Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA are delighted to ... · Cask Speciality Mid to dark beers. Medusa...

PlusSIBA NORTH EAST TASTING & AWARDSBOOK AND PUB REVIEWSSOUTH SHIELDS, BARNARD CASTLE &HUDDERSFIELD PUB CRAWLSA MYSTERY TOURTHE ISLE OF MALTand much more

Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA are delighted toannounce that our 2019 Sunderland Cider Pub of theYear, The Avenue, Roker, Sunderland has been crownedthe North East Region of CAMRA’s Regional Cider Pub ofthe Year 2019. More inside…

https://whatpub.com/pubs/SUN/6069/avenue-sunderland

CAMRA Angle 56 - Summer 2019 - 2

www.sst.camra.org.uk



In this issue…FeaturesSIBA NE Judging 8Branch Awards Presentations 11A Natural History of Beer 12Book Review - Cider Insider 13Pubs Code 15A Magical Mystery Tour 16Beer by Public Transport 18Pub Review - Blue Bell York 20The Isle of Malts 21Six go to Barney 23South Shields Pub Crawl 26A Personal View 31RegularsPub News 6Brewery News 7SPBW News 19Locale & CAMRA Discounts 28Pub Quiz & Answers 29/31

EDITORKen Paul/ Sid Dobson

[email protected]

FANCY YOURSELF AS AWRITER

WE are always on the lookout for realale related stories to be used inCAMRA ANGLE. They can behistoric or current, locally-based orinvolving travel to exotic locationssuch as Middlesbrough, Montreal,Moscow or Morpeth!

The deadline for Issue 57 isAug 28th 2019

CONTACT USHAVE you got opinion on the pubsor beers available in our brancharea, or on any other matter? Getwriting now, and let our readersknow what you think. We alsowelcome comments about themagazine. Please email us [email protected]. ****CAMRA ANGLE is published by theSunderland & South TynesideBranch of CAMRA © 2019 . Views orcomments expressed in thispublication may not be necessarilythose of the Editor or of CAMRA.

Welcome to Issue 56 of CAMRA Angle

There were a couple of initiatives thatcame out of CAMRA HQ recently. Thefirst can be seen on the opposite page,which gives 10 reasons to join CAMRA.Go to the website link shown where moreinformation can be found, including howto join.

The second is called The Summer ofBeer. This is a summer long campaign toencourage pub going over the comingmonths, not that I need it ! One of thesuggested ways to get involved is to writean article for your local branch magazineon the 10 best local pubs to enjoy a beer.So there is a challenge !

Go to the link below for more information.

https://www.camra.org.uk/summerofpub/

Last but by no means least is the newsgiven on the front cover about the Avenuein Roker. This is the first time a pub in ourbranch has been chosen as a regionalcider pub representative. There is moreon page 17. Thanks to Steve Clough formodelling the cover photo.

Enjoy the read. Ken Paul



PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION

Some useful contact details for Tyne &Wear Metro and local bus services.

Arriva -0844 8004411

www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east/

Go North East -0845 606 0260

www.gonortheast.co.uk

Nexus ( Metro & Buses) -0191 2020747

www.nexus.org.uk/

Stagecoach -0191 5675251

www.stagecoachbus.com/about/north-east

Traveline North East -0871 2002233

www.travelinenortheast.Info

TRADING STANDARDSIf you have any complaint about your beer orcider, such as poor quality, short measures orno price list displayed, you should mention it tothe pub management in the first instance. If youneed to pursue the compliant further, werecommend contacting the local TradingStandards Office. Contact details are givenbelow :-

SOUTH TYNESIDE 0191 4247887 forresidents or CitizensAdvice ConsumerService on 03454040506

SUNDERLAND Contact CitizensAdvice ConsumerService on 03454040506.

Branch Contact InformationChairman Michael Wynne [email protected] Lynn Dobson [email protected] Steve Drummond [email protected] Phil Hughes [email protected] Editor Ken Paul / Sid Dobson [email protected] & Social Media. Ian Monteith-Preston [email protected] & Clubs Ken Paul [email protected] Rep. Steve Clough [email protected] Secretary Robin Sanderson [email protected]/ Brewlab BLO Michael Wynne [email protected] BLO Ian Monteith-Preston [email protected] Preservation Dave Craggs [email protected]

DIARY DATES

JUNEJUNE BRANCH MTG Tuesday 11th June 8pm - Cask

Lounge South Shields.

TYNESIDE BRANCHMEETING

Monday 17th June 7.30pm - TheSchooner Gateshead.

JULYNOSTALGIC VAUXNIGHT

Friday 5th July - ChestersSunderland

BRANCH MEETING Tuesday 9th July 8pm - BlackHorse West Boldon

DURHAM BRANCHMEETING

Wednesday 10th July - GrandElectric Hall Spennymoor

TYNESIDE BRANCHMEETING

Wednesday 24th July -Cullercoats Crescent Club

AUGUSTNO BRANCH MEETINGTHIS MONTH.GREAT BRITISH BEERFESTIVAL

6th - 10th August - Olympia

DURHAM BEERFESTIVAL

28th - 31st August - Durham CityRugby Club

NE REGIONALMEETING

Saturday 31st August 1pm -Durham City Rugby Club

FUTURE DATESCASK ALE WEEK 19th-29th SeptemberSUNDERLAND BEER &CIDER FESTIVAL

3rd - 5th October, The Point.

GREAT BRITISH BEERFESTIVAL WINTER

NEW LOCATION BIRMINGHAMFEBRUARY 2020.

www.arrivabus.co.uk



ADVERTISING YOUR BUSINESSCAMRA Angle is published 4 times a year,in March, June,September & December. Nearly 3000 copies are distributedthroughout the North East (and beyond) and is a popular downloadfrom our website:-https://sst-arch.camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=65188

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN ISSUE 57 DUE SEPT 2019 ?SEE RATES BELOW

ADVERTISING RATESFull page ( single issue)…..£90Full page (4 consecutive issues)…..£81 per issue.Half page ( single issue)…..£55Half page (4 consecutive issues)…..£50 per issue.Quarter page ( single issue)…..£35Quarter page ( 4 consecutive issues)…..£31.50 per issue.A free design service for adverts is available if required. For furtherdetails please email [email protected] this issue we have adverts for The Steamboat South Shields,Maxim Brewery, The Station House Durham, The Biddick Inn &The Steps, both Washington. The Dun Cow Seaton, The IvyHouse Sunderland and The Avenue Roker.

