Issue 149 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

& CASK FORCE& CASK FORCE& CASK FORCE

Summertime andthe drinkin’ is easy!

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Newsletter of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

No.149 Summer 2009

RURAL PUBS AROUNDNORFOLK

MORE OF NORFOLK’S TRUE HERITAGE PUBS

MALT AND HOPS WITHNORFOLK SQUARE

CRONES CIDER VISIT

PLUS NEWS AND REVIEWS

This is my first report asyour new Chairman. If Ithought it would be abusy role then I was right!

First, I was involved in thepresentation to Whin HillCider for winning the EastAnglia Cider competition.Then we had a great night atThe Artichoke, Broome, whichis our Branch Pub Of The Year.

I also attended the launch atThe Forum of our Real AleWalks in Norfolk Guide andeven appeared in the paperwith Warren Wordsworth, ourPubs Officer, who wrote thebook. We both later attendedthe Members’ Weekend in East-bourne to represent ourBranch. All this in such a shorttime.

I've been giving assistance tothe Norwich Evening News insupport of their Love YourLocal campaign. I'm concernedabout the continuing closuresof our local Pubs; they areimportant to the community. I encourage all members to help

us in our campaigning, so pleasecontact me if you can assist.

We are now the second largestbranch in CAMRA, with 1857members, and I would like toreach 2000 total by the yearend. If we all recruited just oneextra member we couldachieve this target easily. Ourstrong membership can onlyhelp us in our campaigning.-and I thank everyone whospends time on Branch activities.

Finally, some people haveasked ‘why is a bloke fromManchester our Chairman?’ I can only reply that it's myown personal campaign to getNorfolk to put a head on itsbeer.

Keep suppin'!

Graham Freeman

NORFOLK NIPS | Chairman’s Letter

Norwich & Norfolk BranchChairman: Graham FreemanTel: 01603 687495Email: [email protected]: Carolyn JonesTel: 01603 865505Email: [email protected] Secretary: Tim MacDonaldTel. 01603 865505Email: [email protected]

West Norfolk BranchChairman: Tim SpitzerSecretary: Ian BaileyContact: Bruce WardTel: 01485 609107

Branch websites:www.norwichcamra.org.ukwww.camra.org.uk/wnorfolk

Branch mailing list web page:groups.yahoo.com/group/CAMRA_Norwich

Published every 3 monthsby the Norwich, Norfolk & WestNorfolk branches of the Campaignfor Real Ale © N&N CAMRA 2009Norfolk Nips is produced anddistributed by members of thebranch in their own time.

Edited by:Andrea KirkbyEmail: [email protected]

Chris LucasEmail: [email protected]

Views expressed in NorfolkNips are not necessarily thoseof the editor or of CAMRA

Design & Production:Daniel Wheeler - Tamoko DesignEmail: [email protected]

Advertising:For advertising enquiries pleasecontact Chris Shilling on:Tel: 01778 421 550Mobile: 07736 635916Email: [email protected]

Rates:Colour Rates (exclusive of VAT) are:Quarter page - 1 insertion £70 Half page - 1 insertion £130 Full Page - 1 insertion £230Reduced rates for series bookings

Chairman’s Bit

SUMMER 2009 | 3

Got a short pint? If you believe that you havebeen treated unfairly in a pub,club or bar, you should contactthe Trading Standards service bywriting to them at NorfolkTrading Standards Service,County Hall, Martineau Lane,Norwich, NR1 2UD or faxingthem on 01603 222999.

A wide range of consumerinformation and advice is alsoavailable online from theConsumer Direct website atwww.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Chris and Glynis invite you to the

Trafford Arms

Cask Ale, Good Food and Great Customers.

61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466www.traffordarms.co.uk email: [email protected]

Greetings! I thought a fewwords about our area’sbiggest town King’s Lynnwould be in order, sadly

Lynn doesn’t boast the dizzyingarray of great ale pubs thatNorwich has, you have to looka bit harder. When myself andStig were doing the GBGsurveys we checked out a fewplaces, the one currententry The Stuart House Hotelamongst them. Here’s what wefound.

We began at one of the twoWetherspoon’s outlets in Lynn,the Lattice House, a pubonce owned by CAMRA, thebeer was okay but the servicevery slow. Moving onto theriverfront, stopped in atBradley’s, this is a restaurantthough it does serve a gooddrop of Adnams Bitter, and youdon’t have to dine to enjoy it(several people were though).Next we dived into the back-

streets to visit Crossways, aGreene King house, the IPA wasgood, and the pub itself ispleasant, sports are featured onthe tv screens. Next up was theLondon Porterhouse,Greene King again, they usedto serve IPA and Abbot bygravity (and it was excellent),but now just served by hand-pump, and on the day the IPAwasn’t fantastic.

Onto the Live & Let Live, apub which divides the branch-some like it, some loathe it!Myself and Stig both agreedthe beer was fine, but the pubcould do with a makeover, andthe language of some of thelocals leaves a lot to be desired.We walked back to the TuesdayMarket Place and went in theother Wetherspoon’s pub, theGlobe Hotel, the annualKing’s Lynn Mart was onoutside and the pub was busy,but the staff really looked after

us, and the beer was superb(how can two pubs owned bythe same chain be sodifferent?). We later ended upat the Stuart House Hotel, aregular GBG entry anddeservedly so - quality ale.

Didn’t have time to visit someother pubs we’ve been to inthe past, such as the LordNapier, the White Horse(Gaywood), and the Wool-pack, which are all okay andmaybe worth a look. Anotheroutlet that once featured in theGBG is the Ouse AmateurSailing Club (a formerCAMRA Club Of The Year), butthat’s a whole kettle of fish bestleft alone, and I believe barmanager Ron has now left. So there you have it, good beeris to be found, it’s just not asthick on the ground as else-where. Cheers!

Tim Spitzer

King’s Lynn Crawl

SUMMER 2009 | 5

NORFOLK NIPS | West Norfolk Chairman’s Letter

The Artichoke, Broome is Norfolk Pub of theYear, having beaten West Norfolk branch’s selec-tion, the Union Jack at Roydon.

It's a splendid example of a rural pub that offersgood hospitality, excellent real ales, and a greatatmosphere. John and Nikki Craft, who run thepub, commented that “In these difficult times,it's nice to see a country pub has been given theaward.” They ran the Kiung's Arms in Hall Road,Norwich, another excellent real ale pub, beforemoving here and refurbishing the pub in 2006.

The pub serves a wide range of real ales from

handpump and on gravity, and serves freshlycooked food at meal times - as well as a selec-tion of snacks including pickled eggs.We will be carrying an article with John Craft inthe next issue.

Norfolk POTY

4 | SUMMER 2009

•BELL•Salhouse

Tel: 01603 721141 www.salhousebell.co.uk

Offering four real ales and quality home-cookedfood we are sure you will have a great time.

17th Century timber beamed pub.

From Norwich & Acle head to Salhouse andat the mini roundabout follow the sign to

Wroxham, we are 200yds on the right.

BT Openzone available

Open all day every day, food is served:-12-2 & 6-9 Monday to Saturday

12-3 Sunday for plated home cooked Sunday lunches withhomemade Yorkshire puddings and fresh

vegetables. A reduced menu is available on Sundays 6-9and Mondays 12-2 & 6-9

Please call ahead to check availability if dining.

Produce your Salhouse broad mooring receiptand receive £2.00 off your meal when ordering

from our full menu.

Quiz Nights every Wednesday from 8.30pmA meat raffle is held every Sunday at 4:30 pm.

Woolpack, nearly 30 years ago.There is also a lot of trafficpassing close by on the Lynn toSutton Bridge Road. I realisethat it will cost a lot to bringthe building up to scratch, butsurely it must be worth a go,especially if they can get theexcellent chef back.

In Kings Lynn the town centreand London Road areas arepretty much the only places leftfor a drink. In South Lynn thelast remaining pub, the JollyFarmers is closed and up forsale. Up on Pandora Meadowsthe Norfolk Harvester hasbeen reported as being closedfor much of the time, whilstthe New Inn on WoottonRoad looks fine from theoutside but has been closedwhen people have tried to goin. We have heard on thegrapevine that it is hoped to befully functional again ‘in a fewweeks’. Over in Loke Road,there is slightly better news ofthe Bentinck, which looks likeit is having a bit of moneyinvested and may well have afuture as a pub.

Meanwhile out in the villages,the Rampant Horse atGayton is under new owner-ship, having been taken on bya local garage owner, and byall accounts is very popular. Upthe coast in Snettisham, theCompasses is now open againafter a long closure. Otherpubs reported to have changedhands recently include theCarpenters Arms at EastWinch, the Horse andGroom in Swaffham, theSandboy at Bawsey and the

Jolly Sailors in Brancaster. In all cases these seem to havebeen acquired by people with agood track record of runningpubs and we hope that theywill all become excellent placesto drink. Any feedback wouldbe most welcome.

In the travel section of one ofthe national papers recentlywas a section with recommen-dations by readers of the bestseaside pub. I was verysurprised to find the Water-side listed in Hunstanton, as Ihave never heard of it. Furtherenquiries revealed that it is theold Three In One overlookingthe promenade. According tothe Guardian it has a decentpint of Adnams.

Between Kings Lynn andGayton is the Leziate SailingClub, which is now open tonon-members and regularlyserves Abbott and Spitfire. We went out there for a quizrecently and were very impressedby both the beer and thewelcome from the staff.

Out at Newton by Castle Acrethe George has been reportedas being well worth a visit, andhaving taken the advice wewere not disappointed eitherby the food or the beer. It’s onthe Swaffham to Fakenhamroad and is going to be thevenue of an up and comingbranch meeting.

We also felt that we had tocheck out the Norwich Branchpub of the year over inBroome. The Artichoke isright down by the Suffolk

border and is a wonderful pubwith a range of about 8 beers,which can be seen through theglass front of the cellar. Everyyear we wonder why the WestNorfolk pubs never quite makeit through to the regionalround of the Pub Of The Year.We thought that we had anexcellent candidate with theUnion Jack in Roydon thistime round, but hats off to theNorwich guys who once againhave discovered an absolutegem.

I have received two pressreleases which tell of the returnof a former GBG pub and therebirth of a North Norfolkbrewery, as they’re co-locatedat the Jolly Sailors at BrancasterStaithe, I’ll tell you about both.The Jolly Sailors reopened onthe slightly inauspicious 13thFebruary (a Friday!) havingbeen fully refurbished. The newproprietor Cliff Nye aimed tocreate a good value “grassroots” village pub and havingensured the pub was up andrunning well decided to makegood use of the brewery planthe inherited with the pub.

The brewery is called, of course“Brancaster Brewery” and isinitially producing two ales,“Brancaster Best” and “OysterCatcher”, both available on tapor bottle conditioned.You should be able to try themat Ely beer festival or of course,best tried at the pub!I like to wish all at the JollySailors good luck - it’s alwaysnice to report some really posi-tive real ale news.

NORFOLK NIPS | Pub News

SUMMER 2009 | 76 | SUMMER 2009

During the last three monthsthere have been a number ofpub closures and reopenings.

First the good news! Recentlyreopened pubs include:-

The Cross Keys in Wymondham,which has been closed sincejust after Christmas, reopenedfor business in March. InNorwich, The Rosary Tavernhas opened again, and thelandlord intends to convert theconservatory into a restaurant.Both Woolpacks in Norwich(Golden Ball St & Muspole St)reopened in April. The Ferryat Stokesby reported as closedin last NIPS was apparentlyonly closed for a short period inthe winter for refurbishment,and is now open again. TheBell in Salhouse has finallyreopened after a period of overa year’s closure, and iscurrently selling a range of fourreal ales that include FullersLondon Pride and Woodforde’sWherry. And the Maltsters inRanworth has also reopened.

On the downside, it has beenreported that the followingpubs have closed during thelast three months -

In Gorleston The DockTavern has closed and iscurrently on the market for saleleasehold, free of tie. DukesBar shut as of March.

In Yarmouth the followinghave also recently closed; TwoBears , boarded up as of

March 2009 (compulsorynotice on door from Council).Croppers Bar Ex EastSuffolk Inn & Jaks Bar (exIce bar) are reported shut as ofMarch 2009.

In Blofield Heath The TwoFriends is currently shut as isThe Pleasure Boat in Hick-ling and The Lacon Arms inHemsby.

The application to convert TheKings Head in Horsham StFaiths into a dwelling house asreported in last NIPS was,despite an objection fromNorwich & Norfolk CAMRAsuccessful and this pub hasnow closed its doors for busi-ness permanently.

There is good news for drinkersin the south Norfolk village ofGreat Moulton. The Fox &Hounds which last autumnwas the subject of an applica-tion for change of use to aprivate dwelling has beensaved. Mr Les Christman andhis wife, who were formerlandlords of The White Horse inKenninghall, have taken thepub over on a one year lease.

Brewery andTrade News

Uncle Stuart's Brewery hasmoved into new premises atWroxham Barns, from existingpremises at Lingwood. TheBeer Shop will also move to

Wroxham, selling up to 100bottled beers from other localbrewers.The Publican awarded Bate-mans Brewery the title ofBest Pub Company of the Year.Norwich drinkers will know theLeopard, Champion, and King'sArms as Batemans pubs.Research by Greene Kingrevealed that one in ten Britsbelieve cask beer is a kind oflager; more than half of usdon't know that barley is oneof the key ingredients in beer;and more than a third ofLondoners don’t know that realale contains hops!Elmtree Brewery shop onthe Oakwood Industrial Estateat Snetteron is now open 11-4at weekends, and wheneverthey're brewing - ring ahead on01953 887065. Banham Stores(opposite Banham Zoo) alsostocks Elmtree’s beers.

News from the West

Back in the last issue, you mayrecall that I was enthusiasticabout our visits to the Wool-pack at Walpole Cross Keys. It is sad to relate that shortlyafter our Branch gathering aproblem was discovered withthe roof of the pub and it wasforced to close. We came pastrecently and the shutters werestill up. There is a long traditionof a good pub here – one ofthe first CAMRA meetings Iattended in Norfolk was in the

Pub News | NORFOLK NIPS

Pub News

8 | SUMMER 2009

SEASONAL ALESThin Ice 4.7% Jan/Feb Old Wagg 4.0% March/April

Double Swan 4.5% May/June Mad Dog 4.4% July/AugBarleymead 4.8% Sept/Oct Old Black Shuck 4.5% NovSnickalmas 5.0% Wenceslas Winter Warmer 7.5% Dec

North Brink Brewery, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire Tel: 01945 583160

Available all year round:

Cambridge Bitter 3.8%Gold Award

Champion Bitter of Britain 2006

The Kings Arms 22 Hall Rd Norwich NR1 3HQ

Tel: 01603 766361

Always serving a mild plus a stout, porter or old and real cider.

A range of Belgian Ales and Fruit beers now available!

