Restrictive Covenants

Heard of them? Possibly not. It's where a pub is put up for sale with a specific condition of sale excluding it being used by the future buyer as licensed premises ever again. This anti competitive practice which basically says "if we can't make money out of it, nobody else is allowed to try" should have been banned by law years ago. A lot of pub owning companies and breweries do it, including some which ought to know better. In almost every case, it's just plain wrong.

Now Enterprise Inns has followed Punch Taverns in removing restrictive covenants from pub sales. This may just give the opportunity to those with a keen eye to spot a business opportunity and snap up decent but failing pubs, dragged down the dead weight of the PubCos pressing down on them. Small brewers and pub chains will be watching this carefully and hopefully at least some pubs, abandoned by the big two, will see a new lease of life under more considerate ownership.

This is the latest in a line of concessions by the big two PubCos in an effort to persuade Peter Mandelson not to refer them to the Competition Commission. Enterprise and Punch are suddenly coming over all reasonable, but they they are beyond voluntary reform and should still be referred.This death bed conversion is too little and too late.

Extreme Beers

I read on other blogs about the writer's liking for extreme beers, whether it is Innis and Gunn's latest bourbon aged effort, or some outrageous stuff from Brew Dog (again), or Thornbridge (not quite so often) and now, I am urged (for example) by Pencil and Spoon to look out for extreme beers from Ramsgate Brewery. Well I won't be. They do nothing for me, probably as I rarely drink beer at home and anyway, when I look at some of the fearsome strengths, I imagine the beer taking big bites out of my liver.

Now I do enjoy the decent drinking strength beers from Thornbridge and Brew Dog and by that I mean up to 5%, but with very few exceptions - like when I'm in Belgium for example - I rarely drink much stronger beers. Now of course I enjoy outrageously hoppy beers from Phoenix, Pictish and Mallinsons to name but a few, but you can keep the extremes of barrel aged this, imperial or double that. I don't want to have to struggle to pick out a million clashing or just plain wrong flavours, often excused by that overused word "complex".

Variety is the spice of life and I am happy for those that like that kind of thing and it is good to see British brewers pushing boundaries. I also recognise that we have a long way to go to rival the odd geekery of the USA, where good old supping beers are despised, but there is an element of that creeping in. It isn't for me.

Meantime Goes Cask

After nearly 10 years of focusing on brewery conditioned and bottled beers, London based Meantime Brewing have finally taken the plunge and entered the cask ale market. London Pale Ale, 4.3%, (rated one of the ‘World’s 50 Best Beers’ at the 2007 International Beer Challenge), is the first Meantime beer to be continuously available in cask fashion. Being Meantime, however, this is not a straightforward cask ale. The essence of the Meantime philosophy is the belief that maturation is the key to quality. Consequently, all Meantime beers are always subject to at least 28 days brewery conditioning. So, unlike most cask ales, which are young beers by historic brewing standards, London Pale Ale is fully matured before it is racked. It is then re-conditioned in cask.

Elaborating on Meantime’s decision to enter the cask market Alastair Hook the brewer said;
“A number of changes in the market have shown us that the time is now right for Meantime to add cask to its portfolio. Until recently there was very little free trade in London, this is changing. SIBA Direct Delivery Service, the changing attitudes of pub companies, plus the sale of pubs are all helping by bringing a broader range of beers to the consumer. In addition Youngs’ shameful abandonment of London and Londoners has created a space for beers with genuine London provenance.

I make no excuses for using large chunks of the press release here, but one or two interesting points emerge. One is the "go" at Youngs' which is pretty direct and the other is the point that some of us have been saying for years, that until recently there was very little free trade in London. I reckon Meantime could be on a winner here. Their beers have quality and they have judged that to appeal to Londoner's to support a local brewery is a winning marketing strategy.

In a capital city that is waking up slowly to the potential of quality and choice in beer, they are hopefully right. I look forward to seeing how it pans out.

The Great Days of Keg

Inspired, not by morons, but by a look at some old stuff, I was drawn back in time to my early days working in the pub in Scotland. I can remember the beers. Hell I can remember which order the fonts were in. Nearest the door, Lorimer's Dark Heavy, a malty brew. Then Younger's Tartan Special, then McEwan's Export. In between them was Norseman Lager, Guinness and Tennents Lager, the biggest seller. We sold a lot of Tartan too. And Guinness before the "theatre of the pour" had even been thought of. These days it was way thicker, blacker, denser and took forever to settle. People ordered Guinness in advance then.

