Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

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No.174 Autumn 2015 FREE London Calling! Norwich and Norfolk branch outing to the Bermondsey Mile. See Page 20 Magazine of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

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The Autumn 2015 issue of the newsletter of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

Transcript of Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Page 1: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

No.174 Autumn 2015

FREE

London Calling!Norwich and Norfolk branch

outing to the Bermondsey Mile.See Page 20

Magazine of the Norfolk Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale

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The last few months have beena very busy and exciting time inthe cider campaign. InFebruary the EuropeanCommission issued a formalrequest to the United Kingdomto amend its excise duty legisla-tion and scrap the current taxexemption for Cider and Perrymade by very small producers.

Since the introduction of ciderduty there has been an exemp-tion in place in the UK to helpsmall producers for whommaking cider is an integral partof rural culture. The currentexemption supports producerswho make less than 70hl a year(33 pints a day). Without thisexemption many producers ofreal Cider and Perry wouldnever have started to producecommercially. Should theexemption be withdrawn itwould likely cost these smallproducers up to £2,700 peryear out of the £10,000 theymay be lucky enough togenerate in sales. This meansthat around 80% would ceasecommercial production, whichwould severely reduceconsumer choice, leaving justthe larger producers supplyingto the cider market.

In response, CAMRA launcheda petition asking the govern-ment to retain the taxexemption, which secured over26,000 signatures. It waspresented to 10 DowningStreet in June by CAMRA Repre-sentatives and David WarburtonMP. Following this, CAMRAsecured an invitation to put itscase forward to the office of theCommissioner for EconomicAffairs, Taxation and Customs inStrasbourg where CAMRAsecured the support of 9 MEPs,including Clare Moody andAnneliese Dodds who helpedarranged the meeting with theCommissioner.

The good news is that thecampaign has made an impactand in the latest Budget thegovernment committed tosupport small cider producersby retaining the current dutyexemption. This is a great stepforward and we now workclosely with the EuropeanParliament to amend the Euro-pean Directive so that the UKGovernment can uphold thiscommitment within the legalframework.

Andrea Briers

Norfolk Nips | Campaigning

In this issue:Cider Duty Campaigning 3

BLO’s Needed! 5

Goodbye Colin Hunter 5

Stig’s Words 6

The Ed’lines 7

Pub and Brewery News 8-10

Lacons wins World Beer Award 12

Champion Beers of Britain 13

Good Beer Guide 2016 13

A Capital idea? 14-15

Pub of the Year Awards 17

Suffolk Borders CAMRA 18-19

London Calling 20-21

Wensleydale & Beer 25

Cider, Landlord’s Nightmare? 25-27

Barman 29

38th Norwich Beer Festival 30

Whiteboard 37

Delivering Nips 42-43

Whatpub.com 49

CAMRA Discounts 51

LocAle 45

CAMRA Beer Festivals 53

Join CAMRA 54

From the Archives 57

Last Orders 59

CAMRA Branch Calendar 61

Contact Details 62

Cider Duty Campaigning

Autumn 2015 | 3

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Hello everybody! Some of youmight know me already fromseeing me around Norwichand Norfolk pubs or working atthe Norwich Beer Festival. Youmay not know, but I am alsothe Brewery Liaison Coordi-nator for both Norwich &Norfolk branch and the EastAnglia region.

My role is to make sure thatevery brewery in East Angliahas a CAMRA representative, orBrewery Liaison Officer.

What is a BLO? Well, aBrewery Liaison Officer’s job issimple - to talk to the breweryto both keep them up to datewith what is happening inCAMRA, and to keep CAMRA’sbrewery information up to date.

Among other things, we tryto maintain a list of their beers,so they can be entered intocompetitions such as theChampion Beer of Britain, andso that other branches will findtheir beers when ordering fortheir beer festival. CAMRA alsopublish a quarterly report ofupdates received from BLOs, sobranches will know what ishappening in each brewery asthere are so many!

The job is important as theinformation maintained is usedto create the Brewery Sectionof the Good Beer Guide eachyear, so it has to be accurateand up to date.

If you are a CAMRA memberand you would like to help byworking with one of the brew-

eries listed below, please get intouch by email to [email protected]:

BrancasterFakirNeatishead (at the White Horse)

RedwellShackletonSt Andrew’s BrewhouseTipples

You'll only need to contactthe brewery three or four timesa year, usually via email, so itshouldn't take up much of yourtime, and you never know youmight just get invited to thebrewery for a few samples!

Cheers,

Oli Fernandez

Goodbye Colin Hunter

Norfolk Nips | Brewery Liason Officer

BLOs needed! What’s a BLO?

Autumn 2015 | 5

It is with sadness that I have to announcethe recent death of Colin Hunter fromGreat Yarmouth. He was known with fond-ness as Uncle Albert or Father Christmas inview of his striking beard. I've been told hehelped out at many beer festivals includingthe GBBF but his main contributions to the

branch was his reports from the coastwhich were essential to the Campaign.Shortly before his death your joint editorsand publisher were having a strategymeeting in the Apollo when a voice washeard “So you're Stig then?” It was Colin,still doing his beer research.

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Stig’s WordsI’ve been pretty busy recently and haven’t beenspending much time in pubs. One exceptionwas a meeting with Graham the new Norwichbranch editor, Warren N&N chairman and ourpublisher Dan we visited several Yarmouth alehouses I haven’t been to before and as thebalance moved from business to pleasure, Imust say it was a most enjoyable day. I alsodiscovered I have at least one fan! Thank you foryour kind words sir…(and God bless).

I think you will find a lot of Cider related newsand articles in this edition, dealing with Realcider issues from several different standpoints,also some of Steve our chairman’s wanderingsand even an article with hip “Game of thrones”references from Jeff, plus his usual musings andWest Norfolk news.

Steve has covered the winning of yet moreplaudits by The Railway at Downham marketand alluded to west Norfolk’s own RD AndreaBriers political manoeuvres, which you will seeillustrated by a rather nice photo in DowningStreet.

One thing I would like to ask is if there arebranch members out there who have a taste forwriting and have some beer/ pub related experi-ences or opinions to share please send them forconsideration as we need a deeper sample ofour membership contributing to this magazine.It doesn’t have to be serious stuff a funny sign ina pub, tales of bizarre happenings at the localanything that celebrates the pub culture we allenjoy.

I have a bit to say about recent craft beertrends and the bandwagon it has become butI’ll save that for a future edition. Now back to anoffice when the clicking of keyboards sounds likeamplified death-watch beetles eating timberonly punctuated by the occasional expletive,luckily I don’t actually work there!

CheersStig

We have a growing number of postalsubscribers to Norfolk Nips and Cask Force,and I would like to send my thanks for the kindcomments and best wishes from those whohave renewed their subscriptions recently.

If you would like to join them in receiving thenext 4 issues by post, send 10 first classstamps or £6.50 cheque payable to WestNorfolk CAMRA, 91 Tennyson Road,Kings Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 5NG.

The magazine is also viewable online atissuu.com

Subscriptions

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Well this is my first attempt at being an Editorand I realise I have a lot to learn. We have had alot of feedback on possible changes and sugges-tions to improve the Norfolk Nips and CaskForce magazine. Some I've got to say we will notbe able to use. There are libel laws you know.

This is our Autumn edition and even thoughthe Summer has not been blessed with contin-uing sunshine we have been blessed with lots ofBeer Festivals. I have visited quite a number andhave a few more on my list. Obviously theNorwich Beer Festival from 26th-31st October isthe highlight and I look forward to seeing youthere. Why not volunteer to help as you willenjoy the experience.

You will note we are very keen to register pubsas an Asset of Community Value and we needyour help as local knowledge is essential.

There are over 700 registered in England andCAMRA has set a target to list 3000 by the endof 2016. Please contact us as soon as you knowa pub is vulnerable. The Berney Arms is a recentexample and our Branch Chairman Warren evenappeared again on local TV. He will soon becalling himself a Celebrity.

At the time of writing I have news that Glynisand Chris Higgins are finally leaving the TraffordArms and there will be more about this in ournext addition.

Finally I would like to thank all those of youwho sent in articles as it is your newsletter andwe all want to share our interest in Real Ale &Cider.

Graham Freeman

Norfolk Nips | From the Editors

The Ed’lines

Autumn 2015 | 7

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News from Norwich& Norfolk

Great news - we have our firstACV! The Woodman, OldCatton, was nominated byNorwich & Norfolk CAMRA,and added to BroadlandDistrict Council’s list of assets ofcommunity value at the end ofJuly. Thanks are due to thosewho provided the necessaryinformation, and to theCAMRA HQ staff who helpedwith the forms and legalities!

Following tip-offs from varioussources, we’ve submitted afurther eight nominations, andwe’re working on several more,for pubs in all seven districtcouncils in our branch area. Butthere are still several hundredpubs out there which could beconverted to a take-away ormini-mart tomorrow unless it ison the ACV list.

So if you’re reading this in apub, you’ll already have all theinformation we need to nomi-nate it as an asset ofcommunity value - visit ourwebsite atnorwichcamra.org.uk and clickon the List Your Local link tohelp ensure it stays a pub!

Unfortunately, it is too late tosave the Bread & Cheese, inAdelaide St, Norwich. Planningpermission to convert the pubinto flats has been given byNorwich City Council. I’mafraid we missed the applica-

tion when it was submitted inFebruary, although at thattime, prior to the recentchanges in the law, it wouldhave been far more difficult tonominate the pub as an ACV.Had we done so, it might justhave swayed the planning offi-cers’ recommendation.