Quiz Night! - The last Wednesday in every month!

Come and try our lunchtime bar menu or have anight out with friends and order in yourfavourite take-away! Now serving Roasts every Sunday ! CA

MRA GOOD BEER

GUIDE 2009

We are

in it!

13 Real Ales always served from Batemans, Adnams and Wolf

breweries plus many other local andnational beers.

NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post Its

SUMMER 2009 | 11

Alby - Horseshoes - This pub is well worth avisit. Richard seeks out interesting beers, there isalways something from Woodfordes, Wherry ispermanent and there could be Nelson's Revengeor Nog. Beers from Nethergate, St Peter's andHumpty Dumpty appear regularly and arealways in good nick. The food is tasty. This is anhonest pub with a landlord who knows his beer.It is an unfancy pub but the beer choice is imagi-native compared to the usual suspects in NorthNorfolk of only Adnams and Wherry.

Thorpe - The Buck - There's been a changeof manager at “The Buck” in Thorpe. He's a chefby training and hails from Glasgow, and seemskeen to continue stocking some ales over andabove the standard Adnams, Woodfordes andGreene King wares. Unfortunately, as a managerrather than a landlord he's restricted in what hecan stock. It looks hopeful and I think hedeserves encouragement!

Hempton - Bell - A splendid pub. That rarebeast, a beer house with no food. Unspolit inte-rior with a lovely old bar counter. Three realales, Wherry and John Smiths Cask are the regu-lars with one ever changing guest (Mayfieldswhen I visited with Slaters due next.)

Strumpshaw - Shoulder of Mutton - Thispub keeps a really good pint and is our friendlylocal, Maybe you could try it on one of yourfriday trips out. They always have Bitter, Broad-side and a seasonal Adnams and one other questbeer all kept well. During the winter theresalways a great pint of 'mother-in law'!

Lessingham - Star - Three beers on; GKIPA,Courage Directors and Buffys Bitter. Landlordhas installed three antique Masons handpumpsand is using them in anger.

Smallburgh - Crown - Lovely multi-roomedpub, a rarity these days, great food. BUT -

GKIPA, GK Abbot, Adnams Bitter, Black SheepBitter and Thwaites Lancaster Bomber. What aboring choice!

Happisburgh - Hill House - Six beers on,three local. I tried a Tipples which unfortunatelywasn't very good.

Attleborough - London Tavern - Guestbeers were from Tring and Cheddar Ales. Both were excellent.

Litcham - Bull - Two Beeston beers on. Sullen yoof serving.

Great Cessingham - Windmill - Food operation. Uninspiring beer range. Some original fittings left if you know where to look.

Bell, Salhouse - Re-opened as an EnterpriseInns pub, four real ales, Flowers IPA, WoodfordesWherry, Directors and London pride, at present.All in good condition. Landlord seems positiveabout CAMRA.

Ship - South Walsham - Re-opened as agastro pub. One room completely laid up formeals, the other, half. Adnams Bitter, Broadside andWherry. The first pint out of the pump was tired.

Norwich - Vine - Tiny pub, nice intimatefeeling. Just look through the window and yousee the handpumps, with Wolf Coyote andOakham JHB permanent, Erdinger Weissbier,and guests. Friendly, and no bother to just drinka pint as I did though there's a Thai restaurant ifyou fancy some grub. A wonderful little hideout!

Swan - Horning - Interesting list of forth-coming guest ales, plus a meet the Everardsbrewer event was being advertised. The beerquality was excellent. Somebody must betaking an interest.

Pub Post-itsAs always, remember that these post-its are subjective and reflect the personal experience ofour correspondents. Please feel free to email your post-its in to [email protected] - andif you really like the pub, why not nominate it for next year's CAMRA Good Beer Guide?

Continued Overleaf

DUKEof WELLINGTONTRADITIONAL REAL ALE HOUSE

91 - 93 WATERLOO ROAD | NORWICH | 01603 441182

14 REAL ALES GRAVITY SERVEDavailable all year round fromour glass fronted tap room

6 MORE ALESON HAND PUMP

Just 15 minutes walk

from City Centre

OpenMonday to Saturday 12 to 11pm

Sundays - 12noon to 10.30pm

Come and enjoy our Tap Roomwith a selection of Belgian

bottled beers, Schneider Weiss,Erdinger and Dunkel.

BEER FESTIVALFriday Aug 28th – Sat Sept 5th

100 REAL ALES! some indoors, some in the

Marquee outside

Barbecue food available throughout

Live acoustic Music Tues night

Raffle – proceeds to MS Society

12 | SUMMER 2009

Wreningham, Bird in Hand - This food pubhas put real ale and more of a pub atmosphereback on the menu. 5 real ales are on pump -Norfolk Nog, Wherry and Nelson’s Revenge, andAdnams bitter are staples, with a regular otherguest beer - Adnams Broadside when I visitedlast. I tried the Nog and Broadside, both were intip top condition. A friendly welcome, goodfood and excellent beer makes this one bar, foodpub well worth a visit.

Geldeston - Locks - Visited Geldeston LocksInn one afternoon. Plenty of people inside andout on their large lawn leading to the river.Green Jack Canary and Trawler boys were onand were very drinkable. Same old dirt track andgenerator, enjoyable afternoon.

Frettenham - Rose & Crown - Imposingbrick building on the Buxton Road to the northof the village, opened out into one large roomwith a central horseshoe shaped bar. I normallyprefer my pubs to be a bit cosier, but that said Ifelt very comfortable sitting in the window seatlooking over the pig field opposite. The beerson offer were Bombardier and Evans EvansWarrior. I obviously went for the micro and verygood it was too. The pub doesn’t openlunchtimes Monday to Friday.

Weybourne - Ship - Don’t stumble if you getoff Norfolk Green’s ‘Coasthopper’ when you getto Weybourne or you will fall through the restau-rant window of the Ship. Although food isimportant this is very much a pub that servesgood food rather than a restaurant that sellsdrinks. This is a destination, or at least a way-stop for walkers to the extent that on some daysit could be renamed the Gore-Tex Arms. On mylast call all hand pumps were serving Norfolkbrewed beers and, most importantly, thosetasted were in v.good condition.

Mundesley - The Manor Hotel - A beaconon the north coast, the Manor Hotel and Victorian Bar (both under the same ownershipsince Autumn 2008) offer a limited (IPA andWherry) but well kept real ale selection. Hotelhas seen better days but is in process of

restoration, Victorian Bar now busy on a Sundayafternoon. Despite all locals watching TV andwaiting for pool table, a friendly reception washad, and 3/4 pint of beer pulled off prior toservice, which ensured a good pint on an unseasonally fine day. Worth your custom!

Kings Head - Coltishall - Adnams Bitter andExtra. House beer Broadland Harvest comesfrom Bedford. Nowhere to sit, crowd of drinkersround the bar, every table in the place was laidup. That said the Extra was excellent.

White Horse - Upton – Excellent village pub,off the beaten track but worth seeking out whenyou are in the Acle area. Three beers were onwhen I visited, Adnams Bitter and Broadside plusFullers London Pride. The real treat here is thefish and chips. The Landlord goes to Lowestoftfish market every Thursday and serves the bestfish and chips I have ever eaten in a pub. Youshould be OK on a Saturday, but a Friday visit isessential to guarantee availability. Go hungry!

New Inn - South Wootton Landlord, Andy, is still in residence but nottrading. Reported for sale at £50 000.

Rampant Horse - GaytonBusy under the new management. Various events. Two beers on eg XXB +Bombardier but restricted to Enterprise’s list.

Bentinck - LynnNew landlord now in. Being refurbished(smartened?). Unclear whether Real Ales will be on.

Compasses - Snettisham, In the same hands as The Dray & horses, Tottenhill. Only IPA spotted on a recent visit.

The Fenman in King's Lynn is under newmanagement and still offering Greene King IPAand Abbot for those with a few minutes to waitbefore their train.

Railway - Docking Now has taken the Bircham Newton lunchtimetrade from The King’s Head; apparently fell outwith the management.

Pub Post Its continued | NORFOLK NIPS

Norfolk Harvester, Lynn Only seems to be open evenings and weekends.

Dolphin - Thetford Re-opened early this year. Enterprise have put ina temporary manager who seems more permanentthan some regular ones. Wherry + two guestswith the strong possibility of a fourth and maybea cider. They’re also taking advice fromcustomers on beer. Much impressed.

After some doubt things are looking promisingat the Bentinck, it is now undergoing a refur-bishment. No real ale as yet but it is good to seeit open again.

The London Porterhouse has a new landlordand a new look having been tastefully refurbished. Itstill attracts a good local trade and has Greene KingIPA served from one of the handpumps.

And three pubs further afield -Stamford, Lincs - Tobie Norris - A very busylunch service in this award -winning refurbishedpub on the first post-snow Saturday. Service wasslow but the staff were friendly and the UffordAles very good. The place is a warren of nooksand crannies with some lovely looking food.Definitely worth a visit.

Oakham - Grainstore - A brief stop here for apint of the delicious Cooking Bitter for me andRutland Panther for my wife. The pub was quietfor a Sunday lunchtime but the barman wasfriendly and I managed to buy some take-awaybottles. The on-site brewery can be seen frominside the pub.

Peterborough - Charters - A convertedbarge by the Town Bridge on the river Nene. Wehad some delicious Thai food and a couple ofpints of some of the ten well kept ales on offer.The barman was able to tell us about the beers.We tried some one from the new Art Braubrewery and a joint offering from Oakham andNewby Wyke. A unique setting which wouldmake an ideal summer`s evening destination. Matt Phelps, Graham and Yoko Downes, Michael

Croxford, Paul Hewitt, Des O'Brien, Trevor Wadlow,Alan Goodson, Jon Knight, Roland Coomber, ChrisLucas and Andrea Kirkby.

CorrespondenceI was bemused by Michael Cullup's descriptionof The Champion in issue 148 of Nips as I was inthe pub at the time (2 days ago) and enjoyingboth the quality of the beer and the friendlyatmosphere. I gather the current landlord hasonly been in the place about 5 weeks, and fromwhat Michael says of it in December he hasclearly done a very good job. I am happy toreport it's back up to its previous high standard.Have to agree with Michael that the Ribs isworthy of a GBG entry, but then Norwich justhas more great pubs than most cities, it shouldbe allowed more entries!! Keep up the goodwork with Nips, I usually have to read it on yourweb site as I live in Hampshire and it alwaysmakes me want to visit the Fine City again!

Geoff Tester

In response to the piece on the Crownand Mitre, Lynn, in the Spring edition:I was delighted to discover the Crown and Mitrewhen I moved to Lynn last September. It iseverything a CAMRA member could want. Fineold building, no music, no machines, nounpleasant people, warm atmosphere, characterof a landlord and – most important – a goodselection of real ales in top condition.

There are usually six and a constantly changingrange. When the Anchor Brewery comes onstream there will be an even greater variety tolook forward to, something which Lynn badlyneeds. The re-introduction of simple pub food atlunchtime adds to the experience of a traditionalEnglish pub. I am at a loss to know why this pubdoes not feature in the Good Beer Guide as itticks all the boxes.

At a time when traditional pubs are closingrapidly I would have thought that the localbranch of CAMRA would be doing all that itcould to support places like the Crown and Mitre.

Peter Rollings

NORFOLK NIPS | Pub Post Its continued

SUMMER 2009 | 13

The Wherry Yacht CharterCharitable Trust will besailing the Broads thisyear - and stopping at a

number of pubs en route,offering real ale lovers thechance to combine boatingand a drink.

The Trust will also be selling itsown beer - Hathor Bitter,named after one of its wherryyachts, which has been brewedby Blackfriars Brewery ofYarmouth for the Trust. (Unfor-tunately the name 'Wherry' hasalready been taken. And sinceWoodforde's helps support theTrust too, it would have beenrather tactless to compete.)

Katy Walters of the WherryYacht Charter Trust says thewherry tour is popular withpubs, as not only are thepassengers usually thirsty whenthey arrive, but many peopleturn up just to have a look atthe boat when she's tied upoutside.

“The Locks at Geldeston is afavourite,” she says, “and this

year we'realso goingto bevisiting theRibs of BeefinNorwich.”To get there, the mast has tobe lowered to fit under theWensum bridges - and turningthe wherry round to go backdownriver is tricky, as there'snot much room.

Some of the sailings are easilyaccessible from public trans-port (Reedham Quay, BerneyArms, and Beccles, for instance)and the price of the sailingincludes a return trip by coachor train. The full list of viewingsand sailings is available atwherryyachtcharter.org.

The Trust has a big fundraisingtarget this year, as it needs GBP100,000 to refit its base andoverhaul its three wherryyachts. The tour is also‘Hathor’s Farewell’. It won’t bea permanent goodbye to thissplendid boat, which is, unusually,designed on an ancient

Egyptian theme, but she needsan overhaul and will be laid uptill at least 2013.

No one can doubt that wherriesand beer go together. BobMalster's book ‘Wherries andWaterways’ contains a marvellousanecdote.

It was not entirely for the sakeof the hirers that pleasurewherry skippers contendedthat all the best moorings werethose alongside public houses.Some skippers would arrangefor a ‘birthday’ telegramto be sent to them each week,and upon the hirers seeing itthey would of course have awhip round or stand him a fewdrinks at the inn. Theresults of this trick made up forthe cost of the telegram, butthey had to take care if thesame party returned thefollowing year in adifferent week!

NORFOLK NIPS | Yacht Charter

Mine’s a pint and a Wherry

SUMMER 2009 | 1514 | SUMMER 2009

© Kathy W

alters and June Splitt

Farmers’ marketsMore and more brewers are nowselling their bottled beers atfarmers’ markets. Here’s where toget your supplies.

Aylsham - Ynot on first Saturdayof the month, Humpty Dumpty onthird Saturday of the month

Wymondham - SpectrumBrewery, third Saturday of themonth

Dereham - Spectrum, secondSaturday of the month.

Beccles - Humpty Dumpty, firstSaturday of the month

www.spectrumhygiene.co.uk

16 | SUMMER 2009

GBG 2011 nominations | NORFOLK NIPS

it may seem strange to somethat I am writing an articleabout nominations for the2011 CAMRA National Good

Beer Guide (GBG) when thevoting Meeting for the 2010GBG occurred only just overthree months ago and thedeadline for 2011 nominationsis not until 31st December2009, another six months away.

The reason I write this now isthat this is the time of yearwhen the long summerevenings are approaching andBranch members are morelikely go out in the county andvisit some of our more ruralpubs. In the past there hasnever been much interest orenthusiasm for GBG nominationswhen I advertise for nomina-tions in November andDecember, when dark winternights prevail and Christmasarrangements are top of mostpeople’s priorities. So why notget out into the county nowand give me your recommen-dations for new pubs to beconsidered for possible entryinto the GBG.