We had some interesting bottles too. Large pint "screwtops" of McEwan's Pale Ale and Whitbread Pale Ale, smaller bottles of McEwan's Double Century Strong Ale and of course, Fowler's Wee Heavy. We even sold bottles of Belgian Stella. The Boss called it Stella Artoys. The keg beer came a long way from a "cellar" on the same level and fobbed like a bugger. Bar staff did all the jobs from cleaning the toilet's, re-stocking the shelves, sorting the bottles, wiping the bottles, polishing the gantry and all the spirit bottles and hoovering the carpets. There was never a second when you were allowed to do nothing and the place was like a new pin. There was no cleaner employed and the pub had to be ready for the next session when we left. There wasn't much time to skive anyway. The pub was generally heaving until ten o'clock (later eleven) when we threw them all out, sometimes physically and always accompanied by a screaming electric bell to emphasise the point.

On a Sunday it was worse. All pubs were closed in Scotland then (1974 ish) and the only places open were hotel bars and "bona fide inns" such as us. It was absolute mayhem for the two lunchtime opening hours.

After they all went and we'd readied the place there was a blissful hour drinking Export and playing pool. I didn't work on Sunday night. No-one but the Boss could face two such sessions.


Of course all our wages went straight back over the bar.

My favourite beer in these days was Diamond Heavy, or at a pinch, the Export, brewed by Ind Coope (Alloa). We didn't sell it, but the nearest bar to work did. I can still remember its taste. I'd never heard of cask ale.

Feedback

It's nice to get feedback about your blog (good and bad) and I don't just mean the comments which are usually specific to a particular topic, or daft stuff elsewhere, but when you hear about it in another way, or someone writes to you "off blog".

I had two such instances this week. Firstly a brewer wrote to me about various comments I've made about his beer. He actually agreed with me and explained what had gone wrong and what he was doing to put it right. Refreshing - and there will be more about that in a separate post. The second was less direct in some ways, but worth mentioning. I wrote a piece about a character in a local pub I frequent. It's here. Yesterday Wayne, the subject of said piece, said to me he had been approached by the Manchester Evening News about the plaque featuring him that I mention in my article. They had got it from my blog and wanted to write about it. Excellent. Wayne is delighted and so am I.

Of course if the MEN wants to credit the source, it'd be even better.

Quiz Leagues

Our pub is in one, both summer and winter. It can be a lot of fun, but not when you are assailed by so many pop and film questions that you get roundly stuffed, as we were last night. We did have some absentees, but for us, pop music is the kiss of death. We aren't that hot on films or television either come to think of it. Still, for the publican, it's all good - a guaranteed captive audience on an otherwise quiet Tuesday night.

Of course, every cloud has a silver lining; the Lees Brewer's Dark was on great form, the meat and potato pie excellent and the company good. Pubs provide a social focus that is hard to beat. I can't imagine the quiz league would be much fun if held in someone's house over a few cans and bottles.

By way of illustrating the eclectic nature of pub conversations, I overheard a bar discussion about bats. The landlady hadn't seen any bats and doubted that there are any. Well I've seen plenty up there. So have some of the locals. That point was being hammered home as I left. I hope it doesn't affect the landlady's peace of mind.

Sunday, Lovely Sunday

The Sunday trip home on these weekend jaunts invariably gives the best beer of the trip. It's a kind of welcome Sod's Law with the sting in the tail being that time is restricted by the need to get everyone home and of course, the drivers hours are (rightly) limited by law. The dedicated toper has to use his or her time wisely.

We left Tewkesbury in time for a pre noon pint in Worcester. Pre noon means Wetherspoons as none of the GBG pubs opened until 12. The Postal Order was a typical example and absolutely jumping at around 11.30 when we added to the hubbub. Now the usual suspects will moan about JDW, but this one was filled with all sorts, from soaks to shoppers, with as many teas, coffees and breakfasts being scoffed as pints. It also gave us the opportunity to stock up on sandwiches from the nearby Tesco as we were unsure about the availability of grub in later venues.

A quick stop in Uphampton for the Fruiterer's Arms, home to the Cannon Royal Brewery. The pub is down a narrow country lane, with I assume, fruit fields on one side and a straggling hamlet on the other. The pub was old fashioned, full of locals and had a nice ambience with some outside enjoying the sunshine, locals chatting and a family function kicking off in a side room. Clearly a place at the heart of its community. The Fruiterer's Mild was dark and luscious. Some of us collectors regarded the framed poster from a defunct brewery. The old gent in the smock looks quite content does he not? Radcliffe of Kidderminster was taken over in 1947.





