THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
FREE
THE CHILTERN
TAPLER
NEWSLETTER OF MID CHILTERNS CAMRA
SPRING 2015
www.midchilternscamra.org.uk
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
CONTENTS
p.4 Pubs Matter campaign
p.4 Pub closures in Mid Chilterns
p.7 Save the White Lion!
p.8 Pub Companies reform update
p.9 National Winter Ales Festival
p.10 Pub News and Brews
p.11 Around The Branch
p.16 Festivals Calendar
p.17 LocAle listings
p.18 Brewery News
p.20 Ale-ing in Amsterdam
p.22 Two go (beer) mad in Dorset
p.23 Branch contacts and Diary Dates
FROM THE EDITOR
You may be wondering about the pub sign on
our cover, and why it’s there. It’s all that remains
today of the Elephant and Castle in Waterside,
Chesham. In 2013 Chiltern District Council
granted developers permission to convert the
pub into flats. As the article on p.4 explains, this
is part of a much wider trend in the Mid Chilterns
area – which has lost more than a third of its
pubs in the last forty years – and throughout the
country. Unfortunately pubs like this one are all
too often seen to be more valuable as housing or
shops – anything but pubs. And even
commercially viable pubs are vulnerable to such
changes of use because planning laws do not
offer them sufficient protection.
Although there’s never been a better time to
drink real ale, with new breweries opening in
record numbers, this will mean nothing if we
continue to lose the pubs where caskconditioned ale can be enjoyed at its best. That’s
why we have turned the spotlight on pubs in this
issue. And it’s not all doom and gloom – CAMRA
is leading the fight to turn the fortunes of our
pubs around. You can read about what we’re
doing as part of the Pubs Matter campaign to
ensure the planning laws offer pubs much better
protection; and the real progress we’re making
towards legislation that will give publicans a
much fairer deal from the big pub companies that
have made it tough for many to make a living.
And at the local level, on p.7 you can read about
the efforts of a group to purchase and reopen
their village local, the White Lion in St. Leonards.
We applaud Save the White Lion as a wonderful
example of what is possible with good
organisation, commitment and determination.
We hope that you will be inspired to get involved
in the battle to save our pubs – whether it’s
through a few minutes of online activism, writing
to your MP, or getting along to your local for a
pint or three of real ale to lift the spirits during
these grim winter months. It all counts.
Happy reading – and drinking!
William
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
PUBS MATTER – SO LET’S
PROTECT THEM!
CAMRA has launched a new hardhitting
campaign to urge the
Government to close national planning
loopholes.
Tom Stainer, CAMRA’s Head of
Communications said: “Popular and
profitable pubs are being left
vulnerable by gaps in English planning
legislation as pubs are increasingly
being targeted by those wishing to
take advantage of the absence of
proper planning control.
“It is wrong that communities are left
powerless when a popular local pub is
threatened
with
demolition
or
conversion into a Tesco store.
“It is time for the Government to stop
standing by while pubs are being
targeted due to gaps in planning law.”
The campaign, ‘Pubs Matter: So why
can’t we have a say’, aims to give
power back to local communities by
ensuring planning permission is
always required before the change of
use or demolition of a pub.
Local pubs are currently closing at an
alarming rate and every week two
pubs are converted into supermarkets.
CAMRA says the current planning
system too often leaves local
communities powerless to act in the
face
of
big
companies
and
unscrupulous developers keen to
exploit these loopholes.
Under current planning law, pubs can
be demolished or converted into
several
other
uses
including
supermarkets and estate agents
without requiring planning permission.
CAMRA says allowing pubs to be
converted
without
a
planning
application is ludicrous – and
Government must step in and close
these loopholes as a matter of
urgency.
With a simple amendment to the
General Permitted Development Order
1995, any demolition or change of use
involving the loss of a pub would
require planning permission.
This small change by Government
would save hundreds of pubs from
closure and give communities a
powerful new weapon in the battle to
protect our pubs.
To support the campaign please go to
www.pubsmatter.org.uk.
National CAMRA
PUB CLOSURES IN MID CHILTERNS
The Mid Chilterns branch of CAMRA
was founded in 1974 and the question of
pub closures has been a major issue
ever since. At the beginning of 1974, the
area covered by Chiltern District Council
contained 120 pubs, whereas at the end
of 2014 this is down to 77. That means
over a third of our pubs have closed in
the intervening years.
These are the bald statistics but every
pub closure represents the loss of
(continues on p.6)
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
somebody’s local, the loss of a village’s
only meeting place or just a huge
disruption in a person’s life. I have often
heard it said that only bad pubs close.
There may be some truth in this at the
time of closure but every bad pub has the
potential to come good and of course, vice
versa. Personal experience tells me that
some one-time great pubs deteriorated
over time and closed on the grounds that
there was ‘no demand’. This lie has been
repeated over and over again as a reason
for the ultimate owner to sell the pub off,
usually for housing - and to turn a huge
profit in the process. This then highlights
one of the major issues that we are up
against; property prices in the area are so
high that virtually every pub building is
worth a great deal more for development
than as an on-going concern.
pub goer. Unsurprisingly many former
customers opted to frequent the local offlicense instead. So from this perspective
the likes of Punch Taverns, Enterprise
Inns et al are just continuing an inglorious
tradition that stretches back 50 years or
more.
So Who Is To Blame?
