the game along with all the pub’sregulars and others that had travelled from allover. With music being provided by topPeterborough band the Malingerers, the gardenand bar just kept on filling up. At one point youcould not get from one end of the garden to theother and it was three deep at the bar, but theexcellence of the bar staff ensured no one had towait more than a minute or so. The day hadbeen so busy that we ran out of beer in themarquee at 8.45 and over the whole day sold theequivalent of 21 firkins of real ale. Needless tosay, inside then became very busy.

We thought word may have spread about therebeing no beer left for Sunday, but we needn’thave worried. With local duo Pennylessperforming in the afternoon, the hordesreturned. Luckily the beers we hauled out of thecellar earlier were just about ready and alongwith an emergency delivery of bright beer fromMilton we were sure we had enough and we did,but only just. Once again the weather wasperfect and the Jamaican barbecue totally soldout, not to mention the 300 to 400 burgers thatwere sold over the weekend along with severalpounds of jacket potatoes and a cauldron ofcurry.

The festival finished early Sunday evening withthe pub virtually beerless. All in all, a recordfestival with the Saturday being the busiest dayin the pub’s history. We look forward to seeingeveryone again at the next festival that runs from8th to 11th September.

Dave Botton

www.real-ale.org.uk

Beer festival review | 15

beer festival

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Hand made in CastorMob: 07828 048 664

www.castorales.co.uk

now only availa

ble in Brigh

ton

Summer at The

Great main food menu to choose from Daily

(Mon-Fri 12-2pm and 6-9pm, Saturday 12-9pm, Sunday 12-6pm)

August Bank Holiday Monday

family fun day with live music and bbq

1 Main Road, Etton, Peterborough PE6 7DA Tel 01733 [email protected]

Web www.thegoldenpheasant.net

GOLDEN PHEASANT

FOUR real ales!(Batemans XB + 3 Guests)

Open Daily:

Mon – Thurs

12-3pm and 6-11pm

Fri/Sat 12-11pm

Sun 12-11pm

WINNER CAMRA GOLD AWARD 2011

Pub Merit Awards & Gold AwardsThe committee feel that pubs outside of Peterborough are missing out on Gold Awards and so they

have introduced a new Merit Award for pubs that are continuously outstanding. If you know of a pubin our area that deserves a Merit Award or Gold Award then please complete the following form andsend it to our Secretary.

Pub name:

Pub address/town/village:

Reason for award:

Your name:

Your phone number or e-mail address:

Your membership number:

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It all started on theday of the leagueone play-off final at

Old Trafford betweenPeterborough Unitedand HuddersfieldTown. A splendid pintor two preceding thematch at the Crescentin Salford and thewonderful hospitalityprovided by landlord,

Steve, (who let us take in our own Chinese take-aways) inspired the idea to name a beer incelebration of the occasion. Following the 3-0victory, ‘Craig Mack Ale’ seemed the perfectchoice for a name, given Craig Mackail-Smith’sgreat season, and also as a tribute to hisimpending departure from Posh. Word soon gotout that this was happening, and it went ‘viral’on Facebook and Twitter, and then the moreconventional media picked it up; namely RadioCambridgeshire and the Evening Telegraph.

Initially Roman Gold was dry-hopped with adollop of Chinook hops. But since then theRoman Gold recipe has been varied to createCraig Mack Ale, a golden, 3.7% ABV, hoppy andrefreshing tipple. The beer can be found in thePrince of Wales Feathers in Castor, the Ostrichin North Street, the Hand and Heart inHighbury Street, the Crown on Lincoln Roadand the Ploughman in Werrington.

Castor Ales has created beer names with afocus on local themes: Old Scarlett, thePeterborough gravedigger, Roman Gold, Castorwas a Roman settlement, Edmund Tyrell Artis,the Victorian archaeologist who discovered theextent of Roman Castor, and Serene Nene. Aswe go to press, a new brew is being developed to

follow on from Craig Mack Ale to celebratePosh’s new season in the Championship. Eachof these beers has a pump clip designed anddrawn by local artist John Elson who once againrose to the occasion to produce a great carica-ture for the Craig Mack Ale.

Craig Mackail-Smith has supported thepublicity surrounding the beer and we hope tobe auctioning signed posters of the pump clips,the proceeds of which will be going to Craig’spreferred charity, the Peterborough branch ofthe NSPCC.

At Castor Ales we will be celebrating our 3rdanniversary at the Peterborough Beer Festivaland the festival beer is likely to be called ‘CallingSpain’ continuing a theme started last year withthe festival special: ‘Coming of Age of theHobbit’.

Castor Ales is a 3 barrel plant delivering 12firkins each brew. As well as the pubs mentionedabove, the brewery supplies the Beehive inAlbert Place with ‘house beers’: Nectar andSting in the Tail. The Plough at Farcet Fen willbe featuring Castor Ales throughout thesummer at their outdoor events.

Shakedown Blues the unique blues club inCastor also serves Castor Ales and the collabo-ration makes for the perfect combination of‘rhythm and booze’.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the localCAMRA branch members whose hard workingbunch of volunteers create probably the bestbeer festival in the country.