Our next stop shook off the brown beer with a vengeance. Coombs Wood Sports and Social Club is a thriving Cricket Club among other things. It was friendly and had an impressive array of six beers, Mauldon's Silver Adder did just fine for Tyson, me and E and the time passed all too quickly before we made our reluctant way to our final stop, the Waggon and Horses, also in Halesowen. What a pub! Fourteen beers from handpumps, bread, cheese and a rip roaringly hot salsa on the bar, the friendliest and chattiest locals you could imagine and the beers in wonderful condition. Bloody great. I can't list them all - I can't remotely remember, but beers from Nottingham, Oakham, Holdens and more were scoffed by Tyson, E and me. I looked around, We were chatting to a couple of locals and most of our group had a local attached, chatting away. We left with considerable reluctance.

It is worthwhile to reflect that when there are unpretentious, friendly pubs like this (and indeed the Fruiterer's and the Cricket Club) thriving and serving fantastic beer, you really know all this talk of the pub going down the tubes is just that. Great pubs, selling great beer in a great atmosphere will thrive, leaving those that can't cut the mustard to fail and that's just how it should be. I've said it before and it is worth repeating. It is really all about the offer.

No pictures of the Waggon and Horses. Sorry. The time just flew by and I didn't get round to it.

Cheltenham and a Moan

When E and I used to go to Cheltenham many years ago, it was to the annual rally in support of sacked workers from the Government Communications Centre (GCHQ) based there. We also had a few libations, but sadly though I remember drinking Wadworth's, the nature of the pubs is long since forgotten, though the reason for being there isn't and won't be.


Last Saturday though we went to visit two free houses. Firstly to the Kemble Brewery Inn which was a busy back street local holding a music festival. We were greeted at the door by the newly elected Lib-Dem councillor who had fought for them to get a licence for the event against local objections. I had a chat with him. He explained that the objections had been on noise levels, lateness, frequency of sets etc. He had proposed and agreed some restrictions which both the pub and the objectors had agreed to. Good for him. I was in the front of the pub and could scarcely hear the music at all, so it must have been a successful compromise, though one or two locals remarked that they'd have liked it louder. All well then? Not exactly. Another restriction had been placed on them. All liquor had to be sold in plastic glasses. "Had glass been a problem I asked?" Not as far as he knew was the answer.

Now I hate drinking out of plastic. I hate even more these petty bureaucrats who decide, on no evidence whatever, that the freedom of others should be restricted. I can just about understand it where certain places have a record of glass based violence or vandalism, but to have these "just in case" restrictions without evidence is just too much for my sensibilities. Unremitting brown beer didn't help either, but my gloom was lifted by Thatchers Scrumpy and the sheer friendliness, not only of the councillor, but the chatty music loving locals.

Our last Cheltenham stop was a bigger venue, the Jolly Brewmaster. This was bustling and boisterous but the beer choice was again brown, though I recall the ubiquitous Deuchars IPA. No matter though. The company was good and having given up on beer for the afternoon, pints of the now familiar Black Rat were enjoyed instead, providing a pleasant end to an interesting afternoon.

A Public Service Announcement

Dated 8th June:

Last night, thieves broke in to Saltaire Brewery and stole a large quantity of casks and bottles of beer.

It is thought that they may have been stolen in order to offer to pubs or festivals. The casks are so far the only "Bavarian Gold" to have left the brewery, so please be aware and pass this information on to licensees and festival organisers who you think might be approached. The identity of the beer may of course have been disguised.

Over 70 casks were taken, all full of Bavarian Gold, from a locked, refrigerated compound. Empty casks, all accessible, were not taken, so it seems the thieves were not after scrap metal. The casks were rented, metal casks, with the "e-cask" name on the side, with 2 bright orange hoops painted on.

3 pallets of bottled Saltaire Goldings and 3 pallets of Cascade, all 500ml, were also taken.

So, if you hear of any cheap beer going, please let Saltaire Brewery (and your local Plod) know.

The Cotswolds in the Rain

Saturday was a bright and early start for our visit (in persistent rain) to one of Britain's four remaining "cider only" houses. The Monkey House as it is known, is in Woodmancote, not far from Tewkesbury and would be almost impossible to stumble over, hidden as it is. A picturesque thatched cottage with a serving hatch and a basic - and I mean basic - room off the side is all there is. The house dry cider is made by Westons and was decent stuff. A medium cider and a perry were also available. The gents toilets were, shall we say interesting, with good open views. This is the sort of place though, had the weather been nice, that you'd liked to have lingered a bit in the pleasant garden. As it was though, in pissing rain, a half hour was enough.