Local government and therefore ultimately
you and me share some of the blame by
not digging in our heels and saying
‘enough is enough’. I recall when its then
owner applied to shut down the Five Bells
at Botley and turn it into a substantial
house, the local council initially rejected
change of use but ultimately rolled over.
This followed a letter in the Bucks
Examiner from a disgruntled ratepayer
who didn’t feel that his taxes should be
used for the purpose of funding a legal
case to support a failed pub in an
infrequently visited part of the district. This
sadly is typical of a kind of ‘I’m all right
Jack’ philosophy which can prevail if we
let it. Incidentally, if we had a Tardis and
went back to the late seventies, we would
see that the Five Bells was then one of the
most popular pubs in the area.
The current orthodoxy is to point the finger
at the 1989 Beer Orders which led to the
formation of the huge pub companies we
know and love (?) today. But in truth the
problem pre-dates this. In 1974 something
like 75% of the pubs in the branch area
were owned by Allied Breweries, whose
awful Superdraught Bitter made Greene
King IPA taste like nectar in comparison.
Monopolies are as monopolies do and
aside from brewing lousy beer, this
company frequently took the opportunity to
close down premises, knowing that if the
customer wanted to continue visiting a pub
without travelling too far, he would have
no choice but to carry on using one of
theirs, given that anything up to the ten
next nearest pubs would also be owned by
them. The monopoly also sowed the
seeds of another problem we have today:
as they owned all the pubs and the
customer was unlikely to patronise a nonexistent opposition, routine maintenance
could be cut to a minimum to the benefit of
the shareholders and the detriment of the
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
A troubling recent development nationwide
has been for pub companies to sell pubs
as going concerns to unscrupulous
property developers who combine the hide
of a rhinoceros with the social conscience
of a semi house-trained Doberman. When
the pub is subsequently converted into
flats, the original seller can then say
Pilate-like that the decision to close wasn’t
theirs but the owner/developer’s alone.
This is clearly a nonsense and deserves to
be condemned in the strongest terms.
Cynics might argue that the number of
pubs closing merely reflects the public’s
lack of interest in supporting them, without
realizing that this is a classic ‘chicken and
egg’ situation. I would argue that the lack
of choice in pubs is a major factor in
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determining why the average person visits
a pub less than they once did.
On The Ground
The statistics show that some parts of the
area have been worse hit than others. The
headline figures are shown below:
Location
No. of
pubs
(1974)
No. of
pubs
(2014)
Chesham
15
8
Great
Missenden
7
3
Amersham
14
Finally, the largely affluent area in the
villages to the north and west of Chesham
has seen perhaps the greatest rate of
closures of any similar sized area within
the branch territory, with 8 out of 13 pubs
now having shut their doors for the last
time. Closures have been for a variety of
reasons but certainly inflated property
prices will have played a part. This is an
attractive part of the county, much
frequented by walkers and those intent on
various leisure pursuits. It is sad therefore
that fewer and fewer country jaunts will
end in a pint at a hospitable country inn.
In future editions, I will take a microscope
to the closed-down pubs to see what it is
that we have really lost.
12
Every bit as worrying are the settlements
which no longer have a pub. These are:
Ballinger, Bellingdon, Buckland Common,
Chesham Bois, Lee Common, St.
Leonard’s and South Heath.
Del Allan (Chairman of Mid Chilterns
CAMRA, 1979-82)
SAVE THE WHITE LION!
The White Lion, St. Leonards, closed
in January 2014. The new owners have
declared that they had no intention of
reopening it as a pub. A planning
application to convert the property into
a house followed. However, following
strong objections from locals, they
offered to sell it to the community at
what they claimed was the purchase
price of £310,000 plus their costs.
Villagers responded by forming the Save
the White Lion group as a community
company, with the aim of purchasing the
property’s freehold and reopening the
pub; if successful, they also plan to set
up community facilities on the site,
including a village shop. The group’s
fundraising
efforts
have
been
outstanding, demonstrating the strength
of its members’ commitment: Save the
White Lion was able to offer the owners
£300,000, but this offer was rejected. Far
from giving up, Save The White Lion is
raising more funds for a second offer.
At the time of writing a decision on the
change of use application is still pending.
But an independent expert report
commissioned by Chiltern District Council
has bolstered the campaigners’ case by
concluding that the White Lion is a viable
business – undermining one of the
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
owners’ principal arguments. To comment
on
the
application,
visit
http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/viewplanningap
plications
or
email
[email protected] using the
planning
reference
number
CH/2014/1748/FA. If you want to support
Save the White Lion or just find out more,
visit www.savetheWhitelion.co.uk or email
[email protected].
In total 212 MPs signed up to support our
campaign and debates with MPs such as
Toby Perkins, Greg Mulholland and
Heather Wheeler were held to promote
reforms at the main Party Conferences.
Mid Chilterns CAMRA wish Save the
White Lion every success with their
campaign and look forward to the White
Lion reopening for business.
William
Over the last decade many thousands of
pubs have been lost as big pub
companies have squeezed them out of
existence with sky-high rents and beer
prices. With 28 pubs closing a week it is
vital that publicans, who are on the
frontline of keeping our valued community
pubs open, are given protection from
heavy handed business practices from the
big
pubcos.
The
Government's
introduction of a Pubs Adjudicator is
another line of defence in protecting the
nation's pubs.
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES PUB
COMPANY
REFORM:
CAMRA
CELEBRATE CAMPAIGN WIN!
