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hostwinter 2012

Al Murray Interview

Whisky Nations

The Soft Option

Twittering On

for the independent licensee

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Anymomentnow.

Savour

Every

Moment.

The moment the Theakyons arrives at the topof the glass, its head forming moments later. Themoment your customer puts pint to lips. And letsout a satisfyingAhhh!The moment the generalpub hubbub goes up a decibel or three asthe Theakyons goes down. These are themoments your customers come to savour.

Its all part of the Theakyons brewersart, defined by nearly 185 years oftradition. (since 1827 to beprecise.)Were reminding your cuyomersof these, and other great pubmoments, in a new advertisingcampaign yarting this autumn.Visit www.theakstons.co.uk or email

us at [email protected] andmake sure that youre ready.The Theakyons drinkers willbe along any momentnow. [ [ [ [

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20 The Pub Landlord

Al Murray talks exclusively to Hostmagazine

22 Whisky NationsIncrease your whisky sales with alittle help from the six nations rugbytournament

28 PullingThe PintsFootballers and their love of the pub

37 Great GringosStock up on the best tequilas

38 Mission EPOSsible

Phil Mellows looks at the latest EPOStechnology

44 The Soft OptionPerk up your soft drink sales

48 Crisp World CupWhich flavour of crisps will win?

53 EatJohn Porter looks at easy to preparedishes, winter warmers and pasta dishes

75 The BizPhil Mellows on twittering and how to

cash in on the coming Olympics

5 My ShoutMartyn Cornell on snugs, divisions andpartitions

7 Upfronts

Tips, people, advice and myths

13 Trade OpinionRichard Thomas shares his views onexternal seating

14 Inn StockBen Newman recommends his spring must

haves

17 Pulling PowerBen Newmans favourite ales and breweries

66 The Corker

Jamie Goode on the emergence of naturalwines

contentsfeatures

regulars

P20

host

host / winter 2012 / 3

P22

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GARY LINEKER

ENGLAND

winter 12

P28

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68 Six Of The Best

Ice Machines

70 Bar EssentialsThe latest and best products and services

81 Legal Q and AGraeme Cushion answers your legal questions

82 Celebrity QuestionnaireOpera singer Alfe Boe is put in the hot seat

contentsregulars

Editor: Ben NewmanContributing Editor: Richard Berndes

Editorial Assistant: Carol Kenyon

Advertisement Manager: Tim MorrisSales Executives: Lee Morgan, Mellisa HayesArt Direction: onelittlestudio.com

Accounts: Julie HewittContributors: Jamie Goode, Phil Mellows, John Porter, Martyn

Cornell, Pete Brown, Sonya Hook and Dominic RoskrowHost is published quarterly by

Plum Publications Limited

27 Old Gloucester Street, London, WC1 3XX

tel: 0845 604 6331email: [email protected]: www.thehostmagazine.co.uk

The editor and publishers do not necessarily agree with the views expressed by

contributors nor do they accept responsibility or any errors in the transmission o thesubject matter in this publication. In all matters the editors decision is fnal.

P54

4 / winter 2012 / host

The Worlds

BesT Gin

Winner of the 2010

Ultimate Spirits ChallengeUK Distributor: Lanchester Wine Cellars 01207 521 234

www.brokersgin.comPlease drink responsibly

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t

my shout

Customers have always had the wish or a cosy, private environment in theirpub, and perhaps suggests Martyn Cornell more might be encouraged out o their

homes i pubs once again began to respond to this desire.

The trend to

one-bar pubswas aided by

the collapse

of the social

divisions

There is a pub on the edge o Dublin, close to PhoenixPark, called Ryans o Parkgate Street. Its one o a largenumber o excellent turn-o-the-last-century boozersin the Irish capital, all mahogany, mirrors and tiles,with a big U-shaped bar, and very much worth a visit.What is particularly worth seeing at Ryans is thetiny, secret snug at the top let-hand side o the U.There is room or just one table, the engraved glassmakes it impossible to see inside, and the door canonly be unlatched rom behind the bar. It was a placeor priests to pop in and enjoy a jar o stout or threewithout being spotted or bothered by parishioners,and or women who didnt want their neighbours tosee them gossiping over a couple o Babychams. A nodto the barman as you entered the pub, and you could

quickly be in your own private mini-bar.The little Ryans snug dates rom a time when it wasstill recognised that drinkers in public houses otendesired some privacy. The supreme surviving exampleo this is the Crown bar in Belast, with its 10 littlebooths or snugs down one wall, each with its owndoor and, inside, one table, two wooden benches andan antiquated bell-push to alert the barsta when theoccupants wanted another round brought in. But otherIrish pubs oten still retain the tall wooden dividersdown the bar itsel, so that even those engagedin vertical drinking can be given a small sense oprivacy, a eeling that their conversation with theirellow drinker(s) will not be overheard by the people a

ew eet urther up or down the bar.

SNOB SCREENS

There was a time when many British pubs had theselittle snugs and divisions and partitions. The snobscreen, or example, has almost vanished (thoughtheres a ne example at the Lamb in Lambs ConduitStreet, near Euston Station in London). This was a rowo small centrally swivelling little opaque windowsalong the top o the bar at head height, ound in thesaloon bar or snug: they were closed when patrons didnot want to be seen by hoi polloi in the public bar ortaproom, who might otherwise have a view across thebehind-bar serving space o their social superiors, but

which could be opened when it was time to attract thebarmaids attention to order another drink.

What, mostly, killed the multi-bar pub was the desireo the police to be able to pop their heads in throughthe door and see at a glance who was in that night,and who they were with. The police put pressureon the then licensing magistrates to avour new orredeveloped pubs that had as ew bars as possible,and no screens behind which villains could shield theiraces rom the eyes o the law.

SOCIAL DIVISIONS

The trend to one-bar pubs with cavernous interiors wasalso aided by the collapse o those social divisions thatonce kept the world (or at least Britain) divided intohabitus o the saloon bar, and denizens o the publicbar. Until as late as the 1950s, i you were working

class, you simply did not go into the (carpeted) saloonbar o your local, where your boss would be drinkingbitter: you stuck with your mates in the (bare boards)public bar, drinking mild, at a price a couple o pencecheaper than the saloon bar sold it. The middle classesmight slum it in the public bar occasionally or a gameo darts, but otherwise they too stayed in their ownroom.Once those social rules collapsed, pub owners realisedthey could knock the public and saloon bars into oneand instantly save money on sta, since it was nolonger necessary to have a server each or two separaterooms. The people, o course, were never consulted: ithey had been, they would probably have expressed a

desire or the multi-room pubs o yore. At the PrincessLouise in High Holborn, London, ater it was taken overby the Yorkshire brewer Samuel Smith, around 2006 itwas restored to just the way it would have been in the1890s, complete with bar doors separating the openspace into smaller drinking areas. The reurbishmentwon the hearts o the Camra pub design awards judgesin 2008, who gave it joint rst prize, commenting thatit refects both its incarnation o over a century agoand the modern customers wish to drink and chat in acosy, quiet and private environment.In act, customers, or at least a air proportion othem, have always had the wish or a cosy, privateenvironment in their pub, and perhaps more might

be encouraged out o their homes i pubs once againbegan to respond to this desire.

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Cristos UK LtdTel: 020 8951 [email protected]

sFollow us on twitter: twitter.com/BabickaBrother

or find out more online: www.babickavodka.com

NOTBITTER,JUSTTWISTED.

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USA EverclearManufactured by the Luxco corporation of St. Louis, Missuuri,Everclear is a neutral grain based spirit that is produced intwo head-crunching strengths of 75.5 ABV and 95.6 ABV. Thelater is more or lessjust about as strong as can be possiblybe distilled using standard practices. The higher strengthEverclear is banned in large parts of the U.S. but is availablein California where it has acult following on west coastuniversity campuses.

Ov

erseasTipples

The amount of years a person can besent to jail for merely sending a bottle ofbeer, wine or spirits as a gift to a friend

in Kentucky

up front

Number Crunching

5

Give me a woman

who loves beer

and I will conquer

the world

Kaiser Wilhelm


Urine-controlledvideo gamesGoing to the loo has never been more fun, afterthe worlds first urine-controlled video game isinstalled in a London bar. Visitors at the The Ex-hibit Bar in Balham can play one of three gamesevery time they use a urinal.The video game has been trialled in a bar inCambridge since mid-July and it has provedto be both popular and profitable. One of thegames co-founders, Gordon MacSween, wasnot sure how the public would react to the game initially. Butas soon he saw the game on trial at a bar in Cambridge he knewhe was on to something good.The game was designed to create a valuable media opportunityfrom the 55 seconds the average male spends while he peesjust staring at a blank wall. There is an advert played beforeand after the game promoting a drink you can buy at the bar.At the end of the game, players are encouraged to post theirscores via mobile to Twitter and to a live leader board so theycan compete with their friends.The units will be rolled-out in selected venues across the UKin early 2012.

Pub

myths

Drinking water after a

night on Pernod gets

you drunk again

False. Aniseed loving French-men might swear that Pernod

crystalises in the stomach,and that a glass of watermagically reactivates the

grog hours later. But as ourstomachs are continually

awash with liquid anyway, thisis patent rubbish.