Much better known was our next visit, to the well known Fleece in Bretforton. Thatched and twee and restored after a devastaing fire, this was welcoming and comfortable. Those of us who had been before revelled in its stone flagged floors and renewed acquaintanceship with the collection of English Civil War pewter ware. Those who hadn't "oohed and aahed" at its lovely interior. The beer was good too with half a dozen well kept and interesting ales.

Stanton is a painfully pretty village near Broadway and has had nothing new built there since God was a boy. Its honey coloured stone glows, even in solid rain. The Mount Inn sits above it up a heart stopping steep hill which would have had a mountain goat wheezing and protesting. Buoyed up, by the thought of beer though we all skipped up. Those at the back were luckiest. We found out how undrinkable the Donnington BB was from others and swapped to the merely unpleasant SBA. Now I have to say I have never found Donnington beers to be much cop despite the pretty brewery and pubs, but these were bloody grim. My mood was not enhanced by the fact that a pint of BBA and a Carlsberg Export (E wasn't chancing the bitter) was an astonishing £7.10! The Carlsberg was an eye popping £4.60 a pint.

Equilibrium was restored at our next stop. The Cotswolds is full of nice little towns and villages and they kind of run into each other after a few beers. Winchcombe is a typically pleasant example. We enjoyed really bitter (and rare) Stanney Bitter from the Stanway Brewery which I visited some years ago, before finishing up in the Plaisterers Arms with an excellent pint of TT Landlord - probably the best I've had in years - then boarding the coach for Cheltenham - an old stomping ground.

Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury is a fine town with a very impressive abbey and the tendency toward sogginess. Indeed should you visit often enough, you are sure to end up traipsing around with water swishing about your kneecaps. Or higher. It was damp when we started out eagerly on the Friday night and finished up throwing it down - which is more than we managed. Having established that the Hop Pole was a brown beer purveyor of some determination, we set out with a list provided by our weekend guide. Did I mention brown beer? Well there was a lot of it. The Nottingham Arms provided Butcome Bitter, Wickwar BOB and OSH. Most of us tried the BOB which was dark brown and unremittingly malty. We escaped to the Tudor House Hotel where another array of brown beers greeted us, but at least the pub was splendidly old fashioned, being a bit of a nineteen seventies (sixties possibly) throwback, with a very comfortable mix of older drinkers. My tipple was Goff's White Knight which was light brown and had just enough hop to make it drinkable.

We pressed on to the White Bear (a bit rough and ready) where the range was not as good as we'd hoped. Lytham Gold was clearly a must, but it was served with a warning as to its cloudiness. Most, me included were very unsure about this beer and opted out. Now our guide is somewhat known as a cider drinker and swooped on the Black Rat cider. I was persuaded and very drinkable it was too, providing just the right level of alcoholic hit (6%) and emotional support to overcome a disappointing night of beer. Sensibly we left just before ten and had time for a quick one in the Berkeley Arms where well kept Horizon provided some pale relief at last. This tied house was a very good pub indeed and shows that you don't have to be a multi tap free house to do well.

It was all over by eleven. All the pubs (even JDW) shut at eleven prompt. Why is this?

Black Rat is made for Moles Brewery by Thatchers

Alcester

On the way to our CAMRA weekend in Tewkesbury, we stopped for lunch in this delightful Warwickshire town. The Holly Bush is an old coaching inn on which a lot of money has obviously been spent. The beer was in splendid form with Purity Gold, served in a branded Purity glass certainly hitting the spot, as did the ploughman's. A word here about the staff. Just fantastic, dealing with 23 of us with smiles, efficiency and good nature. If I lived there I'd be back. A lot.

Of course perfection, while eagerly sought and maybe found is not enough for the dedicated beer type. With Tyson and E, in tow we nipped along the road to the Three Tuns where raging thirsts were slaked by more excellent beer from Purity and another fantastic barmaid. The welcome was all you could want and it does make such a difference.

A little bit of a first next for us. A visit to a winery. Three Choirs is a 80 acre outfit set in rolling hills in Gloucestershire and produces a number of rather good wines from mostly German grapes. It also has a brewery which we were able to glimpse through a glass fronted room, while the expensive wine making kit was there for us to prod and inspect. Particularly interesting was the process of removing sediment from sparkling wine. The samples of wine were small and took a lot of will power not to knock back in two sips.




It was a remarkably sober lot that checked into the Hope Pole in Tewkesbury. That wasn't to last.