Duncan Vessey - Castor Ales

Castor Ales:

The Naming of the Brew

www.real-ale.org.uk

Brewery Update | 17

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Surname

F

Postcode

E

Surname

F

Direct Debit Non DD

S £22

(

£25 £27

(

Date

A

Exotic Thai Food & Handcrafted Beers

Oakademy of Excellence Oakademy of Excellence

Europe’s Largest Brew Pub80 Westgate, Peterborough PE1 2AA

Tel: 01733 358500 Web: www.oakhamales.com

AugustBeer of the MonthBeer of the Month

September

Town Bridge, Peterborough PE1 1FPTel: 01733 315700

Web: www.oakhamales.com

Saturday 20th August

Charity Fun DayMidday - Late

Thurs 15th - Sun 18th September

20th Anniversary Beer Festival

30 Real Ales, Ciders and Perries • Live Music Sat & Sun • FREE Entry

Visit www.oakhamales.com for more details

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Instruction to your Bank orBuilding Society to pay by Direct Debit

Please fill in the whole form using a ball point pen and send to:Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. 230 Hatfield Road, St.Albans, Herts AL1 4LW

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Enjoying Real Ale& Pubs

Complete the Direct Debit form below and you will receive 15 months membership for the price

A Campaign of Two Halves

Join CAMRA today – www.camra.org.uk/joinus

BAE 160 Prog:Layout 1 18/07/2011 08:40

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The cricket team had a mixed Sundayfriendly season so far winning three,losing four, drawing one and one being

cancelled. Notable batting performances includeopener Neil Holmes scoring 87 not out againstthe Norfolk team Welney, whilst Rushdenopener S Fowler scored 209 not out in a gamedrawn due to rain. Captain Nick Bradburydominates the wickets taken this year with 17including five for 26 against Wansford. In themid-week league things are looking up with onlyone loss in the league out of four played. OpenerL Davis has been the star accumulating 98 runsin three games with two not outs.

If there are any people wanting to join the teamplease contact Matt Mace on 07809 629241 orregister on the play-cricket website.

Cricket FixturesJULY

22 Motley Crew A24 Meerkat Harborough South A31 Ashton Wold A

AUGUST

7 Burghley Park A14 Boughton A21 Witham on the Hill A28 Orton Park H

Peterborough CAMRA Cricket Team:

www.real-ale.org.uk

CAMRA Cricket | 21

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www.real-ale.org.uk


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BEERSWe will be serving more than 350 draught realales including favourites, beers from very smallmicros, many from new breweries, someproduced specially for the festival and beersfrom our LocAle breweries. Almost all of thebeers will be served by gravity – straight fromthe cask. Our aim is always to have every beerready and available from the opening session –we do not hold any beers back. As always wewill be serving beers of many styles includingmilds, bitters, porters, stouts, specialityflavoured beers and a few real lagers.

GLASSESCommemorative half-pint and pint sleeveglasses and half pint tankards bearing thefestival logo will be available and all will be over-sized so that we can guarantee that you get afull measure when the glasses are filled to theline. Festival wine and bottle glasses will also beavailable at the same price.

CIDER & PERRYThe cider bar is with us, as always, serving oneof the best selections of traditional cider andperry to be found anywhere.

WINE BARThe wine bar will be selling traditional countrywines and still and sparkling grape wines fromEnglish vineyards.

BOTTLED BEERSThe popular bottled beer bar will be selling anextended range of traditionally made bottledbeers from around the world.

SOFT DRINKSOur soft drinks bar, the Escape Bar, will beselling a range of soft drinks, non-alcoholic beer,crisps, ice cream, sweets and cigarettes. We willalso be selling children’s drinks at a mere 50p.FOOD

There will be a wide selection of foods availableincluding German sausages, French crepes, hogroast, doughnuts, toasties, oriental, biltong,olives, burgers, bacon rolls, pasta, hot dogs,Cornish pasties, pittas, pork pies, waffles, fruitsmoothies, tea & coffee.

THE WORKERSThe Festival is organised and run by membersof CAMRA who are all unpaid volunteers. Wealways need more help so why not give us a fewhours of your time if you are a member.

ENTERTAINMENTTuesday 23rd

The MalingerersExpected on stage 8:50 – 9:35 and 9:55 – 10:45The Malingerers are a five piece old time bandplaying original songs clearly influenced from amelting pot of traditional country, blues and rock-’n’roll (Hank Williams, Merle Travis, Leadbelly,Woodie Guthrie etc.) but as you’d expect,combined with a warped sense of humour andhistory! www.themalingerers.co.uk

Wednesday 24thLime SharkExpected on stage 8:15 – 9:15Lime Shark are a four piecerock outfit with a progres-sive edge, based in South

Lincolnshire and consist of ex Canis Major

Peterborough Beer Festival 201

www.real-ale.org.uk

24 |

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2011 informationguitarist and founder member Tony Bodimeadon vocals and guitar, Paul ‘Wizbat’ Watson onbass, Tim Myers on rhythm guitar and vocalsand Matt Cope on drums. The band has been in existence for seven years

and has supported the likes of Wishbone Ash,Waysted (Pete Way ex-UFO) and Tokyo Dragonsto name but a few.www.limeshark.com

The Fleeting MindsExpected on stage 9:45 – 10:45The Fleeting Minds are an alternative/rock /

indie/post-Britpop band formed in November2009. Based in Peterborough, they aresinger/songwriter John Quinn (vocals and guitar),Paul Blant (drums and backing vocals), JohnDalton (guitar) and Lou Speed (Bass). Theband's biggest influences include the likes of theBeatles, the Who, Paul Weller, Oasis and ProudMary, amongst others.www.myspace.com/thefleetingminds