In other Norwich news, Pickle& Relish, previously the LillieLangtry, on Unthank Road hasclosed - any news as to whywould be appreciated. Thenew owners of the BlackHorse in Earlham Rd tell usthat the pub will be closed forrefurbishment, but will be re-opening soon with ‘significant’ changes.

On the plus side, the: StAndrews Brewhouse, previ-ously Delaney’s, has beencompletely transformed, and isnow serving real ale brewed atthe on-site brewery. I haven’thad a chance to visit the Rose-bery since it re-opened, buthave heard good reports. Thebeer selection is now evenbetter, with a selection fromRedwell / Bullards and regularbeers from Golden Triangle.And new landlords Karen andSteve at the Kings Arms inHall Road have replaced all thebeer lines, re-painted the inte-rior, spruced up the loos, andare currently working onimprovements to the patio areaat the rear of the pub, andflower baskets for the front.

The beer range is still extensive,not only featuring ales fromBateman’s but also six or seven

others, mostly from local brew-eries.

We have another new brewerywith the NeatisheadBrewing Company startingup at the White Horse,Neatishead. We understandthe plant will be brewing smallquantities of interesting beers,primarily for the pub itself,which will sell alongside thekeg Lighter Lager, developedwith Norfolk Brewhouse.

In North Walsham theFeathers is to be converted toa heritage centre, and theBlack Swan , having re-openedin February and closed in April,opened again in May withShani-Leigh Collins in charge.

Two county pubs which couldhave been saved if we had hadthe legal powers we do noware the Mill, SaxlinghamThorpe, which is now anIndian restaurant, and atSwardeston the Dog has, webelieve, been converted tooffices.

Contrary to what we reportedin the last issue, it seems theWhite Lodge at Attlebor-ough remains closed.However, we hear that theRam, at Brundall, an ACVlisted pub which was savedfrom the grasp of Tescos, isnow owned by Turkish brothers,serving real ale and operatingan in-house kebab shop!

In the Great Yarmouth area,planning permission has beenrefused (for the second time)

Pub and Brewery NewsPub and Brewery News | Norfolk Nips

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for the First & Last, Ormesbyto be converted to housing,and the famous BerneyArms, the only pub in thecountry not accessible by road(and which has its own railwayhalt!) has re-opened with thehelp of Tim Dunford of GreenJack. Unfortunately a planningapplication has also beensubmitted to convert the pubto a house, which we have ofcourse opposed.

Wetherspoons have boughtthe GT Motors site in GorlestonHigh St, and subject tolicensing and planning permis-sions, will be investing £1.5min building and fitting out anew site. Good news or bad?What do you think - let usknow!

And just in as we go to press,the New Inn, Rockland StMary has re-opened, and isnow serving four ales.

News from the West

One way of keeping up to datewith what is going on in theworld of pubs is to periodicallycheck the local planning applica-tions. I was of the understandingthat these were in the publicdomain and open for inspec-tion and comment by anyone.

Indeed a summary of theapplications is published regu-larly in the Lynn News, andcomments can be lodged onthe Borough Council website.In the last issue I made a factualreference to a planning appli-cation which was submittedwhere the location was a local

pub, and as a result I wassurprised to find that I amapparently to face legal actionfor loss of custom, althoughthe person in question has notcommunicated directly withme, rather confining hisremarks to another member ofour CAMRA branch. Imaginemy delight when I received thelatest spam email doing therounds, which contains docu-ments for my up-coming courtappearance! Maybe I have acounter claim for stress.

Anyway, I can reveal thatplanning application 15/00643/O has been refused and thedevelopment, which it seemswas never intended to affectthe pub anyway, will not begoing ahead in the near future,although an appeal is possible.

So, I would say get out thereand visit the pub and spendlots of money. I was prettyimpressed last time I went andsaid so in a recent edition ofNips, but am a bit wary ofnaming names now in case Iget a visit from the heavies.

One way to protect your localpub is to apply for a listing asan asset of community value.I am currently in the process ofmaking an application for alocal pub but the processseems to have stalled as Icannot give a list of all theevents held there along withthe numbers attending.

Despite this I wouldencourage all those concernedabout the future of their localto investigate this process,something that maybe parish

councilors might want to do.Don’t wait until your pub isunder threat, do it now.

I have been contacted by acouple of people who haveexpressed just such fears. TheBlack Swan at LittleDunham, which has beenclosed for a couple of years wasdue under the hammer on23rd July with a guide price of£180-220,000 and my corre-spondent was concerned that itis likely to become a privateresidence. Meanwhile up inHeacham I am told that theBushel and Strike is undertemporary management as theprevious licensees, Mark andPaula have left. This was agreat pub when we had ameeting there a few monthsago. I’m told that it has beentaken on after a short period ofclosure, and the new couplehave started with a couple ofcask ales and are looking tohave changing guests in thefuture, so let’s hope it is soonback to its best.

It is one of several local pubsthat have recently been listedon the Enterprise Inn site,including the Maids Head inKings Lynn which is ‘underoffer’ as I write. Also listed isthe Dolphin in Thetford.Check out the Enterprise Innswebsite for details of rents andpotential earnings.

Another pub which is lookinga bit worse for wear is theLord Kelvin next to the newlyrefurbished bus station in KingsLynn. Seemingly permanently

Norfolk Nips | Pub and Brewery News

Autumn 2015 | 9

Continued Overleaf

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closed, it has recently sproutedsigns advertising a securitycompany which is protectingthe building. Also closed andceased trading is the RAOBClub on St James Street.

Nearby, regarding theWenns Hotel, noticesappeared over a July weekendadvising that the council wereapplying to close the pub for aperiod of three months underan anti-social behaviour order.The following week the placewas being given a good deal ofattention by a propertymanagement company and asI write it remains closed.

Out at Tottenhill, the formerDray and Horses is nowBiltons Eating House. It isnot clear whether it is possibleto pop in just for a drink.

Cider continues its bid forworld domination and theCoach and Horses at Ders-ingham, which recentlygained its Cask Marque accred-itation, had a cider festival inJune and now has a dedicatedcider hand pump. The KingsArms at Shouldham, whichnormally sells two ciders hasrecently had a ‘Meet the cidermaker’ event with Tony Hobbsfrom Cromwell’s Cider. Thisincluded a three course mealand cider tasting, an interestingvariation on the more usualbeer or wine tasting event.

The Marshland Arms outon the Smeeth, near Wisbechis up and running again. It hashad a complete refurbishmentand has been painted a rather

fetching sage green. The menulooks interesting and it wascurry night when we visited. A nice chicken curry and a pintfor under a tenner went downwell. There was only one beeron, Old Speckled Hen, whenwe visited, but this is changedregularly. For those who don’tlike beer, there is a vintage tearoom during the afternoonsfrom Wednesday to Friday, butplease book before you travel.

Even further west, on the veryedge of Norfolk the Five Bellsat Upwell has been boughtand refurbished by local busi-nessmen Christopher Robinsonand James Brighty, and is dueto open late summer 2015. Itwill incorporate Joe’s Nose BagCafé which has moved acrossthe road into a part of the puband should be well establishedby the time you read this.

Not far away is a good oldfashioned village Elgoods pub,the Globe which had Camb-ridge Bitter and Cambridge IPAwhen we called. The landlordwas telling us that he had beenin the pub 17 years, which mustmake him one of the longestserving landlords in Norfolk.

Less good news for thoseliving to the west of the river isthat both the Red Lion inOutwell and the Woolpackat Walpole Cross Keys aredue to become housing afterplanning permission has beengranted for a change of use.

In Swaffham, the KingsArms has been reborn as abar/bistro. The food is inter-

esting but perhaps a bit unfo-cussed. We had a tasting boardwith small samples of every-thing from fish and chips andmushy peas to pulled pork,cheese and biscuits and pateand lots more besides.

The two beers on sale wereboth from Adnams. Elsewherein town the Greyhound hasbeen tidied up, the WhiteHart is now a social club andthe Red Lion is advertisinghalf a dozen interesting beers,which is good as we have ourAugust Branch Meeting andSocial there.

Up on the coast, theLifeboat at Thornham isapparently attracting interestfrom a group with a number ofother similar style East Anglianpubs, although the website stillhad the details of the adminis-trators in small print at thebottom last time I checked.Hopefully any offer will includethe Chequers, close by in thevillage.

A planning application hasbeen lodged to build 17houses behind the Winchpub. Basin Topco Ltd hasapplied to West NorfolkCouncil to create the develop-ment and the application statesthat “The pub is under newownership intent on structurallyand operationally rejuvenating itso it may continue to serve thecommunity.” Just after thedetails were published in theLynn News, a ‘To Let’ signappeared on the pub. Watchthis space!

Jeff

Pub and Brewery News - continued | Norfolk Nips

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Pub and Brewery News - continued | Norfolk Nips

The renowned ‘World Beer Awards’ is theprogramme that seeks to select the very bestinternationally recognised beer styles. Thisannual tasting selects awards and promotes the‘World’s Best Beers’ to consumers and the tradethroughout the world.

Lacons Encore was entered earlier this yearalongside 700 other beers from around theworld, which were all competing for a range oftrophies in the four stage awards programme.

The competition is nearing its finale withcountry winners from around the globeannounced earlier this week, where Great

Yarmouth Brewer Lacons received the muchprized top accolade of the UK’s Champion BestBitter up to 4.0% ABV with Encore. The craft alewill now compete in the final stage of thecompetition during September, with the hopeof being crowned one of the World’s Best Beers.