Please support our advertisers, for without them we would notbe able to present CAMRA Angle for your enjoyment andinformation.

Many thanks to The Ship Isis Sunderland, Jarrow’s Gin & AleHouse and The Avenue, Roker for their hospitality in hosting recentbranch meetings, and to The Marine for hosting the May quarterly NERegional Meeting. For details of some future meetings, see our NoticeBoard on page 4.

Thanks for having us

Members MatterSunderland & South Tyneside branch membership is 676 (654)Other branches in the region: - Cleveland - 905, Darlington - 463,Durham - 838, Tyneside & Northumberland - 2166.Nationally membership stands at 191080 (190918).

See page 2 for details of how to join.

http://camraangle.sst.camra.org.uk/cangle.php

mailto:[email protected]



www.sst.camra.org.ukwww.sst.camra.org.uk

FULWELL

The Blue Bell has 10%discount for CAMRAmembers and hasintroduced a cask aleloyalty card.

HEBBURN

Dougie’s Tavern,formerly known as TheWhite Lead, is now openfor business. Taking backits old name, the pub’sinterior has beenremodelled with the barback to where it used tobe in its pre White Leaddays. Three handpullsoffer changing real ales.

SOUTH SHIELDS

At the Pier Head on SouthShields sea front is the

Sea Hotel (above).Inside can be found Bar52 Sports Bar, a recent

refurbishment. The barhas one handpull, BlackSheep Bitter seems to bethe permanent real ale.

SUNDERLAND

The Borough in the citycentre no longer offers

real ale. There were twoempty handpulls at thelast visit recently.

WASHINGTON

The Mill Houserefurbishment after thefire appears to be

complete. Star Pubs &Bars are looking forsomeone to run thepub. The emphasis

appears to be on food soit remains to be seen ifreal ale will be available.

News of another real aleoutlet, San Lorenzos Bar& Restaurant (below) -an Italian Restaurant witha separate bar and twohandpulls with local ales.

Any pub news? [email protected]


Pub News

mailto:[email protected].



In late June/July Maximwill be brewing two newbeers for the Vaux 20th

Anniversary - GoldTankard and Dray andHorses.

Also in the first week inJuly Samson will featurein the Strangers Bar in theHouses of Parliament.

The press /VIP launch ofthe new film A Passionfor Vaux is set forMonday 1st July withpublic screenings onTuesday 2nd . DVD’s willbe available to purchasefrom the film company andthe brewery .Look out forannouncements on thislater.

In May SIBA (Society ofIndependent Brewers)held their North East

judging and awardsceremony at theGateshead Rugby ClubBeer Festival - (read moreon next page) Maximcame away with threeawards:-

Raspberry Porter - GoldCask Speciality Mid todark beers.

Medusa - SilverCask IPA - 5.5 to 6.4%

Maximus - SilverBottle /Can British DarkBeers (4.5 to.4%)

Brewery “Open BarNights”. The first Friday ofthe month, now a familiarlocal event well receivedby local real ale drinkers &members of this branch.

The Brewery Shop isusually open Tues-Friday,12:00-17:00. With aselection of bottles & otherbranded gifts, beer giftpacks etc. Enquiries -0191-584-8844

MD Mark Anderson withtheir three awards.


Maxim Brewery News



On Friday 3rd ofMay the Society ofIndependentBrewers’ (SIBA)held their NorthEast Beer Awardsat GatesheadRugby Club. Thiscoincided with theclub’s annual Beerand Music Festival.

Myself (HardWorking Scribe),Ken Paul (Editor-who typed some ofthis), MichaelWynne (BranchChair) and StevenClough all from ourbranch volunteeredto judge at thecompetition.

The proceedingsstarted at 10:30a.m. and we wereexpecting to finishby 3pm. Therewere 25 categoriesranging from cansto bottles to cask ofvarious strengthsand style. We wereto blind taste 3classes each with

points beingawarded forAppearance (10),Aroma (10),Flavour (20),Aftertaste (10),Saleability (10).

At the end of the 3

rounds there wouldbe a final blindtasting roundjudged by “experts”and the 3 beerswith the mostmarks were givenGold, Silver orBronze awards.

My first class wasCask British Bittersup to 4.4%. Therewere 12 beers inthis class and myimpressions werethat they were verysimilar in taste with

no real stand outwinner.

Next was BritishDark Beers. Thiswas a more variedclass with 10beers- porters, drysweet and oatmealstouts. I judged anoatmeal stout firstfollowed by aporter.

We had to have a

rest after all thishard work and sobroke for lunch inthe marquee

A TRYING DAY - By Terry Ford



where they werecooking one of thelargest paella’s Ihave ever seen!We remarked thatwe were veryimpressed at howwell it was

organised.

After the food I hada small class ofdark beers to judgewhich we quicklypolished off. Onejudge on my tablewas a hugelyknowledgeable guywho had brewedCharles WellsBombardier, I waswell impressed!

After we hadfinished workinghard drinking freebeer, Ken Pauldropped a terriblebombshell, “you do

know that it is nowa free bar!”

We struggled intothe marquee barand there were 50hand pulls on -where to start! Thefestival real aleswere in fact theones we were blindtasting, so all thepump clips wereturned round.

Being a methodicalkind of chap Isuggested goingfrom left to right,“What ! Try to drink50 beers?” Out of

courtesy I did mybest to sample asmany as I could.With the judging alldone, it was timefor thepresentations ofawards for each

category, then afinal presentationfor the overall Gold,Silver and Bronzecask beer.

CullercoatsBrewery tookhome overall Goldwith their ‘PollyDonkin OatmealStout’, a rich, thickand creamy stoutwhich proved a hitwith the expertjudges.

Ossett Brewerywon the overallgold in the bottle &can competitionwith ‘Alpaca’, anaromatic doubledry-hopped IPAbrewed under theirnew SALT BeerFactory brand.