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YOUR CHOICE

YOUR TIME

YOUR BESPOKE

TOFFEE VODKA

TOFFOC

BUY ON-LINE AT WWW.TOFFOC.COM

Call us direct for prompt

delivery trade prices on

01248 852379

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up front

Pro wrestler/actor

It took more thana couple rounds ofdrinks for AndrRen Roussimoff tocatch a buzz. Butthats what hap-pens when yourearound 7 feet talland weigh 500

pounds. For Andrethe Giant, it was allabout living largebefore that phrase even existed. As for his legendarydrinker status, blame it on Broadway. Specifically, Andrewanted to see a Broadway show just once, but realizedthe seats were too small and that hed block peoplesview. His plan B was to go to bars, the rest is fuzzy his-tory and urban legend.It is believed Andre could drain 119 beers in six hoursand take in up to 7,000 calories of alcohol daily.

Great drinkersof the past

AndreThe GiantCastlemaine lager

hails from Milton

and is produced by

Queensland brewers

Castlemaine Perkins. It

was first introduced

to the market in 1924

by the Castlemaine

Brewers and named

after the town of

Castlemaine in Victoria

where the company

was born in 1897. The

XXXX tagline is used

as a marketing tool to

describe the strength of

the beer

The brand has always used its

advertising creatively. They have a

cartoon character called Mr Fourex

who wears a suit and a straw boater

hat. There are two theories on the

origins of the idea. One is that he is

based on a local man called Paddy

Fitzgerald and the other is that he

is based on a well known

dwarf who sold newspapers

near the brewery. They also

ran a notorious advertising

campaign in the early 1980s

about a local road worker who

could drink almost a gallon

of beer in under a minute.

Government pressure forced

the company to withdraw this

advert.In the UK ads carried the

notorious tagline Castlemaine.

Australians couldnt give a

XXXX for anything else. During

the Vietnam War is got the

nickname barbed wire as the

soldiers returning from the war said the

XXXX reminded them of the barbed wire

seen in the combat zone.

It was withdrawn from the UK in June

2009 when its licence agreement

with AB Inv. The reason quoted by the

company was challenging market

conditions.

Hood Skittles is a miniaturised version of Old EnglishSkittles (please see the Alley Skittles page for moreinformation on this venerable game) in which cheesesare thrown at pins on a table about 8 feet away. It is

extremely popular Northamptonshire and well known inLeicestershire, Bedfordshire and surrounding counties.Confusingly, in the East Midlands, the came is alwaysreferred to as Table Skittles while outside this area, itis not well known and Table Skittles tends to mean thesmaller game described in the previous section.The surrounding leather bound and cushioned sides ofthe table offer the option to bounce the cheese off thembefore hitting the pins thus obtaining angles not pos-sible in other games while the hood prevents waywardcheeses and pins flying off into other parts of the pub.Most people whove played, consider Hood Skittles to beone of the most enjoyable English pub games around soit would be well worth popping into a pub featuring the

game if you ever have the chance.....

Pub GamesHood Skittles

The problem with

the world is that

everyone is a few

drinks behind

Humphrey Bogart

Whatever happened to....

Castlemaine XXXX

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Irish theme pubs can be found

in almost every city in the

world, while sports bars and

Starbucks are just as numerous.

But if you want something a

little different, then head into

the East End of London because

Samoan Joes could be just

what you are looking for!

The exotic tastes of the Pacific

Ocean are not something that

you would normally expect to

find in an East End pub. Perhaps

thats why Samoan Joes is a

true one off. But if its cocktails,

loud decoration and plenty of

parrots that you are looking for,

then perhaps Samoan Joes is

the boozer for you.

Take a stroll down the cobbled

street and youll find it on the

corner. From the outside it

looks like a traditional London

pub. Frosted glass windows,well polished brass handles

on the doors and that gentle

sound of conversation drifting

out of an open window. But

when you get inside the

decoration will certainly tell

you that youve arrived in the

South Pacific. Loud orange

wallpaper is complemented by

stuffed parrots on each wall.

Around the central bar, youll

find it decorated with plastic

pineapples just to add to the

ambiance. The panelling on side

of the bar has some rather nice

palm tree leaf decoration. And

of course the bar man, Somoan

Joe, will be wearing one the

best examples of a Hawaiian

shirt you are ever likely to see.

But this welcoming atmosphere

is not forthcoming from all the

punters in the bar. Watch out

for a Rory Breaker, a small black

man with a big afro. Someone

once had the audacity to askhim to turn down the television

while he was watching the

football. What was the result?

He spat lighter fluid on the

man and set him alight! When

Rory is watching the football,

as the barman will adviseyou,

Id leave him well alone!

The drinks are not quite what

you might expect in a pub

either. If you looking for a beer

or a gin and tonic, they maybe

you should head elsewhere.

This is a Samoan pub and its

exotic cocktails that are the

order of the day. They can be

ordered in any shade of colour

and come with enough fruit

accompanying them to count

as all five of your five a dayOne punter ordered a drink,

but when his Samoan special

arrived, he yelled at the barman

top of his voice. I asked you

to give me a refreshing drink. I

wasnt expecting a rainforest!

You could fall in love with an

orangutan in that! But as

Somoan Joe replied If you

want a pint, go to the pub, this

is a Samoan pub!

The Swan

The Swan is both a royal bird,

and a common feature onheraldic symbols.King Henry IVs mother, Mary deBohun, had a swan on her coat-of-arms, and the LancastrianKings adopted the swan as oneof their symbols.The Swan was also used by theEarl of Warwick, and the Dukeof Buckingham, among others.There are 451 Swan pubs inEngland, and others with theword in their names, such asBlack Swan and Swan With TwoNecks

up front

Samoan Joes Lock, Stock

and Two Smoking Barrels

Famous fictitious boozers

You need to bring in the punters on a Tuesday

night , to increase sales, and somebody suggestsa pub quiz! The idea sounds perfect,but after

two weeks, your pub is populated with peoplelike Patrick.Tweed jacket, leather patches on the elbows, crispwhite shirt with a regimental tie. No 5 pints ofreal ale or a bottle of red wine to keep himselflubricated through the quiz, its just one halfof alcohol free cider all night! And comparedto his fellow team members hes the one thatsdrinking! The other three members of his teamhave either fruit juice or a mineral water.They then proceed to win the quiz every week,sniggering at the other teams and remarkingloudly that was an easy one. This was supposed

to be fun and bring in the punters. Whats yournext idea?.

Whats in a name?

BarTypes:

PatrickThePubQuizBore

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s

trade opinion

Summer may seem a long way o, but the debateabout outside seating areas is as hot as ever. Thecurrent approach to the valuation o outside seatingareas is raught with inconsistencies. In some leisureschemes, Gunwhar Quays in Portsmouth and theOracle in Reading or instance, tenants do not payor their outside seating, in many others they do.Whereas high street restaurants and bars can be

expected to pay anything rom 0.00 per annumto 15,000-20,000 per annum or their externalseating areas. I call on the industry to address eightkey issues to bring clarity and transparency to thesituation:Why is there inconsistency in the license ees chargedby dierent London Boroughs?There doesnt appear to be a specic logic or patternbetween the amounts local authorities charge oroutside seating. For instance, there are varyingrates between neighbouring boroughs withinLondon (based on 16 chairs):Westminster - 1,260 p.a.Kensington & Chelsea - 790 p.a.

(fat ee or external areas)Camden - 720 p.a.

These rates generally refect the quality andunderlying property values within the Borough,however they are slightly inconsistent in the waythey are calculated i.e. Westminster charges basedupon a multiple o the number o chairs against thehours and days o use, whereas Kensington & Chelseacharge a fat ee regardless o the number o tablesand chairs occupied and the hours o use.Albeit, the rates are much cheaper than thosecharged by private landlords, who (based on 16chairs) would charge between 2,000 and 6,000

depending on the scheme.

OF GREAT VALUE

Why do Landlords oten ail to understand how theyshould value external areas or appreciate that theyhave the ability to do so?This can simply be down to the act that they do notully appreciate the extent o their ownership. Forinstance landlords might own the strip o land inront o their buildings, as it has not been adoptedas a public highway and this area will be typicallyoccupied by the tenant. However, the landlord otenassumes that it s occupied under a pavement licencerom the local authority and makes no charge.

How can you address tenants concern over thepossibility o their use o the external areas beingrevoked?

Typically pavement licences are renewed annuallyand Local Authorities are imposing stricter policies onthe number o people who can use these areas otenwith strict behind the rope policies. There are someinfuential pressure groups in the Capital who areagainst the idea o external drinking and smoking soit is vitally important that licensees adhere closely tothe guidelines set out in the license and ensure they

dont give these groups the opportunity to raise acomplaint, resulting in the matter being reviewed bythe local authority.Do restaurants and bars, without outside seatingareas, suer as a result and is this being refected inthe rents that they pay?Theres no doubt that bars and restaurants sueri they lack outside seating. Those with outsidespace (certainly south acing ones) enjoy signicantincreases in turnover on sunny days. In most casesadditional rent is paid or external space. Althoughunits with no external space do not have their rentreduced retrospectively, despite being signicantlydisadvantaged.