Thursday 25thThe VowExpected on stage 7:30 – 9:00The Vow are a three piece Alt-Rock /Powerpopband first formed in Peterborough, England inthe late 90’s by vocalist and guitarist PaulCummins and bassist Rich Mackman. The pairwere introduced to Steve Farmer, who lived inthe nearby town of Oundle, a phenomenaldrummer whose rambunctious enthusiasmcompleted the line-up and cemented an aston-

ishingly powerful union that continues to thisday. The band have picked up hundreds of ravefanzine reviews and glowing local press on aregular basis, various support slots (with Midget,China Drum, My Vitriol, and bizarrely enough,ex Jimi Hendrix bassist Noel Redding). Thedecision in early 2007 to return to playing liveand recording for the Vow has so far yielded abrand new Seven Track EP, “Cage Breaking”,released in January 2010 and a plethora of othernew songs. www.myspace.com/thevowareback

TouchstoneExpected on stage 9:15 – 10:45

Rob Cottingham and Adam J Hodgson formedthis five-piece prog /rock /alternative influencedband in 2003. Paul Moorghen joined on bass in2006, Kim Seviour joined on vocals in April 2007and Henry Rogers joined on drums in June 2010to complete the line-up. With two successfulalbums already behind them, their latest album,Wintercoast, was recorded and mixed atOuthouse during February-March 2009. Oscar-winning actor, Jeremy Irons, also features as avery special guest performing the prelude narra-tion. The album was launched at the Rights ofSpring festival in Philadelphia in May 2009 andwas featured in Classic Rock magazine June 2009. www.touchstonemusic.co.uk

Peterborough Beer Festival preview | 25

Continued Overleaf

www.real-ale.org.uk

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Friday 26th Filthy LucreExpected on stage 7:30 – 9:00Filthy Lucre is the most authentic sounding

tribute to the music of the Sex Pistols you willever hear (Never mind the dressing up). Formedin December 2008, the band features the talentsof four experienced Peterborough musiciansunited in their love of seventies Punk and thePistols, and well versed in the art of creating ablistering sounding and visually exciting liveperformance that has already garnered them asizable following and mailing list. Every vocalinflection, drum fill and guitar dynamic is there,blending together the rawness of a Pistols liveperformance along with the sound of the originalstudio recordings, making Filthy Lucre a tightand ferocious live band.www.myspace.com/filthylucreband

The HamstersExpected on stage 9:15 – 10:45From the hinterlands of the Thames River Deltacome the Hamsters.

Now in their twenty-fourth and final year, havingperformed 4,500 concerts and with a nationalmailing list exceeding 20,000, the Hamsters areestablished as the UK’s premier blues-rockattraction. The Hamsters have been voted oneof the UK‘s best unsigned bands by Kerrangmagazine. (They already have a record deal, butit’s a nice compliment). Even BBC’s Top Gearmagazine recognises the band as the UK’shardest working, and featured them in an articleon in-car entertainment; the Hamsters beingthe ideal people to ask as they’re always traveling

somewhere. All good things come to an end andthis is the final tour from our friendly rodentswho will disband in April 2012. Do not miss thislast opportunity to see these guys perform their100mph show in your backyard. Hamster lavista. Baby!!! www.thehamsters.co.uk

Saturday 27thRetroluxExpected on stage 8:00 – 9:00Retrolux are a classic rock trio based inPeterborough. Their material ranges from 70’sbands such as Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floydand the Who, through to ZZ Top and the FooFighters, and is played with passion, keeping theband very busy at pubs and festivals over thelast seven years.www.retrolux.co.uk

Letz ZepExpected on stage 9:15 – 10:45Letz Zep embark on their biggest and mostambitious tour to date, their '2011 World Tour'takes in twelve countries, starting in Spain,before travelling to new territories includingRussia, Brazil, Mexico, Romania and Slovenia.

The tour also takes in Belgium, Holland,Greece, Italy, and the UK. With dates inAustralia, Poland and Scandinavia expected tobe announced soon.

Letz Zep are rated as the most popular andtop rated, Led Zeppelin tribute act in the UKtoday, by the authoritative Ticketmaster organi-

www.real-ale.org.uk

26 | Campaigning

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sation and are critically acclaimed as the leadingtribute to the music of Led Zeppelin and babythey ain’t foolin' . Even legendary Zep front manRobert Plant commented it was like watchinghimself onstage after he came to a Letz Zepconcert. His comment in Q Magazine in aninterview was, “I walked in, I saw me”.www.letzzep.com

Saturday Afternoon PBF Supporting Local Bands

Fallen BreaksExpected on stage 15:00 – 15:45Having spent the whole of last winter buried inRevenant Studio with producer James Pepperrecording their debut album, Fallen Breaks makea welcome return to this year’s line-up.Comprised of David Smith (lead vocals/guitar),Rob Bull (bass) and John Wright (drums) thisthree-piece has been compared to Biffy Clyro /Foo Fighters with ELO arrangements - powerfuldynamic and accomplished. http://fallenbreaks.com