All entrants were blind tasted and marked byan international judging panel headed by awardwinning writer and journalist Roger Protz, to anagreed and strictly enforced marking system.Scored on aroma, flavour, appearance/condi-tion, mouthfeel and finish, judges also lookedfor beers with balance, character, complexityand quality.

In addition to this, Lacons also received BronzeAwards for both its Legacy and Affinity ales dueto their highly distinguished flavours.

Head Brewer Wil Wood commented,‘We of course regard all our ales as award

winners; however we are humbled to be recog-nised by the WBA’s with 3 titles including theUK’s Champion Best Bitter.’

These awards will shortly be displayed withinthe trophy cabinet at the Falcon Brewery’sVisitor Centre. Find out more about the WorldBeer Awards at www.worldbeerawards.com

Lacons wins at the WorldBeer Awards

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Supreme ChampionsGold Tiny Rebel - Cwtch

Silver Kelburn - Jaguar

Bronze Dancing Duck - Dark Drake

MildGoldWilliams Brother- Black

SilverRudgate - Ruby Mild

Bronze Great Orme - Welsh Black

Best BitterGoldTiny Rebel - Cwtch

SilverHighland - Scapa Special

Joint BronzeBarngates - Tag LagSalopian - Darwin’s Origin

SpecialityGoldTitantic - Plum Porter

Joint Silver Kissingate - Black Cherry Mild Saltaire - Triple Chocolate

BronzeHanlons - Port Stout

BitterGoldPheasantry - Best Bitter

Silver Acorn - Barnsley Bitter

Joint BronzePurple Moose - Madog’s AleTimothy Taylors - Boltmaker

GoldenGoldKelburn - Jaguar

SilverAdnams - Explorer

BronzeBlue Monkey - Infinity

Strong BitterGoldDark Star - Revelation

SilverSalopian - Golden Thread

BronzeGrain - India Pale Ale

Champion Bottle-Conditioned BeerGoldHarveys - Imperial ExtraDouble Stout

SilverFyne Ales - Superior IPA

BronzeMordue - India Pale Ale

Autumn 2015 | 13

Champion Beer ofBritain 2015

Norfolk Nips | Champion Beers 2015

CAMRA are pleased to announce this year’s Champion Beers of Britainas follows:

The 2016 edition of the Good Beer Guide has justbeen published. The Good Beer Guide’s keystrength is that a pub can’t buy its way in. Theentries are entirely supplied by grass-rootsCAMRA members and are not subject to anyform of monitoring or approval by anyone else.That is, the pubs are recommended by volun-teers with no axe to grind and who are doing it

because they love good beer and pubs. In otherwords – people like you. With your copy of theGBG under your arm you can go into any GBGpub assured that people who know beer andpubs with local knowledge have decided that itwill sell some of the best beer in that area andthat you will enjoy the experience. To order yourcopy, go to www.camra.org.uk/gbg

Good Beer Guide 2016 released!

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We were up in Bolton recently, and although weavoided the worst of the bad behaviour alongthe main drag, we did have a close up view of acouple of doormen persuading an unwantedguest to leave a pub in a hands-on fashion.Given the coverage in the columns of the LynnNews about similar incidents recently, it set methinking about how to persuade people tobehave appropriately.

I spent most of my working life in education,where pupil discipline was a recurring topic.Over the years lots of different schemes weretried and every so often we would change theforms to be filled in, the reporting process or thelist of rules and sanctions, and all would be welluntil it came to the crunch and they had to beenforced, which meant actually challenging akid or parent about behaviour. For a system tobe effective, someone had to front up andexplain that the rules were to be obeyed.

I liken it to an episode of Happy Days whenRitchie threatened to punch someone for notdoing the right thing, and had been laughed at.The Fonz explained that for threats to be effec-

tive, you had to have carried them out at leastonce. Contrast that with Jon Snow in Game ofThrones. When he was newly elected to the postof Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, oneof his senior commanders Janos Slynt defied hisorders. Too late, Slynt thought better of his deci-sion and whimpered his apologies and regrets,but it did him no good as Jon Snow beheadedhim for disobedience. I am guessing that therewill be a new found determinism for the men ofthe Nights Watch to follow orders in future.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocatingbeheading for drunken behaviour on NorfolkStreet in the early hours of the morning, but I dothink that if the laws were upheld on a consis-tent basis and the penalties applied, much of theproblem could be alleviated. There are a rangeof options available for dealing with publicdrunkenness including short term imprison-ment, on the spot fines and barring orders. It isalso an offence to sell alcohol to someone who isdrunk. Given the wonders of modern tech-nology, such as CCTV or just plain observation, itought to be possible to work out from which barthe drunks emerge. If need be, why not have a

A capital idea?

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few plain clothes Peelers mingle with the crowdsin the bar to check if offences have occurred? A fine or temporary closure could then beenforced against offending establishments. In my experience, the severity of the fine is notalways the main consideration. The fact that apenalty is applied and enforced establishes who isin charge and encourages respect for the rules. Ithink most landlords would prefer sensibledrinking on their premises and if they don’t, theyare probably in the wrong job. I would hope thatonce drinkers realise that there is a good chancethey will be caught and punished for anti-socialdrunken behaviour, and that landlords know theyrisk a fine or closure for supplying the alcohol, anew level of acceptable behaviour will be estab-lished. So, let’s resist the temptation to keeptinkering with the laws and stick to enforcingwhat we have at the moment.

As Voltaire said of the execution of the BritishAdmiral Lord Byng for ‘’failure to do his utmost”to relieve the siege of the British garrison onMinorca, ‘’it is wise to kill an admiral from time totime to encourage the others.”

Post ScriptThis article was first published in the Lynn News,and a couple of things have happened since then.Spoiler alert. The men of the Nights Watch wereless impressed than I imagined, and the last seriesended with Jon Snow being stabbed to death byhis own men. Or was he? Rumours suggest theKit Harrington has been seen in Belfast stillsporting his long hair, whilst filming on the nextseries takes place. Hmm…why would that be?

Back in the real world, as reported elsewhere,the Wenns Hotel in Lynn closed suddenly with anotice from the local council displayed saying thatthey had taken out a three month closure orderdue to anti-social behaviour. It’s not locatedamongst the areas usually affected by too muchtrouble, so I am not sure why this has happened,but if it means that the council are using theirpowers to deal with problems, it is an interestingdevelopment.

[email protected] published in the Lynn News

Autumn 2015 | 15

Norfolk Nips | Bar Man

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The presentations have taken place of the Pub ofthe Year certificates to two Norfolk pubs withthe respective landlady and landlord bothextremely proud of their awards.

The Beehive on Leopold Road in Norwich wasvoted the overall Norfolk Pub of the Year for2015 by members of the Norwich & Norfolk,West Norfolk and Mid-Anglia branches ofCAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). The south-citypub was crowned overall Pub of the Year by theNorwich & Norfolk Branch and that was the firsttime that Landlady Alex Kerridge has beenawarded the prestigious title. The Beehive thenbeat Coach and Horses in Dersingham, and alsoMid South Norfolk to be awarded the overallCAMRA Pub of the Year.

Ms Kerridge said during the presentation of hercertificate, “To win Norwich City Pub of theYear, the Overall branch winner and now to beawarded Norfolk Pub of the Year is just over-whelming!” Alex continued, “I really wasspeechless when I heard the news! Communitypubs are invaluable, which is why I have workedso hard in growing The Beehive into the hub ofthe community, as well as offering an excellentrange of local beers while supporting othermicrobreweriesfrom further afield.”

Martin Ward, the Norfolk Area Organiser, alsocommented, “congratulations go to Alex andher team at the Beehive. With a strong emphasison the quality of the beers and the communityfocus of the pub, The Beehive emerged thewinner after a well fought contest between theother two Norfolk pubs in the competition. A deserved winner.”

The Beehive will now progress to the EastAnglian Regional level of the competition andwill be up against pubs in Bedfordshire (BlackLion, Leighton Buzzard), Cambridgeshire (Kingof the Belgians, Hartford), Essex (Victoria Inn,Colchester), Hertfordshire (Orange Tree,Baldock) and Suffolk (White Horse Sweffling).

The Landlord of the Green Dragon inWymondham, Justin Harvey, was recentlypresented with the 2015 Rural Pub of the Year,which they have also been awarded three timesbefore in four years. “Here at the Green Dragonwe are delighted to have been voted Norwichand Norfolk CAMRA's rural pub of the year2015. Having our hard work recognised meansthe world to us, especially when there is suchstrong competition. So thank you, and we hopeto see you”.

Norfolk pubs beamingwith pride for 2015 award

Norfolk Nips | Pub of the Year awards

(L to R) Martin Ward (Norfolk Area Organiser),Alex Kerridge (Landlady & Owner) and staff

(L to R) William Chappell (Shift Manager), WarrenWordsworth, N&N CAMRA Chariman, Justin Harvey(Landlord & co-owner), Colin Tickle (Co-Owner)

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Having been a member of CAMRA for moreyears than I care to admit and having been anadmirer of the Norfolk Nips magazine for muchof that time, I have come to the conclusion thatperhaps not that many readers will know thatmuch about pubs and breweries in the southernpart of the South Norfolk district.

For example, how many readers know thatthere are three CAMRA branches in Norfolk? In early December 2011, a new sub branch wasformed. This branch covers an area of SouthNorfolk and North Suffolk and was formedunder the auspices of the existing Ipswich andEast Suffolk branch. It was decided to name thisbranch Mid Anglia. The reason for establishing anew branch was because it was considered thatour area to the north and south of the Waveneyvalley was at the extreme edge of the territory ofexisting branches in both counties and wastherefore somewhat of a no-man’s-land in termsof coverage.