ON THE STREET

Should restaurants and bars, which are let withexternal areas, be worth more than those which aredependant on obtaining pavement licences rom theLocal Authority?Local authority licenses are certainly cheaper butprivate agreements oer greater security with theability to obtain longer terms.With so many complaints rom locals over the useo external areas, are operators putting their liquorlicences in jeopardy?Misuse o external areas certainly brings a lot o

attention rom local residents and pressure groups.Ultimately this type o pressure will increase thelikelihood o an operators licence being reviewed.Is it right that external areas should be valued at aquarter o the prevailing rate applied to the maintrading area which is the emerging practice?I would argue that during bouts o warm weathertenants get more than a quarter o a years use outo the space. Perhaps a airer calculation would bebased on the number o chairs and tables used over aperiod o time.Will there ever be a common approach to thevaluation o these external areas in uture?The smoking ban has only been in place since July

2007, and the value o these areas to both landlordsand tenants is certainly being more readily realised.With this in mind I call or a universal approach.

Richard Thomas, Head o Pubs, at Shelley Sandzer is o the opinion that when it comes toexternal seating areas The rule is........There is no rule

Will there ever

be a commonapproach to

the valuation

of external

areas?

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Over the following pages editor Ben Newman recommends his

essentials to stock behind the bar during the winter months.

inn stock

Inspired by Arica and created

in England, Whitley Neill is a

London Dry Gin containing 9

botanicals, including Arican

inspired aromatic Cape

Gooseberries and the citrus

ruit o the Baobab tree.

Handcrated in an antique

copper pot still, the gin is

small-batched distilled in order

to achieve a unique taste with

an elegant smooth nish.

For more details, Tel: 0870 243

2525 or visit whitleyneill.com

Whitely Neill

I there were to be an Olympicevent or beers Hercules would

be a very strong contender in the

lager category against all the mass

produced beers. Its smooth, its

strong, hand crated and kicks arse.

Hercules Premium lager is crat

brewed in small batches by master

brewers. Every pound o malt every

whole hop is weighed and added

by hand. The result is a distinctive

sparkling lager with a delicate citrus nose.

For more details, Tel: 01322 662377 or visit www.

pierhead.uk.com.

Lambs Spiced Rum

Cristos UK Ltd presents Ron

Santae 4yo. This Rum rom

Colombia is aged in American

oak barrels in the Cundinamarca

region Bogota.Located in

the mountains o the Andes

at almost 9,000t above sea

level. Evaporation in the barrels

is minimal, which results in a

smooth, ruity, vanilla rich Rum

with a truly authentic character.

Ron Santae works brilliantly in

cocktails or even over ice with a

slice o lime. Indulge your palate.

For more details, Tel: 0208 951

4884 or visit www.cristosgroup.

co.uk

Ron Santafe

Lambs Rum was created by Alred

Lamb in 1849 who sourced the

nest Caribbean rums and aged

them or our years in barrels

stored under the Thames. Lambs

Spiced Rum is an expertly blended

Golden Caribbean Rum with

natural favours o vanilla,cinnamon and lime. It can be

sipped neat but also try with

cloudy apple juice or a long

rereshing drink.

For more details, Tel: 0870

243 2525 or visit www.

lambsspicedrum.com

Hercules

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La Fee

Cubanero

Cerveceria Bucanero S.A. is the producer of world

class Cuban beer. The brewery being constructedin the 1980s based in Holguin has gone from

strength to strength. Strong and full-flavoured,

Cubanero Fuerte is made from the most natural

and freshest ingredients, with superior malt

and blended with just a touch of Cubas finest

sugars. 100% original Cuban beer. Full

flavoured with subtle malt undertones whilst

maintaining refreshing sweet notes. Bronze

winner of this years International Beer Awards.

For more details, Tel: 01322 662377 or visit:

www.pierhead.uk.com

Monin has been making authentic,

natural syrups at its Bourges

headquarters since 1912 and

celebrates its centenary this year.

Distributed in the UK by Opies,

Monin syrups and fruit purees are

used in bars, hotels and pubs to

create cocktails, shots, non-alcoholic

cocktails and speciality coffees. Fromthe must-haves like Grenadine and

Sweet and Sour, to the more unusual

Macaroon and Violet, Monin is a

market leader in flavourings and has

a portfolio of over 100 flavours in 100

countries worldwide.

For more details, Tel:01795 476154 or

visit: www.syrupsandstuff.co.uk.

Monin

Canadas oldest, and only remaining majorindependent brewery has a history that spans

over one hundred years back to 1867. Since that

time, the strong, resilient and highly creative

Olands have been able to keep the tradition

alive despite fires, takeover bids, prohibition, the

depression, two world wars and destruction in

the 1917 Halifax explosion. Moosehead lager is

a 5.0% alcohol by volume golden lager that is

light in body and highly refreshing. Offering a

fine balance between malt sweetness and hop

bitterness.

For more details, Tel: 01322 662377 or visit: www.

pierhead.uk.com

Moosehead

Since 2000 La Fe has pioneered

the renaissance of the absinthe

category, with La Fe Absinthe

Parisienne being the first

traditional absinthe distilled

in France since the 1915

ban. This premium absinthe

boasts unrivalled provenance,

authenticity and quality

- endorsed by the French

Absinthe Museum. Uniquely,

each distillation is personally

approved by MarieClaudeDelahaye - world renowned

absinthe expert and historian.

La Fe is enjoying growth across

her folio: Parisienne now comes

with a stainless steel absinthe

spoon as standard (with every

70cl bottle) - and the premium-

mainstream NV Absinthe Verte

is proving very popular when

served with Red Bull, for which on-trade support is available

to promote this serve.

For more details , Tel: 01992 511 445 or visit www.

lafeeabsinthe.com

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PremiumCelticAle

Since 1850, Okells has brewed the finest ales in accordance with the Isle of Mans unique brewing purity laws.

To find out more about Okells pure brewing visit: www.okells.co.uk

join us on facebook!

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Increase your ale sales with Ben Newmans favourite ales and

breweries. Hop to it.

Pulling Power

1850. It

was the best

of times

while Charles

Dickens was

busy promoting his newly published book David Coppereld,

Dr. William Okell opened his Steam Brewery in the Isle of Man

which set a new standard for innovation.

It is a standard that Okells Head Brewer, Dr. Mike Cowbourne,

continues today, along with another great Manx tradition

Purity.

This started with the Isle of Man Brewing Purity Law in 1874,

forbidding the use of any ingredients other than malt, sugar,

hops, yeast and water. Today that standard, combined with Dr

Mikes secret recipes, mean that Okells is a byword for Pure

Pleasure.

For more details, Tel: 01624 699 400 or visit: www.okells.co.uk

Okells

The Governor is an all-malt British beer created by Marco

Pierre White and JW Lees Brewery, named after Marcos

family greyhound that his father rescued. He started his

racing career as Fearless but, having broken track records

at Halifax, Keighley and Pontefract, was re-named The Governor.

He went on to win 28 out of the 32 races that he started on

apping tracks in Northern England. Raise your glass to The

Governor and in the words of Captain Smith of The Titanic

Be British.

For more details, Tel: 0161 643 2487 or visit: www.jwlees.co.uk

Green Jack

Based in the harbour town of Porthmadog, Purple Moose

Brewery holds a fantastic reputation for high quality

avoursome beers. This is supported by numerous national

and international accolades which have been awarded to the

whole range of beers, in both cask and bottled versions.

Whether your tastes are for light or dark beers, full bodied

or delicately avoured, Purple Moose have something for

everyone.

For more details, Tel: 01766 515571 or visit: www.

purplemoose.co.uk

Purple Moose

With 18 years of brewing

history behind them

Green Jack put their

own contemporary take

on traditional styles of

English beer as well as

experimenting with new

ingredients to come up with

new award winning beerslike their Elderower beer

Summer Dream, Orange

Wheat beer and their latest

brew using smoked German

malt Red Herring.

Green Jack use plenty of

English hops blended with

the best hops from around the

world. All their barley is locally

grown and malted in Norfolk

and Suffolk, which shows in

the quality of their beer and

the brewing competitions that

they have won.

For more details,

Tel: 01502562863or

visit :www.green-jack.com

JW Lees


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Rudgate use the nest

malted barley. Pearl

being their main base

grist , their brews include

other malts such as

Wheat, Lager, Crystal,

Chocolate, Caramalt,

Roasted barley and

brown malts. Hops are

sourced from around theglobe., from countries

as far aeld as England,

America, New Zealand,

Slovenia and Germany.

Originally sourced from The

Cannon Brewery Shefeld,

the Stones ale yeast works

extremely well for all their

beers. Rudgates brewers

choice range makes up the

other two seasonals which are

paler beers using hops rather

than malts for avour and

character.

For more details; Tel: 01423

358382 or visit: www.

rudgatebrewery.co.uk

Rudgate

Purity Brewing Co

T&R Theakston will be starting the New

Year with a spring in their step after a

very successful 2011. Growing national

consumer interest in cask ales from well-established brewers with strong regional

provenance and national reach has seen the

Masham-based company brewing more beer

than it has done for many years.