Thousands of licensees will be protected
from unfair business practices in the pub
industry and our nation's pubs protected
following the June 2014 Government
announcement which unveils plans for a
Pubs Adjudicator and Statutory Code. This
legislation has recently taken another big
step towards protecting pubs and
publicans.
The long campaign road to reach this
result has seen CAMRA contribute to
three
Business
Select
Committee
investigations,
two
high
profile
Parliamentary debates, a Government
consultation, an Office of Fair Trading
Super Complaint and numerous rallies in
Parliament.
CAMRA members and branches have
distributed half a million beer mats and
posters promoting the campaign in pubs
and sent 8,000 letters to MPs on this issue
in the last year alone! And the most recent
activity saw a petition reach nearly 40,000
signatures which was handed to the
Business Department.
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
Thank you to all our CAMRA members,
volunteers and supporters, this campaign
win would not have been possible without
your tireless efforts.
Greg Mulholland of the Parliamentary Allparty Save the Pub Group tabled an
important amendment, which was carried
in the House of Commons on 18
November. This will insert an additional
clause allowing for a ‘market rent option’.
Fair Deal for Your Local campaigners,
including CAMRA, see this as vital. It will
allow publicans to opt for a lease based on
fair market rent as opposed to the tied
leases currently in use. The amendment
had significant cross-party support. At the
time of
writing, the
Bill still
needs to
complete
scrutiny by
the House of
Lords before becoming law, but in
December 2014 the Government
confirmed its commitment to retaining the
‘market rent only’ option.
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For more information, please see the
Government's full response to the
consultation and their impact assessment
here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultati
ons/pub-companies-and-tenantsconsultation.
For more information on CAMRA's
campaign: http://www.camra.org.uk/beertie
Thank you for all your support!
Reporting from national CAMRA and
London CAMRA Branches
CAMRA’S NATIONAL WINTER
ALES FESTIVAL 2015
Where: The Roundhouse, Derby, DE24 8JE
When: Wednesday 11th – Saturday 14th
February
2015
In 2015 CAMRA’s flagship National Winter
Ales Festival will return to Derby for the
second year running. With over 400 beers
available, the Festival will showcase some
of the very best ales, ciders, perries,
bottled world beers and meads in three
separate areas.
wine/strong old ales) gathered from across
the UK to be judged and a winner
declared. Though the festival itself has
lots of pale beers and golden ales to
choose from too.
The website www.nwaf.org.uk will be
updated regularly with details of admission
prices, live entertainment, tutored tastings
and special hotel rates thanks to our
partners at www.visitderby.co.uk. There
are no advance tickets as this is a pay on
the door event.
Well behaved and
supervised under 18s are welcomed until
19:00 each evening, after which they must
leave due to a licencing requirement.
The feedback from 2014 revealed that our
customers loved the building, the beer
quality and selection as well as the hot
and cold food that was available. So why
not join them and come and see Derby at
its beery best!! Cheers!
Gillian Hough, Organiser
Winter Ales Festival
National
Located beside the Pride Park exit of Derby
Railway Station (just 93 minutes from
London), Derby’s historic Roundhouse
could not be in a more convenient location.
Four Brewery Bars have been agreed:
multi award winning Blue Monkey from
Nottingham and innovative North Star
from Derbyshire, both in the Main Hall,
Derby’s very own Brunswick Brewing
Company in the Music Marquee; and
Yorkshire’s shining gem Brass Castle in
the Carriage Room.
The National Winter Ales Festival is home
to CAMRA’s prestigious Champion Winter
Beer of Britain Competition which sees the
four winter styles of beer (porters, stouts,
old ales/strong milds and barley
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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Pub News & Brews
AMERSHAM. A December visit to the Boot &
Slipper found Greene King IPA, Fuller’s London
Pride, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad and Hardys &
Hanson’s Rocking Rudolph. BERKHAMSTED. At
the Boxing Hares Bar (Haresfoot Brewery), Lock
Keeper’s Launch Ale, Sundial and Conqueror’s
were available during an early January visit. The
bar is open during shop opening hours and offers
a 25p discount per pint to CAMRA members for
on sales only. On the same day the Lamb was
selling Adnams Ghost Ship, Fuller’s London Pride,
Tring Ridgeway and Side Pocket for a Toad. Two
ales were at the Kings Arms, Wychwood
Hobgoblin and Marstons Cinder’s Dopplehanger.
Next door in the Crown, local beers were in
evidence with Haresfoot Conqueror’s, Red
Squirrel Winter’s Tail and Tring Ridgeway
alongside Sharp’s Doom Bar. At the Rising Sun
alongside the extensive range of ciders and
perries, beers from Tring, Oxfordshire, Casper
House and Oldershaw could be found on the bar.
CHESHAM. At the Brewery Shop on the 21st of
November, Nick Coffer from Three Counties
Radio was making a live broadcast. During a live
beer tasting, shop manager Tim gave detailed
descriptions of the five beers selected. Four real
ales from the Red Squirrel range were available
that day: Mr Squirrel, Erasmus, London Porter
and Winter’s Tail. CHIPPERFIELD. Blackwells was
selling Greene King IPA and Wells Bombardier in
early January. The Royal Oak re-opened in
December. FLAUNDEN. A late December visit to
the Green Dragon found Fuller’s London Pride,
Sharp’s Doom Bar and St Austell Tribute on the
real ale front. Ciders available were Millwhites
Apples & Pears, Blackberry Bush, Original
Scrumpy and Rum Cask. HEMEL HEMPSTEAD.
Under construction, and due for completion in
March 2015, is a new build pub at Jarman Fields.