SmokescreenExpected on stage 16:05 – 16:50Formed in the fall of 2001, Smokescreen haveplayed more than 200 gigs all over the UK,alongside the likes of Prong, Raging Speedhorn,Stuck Mojo and Breed 77. With a full length liveDVD, 3 EP's and a brand new full length albumunder their belt, the band are working on their10th anniversary DVD and are set to launch amonster set at the beer festival this year as partof their summer 'Human Condition Tour'along with a whole new line of merchandise.Think Pantera mixed with Black Sabbath!www.myspace.com/smokescreenukwww.smokescreenweb.co.ukAwakeExpected on stage 17:10 – 18:10The band, then called Humanity, was formed inCambridge in 2000. 11 years later Awake haveplayed a series of very high profile gigs with thelikes of Evergrey, Breed 77, DragonForce, BlazeBayley, Magnum, Jeff Scott Sotto and Childrenof Bodom. The band has a very professional live

stage act with a huge wall of sound and energeticstage show. Midlands Rocks said, “This is animpressive master class in all things ‘melodic’,‘symphonic’ and hard rock. A song that soars tothe skies and takes us all on the ride of our lives.” http://www.myspace.com/awakeuk

CHILDREN AT THE FESTIVALLunchtime or early evening is the ideal time tobring the family, as there is always an easy going,friendly atmosphere. You can bring the dog (on alead), the picnic table, food and soft drinks but youmust not bring your own alcohol. There will be afairground at the back of the festival again this year.

OTHER STALLSOur membership and information area is theplace to join CAMRA and get reduced entry tothe festival or just to find out about us and whatwe do or to ask about beer, pubs, brewing, etc.

On site you will also find tombola, pub games,our lunchtime pub quiz, the CAMRA shop, a T-shirt stand, beer and brewing books, glassengraving and the RNLI will be at the front gateasking for your small change.

DISABLED ACCESSThe site is on one level on grass and disabled toiletsare provided at the front and back of the site.Wheelchairs can be sourced but we do needadvance warning. Taxis and cars carrying disabledpassengers are permitted to cross theEmbankmentand drop off at the festival entrance.

VENUEThe 34th Peterborough CAMRA Beer Festivalwill be held in massive marquees on the RiverEmbankment, Bishops Road, PeterboroughPE1 1EF. The site is unique in being only a fewminutes walk from the city centre, bus, rail andcoach stations. A taxi rank will be provided toenable you to get home without driving. Beerfestivals and cars don’t mix.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONTel: 01733 896555 email: [email protected]

www.real-ale.org.uk

Peterborough Beer Festival preview | 27

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www.real-ale.org.uk

~ Eye ~

Blue Boar

46 High Street, Eye, Peterborough PE6 7UY Tel: 01733 222234

Selection of Real Ales includingOakham Ales

Sky HD Regular live music and Karaoke

Bar snacks Thurs to Satlunchtimes

Home cooked Sunday LunchesSmall conference room available(Weddings,Christenings and more)

FREE

Interested in

Ales and Sales?A rare opportunity has arisen to work with Beer Around‘ere and a range of other CAMRA publications. ShillingMedia Services is responsible for advertising sales withinthis magazine plus a growing successful portfolio oflocal CAMRA newsletters magazines and beer festivalprogrammes.

We are looking for a TELEPHONE SALESEXECUTIVE working from our office in Bourne,selling the benefits of advertising to pubs, breweries andother related businesses. The fact that you’re readingthis publication may indicate the required level ofinterest in real ale. More importantly the successfulapplicant will have an excellent telephone manner, agood head for figures and an ability to work to strictdeadlines. Hours and salary are negotiable.

For an initial discussion please TelephoneChris Shilling on 01778 421550 no laterthan 31/08/11.

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Vacancy| 29

www.real-ale.org.uk

Vacancy coming up

at the end of the year

At the end of this year we will have a vacancy fora new Branch Secretary due to our presentSecretary stepping down from that position.Harry Morten has given notice of his intention tostep down as the Branch Secretary at the end ofthis year due to spending more time in Spain. He will officially step down at our AGM inDecember.

We are therefore on the lookout for a newperson to take on the role of Branch Secretary. Itwould be ideal for anyone interested in the role tobecome available as soon as possible to ‘shadow’Harry for a few months and get familiar with theduties expected of them. Any budding scribescontact the Branch Chairman. A word of note:Harry will still be involved in his role as part ofthe organising team to the PBF.

DMM

Apology to

BrewersOk, so we can’t be perfect all the time and dosometimes make the odd mistake. In the lastissue of BAE we published some photos of ourMighty Micros day out. The picture with thecaption under it stating Will Neaverson – TyddSteam Brewery was in fact Nigel Wright of theHopshackle Brewery. The picture on the opposite page did in fact show Will Neaversonwith some of our party. Apologies to bothbrewers for the error.

Editor

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www.real-ale.org.uk

4 Cask Marque accredited real ales that includes 2 regularly changing guests

Food served - Monday to Saturday 12pm to9pm. Sunday Carvery served 12pm to 5pm

Early Bird menu - Monday to Thursday 5pm to 7pm. Main courses from £4.00

Friday night Steak Night - Get a free drink withsteaks or mixed grill from 5pm

Free wireless internet

The Dolphin InnThe Dolphin Inn60 East Street, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1QD. Tel 01780 755494

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Around 30 people gathered on CathedralSquare Peterborough for the annualCAMRA Cycle Rally on Saturday 2nd July.