Since that day, almost four years ago, ourbranch has gone from strength to strength.We have been able to extend our area withinSouth Norfolk so that our boundary nowincludes pubs in parishes such as Kenninghall,

Banham, New and Old Buckenham, Tibenham,Long Stratton, Hempnall and Earsham. Pubswithin our area, in both counties, currently totalaround 70, depending on closures etc. and 40or so of these are in Norfolk. We also have ninebreweries, four of these in Norfolk and four ciderproducers, all of which are in Norfolk.

Enough of statistics, however, our mainachievement really is our annual CAMRA BeerFestival. Given that we are a relatively smallbranch, admittedly growing, and we have onlybeen in operation for a little under four years,we feel that to have now organised two Festivalsand we consider both to have been successful, isa major boost to our branch. Our secondFestival, in mid May this year, provided 35 beersand 18 ciders, from local brewers and ciderproducers all within a 30 mile radius of thefestival. We are very conscious that the venue forour festival, being held in Yaxley village hall, issome five miles from the only railway station inour branch area. Buses are also at a bit of apremium so this year we organised a returnshuttle bus service from Diss railway station,operated by Bordahoppa buses for a nominalpayment. I am not sure that this facility wasutilised as much as it could have been but wehope that this will encourage more to travel tothe festival in the future. I must add our grati-tude to our festival organiser John Harvey, to thecommittee who assisted him and also those whovolunteered. Without all this hard work therewould not have been any festivals to enjoy.

At the time of writing our membership hasincreased to 234, according to CAMRA HQwhich is very pleasing. It is interesting, however,to note that the number of members on ourmembership list is around 150 so, unless manyare on a dual membership and have a singlecontact address, there are many membersresiding in our area who are not receiving anyinformation about us. I fully appreciate thatpeople join CAMRA for different reasons and

Suffolk Borders CAMRA Branch

18 | Autumn 2015

Suffolk Borders Chairman’s Letter | Norfolk Nips

Page 19: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

some are not necessarily interested in whathappens in their branch. For example I do knowof someone who joined CAMRA solely to avoidqueueing to get in to the Norwich Beer Festival!

All I can say is that if anyone reading this articlelives in the area covered by our Mid Angliabranch and doesn't receive anything from us butwishes to know more about us and to knowwhat we are doing, then please let us know andwe can put you on our membership list. It’s aseasy as that. Contact details are at the end ofthis article.

One aspect of our branch that we consider tobe of value is our Pub Watch scheme, the ideabeing that a number of members have parishesto cover in which are say 4 or 5 pubs. They keepan eye on these pubs and report back to ourpubs coordinator any changes etc. It seems agood system and a good excuse to pop out for adrink or two, all in the sake of research! And, it isof benefit in the issue of pubs being Assets ofCommunity Value. We, as are all CAMRAbranches, are currently in the process of nomi-nating any pubs which we feel are under threat.If any readers, living in our area, are interested inbeing part of the scheme please get in contactwith us. We are currently in the process of re-allocating some parishes so now would be agood time to do this.

Finally, after some technical problems, it seemsas if we now have a website that our coordinatorIan Muir is satisfied with and proud of, and Iwould urge anyone interested in our branch tohave a look on the site. There is a lot of usefulinformation there and it can be found at midanglia.camra.org.uk

Hopefully some of you are now a little cleareras to what Mid Anglia CAMRA is all about andwe look forward to hearing from any of you asto what we can do to provide what ourmembers would like from us.

Thanking you.David Williamson

Chairman

Autumn 2015 | 19

Norfolk Nips | Suffolk Borders Chairman’s Letter

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Page 20: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

We have heard so much discussion aboutCraft Ale and Real Ale in the last few yearsand what CAMRA's stance should be that wedecided to find out for ourselves. The bestway we thought was to drink the beer soour Norwich & Norfolk Branch Summerouting went to visit the Bermondsey BeerMile in London.

Over 20 of us went down and our first stopwas FOURPURE. This brewery was foundedin 2013 and is an industrial unit near therailway station. We were amazed at its size.They stay true to the principles of brewing,respecting the four core ingredients grain,hops, yeast and water. Hence the name. Thebeers are available in keg and cans and areexported all over. We even saw someheading out to Norway.

They brew 23 barrels twice a day and 12brews per week. I said it was huge. Theyhave a bar and the beer range were mainly

hoppy IPAs with the Session IPA provingpopular. I tried the Oatmeal Stout which wasrather good but definitely not in a can.Maybe another day.

Next up was PARTIZAN which is one ofthe major breweries in the London craft beerscene having started in 2012. This was a lotsmaller and we then realised we may have tospend our drinking time in the road in acordoned off area. The Pale Ale Cascade waspopular but I went for the Atonium 5.0%.

Our Leader took us next to THE KERNEL asit was going to close at 2pm on theSaturday. No reason given but maybe theywanted to go to nearby Millwall FootballClub. Founded in 2009 this is the originalBermondsey microbrewery. The Pale Ale andIPAs were again in abundance with thecombination of various hops intrigued thebrewers in our party.

Below: Inside Four Pure Brewery

20 | Autumn 2015

Page 21: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

BREW BY NUMBERS was next and anotherfounded in 2012. The beer styles were fromNew Zealand and US mainly IPAs again butwe were surprised that they also hadPorters, Witbier and Saisons. I can’tremember what numbers they werethough. They produce their beers usingnatural ingredients and packaged alive inbottles and KeyKeg.

Talking of bottles we went toBOTTLESHOP which had some rare andunusual beers. There was more roomupstairs and some of our party got involvedin a beer tasting session. Nothing changes.

The last stop was ANSPACH &HOBDAY/BULLFINCH just down the road withboth breweries sharing the space. The collab-oration of the two brewers have produced aclassic Porter 6.7% which I have to say wasvery good. So how was the craft beer tourgoing? Well it went straight to the SOUTH-WARK BREWING CO where we had cask aleson handpull.

This was a welcome sight. I had the GoldenAle 5.2% which was heaven after all thekegged beer. We decided we needed moreso then visited the local pubs near LiverpoolStreet Station so it was a fine ending to ourSummer outing.

Overall what did we think of the craft beerscene? The breweries were very busy andwe spent a lot of time queuing for beer.When we got to the bar we were surprisedat the price which ranged from £4.50 to£6.00 pint. Very expensive but not far offthe prices I see charged in Norwich. Themain aspect we took away was the amountof young drinkers that were trying differenttypes of beer. They were interested in whatin we had to say about Real Ale so hopefullywe have some new converts.

Mad Manc

Autumn 2015 | 21

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Wensleydale and beer,the perfect combination!

Autumn 2015 | 23

In March, together with my parents, we droveto a lovely cottage in the Yorkshire Dales at WestWitton. Set just above the village in a convertedpart of the farm, this was an extremely goodconversion to a two bedroom rental property.The owners are very friendly and the jar ofhomemade marmalade was excellent.

Down to the beers. In the village, there are twolicensed premises. The first is the WensleydaleHeiffer, a gourmet pub. This is a superb pub forfood which has won many awards; they alsohave one or two real ales, always well served.The other pub is the Fox and Hounds. This istruly a village pub, with four beers and a cideralways on tap. The food is good honest pubgrub. As well as the usual Black Sheep, the restof the beers are usually from the local area.

There are several pubs in the CAMRA GoodBeer Guide within a 10 mile radius, not surewhether I have been to them all, but I try mybest.

The tourist attraction Asygarth Falls is not to bemissed, together with a visit to Asygarth Station(opening times vary) which the WensleydaleRailway hopes to extend to in the near future.For a well deserved drink, go to the George &Dragon a quaint pub in the village, about twomiles from the beautiful falls.

The current terminus of the WensleydaleRailway is at Redmire, go for a short walk intothe village and visit the Bolton Arms, good realales and food.

On the road back to Leyburn is the ThreeHorseshoes at Wensley, again usually four or fiveales, with the emphasis on local ales, a verypopular pub, with good food.

At Leyburn itself there are several pubs, noneof which are in the guide. The Sandpiper isprobably the more interesting one, with onlyYorkshire beers served and a claim of the bestselection of whiskies for those who partake! TheBlack Swan is very much a local pub, with somehorseracing items as it is popular with jockeysfrom nearby Middleham. Finally the Bolton Armsis at the top of the market place; refurbished afew years ago, it usually has real ales on tap.

This is just a small tour round the Dales, usethe CAMRA Good Beer Guide and spend a fewdays, given good weather (not guaranteed) it isa beautiful part of the country.

(If it is raining, just adjust the balance of timespent outside or inside a pub! Stig)

Steve Barker

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We’ve all seen a forlorn tub of cider balanced onthe end of the bar – as the licensee tries his hand(again) at selling real cider – probably in theheight of summer.

It’s fine for a few days, with customers tryingthe odd pint or two (at 6.5% they daren’t drinktoo much), but then it starts to turn a little sharpand then quickly becomes unpalatable, resultingin perhaps half a tub of cider being used as draincleaner. It’s enough to make the cider makerweep – not to mention those who hand-pickedthe apples!

In order to satisfy the demand for cider, Thelicensee is then enticed into the world of keggedand gassed apple-flavoured fizz. The world of thealcoholic fizzy apple-flavoured squash that is90%+ of the kegged cider market presents a solu-tion that ticks the ‘cider’ box for many publicans.

For many licensees therefore, the selling of realcider poses several problems – not the least ofwhich is the concern that they won’t sellenough, it will go off and they will have tothrow it away – which is clearly not what theyare in business to do!