Part of the Hungry Horse chain, the as yet unnamed pub will offer real ale. A good selection of
beers was to be found in the Crabtree when
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
visited in November: Wild Beer Scarlet Fever,
Elgoods Black Dog, Adnams Ghost Ship, Fuller’s
London Pride, Brakspear Bitter, Exmoor Ale and
Wadworth 6X. Sharp’s Doom Bar was available in
the Queens Head when visited in December. The
Gade & Goose offers Sharp’s Doom Bar plus one
guest ale. LYE GREEN. At the Black Cat, Timothy
Taylor Landlord and Young’s Bitter are the
regular beers plus one guest. Noted recently
have been Fuller’s London Pride, Young’s Special
and McEwans IPA. Millwhites Hedgelayer cider is
also available. PENN STREET. In early December
the Squirrel offered Loose Cannon Abingdon
Bridge, Bateman Rosey Nosey, XT4, Rebellion IPA
and Westons Rosie’s Pig Cider. TRING. During a
November visit, Tring Sidepocket for a Toad,
Gunpowder Bell and Greene King IPA could be
found in the Anchor. Nearby in the Kings Arms
there were the following beers, Cottage Ghost
Train, Leighton Buzzard Restoration Ale, Tring
Moongazing, Oakham Inferno and Marstons
New World Pale Ale. Also available were
Radnage Real Cider, Woughton Orchards No7
Cider, Lilleys Bee Sting Perry, Farmer Jim’s
Medium Dry Cider and Farmyard Perry. At the
Castle, Vale Special Bitter and Wychert Ale were
on the bar alongside Tring Side Pocket for a
Toad. Two beers could be found in the Akeman,
Wychwood Hobgoblin and Tring Ibex. In the Bell
there were Sharp’s Doom Bar and Ridgeway and
Side Pocket for a Toad from Tring Brewery.
WHELPLEY HILL. The White Hart has recently
gained LocAle status due to the fact it sells beers
from Chiltern, Haresfoot, Tring and Vale
breweries. In early November, Vale Red Kite and
Haresfoot Totem and Conqueror’s were on the
bar. A December visit found Vale Best Bitter and
Haresfoot Conqueror’s available. WIGGINTON.
At the Greyhound when visited in December,
two beers from Tring Brewery (Kingbird and Side
Pocket for a Toad), Timothy Taylor Landlord and
Black Sheep Best Bitter were available.
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AROUND THE BRANCH
YOUNG MEMBERS’ TRIP TO CHESHAM!
On 15th November 2014 the CAMRA
Young Members from all over the branch
(and one from London!) gathered for a
Saturday out exploring the ale in
Chesham. Starting at midday at the wellstocked and friendly Red Squirrel Brewery
shop, we sampled a range of their cask
and keg beers, including a Hefeweizen,
Red Squirrel Jack Black and Mister
Squirrel. At around £2.50 a pint, the shop
offers great value on a range of good
beer. Following this, we ventured, by way
of Chesham’s farmers’ market for snacks,
on a short pub crawl around Chesham.
Firstly we went to the Gamekeeper’s
Lodge, which had a lovely if somewhat
mysterious guest ale on and fantastic
burgers. Next we went to the Jolly
Sportsman, where we sampled Tring’s
Side Pocket for a Toad. Finally we
returned again (somewhat the worse for
wear!) to the Chesham shop to sample a
few of their extensive collection of bottled
beers, including an impressive Kernel
Imperial Stout, and were finally kicked out
by the very good-natured staff who wanted
to go home at the end of the day. A
fantastic time was had by all, and a
handful of us still made it for one last pint
in Hemel’s Full House on the way home!
Rachael and Gareth
Fine English Real Ales from our Brewery
Guest Beers and Excellent Wines · Fun Events for the Summer
Fresh Locally Sourced Bill of Fare · Superb Sunday Roast
Morning Coffee, Tea and Cakes
COMMUNITY PUBS MONTH
Once again, April will be Community Pubs
Month. Landlords will put on events where
people can meet and become part of a faceto-face community, based on their interests.
The modern electronic world of the internet,
social networking and multi-channel HDTV is
creating a ‘stay-at-home’ generation that is
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
not learning and practising the social
interaction skills we need to be fully-rounded
human beings. We must learn how to be part
of several flesh-and-blood communities, not
least to be employable, and we can’t do that
on a PC, laptop, tablet or Smartphone.
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
cocktail nights, beer/cider/perry festivals, wine
events etc.
And don’t miss the Easter (3rd to 5th) and St.
George’s Day (23rd) events during Community
Pubs Month.
Brian
SPRING ALES
As last year, we will put these events on our
branch
website
(http://www.midchilternscamra.org.uk/)
as
April gets nearer, but here are some ideas. If
you like to socialise over a meal then give the
pub a try as the nights grow shorter; you can
usually get interesting real ales, ciders and
perries as a bonus. Some pubs will have
themed dining events, sometimes with
discounts; others traditional pub grub to keep
you going during the day – you don’t have to
drink alcohol.
If you are looking to join a local sports team
then each typically has a pub where they
socialise. For those who prefer indoor games
then Monday is Pool evening, Tuesday is
Darts night and Wednesday is ‘Mixams’
(cribbage and dominoes) – while the leagues
are operating. Participation in Poker leagues
is growing. The most common activity is pub
quizzes; you can take your quiz team to a
different pub just about every evening of the
week. If you can’t be prised away from your
electronic comfort blanket then many pubs
provide free Wi-Fi.