Simon Theakston, Executive Director, says:

This is great for the brewery and great for the

pub trade. Our decision ve years ago to invest in

increased production to meet expected demand is

paying dividends. We continue to support the British

pub trade through increased consumer advertising

across the country.

tel: 01765 680 000 or www.theakstons.co.uk

T&R Theakston

The Black Sheep Brewery

was established in 1992 by

Paul Theakston. Black Sheep

has always worked hard to

consistently produce high

quality beer, only using the

best raw materials: crystal

clear dales water from their

own well, Maris Otter malted

barley for extra avour, some

wheat to fortify the beers

natural head, a little roasted

malt for colour and avour,

and generous amounts of

whole English hops to make the

beer really refreshing. Such a

material bill is more expensive

than the average, but its well

worth the extra.

For more details, Tel: 01765

680101 or visit www.blacksheepbrewery.com

The Black Sheep

Pulling Power

Purity Brewing Co crafts its beers with a

conscience. Its three premium beers: Pure Gold,Mad Goose and Pure UBU are award-winning

and contain only the nest natural ingredients.

Located in the heart of Warwickshire, Purity

is keen to protect its rural surroundings. It uses a

unique wetland system, which attracts a diverse

range of wildlife, to naturally lter liquid waste

back to the watercourse. Keen to connect with its

community, Purity

pours its heart and

soul into supporting

local arts events.

It is a champion

of beer and food

pairing. For more

information contact

the brewery on

01789 488007.


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interview

The UlTimaTe....

...Pub Landlord?

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I

Its so rare to see Al Murray sans his PubLandlord guise and, at the same time,extremely easy to meld the two together, afate hes only too aware of. The 43 year-olds posh private school upbringing inBuckinghamshire and Oxbridge is a worldaway from his legendary xenophobic publi-

can persona, but Murray admits the publicoften fails to separate the two and believehe himself harbours the views of a tokenBNP enthusiast.

Comic Creation

There are some people out there who thinkthe Pub Landlord actually shares the sameviews and has the same characteristics asme, he tells The Host. Im always staggeredwhen I read or hear of those comparisons.They just dont seem to understand that itsa character I created. Honestly, there arethose out there who havent grasped the

concept of satire, God bless them.The award-winning comedian first createdthe character in 1994 when Murray was thetour support act for Harry Hill. At that time,he was part of a comedy collective thatwent by the title of The Pub Band Interna-tional in which he played the drums. Aftertrying out a succession of largely unsuc-cessful characters, Murray created the PubLandlord one year on the eve of performingat the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. He sub-sequently went down a storm with criticsand comedy goers alike.And with classic one-liners such as If we

had no rules where would we be? France!And if we had too many rules where wouldwe be? Germany! Murrays charactergrew quickly. Indeed, the confusion overwhere Murray ends and the Pub Landlordbegins stands testament to the quality ofhis performance as the staunch right-wingrepublican who is so believable that he musthave based him on a real encounter.The Pub Landlord isnt based on anyone,he confesses. I suppose there is the per-sona of the landlord being a brash no-non-sense type, with his ear to the ground and awide appreciation of societys more pungentissues. And actually, thats true. Thats alsoa very British thing, and something that we

should be immensely proud of.You wouldnt wander into a bar in Parisand find the barman switching conversa-tion pieces between dockland regenerationand arable farming methods. Like nowhereelse on the planet, British pubs representan absolute cross-section of society, so it

follows that landlords are utterly unique intheir personas.Of course, that provokes nationalistic opin-ion, and the Pub Landlord is an extreme ofthat, because hes your clichd right-wingBritish nationalist, and much of his charac-ter is constructed of his love for Britain anddislike of anywhere overseas. Weve all comeacross a character like that at one point oranother.

Sad Demise

With the traditional pub under increasingthreat as a result of tighter profit margins

and societys call to stamp out a supposedbinge-drinking culture, Murray admits hessad to witness the demise of the local inn.It is a real shame to see so many publichouses closing. I have done some work withCAMRA and they told me something like sixpubs are closing every day in the UK. Thatsnot only very sad, but incredibly shocking six every day!He adds: Theres no doubt that pubs get arough ride from the government as far asthe taxation on alcohol goes. The obviousaim is to cut out the type of booze-fuelledscenes we get in British cities up and down

the country every weekend, but equally itmust be remembered there are many morepeople who just enjoy a pint or two, plus

those who go to the pub to do something

other than drink.

Considering his own livelihood is inter-

twined with the fate of the local pub, Mur-

ray acknowledges the power of the average

punter and why each and every one of us

can make a difference.

Id like to see people taking action at grass

roots level, he says, and going along

to support their pub by popping in one

evening, pulling up a stool and enjoying a

few drinks. Its the best and most effective

way you can show your support and not the

most difficult thing in the world to do. We

need to do something.

The Local

Though surely for a man whose career is

based on being a pint-pulling pillar of the

community, one would assume the localpub is the last place where hed want to

indulge his free time? Aghast by the notion

however, Murray admits much of his inspi-

ration for the popular character comes from

his frequent trips to his favourite local.

I feel an affinity with pubs having written

the character, and because I have a love for

pubs in general. The public house, accord-

ing to the Pub Landlord, is the parliament

where all people can stand together. Princes

can stand with paupers, dustmen can drink

with astronauts and all are equal. And all

are going to have to drink white wine. AndId share that view too, apart from the bit

about the white wine.

So where is Murrays own local parlia-

ment, as it were? The Globe on Chiswick

High Road is my favourite pub. Its a chilled

out place and a good base to meet up with

fellow comedians. That said, there are quite

a few pubs in the area that I love to spend

time in. Many act as real hubs for writ-

ers and comedians you can get a lot of

inspiration from loosening up in a boozer!

We get together, talk rubbish, and one way

or another seem to come up with some

material for our shows!

Why comedian and author Al Murray is happy to let someone else do the serving

in his native west London pub.

Britishlandlordsare utterly uniquein their personas

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To the passionate whisky enthusiast the words I dont like whiskyhave about as much meaning as the words I dont like ood.Actually, you do, you just dont know it. O course you do, becausethere are so many dierent stylers and tastes o whisky it would beimpossible to dislike them all. Its just you havent tasted the onesyoull like. Almost certainly you have been put o by a negativeexperience in the past, such as downing a cheap blend as a teenagerater a ew pints and being violently sick.The challenge or the pub licensee, then, is to nd the whisky thatthe customer will like. And how can you do that when many o yourcustomers will already have made up their minds about whisky andhow little they like it?One o the best ways is to tie whisky drinking in with a un and/or

themed event. and what better way to do that than rugby?The Six Nations competition starting soon is the perect excuse orstirring up there passion and pouring a dram or two. The tournament,held over several weekends and played on both Saturday and Sunday,brings together two o the great whisky nations in Scotland andIreland. But did you know that France, Wales and England all producewhisky now, and with a bit o cheating, Italy does too. And betweenthem these countries cover a whole range o dierent whisky favours.Andrew Nelstrop, managing director o the English Whisky Company,which owns the St Georges Distillery in Norolk, says that rugby andwhisky are made or each other.The Six Nations is played in the depths o winter when a nice drop owhisky is the perect tipple, he says. The whisky hip fask has longbeen a staple o hardy rugby ans braving the elements to watch their

avourite teams. Why not make it part o watching the game in thepub too?

Once youve involved your customers and they have experienced thediversity o tastes, you may even be able to expand the tasting idea intime or the Olympics. But lets not get ahead o ourselves!

Stage a whisky-themed rugby eventStaging a whisky themed rugby event is very easy. Why not chargeyour customers 10 to take part? Beore the game participants receivetwo glasses o whisky representing the two nations taking part inthe game. Ask them to choose a team to support. I its likely theyllall choose the same team, make them draw one o the teams roma pot, so that each team has an equal number o ollowers. Thoseollowing the team winning at hal time receive a measure o either othe two whisies. And at the end ollowers o both teams get a whisky

to celebrate or commiserate, with the ollowers o the winning teamgetting rst choice.Overall it means that some customers will have our whiskies andsome three. With 28 measures in a bottle, thats a return o 70 and93.25 respectively - a healthy prot in both cases on a 30-35bottle o whisky.Why not oer a themed lunch beore the game, tied in to the ticketprice? You could oer Welsh Rarebit, French toast or crepes (thinpancakes), Irish Stew, Italian pasta, Haggis, neeps and tatties, and shand chips or steak and chips.

The whiskiesSo what can you oer whisky-wise? Clearly its more dicult to oerwhisky rom France or Italy, but you can cheat

One of the toughest challenges facing pub licensees when it comes

to whisky is getting customers to even try it. But, arguesDominic

Roskrow, the Rugby Union Six Nations competition can help

NatioNs

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www.cooleywhiskey.com facebook.com/cooleydistil leryENJOY COOLEY WHISKEY SENSIBLY

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SCOTLAND

There are hundreds of malt whiskies inScotland but rugby union is most playedin the border regions. In whisky terms thatmeans serving a Lowlands whisky, which byhappy coincidence tend to be the easiestScotch single malts to drink. The Lowlandstyle may be described as light and floral.You can pick between three options.

