The guide has opened up opportunities for us to spread the CAMRA message and some of our best sales have come from book shops and tourist information centres. As a result of the publication of the guide we have been commissioned to write a series of articles in The Vine magazine about pubs in its distribution area. The first three pubs were The Golding Hop, Plaxtol (October), The Bricklayer’s Arms, Chipstead (December) and The Royal Oak, Halstead (January), so lookout for more to come.

• Full colour 176 page pocket sized paperback, packed with useful and interesting information

• Extensive pub details including description, list of facilities, opening hours, real ales, ciders, perries, etc.

• Over 100 colour photos of the best pubs

• 50 pages of related articles illustrated in colour, including walking, cycling, public transport and tourist attractions

• Information on beers, local breweries, ciders and cider makers

• Guide area map and four main town maps

• The first new pub guide to the area in 10 years

Also available by post to:
Gateway Guide, 251A Upper Grosvenor Road,
Tunbridge Wells, TN1 2EJ
Add £1.50 P&P. Cheques payable to “Gateway Guide”
gatewaytokent@dalgleish.org

Elland 1872 Porter is timeless classic!

Elland 1872 Porter Pump Clip

1872 Porter from the Elland Brewery, West Yorkshire, has today been crowned the Supreme Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010 by a panel of judges at the National Winter Ales Festival in Manchester.

The 6.5% abv porter is described in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide as a ‘creamy, full-flavoured porter, with rich liquorice flavours with a hint of chocolate from roast malt, and a soft but satisfying aftertaste of bittersweet roast and malt.’

Graham Donning, National Winter Ales Festival organiser, praised the Champion Winter beer for its quality. He said:

‘A timeless classic well worthy of this accolade. It has won many awards at CAMRA beer festivals in the past, and it’s great to see this small brewer achieving such success. A perfect winter warming remedy to the snowy weather in recent weeks! ‘

Winning today is especially sweet for the brewer after finishing in Silver place overall in the 2009 competition.

Dave Sanders, Head Brewer at Elland, was elated to hear of the brewery’s success. He said:

‘It absolutely brilliant; we came second last year and I am thrilled to finish on top in 2010. We originally started brewing this beer at the West Yorkshire brewery, so there’s quite a history behind this Victorian recipe. ‘

Also in the Overall awards, Silver went to Breconshire’s Ramblers Ruin, whilst the Bronze medal went to Acorn’s Gorlovka Imperial Stout.

A panel of beer writers, members of the licensed trade and CAMRA members judged the competition at the Sheridan Suite, Manchester. The Champion Winter Beer of Britain competition is sponsored by JD Wetherspoon.

Drinkers at the National Winter Ales Festival will now be able to sample the winning brews, as well as a formidable selection of over 200 different beers, including a range of ciders and perries.

Victorious at the Winter Ales Festival today, Elland’s 1872 Porter will now enter into the final of the Champion Beer of Britain competition at the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, in August.

National Winter Ales Festival 2010-
Wednesday 20th – Saturday 23rd January 2010, Sheridan Suite, Oldham Road, Manchester, M40 8EA
For more information on the National Winter Ales Festival, visit

Winter beer styles, as taken from CAMRA’s ‘Dictionary of Beer’:

Porter – A dark, slightly sweetish but hoppy ale made with roasted barley; the successor of ‘entire’ and predecessor of stout. Porter originated in London around 1730, and by the end of the 18th century was probably the most popular beer in England.

Stout – One of the classic types of ale, a successor in fashion to ‘porter’. Usually a very dark, heavy, well-hopped bitter ale, with a dry palate, thick creamy, and a good grainy taste.

Old Ale – Now virtually synonymous with ‘winter ale’. Most ‘old ales’ are produced and sold for a limited time in the year, usually between November and the end of February. Usually a rich, dark, high-gravity draught ale of considerable body.

Barley Wine – A strong, rich and sweetish ale, usually over 1060 OG, dark in colour, with high condition and a high hop rate.