Music is something else that is more
enjoyable live and in like-minded company.
The choice is enormous whether acoustic or
electronic: Open Mic Nights, karaoke, DJ
nights, bands, jazz, jam sessions, Irish, folk
and so on.
You must be in an audience to experience the
full skills of stand-up comics and they thrive
on interaction. A word of warning: they have
honed their response to hecklers and are
usually more sober than you. Of course a pub
is also about interesting drinks: look for
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
The release of Spring Ale from brewers
signals the end of the winter brews. A typical
Spring Ale is light coloured, hoppy and thirst
quenching, in contrast to the dark, strong
winter/Christmas ales. Our LocAle brewers
offer: Gales Spring Sprinter, Haresfoot Spring
Ale, Rebellion Zebedee, Tring Bring Me
Sunshine, Vale Bandwagon and XT 15 –
expect others as spring approaches.
Most of the pubs on our patch will offer a
Spring Ale. The ones I know of at the moment
are: The Bedford Arms (Chenies), The Bell
(Chartridge), The Black Cat (Lye Green), The
Boat (Berkhamsted), The Boot & Slipper
(Amersham), The Chequers (Amersham),
The Crabtree (Leverstock Green), The
Crown (Berkhamsted), The Crown (Ley Hill),
The Crown & Sceptre (Bridens Camp), The
Eagle (Amersham), The Elephant & Castle
(Amersham), The Full House (Hemel
Hempstead), The Full Moon (Little Kingshill),
The Gamekeepers Lodge (Chesham), The
George and Dragon (Chesham), The
Greyhound (Wigginton), The Hen &
Chickens (Botley), The Jolly Sportsman
(Chesham), The Kings Arms (Amersham),
The Kings Arms (Tring), The Misty Moon
(Chesham), The Paper Mill (Apsley), The
Pheasant (Chesham), The Potters Arms
(Winchmore Hill), The Queens Head
(Chesham), The Red Lion (Chenies), The
Red Lion (Chesham), The Red Lion
(Marsworth), The Rising Sun (Berkhamsted),
The Robin Hood (Tring), The Rose & Crown
(Ivinghoe), The Saracens Head (Amersham),
The Squirrel (Penn Street), The Swan (Ley
Hill), The Valiant Trooper (Aldbury), The
White Hart (Whelpley Hill) and The White
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
Lion (Little Chalfont). Where to try them?
Decisions, decisions.
Brian
(Marsworth), The Squirrel (Penn Street) and
The Swan (Ley Hill).
THE ‘ANGEL INN’ CHESHAM
Some pubs will have special Easter menus
e.g., The Boot & Slipper (Amersham), The
Crown (Ley Hill), The Harte & Magpies
(Coleshill), The Squirrel (Penn Street), The
Swan (Amersham), The Two Brewers
(Chipperfield), The White Hart (Whelpley
Hill). The Pheasant (Chesham) invites you to
bring the kids and a picnic for some family
time beside the river Chess.
After several decades the former Angel Inn,
Francis Yard, Chesham is now serving real
ale again ! Red Squirrel beers are available,
served direct from the cask: Red Tail Citra
and Mr.Squirrel were on when I visited, at only
£ 2.50 a pint! I tried the Citra and it was very
good indeed. It’s a new Tapler outlet too! The
former Angel Inn is of course The Drawing
Room cafe!
This is a welcome addition to the town's real
ale outlets and just a short walk from the Red
Squirrel brewery shop.
Acegooner
EASTER: 3RD APRIL (GOOD FRIDAY) TO
6TH APRIL (EASTER MONDAY)
Easter is the ‘Big Deal’ of the year for
Christians; for secular folks it is the longest
(four days) bank holiday. This year Easter
again falls into Community Pubs Month. The
holiday is much less commercialised than
Christmas, apart from the chocolate leporids
and ovoids – bunnies and eggs.
Pubs often put on beer and cider festivals:
The Queens Head (Chesham) will run a
festival from Friday evening and through the
weekend until it has all gone and The Bell
(Chartridge) will hold a mini-fest. I expect
other pubs to announce theirs nearer the date
– check the branch website.
Look out for your local putting on
entertainment and/or Easter ales. I know of
The Chequers (Amersham), The Crown
(Berkhamsted), The Crown (Ley Hill), The
Eagle (Amersham), The Elephant & Castle
(Amersham), The Full House (Hemel
Hempstead), The Gamekeepers Lodge
(Chesham), The George & Dragon
(Chesham), The Hen & Chickens (Botley),
The Jolly Sportsman (Chesham), The Misty
Moon
(Chesham),
The
Red
Lion
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
And if you want your children to learn about,
and be part of, a centuries-old social tradition
then go down to one of the pubs where they
can hunt for the Easter ovoids that were
hidden by the Easter leporid. At the time of
writing I know about The Swan (Amersham)
and The White Hart (Whelpley Hill).
Brian
NOT ONLY MILD WAS THE STAR MID CHILTERNS DARTS COMP 2014
Our annual darts challenge was held as usual
at the Black Cat, Lye Green, Chesham in
November. Our numbers were down from
normal but it was just as hard-fought with the
singles first to be played. A tight battle ensued
with David Bainton hard to beat as usual, but
when Richard Healey finally triumphed it left
Richard and Liz Doughton to fight it out in the
final with Liz getting back to her old best and
winning.