Bruichladdich

And for an island whisky option, why not look to the island of Islay,where all the great peated whiskies come from? But Islay isnt justabout peated smoky whiskies, and a distillery such as Bruichladdichoffers the best of both worlds, with zesty, sherberty and fruity maltsas well as big, earthy Highland and intense peaty ones.

AuchentoshanPronounced Ok-en-tosh-en, Auchentoshan is a distillery by theErskine Bridge on the outskirts of Glasgow and it is the only distilleryin Scotland which triple distils all its malt. This makes for smoother,lighter whisky and once it has matured for 12 years it takes on amellow, pleasantly fruity malt which can be served as an aperitif. Itsmade by Morrison Bowmore so its pretty easy to find.

GlenkinchieGlenkinchie is owned by drinks giant Diageo and is the closestdistillery to Edinburgh. Its another easy oner to find because its oneof the original whiskies in the Classic Malts range. It has a slightlygingery, spicy taste and is again quite light in style.

Bladnoch

Pronounced Blad-knock, Bladnoch is sited in Wigtown, home of theworld famous book festival over towards Scotlands west coast. Acrossthe water is Ireland, and in many ways Bladnoch, owned by IrishmanRaymond Armstrong, is the missing link between Scottish whisky

and Irish whiskey. It is a very apple-y whisky and some the distillerysoutput has a light peaty/smoky note to it.

IRELAND

Ireland has four companies producingwhiskey so weve selected one whiskeyfrom each of them. Irish whiskey is typicallytriple distilled making for a light, sweet andvery fruity whiskey which many people findeasier to drink than Scotch.

JamesonThe biggest selling whiskey in the world is relatively inexpensive andtells you all you need to know about blended Irish whiskey. Its madeby Irish Distillers who also make Redbreast, which is an altogethermore challenging whiskey made in a style unique to Ireland, calledPot Still. Many rate Redbreast as one of the worlds best whiskeys so ifyoure feeling daring

Bushmills

Bushmills is now owned by Diageo and is unusual because although itused to be part of the Southern-based Irish Distillers, its in NorthernIreland. The distillery also stands apart because it makes single maltwhiskey as well as blends such as Blackbush.

GreenoreGreenore is a sweet grain whiskey and is made at eight, 15 and 18years old. It is harder to find than the other choices here because it

comes from the small independent distillery Cooley. But grain whiskeyis a distinct and vanilla-rich whiskey which will surprise people whoconsider whisky is harsh and firey.

Tullamore Dew

One to watch in 2012. Tullamore Dew is now owned by Scottishwhisky company William Grant & Sons, and is being repackaged in2012 and given a major marketing push. Its another easy to drinkfruity sweet and smooth whiskey not unlike Jameson and may offer amore interesting alternative to your standard Irish offering.

WALES

Wales only has one distillery so the choicehere is easy. Penderyn is a unique whiskyand doesnt conform to the productionmethods or tastes of Scotch at all. Thewhiskey is made on a special still and thewhisky is matured in three different typesof cask - Madeira, bourbon and caskswhich previously contained non-peatedScottish single malt. The resulting whisky is

light, sweet, and almost liqueur-like and distinctive. If ever a whiskywas going to appeal to a non whisky drinker, this is it.

ENGLAND

There are four places making whisky inEngland but only two are bottling it andone of those has pretty much sold out.So that leaves St Georges in Norfolk. Thedistillery uses a strange policy of naming itswhiskies by Chapter number. The standardoffering is Chapter Six, theres a peakedversion known as Chapter Nine, and aheavily peated version called Chapter 11,which comes in two forms - a cask strength

one and one with a strength of 46% ABV.

FRANCE

France makes good whisky in Brittany,where there are three distilleries, Glannar Mor, Eddu, and Distilerie Warenghem.Obviously its not easy to get hold of Frenchwhisky so you can cheat and get a whiskyowned by French giants Pernod Ricard.Its distilleries include Glenlivet, Aberlour,

Strasthisla, Longmorn, and Scapa, and its blends include Chivas Regal,Ballantines and Royal Salute. But in keeping with the idea of offeringa range of taste flavours from your whisky, try and get Glenlivet 15

year old, which is spicy, Glenlivet 16 year old Nadurra, which is packedwith vanilla ice cream notes, or Aberlour ABunadh (-A-boon-er)which is a big red berry and orange cask strength monster.

ITALY

We have to cheat again because they dontmake whisky in Italy. So unless youreoffering grappa, youre going to have to gofor a distillery owned by the Italians. Andthere is one! Glen Grant in Speyside is aneasy drinking fruity sweet Speyside whiskyowned by Campari.

So youre good to go - Turn the telly on, get the whisky flowing, andmay the best team win. As long as it isnt England.

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Every vintage moment is a perfect convergence of time, place,

people and occasion. We all have our own vintage moment and

The Glenrothes is no different. Unlike other malts, our whisky

isnt bottled at a predetermined age. We only bottle ours as a

Vintage when it reaches its peak of perfection; a moment, defined

by our Malt Master, when taste and character is at its utmost.

SHARE YOUR VINTAGE MOMENT

Tell us your vintage moment for the chance to become one of our

special Vintage Makers. You could win a weeklong, all expenses

paid trip to our private distillery where, alongside our Malt Master,

you will be tutored in the whisky making process. Your experienceculminates with you creating The Glenrothes Vintage 2012.

FOR A CHANCE TO WIN, SHARE YOUR VINTAGE MOMENT AT

WWW.THEGLENROTHES.COM/VINTAGEMAKER

No purchase necessary. Closing date 31st January 2012. Only one entry per person. Open to UK residents aged 21 and over.Exclusions app ly. Winners will be notified by email by 18th February 2012. Winners must be able to travel to Scotland on 11th June2012 and stay until 15th June 2012. Internet access required. Full terms and conditions at www.theglenrothes.com/vintagemaker

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Glenrothes

Since 1879 TheGlenrothes has hada reputation amongmaster blenders as a topclass malt, distinguishedby its complexity,balance and above all itsavour. Select Reserve

was created to be theHouse Style o TheGlenrothes; instantlyrecognisable rom itsdistinctive bottle, it isladen with ripe ruits,citrus, vanilla andhints o spice. The keyto appreciating TheGlenrothes is to havean understanding othe dierence betweenage, a number, andmaturity, which is

about the developmento ripeness. It has,according to Jim Murrayin his Whisky Bible, oneo the sotest deliverieson Speyside.For more details, Tel:01786 430 500

Cooley

Located in the scenic backdrop o the Cooley Mountains inCo. Louth, Cooley Distillery is Irelands only independent Irishwhiskey distillery. With a clear vision to revive many o thehistorical brands and a ocus on restoring the ancient distilling

techniques o Irish whiskey, Cooley has developed a portolio oaward winning whiskeys which have won over 135 Gold Medalsduring the last 10 years. Cooley Distillery has been honoured asthe IWSC European Distiller o the year or our years running.Their complementary portolio o whiskey brands allows you toenjoy the ull spectrum o tastes available rom Irish whiskey.For more details, Tel: 01833 2833

Penderyn

Penderyn is an award winning Single Malt Welsh Whisky which is unique, smooth& light in character. Penderyn has received a number o International Award &has recently won the European Cask o the year in Jim Murrays Whisky Bible. Ouragship brand the Madeira fnish expression has a classic reshness, with aromaso toee, vanilla & raisins. The distillery produces one cask a day, which makesPenderyn as precious as Welsh Gold. The Faraday single copper pot still is unique,efcient & removes certain impurities to allow us to produce the smoothest Wysgion earth.

Wemyss

Boutique Scotch whisky company Wemyss Malts is anindependent bottler based in Edinburgh. The Wemyssrange has names inspired by each whiskys naturalavours and aromas so that the consumer can easilyunderstand the style o whisky being purchased. In itsaward-winning blended malts range, Peat Chimney isnamed ater its smokiness and The Hive is named aterthe honeyed sweetness ound on the palate. Similarly,the single malt single cask bottling range rom across theSpeyside, Highlands and Islay regions reect the depthand variety o styles that Scotlands distilleries have tooer, rom Lemon Grove to Honey Spice.For more details, Tel: 0131 226 3445

Bruichladdich

The barley or Bruichladdichsbottling was grown organically onthree seperate Scottish terroirs.Ater harvesting and being distilledseparately, the three spirits werematured apart or several years inAmerican oak casks. Then, as withthe Grand Vin o Bordeaux, they wereskilully assembled together prior tobottling to produce the ultimate incomplexity and purity.Naturally bottled on Islay at 46%,non chill-fltered and caramel-ree,this is a new single malt conceptproducing a very specifc character:extraordinary defnition, amazingintensity and sensual purity oavour, with a persistence that lastsor ages.For more details, Tel: 01496 850 190

ahoyBen Newmans favourite whiskies

Ben Nevis

It was about 12 years ago that Ben Nevis distillery introduced

their 10 years old single malt to the consumer.This whisky is

bottled, non chill-fltered, at 46% abv. allowing the ull avour

o this ull-bodied whisky to be appreciated. With avours

o oak, dried ruits, christmas cake, chocolate, spices and the

subtlest peaty note this is a whisky to be savoured.For more details; Tel: 01397 702 476

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JACK CHARLTON

ENGLAND

BOBBY MOORE

ENGLAND

VINNY SAMWAYS

ENGLAND

LEE CHAPMAN

ENGLAND

GARY LINEKER

ENGLAND

ROBERTO DI MATTEO

ITALY

BOBBY MOORE

Bobby Moore is an icon in thiscountry. A man who personifiedthe 1960s and it regarded as thebest captains of England and oneof the worlds finest players.But Bobby, along with many ofhis 1960s contemporaries, likedto go to the pub. He even madean advert about local pubs with

Martin Peters called look in atyour local. Its a hidden gem onYou Tube that is worth lookingat for!Bobby took his love of the locala step further when he boughtseveral pubs in East London. Onehe called Morros and another wascalled the Salmon and Compass.Both were on his old stampingground of the East End of London.Its an unconfirmed rumour thata notorious lap dancing club hasnow made over one of these pubs!

