Author: manchestercamra

Welcome to your Bolton CAMRA Branch Update. We’re definitely in the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness and as well as the nights drawing in, some of the beers on the bar of your local may be taking on a darker appearance. Still the last remnants of the summer sunshine continue to make a beer garden a tempting spot to enjoy a pint or two.

Branch Meetings

The October branch meeting will take place at 8pm on 1 October at the Crown Hotel 1 Chorley New Road, Horwich, BL6 7QJ. As well as the meeting itself, we will be presenting the pub with the award for having been voted Summer Pub of the Season. Congratulations to the team at the Crown. As always, all are welcome to come along and try the Holt’s beers on offer.

The November meeting will include the branch Annual General Meeting and will take place on Thursday 5 November at 8pm at the Spinning Mule Unit 2 Nelson Square, Bolton, BL1 1JT. Amongst the business of this meeting will be the election of officers and the presentaion of accounts. We will also consider adopting an updated branch constitution which will be based on CAMRA’s new model constitution with minor amendments to reflect how the branch operates in practice. All members are entitled to vote on these issues.

Good Beer Guide

You may have seen that the 2027 Good Beer Guide has now been published. Congratulations to the Bolton pubs that have made it into the guide and particular the two new entrants, Sparrows Rum Bar and JR’s Ale House in Horwich.

Bolton Branch is allocated thirteen entries in the Good Beer Guide and each year the process begins from scratch with a shortlist being drawn up from those pubs with beer scores above the branch average for the previous 12 months. In this way CAMRA members are the starting point for choosing which pubs go into the guide. As I have said before, if you believe your local pub deserves to be in the guide, then make sure you score their beers and make sure any other CAMRA members who frequent the pub do so too. Information on beer scoring is available on the branch website here. Publicity material is also available for licensees who wish to encourage members to beer score. Drop me a line at chair@bolton.camra.org.uk and we can get a poster to you.

Royal Hotel

You will be aware from both CAMRA and the wider media that pubs are having a difficult time and many are closing. One such casualty is the Royal Hotel on Vernon Street, Bolton. Despite describing the pub as being ‘proud to be part of the community’ and having a ‘great following from the local community’, the owners, Admiral Taverns, have sold the property and closed it without giving anyone an opportunity to buy it and keep it running. An application has now been made to Bolton Council to convert the building into a 12 bedroom HMO. The regulars, however, are not prepared to let their local go without a fight and have started a campaign to save the pub. As well as objecting to the application they have also applied to the Council to have the building designated an Asset of Community Value.The Save the Royal Hotel Facebook page can be found here. Bolton CAMRA has also submitted an objection to the change but previous experience has shown that Bolton Council is not particularly protective of pubs. This would be a great opportunity to show that it really does care about the loss of vital community facilities. There may still be time to make a comment on the application yourself. It can can be accessed here. 

Locale

CAMRA’s LocAle initiative promotes pubs stocking locally brewed real ale in order to reduce the number of ‘beer miles’ from brewery to pub cellar in response to growing consumer demand for quality local produce. This includes beer from Bolton’s own breweries including Bank Top, Blackedge, Northern Monkey and Escape and also other breweries within a 25 mile radius. Surveys have consistently shown that cask ale drinkers want to drink beers that are brewed locally and so by checking if a pub is Locale accredited you can check where to find somewhere that stocks them. More information can be found here.

Birthday Party

And finally, Bolton CAMRA branch has a significant birthday coming up. In November the branch will be 50 years old. The exact date of the first branch meeting is in question but nevertheless we have chosen 10 November as the date when we will launch 12 months of events to celebrate this milestone with a social at the Northern Monkey Bar, Nelson Square, Bolton, BL1 1AQ. Members are looking at a number of ways of marking the anniversary including highlighting those pubs that have been serving cask ale throughout the 50 years since the branch was formed and possibly having a 50th Anniversary ale brewed by our local brewers. We hope this will be an opportunity for more members to get involved with branch activities and keep the branch going for another 50 years. More information will be available as plans get firmed up but I hope to see you at these events to enjoy the best of British beer. 