Below is a list of a few earlyrecommendations of possiblenominations that I havereceived:-

The Banham BarrelThe Crown SheringhamThe Earle Arms HeydonThe White Horse KenninghallThe Greyhound Tibenham

The Pelican TacolnestonThe Murderers NorwichThe Rose Norwich

Now is your chance whenvisiting pubs around thecounty to have your say as towhich pubs get nominated forthe next GBG. Please add tothis list and/or visit any of thepubs listed above and giveyour opinions on whether youreckon they are worthycontenders for inclusion in theNational Good Beer Guide.Nominations or comments canbe submitted to me either byE-mail to:- [email protected]

Or by post to Warren Wordsworth, (Pubs Officer)16 Grove Avenue,Norwich, NR1 2QD

I look forward to hearing fromyou!

Warren Wordsworth

West Norfolk Branch wouldalso be pleased to hear of anypubs in their area whichdeserve a place in the GoodBeer Guide, so if you comeacross a worthy pub in WestNorfolk please contact AndreaBriers on e-mail:[email protected] orsend the details to her viaCAMRA HQ, 230 Hatfield Road,St.Albans, AL1 4LW.

Good Beer Guide 2011nominations

Branch calendar

16 June - branch meeting, TheRibs of Beef, Fye Bridge Street

25 June - Beer festival planningmeeting at the White Lion, Oak St, 8pm

3 July - First Friday Five, starting2000, venues to be arranged

12 July - Bowls match at the Dukeof Wellington, Waterloo Road, 12o'clock.

21 July - branch meeting

7 August - First Friday Five

27 August - Beer festival planningmeeting at the White Lion, OakStreet, 8pm

4 September - First Friday Five

15 September - branch meeting

24 September - beer festival plan-ning meeting

2 October - First Friday Five

18 October - beer festival panicmeeting

25 October - setting up forNorwich Beer Festival - volunteersalways needed at St Andrew's andBlackfriars Halls!

26-31 October - Norwich BeerFestival. Come along and volunteer -you get free beer, free grub, and ajolly good time will be had by all.

For updates on the social calendarcheck www.norwichcamra.org.uk withthe full branch events calendar. You donot have to be a CAMRA member tocome on the socials or the First FridayFive - you just have to want to drinkreal ale and have a good time.

Much of the fittings in thepublic bar come from the reno-vation; the old bar top hasbeen re-used as a table top inthe dining room. A corridor tothe right has the originalNorfolk Pammet tiles that havebeen turned over and leads toa large dining room (not partof the original pub) with tiledfloor, stable-like seating areasand large fireplace.

The Red Lion is situated atEast Church Street, KenninghallNR16 2EP. Opening hours areMon to Thu 12 to 3; 5.30 to11; Fri, Sat, Sun 12 to 11(10.30 Sun). Food is servedfrom 12 to 2 and from 7 to 9.The real ales on sale are GreeneKing IPA, Old Speckled Hen,Woodfordes Wherry and a guestbeer, which can be from a localmicro brewery. Also, Greene

King Abbot Ale is sold from acask behind the bar. Phone01953 887849 - website iswww.redlionkenninghall.co.uk

I now wish to introduceanother category of pubs thatfeature in CAMRA’s lists of ‘TrueHeritage Pubs’. We often findpubs that still retain historiclayouts of two or more roomsand/or old pub fittings butthey do not comply with thecriteria for national or regionalrecognition. So as to drawattention to these fine pubsand encourage people to visitthem CAMRA includes ‘TryAlso’ pubs in True HeritagePubs guides.

As example of this is the Bellat Hempton, near Fakenham –an 18th century village localsituated at 24 The Green, NR217LG, which still retains tworooms. The Bell is an increas-

ingly rare example of adrinker’s pub in the countryand I can recommend it as adelightful change from theubiquitous dining and restau-rant country pubs. Its littlealtered interior owes much tothe fact that the pub has beenrun by the same family for 23years – Graham ‘Nobby’ andKathy Watts ran it from 1987to 2005 when their daughterRebecca and husband JasonNicholson took over. Also aGeorge Rye ran it from 1960 to1986 – the start of the periodwhen massive changes weremade to pubs in this country.

Today the main bar is on theleft, but until the mid 1960s itwas the Smoke Room - (notethe ‘2’ on the inside of thedoor). When in the late 60s /early 70s the pub was

NORFOLK NIPS | Heritage Pubs

SUMMER 2009 | 1918 | SUMMER 2009

in the last issue of NorfolkNips I detailed the back-ground to CAMRA’sNational Inventory of Pubs

with Interiors of OutstandingHistoric Interest (the ‘NationalInventory’). I also explainedthat pubs with a reasonableamount of genuinely historicinternal fabric and / or suffi-cient of the layout for thehistoric plan-form are eligibleto be called one of East Anglia’sTrue Heritage Pubs.

In this issue I am delighted toadvise readers that a Norfolkpub, the Red Lion, Kenninghall,was recently added to the PartTwo of the National Inventoryfor its rare snug. It is thereforeone of only 80 pubs in the UKwith interiors that, although

altered, have exceptionalrooms or features of nationalhistoric importance, and it willbe featured as one of only 280in the forthcoming book“Britain’s True Heritage Pubs”.

The Red Lion is an early 19thcentury pub, which had beenshut for seven years when inthe mid 1990s Bruce Berry, abuilder by trade, was employedby the then owner of the RedLion to renovate the pub.When it reopened in February1997 he and his wife Mandybecame the managers, andafter a year the owners.

Fortunately, the ownerrealised the rarity of the snugand so it was carefully restoredand is situated to the right of

the entrance. Probably one ofNorfolk's finest pub rooms, ithas curved partition wallsforming high backed settleseating; but in line with thecurrent demands for lightrather than dark interiors it nolonger has its original stain.This tiny room has an oldNorfolk pammet floor andwood surround fireplace (butmodern inner brickwork).There are only a handful ofsuch rooms left in the whole ofthe UK with other excellentexamples at the Kings Head,Laxfield, Suffolk; Old WhiteBeare, Norwood Green, W.Yorks, Holly Bush, Makeney,and Malt Shovel, Spondon,both in Derbyshire – all appearon the National Inventory andstock a range of real ales.

Heritage Pubs | NORFOLK NIPS

Continued Overleaf

Norfolk’sTrueHeritagePubs 2

The renovated public bar of the Red Lion, Kenninghall with ‘real alefrom the cask’

The rare ‘snug’ at the Red Lion, Kenninghall – one of only a handfulof such rooms left in the country

The dining room of the Red Lion,Kenninghall

© Mick Slaughter 2009



extended to the left to bringthe toilets inside, the Victorianbar counter was moved fromthe right hand room (you cancheck the markings under thecarpet to confirm this). If youtake a look at the far left part ofthe counter you will see itconsists of three small piecesindicating it had to be cut upto make it fit! The bar back is atleast 30 years old with somemodern additions.

Originally the main bar wasthe room on the right and isnow the lounge. This hasanother old counter but thiswas installed in the 1970s -originally it was in the Crown,Fakenham and has been short-ened to make it fit. Note thefolding partition walls (presumablythey replaced a wall), which

were originally in the left handmain bar. These allow the righthand bar to be divided intotwo and are still used to createa separate room for meetingsand small functions on theright, which has some old,possibly 1960s, bench seating.

The majority of people visitthis pub for the time-honouredessentials of a pub - goodconversation and good beer. Ifanyone does ask “What food

do you have” the answer willbe “Crisps and Nuts” i.e. noteven a sandwich is available!There are trad jazz sessions onthe 2nd and 4th Thursdays ofevery month starting at8.30pm and occasional otherlive music – no karaoke ordiscos, as befits a traditionalpub! Real ales on permanentsale are Woodfordes Wherryand John Smiths Cask andthese are joined by a guestbeer from either an inde-pendent or micro brewery.Phone 01328 864579 - websiteis www.hemptonbell.co.uk

Text and photographs by MickSlaughter of CAMRA’s PubHeritage Group.

NORFOLK NIPS | Heritage Pubs

SUMMER 2009 | 2120 | SUMMER 2009

The Victorian counter at the Bell, Hempton, which was originally inthe right hand bar

The exterior of the Bell, Hempton

The lounge at the Bell, Hempton with an old counter from the Crown,Fakenham

If you require photographs ofyour pub interior / exterioryou can contact Mick on01733 390598 or [email protected] discuss your requirements.



22 | SUMMER 2009

There’s a pattern to thesethings. The sun was shiningas I put on my helmet andgloves, and eased my

motorbike gently out of Norwich- but once I got half way toKenninghall it had started torain. So I arrived at Crone’sslightly damp, my leathersmuddy from the back roads.

I was meeting Robbie Crone,one of no fewer than fourcidermakers around Kenning-hall and Banham. That mustmake it the centre of the localcider universe! Robbie is a realstalwart of the trade - he hasbeen making cider here forover twenty years.

Robbie admits he wasn’t muchof a cider drinker in his earlydays. But when a friend of hismade a couple of cider presses,and brought a jug round, hebegan to change his mind.

“I had tried the usual ciders andnever really enjoyed them, but Iloved the taste of this,” he says. “I started just knocking on people'sdoors asking for windfalls.”

The next year, he managed toincrease his production to fiveor six barrels, and in his thirdyear he was lucky enough toget free apples from a localorchard, and produced 1500gallons. It was at that stagethat he knew he had a businesson his hands. “That basicallymeant I had to sell some,” hesays; “I couldn't go onhoarding it.”But the cider was still a sideline

to his furniture business until,in the late 1980s recession, hefound he had to choosebetween them - and chosecider.

Robbie admits at first “I wasclueless, particularly about theextent to which the licensedtrade is stitched up by thebrewers”. Many 'free' housesweren't really free, and hefound selling his product athankless task. But eventually,sales in Cambridge began totake off, and the Tap & Spilechain started taking theproduct. That made a hugedifference as Crone's wasselling to 20-30 pubs - pubsthat he says had customerswho liked their real ale andenjoyed the chance of drinkingreal cider.

Crones started out with astrong cider - Robbie says “Ijust assumed people drankcider to get legless”! Morerecently, he’s introduced ‘Userfriendly’, a lighter and slightlysweeter cider intended as asession drink. It’s particularlypopular with landlords, andRobbie grins as he explainswhy - “Publicans said thestrong stuff was all right, buttheir customers fell over after acouple of drinks, so the pubmade no money out of it.”

Production has varied over theyears. At one point, it built upto 6,000 gallons a year, thenPubmaster (which owned Tap& Spile) sprang an unpleasantsurprise. Robbie says “They

sent me a curt letter saying wecould carry on supplying butwe would not be paid”. Overthe years, Crones had built upa lot of stock, and so theypulled in their horns produc-tion wise. At the same time,organic apple juice began totake off. So Robbie switchedproduction and reduced thecider to below the 1500 gallonlimit, taking him out of havingto pay duty on the cider, forfive years, until the stocksfinally got dangerously low.

But there’s a happy ending tothe saga. Business has slowlybuilt up again, and last yearsaw a record - “We topped10,000 gallons for the first timeever,” Robbie Crone saysproudly. (If you’re wonderingjust how much cider that is -and I did - we worked out thatit would just about fill theaverage suburban bungalow.)In the meantime, as govern-ment subsidies for on-farmdiversification have broughtnew competitors into the business, apple juice hasbecome a less importantmarket for Crones.

Crones Cidermakers visit | NORFOLK NIPSOne thing that distinguishesCrone’s cider is the commit-ment to organic production.Apart from a small amount ofnon-organic fruit processedback in the 80s, Robbie claims“Everything is organic andalways has been. We’ve had 22years of being organic, andwe've stuck to organic becausewe believe in it.”

He's very convincing about thedangers of organophosphates,commonly used in commercialfruit growing. “An organophos-phate is basically a nerve toxinwhich will kill everything in theorchard, including beneficialinsects as well as harmful ones,creating an ‘insect desert’ andleaving birds nothing to eat,”he says.

Besides organically grownapples, Crone’s uses a non-GMO champagne yeast culture- a lot of modern yeasts areGMO, apparently. Add a littlesugar at the point of sale(Robbie warns me that“Norfolk ciders tend not tolend themselves to beingserved bone dry, they get tooacidic”), and that's the lot - noadditives.

But Robbie does take issue withthe CAMRA stance on ‘realcider’ being unpasteurised.“Why does CAMRA have sucha problem with pasteurising?”he asks.

“Why pasteurise?” I ask inreturn.“That’s because it stops thebottles exploding,” he says.

At least pasteurisation is addi-tive free - unlike the addition of

sulphides, also used in somebottled ciders. He would probably prefer to make the‘Rolls Royce’ of ciders, methodechampenoise, with a secondaryfermentation in the bottlemaking a sparkling cider. Butchanges in the duty regime (it’snow charged at the same rateas sparkling wine) make this tooexpensive as a regular cider.

The problem comes down toNorfolk cider being made withdessert apples. Farming land inNorfolk is expensive, and sofarmers just can’t afford togrow cider apples, which onlyfetch GBP 150-200 a ton,against GBP 1,000 a ton fordessert apples. But use dessertapples, and your cider willferment out very very dry andbitter if it’s bottled and notpasteurised.

“The cider industry centresaround the crumbs from thehorticulturalists’ table,” Robbiesays - Crones get the misshapesand windfalls, and insectdamaged fruit - “scrumpingthe damaged apples.” Theyalso buy up excess stocks ofapples like Discovery whentheir season comes to an end(Discovery doesn't keep, sosupermarkets prefer varietieslike Worcester which have a

longer shelf life).

Despite his difference ofopinion with CAMRA overpasteurisation, Robbie believesCAMRA has been invaluable forcider maker. “In the earlystages they gave us a seal ofapproval which was invaluablefor marketing, and beer festi-vals kept us in the public eye,”he says. “And generally,CAMRA has been instrumentalin saving traditional cider, inparticular in East Anglia”.

Where to get Crone’s:The cidermaker delivers directto Norwich, and to pubsaround Kenninghall; you mayfind the cider in KenninghallWhite Horse, which has adecent selection of real alestoo. In Norwich, Take 5, KettsTavern and the Rose serveCrone’s. Robbie is also glad tobe serving the White Lion inOak Street again - “they wereone of our old customers andit's good to see them back”.Crone's also supplies pubs elsewhere in Norfolk throughWolf and Elgoods breweries,and the bottled cider is avail-able at Rainbow Wholefoods inNorwich.

Andrea Kirkby

SUMMER 2009 | 23

Crones cider notes

SUMMER 2009 | 25

The recipe for beer issimple - malt, hops,water and yeast. Onlyit’s not quite that easy

if you want to make areally drinkable beer, saysCarlos Branquinho ofNorfolk Square Brewery.

In the beginning there wasyeast, barley, hops and water.The four lived their separatelives for thousands of yearshappily. Then man came alongand beer was born… Nothinghas been quite the same since!