Liz Doughton, Singles Champion
(continues on p. 15)
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
www.farmersbar.co.uk
at The King’s Head, Market Square, Aylesbury, HP20 2RW
Tel: 01296 7188
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
The doubles again were a close thing with Dave
Lewin and David Bainton beating Gill Badminton
and Roy Humphrey. An enjoyable day was had
as usual and we would like to thank Louis and
Elaine for their great help in this, with the
Timothy Taylor Dark Mild certainly helping!!
Dave B.
(Lye Green), The Boot & Slipper (Amersham),
The Chequers (Amersham), The Crown
(Berkhamsted), The Crown (Ley Hill), The
Elephant & Castle (Amersham), The Full House
(Hemel Hempstead), The Gamekeepers Lodge
(Chesham), The George & Dragon (Chesham),
The Harte & Magpies (Coleshill), The Jolly
Sportsman (Chesham), The Misty Moon
(Chesham), The Pheasant (Chesham), The
Queens Head (Chesham), The Red Lion
(Chenies), The Red Lion (Chesham), The Red
Lion
(Marsworth),
The
Rising
Sun
(Berkhamsted), The Squirrel (Penn Street), The
Sugar Loaf Inn (Little Chalfont), The Swan (Ley
Hill), and The Two Brewers (Chipperfield).
So raise a glass to Saint George and support
Community Pubs Month at the same time.
Brian
David Bainton and Dave Lewin, Doubles
Champions
ST GEORGE’S DAY, 23RD APRIL
The concept of Englishness has steadily grown in
prominence since devolution took root in Northern
Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The emphasis
placed upon national identity in debates around
the 2014 Scottish independence campaign has
stirred interest in England in what being English
means.
A sign of this is our increasing
participation in Saint George’s Day, celebrating
our patron Saint.
The most common patriotic ale is Wells
Bombardier, because of the pump clip, but there
will be others such as Tring By George and
Cottage St. George’s Ale. And don’t forget
McMullen’s Bard of Ale – it is Shakespeare’s
birthday as well.
Pubs will be arranging celebrations and patriotic
ales, for example The Full Moon (Hawridge
Common) organizes a special ceremony every
year. Any pub associated with ‘George’ or ‘Saint
George’ or even ‘Dragon’ should also be doing
something, so check them out.
Other pubs also put on celebrations and/or
patriotic ales: I know about The Bedford Arms
(Chenies), The Bell (Chartridge), The Black Cat
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AND NOT FORGETTING...
The calendar is crowded with saints’ days at this
time of year, which are as good an excuse as any
for a beer, as if any were needed. First up is St
Valentine’s Day on 14th February. As always,
many pubs are making an effort to tempt you in.
You can have a meal for two (often with a special
menu and music) at The Crown (Berkhamsted),
The Full House (Hemel Hempstead), The Full
Moon (Hawridge Common), The Kings Arms
(Amersham) and The Plough (Winchmore Hill);
Valentine’s Ales at The Black Cat (Lye Green),
The Chequers (Amersham), The Gamekeepers
Lodge (Chesham), The George & Dragon
(Chesham), The Jolly Sportsman (Chesham)
and The Misty Moon (Chesham).
And for us all to enjoy there will be a Valentine’s
Beer & Cider Festival from the 13th to the 15th at
The Queens Head (Chesham).
Next up, on 1st March, is the feast day of St
David. There are special ales for his day: look out
for Brains St David’s Ale, Coach House Dewi
Sant Heritage Ale, Conwy Cwrw Dewi Sant (cwrw
is Welsh for beer) and Leeky Barrel Ale, Evan
Evans St David’s Ale, lechyd Da St. David’s
Welsh Ale, Moles Dafydd Ale and Tomos Watkins
Dewi Sant.
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
I know that some of our pubs will be looking for
Welsh ale or will hold celebrations for expatriates
(or both) and I expect they will allow other Britons
to experience them. Try The Bedford Arms
(Chenies), The Black Cat (Lye Green), The
Crown (Berkhamsted), The Full House (Hemel
Hempstead),
The
Gamekeepers
Lodge
(Chesham), The George & Dragon (Chesham),
The Misty Moon (Chesham), The Pheasant
(Chesham), The Red Lion (Chenies), The Rising
Sun – plus ciders (Berkhamsted), and The
Squirrel (Penn Street).
And last but not least, 17th March is ‘St Guinness’
Day’, or as we used to know it, Saint Patrick’s
Day. If you want to try something dark and
different, then a growing number of brewers and
pubs provide a British real stout or porter.
The witty one is Wychwood Paddy’s Tout – say it
quickly. Our LocAle brewers have Chiltern Black,
Concrete Cow Cloven Hoof, Oxfordshire Mighty
Ox, Rebellion Hole in One, Red Squirrel London
Porter, Tring Tea Kettle Stout, Vale Black Beauty
Porter and XT 9 Black Ale though they state,
“This is NOT a stout, it’s something else entirely”.
So
for
St.
Patrick’s
Day
celebrations/meals/music/something different on
the beer front, go to the The Bedford Arms
(Chenies), The Black Cat (Lye Green), The Boot
&
Slipper
(Amersham),
The
Crown
(Berkhamsted), The Full House (Hemel
Hempstead), The Gamekeepers Lodge on the
14th (Chesham), The George & Dragon
(Chesham), The Misty Moon (Chesham), The
Queens Head (Chesham), The Red Lion
(Chenies), The Red Lion (Chesham), The
Squirrel (Penn Street) and The White Hart
(Whelpley Hill). These are the ones I happen to
know about; most pubs will have something on
but not always on the Tuesday. The Rising Sun
(Berkhamsted) will have a ‘who-is-this-wellknown-giant-Irish-brewer?’ event: should be fun.
