Category: Bolton Branch News

Welcome to your Bolton CAMRA Branch update. I hope you have been able to enjoy a pint or two in the outdoors despite the poor weather and days when the moon seemed to shine brighter than the sun!

Summer Pub of the Season

On the subject of summer, the branch has chosen the Thomas Egerton in Egerton as its Summer Pub of the Season so congratulations to the team there. A presentation of the award is being arranged so please watch our social media for details.

Branch Meetings

There won’t be a formal Branch meeting in September, however, an informal get together will be held on 12 September starting at the Olde Man and Scythe, Bolton at 8 p.m. and possibly moving on to other venues in the town centre as the evening progresses.

The October branch meeting will be held on TUESDAY 1 October at 7.30 p.m. at the Beer School, Westhoughton. The meeting will be followed by a beer themed quiz. Everyone is welcome, as always, and we will be hoping to attract some new members to join the branch.

General Election

The general election seems like a long time ago but we now have a new government in Westminster and two new MPs in Bolton. CAMRA is engaging with the new ministers who have responsibilities relevant to the Campaign. In particular, CAMRA will be pushing for greater legal protection for pubs one year on from the sudden demolition of the Crooked House pub in the Midlands. Further information on this can be found on CAMRA’s website here. I will be writing to our local MPs asking them to give their support to our local pubs, clubs and breweries.

CAMRA Experience

If anyone has looked at CAMRA’s national website recently, you will have noticed that it gives you the option of being redirected to the new website, known as the CAMRA Experience. The intention is to bring a number of separate websites (e.g. WhatPub and Learn and Discover) together so that they can be linked and accessed much more easily. The new version of WhatPub will also have a beer quality indicator giving pubs/clubs a score of one, two or three pint glasses. These scores will be based on the beer scores submitted by members. It is felt that showing scores this way will encourage licensees to keep their beer in the best condition. Beer scoring is the key to this and to ensure that our local cask ale outlets do not end up with three empty glasses, please score their beers when you visit. If you haven’t scored beers before, please read the guidance on how to do it on the branch website here.

Good Beer Guide

The Good Beer Guide is CAMRA’s flagship publication and the 2025 edition will be published in late September. Bolton has an allocation of thirteen pubs in the guide, but which pubs they are will not be revealed until the Guide is published. The branch is intending to hold a launch event on our around the publication date so please watch our social media for details.

Pub and Club News

The Victoria and Albert in Horwich is to reopen on 23 August after a major refurbishment. Up to five real ales will be on offer along with a cask cider. This should be another great addition to the already thriving real ale scene in Horwich.

Over in Harwood, the Seven Stars, now renamed the Plough, should be opening shortly following refurbishment. We are told cask ales will be on sale, adding to the allure of Harwood as a real ale drinker’s destination.

Astley Bridge Cricket Club will be holding its annual beer festival on 13,14 & 15 September. Nine ales and four ciders will be on offer. Entry is £5 including a glass and programme.

Maybe the often promised heatwave will materialise before Autumn sets in, but whatever the weather, a glass of cask ale in one of our local pubs and clubs will always make the day a little brighter.

Cheers

John Mitchell

Chair

Our August social will be in Bolton as it is easy to access by bus for many of us and we still have a couple of pubs to visit that we normally don’t visit and missed in our social in July. We can meet at One for the Road in the Market at 12.30-13.00. Food is available for anyone who wants to eat. The Greyhound is closed after the explosion, but should it be open again by 17 August we will call in.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 2 changing ales.

Old Three Crowns, 14 Deansgate, BL1 1BR, Theakson Old Peculiar & 2 changing ales

Hogarths, 37-41, Churchgate, BL1 1HU, 2 changing ales

Prince Billy’s, 9-11 Bradshawgate, last time we called there was no cask, but we can call in again to check.

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

If anyone has suggestions about other pubs with cask, we don’t visit please let us know.