And then Norfolk SquareBrewery came along. I knowthat we do not brew beers tomeet everyone’s palate, but wedo endeavour to ensure thatthe beers we brew are enjoy-able. You see, my personalthoughts on this are that if Ican’t enjoy our beers, who will?

So we brew a small range thatencompasses two golden ales(not to be confused with paleales), two delicious bitters, aPorter style ale and a traditionalmild. In order to do this, thebrewing team had to formulaterecipes, and this is done usingtwo tools - literature and thetaste buds. So aside fromreading we have also sampledmany ales, and are now experts!

Malt to us is what will definethe ale; it is the foundation. So a lot of thought must gointo this. Not only will it define

the underlying taste of the ale,but also how it will feel in yourmouth, and its colour. We havedecided to use the excellentlocally grown Maris Otter palemalt, which we obtain fromBranthill Farm, located nearWells Next the Sea, as the basefor all our beers.

We then have a huge selectionof speciality grains to choosefrom. Now depending on yourbeer style, you will need toselect different malts and grainsto attain the colour of the beerand also flavours such as roasti-ness and caramel, as well as toensure that the ale has thecorrect mouth feel and head.

We like to put a certain amountof wheat malt in all our ales, asthis will help with the smooth-ness of the ale as well as thehead. For our darker ales, weuse the lighter of the deeproasted malts, chocolate malt,as this not only imparts a choco-late roast flavour, but also thevery dark amber colour to theale, without the acrid burntfavour of the roasted malt orroasted barley.

There are two caramelisedmalts that we also like to use.Carapils, a lightly caramelisedmalt, and Crystal, darker andsweeter. In the golden ales youcan see their effect as the alesare not pale, but rather a verylight amber colour. In thebitters, we add a little more,

thus changing the flavour ofthe ale and also darkeningthem. So the most importantaspect of using multiple maltsin ales is the combination andpercentage used in the mash.

Next we come to hops, a fairlyyoung addition to ales inbrewing terms. Aside from thehop plant’s preservative andmedicinal uses, when brewing,the plant is used to add bothbitterness and aroma to the ale.Each hop plant variety can givedifferent degrees of bitterness.

The aroma is a little morecomplex. Here it’s not only thehoppy aroma we are lookingfor, but also citrus and black-currant tones. In our goldenales we use a hop that gives acitrus background. As theytend to be ales that can bedrunk slightly chilled, it adds arefreshing aspect. With ourmild and porter we wanted togo for more traditional hopsand thus we use a local Englishhop to achieve this. In ourbitters, we are a little moreadventurous and have used acombination of more traditionalEnglish hops as well as somenew varieties on the market.

The most exciting part ofbrewing for us is the designingof new beers. We certainlyhave had a few thoughts forour Autumn Ale, but I think itstill requires more drinking...er… research…

NORFOLK NIPS | Hops and Malt

Hops and Malt with NorfolkSquare Brewery

The Street, Hockering, Nr Dereham NR20 3HL 01603 880507

BBQ available at all

sessions

Live music:Saturday 8pm “The Rum Brothers” Country and Irish Music

Sunday 6.30 pm “The Rocking Johnnies”.

Regular X1 Bus Service to/from Dereham and NorwichCAMRA Good Beer Guide 2008 & 2009

August Beer FestivalAugust Beer FestivalFriday 14th 11am - 11pm, Saturday 15th 11am - 11pm

Sunday 16th 12 noon - 10.30pm

Wide selection of Beers from around the UK.

24 | SUMMER 2009

THE RED LION– FREEHOUSE –

East Church Street, Kenninghall, Norfolk, NR16 2EP01953 887849 Email: [email protected]

OPENING TIMESMon-Thurs

12noon-3pm, 5.30pm-11pmOpen all day Friday, Saturday and

Sunday from 12noon.Events coming up

Friday 26th June CHEESE & WINE NIGHT

Sunday 12th JulyACOUSTIC JAM SESSION - FROM

3.30PMThursday 16th July

TAPAS NIGHT - 7-9PMSunday 9th August -

BEACH PARTY (ACOUSTIC) & BBQAugust Bank Holiday WeekendSCAVENGER HUNT

A traditional country pub with real ales and excellent home-cooked food.

Restaurant open lunch and evening.Regular live music events.

Open for Bed & Breakfast every night of the week.

Featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide

Greene KingÕs Free Trade National CommunityPub of the Year (2007)

Greene KingÕs East Anglian Pub of the Year(2006)

www.redlionkenninghall.co.uk

SUMMER 2009 | 2726 | SUMMER 2009

Heath HouseNorwich

Traditional Family Pub

Beer Festival Monday 22nd toSunday 28th June

Ales from near and farCrone’s Organic Cider (7.4% ABV)

Live music from ‘Beyond Duplication’ on Friday‘Just Kevin’ on Saturday

Just 10 mins from the Cider Shed

The Heath House, 99 Gertrude Rd, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 4SG Tel: 01603 406417

Pub Food Ser

ved

Wednesday to

Saturday

6pm to 9pm (12noo

n to

5pm on Sun)

The Lobster& Stables Restaurant

10 Real Ales • Fine Wines • Childrens MenuBaby Changing • Disabled Facilities

Large Beer Gardens • Dogs are welcome

13 High Street, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8JPTel: 01263 822716 www.the-lobster.com

OPENING HOURSMonday to Thursday 10am to 11pmFriday to Saturday 10am to 1.30am

Sunday 12 noon to 12pm

BEER FESTIVALS ON BANK HOLIDAYS

FRESH FOOD

SERVED DAILY

Vegetarian and Vegan

options available

96 Angel Rd, Norwich NR3 3HT

01603 427490

email: [email protected]

Angel Gardens Free House

Under same ownership for 21 years

Six reasonably priced Real Alesincluding three guest ales

Home Cooked FoodLive Music on Saturdays

Beer Garden with heated smoking shelter

2 Bars (with one for Private Hire)Ample Car Parking

This warm and friendly 17th century Freehouse is to thenorth side of Norwich cathedral. Owned by Craig & LynneMcLaren since 1993. ‘The Wig’ as its affectionately known,has built a reputation for fresh, fast, affordable British cuisine.

6 St Martins Palace Plain,

Norwich NR3 1RN

01603 625891

www.thewigandpen.com

• Good Ale • Good Food • Heated smoking area

Sky & Setanta Sports TV • Late Night Opening • Real Fire

• Good Ale • Good Food • Heated smoking area

Sky & Setanta Sports TV • Late Night Opening • Real Fire

Look out for our Cask Marque Plaque. This guarantees beer qualityin the Wig & Pen and theopportunity to TRY BEFORE YOU BUY.

For the 12th successiveyear, the Wig & Pen hasbeen included inCAMRA’s Good BeerGuide. We are very proudof this achievement.

Lord Nelson, WalsinghamRoad, Burnham ThorpeGreene King Abbot and Wood-forde’s Wherry

Thursdays 11th June and 9thJuly – Chris Wigley’s DixielandJazz Quartet

Northrepps Country Hotel (Nr Cromer)Sundays 14th June and 12thJuly (12.00 – 3.00 pm) – ChrisWigley’s Dixieland Jazz Quartet

Dereham Jazz Society,Lakeside Country Club,Quarry Lane, Lyng (NrDereham)Adnams beers plus guest beerson handpump

Wednesday 24th June – BarryPalser’s Savoy Jazz Band

George and Dragon,Newton by Castle AcreElgoods Cambridge plus localguest beers

Second Tuesday every month –Black Bowler Hat Jazz Band

(Also folk music on firstThursday every month)

The Buck Inn, The Street,Flixton, SuffolkWoodforde’s Mardler’s,Morland Original and AdnamsBitter are the regulars atpresent, but in addition thereare guest beers, and anincreased selection in thesummer months

Every Thursday -Sole Bay Jazz Band

MAINSTREAM /MODERN JAZZ

Green Man, WroxhamRoad, RackheathWoodforde’s Wherry, AdnamsBitter and Broadside plusguests

Every Tuesday – Fullprogramme consisting ofvarious bands and musicians.For further details, phoneBarbara Capocci on 01603413443, or [email protected]

Dereham Jazz Society,Lakeside Country Club,Quarry Lane, Lyng (nrDereham)Adnams beers plus guest beerson handpump

Every Wednesday – Fullprogramme consisting ofvarious bands and musicians invaried styles, which usuallyincludes one ‘traditional’session each month (seeabove).

For further details phone01328 863511 or 01362696741 or visit websitewww.lakeside-jazz-club.co.uk

Keith Chettleburgh

FOLK IN THE EAST(AND WEST)

Sumer is icumen in, Lhude sing cuccu! (Middle English c.1260)

Hopefully by the time you sit

down to read these notes theforecast ‘barbeque’ summerwill have well and truly arrivedso why not take the opportu-nity to get out there andcombine a decent pint withsome live music and entertain-ment?

Starting with Morris dance;Golden Star are dancing outat their sponsor’s, GrainBrewery, which is holding aopen evening on the 13th ofJune (from 16.00) at thebrewery at Albury (nearHarleston), while on the 30thStar will be sharing an eveningwith Rumburgh Morris atthe Queens Head atEarsham. Over in the west The King’sMorris, based in Lynn, havinghopefully survived dancing atdawn on May Day on KnightsHill roundabout (the highestpoint in West Norfolk), willdance out on selected Friday orSaturdays between May &September. These dance-outsare usually outside pubs (nogreat surprise there it has to besaid) which often finish withtheir take on folk music in thebar. See thekingsmorris.co.ukfor more details. Like manysides King's, formed in 1978,are a revival side from a districtwith no Morris tradition anddance in the Cotswold styleassociated with the recordeddances of the Bledington, Field-town, Bampton, Bucknell &Adderbury traditions. Last, but hardly least, KempsMen of Norwich ( who likeStar have a brewery sponsor inthe form of Buffy's) have a fullprogramme this summer.

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer & Music

SUMMER 2009 | 2928 | SUMMER 2009

TRADITIONAL JAZZ

Water Rats Jazz BandAnnual Tour of Norfolk Broads– Sat 18th July to Friday 24thJuly.At the time of writing thesenotes the full itinerary was notavailable, although it is knownthat their tour this year will beconfined mainly to theSouthern rivers of the Broads.However, as Woodforde’sBrewery will again be providingsponsorship for the band, it isunderstood that they will beappearing at the Fur andFeather at Woodbastwick onSunday 19th July.Watch out for full details in thepress or visit the website atwater-rats.co.uk

Acle Recreation Centre,Bridewell Lane, AcleReal Ales include AdnamsBitter, Theakstons and TipplesRedhead

Tuesday 23rd JuneJim McIntosh’s Jazzaholics JazzBand

Friday 4th SeptemberBarry Tyler’s Original DixielandJazz Band

Tickets/enquiries – Brian Davis01493 701880

The Quality Hotel (FilbySuite), Bowthorpe, Norwich(off Dereham Road)Fat Cat Bitter is being laid onspecially for the jazz sessions.

Tuesday 14th July – MickMurphy’s Chosen Six Jazz Band

Tickets/enquiries – Rod Playford01362 688269

King’s Arms, Market Place,ReephamAdnams Bitter, ElgoodsCambridge Bitter, TimothyTaylor Landlord, Woodforde’sWherry and Abbot Ale

Every Sunday lunchtime tomid September in the court-yard at the rear of pub(weather permitting), thebands alternating through thesummer will be Nene ValleyJazzmen, Climax Jazz Band,Vintage Hot Orchestra, NorfolkJazz (who include severalformer members of Just JazzGood Time Jazz Band) andSimon Nelson’s Dixie Mix.

In addition, there will be alunchtime session on BankHoliday Monday 31st August.(Phone King’s Arms for moredetails - 01603 870345)

King’s Head Hotel, Beccles,SuffolkAdnams Bitter and Broadsideplus special house beerMatilda’s Revenge brewed bylocal brewery Opa Hays inhonour of the resident ghost

Every Sunday evening -Red Beans ‘n’ Rice New OrleansJazz Band

Feathers Hotel, MarketPlace, HoltGreene King Abbot Ale and IPA

First Friday every month –Lumiere Rouge Ragtime Band

Marsham Arms, nrHevingham (B1149Norwich-Holt Road)Adnams Bitter, plus alternatingguests including AdnamsBroadside and Woodforde’sWherry

Third Friday every month –Lumiere Rouge Ragtime Band

Ingleside Hotel, Mundesley(B1159 coast roadbetween Mundesley andTrimingham)Real Ales include Greene KingOld Speckled Hen and IPA, plusseasonal guest beers. AlsoWeston’s Draught Scrumpy onhandpump

Sunday 28th June (12.30 –3.00 pm) – Chris Wigley’sDixieland Jazz Quartet

Railway Tavern, ColtishallBlack Sheep Bitter, OakhamBishops Farewell and Hop BackSummer Lightning

Saturday 4th July (2.00 – 4.00pm) – Dixie Jazz Bandits withMary Lou Lambert

Village Hall, Reedham(in conjunction with HumptyDumpty Brewery)

Friday 10th July – Dixie JazzBandits with Mary Lou Lambert

Beer & Music | NORFOLK NIPS

Music & Real Ale

Continued Overleaf

30 | SUMMER 2009

With most of the appearancesstarting at 19.45 these include;June 3rd Queens HeadHethersett, WymondhamFeathers on the 10th, River-side Norwich on the 17th andRockland St Mary New Innon the 24th. In July they are atthe White Horse in Ched-grave on the 8th, theBanningham Crown on the15th, Bridge Inn Acle on the22nd and finishing the monthoff on the 29th at the Fur &Feather (the WoodfordeBrewery tap) in Woodbastwick.If your dance interests are notcompletely sated there is the14th Lobster Potties danceweekend at Sheringham onthe 7th & 8th of July. Roadclosures in town shouldpreclude (most) fatalities as thisis street dancing and a perchoutside several of the townspubs should give you a goodview of the proceedings.

Geldeston Locks has a fullentertainment programme; asusual, visit www.geldeston-locks.co.uk for full details. MostThursdays and Sundays there isa good chance of folk or bluescontent. They have the Lock-stock Festival on the 13th ofJune (£5.00) from 12.00 to24.00 with, it seems, some-thing for everyone, and aSolstice session on the 21stwith Strummer & friends.

In the city the Cider Shed onSprowston Road continues itsIrish session on Wednesdayevenings and occasional Folkguests on Sunday afternoonswhile on Nelson Street, yupthat’s the Nelson,(myspace.com/nelsonpubnor-

wich) with Thursday & Sundaythe evenings to look out for.

