Join us for a visit to Kendal and the Lakes Brew Co
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”.
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 the Baum at 1.00-1.30pm. Trains run regularly from Bolton to Rochdale about every 30 minutes. The prices depend on time and advance booking or if you have a bus pass with train. Catching 11.49 train from Bolton will arrive in Rochdale 12.29 giving plenty of time to walk to the Baum or if you prefer a taxi ride. The next train is 12.18-13.01. The 471 bus runs every 12 minutes from the Bus Station (taking about an hour) until 17.20. Then it is every 30 minutes. Catching the bus at 12.00 will arrive in Rochdale at 13.10. See map below for venues.
The Baum, 35 Toad Lane, OL12 0NU, 6 changing ales, food available
Flying Horse, 37 Packer Street, OL16 1NJ, 9 changing beers, food available
D’ale House, 18 Drake St. OL16 1NT, 4 changing beers
Pint Pot, 8A Baillie St, OL16 1JG, 4 changing beers
Our Gracies, 13 The Butts, OL16 1ES (near the Pint Pot) 4 beers
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
Sadly The Trafford and Hulme branch recently lost a long standing member John Ison.
John along with other like minded Cask Ale enthusiasts re-invigorated the Trafford and Hulme Branch in 2003/4.
From this time on the branch increased the number of socials and attendances at meetings also began to rise, the Chorlton Beer and Cider Festival took off around this time and John was an enthusiastic volunteer.
John was an old school pub surveyor, doing the rounds of branch pubs and reporting back his findings in the pre-digital age.
Many members would receive a Christmas card, hand delivered, from John and his wife Janice wishing us all the best right up to 2023.
Rest in peace dear friend.
A (very) small contingent of the branch travelled to the Old Post Office in Lymm on Wednesday February 7th to join North Cheshire branch at their presentation to brewer Mark Dale of the North West Regional Silver bottled beer (4.3% and below) for Lymm Bitter.
Our trip was to present, what turned out to be the ‘other half’ award, bottled beers 4.4% and over (silver again) but to sister brewery Dunham Massey (where Mark also brews) for their Dunham Porter.
Gary Chester, regional Brewery Liaison Coordinator & National Executive member presented the Lymm award and North West Regional Director Ralph Warrington presented the Dunham Massey award to a very surprised and delighted brewer!
We sampled many of the draught ales including Dunham Dark, Lymm Bitter, Chirotherium (specially requested for the night) and Dunham Winter Warmer and all we’re on fine form
Lymm brewery is currently not on operation due to Mark brewing at Dunham but he hopes to get it up and running again soon (quote ‘a few hours’).
Pictures
Ali Warrington (Brewery Liaison Officer for both breweries, left), Mark Dale (right, brewer) and the Lymm Bitter award
Ralph Warrington (left), Mark Dale (right, brewer) presentation of the Dunham Massey award
Ralph Warrington (left), Mark Dale (centre, brewer), Gary Chester (right), pictured with both awards
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
This is already a special pub in the High Peak, Tameside and North East Cheshire CAMRA branch area. It is the only community owned pub. Originally a Robinson’s house it was put up for sale in January 2017. It was successfully listed as an asset of community value. A Community Benefit Society was set up and raised enough money to buy the pub by the end of Sept 2017.
There are 5 handpumps serving 3 or more ales including Track Sonoma and Robinson’s Unicorn alongside other, generally local, ales and a dark beer.