Brian
EARLY MAY BANK HOLIDAY
Our May Day holiday falls on Monday the 4th, but
most of Europe holds May Day on May 1st, no
matter what day of the week it is. When May Day
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
became a new UK Bank Holiday in 1978 it was
defined as the first Monday in May.
Our pubs will be laying on events over the
weekend for us to enjoy, for example The Jolly
Sportsman (Chesham) will have a ‘May the
fourth be with you’ beer and cider festival with a
Star Wars themed costume competition on the
Monday; The Crown (Ley Hill) will hold a Spring
Festival on the Sunday and Monday. Other pubs
will do different things: The Eagle (Amersham)
will have a video and disco karaoke; The
Chequers (Amersham), The Crown (Ley Hill)
and The Red Lion (Chesham) will have live
music; The Squirrel (Penn Street) will be raising
funds for charities. Many more pubs will have had
time to sort something out by the time we get to
May, so keep an eye on the Branch website for
updates. Now all we need is the weather.
Brian
Festivals calendar
JANUARY
TH
ST
29 – 1 Feb Beer Festival, Crabtree, Hemel
Hempstead
ST
31 Tenth Anniversary Party, Land of Liberty, Peace
and Plenty, Heronsgate
FEBRUARY
TH
TH
13 – 15 Valentine’s Weekend Fest, Queens
Head, Chesham
TH
ND
19 – 22 Winter Ales Festival, Land of Liberty,
Peace and Plenty, Heronsgate
MARCH
TH
TH
11 – 13 London Drinker Beer and Cider
Festival, Camden Centre, Bidborough Street,
London WC1H 9AU
TH
TH
TH
TH
13 – 29 Real Ale Festival, The Crown
Berkhamsted and Full House, Hemel Hempstead
26 – 29 Rising Sun Berkhamsted, ‘Ales of the
Unexpected’ Beer and Cider Festival
APRIL
RD
TH
3 – 6 Easter Mini-Fest, The Bell, Chartridge
RD
TH
3 – 6 Easter Weekend Fest, Queens Head,
Chesham
MAY
ST
TH
1 – 4 “May the Fourth be with you” beer and cider
festival, Jolly Sportsman, Chesham. Includes Star
th
Wars themed costume competition on Monday 4 .
RD
TH
3 – 4 Spring Fest, The Crown, Ley Hill
For the most up-to-date beer festival info, please
check www.midchilternscamra.org.uk.
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
For all the latest info on beer festivals,
Branch socials and meetings and much
more visit our website:
www.midchilternscamra.org.uk
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
Not getting a full pint in your local? Let
your Trading Standards Office know.
Call 0808 156 2259 (Bucks) or 08454 04
05 06 (Herts).
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
BREWERY NEWS
CHILTERN BREWERY: The response of beer
drinkers to Chiltern Black (3.9%) as a seasonal
winter ale has been so favourable this year that
the exciting decision has now been made to add it
to Chiltern’s collection of permanent draught ales.
For many years, Chiltern Ale (3.7%) and
Beechwood Bitter (4.3%) have been the only
permanent draught beers brewed, but now this
dark, complex porter, or stout as many will refer to
it, can be drunk throughout the year.
Black, smooth, beautifully hopped, with dark
golden treacle tones and hints of roast barley,
Chiltern Black also has wonderful chocolatey
aromas and perfectly complements the pale, light
and refreshing Chiltern Ale and the mid-amber
nutty, fruity Beechwood Bitter to make a mighty
trinity.
TRING BREWERY: For 2015 Tring Brewery has
chosen to name all its beers after local
woodlands. Why? Well the name Tring derives
from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning trees or a
slope where trees grow. With the 700th
anniversary of Tring's market town status being
celebrated this year, the brewery wanted to link
back to the town heritage but also the
surrounding environment. They also want to
highlight the 50th anniversary of the Chiltern
Society, an organisation which, with their army of
volunteers, helps maintain access to a lot of the
region’s woodlands.
XT BREWING CO.: The first new beer released
for 2015 was the Animal Brewing: ‘Aghhh
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
(Spider)’ 4.6% Amber – this is brewed as an
Abbey style beer, using a specialist Belgian Ale
yeast. The last Beer Club night in December had
some
unplanned
entertainment thanks
to this new beer: as the
vessels holding the
fermenting beer were
hissing and bubbling
out over the sides of
the tanks and across
the floor. It has proved
to be a rather wilder
ale than the standard
brews. The Beer Club members had been
sampling early prototype versions of the beer and
their feedback helped in its development. XT
hopes to brew more beers in this style in the
future.
The XT poppy appeal beer ‘Lest We Forget’ sold
very well and matched last year’s fund raising.
The brewery has been working with the British
Legion and plans to widen the project further for
the 2015 poppy appeal. More details later this
year.
The annual special beer for 2015 is the ‘Fifteen’ –
this is an English IPA to celebrate the English hop
growers who have been working hard to develop
new varieties to compete with the strong aromatic
and fruity New World hops. XT have been trialling
some of these and decided it was time to release
a new beer incorporating these new varieties. The
new Fifteen joins the Thirteen, which continues to
one the most popular XT beers, and last year’s
summer Saison refresher ‘Fourteen’.