It was such hardwork I had to go tobed at 6:00!!

Editors Note - Iprefer dark beersand guess howmany I got to judge- none!





Left - Steve Clough presents DaveGraham of The Avenue with theCAMRA award for SunderlandCider Pub of the year 2019. Thepub was subsequently chosen asthe North East Regional CiderPub 2019. The Avenue will now beentered with the other 15 CAMRAregional champions into theCAMRA National Cider Pub ofthe Year competition. Well done tothe management, staff & patrons ofthe Avenue. A presentation of theregional award will be later thissummer.

Left and below left- Chairman MichaelWynne presents Chris Taylor of TheShip Isis, Sunderland with the CAMRAaward for Branch Pub of the Year2019. Chris said he was glad to receiveit for the third time, having last won it in2014. The pub will now be judged overthe summer along with the other winnersof the North East branches.

Below- Alex Chandler of The Marine,South Shields is presented with hisaward for runner up Pub of The Year.The Marine was also South TynesideCider Pub of the Year.

Well done to both, along with TheSteamboat South Shields for 3rd place.

BRANCH AWARDSPRESENTATIONS 2019



I have read several bookson the subject of beer butnever one which containsa drawing of the humandigestive system! When Ifirst picked the book up Iidly opened it near themiddle, and wasconfronted with this imagein a chapter called BeerBellies. “This is going tobe interesting” I thought.Well, yes and no.

This technical and veryscience orientated book iswritten by two Americanswho work at the AmericanMuseum of NaturalHistory. It is not apparentwhose writing is whosebut it starts offinterestingly enough withalcohol in nature. A plantin Malaysia producessugar rich nectar whichferments into an alcoholicdrink enjoyed by the pen-tailed tree shrew, whichcan drink the equivalent of12 bottles of beer withoutany ill effect. Not so thehowler monkey inPanama who has beenseen getting drunk on thefruit they enjoy. The pointbeing different mammalshave different tolerancesto alcohol.

The book then looks atbeer in the ancient world,including the startling factthat Cleopatra of Egyptwas the first to tax beer.Another fact which wouldmake a good quiz

question: -Weihenstaphan breweryin Germany claims to be,since 1040, the oldest inthe world,

They next go into greatdetail, down to amolecular and DNA level,how water, barley, yeastand hops combine tomake beer. This sectionruns to 70 pages and isvery heavy going. There isthen a short chapter onfermentation, which has anotable omission – finings.I would have liked to haveread about the science offinings. In the chapter onwater, the term “wort” isintroduced, with noexplanation as to what it isfor another four chaptersduring fermentation.

We then move onto theaforesaid beer bellychapter followed by beerand the brain. In theCAMRA Book of Beer

Knowledge there is astatement that beerdoesn’t make you fat.Looking at my girth I havealways doubted this andthe book proves I wasright with their analysis ofthe reaction of beer on thehuman body. It makes foran interesting butdisturbing read. Theyreckon for beer to becalorie neutral you have totake part in a forty minutewalk for every pint drunk.The effect of booze on thebrain is analysed bylooking hypothetically atdrinking a six pack andwhat happens after eachbottle.

In the penultimate chapterthere is the story ofTutankhamun Ale, brewedby Scottish & Newcastle in1996 to an ancient beerrecipe. Sadly, thebrewery, and the beer areno more.

This leads neatly into thelast chapter and the futureof brewing. I started thereview just after theannouncement aboutFullers selling theirbrewery, and although thisbook predates this,instances like this are wellresearched and discussedat length.

There is an extensivebibliography near the endof the book which detailstheir sources for this

BOOK REVIEW - A NATURAL HISTORY of BEERby Rob deSalle & Ian Tattersall



section, and there aremany. For such atechnical book, one majoromission is a glossary.This would have gone along way to explain manyof the scientific terms.Maybe they consideredthere were too many!

A biochemist would lapthis book up but for theaverage beer drinker

about a quarter of it couldbe skipped as some isheavy going. The authorsfreely admit this.

I will end with a commentabout CAMRA made inthe final chapter .(Remember these guysare American andtherefore neutral).“….cask conditioned alessoon became identified

with a subculture ofeccentric, backwardlooking enthusiasts….”

A NATURAL HISTORY ofBEER by Rob DeSalle &Ian Tattersall242 pages. ISBN: 978-0-300-23367-4Published by YaleUniversity Press(Hardback)

BOOK REVIEW – THE CIDER INSIDERBy SUSANNA FORBES.

Susanna Forbes is a ciderproducer and awardwinning drinks writer. Thisguide is her personalchoice of 100 craft cidersavailable worldwide. Now Ihave a confession to make- I am not a cider expertand am only occasionaldrinker, often at beerfestivals.

It was with this backgroundthat I was curious to seehow this book wouldinterest me.There is a foreword bycider and perry maker,Tom Oliver. The book isthen broken down into sixgeographical regions,England Wales & Ireland,then France, Spain, rest ofEurope, North Americaand Australasia & SouthAfrica.

Each section gives a twopage introduction withuseful websites to learnmore. There then followseach of the recommendedciders and perries..

Two of these entries arefrom the author and theaforesaid writer of theforward. Not having triedtheir products, I cannotcomment on their inclusionother than why did theychose their own?It would appear, judging bythe illustrationsaccompanying eachdescription that thisselection is all aboutbottled ciders and perries.My limited experience isdrinking from bag- in- abox dispense, which is notdiscussed here. Each entrygives useful details ofwhere the cider is made,using which fruit and thenthe life story of the drinkfrom harvest to baffling.

For a relative novice likeme there is a usefulglossary and a brief guideto making cider which Ifound very informative.Susanna Forbes admitsthat this volume doesn’tcontain more detailedinformation about thehistory of cider and perry,and how they are made.

So did I learn anything?Well it opened my eyes tothe variety of ciders andperries available. Also, andthis may be me being a bitof a “nerd”, but in the indexI counted references forover sixty varieties ofapples and a dozenvarieties of pear. Didn’tknow there could be thatmany!