More Higgies

I often mention Higsons beer here. The beer was brewed at the Stanhope Street Brewery now (and formerly) occupied by Cains. The offices were in Dale Street however, next to the Ship and Mitre. The building, which is still in use, is clad in grey marble and still bears the Higsons name.

The photo was taken from the inside of the Ship and Mitre.

In My Liverpool Home

Having lived in Scousely for nearly ten years, it is always a pleasure to go back, particularly when the attraction of drinking in one of the finest boozing cities in England is enhanced by seeing old friends. My mate John emigrated to Australia nine years ago and when he comes "home", we always get together along with another mate Mike. We worked together many moons ago and the attraction of a reunion and chewing over old times never wanes. Along to act as referee was the lovely E, who knows all of us of old.

We met in the Doctor Duncan, a Cains tied house which was rather quiet, being one of the few pubs that didn't have the FA Cup Final (featuring Everton) on. Cain's Mild was cool, creamy and moreish and for me, easily the best beer of the day. Mike had the bitter, E had the IPA and both were pronounced good and John surprised us all (he's a Toohey's New man now) by ordering bitter too, reminding us all of the countless pints of Higsons we consumed back in the day.

Now I could go on about this beer and that, but I won't. It wasn't about the beer. We moved next to the re-opened Vernon Arms watching Liverpudlians support Chelsea and drinking beer from an old pal of mine, Mike McGinley of Betwixt Brewery which I will mention. Betwixt Sunlight was pale and golden with a delicious biscuity nose, but a lot too heavy on the crystal malt and light on the hop to demand another. Amid searing reminiscences, bickering, nostalgia and raucous laughter, we moved on to Rigby's for Manx beers, The Lady of Mann for more Manx beers, The Lion for very tasteless Youngs and the final stop at the Ship and Mitre where Lees, Paulaner, Veltins and other stuff was drunk. Oh and I had a couple of pints of Hoegaarden too, possibly in the Vernon Arms.

We tottered out of there very much the worse for wear and back to Lime St for our train. I had hiccups all the way back to Manchester and we were both starving, food having been overlooked. Today I had a hell of a hangover which is still lingering. As I said, it wasn't about the beer.

Hail to the Hop

Hops are a most essential part of beer and German brewers in particular are keen to ensure that only the finest hops of their required variety are used. Unfortunately, a giant hail and wind storm hit both the Tettnang and Hallertau crop last week, devastating according to some reports, around 25% of the new growth in the Bodensee area. In some instances hop bines were completely stripped of their leaves and shoots. In the worst cases only the wire remains.

It is unlikely that hop crops will reach long-term averages for the Hallertau and Tettnang after the damaging storm. The total effect to the German crop could be a loss of 15% or close to 5000 metric tons. Nonetheless, hop merchant John I Haas is reporting that they do not predict another hop shortage for crop 2009 at this point.

I recall similar bad weather at the end of May a few years ago when I was in Munich. I'm keeping clear of Bavaria during that time.

Who's Top Dog in the Pub Game?

According to my friends at the Morning Advertiser it is none other than Tim Martin of JDW. He leads a glittering cast of the great and good, knocking Giles Thorley of Punch off the number one spot. The reason Timbo is up there at the top? "When he talks, people invariably listen and he remains a precious flag-waver and talker-up of pubs and beer."

CAMRA's Mike Benner pops in at 29, up from 42, which seems to give the lie to any thought of a decline in CAMRA's influence and Paul Nunny of Cask Marque is up a couple of places too, reflecting perhaps, the rise in cask beer's prominence.

Nice also to see the Manchester Family Brewers (Lees, Robinson Hydes, Holt ) getting a joint mention at number 43.

The MA story is here.

We're Dead Nice We Are

Remember how Parliament found that PubCos were screwing their licensees. Seems they have got it wrong. Enterprise Inns have surveyed all their licensees and found that only 5% have a bad relationship with them.

Tough looking Ted Tuppin, the main man for Enterprise said ""Clearly, an in house survey does not carry the same weight as an independent review, but we will provide the full set of responses, on a pub by pub basis, so that the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) can validate the answers should they so wish."

There's the key. They know who said what. You wouldn't want Ted round at your door having a "quiet word" would you?

Full stories in the ever reliable MA and Publican

Return to Flavour

I was entirely knackered on Friday on my return home, but after a few hours kip, I was fit enough to pick E up from the station. We went to the Angel to talk over our respective weeks. Catching up is always better over a pint is it not? Two beers on offer. Lancaster Blonde which was a little sweet, but very drinkable after Efes - and Mallinson's TR7 which was pale, easy drinking, with a very pronounced hop nose.