Also in the city there are weeklyband and or singer appear-ances at The Duke ofWellington, von KrappFamily on Tuesday eveningsMicawbers: The Shufflewingsessions Tuesday eveningsThe York Tavern on FridaysAnd Jurnets Bar at the MusicHouse every Friday, not by anymeans exclusively folk but wellworth a visit to this veryrare11th century building(with club membership avail-able for regular visitors)

There are a whole host of folkbased, events typically takingplace once (or twice) a monthat pubs throughout our area ofwhich the following is just asample:- Folk at the Railway(Mondays) at the RailwayNorth Elmham the WisbechFolk Club meet at the AngelWisbech on Tuesdays a session takes place at theReedcutters at Cantley onthe 1st Wednesday of themonth the 2nd Wednesday isthe Burlington Hotel Sher-ingham.

While, at the Kings Head atDereham, folk is on the 3rdWednesday of the monthThe Alby Horseshoes on thelast Thursday of the month and2nd Sunday of the month in theafternoon try the Gatehouseon Dereham Road Norwich.

The Nelson Pub in NelsonStreet, Norwich. More ThanFolk, round the room, acousticsession. Every Wednesday8.30pm - 11pm. A jolly sessionwhere singers and musiciansare welcome. For further detailsPhone 01953 607483.

It is always worthwhile phoningfirst, if you are travelling anydistance, to ensure that thesessions are actually happeningthat particular day; sickness,holidays and short noticechange to plans, happen to allof us and it could save you awasted journey!

There is a new websitecovering local pub-folk in theNorfolk & North Suffolk regionwith both regular and one-offevents in the listing. Checkwww.littlebirdtoldme.info -very helpful!

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer & Music

SUMMER 2009 | 31

Crown InnSheringham

Seafront, Sheringham NR26 8BQTel: 01263 823213

Four Real AlesLondon Pride, GK Abbot, GK IPA

and Woodfordes Werry

Large Beer Garden overlooking the sea

Live music every Wednesday

Popular Extensive Menu serving good traditional pub foodavailable 12noon - 9pm, 7 days a week

plus daily specials

many fine Georgian housessurround the open green.There is a choice of two hostel-ries. The Globe was an 18thcentury Coaching Inn. It sells arange of beers from Adnamsand Woodforde’s, and is veryfamily orientated allowing children into the bar. It alsooffers B&B. The Crown Hotelwas originally a boardingschool; here you can enjoybeers from Adnams or fromFox of Heacham.

Cley, Wiverton and Blakeney WalkForget the City and MarketTown Walk! This is as rural asyou can get. It is a circular tourabout 4 miles in length, alonglanes that link the three pictur-esque villages which lie close tothe North Sea coast.

In medieval times all threevillages, along with Salthouse,made up a port around theGlaven estuary known as ‘Blak-eney Haven’. Today what was amedieval port is now fields. It was important as a port forfishing and trade when wooland grain were exported insome quantity. However,during the 17th century, theport declined as land enclo-sures caused the estuary to siltup, though quite large shipswere still coming to Blakeneyas late as the early 1900s.Blakeney has great charm. The narrow streets are lined bywell-maintained homes ofgreat age. Old port buildingshave been converted into flats.The vestige of a small quay hassruvived where holidaymakersboard small boats and at hightide sail the meanderingestuary to where the riverenters the sea at BlakeneyPoint, where there arenumerous sandbanks andscores of seals.

The walk starts in Cley next the

Sea, which is something of amisnomer since it is now abouta mile from the sea. The mostprominent landmark is an 18thcentury windmill; energeticvisitors may climb to the top.The first pub is The GeorgeHotel, formerly known as theGeorge and Dragon. Only thesmall bar at the entrance is apub. Opposite across the roadis a large beer garden. Real alescome from Woodforde’s andGreene King.

With the parish church behindand the village green in front,The Three Swallows is thecountry pub we have all imag-ined. The low ceiling, smallwindows and old fireplacesconvey an ‘ole worlde feeling’,and the cask ale comes fromAdnams and Greene King. Walk on to Wiveton where youwill find The Bell beside theGreen. It has a large open planbar with exposed beams andan inglenook fireplace. Beerssold here are from Woodforde’sand other guest ales usuallyfrom local breweries.

NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolk Country Pubs

SUMMER 2009 | 3332 | SUMMER 2009 SPRING 2009 | 33

WellsDespite its name, Wells-next-the-Sea is not by the sea butsituated about a mile inlandand connected by a channel. Although it has the title of atown, many regard Wells as alarge village for its residentpopulation is under 3,000.By Tudor times it had devel-oped into an important port.By the mid 19th century itboasted three shipyard.However, after a railway linefrom Dereham linked the townwith the rest of the country in1857 much of the port's tradewent to the railway companies.

Nowadays, Wells is a quiettourist resort with attractions

particularly for yachtsmen,walkers, and bird watchers. A walk along the quay willreveal more of old Wells wheremany buildings date backcenturies and is evidence of thetown’s industrial maritime past.

The Ark Royal dates from the1960s and is a good place tocall in before commencingyour walk. Usually a range ofaround five real ales are avail-able that includes Greene KingIPA and Woodforde’s Wherry -there is also good value formoney food available.

Wander down the quay, whichsplit old Wells into two well-defined areas. The East

end of the village was wherethe landlubbers worked - theWest End was where the sailorslodged. In those days east andwest seldom mixed.

Facing the harbour, TheGolden Fleece dates from thelate 18th century. Real alesinclude Adnams Broadside andGreene King IPA. Turn left upthe narrow Staithe Street, with old terraced buildings andsmall shops, an ‘olde world’ oftraditional grocers andbutchers along with book andantique shops. At the end of Staithe Street isThe Corner House, now awine bar and restaurant, oncea pub called the TewkesburyArms and later the Prince ofWales. It is worth a stop asthree real ales are on tap, withno obligation to order food.

Opposite is The EdinburghHotel. One of the oldest pubsin town. Its earliest name wasThe Fighting Cocks until the1840s after which cock fightingwas banned; it was renamedthe Leicester Arms until itassumed its modern name.Beers available include Wherry,draught Bass plus guests.

After leaving the Edinburgh,turn sharp left inland into abroad street that leads to atree-lined green. This is theButtlands, which takes its namefrom the time of Henry VIIIwhen the green was used formen to practise archery. Today

Norfolk Country Pubs | NORFOLK NIPS

Itis summer now, and time to get out into the Norfolk country-side to enjoy the good weather (if there is any) and our localbeers (more dependable!). These walks, condensed fromWarren Wordsworth’s book ‘Real Ale Walks in Norfolk’, should

help you take best advantage of any sunny days we’re luckyenough to get. Or just hole up in a good pub and watch the rainfalling outside!

Rural Rides

Continued Overleaf

Kings Arms, Blakeney

34 | SUMMER 2009

Next take the Blakeney road;the imposing parish church ofSt Nicholas is a gem, with twotowers - the main tower is verytall with 137 steps, worthwhilefor the splendid panoramicviews. The second smallertower was where beacons wereonce lit to aid navigation. The Kings Arms is an attrac-tive white washed flint Grade IIlisted building with a spaciousinterior of six separate bars.Five cask beers are usually avail-able from a variety of differentbreweries.

The Blakeney Hotel is alarge building that dominatesthe skyline of Blakeney Quay.Sir Henri Derterding, Chairmanof the Shell Oil Company, builtit in 1923 on the former site ofthe Crown & Anchor, betterknown to locals as the ‘BarkingDickey’. The quayside locationoffers fine views across theestuary and salt marshes.

The Manor Hotel takes itsname from the old Blakeneymanor house. There is a largebar, with a conservatory at oneend offering an extensivelunchtime menu, and Adnamsand Woodfordes on sale.

Finally, The White HorseHotel is a building dating backto the 15th century, but‘modernised’ in the 17thcentury. It has a large split-levelloung and courtyard bar, andserves Adnams beers.

The Bure ValleyThe Bure Valley Trail is a ninemile trip from Aylsham toWroxham. You may walk, cycle

or take a more sedate form oftravel by riding on the 15”narrow gauge Bure ValleyRailway. Passenger services runfrom mid March until the endof September. For more detailscheck www.bvrw.co.uk. (TheWroxham end of the line is lessthan five minutes walk fromNetwork Rail’s ‘Bittern Line’running from Norwich toCromer.)

Aylsham is a very old Norfolktown dating back to AngloSaxon times, and is recorded inthe Domesday book under thename of ‘Elesham’. The townrose to prominence in latermedieval times as a result ofthe linen trade and then fromwool, particularly the weavingof worsted. Its fortunesdeclined with the coming ofthe industrial revolution,though it retained some impor-tance as an agricultural markettown, as seen by its many fineGeorgian buildings.

The town centre has threepubs around the old medievalmarket place. Parts of TheBlack Boys date back to1655; it also has a claim tofame in that Admiral Nelsondanced here. It offers a wideranging food menu and real ales

from Woodforde’s, Adnams andGreene King.

The Unicorn has a splendidred tiled roof and dates back tothe 18th century. It stocks arange of real ales such asMarston’s Pedigree and GreeneKing’s Old Speckled Hen. Its character is more of a backstreet local with darts andother pub games.

The third pub is The Featherson Cawston Road. This flintand brick built Victorianbuilding is a welcoming local’spub, decorated with many oldBullard’s and Steward &Patteson memorabilia. Real alesinclude Charles WellsBombardier and a frequentlychanging list of guests whichoften include ales from Oultonand Humpty Dumpty.It is worth breaking yourjourney at Buxton station. The Old Crown in Buxtondates back at least to the early19th cenutry, with an imposingDutch gable at one end. Theinterior is just what you wouldexpect of a pub of this age. It stocks a range of real alesincluding Adnams.

The next station is Coltishall -there are no less than fiveexcellent pubs in close proximity to the station.The Railway Tavern is aGeorgian style flint facedbuilding with a red roof andold sash windows. A lanternover the doorway inscribed‘The Norwich BreweryCompany’ reminds us that thiswas once a Watneys pub. Beers sold here today are

Norfolk Country Pubs | NORFOLK NIPS

SUMMER 2009 | 35

Continued Overleaf

The Black Boys, Aylsham

The Real Ale ShopBranthill Farm, Wells-next-the-Sea,NORFOLK NR23 1SB

ON THE B1105 FAKENHAM- WELLS RD

Over 50bottle conditioned realales from 15 Norfolkbrewers who all use

Branthill Farms famous malted barley.

TEL: 01328 710810www.therealaleshop.co.uk

Swanton Morley Village Hall and Social ClubManns Lane, Swanton Morley Dereham.

2nd ANNUAL BEER FESTIVAL

and FOLK FESTIVAL8TH – 9TH August 2009

17 NORFOLK BEERS & 3 CIDERSTIMES: Saturday 12pm TILL MIDNIGHTSUNDAY 12pm ‘til 7pm (Or when we run out)

FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE ALL WEEKEND

Camping can bearranged for the

weekend at a small cost.

Entry £5.00 per person

(with free pint glass)

All keg beer and cider£2.00 per pint

Contact us belowfor trade sales:

01603 [email protected] Pollard Rd, Hainford, Norwich NR10 3BE

SUMMER 2009 | 3736 | SUMMER 2009

mainly local coming fromHumpty Dumpty, Wolf andAdnams. If you have time, goout to the back of the gardenand look round the old disusedVictorian lime kilm, which isreputedly one of the bestpreserved in Norfolk.

Over the Bure in Horstead isThe Recruiting Sergeant, alarge roadside pub with white-wash and flint walls; the porchhas a Dutch gable. Real alesinclude Adnams.

Back in Coltishall The RedLion is a large rambling old17th century inn with mustardcoloured walls and a Dutchgable. Inside there are lots ofold beams and differentdrinking areas on split levelsincluding a sunken bar.Adnams and Bass are joined byguest ales.

The Kings Head is an old17th century pub facing themain road, a fine old buildingwith Dutch gables and a longsloping roof. An original ornateGeorgian doorway leads intothe richly decorated interior.Real ales include Adnams,Marston’s Pedigree and guests.

Close by is The New RisingSun, a much bigger pubdating back to the mid 19th

century, with commandingviews of the River Bure. Manyholiday cruisers moor up herein the season. There is a largebeer garden by the riverside - aperfect place for a relaxeddrink. Real ales include Wood-forde’s, Greene King andDeuchars.

At Wroxham, the terminus ofthe Bure Valley railway, is TheKing’s Head Hotel by theriverbank, a large red brick andflint building with a rambling interior and a beer gardenenjoying views of the RiverBure. You can now head forRoy’s shopping centre or oneof the many food outlets - fish& chip shops, a kebab house,tea rooms, ice cream parlours,Thai, Indian and Chineserestaurants. Finally, HotelWroxham, a large modernhotel with a plush interior sellsreal ales including Adnams

Bitter, Broadside, and CourageBest. On the Waterside Terraceyou can drink and eat whilewatching holidaymakers pass intheir pleasure boats.

NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolk Country Pubs

The new rising sun, Coltishall

I think the best bus trip you couldever find to explore the Norfolkcountry pubs would have to bethe CoastHopper service run byNorfolk Green. This superservice connects all thevillages between Cromer andWells. The service runs every 30minutes, just enough time for apint in each village. But bewarned there are approx 50 pubson this route!Bus Time Tables are available onthe CoastHopper websitehttp://www.norfolkgreen.co.uk/timetables/pdfs/coasthopper.pdf

For full details of all the pubson the route check outCAMRA'S own excellentCoastHopper Pub websitehttp://www.norwichcamra.org.uk/guides/cheast.htm

Maurice Bobbitt

Real Ale Walks in NorfolkEach pub walk takes in between five to sevenreal ale pubs, with a description and a colourphoto of each pub featured in the walk. A map of the route together with details ofother places of interest, (particularly historical)that visitors will encounter along each walk.The book contains descriptions of most of thebreweries in Norfolk and neighbouring counties.128 pages in full colour

Copies can be obtained by mailorder, price £6.95 includingpostage and packing.(CAMRA members £5.95, quoting member-ship number).

Please send cheques made payable to "N & N CAMRA" to:-Pub Walks Guide C/O 16 Grove Avenue, Norwich, NR1 2QD.

Also available from Jarrolds, Borders, and Waterstones in Norwich,and has now been in the top two of Jarrolds' local bestsellers list forseven consecutive weeks.

Real ales, sweet spirits and delicious winesGaming lounge and garden • Function Room

Live music on ThursdaysThe Shindig on Saturdays

The Sunday social....well on Sundays

(Formerley the St Andrews Tavern)4 St Andrews Street, Norwich NR2 4AF

01603 614858Open Midday Till Midnight

SUMMER 2009 | 3938 | SUMMER 2009

He should have gone to theEATON COTTAGE, UNTHANK RD,NORWICH 01603 453048

Fine Real Ales,lagers,wines and spiritsAll Sky Sports • A traditional pub

Good covered outside areas • Doggies welcome

“a festival of beers every day”

The Street, Rockland All SaintsSally Ann & Binz bid you a warm welcome

where our aim is to make your visit as pleasurable as possible with good food, fine

drink and a friendly atmosphere!