THE CIDER INSIDER bySusanna Forbes224 pagesISBN: 978-1-78713-003-6Published by Quadrille(Hardback)£12.99



THE AVENUE.Zetland Street, Roker, Sunderland, SR6 0EQ

Tel :- 0191 5677412.Website : theavenue.pub. Facebook : theavenueroker

● 8 handpulls serving real ales & up to 10 real ciders.● 20p a pint discount for card carrying CAMRA members● We are in The 2019 Good Beer Guide.● Sunderland CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year 2019 AND

CAMRA North East Regional Cider Pub of 2019MONDAY - Poker Night.

TUESDAY - Bingo.WEDNESDAY - Free Pool & Jukebox.

THURSDAY - Quiz Night.SUNDAY - Domino Handicap.

Function Room , Beer Garden, Upstairs Games RoomSKY SPORTS and BT SPORT

WE ARE HERE

For any forthcoming events pleasesee our Facebook page

. .Bus Stops for Sunderland - South ShieldsService E1 are nearby on Roker Avenue.



After 10 years of aCAMRA campaign, thePubs code came intoforce in July 2016, togovern the relationshipbetween tied tenants andtheir pub companies.

There were 2 mainobjectives : -

1. Establish a StatutoryCode and IndependentAdjudicator to ensurelicensees are treated fairlyand to crack down oncases of inflated rents andexcessive beer prices.

2. A Market Rent OnlyOption to ensure thatlicensees tied to the largepub companies are ableto buy their beer on theopen market.

Below is an extract fromthe CAMRA website *

Campaign Update: Twoyears after the Codecame into force, it is clearthat some pub owningbusinesses are exploitinggaps in the Pubs Codeand not abiding by thespirit of the legislation.CAMRA is calling on theGovernment to review thePubs Code urgently tomake sure that pubtenants are getting the fairdeal that the Code wasintended to deliver.

To that end SmallBusiness Minister KellyTolhurst announced atthe end of April 2019 thatthe government wouldlaunch its first statutoryreview into the pubs code

and pubs codeadjudicator. This reviewwill take 12 weeks andthere will be invitations offeedback from pubcosand pubs covered by thecode, trade organisationsthat represent pubtenants, and the pub codeadjudicator.

* Further reading :-https://www.camra.org.uk/pubs/save-our-pubs-campaign/pubs-code-and-adjudicator/

An article in issue 51 ofCamra Angle (Spring2018) looked at a CAMRAcampaign for PubCompany Reform.

http://camraangle.sst.camra.org.uk/documents/Issue51.pdf

Background



Following on from KenPaul’s article in CAMRAAngle 54, on his “mysterytrip”, many years ago, Iworked as a Civil Servantat the Ministry site atLongbenton, Newcastle.

I came up with the idea ofa Magical Mystery Tour.This was only open toSport and Social clubmembers as it wassubsidised. For a fiver,members got a coach tripto 4 pubs, plus a meal atthe end.

Having chosen my pubs Ithen tried to book thecoaches, unfortunatelythey are slow lumberingbeasts around town, so Iwouldn’t have enoughtime for my chosen route.

I then chose 4 new pubs,the first being TheGeorge Stephenson(above) at West Moor.The common denominatorwas each pub sold a goodselection of real ales.

After an hour we set off toThe Job Bulman inGosforth, which had only

been open for 2 weeks,having previously been a

Post Office.

After another hour,journeyed to The TwinFarms (right) at KentonBank Foot. Our final pub,was The Keelman, at theBig Lamp Brewery atNewburn, mainly becauseI love Prince Bishop!

At this last stop, we hada buffet meal before thecoaches dropped us offin Newcastle.

I’m pleased to say thatthese trips are still

popular. My CAMRAfriend Gordon Healorganised many, includingone where there was awhole hog roast.

If you are planning one,my “Top Tips” are:-

● Visit the pubs toensure they takecoaches and have

enough staff to cope.

● Sample the beers.

● Go to the furthestaway pub first, andwork back. Samplemore beers.

● Consider a coachwith an on boardnetty. Look for pubsthat are off the beatentrack, have history orjust excellent ales.Sample them!

Good luck and BonVoyage.

Written by DaveCraggs, who wastransferred to our branchfrom Tyneside &Northumberland aboutfive years ago.

It was during the closeseason as part of the“Boozeman Ruling”.

A Magical Mystery Tour





One of the advantages ofbeing older is that thereare many bargain railfares that allow you toexplore at a reduced rate.Twice a year, TransPennine Express run theirClub 55 promotion thatallows you to buy openreturn tickets to anywhereon their network for £22. Ifyou also have a SeniorRailcard, you can claim afurther 20% discount. So,we decided on a visit toHuddersfield.

The day did not start well:the Metro was suspendedbetween Brockley Whinsand Pelaw. We did notreach Newcastle in timefor our intended train andthe Sunderland contingentarrived in Huddersfield anhour later than planned.Our Tyneside friend hadgot the planned train andhad already done some‘research’ by the time wearrived.

Huddersfield is the largesttown in Kirklees and theborough has a staggeringnumber of microbreweriesand due to its proximity toManchester, Leeds,Sheffield, there is alwayssomething interesting onthe bars of a town thathas some of the finestpubs in the country.

Our first stop is on thestation. On the left hand at

the end of the colonnadeis The King’s Head. Thisa large open room with animpressive 10 cask ales, 6real ciders and 6 keglines. Most of the beersare from local brewers. Ichose Elland Idaho, apale hoppy 3.9% beer at£2.90 a pint.

Time to move on as weare an hour behindschedule. Leave the

Kings, pass the GeorgeHotel; birthplace of theNorthern Rugby FootballUnion (now called theRugby Football League);turn left and just the otherside of the railway is TheSportsman.The pub is celebrating its10th birthday sincereopening and has 8handpumps,8 keg linesand 2 real ciders. There

were a number of specialbeers brewed with thecollaboration of theowners to celebrate thisspecial anniversary. I triedSummer Wine Decadefrom nearby Holmfirth a4.1% beer for £3.40.Again, beer quality wasexcellent.