However, with a basic understanding of a fewsalient elements, the selling of cider becomes,not a risky sideline, but an easy way to engage

with the rapidly emerging demand for highquality, often locally-sourced products fromsmall scale producers who care passionatelyabout what they make. This is a market I haveseen that brings a customer base into pubs whowouldn’t otherwise go there.

All that is needed is an understanding of a fewbasic points – points incidentally that are verywell understood by the kegged ‘cider’producers.

Firstly, real cider is produced once a year –around September. Many cider makers keepcider back from previous years production toblend with ‘new’ cider in order to keep consis-tency and to help give depth and roundness totheir product. I know of one cider maker whohas got cider he made 15 years ago. It is inexceptional condition. Cider therefore does notneed to go off. It simply needs to be kept prop-erly – and that is not at the end of the bar.

Please also note that cider does not need to be‘fizzed’ or pumped full of preservatives in orderto be kept in good condition. If looked afterproperly it will quite happily keep for months, ifnot years.

Secondly, real cider is susceptible to the same

Autumn 2015 | 25

Norfolk Nips | Chairman’s Letter

Continued Overleaf

Page 26: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

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Page 27: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

elements that will make beer ‘go off’, namelyair, heat and humidity. You wouldn’t (I hope!)leave a tub of beer balanced on the end of thebar and expect it to remain drinkable forweeks, the same is true with cider.

So, with these two points in mind, we needto transfer theory into practice.

In my pub, we don’t use pumps – all cidersand ales are gravity fed from the Tap Room –which is air-conditioned (as are most pubcellars, thereby dealing with the heat andhumidity problems). This works well for us, butI realise it would pose a problem for many tobe going backwards and forwards to the cellarevery time someone wanted a pint. There aremethods out there to connect ‘bag-in-a-box’ to a pump – thereby providing an easy methodto dispense real cider in good condition on aconsistent basis. If you do go down this route,make sure you use micro-bore pipes and cleanthem regularly and frequently to avoid yeastbuild-up problems in the pipes.

We also use a lot of ‘bag-in-a-box’ ciders.Real cider kept in a ‘bag-in-a-box’ in an air-conditioned cellar at around 8-10°C will keepfor between 6 and 13 weeks, which should beample time to sell it. Alternatively, there aresystems out there to keep tubs and ‘bag-in-a-box’ drinks at chilled temperatures, often seenat beer festivals.

Finally, real cider and perry in a ‘bag-in-a-box’should be readily available from almost anywholesale beer supplier – with one or two‘brands’ being available nationwide. However,with not more than a few minutes spent on theinternet, you should be able to track down alocal real cider producer, many of whom willbe delighted to supply the local pub trade.

Ian Pinches

The Railway Arms, Downham Market – CAMRANational Cider Pub of the Year 2013 and one ofthe 4 finalists in the 2014 competition.

Autumn 2015 | 27

Norfolk Nips | Cider article continued

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Page 28: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force
Page 29: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Autumn 2015 | 29

Imagine that the government could come upwith a scheme that would promote small businesses, protect the environment and createjobs at a minimal cost. Surely any political partyof whatever persuasion would have to have aserious look at such an idea. Well the good newsis that it already exists. It is an exemption frompaying duty for small cider makers. Anyproducer that sells fewer than 70 hectolitres(about 12,000 pints or 33 pints per day) peryear saves about 40p per pint on tax. This worksout at a maximum of about £2,700 perproducer. This hardly poses much of a threat tothe large companies such as Bulmers when thetotal volume produced by all the 400 or so smallproducers combined is, by my calculations,around 100th of 1% of total sales. The benefits faroutweigh this tiny share of the market. Many ofthe small guys make traditional cider from oldestablished apple varieties which are in danger ofdying out. Big producers find apples such asCrimson King and Dabinett inefficient to grow andprefer to use bush varieties which are easier toharvest and are planted closer together to increaseproduction. This impacts on the ecosystem and canreduce the diversity and amount of wildlife in theorchards. Big producers tend to use more chemicalson their trees, whilst small cider makers are morelikely to be organic producers as interested in theenvironment as profit.

Then along came the EU and decided that thistax exemption scheme was illegal. Taking timeout from dealing with the Greek crisis, they settheir sights on collecting the less than £1 millionof exempted tax, which of course is an illusion asmany of the affected cider makers would just giveup anyway, thus not paying the duty and alsodepriving the government of other taxes associ-ated with the sales.

CAMRA’s bunch of hard (APPLE) core cideractivists, have campaigned to save the taxexemption. I wrote to all our local MEPs and hada response from UKIP who put me in touch withJim Carver, MEP for the West Midlands, who hasa special interest in the subject, whilst the otherparties didn’t reply. A petition was organised byour own West Norfolk member, Andrea Brierswho is chair of the APPLE group, which shepresented at 10 Downing Street. Andrea was alsopart of a CAMRA delegation that went to Stras-burg to meet with MEPs. Nine of the electedrepresentatives offered their support and organisea meeting with the commissioner in charge.

It looks like the efforts have been successful andin the latest budget, government committed tosupport small cider producers by retaining thecurrent duty exemption. So, jobs in the country-side have been protected, rare varieties of appletrees might survive a few years longer, there aremore places for wildlife to exist alongsidefarmers and a traditional industry dating backhundreds of years is given a helping hand. I’mnot really a cider drinker, but I think that is apretty good outcome. It shows that campaignscan be effective and the benefits of doing some-thing rather than just sitting at the barcomplaining. So, cider drinkers everywhere, raisea glass to Andrea and her committee. It mightbe an exaggeration to say that local girl single-handedly saves craft cider, but there is littledoubt that without APPLE’s efforts, there is astrong chance that the tax exemption wouldhave been removed and our choice of ciderwould be much diminished. A version of thisarticle first appeared in the Lynn News.

[email protected]

Page 30: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

30 | Summer 2015

I love Norwich’s Fat Cat Brewery, its pubsand its beers but I recently came across FatCat Pale Ale (pictured). This one was a newone on me, -but then I’d never visited theHoly Land before!

Israel’s nascent micro-brewing scene isthriving and in Tel Aviv’s Carmel market isthe Beer Bazaar, a street stall with three drafttaps and bottled examples of all twenty ofthe new breweries’ products. One draft beerwas Srigim Brewery’s Fat Cat, named after aplump local resident that lives in the market.And yes, it was a fine beer, but not yet achallenge to my favourite lewcal beer,Marmalade. Shalom.

InternationalFat Cat

Page 31: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Autumn 2015 | 31

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Page 32: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force
Page 33: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

The Norwich Beer Festival is not far off and thisyear it is under new management. For those ofyou who don’t know me my name is RobertDerbridge and I have been working at theNorwich Beer Festival for over 26 years. I startedout as a steward and went on to be the chiefsteward and then the deputy organiser and asfrom February the organiser. It is not going to beeasy replacing Martin Ward as he has done sucha fantastic job over the past 11 years. I just hopeI can do just as well. There are not going to bemany changes this year as why fix what worksbut I know that the queuing is something that iscomplained about a lot. My team and I arelooking into some ideas to try and speed upgetting everybody in as quick as we can thisyear. I can’t promise they will work but we willdo our best.

This year’s logo has been designed by 6 nursesand incorporates Edith Cavell in the centre of ared dragon. We chose this design as it is 100years since Edith was shot for helping hundredsof soldiers escape during World War One andthought this would a fitting way to raise a glassto the brave work she showed saving their lives.

As every year the Festival is staffed by volun-teers and yes that also includes the stewards andevery year we ask if you would be willing tocome and help. This year is no different as this

Festival would not run without them. If youwould like to volunteer to help at the Festivalthis year the application form is now on line onour web page at the Norwich and NorfolkCAMRA web site.

I’m sure you will find it an enjoyable experienceand I look forward to greeting our many customers.

Rob Derbridge Norwich Beer Festival Organiser

Norwich & Norfolk BranchCharity 2015St Edmunds Society (St-Eds) have been adoptedas the Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA branch’scharity for 2015 and any funds raisedthroughout the year will be donated to theNorwich charity. St-Eds is based on Oak Streetand delivers construction qualifications andemployment skills to young people aged 14+ atrisk of social exclusion.

As this year's charity they will benefit frommoney raised through various activities butespecially donations from customers at the 38thNorwich Beer Festival.

Visit the society’s website at www.st-eds.org

Autumn 2015 | 33

It’s time for theNorwich Beer Festival!

Page 34: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

34 | Autumn 2015

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Page 35: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

BADGE OF HONOURThe Community Pubs Minister Marcus Jones MPhas launched a new campaign to protectEngland's most treasured community pubs fromdemolition or conversion to other uses bypresenting the first ‘Badge of Honour’ to alicensee - Tina Massie of the Red Lion, Beacons-field. The presentation was made at the recentGreat British Beer Festival.

The launch of the initiative comes as newstatistics released today show neighbourhood‘suburban' pubs are bearing the brunt of pubclosures. An average of 29 pubs close eachweek: 17 of them are in this category, comparedto nine in rural locations and just three on thehigh street. This has prompted CAMRA and theDepartment for Communities & Local Govern-ment (DCLG) to launch the joint initiative toprotect England's most valued pubs – thoselisted as Assets of Community Value.

The 800 pubs already listed as ACVs willreceive the quality mark, which proudly states‘This Pub Matters'. CAMRA aims to increase thatnumber to 3,000 by the end of 2016 by encour-aging more community groups, pub-regularsand CAMRA branches to nominate their localpub and ensure it is protected in the future. Tonominate your local pub as an ACV and ensure itgets the protection it deserves visitwww.camra.org.uk/listyourlocal.