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

A trip to Torrside is always a good day out. Catch the train from Bolton to New Mills Newtown. The walk to the Brewery is about three minutes. Meet at Bolton station to catch the 10.54

I have checked the trains from Bolton and there is a train at 10.54 which arrives at Torrside 12.26 (including a 35 minute at Manchester Piccadilly). This train has an advance ticket of £6.00. There are return tickets between 16.39 and 18.10 which also has reduced advance tickets.

I suggest you look at the National Rail website to work out which is the best ticket option for you. Those with Bus and Train passes can travel most of the journey for free if they have the £10 train addition to the GM bus pass.

There is a slight possibility of action by ASLEF which could result in some trains being cancelled but it shouldn’t cause major disruption.

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

June Branch Meeting

The next branch meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 June 2024 at the Blackedge Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, Horwich, BL6 7JH. The evening will start with the presentation to the bar of the Pub of the Year Runner-up Award at 7.30pm and the meeting will follow at 8.00pm. 

General Election

As I am sure you will have heard, a General Election has been called for the 4 July 2024. CAMRA has set out its Manifesto for  the election and its demands from the new government are:

Improved consumer rights – Consumers don’t currently have a right to clear information about the ingredients, price, dispense, or information about where drinks have come from and who owns the brands on the bar. We’d like to see this introduced by the next Government so consumers can make an informed choice about the products they choose, as well as a new consumer right to a full pint – which isn’t currently the law.

Access to market for small and independent producers – The pub market is largely owned by a few big players, making it harder for small, independent beer and cider makers to get their products in front of consumers. The next Government should work to open the market up, supporting these producers and creating more consumer choice.

Fair tax – The next Government should maximise the benefits of the new draught duty rate by extending the difference between tax paid on draught beer and cider in the pub and that sold in off-licenses and supermarkets. We’d also like to see them reduce VAT on beer and cider sold in the on-trade. Both these steps recognise and encourage the social benefits of consuming beer, cider and perry on licensed premises.

Planning protections for pubs – The next Government should improve planning protection and enforcement in England to prevent viable and valued pubs and social clubs being lost to unfair or unwanted demolition or conversion without serious and consistent consequences – including the power to order pubs to be rebuilt brick by brick if necessary.

Business rates reform – To recognise the community value of pubs, the next Government should undertake a full review of business rates in England to fix the unfair overpayment by the pub sector permanently and to make sure that online businesses pay their fair share compared to bricks-and-mortar businesses like pubs and social clubs.

Further information can be seen here  and an e-lobby of candidates will be launched in the next week or so. In the meantime, if candidates come knocking on your door, why not take the opportunity to ask them what they would do, if elected, to protect Bolton’s pubs and clubs and encourage a thriving hospitality sector in the borough.

Pub Closures

The CAMRA Branch is consulted as a matter of course on any planning application submitted to the Council which affects a pub in the borough. We receive a steady trickle of notifications about pubs being converted to other uses, most commonly houses of multiple occupation or nurseries. Often the pubs have been closed for some time and sold on by the pub company and there is only a slim prospect of their being brought back to life as pubs. Nevertheless, CAMRA will still respond to the consultation, particularly if it involves the loss of a community asset.

Not all the pubs are closed, however. You may have seen in the Bolton News and on the BBC recently that the Cotton Tree in Halliwell is under threat of closure and conversion to a nursery. The news coverage shows that the regulars are very concerned about the loss of what they feel is a valued community facility. CAMRA is willing to be involved in campaigns to save our local pubs but it needs regulars willing to take on the fight. If you find your local pub is in danger of being lost forever and you want to take action to stop it becoming another closure statistic, CAMRA can advise on the practicalities of campaigning to save a pub, options available, and how to use the planning system to combat unwanted change. The CAMRA branch also has local knowledge of the relevant contacts to help you get in touch with the right people. The branch can be contacted at pubs@bolton.camra.org.uk and guidance can be accessed here.