Time to move on to visit anew outlet, The Corner.This proved to be quitedifficult to find. It isupstairs hiding on MarketWalk. Easiest way to findit is to turn left by theNatWest Bank.

The Corner (above) isrun by local Mallinson’sBrewery and the first-floorbar is bright and spaciousand has 7 handpumpsselling mainly local beersincluding 2 fromMallinson’s, 10 keg linesand half a dozen ciders. Ichose Mallinson’s PerleyDewdrops at 4,1% for£2.90. another very palehoppy beer.

Go back onto West Street,turn left and proceed toring road, then down

BEER BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT - Michael Wynne



Chapel Hill to the Rat &Ratchet. This is part ofthe Ossett group and isthe home of the RatBrewery. The pub has13 cask ale lines,several kegs and realciders.Rat beers are regularlyseen back home, andtheir names are mostlycheesy puns. A new onefor me was Desert Rat at4.1% for £3.10.

Back up the hill, pass thenew Lidl and LeisureCentre and you’ll find the

jewel in the crown, theGrove.The two-room pub has animpressive 19handpumps, 11 keg linesand a couple of ciders. Isettled for Brodie's OldStreet Pale at 5% for£3.70.

Time is now up and a 10-minute walk takes us backthe station and a pre- trainhalf in the King’s Head.Another excellent day outin a town with great pubsand excellent beer atprices well below what wepay at home.

Recommended.

Editors Note :-

There is anotherTranspennine Express triparticle on the next page.

SPBW NORTH EAST NEWS -MICHAEL WYNNE

Since the last issue of theAngle, we have had meetingsat The Ship Isis inSunderland and Owa theRoad in Swalwell when wepresented owner Dave Cookwith our winter pub of theseason award. Owa the Roadis an excellent micropub andis easily accessible by busfrom Gateshead andNewcastle.

Our May meeting was in TheColpitts (above) in Durham; aSamuel Smiths pub selling theexcellent Old Brewery Bitter at.

£2 a pint.

This was followed by visits toThe Old Elm Tree and TheStation House micropub.

Our June meeting was atCullercoats Crescent Clubon the 8th; and July’s meetingwill be at The Heaton Tap onChillingham Road on the 13th.

On Saturday 15th June, we willbe visiting The Junction pubin Castleford. The Junction isunique as all beers are soldfrom wooden casks thatbelong to the owner.

We do not have a meeting inAugust; instead we are havinga wander around Whitley Bayon Sunday the 4th.



A news story broke inAugust last year about thefate of the landlord of theBlue Bell in York. Briefly,Punch Taverns hadserved the owner, JohnPybus, with a terminationof his lease and aneviction notice from thepub.

The reason ? John hadexercised his legal rightas the tenant of the citycentre pub to negotiate afair market rent and optout of the beer tie, whichwould have meant hehad to buy all his beerfrom the pubco atinflated prices.Punch wanted to bring ina manager rather than alandlord and it was feltthis would change the waythe pub was run. The Yorkbranch of Camralaunched a petition whichwas signed by 6500. Thiswas successful and Johnsigned a 6 year lease in2018.

Fast forward to last monthand making use of aspecial offer fromTranspennine Express mywife and I decided on aday trip to York. I recalledthe above story andsuggested we visit thepub as I had never been. .The Blue Bell has been apub since 1798 and waslisted as a Grade II listedbuilding in 1954. It can befound in Fossgatesandwiched between aclothes shop and a cafeabout 15 minutes walkfrom York Station.The pub has a tiny frontbar to the right when youwalk in, a narrow corridorthen a slightly larger backroom or smoke room.There was a goodselection of mostly local

ales. I asked for aRudgate Mild and thebarman (not Mr Pybus)did the right thing and saidhe would top it up when ithad settled. Now howmany don't do that ?There were severalCAMRA awards andnotices adorning the

walls, most of which wereinteresting and incharacter. What wasn't,was a list of house ruleson a laminated sheet. Onewas to bar large groups ofvisitors as the pub was

too small, so no henparties of bachelor nights.Fair enough I suppose. Idid like the cash only signhowever.Thinking about it , thiscould be classed as amicropub, being aconversation only place.The pub features inCAMRA’s Good BeerGuide and Best RealHeritage Pubs and isworth seeking out- justdon't go as part of a largecrowd!

Ken Paul

PUB REVIEW - The Blue Bell York



Islay, the Isle of Malts islocated in the SouthernHebrides and is famousfor its malt whiskies.There are eight distillerieson the island and a ninthis close to startingproduction.

At the beginning of May, Iset off with my sister andbrother-in-law to visit theisland.

Whisky and beer havesimilar ingredients, andboth are fermented sothey are near relations.Some research beforedeparture gaveinformation about thedistilleries and how tobook tours but, I checkedWhatPub to see what wasavailable beerwise.WhatPub listed twooutlets for real ale on theisland; the Islay Hotel inPort Ellen where we werebased and the PortCharlotte Hotel. Both arelisted as selling ales fromthe island’s only brewery;Islay Ales.

More research told meIslay Ales are based atIslay House Square atBridgend. The 2019 GoodBeer Guide lists 4 regularcask ales but there is notmuch information aboutthem. This was added tothe list of places to visit onthe island.

After a 6-hour journey

from Annan, we made the2-hour ferry crossing toPort Askaig. The bar onthe ferry had a selectionof Islay Ales in bottles. AsIslay is the Isle of Malt, Itried the Single Malt Ale.This is a 5% golden beermade with the same maltsand water used in whiskyproduction. The beer hada rich peaty nose andflavour, very similar to theisland’s whisky. The labelshows that it is bottleconditioned and hasCAMRA Real Ale in ABottle accreditation.

Once on the island, weheaded for the brewery,which has a small taproom and visitor centrewith 3 handpumps and acouple of keg lines. Wehad generous samples ofthe Finlaggan AmericanIPA, Black Rock Ale andFinlaggan Ale. There is ashop selling bottles and Ibought a box of 6;3 Single Malt and 3Finlaggan IPA.

In common with lot ofScotland, there are notmany pubs with mostdrinking taking place inhotels. We were staying inPort Ellen and had dinnerin the Islay Hotel.Cask beer is limited to thesummer but there was aselection of bottled IslayAles and their LongStrand Lager on keg. Itried the lager and found itvery pleasant if a littlecold.