National Winter Ales Festival 2010- Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2010- Winners List

Old Ales and Strong Milds category-
Gold- Breconshire, Ramblers Ruin (Brecon, Powys)
Silver- Leeds, Midnight Bell (Leeds, West Yorkshire)
Bronze- Beartown, Black Bear (Congleton, Cheshire)

Porters category-
Gold- Elland, 1872 Porter (Elland, West Yorkshire)
Silver- Sulwath, Black Galloway (Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway)
Bronze- RCH, Old Slug Porter (Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset)

Stouts category-
Gold- Acorn, Gorlovka Imperial Stout (Barnsley, South Yorkshire)
Silver- Beowulf, Dragon Smoke Stout (Brownhills, Staffordshire)
Bronze- Wapping, Stout (Liverpool, Merseyside)

Barley Wines category-
Gold- Robinsons, Old Tom (Stockport, Cheshire)
Silver- Kinver, Over the Edge (Kinver, Staffordshire)
Bronze- Otley, O8 (Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan)

OVERALL result
Gold- Elland, 1872 Porter (Elland, West Yorkshire)
Silver- Breconshire, Ramblers Ruin (Brecon, Powys)
Bronze- Acorn, Gorlovka Imperial Stout (Barnsley, South Yorkshire)

Your Email: iain.dlagleish@lineone.net

Pub Name: The Grove Tavern

Reason for nomination: Great local with well kept beers

Click here to find out more…

- Britain now brews over 200 Milds, double the number in 1999

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is urging all drinkers of mass-produced lager who have always wanted to try real ale in a pub, but were not sure where to start, to give the beer style ‘Mild’ a try in Mild month as an introduction to the world of real ale.

CAMRA’s research shows that 65% of alcohol drinkers have never tried real ale, although it is perceived by many to be Britain’s national drink. This is surprising when you compare this to only 16% of the French nation who state they have not tried their national drink, wine!

In past reports, many non-real ale drinkers have highlighted they would like to try real ale but either pre-conceive it as being ‘too bitter’ or are not sure of where to start. CAMRA believes Mild could be the answer.

Ruth Tyrrell, CAMRA National Beer Styles Coordinator, said:

‘This campaigning month is a perfect opportunity for those that have showed an initial interest in real ale but are not sure where to start, or think all real ale is bitter, to try a pint of Mild.”

Tyrell continued:

‘There are more than 2,500 different varieties of real ale on today’s market that offer a huge variety of flavour. These are categorised into beer styles such as Bitters, Porters, Stouts, Golden Ales, Barley Wines and of course Mild.  If a non-real drinker thinks all real beer is bitter then I would encourage them to try a pint of Mild, they will be pleasantly surprised. Mild beer is very tasty and refreshing but unlike bitters, they are usually more malty and sweet. 40% of consumers that try real ale for the first time continue to drink it regularly. Trying Mild could be a great introduction to the superb world of real ale for many consumers across Britain!’

Mild beers have been served in Britain’s historic public houses for centuries, and have had great success in CAMRA beer awards over the last decade with Hobsons Mild (Worcestershire) and Moorhouse’s Black Cat (Lancashire) classed as Supreme Champion Beers of Britain in recent years.

Once classified as an ‘endangered beer style’, there currently more than 200 Mild beers produced in the UK, an upsurge from 1999 when there were only 88 Mild beers being produced.

CAMRA has supplied hundreds of pubs across Britain with promotional packs that include pump-clip crowners to highlight what Milds are on at the bar plus posters and leaflets to help educate more consumers on the beer style Mild.

JD Wetherspoon, which has over 700 pubs across Britain, has announced they will have 4 different Milds available in a number of their outlets during the month, including some additional Milds available from local brewers in selected pubs.

Tyrrell concluded:

‘One of the reasons why National Mild Month is so important is it raises the public profile of innovative UK brewers who devise so many wonderful new recipes and ideas, which I think licensees can draw inspiration from. Mild Month is a great campaign that helps consumers, pubs and the real ale brewing industry.’

A definitive list of Milds brewed in the UK can be viewed at www.camra.org.uk/trymild

To find out more about National Mild Month, the Mild events in your region and Milds to try during May please visit www.camra.org.uk/mild

“It is disappointing that the Chancellor has ignored widespread public concern about the plight of Britain’s pubs and decided to press ahead with an increase which will result in yet more valued community pubs closing down. Well-run community pubs are already struggling as a result of last year’s 18% increase in beer duty and the recession. This further beer duty increase will push more valued pubs over the edge resulting in job losses, reduced Government tax revenue and many more deprived of their favourite local pub.”

“Well-run pubs provide an enjoyable and affordable night out in a safe and supervised environment and this duty increase will simply fuel irresponsible drinking of cheap discount alcohol in people’s homes, public parks and on the streets.”