OpenTuesday - Sunday

11am - 3pm & 6pm - 11pm

Food ServedTuesday - Sunday

12pm - 2pm & 6.30pm - 9pm

The White Hart

01953 483361

SUNDAY LUNCH SPECIAL

1 course £7.95

2 courses (main & dessert) £10.95

Midweek Lunch Special Menu £6

SURLINGHAM

OPENING HOURSALL DAY, ALL YEAR, EVERY DAY FROM 11am-CLOSEFOOD AVAILABLE ALL DAY, FROM 12 TILL 9pm

Picturesque riverside walks, RSPB reserve, On Norwich’sdoorstep. Moorings available. Open Fire, Real Ales.

Good traditional Home Cooked Food,

Main meals from £6.95All Functions catered for. Live Music, Quiz Nights.

Small Children and Dog friendly.You will receive a Warm and Friendly Welcome from Sonia, Andy and All at the Staff at The Ferry

Ferry Road, Surlingham, Norwich, Norfolk. NR14 7ARTel: 01508 538659 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.surlinghamferryhouse.co.uk

A light and crisp beer brewed withEast Anglian malted barley. The presence of First Gold

hops gives this summer beer a refreshing finish.

rather than a fruit, but nevertheless produces awonderfully refreshing summerdrink and which, to my knowledge, has never beenused in a commercial brew.The recipe below suits mytaste, but feel free to tweak itto your own preferences.

Rhubarb BeerIngredients40 pint Lager Kit (Trust me, it works!)

Ale Yeast

1Kg Light Dry Malt Extract(Spraymalt)

1.5Kg Rhubarb

15gms Cascade Hops

MethodTake a big pan (a largestockpot or preserving pan isgood), half fill with water andheat. Dissolve the beer kit anddry malt extract in the water,stirring frequently. Bring to theboil, add the hops and simmerfor 20 minutes. Strain througha sieve into a sterilised brewingbin and sparge (rinse through)to capture all the flavours andfermentables. Wash, trim andchop the rhubarb and place inthe pan with enough water tocover, bring to the boil andsimmer until the rhubarbbreaks up. Strain into thebrewing bin and sparge asbefore. Top the brew up to 40pints with cold water and allowto cool to below 25°C. Add

the yeast & allow to fermentout, around 4-7 daysdepending on temperature.Siphon into bottle or cask,adding a little priming sugar, 2dessertspoons for cask, or ½level teaspoon per pint bottleand allow to stand for at least 2weeks, preferably a month,before sampling. Bottled, itwill keep for at least a yearstored in a cool dark place.

Enjoy a pint at cellar tempera-ture or lightly chilled & servedin champagne flutes it makesthe prefect aperitif for asummer dinner party orbarbeque.

Keith Loney ©2009

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer History

SUMMER 2009 | 4140 | SUMMER 2009

Archaeologists tell us thatbeer has been made forat least 7000 years. Overthat time, a large number

of plants have been used toadd flavour, body or colour andto preserve the precious liquid.For 700 years hops have beenthe main herb used, but otherthings can be added to give adifferent twist.

Since time immemorial, Belgianbrewers have been using herbs,spices and fruits to comple-ment their ales, a practice thatcontinues to this day. In the1960s, Pierre Celis resurrectedan ancient wheat beer stylefrom his home village ofHoegaarden using orange peeland coriander to produce alight, refreshing summerbeverage that has inspired awhole generation of brewers toemulate it. Celis White isbrewed to his original recipewith rather more characterthan the international brand.

Cherries or raspberries areadded to spontaneouslyfermented lambic beers, blondor brown ales, to add sweet-ness and body, giving us kriekand frambozen. Try the sweet,luscious Ter Dolen Kriek, Lief-mans Frambozen, which isincreasingly widely available, orthe delicately dry, sharp andtruly wonderful Cantillon Roséde Gambrinus.

It is only in recent yearshowever that British craftbrewers have started experi-

menting with fruit beers toproduce a variety of styles,many of which make extremelypleasant summer drinks.

Hanby’s Cherry Bomb andHeather Ales Grozet (gooseberry)are fine examples of British fruitbeers, but there are somebeing made closer to home.Iceni Raspberry Wheat is an idealsummer pint, golden with adelicate fruit flavour thatenhances rather than over-powers. Green Jack OrangeWheat uses the Belgianapproach to the style and is alovely thirst quencher for a hotsummers day, assuming we getany this year. St. Peter’s Grape-fruit is altogether more robust,with fruit acidity and pithbitterness combining to givethe perfect complement to aploughman’s lunch with agood strong Cheddar cheese.

Fox produce Heachham Kriek,which I have unfortunately notyet had the chance to try.

For those of you who arefeeling more adventurous, or if you are a gardener with asudden glut of fruit, why nottry making your own fruit beer- it is really simple and theresults can be outstanding. My personal preference is forslightly acidic fruits, as thislends a sharpness to thefinished brew that is highlythirst quenching and counter-balances any tendency toexcess sweetness. Cherries,raspberries, gooseberries,blackcurrants, apricots (fresh ordried), damsons and otherplums all work well in beer andcan be used by the homebrewer. There is one otheringredient that you can try,which technically is a vegetable

Beer History | NORFOLK NIPS

Summer Fruits

We stock the full range of

‘Rainbow’liquid chalk marker pens.

Wymondham, [email protected]

Please visit our website or call

07957 938989

Suitable for indoor and outdoor signage.

Wetwipe chalk markers areavailable in ten colours.

Liquid chalk wet wipe products come off with a quick wipe froma damp cloth, yet they are waterproof and permanent under even

the heaviest rainfall.

There are many kinds ofpub guides. Some willdescribe every last finial &fenestration, the exquisite

mosaic of a long lost breweryname in the entrance and theEdwardian fish tank in theLadies, while unhelpfully omit-ting the fact that it serves onlythe Devil's own urine for beer.In contrast others will list thebeers, method of dispense, andopening hours, and leave youin total ignorance of the rarevinyl juke box in the Lounge,the chilli loving cat and the factthat Karl Marx used to pop infor his evening pint after a hardday in the British Library!

Peter Haydon’s guide sitshappily between these twoextremes with a brief listing ofthe beer range followed by a

one line précis of the pub,before leaping happily into aenthusiastic description of thesaid pub's history, character,clientele and those quirkydetails that make a visit a real,and hopefully, entertainingexperience. At a page an entry(115 of them) and with outletsranging from the West End viathe City to the East End, andfrom Kentish Town Road toBorough High Street, this is asnap-shot of the best ofLondon’s pubs in the firstdecade of the 21st century,illustrated with a superb selec-tion of colour photographs thatmakes this reviewer spit withenvy.

With any guide the questionhas to be the degree of accu-racy achieved, and,

as many pubs listed are newto me I would find it difficult tocomment, but, as the writerlists two of my personalfavourites (the Seven Stars onCarey Street & the MarketPorter on Stoney Street), whichspeaks volumes for his goodtaste, and concisely lists thevery reasons why you shouldvisit the area and enjoy a pintor two I’m prepared to go withhis knowledge and judgement.

If Peter Haydon’s name seemsfamiliar he is a past GeneralSecretary of SIBA, a director ofMeantime Brewery, editor of aCAMRA guide to London pubsand author of Beer & Britannia:An Inebriated History of

England plus the Which? Guideto Country Pubs - so noproblem with his qualificationsfor this guide then!

This is a guide for planningthat next trip to the Smoke andthe getting the taste budspurring in anticipation of agood pint in a great pub.

Jon Knight

NORFOLK NIPS | Book Review

London’s Best Pubs

SUMMER 2009 | 43

(A guide to London’s mostinteresting and unusual pubs)Peter Haydon, 224 page, full colour, NewHolland Publishers. £14.99ISBN 978 1 84773 421 1

The cat is Thomas Paine - a good Norfolk name - whoinhabits the Seven Stars.

SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL - Sunday 23rd AugustFeaturing Green Jack specials & summer ales from our favouritebreweries with Live music every Thursday & Friday evening

Locks Lane, GeldestonNR34 0HW Tel: 01508 518414

www.geldestonlocks.co.uk(also have myspace and facebook)

Geldeston Locks Inn

Summer Hours Noon to close every day

Food 12-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm every day(except sunday evenings)

Friday Nights: Famous curries of the world

voted best music venue on the Broads!

Events coming up:Sun 30th August

Music all day & canoe regattaFri 18th - Sun 20th Sept

Harvest Beer Cider & Music Festival

THE TRIANGLE TAVERN29 ST PETERS ST. LOWESTOFT NR32 1QA

www.thetriangletavern.co.uk

SUMMER 2009 | 45

The King’s HeadOpen 12.00noon - 11.00pm Monday to Saturday

12.00noon - 10.30pm Sunday

Run by enthusiastic drinkers and CAMRA members.

Keg Free Zone 14 Hand PumpsNorfolk Ales and CiderMild always availableWorldwide Bottled BeersBelgian BeersBar BilliardsTelevision-free

KEG FREE HOUSE

The Kings Head, 42 Magdalen Street, Norwich NR3 1JETelephone: 01603 620468 www.kingsheadnorwich.com

Dating from the 14th century, the pub has

been restored to a Victorian style.

CAMRA Norfolk

Pub of the Year

2006 & 2008

14th - 16th JulyThree Day Bastille Celebration

French food plus musical entertainment

Saturday 12th September Last Night of the proms

Join us for pomp and circumstance!

www.whitehorsechedgrave.co.uk

Simon and Karen welcome youall to their traditional family pub.Great selection of real ales (new

Guest ale every Friday)

BARRELIEFMANAGEMENT

Your local Bar Relief to cover for

your Holidays or Sickness.

Personal Licence Holder.

Food Hygiene Certificated.

Please Call Brian Mayhew on

01603 301356 or 07714657752

to discuss your requirements

email: [email protected]

www.brmpubservices.co.uk

46 | SUMMER 2009

Woodforde’s, famous fortheir award winningcask ales includingWherry, Nog, Nelson’s

Revenge and Headcracker, hasannounced the return of theirWoodforde’s Ale Trail. This timeit’s bigger than before, with achance to win some prizes atparticipating pubs in the East ofEngland counties.

The Ale Trail begins onSaturday 20th June and runsuntil the end of September,featuring nearly 400 pubs toexplore in Norfolk, Suffolk,Essex and Cambridgeshire,demonstrating the brewery’ssupport for public houses inthese difficult trading conditions.

The promotion offers real alelovers the chance to enjoy thetastes of Woodforde’s beer’sand discover drinking hostelsby using the ‘Woodforde’s PubGuide’, easy pocket-sized, andcontaining details of all partici-pating outlets, with maps anda voucher and stamp collectioncard for prizes. Each outlet willstamp your card once for a pintof Woodforde’s beer purchased,and free vouchers will beprinted in the Eastern DailyPress during the summer.

Woodforde’s has supportedeach outlet with promotionalmarketing free of charge,including the individual ‘prize’stamps to mark up your card.By returning the Ale Trail Card,drinkers can claim free Wood-forde’s merchandise including

T-shirts, tankards and beer-boxes from the fabulous visitorcentre at the brewery.

In addition, the ‘Woodforde’sPub Guide’ contains details ofentry into a free prize draw, towin a “Wherry Weekend” fortwo, including a brewery tour,accommodation and meals.

Sharon Chatten, MarketingManager of Woodforde’sBrewery, said:“This is an exciting time forWoodforde’s. Our sales arecontinuing to climb despite theeconomic climate, and wehave invested heavily in ourbrewery over the past twelvemonths. At the end of last yearwe appointed a new HeadBrewer, Neil Bain, who has animpressive pedigree as aMaster Brewer. He will raise thebar even higher and maintainour stringent quality standards.

The ‘Woodforde’s Pub Guide’,incorporating the Ale Trail will

be the focus of our efforts thissummer – and whilst providingdrinkers with a bit of fun - weare also committed tosupporting the retail outlets”

What could be better for thereal ale devotee, a great pub inthe summer, cricket, a pint ofWoodforde’s ale, and merchan-dise to win!

The pub guides are available atall participating outlets, thebrewery’s shop and the EasternDaily Press’s offices and will besent to all 14,000 ‘Woodforde’sClub’ members. The websitewww.woodfordes.co.ukprovides further details of theWoodforde’s Club and the AleTrail promotion.

For further details, please contactMike Betts, Director or SharonChatten Marketing Manager atWoodforde’s Norfolk Ales, Broad-land Brewery, Woodbastwick,Norfolk NR13 6SW, telephone01603 720353

Woodforde’s Ale Trail | NORFOLK NIPS

All ale and hearty at Woodforde’s

First Anniversary Beer Festival

29th September - 4th October 2009Over 30 beers from Micro-breweries

around the country

73 Oak Street, Norwich NR3 3AQ01603 632333

Coming SoonFood from our new kitchenRotating selection of 8 real ales from Milton Brewery and other British micro breweries. Great choice of fine wines and malt whiskies.

A Selection of Belgian and German bottled beers.

Over 120 different real ales soldsince 29/9/08

www.individualpubs.co.uk/whitelion/46 | SUMMER 2009

48 | SUMMER 2009

they must be putting some-thing in the water. Whilepubs and breweries closedown in the rest of the

country, here in Norfolk theyseem to be opening all the time.

The county's latest new brewery isthe intriguingly named Ole Slew-foot, in Hainford.

Brewer John Bates is a bluegrass fan and plays five stringbanjo - and the name comesfrom a bluegrass song about abear that lurks in the under-growth and steals pigs.

The beers, too, are named aftertunes - there's Fox on the Run,from a 1960 Manfred Mannsong, which is a 4.8 percent darkale, and Devil's Dream, named

after an American fiddle tune, a 5percent pale bitter. January 8th, afruity pale ale, completes the line-up of three beers.

John has been a keen homebrewer for a long time and lastyear decided to set up thebrewery. He took a three weekcourse at Brewlabs lastSeptember, and set the breweryup in the garage next to hishouse in Hainford.

He bought second hand equip-ment which had been used atGlastonbury Ales. He has nowfound out that some of it wasoriginal kit from the HumptyDumpty Brewery in Reedham.What goes around comesaround, as they say! That localconnection was accidental, but

he is trying to use local ingredientsas much as possible, getting mostof his malt from Teddy Maufe'sBranthill Farm in North Norfolk.

It's not a good time to bestarting any business right now,and John admits that last year, ashe saw the business news gettingmore and more gloomy, hestarted wondering if he wasdoing the right thing. But so far,it's gone quite well - his brewsare now on as guest beers in anumber of pubs including theKing's Head, King's Arms, andEaton Cottage in Norwich; Reed-cutters at Cantley; Old Red Lionin Aldborough; and Heydon,Earle Arms.Oleslewfootbrewery.co.ukThe brewer can be contacted onhis mobile - 07909 636966

Ole Slewfoot Brewery | NORFOLK NIPS

New brewery gains a foothold

SUMMER 2009 | 49

Woods End Bramerton

Situated on the River Yare three miles from Norwich.