On our second night weate in the Sea Saltseafood bistro in PortEllen which also offeredIslay Ales and ColonsayLager from the nearbyisland of the same name.The beer was pleasantbut a bit too sweet for me.Islay is renowned for itswhisky, so I suppose thatbeer is not as important inthe local culture; but thelimited selection availablewas quite interesting.By the end of our 3-nightvisited, I’d visited 7 of theisland’s distilleries andcame away with 5 bottlesof Islay whisky, most notavailable outside theisland.

I will go back to Islay andwould like to explore thewest of Scotland further;but next time, I will take abigger bag!

TRAVELS WITH BEER :MICHAEL WYNNE VISITS THE ISLE OF MALTS



The Biddick Inn WashingtonREAL ALE AVAILABLE

QUIZ NIGHT : Monday KARAOKE NIGHTS: Friday & Saturday

Functions catered for.

Beer Garden with BBQ and children's playground

THE STEPS5 CHANGING REAL ALES -WE ARE IN THE 2019 GOODBEER GUIDE.

QUIZ NIGHTS : TUESDAY& THURSDAY (MUSIC) AT9 PM WITH FREE HOTSUPPER.SKY SPORTS. LIVEENTERTAINMENT LASTSATURDAY OF THE MONTHFunctions catered for.

Real Ale, Real Pub, Real People.

Open : Mon-Fri 3.30pm-11pm, Sat Noon-11pm, Sun [email protected] 0191 4150733.47 Spout Lane, 2 minutes walk from WashingtonWashington,NE38 7HP. Village Green

Open daily 11am - midnight. Food served noon - 8pm ( Sun 4pm)

Bonemill Lane Near the banks of the River Wear andWashington,NE38 8AJ. Fatfield Bridge - bus stops outside.Tel - 0191 4195101




As spring wasapproaching it was timefor the lads to get out andabout and have a goodpub crawl. The decisionwas taken to visit ,Barnard Castle – knownas Barney to the locals.

Barnard Castle is amedium sized markettown next to the RiverTees and is probablyknown for being the homeof the Bowes Museum. Italso has an associationwith Charles Dickens, whovisited the town in 1838while researching hisnovel, Nicholas Nickleby.

The nearest large town isDarlington but the railwayclosed in 1965. We optedfor a train from Chester LeStreet and Durham toDarlington then the X76

Arriva bus from outsidethe Town hall, a 10 minutewalk from the station.

Now on these trips weusually have a

Wetherspoons breakfastsomewhere, but asBarney doesn’t have one,we took the executivedecision to try a breakfastcafé when we arrived at10 am.. .There are two clusters ofpubs in the town, alongthe length of the MarketPlace, and either side ofGalgate, where the busterminated. We chose theMad Hatters café forbrekkie and agreedafterwards that next time itwould a Wetherspoons !

There are 8 real ale pubsin the town and prior tothe trip I had looked at aselection and was keen totry The Old Well Inn andFirkin Alley, a 2 year oldmicropub.

However, the first to openat 11am was the TurksHead Inn ( left) the MarketPlace, so we all marchedin just after the hour,ready for a beer.Of the four handpulls onlytwo were in use, sellingnational beers; OldSpeckled Hen andBombardier. But first therewas the problem of gettingserved – no sign of anystaff. I had a look aroundnear the rear of the pubthen the barmaidsuddenly appeared formthe kitchen, apologisingprofusely, saying that she

was having problems withher vegetables!

The beer was just Ok thenit was time to leave themove on to The Old Wellwhich opened at noon.

We headed down theMarket Place past theButter Market and down asteep street appropriatelycalled The Bank to thepub which is on the right. .

The Old Well (above) is aCAMRA Good Beer Guideregular and had a goodselection of beers on fivehandpulls, but again nobar staff ! Then after awhile, like buses, two ofthem appeared at once.

Beers available includedStrongarm, Landlord, YorkHansom Blonde andMithrils Flower Power.The latter is brewed justover the border in NorthYorkshire by localCAMRA member PeteFenwick. A bit pale for my

SIX GO TO BARNEY



liking but fruity andpleasant non the less.

The fifth beer on wascalled Barney, which isbrewed by BarnardCastle Brewery in thetown. I asked the bar staffwhere the brewery was;neither of them had a clueand they had to ask alocal in the front bar. “Itsdown Newgate” was thereply, pointing up the hill !

We settled ourselves atthe very back of the pub ina well-lit and airyconservatory.

Doing some researchafterwards, the breweryopened in 2017 andmostly supplies localoutlets. There was no timeto visit however as thenext pub beckoned.

The Firkin Alley (right) isthe town’s only micropuband opened in 2016. Thepub is easy to miss, downan alleyway off the mainstreet. Opening time was2pm and keen to get inwhile there were plenty ofseats, we arrived justafter the anointed hourto find one customer, who

looked like he waspart of thefurniture.

Good news for me,they had a darkbeer on, the onlypub of the day thatdid; WensleydaleBlack Dub. Very

satisfying!

The pub had an upstairswith comfy armchairs andvarious odds and sodssuch as some onencyclopaedias on a shelfand a Remingtontypewriter on the windowsill.

After a couple of pints thepub was filling up -downstairs was heaving-and as the breakfast waswearing off it was time for

more food. It had startedraining and was gettingdark. Directly opposite onthe other side of theMarket Place Katie's Fishand Chip Shop & Cafebeckoned. So naturally wehad our fill.

Nearby was the GoldenLion but we needed to beback in Galgate as thebus service had reducedto hourly and with thetrains from Darlingtonstation every 2 hours,timing was key.

There were three pubs inthe vicinity of the bus stopand after a quickinspection it was decidedThe Three Horseshoesoffered the most choicewith three handpulls for aquick pint.

I was drinking a BeerMonkey Cuddly Toy whenwe spotted the bus pull upoutside then drive over tostop on the other side ofGalgate. The quick pintbecame an even quickerpint then we dashed overto catch our ride back toDarlington.