Set this year by last years winners Pamela Baines,Phil Woodhouse and Dave Leaves. The participantsgradually dispersed at 5pm. Pubs on route includedThe Drapers Arms, Great Northern Hotel, Handand Heart, The Crown, The Blue Bell (Werrington),The Rose and finally Charters. Most of the teamsdid manage to get round the whole course and finishby around 9-45pm. The scores from a total of 86points were remarkably high with the eventualwinners achieving a grand total of 78 points. TeamAbsinth came away with the trophy, presented byBranch Chairman David Murray. The winning teamof Chez Hansel, Ross Parton and Paul Beresfordalso have the honour of setting the course for nextyears rally !

www.real-ale.org.uk

Campaigning | 31

Pedal Power on Cycle Rally

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www.real-ale.org.uk

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It was the wife’s birthday in May and so for abit of a treat we took ourselves off to Praguefor a few days, something we had wanted to

do for some time. About a week before we wentI had a quick look online to see what was on inPrague while we were there and lo and behold itwas only the 4th annual Prague beer festival.What good fortune. Strangely though no oneseemed to believe me when I said I had no ideaabout it before I booked the holiday.

The festival ran from 12th to 28th May and wasa 10 minute metro ride from the centre ofPrague. Entry is free and the event is held inthree large marquees (sound familiar?) and twosmaller ones. Each marquee had a dozen or sobeers on and its own catering to produce greatCzech food that seems to go really well with beer.They use a token system and each token (Tolar)costs about £1.40 and each beer is one tolar forhalf a litre - that’s approx. £1.50 per pint.

Each marquee also had its own entertainmentranging from a couple of old blokes with an

accordion and a small bugle to an eight piecerock band.

We got there a bit early and it was fairly quietbut after a couple of hours it was getting busy.There is actually seating for about 8,000 people.The idea is that everyone sits and the waitersand waitresses, all dressed in national costume,come to you to take your order. There are onlyabout 70 beers available but all the ones wetried were very good. I actually finished on a halflitre of Kwak, but that was two tolars.The event is on again next year, same time,

same place, so if you are thinking about going toPrague next year, go between the 13th and 28thMay. You won’t be disappointed.

Dave Botton

www.real-ale.org.uk

Beer Abroad | 33

Prague Beer Festival

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Iam a beer hunter. Every place that I go tovisit, I search for beer that I have never hadbefore. Sometimes I find a beer or two, other

times I find nothing. Little did I know that thaton my last trip (back home no less) I would hitthe jackpot!

When people think of destinations to find(craft) beer in the USA, East and West coastbreweries often come to mind. Dogfish Head,Stone, and Brooklyn breweries are well known,even over here. A place that would not come tomind would be Texas, especially not SanAntonio. San Antonio would be what mostpeople would call, Bud Light country.

Now the reason for my trip was for the inau-gural San Antonio beer week. There were 5breweries listed on the program with only two ofthem being established (neither of which I amtoo keen), and 3 of which I had either never

heard of or were just recently opened. I think itwould be safe to say that I did not have highhopes. And I was not wrong; at least I thoughtthat I was not wrong. The beginning of theweek was an epic failure! Events did nothappen, the beer was mediocre at best, and thebrewers were about as inviting as cactus toiletpaper. Then it all changed.

I attended a beer and food (from food trucksno less) pairing session run by a new brewerycall Ranger Creek, and it was immense! I gotthere early and sat down at an empty table. As time passed, the other tables began to fill up,but I still sat alone. Finally, after about 20minutes, two brothers came and sat down nextto me and we started chatting. As luck wouldhave it, they happen to be Rob and PeteLanderman, the head brewer and the assistantbrewer at Ranger Creek, I was sitting at thebrewers table (which may explain why nobodyelse would sit with me)!

The conversations that we had ranged frombeer, to beer, and then a little more about beer.It was amazing ! For everything that I knewabout beer, they knew more. I even tried to playthe real ale card, but it turned out that Rob haddone his internship with Brewdog and knew hisfair share about real ale as well. They were greatguys and made the evening memorable. Nowwhat made the evening even better was the beerthat they produced. We sampled all 5 of their(amazing) beers that they were producing at thetime and it was here where I found my heaven.They make a beer called Mesquite SmokedPorter (6.4% ABV) and it is the beer of the yearfor me. It is dark and smoky, but not over-bearing. It had just the right mouth feel to itand its finish was superb (they have just startedbottling it as well…bottle conditioned!!).

Ranger Creekby Steve Saldana

www.real-ale.org.uk

34 | Beer Abroad

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Although I had accomplished what I hadwanted, I was not completely finished. As athank you for their wonderful hospitality, I invitedmyself over to their brewery to have a smalltasting session with some of bottles from overhere. On the list was the Brewdog IPA is Deadrange, Kipling by Thornbridge, Beijing Black byPotbelly Brewery, Citra by Oakham, and YorkBrewery’s Centurion’s Ghost. They thoroughlyenjoyed the selection but picked Centurion’sGhost, followed closely by the Beijing Black, asthe best beer.

For me as a beer hunter, this was missionaccomplished. Not only did I attend the SanAntonio Beer Week festivities, but I also foundmy new favorite beer and met a great brewingteam! So if you find yourself within the confinesof the Lone Star State and you are looking for agood drink, keep your eyes open for RangerCreek, you surely will not be disappointed.

BAEAUG11

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www.real-ale.org.uk

36 | Pleaase support our advertisers

THE VINEMarket Deeping

Telephone: 07501 465 64619 Church Street, Market Deeping

Under New Management

Free House with 4 Real Ales

Enjoy the Summer in our spacious Beer Garden

BREWERY TAP OF CASTOR ALES details at:www.princeofwalesfeathers.co.uk

Award winning village local in historic Castor.