A National Winter Ales Fest meeting meant a trip to Manchester on Saturday, so I kicked off with the reliable Copper Dragon Golden Pippin. Later in Micro Bar, more TR7 followed by a bottle of Brew Dog's 77 - described as an "artisanal rebel pilsner" - which was hoppy and rather ale like really. I've said it before, but this really is a delightful little bar and well worth going to.

Our final stop at the Marble Arch gave me three more beers with more than a nod to excellence. First up Ashford New World Brown from Thornbridge which did exceed my expectations with a lingering hoppy, bitter finish in a very brown body. (You couldn't get them under the Trades Description Act.) Another Thornbridge beer, Kipling, followed which was again in top form. It was nice to see such a hyped up brewery delivering the goods, which is a compliment, not a swipe. One final beer completed a beery day. On E's recommendation, back to basics with a superb pint of Manchester Bitter. We left overbeered. It was good to be home.

Why is the desire for a curry so overwhelming when you've had a few?

Three Things About Turkish Drink

Thanks for the kind messages about my hols. I can assure my more sensitive readers that getting my kit off was kept to a bare minimum!

On the way to our hotel we stopped at a Karvanserai for a drink - well I guess the driver gets a kick back for bringing his prisoners there. Efes Pils was our first holiday drink and it wasn't that bad. Quite full bodied, not too gassy and with a slight hop tickle, it was drinkable stuff. Our hotel did Tuborg Green Label, though it was sold as "Troy Pilsner". I know, as the kegs were easy to check. This was frankly crap. The third thing is that Turkish Gin and Tonic made from local spirits and local tonic was very and dangerously drinkable. As we were all "all inclusive" I drank infeasibly large amounts of it. The tonic was more Schweppes than Britvic, so all was well.

The weather was mostly 30c+ and some bits of me are brown. I only got slight Turkish tummy. Result.

I was with my pal Graham who discovered a forced liking for vodka, there being no free whisky!

Sunshine

I'm off for some. See you all in a week.

Guilty!

The Business and Enterprise Committee (Bec) report has found “alarming evidence” that there may be serious problems caused by the dominance of the large pub companies. Well we all knew that didn't we, but now it's official?

The Bec found among other things, that the evidence from Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns gave only a 'partial picture' or was 'positively false'. Appallingly it reveals that 67% of PubCo licensees are earning less than £15,000 a year, despite in some cases having a turnover of over half a million pounds. The Chairman of the committee said “There must be a legal framework that takes account of the imbalance of bargaining power between licensees and pubcos.” The Bec doesn't recommend the scrapping of the beer tie, but says that more detailed analysis of the market is required and that there is a need to protect regional brewers.

So what next? The Committee recommends that the Government refer the matter to the Competition Commission for action, but this could take between two and three years. There is an alternative view, favoured by CAMRA, that the operation of the beer tie could be referred to the Office of Fair Trading to deal with the matter more quickly. However, such is the damning picture painted by the Bec, that a full referral to the Competition Commission seems inevitable.

Danny Boy

Daniel Thwaites has been brewing in Blackburn for 202 years. Their cask beers are starting to reappear more widely after a long (and most would say unsuccessful) love affair with nitrokeg. Now they are picking themselves up and getting over it. Good.

Though, as is common these days, it isn't actually called a mild, Thwaites have brewed a four per cent cask mild for May. I had some last night at the Bury Beer Festival Organising Meeting. Highwayman is rich, dark, chocolatey with decent roast malt and a creamy head. Most of us drank it.

Must have been all right then.

Packing Flavour In

While out shopping with E in Manchester on Saturday, we nipped into the Micro Bar in the Arndale for a much needed refresher. The only pale beer was a horrible example of random phenols, roughly hewn into an approximation of beer, which had E grimacing and me advising her not to drink it. She didn't actually need that advice, as her mind was rapidly made up on that point. My choice was wiser, though a bit of a tongue twister. Brewdog "How to Dissappear Completely" was the odd name given to a very good beer. Chestnut brown in colour and despite an initially off-putting wet dog aroma, the beer itself was very enjoyable and intensely bitter, with C hops in abundance and a very full body for its strength - a mere 3.5%. My first half was rapidly followed by a second and then a pint, while E consoled herself with Kuppers Koelsch. It was good to see Brewdog using their undoubted skills at the weaker end of the spectrum.

We sat for half an hour or so, sipping beer and watching the astonishingly mixed international clientèle eating ethnic snacks (the Brazilian stuff looked really good). Great for beer, great for people watching, it's a good place. Go there if you can.