So although we managedhalf of the town’s pubs itwas a great day out andthinking about it, no pubswere closed!

Ken Paul





On Sunday 30th

December I saw out2018 with a lovely littlecrawl from Mill Dam, tothe Lawe Top and thenback to the Town Centrevia Ocean Road.

Mention the Mill Dam areaand there is only oneplace to start; TheSteamboat. This famouspub dates from the 19th

Century and is well known(and well loved) by thosewho know a thing or twoabout beer. TheSteamboat is a regularwinner in CAMRA Pub ofthe Year competitions,and on the odd occasionwhere it may not havewon, it will usually be inthe top 3. I had a verytasty pint of MaximDragon Ale (£3.40 a pint)and plonked myself in thecorner to take in thecharacter andatmosphere. This is apub I have been in manytimes over the years, butwhen you take the time tosit and look around, thereis always something newto catch your eye.Available during my visitwere 9 handpulls and 1real cider.

I was particularly pleasedto see Thornbridge JaipurIPA available in bottles, asit ranks in my top threefavourite beers. There isalso a huge range ofWhiskies and rums tochoose from.

The staff were as friendlyand helpful as always. Ajukebox is available, butthe volume is never tooloud to detract from thepleasures of socialising.Families, children anddogs are welcome. Thisplace is a real favourite ofmine, and I could havestayed longer.

However, I reluctantlyfinished my pint andheaded to the nearbyAlum Ale House. A signon the door stated ‘nochildren at any time’. Ican see the pros and cons

of this, but as I waswithout my companiontoday, it didn’t concern metoo much. I had a half ofMarston’s 61 Deep for£1.70 which was a difficultdecision as there were 11handpulls, a real cider,plus a dedicated pump forHobgoblin.

The staff were very helpfuland CAMRA magazineswere available, albeit notvery prominently. The pub dates from the 18th

Century and it is a realpleasure to take in thehistory as you look outacross the River Tyne. It

also holds Cask Marqueawards and is in the 2018Good Beer Guide.

Next was The Bee Hive,at the north end of MileEnd Road. I knew therewas no real ale available,but for me, it’s not alwaysabout the beer. I thinkpubs should be at theheart of the community,and the rate at which theyare closing makes mevery sad and fearful forthe long-term future of thepub industry. Still I had athoroughly enjoyable timewhile I was there. I won’t

bore you with the beer,which was fine, but thepub itself was clean &tidy, very welcoming andfull of life. I always likepubs with old photos onthe wall, and this pubobliged..

I then walked passed theArbeia World HeritageSite, and imagined what itwould have been like tobe posted there as aRoman Centurion. I’m avery proud SouthTynesider, so I wouldhope those brave soulsenjoyed their time there.There then followed acouple of pubs I hadnever been to; TheHarbour Lights and TheLookout. They are withinseconds of one another,but couldn’t be moredifferent. Neither had realale, which is a shame.

SOUTH SHIELDS PUB CRAWL



The former has amazingviews across the mouth ofthe Tyne towards theNorth Sea. A TV was on,playing a news channelon mute. The bar itselfwas quite sparse andthere wasn’t a greatchoice of beers, but thestaff were friendly andwelcoming. I enjoyed the60’s music which playedin the background… theyjust don’t make music likethat anymore do they? Ifinished my drink andwalked to The Lookout.

I like pubs like this, but Icould imagine that it’s notto everyone’s taste. Itwas full of atmosphere,yet quiet at the same time.A fair few regulars werepresent, and I believe theowner was serving behindthe bar. He was veryfriendly, very attentive andvery helpful (even turningthe lights on for me as Isat in the corner). Therewas no background noise,but I actually enjoyed that.I was unable to find anyhistory about the place,but as I looked around, itwas full of character. Apub quiz was advertisedfor Thursday nights. Andif you are ever there whenthe real fire is on, I’m sureyou’ll be in for a treat.

Next up, down the bank,was The Marine. This isanother CAMRA favourite,which means I was backonto the real ale. A pint ofStewart Brewing Ka Paiwas £3.50 for the pint,

which I enjoyed whileperched at the bar. I also

got my loyalty cardstamped, one step closerto a free beer!!! Free Wifiand Sunday lunch wasavailable, and there was apool table and jukebox toentertain those who aremaybe not blessed withthe art of conversation.

I’d clearly had a few beersby this point, so my mathsmay be incorrect, but Ithink I counted 6handpulls and 2 realciders. Worth noting isthat The Marine has beenbranch Cider Pub of theYear for the last 3 years.The staff were attentiveand welcoming, andCAMRA magazines wereon the bar, with someback issues to fill the gapsin my collection. The pubis nearly 200 years old butwas very smart inside,and made even more impressive viewing fromthe outside lit up as it was.

Last, but not least, Ivisited The Pier. I wasexpecting two handpulls,but my only choice of realale was Wainwright'sGolden Ale, which set me

back £1.60 for a half. Thisrecently refurbished pubwas very busy, but theservice was swift. Therewas rugby playing on theunobtrusive, muted TV,with a jukebox playing atlow level to create theambience. Oldphotographs were on thewall, and a veryimpressive light bulbarrangement adorns theceiling if you have theinclination to look up.

This single room, singlelevel bar is sandwiched inthe famous strip of OceanRoad restaurants and wasvery busy with bothregulars and those visitingbefore, or after their tea.It was my first timevisiting, but I suspect I willbe back.

All in all, I had a veryenjoyable afternoon. Thewalk was approx. 1.5miles, on smooth terrainwith only one or twoinclines / declines. Thereal ale I did have wasvery enjoyable, but I alsoenjoyed visiting pubs thatI had never visited before,whether they had real aleor not.

THE WANDERINGBEAR

Editors Note : - Shortlyafter this crawl, theHarbour Lights closed.Awaiting news



The following take 50p discount vouchers for real ale and cider.Cooper Rose & William Jameson, Sunderland.Wild Boar, Houghton le Spring.Sir William De Wessington, Washington.Wouldhave, South Shields.

Real ale loyalty card for members and non members :-Grey Horse - East Boldon, Longship - Hebburn, Guide Post Ryhope, New Derby -Roker, Marine- South Shields, Blue Bell - NEW, Chaplins, Chesters, Fitzgeralds, - AllSunderland.