Cheers,

John Mitchell – Chair

Meet at One for the Road in the Market at 1.00pm. We will visit some regulars and some pubs we don’t visit often.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 3 changing ales, food available in the market

The Greyhound, 146 Deansgate, Bolton, BL1 1BB, 3 changing beers

Elephant & Castle, 4-10 Deansgate, Bolton, BL1 1BR (recently reopened with a new landlord)

Olde Man and Scythe, 6-8 Churchgate, Bolton, BL1 1HL, 4 changing beers

Northern Monkey Bar, Nelson Square, BL1 1AQ, 4 changing beers

These are just five pubs. We can discuss others to visit on the day. If anyone has a suggestion of pubs to visit, please let us know on the day

It is important that we support our local pubs and be seen to support them. Therefore, if you have a CAMRA t shirt or polo shirt, please wear it if you can.

If you need information on the day, please contact Gill on 07967585670

We are having a Cider Trail.  We will meet in Westhoughton at Blackedge Brewery Tap at around 1.00pm. From Horwich the 516 bus runs every hour. Catch the bus at 12.32 at Horwich Leisure centre arriving in Westhoughton at 13.05. Return bus for Horwich is 14.39 arriving in Horwich 15.16.

Travelling from Bolton catch the 607 bus from the Interchange at 12.20(12.40) arriving at 12.45 (13.07)

Brewery Tap, 55 Market St. BL5 3AG, real cider on three handpumps

Beer School, 88 Market St. BL5 3AZ, up to four ciders

B33R@33, 33 Lee Lane, BL6 7AX, real cider

Sparrows Rum Bar, 32 Winter Hey Lane, BL6 7AA, 2 real ciders

Blackedge Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson St. BL6 7JH, real cider

There are other pubs. If there is a favourite let the group know. Although this is a cider trail don’t let that put anyone off who does not like cider. All the pubs mentioned have a good selection of real ale. If you need any further details or need to contact on the day, please contact social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 07967585670

Beer Festival at Bury Transport Museum.

Friday 18th September

11.00am-10.00pm

Tickets cost £4 per adult, to be purchased on the day.

Doors open 11am – 10pm Friday and Saturday, 11am – 5pm Sunday. CAMRA members get free entry!

Glassses are included in the entry price, CAMRA members will be charged £1 for a glass on their free entry.

Further information, including ticketing arrangements and the brewery line-up, will be available soon

We’re in the Castlecroft Goods Warehouse, just across the road from the Bury Bolton Street Station. You won’t miss us; there are plenty of signposts from the platform.

The 471 bus runs every 12 minutes from Bolton Interchange, Stand J.

Food is available

If you need any further information the website is
ELR Diesel Gala – Beer and Cider Festival – The East Lancashire Railway

Departing Bolton at 10:54, change at Manchester Piccadilly (31min wait),  train from Piccadilly at 11:51, arriving in Buxton at 12:53.  
Return – Departing Buxton at either 18:14, 18:44 or 19:14, arriving back at Bolton at 19:52, 20:21 or 20:52 depending on which train we catch, with a change at Manchester Piccadilly.

An off peak return from Bolton is £19.20. This could be cheaper if you have the the train added to a bus pass. 

Alternatively:
Meet at Manchester Piccadilly train station.  
Departing Manchester Piccadilly at 11:51, arriving in Buxton at 12:53.  
Return – Departing Buxton at either 18:14, 18:44 or 19:14, arriving back at Manchester Piccadilly at 19:16, 19:47 or 20:16 depending on which train we catch.

An off peak return from Manchester is £13.90. This could be cheaper if you have the the train added to a bus pass.  Alternatively you can purchase cheaper single tickets, starting at £3.00 each way, but you would be tied to those times.

Obviously earlier trains are available if you prefer.

These are the pubs we plan to visit.

Cheshire Cheese – Titanic Brewery owned pub with 10 hand pumps serving a range of Titanic beers and guest ales.

Ale Stop – Micropub with 4 changing beers

New Inn – 2 regular beers, 4 changing beers.  Food is also available.

Buxton Tap House – Buxton Brewery Tap House pub with 1 regular, & 3 changing beers

RedWillow Buxton – RedWillow Brewery owned pub with 2 regular & 3 changing beers

Old Clubhouse – Greene King owned pub with 4 changing beers. Food is also available.

These pubs can also be viewed in the CAMRA Trip link below.

https://camra.org.uk/profile/trips/56a86fd3-f732-4710-b1f5-b61675763b23