The horrible beer was Empire Brewing Shiver Me Timbers

Howard Town Brewery

I have been having a quiet week, but called in to the Angel after picking E up from the train. I was immediately advised by the bar staff to have Hope which was just on. It was pale and hoppy and nicely balanced. It's by Howard Town Brewery of Glossop, who brew some decent beers by and large.

I didn't take a photo of the pump clip and the HT web site hasn't been updated since 2007. What's that all about?

Glossop is in the Peak District. "Ale in Peak Condition". Geddit?

Talk About Hoppy

At our CAMRA meeting last night I started on Phoenix White Monk, keeping a very special beer in reserve for my last pint. The beer? "Let There Be Hops."

Mallinsons - me - a big fan - has brewed this for Dave Szwejkowski (a renowned ticker also known as Dave Unpronounceable) in celebration of his 30th birthday. Described on the Mallinson's web site as "Dark blonde colour. Strong hop aroma, with a slightly sweet malt and balanced hop taste, with a long intense hop finish. Very moreish for its 5.3% ABV."

The description didn't do it justice. It was a hop monster of the first order. Some of our lot couldn't finish their pint. It grew on you, though one and a half was enough.

Lees Buy Punch Pubs

I predicted way back in March that Lees would buy more pubs.To prove the point they have bought a parcel of ten from the debt laden Punch Group. All are in the North West and are as yet un-named.

They will have been bought for cash too I suspect.

Characters

Pubs are full of them. If you go to the right pubs that is and know that character in this sense means someone different and worth knowing. Someone who is different and not worth knowing is usually the pub equivalent of the "nutter on the bus". Sadly there are plenty of the latter too, but get out and about a bit and there is usually someone worthy of note if you keep your eyes (and ears) peeled. It's yet another thing that makes pubs interesting places.

My other "local" when not supping Lees in the THT is the Old(e) Boar's Head (Page 338 of the GBG) and there's one or two characters in there in the tea time crowd. One such is Wayne. So much so, there is a plaque on the wall at his usual spot. It's in the picture. Sorry about the photo quality.

I had my first session on Lees Coronation St Ale on Sunday. It was good.

Mild in May

An early start on Saturday. Our Mild Campaign kicks off today. Report at Lees Brewery promptly for a 10.30 a.m. start. Pints of Brewer's Dark followed by the dry hopped (Goldings) version (Hopping Mad) didn't suck at all. It was interesting to compare and contrast. Both assuredly have their place. I was reminded that beer can be an excellent breakfast drink.

An hour at Lees, a quick thanks to the two lads who had got up early to look after us and off on the short coach journey to Heywood. Two more milds awaited us, plus for the unconvinced, the wheaty and hoppy White Tornado. Most of us stuck to mild and with Black Shadow and Monkeytown Mild on offer, it would have been bad form not to. Both were simply superb with the Monkeytown just edging it for me. And the thing is about mild, when it is in form, it slips down all too easily and don't believe it can't make you pissed. It can.

While some of the more hardy had another two pubs to go at in the afternoon, I opted out to keep sober for the presentation later that day of our Pub of the Year - The Baum in Rochdale. Kindly E drove me there, arriving as the bus disgorged a motley collection of - well - drunks. Continuing the mild theme I had that most rare of experiences. Yes I had a Mallinson's beer I wasn't so keen on. Marina Mild was dark and very intense. It was chewy, bitter, chocolatey with vine fruits and much more. It was just a little busy. I resisted the temptation for Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild too and after the presentation, joined Tyson for a wonderful occurrence of Phoenix Hopsack. I've never had a better sample of this wonderful hoppy beer. All too soon for me it was over. E, being the driver wouldn't join sundry drunks on a further Rochdale pub crawl. It was home and grub for us. After tea, a phone call from some vociferous and noisily pissed people reminded me that I was a wuss. I think Tyson was involved.

ROB CAMRA has a mild passport scheme where you can win a wonderful prize. Full details on the web site

Brauerei Witzgall

I received this rather nice photo from my mate Nick who lives in Franconia. It is of the bier keller in Schlammersdorf on the opening day of its new outdoor drinking year. The beer says Nick, is bitter, hoppy and one of the best in Germany.

He should know. He likes an hour out.

Click on the photo to enlarge.