Below is a list of pubs that offer a discount off real ale for card carrying CAMRA members.Again, if you have any updates please email [email protected]

The Avenue, Sunderland - 20p off a pint Guide Post, Ryhope - 20p off a pint

Bamburgh, South Shields - 25p off a pint Harbour View, Roker - 10% discount Mondayto Friday up to 7pm.

Blue Bell, Fulwell - 10% Discount NEW Ivy House, Sunderland - 10% discount

Cask Ale Lounge, South Shields - 15% disc. Longship, Hebburn - 10% discount

Chaplins, Sunderland - 10% discount on realale & food.

Maltings, South Shields - 10% discount

Chesters, Sunderland - 10% discount New Derby, Roker - 10% discount

Dun Cow, Sunderland - 10% discount Peacock, Sunderland - 10% discount

Engine Room, Sunderland - 10% discount Ship Isis, Sunderland - 20p off a pint

Fountain, South Shields - 10% discount Washington Arms, Washington - 10% disc

Grey Horse, East Boldon - 10p off a pint

East Boldon Ryhope Sunderland (contd)Boldon Cricket Club Guide Post Dun CowMid Boldon Club South Shields FitzgeraldsEast Rainton Cask Lounge Ivy HouseHighfield Hotel Criterion Kings ArmsFulwell, Seaburn & Roker Maltings Oak Tree FarmAvenue Marine Port of CallBlue Bell Steamboat Ship IsisGrannie Annies Sunderland WashingtonPoetic License Chesters Courtyard

Clarendon

CAMRA LocAle is an initiative that promotes pubs & clubs stocking locally brewed real ale. Belowis a list of those in the Sunderland & South Tyneside branch that sell beer brewed inNorthumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham. If you have any updates please email thebranch Pubs Officer, [email protected].



CB C

F

1 Who was the first person to miss a penalty at the 1994 World Cup (in Chicago)even before play had started?

2 Goneril, Regan and Cordelia were the daughters of which Shakespeare king?3 How many fences are jumped in total in the Grand National?4 In which year was Sunderland granted city status?5 Which former US first lady wrote the successful book “ Becoming”?6 Which song plays over a clock radio at the start of every day in the film

Groundhog Day?7 With 3.5 hours sun a day ( in 2016) which is Europe’s least sunny capital city?8 Which North East Brewery brews Polly Donkin Oatmeal Stout?9 Who was the first woman in Britain to give birth while leading a political party?10 Name the North East born 2019 World Snooker Championship semi finalist.11 What is the difference between a meteor and a meteorite?12 In which Australian state or Territory is Uluru ( Ayers Rock)?13 Name the smallest city in England in terms of population, based on just over

8000 at the last census.14 Which of the Queen Elizabeth II’s children was first to be born after she

succeeded to the throne?15 Which whole number is the first alphabetically?16 Which of St Austell's Brewery beers was originally called Daylight Robbery?17 What was the profession of Barry Taylor, played by Timothy Spall, in the TV

series Auf Wiedersehen Pet?18 In 1999, which larger than life actor, now 82, was the youngest man to reach the

magnetic North Pole on foot?19 Which day of the week was October 19th 1987?20 Name the brewery from this pump clip?

A

PUB QUIZ



Dun Cow ad

Dun Cow,Seaton Village, Seaham, Co.Durham SR7 0NATel: 0191 5131133

Facebook: Duncow Seaton-Village

OPENING TIMESMonday - Thursday open from 4-00

Friday open from 3-00Saturday & Sunday open from 12-00

Live Music

Four real ale pumpsever changing!

Always a choice of twolight and two dark ales,including locally brewedas well as established

favourites.Family and Dog Friendly

How to find usWe’re in Seaton Village, just west off the A19.Take the Seaham exit and head west into theVillage. Turn left into Hillside Crescent, andthen take the second left. We are at the endof the cul de sac.

THE DUN COW

Friday in the lounge BUSKERS from 9-00

PLUS



Greene King, foundedin 1799, is now theCountry’s leading pubretailer and brewerwith over 2,900 pubs,restaurants andhotels. So why closethe Grey Horse?

Living locally, I’vebeen in several times,but being a tied pub, theyonly ever had GK ales onwhen I was in. A little bitof “googling” shows thatWetherspoons (up) andGK shares (down) aregoing in the oppositedirection. So could theirdemise be down to theirbusiness model? Noteveryone is a fan of“spoons”, but their choiceof real ales, competitively

priced, steals trade fromother pubs.

People ask me whatCAMRA can do to keeppubs open. Unfortunatelywe don’t have a magicwand, and if the localsdon’t use it, they lose it.Times change, gin andProsecco are populardrinks, and there’s a craftbeer revolution. It’s up to

businesses to reinventthemselves to meettoday’s savvy customers’demands. But for the GreyHorse, GK have notinvested in it, it’s run downand has an air of neglectand its rumoured it is tobecome a COOP.

1 Diana Ross, during theOpening Ceremony

11 A meteor burns up in theatmosphere, a meteorite landson Earth.

2 King Lear 12 Northern Territory3 30 13 City of London4 1992 14 Andrew5 Michelle Obama 15 Eight6 I Got You Babe 16 Tribute7 Reykjavik 17 Electrician8 Cullercoats 18 Brian Blessed9 Ruth Davidson 19 Monday ( Black Monday)10 Gary Wilson 20 Tiny Rebel

Quiz Answers

The closure of the Grey Horse, Whitburn-a personal view by Dave Craggs



CAMRA’s Sunderland & South TynesidePub of the Year 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018

Regional Pub of the year 2015 & 2016Nine ever-changing Cask Ales

70 Whiskies & 50 RumsBeer Festival Jul 3rd - 7th -

20 ales & 5 real cidersTimothy Taylor’s Meet the Brewer Evening

Jul 3rd at 7.30pm. Tickets £5 inc tasters and buffet.

27 Mill Dam South ShieldsNE33 1EQ Tel: 0191 4540134

A Friendly Welcome Guaranteed!

THE STEAMBOAT

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