JACK CHARLTON

Maybe its something aboutbeing a 1966 World Cup winner,but Bobbys Moores partner incentral defence, Jack Charlton, hasalso dipped his toe into the pubbusiness.Jack, along with his son, Johnrefurbished the Buccaneer pub inCambois near Blyth and named

it Charltons. Its been a hugehit with the locals and is alsoespecially popular for weddings.But one of its most unusualrequests was when the ex-singerof the band Lindisfarne used thefunction room to record a newalbum!

GARY LINEKER

A trip to any one of the leadingnight life resorts around theMediteranean and you will nodoubt find a Linekers Bar.Set up by Gary Linekers brotherWayne in 1988, Linekers Bar canbe found in around 15 locations.The venues are famous forhaving a classic blend of sports

and a party atmosphere. Garyhimself is known to make the oddappearance from time tot time!

VINNY SAMWAYS

Vinny Samways was a Spursplayer who had a delicate touchand fine range of passing. Theproblem was that he played forthe club at time when its midfieldwas dominated by one PaulGascoigne.He left Spurs to go to Everton andeventually ended up playing for

various Spanish clubs includingLas Palmas, Seville and Algeciras,He also earned a reputationas fearless tackler with anunenviable red card record. Sinceretiring he has set up SamwaysBar in Puerto Banus not far fromLinekers Bar!

LEE CHAPMAN

Lee Chapman was a big, strappingcentre forward who played forLeeds United when they won theleague championship and otherclubs including Arsenal and Lyon.Married to actress Leslie Ashhe was always tempted by thecelebrity lifestyle and a love forgood food and drink. He ownedthe celebrity hang out Teatroin the heart of Londons Soho1990s but crippling rents andfickle finger of fashion meant itwas time to move on. Lee is now

concentrating his efforts of histrendy Clapham bar So:uk.

ROBERTO DI MATTEO

Roberto Di Matteo was one ofthe most cultured footballers thatjoined the Premier League duringthe late 1990s. His family hadall had a passion for cooking. Itwas an important part of Italianlife. When he joined Chelsea hewas single and a mutual friendsuggested creating somewherewhere they hang out with friendsand drink what they wanted.Today Roberto has Baraonda andFriends both popular with foodlovers and with footballers.

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Footballers have been associated with pubs for many

years. Most players liked a drink or two, but some of

them have taken that love of the pub a step further by

becoming a landlord themselves.Richard Berndes looks

at some of the stars of the pitch who could pull in the

crowds and then went on to pull a pint

Pulling The

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

SCOTLAND

ARSENE WENGER

FRANCE

FRANK LAMPARD

ENGLAND

Pulling In

The Crowds

From

To

Pints

SIR ALEX FERGUSON

In 1978 as his playing careerwas coming to an end AlexFerguson bought a pub in Govannear Glasgows docklands.He had already tried footballmanagement, with brief spells atEast Stirling and St Mirren, buta combination of run-ins withdirectors and rows over fees had

left him seeking solace in oneof Glasgows biggest culturalphenomenons: pubs.He renamed the bar Fergies; thedownstairs lounge he christenedElbow Room in honour of hisown habit of unsettling defenderswith flailing limbs. The place wasrundown but Ferguson, who wasborn into a working-class familyin Govan, knew all about the cityand its working men, and setabout his business with vigour,organising cribbage nights, darts

and dominoes. Takings picked up.But the clientele did not changemuch. Fights were common;police had to be called when aman with a shotgun threatenedthe staff.

ARSENE WENGER

While the Arsenal manager hasnever owned a pub himself hedoes claim that growing up in onemade him the football man that heis today.The Arsenal managers parentsowned a bistro called La CroixdOr in the French village ofDuttlenheim, and the young

Wenger spent hours in thecompany of the football-lovingcustomers.There is no better psychologicaleducation than growing up in apub because when you are five orsix years old you meet all differentpeople and hear how cruel theycan be to each other. he is quotedas sayingFrom an early age, you get apractical psychological educationinto the minds of people. I evenlearned about tactics from the

people talking about football inthe pub... who plays on the leftwing and who should be in theteam.

FRANK LAMPARD

Frank Lampard has recentlyscored on the pub front whenalong with his namesake fatherbought the Pigs ear pub inChelsea. Located between theKings Road and Fulham Road

is has a fine reputation as a puband gartropub and is handy forChelseas home games.A source said: The Chelsea ladswill love it and the first roundson Frank.Prince William and girlfriend KateMiddleton, both 26, often pop infor a meal at their favourite cornertable.The source added: Whether Willswill be so keen if it becomes ahaunt of soccer stars remains to beseen. The Chelsea lads will want

big-screen football on.Lamps, who earns 150,000 aweek, and his dad, now employedby Watford FC, are said to see thepub as a property investment.

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The Midlands

M6

The

MenM

Middle

My choice o the Midlands may come as a surprise or thosewho think o Yorkshire as the place where the best real alesare brewed (and as a Yorkshireman I do o course think that)and i you were to do a survey o beer drinkers today, theywould probably argue that Cornwall now gives it a good runor its money. But the Midlands is where youll nd the townthat is still, to those in the know, the home o British brewing.Today, Burton-on-Trent still nds itsel at the absolute hearto British brewing (approximately 15% o all beer in the UKis still brewed here) even i its global ame as a brewing nolonger resonates. Its home to MolsonCoors and their fagshipbrand Carling, the UKs biggest beer brand. But Burton ishome to so much more too.And beyond Burton, there are noteworthy brewers whereveryou look, providing an intriguing variety o beers that mixes inold avourites with compelling new arrivals.

Gone for a Burton

Starting in Burton itsel then, MolsonCoors may not be therst name that springs to the lips o anyone who appreciatesbeer that tastes o something, but increasingly theres a casethat it should be.

When Coors bought Bass in 2000 they had to sell on the

Bass brand itsel, but kept Worthingtons, then known as asmoothfow standard bitter, and a ond memory as an almostextinct bottle conditioned beer.Over the last decade that beer, Worthington White Shield(5.6% ABV), has been careully revived and nurtured,largely below MolsonCoors corporate radar. But when theancient (and tiny) White Shield brewery could no longercope with demand, the giant lager brewer broke ranks withits contemporaries and invested over 1 million in a newstate-o-the-art ale brewery and jumped back into cask alein a serious way. White Shield is gaining ever-increasingdistribution and is worth stocking and promoting in pubsas the perect example o the delights o a living, evolving,bottle conditioned ale. Its also increasingly available ondraught, along with Red Shield (4.2% ABV) a light, goldenale that uses American hops judiciously or a nice balance ofavour and rereshment. Seasonal and limited edition beers,all under variations o the Shield name, are also now beingbrewed.The other great surviving Burton brewer is Marstons. Basedin both Burton and Wolverhampton ollowing a 1999 mergerwith Wolverhampton & Dudley, Marstons broader portolio

showcase two distinct styles that once dened this region:

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one in the east Midlands, one in the west.Its less pronounced now than it was, says MarstonsDirector o Brewing, Richard Westwood, but the westMidlands was once dened by heavy industry, and there washuge demand or beer that was light and rereshing andcould be drunk in signicant quantities. Mild malty andslightly sweet used to dominate the area.Bankss Mild (3.5% ABV) and Bankss Bitter (3.8% ABV), nowpart o the Marstons portolio, are almost the last survivorso this style and have ound new lie as interest in traditionalbeer styles revives among new generations.Over to the east, Marstons Pedigree (4.5% ABV), BurtonBitter (3.8 % ABV) and Old Empire (5.7% ABV) represent theeast Midlands tradition out o Burton and these beers arealmost at the other end o the scale.Burton water is high in gypsum, says Westwood, and thatmeans the beers it produces are light, sparkling, quite dry,not nearly as sweet as the west Midlands style.Such was Burtons dominance during the last golden ageo British brewing (you could argue were entering anotherone now) that brewers rom as ar aeld as London used tohave to come and open breweries in the town to get at that

perect brewing water.