- 18% beer tax increase by Government in 2008 has forced publicans to up real ale prices by an inflation-busting 5.5%, new research from CAMRA shows

- Britain’s drinkers have paid over 3 billion pounds in beer excise duty since March 2008 Budget

- 70,000 people sign up to Axe the Beer Tax campaign. 25,000 have contacted their MP to call for a freeze in beer taxation and abandonment of plans for annual above inflation beer tax hikes

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has spoken out at its distaste for further beer tax increases in this year’s Budget as its board of Directors converged upon one of Britain’s most historic breweries.

On Friday April 17th, CAMRA’s National Executive members gave a rallying call at Harveys brewery
in Lewes, East Sussex, in advance of CAMRA’s national AGM, and Chancellor Alistair Darling’s Budget on April 22nd.

At their annual Conference over one thousand CAMRA members overwhelmingly endorsed a call to freeze excise duties and scrap the beer tax escalator as new research shows the heightening effect taxation is having on beer prices at the bar.

CAMRA’s 2009 Prices Survey shows that-
- The pub price of a pint of real ale has increased by 5.5% since February 2008
- The East Midlands has been hardest hit, with real ale prices increasing by 9.1% since February 2008
- Britain’s independent freehouse pubs are the worst suffering pubs, increasing real ale prices by 6.2% in the last year

Speaking of the new research, Mike Benner, CAMRA Chief Executive, said:

‘Both the publican and the pub-goer are suffering at the hands of disproportionate increases in beer taxation. Beer prices across the board are increasing way above the rate of inflation and the Government must act now to give well-run community pubs a break.’

Benner continues:

‘In addition to the 18% increase in beer tax last year, the Government appear committed to punishing responsible pub-goers with a 2% above inflation rise in beer tax year after year. A decision to abandon this unfair, inflation-busting tax escalator and freeze beer tax are key remedies for preventing what has previously been described as a ‘bloodbath’ of pub closures across the land.’

‘The Axe the Beer Tax – Save the Pub’ Campaign was launched in November 2008 by the British Beer & Pub Association, and CAMRA. For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.axethebeertax.com

- The RPI (Retail Prices Index) shows that in February 2009, inflation levels were at 0%.

Real Ale- Results of CAMRA’s Annual Prices Survey- conducted between January 19th and February 23rd  2009 in a variety of public houses

                                                                  Feb ‘09         Feb ‘08      % Change

UK                                                            259               245            5.5%

By Region                                                                                         

Eastern England                                        272               256            6.2%

East Midlands                                           261               239            9.1%

London                                                      279               264            5.8%

North                                                         243               230            5.6%

North West                                                226               215            5.0%

Northern Ireland                                       276               234            17.7%

Scotland                                                    266               255            4.3%

South East                                                 273               259            5.4%

South West                                                250               242            3.4%

Wales                                                         229               225            1.8%

West Midlands                                          239               231            3.2%

Yorkshire                                                   238               232            2.6%

To find if your Council has signed up to the Act check this site:     www.localworks.org
To find and contact your Councilors use this site:         www.writetothem.com

For urgent action
The Sustainable Communities Act is an amazing new law that came about due to a huge campaign by grass roots organisations. CAMRA played a leading role in the campaign and we now we urgently need your help to ensure it is a success in Kent.
For you to use the Act’s new ‘bottom up’ process your local council must first choose to do so. Unfortunately Kent is one of the few counties in England where neither the county council nor any of the district councils have so far chosen to use the Act’s process.
Please act now – Using the Act’s process means submitting proposals to government by the deadline of 31st July. This deadline is fast approaching. If your council does choose to use the Act it provides an opportunity to protect pubs and further CAMRA campaigns in Kent. It can be used to

a.. Increase the number of pubs eligible for rate relief
b.. Ensure full planning permission is require for convert a pub to another use
c.. Outlaw the use of restrictive covenants that prevent a closed pub being reopened
d.. Allocate funding to initiatives to promote local beers

ACTION - please urgently write your council urging them to ‘Please resolve to use the Sustainable Communities Act by submitting proposals by 31st July > 2009.’ I have attached a sample letter which you can use. More information on how the Sustainable Communities Act works and how to use it Local Works is the national coalition that campaigned for 5 years to see the Sustainable Communities Act made law. To find out all about the radical new ‘bottom up’ process that the Sustainable Communities Act has set up and how you can use it go to our website - www.localworks.org

You’ll now be able to keep up with forthcoming branch events, branch news, beer festivals and other stuff via a this website.