5 real Ales, Good Pub Food.

Children and Pet Friendly

Martin and the Crew look forward to welcoming you.

Tel: 01508 538899

The Mermaid InnChurch Street, Elsing Dereham,NR20 3EA

Tel: 01362637640 Email: [email protected]

Great Pub Food MenuTry our famous Steak and Kidney Roly Polywith thick beer gravy. We cook our own Ham in

real ale, we can't cook it quick enough!

INFLATION BUSTER MON - FRI ONLY £4.95!

Look us up in the CAMRA GoodBeer Guide 2009 or the CAMRA

Good Pub Food Guide.

We have internet café facilities!

Freehouse, Real Ales, RealFood, Real Welcome!

Freehouse, Real Ales, RealFood, Real Welcome!

The London TavernFree House

Church St, Attleborough Tel :01953 457415

Great real ales, fine wines and spirits.Traditional food served daily, pre-booked evening meals,

Sunday roasts and Childrens menu. Meals for large parties up to 30 catered for in ourfuntion room, choice of set menu’s. Bookings only.

Parking, Disabled facilities, Smokers sheltered garden, and Beer garden. Wine And Cheese Festival - Sat 1st August & Sun 2nd August.

4th Annual Week Long Beer Festival Starts Friday 25th Sept - 4th Oct

Hog Roast 1st Sunday - Lamb Roast 2nd Sunday. Entertainment on weekends.Well behaved dogs on leads welcome

Phil and Pam Welcome You to

The Trunch CrownFront St, Trunch, North Walsham NR28 0AH

BANK HOLIDAY

BEER FESTIVAL

AUGUST 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st

24 Beers + Ciders

Barbecue • Live music •Hog Roast

Open all day throughout - All welcome

Tel 01263 722341More information at www.trunchcrown.co.uk

Open Monday-Thursday 12-3pm and 5.30-11pmFriday, Saturday, Sunday

OPEN ALL DAY (12-11pm)

Food served Weds-Sat 12-2.30pm

and 6.30-9pm (Sun 12-4pm)

The Shoulder of Mutton ~ Strumpshaw ~

Fine ales and good food served in a friendly atmosphere

Real ales includeAdnams Bitter andBroadside plusTWO guest ale(mainly from local

breweries)

Food served 12-2pm and 7-9pm (Mon-Sat), 12-2pm Sundays

Pub games include Darts, Pool, Crib and Petanque!

Ian and Jenny look forward to welcoming you..

Norwich Rd, Strumpshaw, Norwich NR13 4NT

Tel 01603 712274

Have Norfolk Green Buses been reading thefeature on North Norfolk in Spring’s Nips& Cask Force 148? Whatever the reason,their recent upgrade of the Hunstanton-

Sheringham Coasthopper service to a half hourlyfrequency has required new buses. And on theside of these is listed a number of activities asso-ciated with the North Norfolk coast, one ofthese being ‘Alesupping’.

Well, it certainly fits . There are that so many finepubs along the coastal strip that I apologise inadvance for any deserving hostelries notmentioned. Even their timetable leaflet even listseight of them as calling points. Town pubsinclude The Wash & Tope at Hunstanton, basi-cally a resort house which has recently taken aserious interest in real ales, at Wells there is avariety of pubs selling a range of reputable realales whilst Sheringham has The Lobster sellingboth old favourites and guest beers.

In the villages are timeless classics such as The Lord Nelson at BurnhamThorpe , The Lifeboat, Thornham (both a shortwalk off the direct route) and The Jolly Sailors,sympathetically refurbished by its new owners.More upmarket examples include The HosteArms, Burnham Market and The Victoria,Holkham, whilst Weybourne boasts real alespecialist, The Ship.

More details of these and the many other goodpubs in the district can be found in a variety ofguides, also on CAMRA’s Norfolk Pubs Websitewww.norwichcamra.org.uk/pubdb.Norfolk Green provide a variety of discount and

runabout tickets covering this route which linksin with the newly introduced fast hourly serviceto Lynn (including connections both ways at therailway station) from Hunstanton. Unfortunately,even those holding such tickets are unlikely tohave time to allow full justice to all the fine pubsin the district.

Bus information is available from all the usualsources.

Ian Bailey

NORFOLK NIPS | Norfolks Green Buses

Alesupping? Go Coasthopping!

SUMMER 2009 | 51

The pub with no bar, alesdirect from cask.

Watch www.nelsonslocal.co.uk forforthcoming events.

New Italian menu: not just pizza andpasta. Sunday lunch still available.Live music every Thursday from8.45pm. All details on the website.

Real fires. Huge garden. Come & visit Nelson’s local.

Walsingham Road, Burnham ThorpeNorfolk PE31 8HN01328 738241

COAST ROAD, WALCOTT,NORFOLK NR12 OPE

Telephone(01692) 650371

Proprietor since 1989: STEVE BULLIMOREFREE HOUSE

OPEN FOR FOOD & DRINKS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, 11am - 11pm

Food available all day until 10.30pm10% off food and drink on production of CAMRA membership card

www.lighthouseinn.co.uk

FOUR REAL ALES & CIDER

which was fairly weak – prob-ably a good thing, given thequantities drunk. However therecords of Queen’s show thatDouble beer was produced andalso College ale with an original gravity of 1068.2 anddescribed by a mid nineteenthcentury visitor as ‘having adeposit of yeast’. Also brewedwas Chancellor ale, a deep richruby red colour, with an orig-inal gravity of 1135.3.When the brew houses closed,the colleges bought in suppliesfrom local brewers. In OxfordMorrells produced these beersfor many years, and indeedsome of their beers werenamed to reflect their links withthe educational establishments.

I remember attending astudent rally in Oxford in themid seventies and having morethan my fill of Varsity bitter,which was a mainstay of theirrange alongside College andGraduate ales. In Cambridge ahost of local brewers took upthe task, including DalesGwydir Street Brewery, whichcan still be seen. It was notlong before these breweriesstarted to be taken over andclosed down, but as is still thecase, the new owners recreatedsome of the brews. Probablythe last link with these dayswas Audit Ale. This was astrong beer brewed for thequarter days.

When rents became due fourtimes a year, it was the customfor the tenants to bring a gift offood, maybe a chicken orgoose or homemade cheese,along with their money. Thiswas used to supplement a feast

at which vast quantities of thisAudit Ale was consumed. Thiswas dark in colour and similarto a barley wine. Lacons ofGreat Yarmouth took over anumber of Cambridge brew-eries in the latter years of the19th century and brewed andbottled the beer for many ofthe Cambridge Colleges, eachwith their own distinctive label,and Whitbread continued theproduction until 1980. GreeneKing also acquired Bailey andTebbutt of Cambridge in 1924and produced Audit Ale untilabout 1983.

I can find no trace of anybrewers still producing beer fora university or college since1987, when the Bedfordbrewer Charles Wells brewed abeer for Imperial college. Surelythere is a market here for abrewer to revive this tradition.Many pubs have a house beer,so why not a student unionbar?So is this centuries old linkfinally over? Almost, but notquite. In 2007 Blackfriarsbrewery of Great Yarmouthobtained a recipe from the oldLacons brewery and recreatedAudit Ale for the local beerfestival. Westerham brewery inKent have also produced anAudit Ale version recentlybased on a recipe from theBlack Eagle brewery, also ofWesterham (long since closed),winning a silver medal with it atthe 2009 SIBA awards. I wouldlove to try this style of beer, andwould be interested if anyone isaware of other breweries stillproducing it.

Jeff Hoyle

NORFOLK NIPS | Student Drinking

SUMMER 2009 | 5352 | SUMMER 2009

It is well known that manystudents like the odd drink,and when we spent aweekend in Lincoln recently,

it seemed most of them werewell on their way to capacityby the time they headed outfor the night clubs, and anevening of what I believe isknown as ‘vertical drinking’(although for some I fear it mayhave become horizontal beforethe evening was out.)

It was not always so. A custom that lingered on intothe 1950’s in Oxford was thevisiting of the inns in the cityby the Proctor accompaniedby ‘Bulldogs’ or collegepolicemen who would ask of

students ‘Your name andcollege, Sir?’ Indeed before thewar the Gardeners pub inOxford ran an insurancescheme, charging an extrapenny on a pint to pay thefines of those caught. Longerago, a trip to town would nothave been necessary, as manyof the colleges had their ownbrew house. Beer, of course,was the standard drink in thedays before a reliable watersupply existed and before teaand coffee were available oraffordable. A description ofWinchester College in the1820’s attests that ‘thebedmakers used to carry eachevening into each of the sevenchambers a huge nipperkin of

beer to last all night. It was beerfor breakfast, dinner, supperand beer under your bed’.Unlike the monasteries,dissolved in the 16th Centuryby Henry VIII, some of thecolleges continued untilmodern times. WinchesterCollege brew house was builtin 1394 and was still in actionas recently as 1905. TheCambridge colleges ceasedbrewing in the 19th century. In Oxford most of them closedbetween 1880 and 1920, butQueen’s continued to brewuntil 1939.

What type of ale did theybrew? Most of the productionwas ‘small beer’ or table beer,

Student Drinking | NORFOLK NIPS

Student Drinking NIPS AND CASKFORCE BY POST!If you would like to receive thenext four copies of thenewsletter by post send yourname and address along with10 first class stamps toNIPS, 91 Tennyson Road, KingsLynn, Norfolk, PE30 5NG

NOT TONIGHT, DARLING!It's interesting how all sorts ofgrandees and business peoplehave come out in the press todenounce the 50 percenthighest rate of tax.

They argue that high rates of taxare a disincentive to high earners,making them into tax exiles, ordiscouraging them from earningabove a certain level.

Well, what about beer tax? Isn'tthat a disincentive to drinkers?Particularly in the currenteconomic climate, when manydrinkers are short of cash.

If we drink less, Alistair Darlingwill get less tax... despite theextra penny a pint.

More to the point, brewers andpubs will also be in trouble.Country pubs are an importantpart of community life inNorfolk, and if they close,villages are often left with nosocial centre.Look at the billions spent onthe banks. The government hasthe power to save an industry ifit wishes. But instead, it'simposing higher costs, andincreased taxes on our pubs.

Frankly, we need fewerbankers, and more pubs!

The MarinersAle and Cider House

Maritime Beer FestThursday 3rd - Sunday 6th September

20+ maritime beers and food plus live Blues on SundayTel: (01493) 332299 E-Mail: [email protected]

69 Howard Street South, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. NR30 1LN

Now Open in GorlestonThe Mariners Compass - 8 Real Ales plus Ciders21 Middleton Rd, Gorleston Tel: 01493 659494

having not been toCambridge for a while, itwas decided a wee pubcrawl was in order, but

with a slight difference. Somepubs just outside of the big citywould be included. Arriving atCambridge train station, TheThree Norfolk Stooges (Timbo,Stig, and Nige), caught a Citi7bus out front, each purchasinga Day Rider ticket at a mere 3Pound 30 Pence, and away wedid go!

We began the day at the RedLion in Histon (opens at1030!), and what a brilliantpub to start with, eight real alesto choose from, including TringBlonde, Mighty Oak OscarWilde (it’s a mild!), Idle’s IdleSod (surely they can’t meanus?!), Oakleaf Hole Hearted,and finally, Broughton Bram-ling Cross. The Red Lion alsodoes a mammoth big breakfast,which Nige barely finished! A quick bus ride to our nextport of call, the Railway Vuein next door Impington, not asgood as the previous establish-ment, but the Everards Tigerand Black sheep Bitter wereokay. Next to the pub a newelectric bus route could be seenunder construction, using therail line that once was here.Mid-afternoon by now, so wecaught the bus back into thecity, and into one of our favehaunts, the St Radegund, asmall pub but packed with

atmosphere, a good venue forthe rugby fans out there. The ale ain’t bad either! Me and Nige had St AustellTribute, Stig plumped forMilton Dyonnisus (sorry if Ispelt it wrong), then it was adive into the backstreets nearthe Grafton Centre. To themuch improved Elm Tree, agood choice of beers awaited,twas B & T Shefford Bitter(Timbo), Wolf’s Wolf Whistle(Nige), and Wensleydale OldSmokey (Stig), get downGromit. Had a chat with a pairwho’d been on the sauce, onefrom, I think, Zimbabwe, andhis very inebriated Englishfriend.

Follow the (yellow?) Mill Road,down Gwydir Street to thewonderful Cambridge Blue,run by the nice people whoused to have the Carlton Arms(another pub worth a look!),tea-time so we enjoyed deli-cious food with our beer (suchas Thai curry and lemonchicken). The beer! Oh yes, sillyme, almost forgot! Two forGrain Harvest Moon, and onefor Harwich Bathside Battery, I may have got that onewrong, the ol’ handwriting wasgetting a tad hard to read(wonder why?).

A street or two over to theKingston Arms, and thecheapest round of the day,three pints of Crouch Vale

Brewers Gold at only £7 Pound20 pence! Time for one finalstop, and what a stop, prob-ably my fave pub inCambridge, the Live & LetLive, a cracking backstreetpub. We supped Vale EdgarsGolden Ale, William Wallace Ale(forgot the brewery for thatone*), Oakham Inferno, andbottled Belgian excellence inDe Ranke XX.

What a day! And there are afew other decent pubs TheThree Norfolk Stooges didn’tget around to visiting; worth amention are The PickerelInn, Castle Inn, Free Press,Mill Tavern, and TheEmpress. So if you’re bored ofendless colleges, or punting,grab an A-Z and a maybe a“Good Beer Guide” (or simplyask!), and seek out a historiccity’s finest pubs.

Jenson Button’s Braun razor(aka, Timbo).

*Traditional Scottish Ales, Stirling

NORFOLK NIPS | Cambridge Jolly

(No) Planes, Trains andAutomobiles

SUMMER 2009 | 55

the theme of this issue isrural pubs, so I thought itwould be good to tell youa little about our choice

for the branch pub of the year.By the time you read this you

may already have discoveredthat it was not successful inwinning the county competi-tion, however this does notdetract from its status as aperfect example of a rural pub.

The Union Jack in Roydon istucked away up a small roadjust off the village centre and isalmost unique these days insurviving on wet sales alone.

The prices are fantastic with atypical pint of bitter at £2.40!In conversation I also realisedthat they have unique openinghours as well catering forvillagers on the way home fromwork and shooting parties by

opening just after lunch andthen for the rest of the day!

The Jack is also a haven for doglovers with an assortment ofresident and visiting hounds.There doesn’t seem to be anyhint of clique culture and all arewelcome, this was certainly thecase when we made our POTYpresentation.