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Home cooked food every lunchtime and

NOW available midweek evenings too!!

The Prince of Wales Feathers

Castor, Peterborough Tel: 01733 380222

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The Ruddy Duck12 St Pegas Road, Peakirk, Peterborough, PE6 7NFTel: 01733 252426 www.theruddyduck.co.uk

BEER FESTIVALSaturday 13th August • 1pm til late

10 Real Ales, Ciders & BBQ

Live Music Featuring

Rex, Lloyd &

Murray

Haylie-Mai

& The Nuggets

From Peking to Peakirk, Ruddy hell it’s a DUCK FEST !!!

www.real-ale.org.uk

Pleaase support our advertisers | 37

Beer Festival 9th - 11th SeptemberUp to 25 Real Ales • 6 Real Ciders• Wide selection of Belgian Beers

29 Scotgate, Stamford Tel: 01780 753598

Established in 1796 as one of the ORIGINAL Stamford Ale Houses - Providing Accommodation.

Eight Real Ales and Seven Real CidersFourteen Years in the Good Beer Guide

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Acontingent of Peterborough CAMRAmembers made their way to Southwold,the home of Adnams for their annual

pilgrimage over the summer solstice.Dave Murray organised a trip around the

newly refurbished brewery taking in Adnamsbrand new distillery. Some of the party havingnever been before, others amazed at the changesmade to the old site. We where privileged tohave Fergus Fitzgerald the head brewer as ourtour guide. He gave a very interesting, succinctoverview of how the brewery has evolved overthe years; finally we were taken to the tastingroom where we sampled various ales at differentstages of use. The only complaint was that thetasting glasses where rather small !! Overall, ourthanks go to Fergus and the staff for an excellenttour.

During the week, we all managed to sample afew of Adnams beers, including a new brewcalled ‘Ghost Ship’. This was originally brewedfor Halloween, and was so successful that thatthe brew has continued and is definitely one torecommend.

Within the area the pilgrimage was also madeto a number of other small local breweriesincluding St Peters, Green Jack and GreenDragon.

St Peters was slightly disappointing with theonly ale on tap the ‘organic ale’, and although inexcellent condition a bit more choice would havebeen nice. Advancing to the Green Jack breweryin Lowestoft prompted us with slightly moreglee as the choice was overwhelming. A choiceof around 9 ales including guest ales where onoffer although the first beer sampled was aneasy choice, it had to be ‘Lurcher’ a beer to beespecially recommended to those who love dark

38 | Southwold visit

Annual Peterborough Solstic

www.real-ale.org.uk

Distillery tower at Adnams

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beer. And to give the palette a zing, the nextchoice was the ‘Orange Wheat’ which gave agreat comparison.

Our final destination was the Green Dragonbrewery in Bungay, a small independentbrewery run from outbuildings behind the pub.The choice of beer was the Bridge Street Bitter,Chaucer Ale or Gold; we tried both the Goldand the bitter both where in great condition.

Then back to Southwold for a well earned pintof Broadside and a powernap!

Jackie & Kevin Fordham

Also accompanying us were Charles & HilaryWright, Dave, Maria, Ryan, Petra & Josie, AlunWilliams, Phil Woodhouse & Pamela BainesAnd our new recruit Sharon.

www.real-ale.org.uk

stice Camping in Southwold

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Cast your minds back twenty years agothis September. Who can recall thearrival of Leendert-R (Charters) 176ft

barge arriving in Peterborough. Well it wascertainly a milestone for local businessman andOakham Ales Partner Paul Hook.

Paul Hook was a mere 36 years of age when hetravelled to Holland in search of his ideal vessel.The barge was sailed across the North Seabefore docking in the market town of Wisbechwhere it was stripped out. The shell of the boatwas then brought to Peterborough where itunderwent extensive refurbishment andCharters was born.

Some of you may recall the slight hitch thatoccurred when the boat attempted to reach itsfinal resting place. Paul Hook says “getting theboat stuck under Town Bridge is a memory thatwill remain with me for many years”.

Charters was one of the first of the ‘new wave’real ale outlets in Peterborough and itspioneering work in supporting microbrewerieshelped it gain the Peterborough CAMRA Pub ofthe Year award back in 2002. The barge has also

been an entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guideevery year since it opened.

Charters is a much loved establishment whosereputation for serving good quality cask alesstems far and wide with visitors from near andfar enjoying its uniqueness. Today the venuecontinues to serve at least 12 real ales at anytime a number of which are award winning brewsfrom Oakham Ales.

There have been many culinary styles on theupper deck with previous offerings through theyears being Tex-Mex, French cuisine and tradi-tional English fayre, I’m sure many of you willremember the bowls of steak ‘n’ ale over chunky

Charters Reaches Twenty Year Milestone

40 | Twenty Years of Charters

www.real-ale.org.uk

Tight Squeeze: The barge going under Peterborough townbridge without an inch to spare!

Floorboards being laid for the top deck

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| 41

chips, washed down with a pint of JHB - all forthe princely sum of £3.00!! Those were the days! Iwould say the current restaurant East with itsOriental cuisine is the best incarnation yet, with ateam of Thai chefs producing some seriouslyauthentic flavours which pair fantastically withOakham Ales range of hoppy beers or a goodglass of wine.

Live music has been a big part of Chartershistory with live blues acts playing on Friday andSaturday nights from the late nineties. Some ofthose first acts to play were Kent Duchaine,Danny Bryant’s Red Eye Band, Derrin Nuendorf,Angryman and many, many more.