Punch Drunk

Worried about your pub? Well if it is owned by Punch Taverns, maybe you ought to be. The Punch Group owes its bankers £4.6 billion pounds, secured against its estate of 8,300 pubs. Now when it gets to huge amounts of zeros, I get a bit confused, but it seems to me that is an average debt of £554,000 per pub. No wonder they are screwing their publicans and selling pubs as fast as they can. Not that it will do them any good. As the London Evening Standard remarked the other day "The group has bought back £318 million of debt for a bargain £200 million in the past six months. At 60p in the pound, that either shows investors think the company is doomed, or that they are so strapped for cash they are happy to take what they can get."

How did all this arise I hear you ask, when at the beer orders, most pubs were owned by brewers and more or less debt free? Well, when the pub companies were set up, each pub was mortgaged to pay the breweries for the pubs they had to divest. When pub companies subsequently merged or were taken over, a little bit more was added to the mortgage, with the surplus being trousered by those that sold them. Repeat quite a few times, until we get where we are today. A massive bloody debt that is being paid by the PubCos tenants - and, of course, by their customers. This couldn't go on for ever. Something would happen to stop it. Well a few things have. All at once. They are running out of mugs to take their leases, people aren't visiting pubs and the estate isn't worth what it used to be.

If Punch goes bust, there will be a fire sale of pubs at realistic prices. These pubs then, unburdened by huge debt, might just start to make money again.

The market says the group is worth £237 million. Latest figures indicate they "only" own 7371 pubs, so the debt per pub is actually worse.

Micro Bar

The Food Court of Manchester's massive and eponymous Arndale Centre is a little haven from the lookalike chain stores that infest such places. Among stalls selling Chinese, Lebanese, Indian and other foods, facing the tramlines on Church St, is that most blessed and rare of beasts, a beer stall.

For some years it meandered along in a haphazard fashion selling mediocre beer from a Welsh micro in plastic glasses. Recently the lease was taken over by ambitious Manchester Micro Brewer, Boggart. Now Boggart beers aren't to everyone's taste, so is there cause for celebration? An emphatic yes. While Boggart beers do feature, it is the other arm of their operation that provides the real interest. Boggart factors beer for other brewers. It is a major supplier of cask beer to the free trade and to beer festivals. The fruits of this labour feature as guests on the stall. Despite its typical market size, it sports three handpumps for beer, plus Kupper's Koelsch on draught, as well as a handpumped cask cider. It sells a decent range of bottled beers too, including more or less, the full Brew Dog Range.

Yesterday it had a new guest. Thornbridge Cocoa Dance, a chocolate and mandarin mild. This 3.5% dark beer was correctly conditioned, cool and sparkled. Served in glass now - what an improvement - the beer was full bodied and luscious, with just the merest hint of Terry's Chocolate Orange running through it. A very good and interesting beer indeed, served by a charming and chatty barmaid, who made a change from her grumpy and monosyllabic predecessors.


Spot the error in the price list?

The Villiers

When I lived in Liverpool I often used to frequent the Villiers when in town. A street corner Higsons pub, it was cosy and welcoming with good beer. My old mate RedNev and I, among many others, stopped a lot of Higgies going sour in there.

There was a fearsomely steep set of stairs down to the toilet, so much so, that after a few pints, it looked like a ladder. You needed these pints to have the courage to tackle it.

Like Higsons, I wish it was still there, but it made way for a shopping centre over 20 years ago.

I am grateful to RedNev for the photo and the memories.

Glasses

Yesterday we took a short stroll to the Highway to watch some of the marathon. Huge crowds greeted the red faced and clearly knackered section of runners we observed - the elite having finished hours ago were probably on a training run by then. We had to walk a fair way east before an underpass allowed us to cross the road and head down to Wapping High St. The Prospect of Whitby was straight ahead, so we popped in. The guest beer wasn't brown. It was golden. Hooray. It was also off, as in not available. Boo. GKIPA, Abbot or London Pride? I had the LP which tasted of little, but wasn't as sweet as it sometimes is. It was though in very good condition and at a cool temperature. No cellar skill problems here.

Our next stop was the keg only Captain Kydd. Sam Smith owned, with fine views across the river. I quite like it here and drink the wheat beer, while E drinks Pure Brewed Lager. Only problem - the glasses. I asked for a proper wheat beer glass, but was told they'd mostly been stolen. Hmm. The nonic pints and halves did nothing for either beer.

Maybe they could do a deposit system like Germany for the nice glasses, or, like some Dutch pubs, make the purchaser hand over one of their shoes? Given the fact the customers are a pretty affluent (though thieving) lot, I'd guess their footwear is worth more than a glass? It would certainly be a talking point and maybe give me a decent glass to drink out of.