 Summer of Sport

The UEFA European Football Championships kick off in June and the government has allowed pubs to open longer should England get through to the later stages of the tournament. This should provide a welcome boost for the hospitality industry as fans head to the pub to cheer on their team. 

Football isn’t everyone’s thing, of course, and there are plenty of pubs and clubs in the borough where you can enjoy a tipple watching, or playing, cricket, rugby, darts and even bridge so hopefully there’s something out there for everyone. If you’re enjoying a real ale in any of these venues please remember to update WhatPub and score the beers.

Cheers!

John Mitchell

Chair

The next social will be on 22 June. It will be local, and we can meet at One for the Road at 1.00pm. From there we can decide which other pubs to visit.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 2 changing ales. Food available in the market.

For further information contact Gill social@bolton.camra.org.uk or call Gill on 0796758567

We will meet the platform at Bolton train Station at 12.15 to catch the 12.25 train to Salford Central.  The train fare is £6.20 return but will be cheaper with a rail card. If you want more details or intend to join us later please contact Gill on 07967585670. Our first stop will be the New Oxford so if you want to meet us in Salford we should be there by 1.15pm.

New Oxford, 11 Bexley Square, M3 6DB, 10 changing beers, food available

Kings Arms, 11 Bloom St., M3 6DB, 4 changing beers

Old Fire Station, Albert Bentley Place, M5 4WT. No cask ale but a good selection of keg.  Food is available. The pub is worth visiting to look around

Gas Lamp, 50a Bridge Street, M3 3BW, 4 changing beers with normally 2 from Pomona Island

If you know any pubs with very good beer we can always include in the social

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

Welcome to your Bolton CAMRA Branch Update

May Branch Meeting

The next branch meeting will be held on Thursday 2 May 2024 at Bolton Ukrainian Social Club, 99 Castle Street, Bolton BL2 1JP. The evening will start with the presentation to the club of the Club of the Year Award at 7.30pm and the meeting will follow at 8.00pm. 

Handpump Hijack

For generations, a handpump on the bar has been a sign of quality cask ale. Where cask is well kept, consumers can be sure of a spotless cellar, well-trained bar staff and a commitment to offering the best of UK brewing.

Now, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company – one of the world’s largest brewery conglomerates – has resorted to misleading consumers by hijacking the handpump to serve its “Fresh Ale” product. CMBC says this is “preserving the beloved hand pull ritual that delivers the traditional theatre of serve that ale is famed for”.  

What is ‘Fresh Ale’?

One of the factors that makes cask unique is that it doesn’t leave the brewery as a finished product. Instead, the conditioning that completes the brewing process is done at the pub, and relies on the skills, timing and experience of the staff and licensee.

On the other hand, most beers, including lagers, some kegged beers, and ‘Fresh Ale’ are ready to drink when they leave the brewery. These beers have a longer shelf life, and can be easier to serve, usually through a keg tap.

Brewers often make both these types of beer, and CAMRA believes they should market them accordingly, so consumers know what they’re getting. ‘Fresh Ale’ is not a cask beer, and hijacking a handpump to sell it as if it were is unfair and misleading to pub-goers.

So far, CMBC has three beers in their ‘Fresh Ale’ range. They are Wainwright Gold, Wainwright Amber and Hobgoblin IPA. At least one other brewer has launched a ‘Fresh Ale’ product designed to look like a cask beer at the bar.  

CAMRA believes consumers deserve better than CMBC play acting at serving cask – a product they claim to champion while closing breweries and removing cask lines from bars. Our handpump hijack campaign calls on brewers to be proud of all their whole range of beers by serving them in a way that won’t mislead their customers. CAMRA has written to National Trading Standards and Trading Standards Scotland asking for an investigation into the products, and whether the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations have been breached. It’s hoped that Trading Standards bodies across Great Britain will take coordinated national action to address this misleading practice.  