Some of you may remember the charity raft racethat was held on the River Nene every summerwhich always ended at Charters. It was a greatsight to see the bodged and crazy rafts lashedtogether with string that would barely stayfloating. The Charters raft was usually last acrossthe finish line as it was made with several emptyale casks (yes - made of metal) and powered byseveral unfit, heavy drinking chain smokers (meamongst them).I distinctly remember one year themanager at the time jumping off and hitching aride to the finish with the safety boat (you knowwho you are Alan Edwards!)

To celebrate thismilestone of 20 yearsof real ale lovelinessCharters are holdingtwo events thissummer and autumn.On Saturday 20thAugust Charters will

hold a day and night of music and entertainmentall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, there willbe entertainment for the kids so bring the familyalong with live bands, poetry and comedy.Autumn will see an “Oktober fest” commencing5pm on Thursday 15th September with 30+ Ales,Cider, Perry and live music on Saturday andSunday. The staff would like to invite you all tojoin them in toasting this their 20th year!

Daniel Speed

Charity raft race from the 1990’s

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www.real-ale.org.uk

Live Music Listings | 43

Cherry Tree , Woodston - PeterboroughSat 30th July Les Woods Band

Prince of Wales - CastorTues 19th July PETERBOROUGH MORRISDANCERS encourage you to join them in someGreat British Eccentricity !Sat 23rd July Altered EgoSat 6th August Electric WarriorsFri 19th August Children of the RevolutionSat 20th August The Elvis ExperienceSat 27th August IntwinedSat 17th September Porky Pig

The Ploughman - Werrington Sat 23rd July ROUNDHOUSEFri 5th August ON THE CELINGFri 12th August KICKBACK

Karaoke Every Sunday With Mighty Mouth Trev

Mama Liz - StamfordSaturday 6th August Voodoo Lounge LivePresents Mark Morriss (The Bluetones) - in aspecial solo acoustic performance with supportfrom: John Quinn (The Fleeting Minds) plusRichard Gombault (Midget)Friday 19th August Generation Graveyard + Verax+ Filthy AngelsSaturday 20th August Hip Hop vs MetalS.I.R, Half Infinity, D.M.D, DeliveranceStringfinger and Dawn Of HeartbreakFriday 23rd September The Neutronz + PoorBoy Paul + Mama Guitar

Swiss Cottage - PeterboroughFri 5th August Slide to Open

Please send any details forSeptember/October gigs [email protected] before15th August.

Rhythm and Booze

Friday 12th - Sunday 14th August

17 Real Ales & Real CidersMany served from the ‘Duck Beer Shed’

Open Noon to Midnight Fri and Sat Noon -10.30pm Sun

Live Music on Saturday and Sunday from 3pmBBQ tent • Ice cream • Kids Bouncy Castle

For more Info call: 01733 240476

The Cherry Tree9 - 11 Oundle Road,

Peterborough PE2 9PB

Tel: 01733 703495

FIVE Real Ales available including Landlord,White Dwarf plus various LocAles.

OPEN ALL DAY EVERYDAY FOOD SERVED LUNCH & EVENINGS

AMPLE PARKING • CAMRA GOLD AWARD

www.cherrytree-inn.co.uk

31st JulyFamily Fun Day

28th August Charity Music day

Dates for your Diary

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www.real-ale.org.uk


3 ever changing real ales

Traditional home cooked food served Tues to Sat 12 till 2.30pm & 5.30 till 9pmSunday lunch 12 till 5pm 2 courses £11.95

Tuesday quiz night 8pm start

Marquee hire now available

New Lunchtime menu now available

Christmas 2011 bookings now being taken

Peterborough Road, Thurlby, Bourne, PE10 0ELTel: 01778 421576 www.thehorseshoethurlby.co.uk

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JULYMon 25th - 8.30pm Committee Meeting,Letter B, Whittlesey.

AUGUSTSun 14th - Fence building on the Embankmentready for the Peterborough CAMRA BeerFestival.

Thu 18th - onwards Building thePeterborough CAMRA Beer Festival.

Mon 22nd - Visit to the Social Club at theRushden Historical Transport Society. Thisclub was National CAMRA Club of the Year2010 and normally has seven real ales avail-able. The trip will also include pubs inWellingborough where the three Good BeerGuide pubs normally have 20 real alesbetween them. Contact Mick Slaughter fordetails. NB This trip is only open toPeterborough Beer Festival volunteers.

Tue 23rd to Sat 27th PeterboroughCAMRA Beer Festival. Sun 28th to Tue30th Taking the Peterborough CAMRA BeerFestival apart.