PINT, OR A HALF?Apparently, half-pints are now the most popularway to enjoy beer. A CAMRA survey revealed34% of people would rather drink from a halfpint glass with 25% favouring a pint glass, thesame number as those who drink from a third ofa pint glass. CAMRA said the trend seems toindicate that people are now drinking less butare more adventurous about sampling differentbeers, becoming more open to trying new beersand moving away from drinking pint-after-pint

of the same brew. The survey of 2,000 peoplealso revealed, perhaps unsurprisingly, that mostdrinkers try new beers at festivals or in pubsrather than at home.

ALL-DAY DRINKING - FEARS UNFOUNDEDAccording to a new report, alcohol consump-tion, rates of binge-drinking and alcohol-relatedcrime have all fallen in the 10 years since the introduction of longer pub opening hours.

The study, Drinking, Fast and Slow: Ten Yearsof the Licensing Act, from the Institute ofEconomic Affairs (IEA) hailed the 2005 LicensingAct as a success as it had not led to the disas-trous outcomes that critics predicted at the time.According to the report, the adoption of whathas become erroneously known as 24-hourdrinking has seen fewer drink-driving accidents,no rise in alcohol-related A&E admissions and noincrease in alcohol-related deaths.

In fact alcohol consumption fell by 17%between 2005 and 2013, the biggest declinesince the 1930s. Far from provoking a 24-hourdrinking culture the Licensing Act has removedsome of the constraints on where and whenpeople can have a drink, providing the publicwith greater choice. The biggest consequence ofrelaxing licensing laws has been that the publicare now better able to enjoy a drink at the timeand location of their choice”.

CAMRA News

Autumn 2015 | 35

Norfolk Nips | CAMRA News

Page 36: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

36 | Autumn 2015

Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

Page 37: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Don’t forget that you can read Norfolk NIPS and Cask Force on line on

the Norwich and Norfolk Branch website www.norwichcamra.org.uk

Latest info will also be posted on the Branch facebook page.

And Norfolk NIPS and Cask Force has a Twitter account @norfolk_nips

Next issue of Norfolk Nips and Cask ForceCopy to editors by Monday 2nd NovemberOn the streets by: Friday DECEMBER 4th

The 38th Norwich Beer FestivalSt Andrew’s and Blackfriar’s Halls, NorwichMonday 26th – Saturday 31st OctoberBeat the queues – join CAMRA now!

Page 38: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

38 | Autumn 2015

Page 39: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

You may be surprised but this year the Norwichand Norfolk CAMRA Branch celebrates it's 40thAnniversary. To help us remember the olden dayswe have decided to have a special party on the26th September at The Narthex, CathedralHouse, Unthank Road starting at 7.00pm.Everyone is welcome but you will need a ticketwhich only costs £10 and includes a buffet and afree pint. These can be obtained via the Branchwebsite. Souvenir tankards will be available topurchase. We are hoping for a good turnout withprevious Branch Chairman and Brewery Tsarsinvited. I'm also told there will be cheap beer butnot at 1975 prices which was 20p for a pint ofbitter and 18p for a pint of ordinary. Do weremember those days? So a great night is antici-pated but please don't come in your platforms,flares, kipper ties and white suits.

If you are unable to attend we hope you canjoin us on one of the 2 Anniversary Pub Crawls.

On the 10th October we will be having a SuperSaturday Seven visiting 7 Pubs in North Norfolkthat we are unable to easily get to either on aFriday campaign trip or via public transport. The route will be -

Hunsworth Hunny BellLangham BluebellLittle Walsingham BullLittle Walsingham Black LionSouth Creake Plume of FeathersSculthorpe HourglassGreat Ryburgh Blue Boar

We will have 2 hours at Little Walsingham forlunch.

On the 16th October we will have a Cider Crawlstarting at 7.30pm. First stop Fat Cat BreweryTap, Duke of Wellington, White Lion, King's Head,Plasterers. A special presentation will take place atthe White Lion as they have won our BranchCider Pub of the Year 2015.

John Travolta

40 this year!

Page 40: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

40 | Autumn 2015

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Page 41: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

It was very pleasing to see theNorwich City of Ale was a greatsuccess again. Many Pubsparticipated and we had a FineTime in a Fine City. There was agood turnout at the launchparty with even the LordMayor and the beer writerRoger Protz attending. I dobelieve they all had a goodtime as I was serving themfrom the bar. They keptcoming back for more. TheCOA survey results made inter-esting reading and I haveenclosed them here.

Summary of VisitorsOf our respondents:

70% were male and 76%were aged between 25 and 64.

75% were aware of NorwichCity of Ale.

20% were aware of theDiscover Norwich app.

24%were in the pub specifi-cally for NCoA.

29% of those from widerNorfolk and 34% of those fromother counties travelled toNorwich specifically for thefestival.

30% of those who had heardabout the festival did sothrough word of mouth and25% saw a poster or banner.

38% said they would bevisiting more pubs than usualduring the festival.

31% said they would drinkmore real ale during theNorwich City of Ale

61% rated their experienceof Norwich City of Ale posi-tively, rising to 85% of thosein the pub specifically for thefestival.

Our respondents thought that:

Moon Gazer NorfolkHarvest of The Norfolk Brew-house and PoppylandBrewery was the single bestnew beer.

Key positives were thevariety of real ale and the newpubs to try

Key suggested improve-ments are increased promotionin local towns and businesses,as well as via social media suchas Instagram.

Norwich ‘City of Ale’ update

Autumn 2015 | 41

Norfolk Nips | City of Ale 2015

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John tells us why he enjoys delivering this maga-zine to its readers…

My very first delivery job was as a butcher’sboy, back when we had to use those bikes witha large front basket above an impossibly smallfront wheel. Well, I fell off and the Sunday jointswent rolling down the gutter, unwrapping ontheir way. Recovering my adolescent dignity, Ibrushed the grit off the meat best I could andcarried on delivering while hiding my face fromthe recipients.

No such need for anonymity nowadays whenvolunteering to deliver my round of NorfolkNips to various hostelries. I – or at least the NipsI carry – receive a kind welcome at each place,for the publication is always in demand. Thisoften extends to a chat with whoever is behindthe bar about some of the Nips content and acatch up on local gossip and what’s happeningwith the particular pub. I like to hear what publi-cans / bar staff have to say and maybe I canrelate their interests to CAMRA activity.

The pubs I have opted to deliver to (we divvyup the deliveries amongst us CAMRA members)

provide me a couple of nice little 4-pubcircuits, easily achievable in whatever time Ichoose, a couple hours or maybe moredepending on how long I decide to stay ineach pub. What I enjoy about delivering Nips isthe diversity of pubs and people at the loca-tions I visit. The pubs on my route run thewhole gamut from simple village pubs to fash-ionable gastronomic ones and while I have mypreference it is always good to see the otherside of the range and the people that frequentthem. In one rural place I visit it is not unusualin shooting season to see a group in breeks andNorfolk weave coats. Others may have clients inboiler suits off their tractors or casual gear fromtheir trade as builders and plumbers. I’ve hadconversations in one pub about providingpheasant dinners to the beaters, in another; I

made connection with a carpenter for somework on my house!

In one local, in conversation I asked anolder gent where he lived in the village“well” he says, “You know where thenewspaper shop is?”, “yes” I say;“nowhere near there” he says. And when Iask if he lived there all his life he replies“not yit I int”.

How does Nips arrive at your pub?

42 | Autumn 2015

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Autumn 2015 | 43

Norfolk Nips | Delivering Nips

FOUR REAL ALESWednesday Irish Folk Music

ursday Folk & Singing MusicFriday & Saturday Live Music

Sunday Folk Music

Large garden overlooking the River Wensum

OPEN: Mon - urs 12-11Fri & Sat 12-12 • Sunday 12-11

The Gatehouse Pub 391 Dereham Road, Norwich NR5 8QJ Tel: 01603 620340

One of my circuits can fortunately be achievedwith the use of buses. Not for the swift half in eachpub mind you, I reckon it is good for my cognitiveabilities to schedule the visits to fit in with bustimetables. Further, I can practise my silversurferskills by contributing a beer score in Whatpub.com.(No special expertise needed, CAMRA members justlog in and give your opinion on your beer experi-ence.)

On driving distribution trips my wife usuallyaccompanies me. Then we can fit in a healthylifestyle walk in the countryside and have lunch atan old favourite or try someplace new. We havediscovered some nice walks and lunches like this.Sometimes if I am in a bit of a rush, I just drop inand offer the Nips to a member of staff, with a wordof appreciation that they display them for thebenefit of CAMRA and the advertisers.

Norfolk Nips are compiled by local volunteerswriting the articles, editing the text and deliveringthe finished product. The publication costs are metby the beer-related advertisers that arrange their adsdirect with the publishers. This allows you, dearreader, to receive Norfolk Nips for free on a quar-terly basis.

So whether you travel by bus, car, Shank’s pony orbutcher bike any CAMRA member can potentiallybe a volunteer deliverer so if you are interested in anexcuse to visit pubs in an area of your choicecontact your branch area rep and make your interestknown.

If you can’t help with deliveries then we are justhappy that you take the time to read and enjoy Nipsand use the services offered by our generous adver-tisers. Thank you.