2015 is a year of several historical anniversaries
including Agincourt, Waterloo and Magna Carta.
XT is planning seasonal specials to mark these.
Especially the Magna Carta which is of particular
local significance as Long Crendon, where XT are
based on the estate of Notley Abbey, was the
seat of one of the most significant Barons behind
the Magna Carta.
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
TWO GO (BEER) MAD IN DORSET
On a recent trip to the Jurassic Coast in
Dorset, the Chairman and wife Gill visited
not only a famous part of Britain’s
coastline but also
some
wonderful
pubs in the area to
help the trip go
with a purpose.
While staying near
Weymouth
we
explored
the
glorious inns. We
started with the Square
& Compass at Worth
Matravers, which has
featured
in
every
edition of CAMRA’s
Good Beer Guide.
location of the old Devenish Brewery,
which is a fantastic draw for tourists;
while the pubs either side of the harbour
along with the
Red Lion in the
Quay offered a
food choice to
keep
any
drinker happy
and a beer
choice
to
match. We also
visited the Royal
Oak
near
the
famous
bascule
bridge that raises up
like Tower Bridge
during the day using
weights.
This sea-facing inn
Lyme Regis is a big
with views across the
draw not only for the
Purbecks
has
an
Cobb,
its
old
intriguing interior and
harbour, but the
has changed very little
Top: Square and Compass, Worth
nearby
Volunteer
over the years, offering Matravers; Bottom: Tiger Inn, Bridport
and Cobb Arms.
Palmers beers and guests
plus cider and pasties only. Its woodPortland Bill and the surrounding area
panelled rooms along with a small fossil
give an outstanding view of Chesil
museum make it a must for pub watchers.
Beach and the Olympic Bay used for the
Walkers are welcome to stop off to re-fuel.
sailing events in 2012. The other large
brewery in the area is Badger (Hall &
We also took in Palmers Brewery in
Woodhouse) in Blandford St. Mary. A
Bridport, which is the only thatched brewery
fossil hunting visit to Charmouth Beach
in Britain. The two-hour tour is two hours
confirmed that it was an interesting
well spent. The pubs in Bridport, a thriving
place to look for the coast’s famous and
market town, offer two interesting ‘musts’.
ancient claim to fame (fossil hammers
The Tiger Inn, Barrack Street, gives you
can be hired at the café on the beach).
great guests in its multi-roomed back street
position, a favourite of Paul Sweetman, a
This whole area gives you more than a
Chesham member who stays there two or
couple of days’ worth of viewing and
three times a year. The other one to try is
drinking possibilities. Lulworth Cove,
The Ropemaker’s Arms in West Street.
Durdle Dore and Corfe Castle are also
This is a Palmers pub and offers the full
worth trying. Unfortunately we could not
range of their beers.
find The Castle Inn at West Lulworth
that eventually won National Cider Pub
Moving to Weymouth, in the harbour
of the Year ahead of our own Rising
area we found the Brewers Quay, the
Sun in Berkhamsted.
Dave B.
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
Branch Contacts
Chairman and Press Officer
Dave Badminton 01494 581797
[email protected]
Vice Chairman
Liz Doughton and Interim Pubs Officer
[email protected]
[email protected]
Branch Contact
Chris Bowser 07908 739668
[email protected]
Branch Secretary
Dave Lewin 07981 704516
[email protected]
Treasurer
Charles Teuma
[email protected]
Membership Secretary & Brewery
Liaison Officer (Tring Brewery)
Richard Healey 01494 724686
[email protected]
.org.uk
Social Secretary, Locale Officer and
Brewery Liaison Officer (Haresfoot)
Roy Humphrey
[email protected]
Brewery Liaison Officer (Red Squirrel
Brewery)
Chris Pontin
[email protected]
Tapler Editor
William Powell 07913 939761
[email protected]
Beer Information Officer
John Lomax 01494 783198
[email protected]
Cider Officer
Ian Williams
[email protected]
Beer Scores Officer
Nigel Harris 0845 644 6700
BeerScores@MidChilternsCAMRA
.org.uk
Webmaster
Gill Badminton
Webmaster@MidChilternsCAMRA
.org.uk
Young Members Officers
Rachael Frost & Gareth Hawden
[email protected]
MIDCHILTERNS BRANCH CAMRA
DIARY DATES. (S) = SOCIAL. (M) = MEETING.
FEBRUARY
14TH Hen & Chickens, Botley, noon, then onto Swan &
Crown, Ley Hill (S)
25TH Village Swan, Ivinghoe Aston, 8pm (M)
28TH Regional meeting, Maidenhead Conservative Club,
noon
MARCH
TH
7 Apsley crawl, start Paper Mill, noon (S)
14TH Great Missenden crawl, start Black Horse, noon
(S)
25TH Black Horse, Chesham Vale, 8pm (M)
APRIL
TH
11 Boxmoor crawl, start Fishery Inn, noon (S)
15TH Old Red Lion, Nash Mills, 8pm (M)
25TH Chalfont St Peter crawl, start Village Hall, noon (S)
20TH MAY BRANCH AGM, BLACK CAT, LYE GREEN,
7.30PM (TBC)
All members are welcome to Branch meetings and
socials. Please check the Branch website for updates.
Contact the Social Secretary for more information.
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COPYRIGHT © CAMRA Mid-Chilterns Branch 2015:
All rights reserved. Produced & Published by the Mid
Chilterns Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.
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THE CHILTERN TAPLER SPRING 2015
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