SEPTEMBERSat 3rd - Noon East Midlands RegionalMeeting, Green Dragon, Lincoln

Sat 17th - Trip by train to Brignorth BeerFestival and Severn Valley pubs

Wed 21st - 8.30pm Committee Meeting,Coalheavers Arms, Peterborough

Selected Beer FestivalsJULYThu 21st– Sun 24th Hand and HeartSummer Beer & Music Festival, Highbury St,PE1 3BE

Fri 22nd – Sat 23rd Deepings Beer Festival,Rugby Club, Deeping St James, PE6 8EP

AUGUSTTue 2nd – Sat 6th Great British BeerFestival, Earls Court, London

Wed 10th – Sat 13th Grantham BeerFestival, Railway Club, NG31 7BA

Fri 12th – Sun 14th Duck & Drake BeerFestival, 34 Main St, Yaxley

Sat 13th Ruddy Duck Beer Festival, 12 StPegas Road, Peakirk

Thu 18th – Sat 21st Ipswich Beer Festival,Ipswich Docks

Tue 23rd – Sat 27th Peterborough CAMRABeer Festival, Embankment, PE1 1EF

Fri 26th – Mon 29th Mama Liz’s BeerFestival, 9a North St, Stamford

SEPTEMBERTue 6th – Sat 10th Chappel Beer Festival,East Anglia Railway Museum, CO6 2DS

Thu 8th – Sat 10th Elgoods Brewery BeerFestival, Wisbech

Fri 16th (eve) – Sun 18th Kings Arms,Polebrook PE8 5LM 4th Annual BeerFestival

Thu 22nd – Sat 24th Letchworth GardenBeer Festival, Plinston Hall, Broadway, SG63NX

Wed 28th – Sat 1st Oct St Albans BeerFestival, Alban Arean, Civic Centre

Diary DatesDiary Dates | 45

www.real-ale.org.uk

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The next issue of BAE will beavailable on: 22nd SeptemberWe must have your stories,news and advertisements by: 1st SeptemberLate copy cannot be guaranteed entry.

Please contact Chris Shilling01778 421550/07736 635916 or Steve Whadcock 01778420888 / 07985 [email protected] all of your advertising needs.

Steve Williams [email protected] or 0775 6066 503 isalways looking for pub news.

Please send stories and othercopy to [email protected]

Beer Around ‘Ere is published by Peterborough &District Branch of CAMRA Copyright © 2011, TheCampaign for Real Ale Ltd.

Views or comments expressedin this publication may not necessarily be those of theEditor or of CAMRA.

46 | Contact Details

Branch Committee

Secretary: Harry Morten

49 St Margarets Road,

Peterborough PE2 9EA

01733 764296

07900 056940

08707 620848 (fax)

[email protected]

Chairman: David Murray

01733 560453

[email protected]

Treasurer: Paul Beecham

01733 311981

07710 008693

[email protected]

Vice Chair: John Hunt

07923 489917

[email protected]

Social Sec: John Hunt

07923 489917

[email protected]

Pubs Officer: Steve Williams

07756 066503

[email protected]

Press Officer: Karl Simpson

07737 297072

[email protected]

Young Members: Alix Botton

07806 625574

young-members@real-

ale.org.uk

Membership: Steve Saldana

07988 067260

[email protected]

Festival Org: Mike Lane

07850 334203

festival-organiser@real-

ale.org.uk

LocAle Officer: John Rice

07759 342702

[email protected]

General Assistant: Jane Flew

jane.flew@peterborough-

camra.org.uk

Beer Around ’Ere

Editor: Situation vacant

07900 056940

[email protected]

Distribution: David Murray

(See Chairman on the left)

Advertising: Chris Shilling

01778 421550, 07736 635916

[email protected]

Steve Whadcock

01778 420888, 07985 240365

[email protected]

Magazine & Advertising

Production: Dan Speed

0845 838 7581

[email protected]

Postal Distr: Daryl Ling

01733 235881

Brewery Liaison Officers

Blue Bell: John Hunt

07923 489917

Castor Ales: Mike Lane

07850 334203

Digfield: Dave Waller

01733 348760

Elgoods: John Rice

07759 342702

Hopshackle: Noel Ryland

07944 869656

Melbourn: Lew Clayton

01780 765063

Oakham Ales: Dave Allett

07966 344417

Tydd Steam: John Hunt

07923 489917

Ufford Ales: Matt Mace

07809 629241

Trading Standards

08545 040506

www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Check out our website at:

www.peterborough-camra.org.uk

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Sky SportsBEER FESTIVAL - First weekend in JulyHappy Hour Mon - Fri, 5-7pmLive Entertainment

(See Rythm and Booze section)

Karaoke every Sunday with Mighty Mouth TrevFunction room for hire at reasonable pricesJoin our Facebook group The Ploughman

THE PLOUGHMANStaniland Way, Werrington centre PE4 6NATel: 01733 327696

Your Award Winning localwith SEVEN Real Ales

available from £2.00 a pint!

Your Award Winning localwith SEVEN Real Ales

available from £2.00 a pint!

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Agreat welcome awaits you at The Farmers, Yaxley.We are famous for our fresh vegetables and great carverymeats, succulent and served with all the trimmings, thenfinished off with a tantalising hot or cold dessert!

Check out our new lunch time grill menu’s and our everchanging specials boards. Put it all together with three fine cask ales and you have the perfect place toenjoy dinner with friends or a family celebration. Wehave a self contained function suite which is ideal forparties, weddings and all of life’s celebrations.

So if you’ve not been before give us a try and you’ll bepleasantly surprised.

More than just a Carvery!

At Least Three

Real Ales!

200 Broadway, Yaxley Tel: 01733 244885Email: [email protected]

www.thefarmersyaxley.co.uk

Open Every Day10am - 5.30pm All Day Menu & Coffee

Midday - 2:30pm Carvery & Specials Menu

5:30pm - LATE Carvery & Grill Menu

Sunday Open From 12 Noon - 9pm

All Day Carvery

Big

Breakfast

every Sat 8 to 11am

Help yourself from the carvery,

as much as you can eat for

only £5.95!

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BAE 160

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