John Parsons

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44 | Autumn 2015

Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

Page 45: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Horseshoes, AlbyBlack Boys, AldboroughLondon Tavern, AttleboroughCrown Inn, BanninghamChequers Inn, BinhamCock Inn, BarfordKings Head, BrookeArtichoke, BroomeGreen Gate, Caister-on-SeaReedcutter, CantleyCrown Inn, CatfieldGeorge Hotel, Cley-next-the-SeaThree Swallows, Cley-next-the-SeaVictory, ClenchwartonMuskett Arms, ClippesbyRed Lion, ColtishallUgly Bug Inn, ColtonAlbion, CromerCottage, CromerRed Lion Hotel, CromerRoyal Standard, DerehamBob Carter Centre, DraytonRailway, Downham MarketRoyal Standard, East DerehamQueens Head, EmnethErpingham Arms, ErpinghamBull, FakenhamWellington, FeltwellKings Head, FilbyRampant Horse, FreethorpeLocks Inn, GeldestonWherry, GeldestonDock Tavern, GorlestonMariners Compass, GorlestonDabbling Duck, Great MassinghamBarking Smack, Great YarmouthMariners, Great YarmouthOliver Twist, Great YarmouthRed Herring, Great YarmouthSt. Johns Head, Great YarmouthFox & Hounds, Heacham

Kings Head, HethersettGreyhound Inn, HicklingPleasure Boat Inn, HicklingVictoria, HockeringSwan, HilboroughEagle, Hockham Buck, HoninghamWhite Hart, HoptonNelson Head, HorseyBrickmakers, HorsfordElm Farm Country House,Horsham St. FaithLive and Let Live, Kings LynnStar Inn, LessinghamSwan Inn, LoddonDog Inn, LudhamFox and Hounds, LyngAnchor Inn, MorstonWhite Horse, NeatisheadRelish Restaurant & Bar, NewtonFlotmanRailway Hotel, North ElmhamOrchard Gardens, North WalshamAdam and Eve, NorwichAngel Gardens, NorwichBeehive (Leopold Rd), NorwichBell Hotel, NorwichCellar House, NorwichChampion, NorwichCottage (Silver Road), NorwichDuke of Wellington, NorwichEarlham Arms, NorwichEaton Cottage, NorwichFat Cat and Canary, NorwichFat Cat Tap, NorwichFat Cat, NorwichGarden House, NorwichJubilee, NorwichKetts Tavern, NorwichKings Head, NorwichLeopard, NorwichLollards Pit, Norwich

Lord Rosebery, NorwichMaids Head Hotel, NorwichMurderers, NorwichPlasterers Arms, NorwichRed Lion (Bishopgate), NorwichReindeer, NorwichRibs of Beef, NorwichRose, NorwichSir Garnet, NorwichTake 5, NorwichTemple Bar, NorwichTrafford Arms, NorwichVine, NorwichWig and Pen, NorwichRoyal Oak, PoringlandFerry Inn, ReedhamShip, ReedhamKings Arms, ReephamSwan, RinglandThree Horseshoes, RoydonLobster, SheringhamWindham Arms, SheringhamChalk and Cheese, ShouldhamKings Arms, ShouldhamGoat, SkeytonPeddars Inn, SporleSprowston Manor Hotel &Country Club, SprowstonFerry House, SurlinghamLynn Arms, SyderstoneRed Lion, SwaffhamPelican Inn, TacolnestonRed Lion, ThetfordGunton Arms, Thorpe MarketQueens Head, ThurltonWhite Horse, UptonCherry Tree, WicklewoodWillow House, WattonStag, West AcreBell, WivetonWhite Lady, WorsteadGreen Dragon, WymondhamThe Mill, Yaxham

Here is a current list of all the pubs in Norfolk which are part of the CAMRA LocAlescheme. New entries are in Bold.

Autumn 2015 | 45

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Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

A popular pub with locals and holidaymakersalike, the Crown Inn is perched right on theclifftop overlooking the beautiful sandy beachesof Sheringham in Norfolk.

Enjoy a meal or snackfrom our extensive and

popular menu.

Tel: 01263 [email protected]

Lifeboat Plain, East Cliff Sheringham NR26 8BQ

Five Real Ales always availableEvery Saturday - Live Local Bands

Monday nights - Pub Quiz with prizes, refreshments and free entry

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Autumn 2015 | 47

Norfolk Nips | Norwich King Street Group

This autumn the King Street Group will berunning the Local History Research with MaryFewster as our tutor, the topic being:

‘King Street brewers, pubs and malthouses’.

It will be slightly different in format as the intention is to produce a booklet on the subjectfollowing the course, making use of the materialthat has been found by course members.

The course will have ten sessions led by Maryor by an outside speaker and the fee remains at£105. There will also be the informal sessionson alternate weeks.

We hope members will be prepared to dotheir own research with a view to making acontribution to the booklet. Mary will beputting aside time during her sessions to facilitate this.

It will be held on Thursdays at the FriendsMeeting House in Upper Goat Lane, fromThursday 1st October until 24th March 2016interspersed within informal sessions whenaspects of the course can be discussed withMary and other course members. Each sessionwill run from 1.15 pm until 3.15 pm.

Please obtain more details from the websitewww.norwichkingstreet.org.uk

Local History ResearchCourse 2015-16

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48 | Autumn 2015

Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

Page 49: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force
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50 | Autumn 2015

Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

COAST ROAD, WALCOTT,NORFOLK NR12 OPE

Telephone(01692) 650371

Proprietor since 1989: STEVE BULLIMOREFREE HOUSE

OPEN FOR FOOD & DRINKS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, 11am - 11pmFood available all day until 10.30pm10% off food and drink on production of CAMRA membership card

www.lighthouseinn.co.uk

FOUR REAL ALES & CIDER

Page 51: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

London Tavern, Attleborough:20p off a pint of real ale

Green Gate, Caister-on-Sea: 20p off apint of real ale

Albion, Cromer: 10% offreal ales, draught and bottled

Red Lion, Drayton: 10% offof real ale

Oliver Twist, GreatYarmouth: 10% off acrossthe board - please show cardbefore ordering

Brickmakers, Horsford:10p off a half, 20p off a pint ofreal ale

Railway, North Elmham:10% off B&B and camping

The Bell, Norwich: 20% offall food. 50p off a pint (withyour CAMRA vouchers)

Compleat Angler,Norwich: 10% off all real ales

Glasshouse, Norwich: 20%off all food. 50p off a pint(with your CAMRA vouchers)

The Leopard, Norwich:10% off real ales

Lollards Pit, Norwich: 10% off

The Pig & Whistle,Norwich: 10% off real ales

Plasterers, Cowgate,Norwich: 10% off all real ales(available to all customers onMondays)

St Andrews Brewhouse,Norwich: 10% off their ownbeers

The Whiffler, Norwich:50p off a pint (with yourCAMRA vouchers)

The Woolpack, Norwich:10% off real ales

Grange Hotel, Ormesby St.Margaret, Norwich: 10%off all real ales

Lighthouse Inn, Walcott:10% off all real ales Cherry Tree, Wicklewood:30p off a pint of Buffy’s

If your pub or business offers adiscount to CAMRA, but isn’ton this list, please [email protected] and let us know the details(including any restrictions).

Please note: We believe thediscounts listed are offered atthe time of going to press,however pubs may of coursewithdraw or change offers atany time!

Grab a CAMRA Discount at your local!The following local businesses offer a discount for CAMRA members (usually on presentation of aMembership Card, discounts are on real ale only unless stated). Full details of all pubs can be foundat WhatPub.com

Autumn 2015 | 51

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52 | Autumn 2015

Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

Page 53: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Beer FestivalsCalendar

Norfolk Nips | CAMRA Beer Festivals

Autumn 2015 | 53

So many Beer Festivals, so little time. For further information, please see What’sBrewing, the CAMRA website, or contact the relevant Branches.

September 8-12Chappel Beer FestivalEssex Branches

September 30-October 3St Albans Beer & Cider FestivalSouth Herts Branches

September 30-October 4White Lion, Norwich Annual Beer andCider FestivalOak Street, Norwich

October 7-10Bedford Beer & Cider FestivalNorth Beds Branch

October 8-10St Ives “Booze on the Ouse”Beer & Cider FestivalHuntingdonshire Branch

October 9-10Kings Lynn Rotary Charity Beer Festival35 real ales and ciders plus live music. For moreinformation go to:-www.kingslynnrotary.org

October 16-18Coach and Horses, DersinghamBeer & Cider festival20 real ales and ciders plus live music allweekend. Hot snacks and charity raffle.

October 26-31Norwich Beer FestivalNorwich & Norfolk Branch. For more infomationsee poster on page 30.

October 30-November 2Royal Oak, Poringland Autumn Beer Festivalwww.poringlandroyaloak.com

November 17-21South East Essex CAMRA Beer & CiderFestivalFreight House, Bradley Way, Rochford, Essex.SS4 1BU

December 1-5Pig’s Ear Beer & Cider Festival250 real ales, ciders, perries and bottled beerswww.pigsear.org.uk

Traditional Country Puband Restaurant

•5 Real Ales•Great Food••Sheltered Gardens•

Colby Road, Banningham, Aylsham, NR11 7DY

01263 733534www.banninghamcrown.co.uk

THE BANNINGHAMCROWN FREE HOUSE

We are in it!

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Autumn 2015 | 55

The Real Ale Shop is a unique off-licence offering over 60 bottle conditioned ales

from 15 Norfolk brewers.

We are located on a beautiful arable farmclose-by Wells-next-the-Sea, which provides

much of the malt used in brewing the ales we sell.

The Real Ale Shop, Branthill Farm, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1SB.