A more local brewer who ollowed suit was Everards,ounded in Leicester in 1849, and still run by the directdescendants o the ounder, William Everard.The brewery moved to Burton in 1892, but thanks toadvances in technology was able to go back home in 1979,where the amous water could now be reproduced. Everardsis now the beating heart o Leicester, as amous within thecity as any national beer brand. Tiger (4.2% ABV) is thefagship, a decent, deep-golden session bitter. Beacon islighter and drier at 3.8% ABV, while Original (5.2% ABV) iswhat its many ans reer to as a proper drinkers drink. Pubswithin the Everards estate ght ercely or the reputationas the one that keeps it the best. The other pillar o the corerange is Sunchaser (4% ABV), an ale brewed with a heavylager infuence that is sold colder than standard real ales inmany Everards pubs, and plays a great role pulling in novicedrinkers to ale.Further south in an area that may or may not be inthe Midlands depending on your point o view, but is orthe purposes o this eature we nd Hook Norton inOxordshire. This is one o those rare breweries: about asdyed-in-the-wool traditional as you can get, its beers still

gain huge respect rom the new wave o hop-hungry beer

If you were to pick one region in the UK as the

most important place for traditional British

beers, Pete Brown suggests it would have to bethe Midlands.

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geeks who can more normally be ound rhapsodising overhip new micros. Hooky Bitter (3.6% ABV) is mothers milk tothe locals, but the stronger Old Hooky (4.6% ABV) combinesbalance with assertiveness and is one o those rare beers thatseems to receive unanimous acclaim. With a comprehensiveand thoughtul range o seasonals and special beers, plus thegolden, zesty Hooky Gold (4.1% ABV) and the intriguing HookyDark (3.2% ABV) in their core oering, Hook Norton has a

ormidably complete range.

Pillars of traditionWorthington, Martsons and Everards are the pillars otraditional Midlands ale brewing, all with histories dating backto the nineteenth century, but all doing genuinely interestingthings today, combining that tradition with a orward-thinkingoutlook.But when you look around, you realise they have to do that theyre surrounded by a wealth o smaller, newer brewerieswho make the local scene one o the most vibrant in thecountry.Old by microbrew standards i not in comparison to thebrewers above, Castle Rock was ounded in 1977 by ormer

CAMRA chairman Chris Holmes, and has since made itselNottinghams avourite brewer. Harvest Pale (3.8%ABV) wasChampion Beer o Britain in 2010, deservedly so i you ask anyan o ne blond ales. As newer, smaller micros go hop-crazy,this beer again shows that American hops used careully cangive a satisying, zingy ruit prole to a beer that remainsbalanced and rereshing.When it comes to awards though, Castle Rock is aces newcompetition on its doorstep in the orm o Blue Monkey,ounded late in 2008. Boasting traditional beers with amodern twist, their BG Sips pale ale (4% ABV) and Guerrillastout (4.9% ABV) are already lling the trophy shelves. Andsurely we need a new best monkey themed beer name award

just so we can give 99 Red Baboons (4.2% ABV) the recognitionit deserves.Ater all this ale, we should also point out that the Midlandsis home to one o Britains most respected lager brewers.Freedom in Staordshire brews continental-style lager with asmuch care, attention and fair as any ale brewer. The rangeincludes a traditional Pilsner (5% ABV), Organic (4.8% ABV) andOrganic Dark Lager (4.8% ABV). These beers are a challenge toboth the ale traditionalist who thinks lager always equals poorbeer, and to any landlord who believes you have to stick tobland, super-chilled mainstream lagers in order to shit volume.

Ales wellThere are so many great, award-winning beers in the Midlands,there really isnt space to do justice to them all. But it wouldbe a travesty to write this without mentioning Purity inWarwickshire, whose whole range o classy, hoppy ales isexcellent (my avourite being the 4.5% ABV Pure UBU) andTitanic up in Stoke, within whose broad and balanced range thestout (4.5% ABV) and Mild (3.5% ABV) are particular avourites.There are also small newcomers such as Wellbeck, latestventure rom beer legend Dave Wickett o Sheelds KelhamIsland Brewery, and Ripleys Amber Ales, whose range o strong,hoppy IPAs is excellent. Both will be turning heads within thevery near uture.In doing so, theyll be ollowing one o the UKs most excitingbrewery launches o the last decade. Thornbridge in Bakewell,Derbyshire, plays the Beatles to Scottish Bad Boys Brew Dog,

who could be seen as beers answer to the Rolling Stones.

Brew Dogs head brewer, Martin Dickie, started at Thornbridgebeore heading home to stir up controversy in the beer worldwith creations that are sometimes over the top, occasionallysilly, oten brilliant, but never the same old same old.Back in Derbyshire, rom a common root, Thornbridge haveollowed a path thats just as challenging to the mainstream(their slogan is Never Ordinary) but with beers that are moreelegant and approachable than brash and in your ace. Youve

probably heard o Jaipur (5.9% ABV), which has won moreawards since the brewery was ounded in 2005 than any otherbeer. It is quite simply both a modern classic, and a perectargument or the two thirds o a pint measure.But Jaipurs success sometimes eclipses other beers that are

just as worthy o attention. Kipling (5.2% ABV) comes alivewith the favour o zingy New Zealand hops, while Wild Swanat 3.5% ABV shows the brewery is not just about muscle. Thelast year has seen Kipling and Jaipur appearing on bars inquality keg ormats as well as cask, creating an interestingcomparison in styles and challenging the orthodox view thatcask is always best and keg must, by necessity, be inerior.When it comes to beer, the Midlands really does havesomething or everyone: unimpeachable brewing tradition and

heritage, the boldest o experimental innovation, and everypoint between. With interest in old styles re-emerging, andbrand news ones being created, theres never been a better timeto check it out.

Worthingtons, Tel: 01283 511000www.molsoncoors.co.uk

Marstons, Tel: 01902 711811www.marstons.co.uk

Banks, Tel: 01902 711811www.banksbeer.co.uk

Everards, Tel: 0116 2014100www.everards.co.uk

Castle Rock, Tel: 0115 985 1615www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk

Blue Monkey, Tel: 0800 028 0329www.bluemonkeybrewery.com

Freedom, Tel: 01283 840721www.freedombeer.com

Purity, Tel: 01789 488 007

www.puritybrewing.com

Welbeck, Tel: 01909 512 539www.welbeckabbeybrewery.co.uk

Kelham Island, Tel: 01142 494 804www.kelhambrewery.co.uk

Ripleys, Tel: 01773 512 864www.amberales.co.uk

Thornbridge, Tel: 01629 641 000www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk

Hook Norton, Tel: 01608 737210www.hooknortonbrewery.co.uk

CONTACTS:

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Hook Norton is a local brewer, which has

an international reputation for the quality

of its handcrafted draught and bottled

beers there is one for every occasion.

Its award winning beers, which include

the acclaimed Old Hooky and the thirst

quenching Hooky Bitter, are all designed

to appeal a broad range of drinkers.

The brewery offers a core range of 5

draught beers; Old Hooky, Hooky Bitter,

Hooky Gold, Hooky dark and Hooky

Stout.

Great real ales at your local!

Visit www.hooky.co.uk | 01608 737210

Four common ingredients. One very rare.

Speak to Pete and find out what

lengths we go to.

CAMRA Champion Specialty Beer of Britain

Triple-medal winner 2009, 2010, 2011.

T: 01773 512864 www.amberales.co.uk

Water.Malt.

Hops.

Yeast.

And one perfectionist.

www.chilternbrewery.co.uk

T. 01296 613647 E. [email protected]

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Hook Norton

Hook Nortons range of awardwinning beers includes theacclaimed Old Hooky and thethirst quenching Hooky Bitter,are all designed to appeal a

broad range of drinkers. Thelook is modern and smart whileretaining provenance andheritage.The brewery offers a core rangeof five draught beers, Old Hooky,Hooky Bitter, Hooky Gold, HookyDark and Hooky Stout this issupported by a five seasonals -First Light, Haymaker, Flagship,Summer Haze and Twelve Days there is something for everyone.For more details, Tel: 01608737210 or visit: www.hooky.co.uk

Amber AlesAmber Ales is a small micro-brewery putting Derbyshires AmberValley on the map both locallyand nationally with a wide rangeof award winning beers. Based

in the historic village of Pentrich,near Ripley, the brewery wasestablished five years ago by Peter& Jayn Hounsell to create classicstyle real ales with a modern twist.Their most lauded beer ChocolateOrange is certainly that, a darkstout created from a unique blendof five malts, imbued with vanillaand orange and aged in the caskfor three months. ChocolateOrange has been placed in theprestigious CAMRA ChampionSpeciality Beer of Britain every

year since 2009.For more details, Tel:01773 512864or visit: www.amberales.co.uk

Welbeck AbbeyWelbeck Abbey is a traditional,wood-clad brewery, housedin a converted barn on theWelbeck country estate in NorthNottinghamshire. Its part of a largernetwork of artisan food producersat Welbeck. Their Brewster,Claire,was taught to brew at Kelham Island

Brewery, and now hand crafts 6,000pints a week which are distributed topubs between Sheffield, Lincoln andNottingham.Welbecks core range of beers areHenrietta , a 3.6%ABV golden bitter;Ernest George, a 4.2% ruby ale , andPortland Black a 4.5% black beer.They also brew a special beer eachmonth which is available both incask and bottles.For more details,Tel: 01909 512539or visit: www.welbeckabbeybrewery.blogspot.com

Chiltern BreweryThe Chiltern Brewery produce fineEnglish ales of pure, wholesomequality. Nestled at the foot of theChiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire,

they are a family business with over30 years of brewing heritage and areone of the oldest independent craftbreweries in the country. Chilternuse 100% British, natural ingredientsto produce a superb range of awardwinning draught and bottled beers.With traditional methods at theheart of their business they are alsorenowned innovators and specializein a wide range of permanent,seasonal and limited edition ales.For more details, Tel: 01296 613647or visit: www.chilternbrewery.co.uk

Stock up on these marvels from the kingdom of Mercia

CENTRAL

Certainties

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TheHIGH SPIRITof JALISCO

THE INTERNATIONAL MULTI-AWARD WINNING CHAMPION

www.sierratequila.com

www.thedrinkscompany.co.uk

Le Fruit de Monin is a range o high quality ruit purees or use in cocktails.