So if you want a rare exampleof a pub that is still only about

beer then look no further-Trevor and Mandy Barlow, willbe sure to give you a warmwelcome.If we want to see village pubssurvive we really do need touse them, or all that will remainare “Gastro” emporia withWest End prices not EastAnglian ones.

The survival of returning pubslike the Jolly Sailors and theDabbling Duck depends on our

support. Recently we opposedthe change of use of a pubbuilding in North Norfolk,which would have become alocal Tesco, selling no doubtlots of cheap booze.

You’ll be pleased to read nodoubt that the application wasrefused. Perhaps that will helpprotect our local pubs.

Chris Lucas

NORFOLK NIPS | Union Jack

Rural pubs: a view from the west

SUMMER 2009 | 5756 | SUMMER 2009

58 | SUMMER 2009

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer Festivals

SUMMER 2009 | 59

Beer festivals calendar19-24 June Beer festival at the Filby Kings Head

18-22 June Solstice beer festival at the Hill House,Happisburgh, with camping available

18-21 June Festival of Beer and Brewing, TheMuseum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket.

23-28 June The Vine, Dove Street, Norwich. Thecity’s smallest pub, which reopened last year, isholding a beer festival focusing on beers from ‘tiny’breweries.

June 22-28 Heath House, Gertrude Road, Norwich, isholding a beer festival. Crone's cider will also be avail-able.

3-5 July Beer festival at the Beehive, Leopold Road,Norwich

3-4 July UEA Beer Event at Dragon Hall, GBP 5 aticket including a third-pint glass and your first threetastings. This event will feature local breweriesincluding Buffy’s, Ole Slewfoot, Fat Cat, Grain andHumpty Dumpty.

4-12 July The Swan Inn, Stone, Staffs is holding aPeaks and Tractors festival. It wouldn't normally be inNips but for the fact that it's including a large numberof Norfolk beers as well as Derbyshire ales.

7-11 July CAMRA Chelmsford Summer Beer Festival,Admirals Park, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PL.Noon till 11pm. Free to CAMRA members; non-members GBP 4 (Tues-Thurs), GBP 5 (Fri) and GBP 3(Sat).

7 - 14 2nd July Bungay Festival Ale trail 09.

10-12 July Reedham Beer Festival, Reedham VillageHall (ten minutes walk from Reedham railway station).Begins Friday evening; live music, and real ales in thebig tent. Organised by the team at Humpty DumptyBrewery, but other beers will be available - cider too.

11-12 July The first Dickleburgh festival at theCrown, Dickleburgh, with food, live music, and on-site accommodation.

17-19 July North Norfolk Railway Beer Festival, onplatform 2 of the Poppy Line Sheringham Station (justacross the road from the ‘real’ station with train link toNorwich). 11-11 (closes 430 pm Sunday), hot food,live entertainment, and steam trains.

25 July Mattishall Beer Festival. At South Green Enter-prise Park, Mattishall, Dereham. Midday to midnight,with BBQ and hog roast; book in advance atwww.cafe-verde.co.uk. (Tickets GBP 5.50 in advance,GBP 7 on the gate.)

4-8 August - CAMRA Great British Beer Festival. Tues5-10.30pm; Weds-Fri noon to 1030; Sat 11-7. Volun-teers always needed - CAMRA will put you up and giveyou breakfast, youire responsible for the rest! Detailson main CAMRA website

6-8 August - beer festival at the Angel, Larling - 70real ales and ciders, and live music.

Friday 28 - 31 AugustReal ales and live music at The Lord Nelson Reedham,more details at www.lordnelsonpub.com

25-29 August CAMRA Peterborough Beer Festival,The Embankment, Bishops Road, Peterborough. For times and prices see www.peterbor-ough-camra.org.uk.

18 - 20 September Wash & Tope, Hunstanton withsponsorship from Manor Park Caravans.

23-26 September CAMRA Ipswich Beer Festival at theCorn Exchange, King Street, Ipswich.

29 September - 4 October The White Lion, OakStreet, Norwich is holding its first anniversary beerfestival.

26-31 October CAMRA Norwich Beer Festival!! Keepthe date for this excellent beer festival held once againin St Andrew's and Blackfriars Halls in Norwich - realales from Norfolk and 'foreign parts’ as well as a selec-tion of Belgian, German and other international beersin the marquee. Email staffing coordinator, MarkStimpson, [email protected], Staff are also required forset up on Sunday 25th and take-down on Sunday 1st.

30 October - 6 November - Royal Oak, PoringlandBeer festival - bus 587/588 will get you there.

West Norfolk EventsSunday 31st May, Anvil, Congham, walk andSunday Lunch, meet Anvil car park, 11.30, back therefor lunch 2pm (normal menu + roasts).Tuesday 14th July, George & Dragon, Newton byCastle Acre

11th August Dolphin, Thetford 8th September Wash & Tope, Hunstanton

Beer Festival Diary

FOUR REAL ALESLive Music, Friday & SaturdayLarge garden overlooking the

River Wensum

OPENMon - Thurs 12-11

Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11

The Gatehouse Pub 391 Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8QJ

01603 620340

Mark & Marie offer you a warm welcome to the

Fox and Hounds HeachamHome of The Fox Brewery

We are a free house specialising in real ales. The firstpub in Heacham to be in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Regular Quiz and Music nights.

West Norfolk’s Biggest Beer Festival45 + beers plus ciders and Live International Music

Thursday 23rd July - Jazz ProofFriday July 24th - John Gomm (Acoustic Blues)

Sat July 25th - ‘Also’ (Genuine West Coast Rock fromLos Angeles) and more

Sunday July 36th - Songs from the Blue House(Folk Rock)

Tel: 01485 57034522 Station Rd, Heacham, Norfolk PE31 7EX

OPEN ALL DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK

The RailwayFreehouseStation Rd, North Elmham

01362 668300In the current Good Beer Guide,

CAMRA members and supporters of local microbrewers

REAL ALES • REAL FOODREAL PUB

Colin & Julie Smithlook forward to

seeing you!

60 | SUMMER 2009

The White Hart Inn7 White Hart Street, Foulden, Thetford,Norfolk IP26 5AW Tel: 01366 328638

19th Century traditionalpub with accomodationin the heart of Foulden,just outside Thetford.

With Thetford Forest right on the doorstep,this is a great base for discovering the wildlife

and outdoor pleasures of The Brecks.

Real ale pub serving value formoney pub meals with music andquiz nights. for full details of whats on

email:- [email protected]

Child Friendly and dogs welcome.En suite rooms with private

entrance available.

Town Green, WymondhamTelephone: (01953) 605675

Freehouse listed in The Good Beer Guide

Pub food 7 days a week served lunchtimesand evenings.

Function Room for parties or meetings.

Large Car Park

A warm welcome awaits you!

The full report is available athttp://www.morningadver-tiser.co.uk/images/docs/Pubco_report.pdf

That’s the way to do it -Mr Punch is selling pubsBig pubco Punch has been inthe news recently, selling anumber of its pubs to reducethe size of its portfolio and cutits debts. Brewer JW Lees tookon ten, Shepherd Neame

bought 13, mainly aroundSouth London, and CharlesWells took a bunch of 17 pubs.One has been sold to small pubgroup Heartstone, and 23 havegone to tenants.

There are many more sales inthe pipeline. 1,000 tenants areinterested in buying their pubs- and that's an interesting indi-cation just what most landlordsthink of tied status!

Meanwhile Suffolk brewerGreene King has raised GBP207m in a rights issue on thestock market. It will use part ofit to pay down debt - whichmay be a good thing to do as itcan buy the debt back for lessthan its face value - and aims tokeep the rest for pub acquisi-tions, cherry picking the bestdistressed assets on the market.

Andrea Kirkby

NORFOLK NIPS | Beer tie

SUMMER 2009 | 6362 | SUMMER 2009

the House of CommonsBusiness and EnterpriseCommittee has recom-mended that the

Competition Commissionshould look into the relationshipbetween pubcos and theirlessees. It says that the currentbeer tie is simply not working -and that pubcos are pushinglandlords around far too often.

“We have no confidence thatthe advantages of the tieoutweigh its drawbacks,” thereport says. Reading betweenthe lines, that’s MP-speak for“we think it’s a bad thing”.

That’s important, since leasedand tenanted pubs account forthe vast majority of public housesin this country (see chart).

In particular, the committeedoesn't want pubcos sellingpubs for alternative uses withcovenants prohibiting their useas pubs. It says that should bebanned - a victory for CAMRAwhich has been campaigninghard on this point.

The committee was particularlyconcerned that rents are set ina non-transparent and subjec-tive way - very different fromthe way other retail and leisureproperty rents are set. Pubcosoften underestimate runningcosts when they are assessingthe value of a pub - leaving thelandlord struggling to makemoney after he's paid the rent.The committee also attacks the

beer tie, or 'wet rent'. Free-houses are getting a GBP140-150 discount a barrel, on a£450-480 list price, whilepubco tenants turning overmore than 500 barrels a yearonly get a GBP 42 discount - inother words they're paying alot more for their beer. Thatlooks particularly bad whenyou consider that the pubco isgetting a discount of betweenGBP 210 and GBP 250 a barrel- and swiping the margin.

That affects customers directly.A fascinating table in the reportshowed that for a pint ofdraught bitter, you'd pay 14pmore at a Punch pub, and 11pmore at an Enterprise one.

And it’s interesting that onetenant, whose pubco wastaken over by Punch, said theprice he paid for his beer wentup - despite the fact that Punchboasted about its massivebuying power.

The system is definitely unbal-anced, the report says; thepubcos are taking much moreout of the business than theirtenants. Many landlords areearning less than GBP 15,000 ayear - one is not drawing asalary, and the tax credits heclaims have to be paid straightover to Enterprise! Anotherquoted in the report said “Notonly do we make no money atall but we have to pay for theprivilege.” Unsurprisingly, only 13 percent

of landlords surveyed by thecommittee were happy withthe tie. The committeesuggests that the tie should beat the lessee’s choice - withhigher rents for free-of-tiepubs. And the urgency of thesituation is summed up in thestark sentence - “The statusquo is not an option.”

Pub ownership

The big pubcos; PUBSEnterprise Inns 7581Punch Taverns 7287Admiral Taverns 2386Marston’s 1932Greene King 1428Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises 1205Wellington 1028

Beer tie | NORFOLK NIPS

The ties that bind

Freehouses17,200

Leased /Tenanted 30,800

Managed 9,000

SUMMER 2009 | 65

New Real Ale shopopened in Blofield.

Visit the shop at Blofield Leisure Centre, 58 Yarmouth Road,

Blofield, Norfolk, NR13 4LQ

Or

Visit our brewery shop at 7 Estcourt Road, Great Yarmouth,

Norfolk, NR30 4JQ

Tel: 01493 854484 email: [email protected]

www.norfolksquarebrewery.co.uk

Alby HorseShoes InnFreehouse

Situated on the A140 Norwich/Cromer Road

4 Real Ales – Home cooked Food5 STAR ESTABLISHMENTNNDC “Scores on the Doors”

Margaret & Richard Rushmerlook forward to meeting you

01263 761378 www.albyhorseshoes.co.uk

The King’s Head at Brooke6 Norwich Road, Brooke 01508 550335

Real AlesExtensive Wine ListHome Cooked Food

Bar Snacks and A la Carte MenuBBQ in the summer

Cream Teas • Afternoon TeaLog Fires in the winter

A traditional pub/restaurant serving home madetraditional British food with a modern slant. All food is prepared in our own kitchens.

We only use local fresh produce where possible.

Free Range local Pork • Local GameLocal Free Range Lamb • Wild Venison

Aged Local Beef • Free Range Chickens and EggsHomemade Bread • Homemade Desserts

No MSG • No Colourings • No Preservatives

No GM Modified Foods

From its formation in 2006 Anglian Roofing Supplies hasfirmly established itself as a leading independent roofingmerchant in East Anglia.

Many years experience in both flat and pitched roofingSuppliers of traditional materials & new roofing systemsLarge stocked yards at Ipswich and NorwichCallers always welcome to visit our showroomSite visits and samples by arrangementDelivery and collection throughout Norfolk and Suffolk

Your local RoofingSupplies Specialist

Anglia Roofing Supplies Ltd Unit 1, Jarrold Way, Bowthorpe,

Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 9JD. Tel 01603 271502 Fax 01603 749353

The Burston CrownJonj, Frances, Bev and Steve welcome youto our 16th Century country pub.

We offer a fine range of gravity fed real ales, excellent bar and restuarant food every day and a welcoming, warm atmosphere. Every Thursdayevening we have a busker’s night and host livemusic every alternate Sunday.

01379 [email protected]

BEER FESTIVAL 2009 - SEPT 26THBands from all over the UK!See www.burstoncrown.com for details

We Don’t Have a Big Screen TV, Food Or a Juke BoxWe do have 17 handpumps, with Real Ale from far andwide, 2 Real Ciders and 2 Real Ales From gravity, a

large car park, large beer garden With heated smokingshelter, darts, pool, quizzes And crib.

We hold two beer festivals each year.

The Royal Oak lies at the heart of the community andnew customers are always welcome. Come along andget a real welcome from a real pub selling real ale!!!!!!Nick, Delia And The Team would love to see you soon.

The Royal Oakat Poringland

A dream of a pub situated in the village of Poringlandon the B1332 road to Bungay. The main bus route

from Norwich stops right outside.

Contact us on

01508 493734 New email: [email protected]

Norwich And Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2007

Norfolk Pub Of The Year 2007

Good Beer Guide Listed

Come and enjoy the summer sunshine inour extensive beer garden!

Dont forget - AUTUMN BEER FESTIVAL October 30th - November 6th

FREEMOUSE 49 West End Street, Norwich NR2 4NA 01603 624364

TWO TIMES CAMRA NATIONALPUB OF THE YEAR (1998 & 2004)

Up to real ales available all year round

bottled beers from around the world featuring 25 countries, from Mexico to Mongolia, Jamaica to Japan and China to the Czech Republic

Draught continental beers including 5 fruit beers

3080

15

TWO TIMES CAMRA NATIONALPUB OF THE YEAR (1998 & 2004)

NOW IN

OUR

19TH YE

AR!TAPPIT

S & POL

YPINS

AVAILAB

LE ALL Y

EAR!

www.fa

tcatpub

.co.uk

Fat Cat Brewery at the Cidershed, Norwich

LIVE MUSIC & ARTS VENUE01603 788508

98-100 Lawson Rd, Norwich NR3 4LF 01603 624364UP TO 15 REAL ALES INCLUDING THE FAT CAT RANGE:

ROLLS S

TILL 60

p

Fat Cat Bitter3.8%

Honey Ale4.3%

Top Cat Pale Ale4.8%

Marmalade Cat5.5%

Stout Cat4.6%

www.cidershednorwich.net

Issue 149 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Documents

Transcript of Issue 149 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force