Tel: 01328 710810www.therealaleshop.co.uk

Privately owned freehouse and restaurant with awide selection of real ales, lagers and ciders.

Freshly cooked locally sourced food.

Child friendly, large beer garden, pool table, easyaccess from A47, ample parking and on 23A bus

route from the city centre.

Visit www.thehartenorwich.co.uk tocheck out the menu and opening times

Old Costessey, Norwich, NR8 5BS Tel: 01603 742755

FREE

ACCESS

The HarteNorfolk Nips | Please support our advertisers

Fresh fish

& chips

every friday

(alongside main menu)

Main Road, Clenchwarton, King’s Lynn PE34 4AQ

Traditional

Roast

every Sunday

(12 - 4pm)

2 Course

senior citizen

Meal £8.50

Tuesdays

(afternoon)

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Please support our advertisers | Norfolk Nips

Page 57: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Issue Number 20 - August 1985Editor Jason Tillyard

RARE BREWSA number of unusual brews of refreshinglyvaried strength and character have recentlybeen spotted around the area. Over the WhitBank Holiday week-end the CROWN at Dickle-burgh had some splendid McMullens CountyBitter from Hertford. Over the same periodNorwich's TEN BELLS offered Wem Pale Ale, alight bitter from Shropshire, Hook Norton BestBitter from Oxfordshire and the distinctiveInvicta Best Bitter from Shepherd Neame ofKent. Not to be out done, the WHITE LION, OakStreet, Norwich has been offering such delightsas Harveys BB from Lewes, East Sussex,Boddingtons Mild, Theakstons Old Peculiar andthe “local Bitter” from Greenall Whitley(Nottingham). Meanwhile THE ROSARY hasfeatured John Brown's Erpingham Bitter,Reepham's real lager and many other excitingguests.

DEMISE OF S & P?Problems with the quality of the newManchester brewed S&P Best Bitter came to ahead recently with the withdrawal of the sub-standard batch from Norfolk pubs which leftmany with no Real Ale on sale. These problemswere predicted by CAMRA at the time of theshock announcement of the Norwich Breweryclosure. Thank goodness we have nothing likethat with the excellent S&P Brewery today.

THE AUSTRALIAN FORWATNEYSAdvertising hoardings at a recent England vAustralia cricket match made interesting readingwith Castlemaine XXXX Aussie No 1 and FostersLager produced by Watneys in London.Rumours indicated another lager was going tobe brewed in the UK by Wallaby Inc. I wonder ifthe Aussies had drank Real Ale they might havekept the Ashes. Finally there was mention of aBeer Festival in Norwich – The 8th.

Norfolk Nips | From the archives

From the ArchivesAnother trawl through our files looking at the burning issues of the day

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I hope NIPS readers have takenadvantage of another finesummer that we have enjoyedagain this year and will have

visited some of our many superb pubs and visitedsome of the beer festivals in our area and beyond.

I recently read the obituary of Reg Drury, apioneer of real ale. I remember him giving aspeech at a CAMRA AGM. Reg, studied brewingat The Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh wherehe acquired the necessary knowledge and skills inbrewing and in 1959 joined Fullers Brewerywhere he later became their head brewer until heretired in the late 1990s. Although not local tothis region his career in the brewing industry hadfar reaching affects well beyond the London area.

He arrived at Fullers at a time during the 1960swhen the brewing industry was in a great turmoilwith lots of small regional breweries were beingtaken over by big brewing giants that becameknown as ‘The Big Six’. Most of these brewerieshad no time for traditional cask ale and soonconverted most of their brewing operations intokeg only breweries. Here in Norfolk we know all toowell how badly we suffered when Watneys tookover most of the brewing and pubs in our area.

The brewers at Fullers, after buying new conicalfermenting vessels, were also investigating thepossibility of converting all their brewing to kegbeer but under the guidance of Reg who experi-mented with the new vessels by adjusting theirshape and brewing temperatures continuedbrewing in the traditional style and introducedsome of Fullers iconic brands, which includeChiswick Bitter, Extra Special Bitter (ESB) andLondon Pride, the latter of which is widely avail-able in many of the pubs around this region. Tothose who knew him he was described asshowing great patience and charm and woulddiscuss with enthusiasts beer components andtheir complexities. All real ale enthusiasts owe hima great debt.

As the summer season is now ending andautumn nights are drawing in, our thoughts turnto the 38th annual Beer Festival that will betaking part at the end of October. Once again wewill be offering a large selection of cask ales,ciders and perrys together with draught andbottled beers from Continental Europe. I wouldlike to thank in advance all our many volunteerhelpers who give of their time and without whomthere would be no festival. I am looking forwardto seeing and meeting as many NIPS readers aspossible during Beer Festival week.

Warren WordsworthNorwich and Norfolk Branch Chair

Warren’s Words

Autumn 2015 | 59

Norfolk Nips | Last orders

As I write this, the sunrise has started to getlater, to welcome the onset of autumn followedby winter. The Railway Arms has won theCAMRA Regional Cider Pub of the year. Thenext stage of the competition is entry to theNational Competition; hopefully this will beforthcoming as this to the possibility of winningCAMRA National Cider Pub of the Year again.

Many of our pubs have had very successful BeerFestivals in the summer with the usual excellentchoice and condition of the real ales and ciders.As usual we cannot guarantee the weather, butmake the most of it if a little rain appears.

The cider campaign collected over 26,000

signatures, which was presented to No 10Downing Street to stop the exemption beingoutlawed by Brussels. Shortly afterwards a smallgroup took their message to Brussels to lobbyour MEP’s which included our own Cider cham-pion Andrea.

It will very shortly be the launch of the GoodBeer Guide 2016. In West Norfolk, it is alwaysvery difficult to choose which of our excellentpubs will be in the Guide. They will be on sale atBranch meetings from October at the bargainprice of £9.00 for members. Enjoy the autumn.

CheersSteve Barker W.N. Chairman

Steve’s Words

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Open from Midday EverydayFresh home cooked food to be found on

our bar and specials menus

Upcoming EventsBeer Festivals May and August Bank Holidays,

DragonFest Open Mic nights, Weekly quiz and more

Check out our website and Facebook for events through into winter.

Christmas bookings now being taken.

6 Church Street, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 0PHt: 01953 607907 e: [email protected] w: www.greendragonnorfolk.co.uk

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Norwich and North Norfolk Branch

Tuesday 15 SeptemberBranch Meeting – Humpty Dumpty Brewery,8pm

Sunday 20 SeptemberBowls Match v Suffolk Branches – Beccles,1pm

Thursday 24 SeptemberBeer Festival Planning Meeting – Take 5, 8pm

Friday 25 SeptemberCampaign Coach Trip – John Lewis, 7.15pm

Friday 2 OctoberAscot Races and Beer Festival – travel bytrain, depart Norwich 08.30 return Liverpool Street20.30.

First Friday Five – Woolpack Yard, PlayhouseBar, St Andrews Brewhouse, Wildman, Mash Tun– 8.00pm.

Sunday 18 OctoberBeer Festival Planning Meeting – Venue tba,7.30pm

Friday 23 OctoberBeer Festival Staff Get-together venue tba,8.00pm

Monday – Saturday 26 – 31 October38th Norwich Beer Festival – St Andrews &Blackfriars Halls

Friday 6 NovemberFirst Friday Five – Champion, Trafford Arms,Kings Arms, Freemasons, Rose – 8.00pm

Tuesday 17 NovemberBranch Meeting – venue tba, 8.00pm

Friday 27 NovemberCampaign Coach Trip – John Lewis, 7.15pm

Friday 4 DecemberFirst Friday Five – Earlham Arms, Black Horse,Alexandra Tavern, Belle Vue, Fat Cat –8.00pm

If anyone has any other suggestions for tripsand social events in 2015 or to book seatsplease contact Michael Phillips on [email protected]

West Norfolk Branch

Tuesday 8th September Victory, Clenchwarton

Tuesday 13th October Annual General Meeting at the Chequers,Wimbotsham

Tuesday 10th NovemberAngel, Larling

Tuesday 8th DecemberPeddars Inn, Sporle (TBC)

Saturday 19th December Norwich Christmas crawl.

Note: all Tuesday meetings start 8pm andnormally include a social

Norfolk Nips | Dates for your Diary

CAMRA Branch Calendar

Page 62: Issue 174 of Norfolk Nips & Cask Force

Norwich & Norfolk BranchChairman: Warren WordsworthTel: 01603 665557Email: [email protected]

Secretary: Rob WhitmoreEmail: [email protected]

Social Secretary: Michael PhilipsEmail: [email protected]

Pubs Officer: Ian StampEmail: [email protected]

West Norfolk BranchChairman: Steve Barkeremail: [email protected]

Secretary: Ian Bailey

Contact: Ian BaileyTel: 01553 766904

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

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

Published every 3 months by the Norwichand Norfolk & West Norfolk branches ofthe Campaign for Real Ale © N&N CAMRA 2014 Norfolk Nips is producedand distributed by members of the branch in their own time. Views expressed in Norfolk Nips are not necessarily those of the editor or ofCAMRA.

Edited by:Graham FreemanEmail: [email protected] LucasEmail: [email protected]

Design & Production:Daniel Speed - Orchard House Media01778 382758Email: [email protected]

Advertising:For advertising enquiries please contactJane Michelson on: 07732 393 62101778 [email protected]

Distribution:12,000 copies / four times a year

Norwich and Norfolk District: Adrian Simpson

West Norfolk District : Ros Harre [email protected]

Branch contacts | Norfolk Nips

Contact Details

62 | Autumn 2015

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