The premium products can be used as ingredients to save mixologists time without

stiing their creativity. The purees are available in eight dierent avours strawberry,

raspberry, red berries, peach, mango, passion ruit, banana and coconut allowing

bartenders to create cocktails quickly and efciently.

Imported into the UK by Opies.

Contact [email protected] or 01795 476154.Available rom www.syrupsandstu.co.uk.

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Sierra Reposado

Trophy winning SierraReposado Tequila is renownedfor its superior taste andquality. Rested for a minimumof three months in oak barrels,this warm, golden Tequila isnoted for its full and mellowtaste with hints of fruity agave

and spicy caramel sweetness.Excellent on its own or as abase for a whole range ofcocktails. Sierra ReposadoTequila has consistently wongold medals in national andinternational competitions,yet remains an affordable andeye-catching addition to theback bar with its striking goldsombrero cap. Available in arange of sizes from 4cl to 1litre.For more details, Tel: 01403

273807

Olmeca Altos

Olmeca Altos is a super-premium100% Agave Tequila, born out of aunique partnership between world-renowned UK bartenders HenryBesant and Dre Masso, alongsideOlmecas own Master Distiller JessHernndez. Produced in the LosAltos region of Jalisco Mexico, this

authentic Tequila is double distilledin traditional copper pot stills andaged in small American oak barrels.The Olmeca Altos range comprises,Olmeca Altos Plata (un-aged) andOlmeca Altos Reposado (aged for upto 8 months).For more details,Tel: 0800 376 5550

Maestro Dobel

A handcrafted blend of Reposado,Anejo and Extra-Anejo tequilas,Maestro Dobel is the creation ofJuan-Domingo Dobel Beckmann,the sixth generation director of theworlds most prominent tequilaproducing family.The huge popularity of silvertequilas in the US inspiredBeckmann to create a clear tequilafrom carefully selected agedtequilas which did not compromise

on quality or flavour. The result isunique, luxurious clear tequila withthe complexity of an aged cognacand the crispness of luxury vodkas.For more details, Tel: 07415384926

Cazadores

The highland deer on every bottle ofCazadores symbolizes its origins in the LosAltos highlands of Mexico. Cazadores is anexceptionally smooth tequila created usingonly 100% highland agave giving it a rich,fruity, naturally sweet taste. Available asCazadores Blanco, Cazadores Reposado(aged for over two months) and CazadoresAejo (aged for over 12 months).For more details; Tel: 01962 762100

El Jimador

Named after the proud men thatharvest the finest agave plants, El

Jimador Tequila was introducedin 1994 as an100% agave tequila.Since 2000, El Jimador is Mexicosnumber one selling tequila and isproduced by one of the oldest andmost respected producers of tequilasince 1870 Tequila Herradura.The sophisticated process used, ofcooking the agave in clay ovensand fermenting naturally with wildyeast, delivers a rich, smooth andunexpected taste.For more details, Tel: 0208 551 4966

There are currently plenty of tequilas on the

market. But which ones are the best to stock?

Ben Newman chooses his favourites

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t

EPoS has brought huge benefts or pubs and bars,

but,saysPhil Mellows what i it breaks down? A new

early-warning system, being launched in February, aims

to make sure operators can keep the tills ringing

Mission

t

Epos siblE

Tills have come a long way rom a simple drawer under the barand the nger-chopping mechanical cash registers that Ronnie

Barker battled with on Open All Hours, to the rst electronicmachines developed by NCR in the 1980s and todays all-singing,all-dancing electronic point o sale systems.

EPoS is, indeed, much more than a till, and or most operatorsit perorms a series o vital unctions, linking the money takenover the bar and at table to a back oce computer that manages

accounts, cashfow, stock control and stang. Modern publicanshave, at their ngertips, greater controls over their businesses thanever beore just at the time when those controls are ever-more

important to survival and success.

THE RIGHT SYSTEM

Choosing the right system is the trick. Ater all, or the independent

pub trade EPoS represents a substantial investment. And youcertainly dont want to be seduced by ancy sotware gimmickry atthe expense o the kind o hardware thats going to do a reliable job

or you.Pubs and bars are hostile environments or computer equipment.Just think o the bashing that tills endure on a busy weekend night.

Just think o all that liquid splashing about, just waiting or gravityto take its course.So EPoS or pubs requires particularly robust, specialist kit. Failure

is not an option. I your tills break down service can grind to a halt.Customers are disappointed and so is your accountant.

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Insurance for Licensed TradesOur new specialist insurance or pubs and clubs includes a number

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Yet according to Richard Heitmann,UK sales director or EPoS hardwaremanuacturer J2 Retail Systems, across

the industry as many as 6% o machinesail in a year at an average cost o 350 aday in lost business, not to mention all the

problems involved in the loss o sales data.Its a gure that J2 has dedicated itselto improving, and with some success.

Heitmann claims that the ailure rate i a J2terminal is a mere 0.7%.We have the best rate in the world, hesays. Were very careul how we build

our machines. But although they are veryreliable we still want to go urther andlower the cost o ownership or operators.

In recent years design improvements haveincluded a true fat screen which resiststhe build-up o spilt liquids, and a steady-

state drive with no moving parts, andthereore less to go wrong.As well as nding hardware that supports

the sotware they need, having reliablemachines is now the most important actoror pub and bar operators, and all these

things are very high on peoples attention,says J2 business manager Paul Hudson.Its not just the cost o equipment that

counts, its the total cost o ownership,including the reliability and serviceability othe machines.

REMOTE MONITORINGNow the company is about to launch thenext innovation in till reliability remote

monitoring. In eect this will mean thatJ2 will know when one o its machines isabout to break down and take action to

keep it unctioning or replace it beore thepub business suers any downtime.How does it work? Briefy, the system,

which has come through extensive trials,monitors the perormance o the till acrossvarious measures, and i it varies romcertain parameters by more than 10%

an alert is automatically emailed to J2shelpdesk, showing up as a red cross on acontrol dashboard.

When that appears the machine rebooted,and i the problem persists an engineer willbe sent out.

Actually, the steady-state drive meansthere are very ew things that can gowrong, says Richard Heitmann. Our

machines rarely ail or corrupt. So mostlythe problem comes rom outside and isusually power-related, causing the mother-

board to ail.Now remote monitoring will tell us beorethat kind o ailure occurs and we can pre-

empt it. We believe its a world rst!

A new breed o entrepreneurial pub operator is keeping the EPoS industry on its toes, demandingtill systems that not only give them tighter controls over small, multiple estates and are easy orsta to use, but monitors that look good on the bar, too, to suit a high quality environment.

So while J2 Retail Systems is currently in negotiations to supply a couple o major pub groups,

deals with small multiple chains that have emerged rom the break-up o industry giants havebrought it year-on-year growth since an initial crash ollowing the 2008 credit crunch.

We were 12% up last year, says the companys Richard Heitmann. Im a great believer in theentrepreneurial skills we have in this country, and we are seeing so many new retailers croppingup we expect that to continue.

Case study - EpernayChampagne & Cocktail BarsWhen his rst EPoS system, then his

second, ailed, entrepreneur GeoThornton was wondering whetherhed ever nd the right technology

or his Epernay Champagne Bars.Launched in Leeds in 2005, theconcept aims to provide aordable

champagne in a modern cocktail barsetting, and is now also ound inManchester city centre and TerminalOne o Manchester Airport.

Thorntons problems were solvedwhen he contacted Newt TouchSolutions, a specialist supplier o

touchscreen EPoS to the hospitalityindustry.Newt Touchs Marc Newton created

a completely new package or theoperator using tried-and-testedelements rom his sotware and

hardware partners, includingterminals rom J2 backed by a three-year parts and labour warranty.

The solution combined ICRTouchsotware with J2s 560 touchscreentill to give Epernay Leeds a ull

point-o-sale system including timeand attendance management andstock control in the back oce, and

eatures such as a drinks tab systemin the bar.Without Marc we would still bestruggling with the wrong system,

says Thornton.

The sotware is versatile andthe user interaces excellent.

Weve ound it useul to beable to programme in the exactspecications o our cocktails and to

cascade this to other systems, suchas the back oce sotware.In comparison with the hardware

Epernay previously used, describedas small and ugly by Thornton, theteam re

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