You can help by:

Letting us know if you come across ‘Fresh Ale’ in your local. You can do this by using the ‘Send an email to the CAMRA branch’ button at the bottom of the relevant WhatPub venue page to alert your local branch.

Send us photos of ‘Fresh Ale’ pump clips.  We need to find examples! Email or tag us on social media.

If in doubt, Ask if it’s Cask. We need consumers to make licensees aware of the issue of misleading dispense and explain why you won’t be buying it.

For more information go to CAMRA’s Handpump Hijack page. 

Local Elections

Elections to Bolton Council take place next Thursday 2 May and candidates from a number of parties will be seeking your vote. The Council is responsible for planning and licensing and therefore even individual councillors can have an influence on decisions which affect Bolton’s hospitality industry. If candidates come knocking on your door, why not take the opportunity to ask them what they would do, if elected, to protect Bolton’s pubs and clubs and encourage a thriving hospitality sector in the borough.

Clubs

There are currently around 50 clubs of various kinds listed on WhatPub in the branch area, from sports and social clubs to political clubs and others. Unfortunately the information we have on many of these clubs is quite sparse. In particular, we want to know whether these clubs serve real ale and whether they are happy to welcome CAMRA members in to drink it. We have over 700 members in the branch and I’m sure some of you drink in these clubs. You may even drink in a club that isn’t listed at all. If you do, please go on to WhatPub and update the information. Even better, please score the beers and give your local club a chance of being selected as our branch Club of the Year next time.

Wherever you enjoy a tipple, keep on supporting quality beers, particularly those produced by our local breweries and keep an eye out for those Fresh Ale pumps!

Cheers

John Mitchell

Chair

Branch: Bolton

Meet at One for the Road in the Market at 1.00pm.

The 125 Stagecoach bus runs regularly, every 15 minutes during the day from Bolton Interchange which will take us to Bunburys and then on to Horwich. Adult bus fares are £2 per journey but as we stop off at Bunburys a System One ticket for £5 is the best price.

One for the Road, Stalls F14 to F15 Ashburner Street Lifestyle Hall, BL1 1TJ, 2 changing ales. Food available in the market.

Bunbury’s 397 Chorley Old Road, BL1 6AH, micro pub with 3 changing ales

Bank Top Ale House, 36 Church Street, BL6 6AD, 4 regular and 5 changing ales including 1 guest

B33R@33, 33 Lee Lane, BL6 7AX. 2 changing ales

Blackedge Brewery Bar, Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, Horwich, BL6 7JH, 3 regular Blackedge ales and 4 changing from Blackedge. Food available from 1pm

Crown, 1 Chorley New Road, BL6 7QJ, 4 regulars from the Holts stable and 4 changing ales. Food available

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.

It is hoped that all pubs will have a mild beer but if not there will still be some good beers to enjoy.

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

Meet at Winckley Street Ale House at 1.00pm. There are trains from Bolton at 12.08 and 12.22 arriving in Preston at 12.35 or 12.58. Please check the price depending on the type of ticket you need. There is the 125 bus from Bolton to Preston which runs regularly. The journey time from Bolton is just over 90 minutes. Bolton 10.59 (11.14), Horwich Ale House 11.25, (11.40), Preston 12.38 (13.11).

Here is a selection of the pubs we can visit.

Winckley Street Ale House, 8B Winckley Street, PR1 2AA, 4 cask ale, 10 keg. Food available

Black Horse, 166 Friargate, PR1 2EJ. Robinsons pub, 9 cask ales including 6 changing. Range of pies

Orchard, Earl Street, PR1 2JA, 3 cask, (food available on the market)

Guild Ale House, 56 Lancaster Road, PR1 1DD, 7 cask ales

Plug & Taps, 32 Lune Street, PR1 2NN, 4 changing cask ales

Chain House Brewing Taproom, 139-141, Market Street West, PR1 2HB, 2 cask ales, 8 keg

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