JUNE
It's
out !.
The latest issue of Real Ale in and around
Darlington & Teesdale has been published.
Featuring over 120 pubs crammed into over 30 pages, the new guide gives details of pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants and off-licences. They range from basic boozers to classy country retreats, with only one thing in common: they all serve traditional British beer in the most traditional way - real ale.
The guide covers the full Darlington CAMRA area - not just the town but the area around it, including parts of North Yorkshire as well as beautiful Teesdale. Copies of the guide should be available wherever you pick up the new issue of Darlington Drinker 170.
To
see the online version of this guide click
here.
MAY
Branch
Pubs of the Year.
The Branch's Annual
General Meeting recently took place at the William Stead in Darlington.
Branch members were given their opportunity to vote for their favourite
Town and Country Pubs of the Year. Unbelievably, the Number Twenty-2 and
the Quakerhouse received the same amount of votes but a second vote gave
the Town Pub of the Year to the Number Twenty-2, thus repeating its 2007
success. The Quakerhouse became the runner up in the Town category and
The Britannia, winner of the award in 2005 and current Town Community
Pub of the Year finished third in the voting.
A presentation was made on Tuesday 20th May by branch chairman Peter Everett, right in picture, to licensee Ralph Wilkinson and it was the fifth time that the pub in Coniscliffe Road has won this award.
In
the Country Pub of the Year competition, the Crown at Manfield, pictured
left, won the award for the seventh time in a row. The Red Lion at
Cotherstone, the branch's Country Community Pub of the Year was second
while the Shoulder of Mutton at Kirby Hill was third in the voting.
A presentation was made on Tuesday 13th May by branch Pubs Officer Pete Fenwick, left in picture, to licensees Peter and Karen Hynes. It is the seventh time in a row that the Crown has won this award.
Five
on the spin.
Darlington Snooker Club
has once again won Darlington CAMRA's branch Club of the Year. It is the
fifth time the club has won the award, and it has been a great
achievement in winning again after seeing an application to turn the
club into apartments being overturned back in September last year.
A presentation was made on Thursday 15th May by branch committee member Alan Holmes to proprietor Peter Everett during the club's Booze 'n' Cues Beer Festival. Peter thanked everyone including club members, CAMRA members and his staff who have helped him during the threat of closure. Darlington Snooker Club enters the North East Club of the Year Competition for 2008, a competition it has won since 2004.
Charity
Presentation.
At
the Spring Thing Festival our chosen charity this time was Macmillan
Cancer Support.
Many punters at the festival donated their unused cash on the beer cards plus any loose change towards the chosen charity and overall £181.95 was raised. Beer Festival Organiser Ian Jackson presented Jill Campbell, right in picture, the Fundraising Manager for Macmillan Cancer Support with a cheque at their Darlington Office recently. Jill thanked Darlington CAMRA for choosing Macmillan Cancer Support as their chosen charity and for their efforts.
MARCH
Easter
Island, a seasonal special from the Captain Cook Brewery in Stokesley
won Beer of the Festival at the 2008 Spring Thing Beer Festival. For the
4 barrel brewery, based behind the rear of the White Swan in Stokesley,
North Yorkshire it was a special success especially for new brewer Ian
Jackson, as the 4.1% malty flavoured ale was the first beer he brewed
there after joining there in early March from Wear Valley Brewery.
As part of a Spring Thing Beer Festival Workers Trip to the Captain Cook Brewery, a presentation was made to Ian by Branch member Pete Fenwick, left in picture. The Beer of the Festival runner up was SS Darlington at 4.0%, brewed especially for the festival by Dark Tribe Brewery from North Lincolnshire while Slipway, also from the Captain Cook Brewery finished third in the voting making it a double success for the new man aboard the ship !.
FEBRUARY
In
the Community ...
At our January
Branch
Meeting at
Darlington Cricket Club,
we had the unenviable
task of looking
at pubs submitted by
branch members which had an
opportunity of winning
our Community Pub Awards for 2008, with
the award presentations
taking
place during CAMRA's
Community Pubs Week
which runs from 16th to 23rd February.
For
the Country Community Pub
Award category, last
year's winner the
Crown at Manfield was pipped by the
Red Lion purely for the reasons
submitted by landlord
Richard Robinson on
behalf of his regulars. These included use by
clubs of
the dining room in the pub during the week, and Richard himself selling
raffle tickets over the bar for various
events. A presentation was made to
the Red Lion in Cotherstone on Saturday 16th
February. The reasons
for winning were well in evidence on our arrival with
locals playing dominoes (top
picture),
and so
our very
own branch members
John Carling and Fred Lawton duly
joined
in the fun. Branch
member and Community Pubs Committee Organiser
Malcolm Dunstone presented landlord
Richard Robinson, right in picture,
with the Country
Community Pub
of the Year 2008 Award
in front of a pub packed
full of regulars.
Richard, one of the youngest licensees thanked his regulars for
making the pub what it is, described by one of
the locals as "a cracking village
boozer".
In
the Town Community Pub Award category there
were
4 entries, The Britannia, Hole in the Wall, The Quakerhouse and the
recently re-opened
White Horse in Harrowgate Hill. Again, after
the hearing the reasons
for submission, the Britannia was
declared the winner following up its success in the last year's
competition. Branch Chairman Peter Everett
presented landlady Sue Carr, right in
picture, with
the Town
Community Pub of the Year 2008 Award. Sue
thanked all her regulars and those who use the pub for their
community activities
such as the
Spraire Lads Football Club, The Folk Club and Rotary Club.
The pub itself organises events including the popular
annual "Britannia
Whitby Trip" which takes place in August
during
Whitby's Folk
Week and also
celebrates Burn's
Night, St Patrick's Day and St George's Day with traditional food dishes.
Sue and partner Terry will also be
celebrating
7 years at the Britannia
at the end of March.
Congratulations to both the Britannia and The Red Lion on their community awards.
Windie
wonderland ...
Branch members Pete Fenwick, Ian
Jackson, John Magson and former Branch Social Secretary Ian McAlpine
recently visited the Ayrshire area of south west Scotland to make a
presentation at the Failford Inn, Failford near Ayr pictured left.
Situated within the pub is the Windie Goat Brewery and their beer
Peden's Cove at 3.5% was the winner of Beer of the Festival at last
year's September's Rhythm 'n' Brews Beer Festival. The beer takes its
name from the area nearby where the Covenanter Alexander Peden was
rumoured to have preached in the
17th century.
The
presentation was made by Beer Festival Organiser Ian Jackson, left in
picture, in front of a packed pub to brewster Michelle Kesall, right in
picture. Michelle, who ironically was born in Darlington thanked the
branch for the award and all her regular customers. Also available on
the night from Windie Goat Brewery was Fisherman's Pride at 5% but this
unfortunately ran out and was replaced by Priest's Wheel, an amber ale
flavoured with American hops at 4.3%, named after a fishing pool on the
nearby river Ayr. The two Windie Goat beers were also supplemented by a
guest beer from Blackwater Brewery's Detox at 4.0% from "south of
the border" in Stourbridge, West Midlands.
After an excellent meal and a few more beers, the trip headed back to their base in Ayr checking out the Good Beer Guide listed pubs, including the highly recommended Geordie's Byre. Our thanks go to Michelle and all the staff and regulars at the Failford Inn for their hospitality, not to mention the excellent beer !.
Click here to visit Michelle's Windie Goat "brewery blog" for news, including our presentation.