Durham Beer Festival

Pub of the Year & Club of the Year 2015: Results

Sunderland & South Tyneside: Pub of the Year 2015:
1st: The Steamboat, South Shields.
2nd: The Isis, Sunderland.
3rd: The Alum Ale House, South Shields.

The Steamboat: Pub of the Year 2015

The Alum House: Top 3 new entry!

Sunderland & South Tyneside: Club of the Year 2015:
1st: Mid Boldon Club, Boldon.
2nd: Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland.
3rd: Westoe Rugby Club, South Shields.

The branch offers its congratulations to all six venues for the work they have put in & for serving quality real ales throughout the year!

The "Top dozen" Pubs list for this year is:
Position     Pub                               (Position in 2014/2013/2012:)
1st: The Steamboat, South Shields.                      (2/2/2)
2nd: The Isis, Sunderland.                                    (1/1/-)

Harbour View: One to watch?

3rd: The Alum Ale House, South Shields.           (4/4/5)
4th: Fitzgeralds, Sunderland.                                (3/3/1)
5th: The Harbour View Sunderland.                     (7/-/-)
6th  The William De Wessington, Washington.   (9/8/9)
7th  The Maltings, South Shields.                         (5/5/3)
8th: The Courtyard, Washington.                          (8/6/6)
8th: The Kings Arms, Sunderland.                      (10/6/4)
10th: The Grey Horse, Boldon                             (-/-/-)
10th: The William Jameson, Sunderland.            (6/12/-)
12th: The Ivy House, Sunderland.                       (-/-/-)

Ivy House: New entry (2)

The Grey Horse: New entry (1)

Well done to all on the list, with over 100 venues in the branch area serving real ales it is an achievement to appear anywhere on these lists.






Lost from last years top 12 are: 
The Museum Vaults (11th, down to 14th) &
The Wouldhave (12th, down to 15th)

Vote for the 2015 Branch Pub of the Year (Poty) & Club of the Year (CotY) awards.

In the next few days all branch members of Sunderland & South Tyneside CAMRA will be receiving notification by either email (if we have your email address) or by letter (If we don’t.)

This communication gives notice that between now (Jan 6^th) & Feb 14^th (Midnight) we want your vote for the 2015 Branch Pub of the Year (Poty) & Club of the Year (CotY) awards. 

It’s very important to us that you take part in the vote as the more branch members that do take part then the more meaningful the result is to us as the award giver, but also to the Pub & Club gaining the award.

(In previous years this vote has had a high turnout. In fact we are proud to say one of the highest turnouts of any CAMRA branch nationally. Something we should be proud of yet still strive to improve! )

This year is also a first, as we move from a paper ballot to an online one. 

We do this simply because of the rising cost to branch funds of continuing a paper scheme.

In order to vote please follow the link provided below. 

You will need to logon. To do this you need to know your CAMRA membership number & also your national CAMRA password. 

This is the same CAMRA membership number & password you use to log onto any CAMRA website such as “WhatPub” or the “Membership Area” part of the national CAMRA website. If you have never used this before the default password will be the post code of the address you used to first join CAMRA. {The default password may include your door number as either a prefix or suffix to the postcode, this is if another CAMRA member lives on the same street’}

If all this fails go to http://password.camra.org.uk/ else email webaccess@camra.org.uk to get your password reset.

Once you have these details go to the voting site at: http://www.evp.sst.camra.org.uk/

You must vote for at least one pub, but if possible consider voting for your three favourite pubs & three favourite clubs.

The ballot lists the 22 eligible pubs. These are the 22 pubs in our branch area that your beer scoring on "WhatPub” put into the 2015 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

The 6 clubs listed are the only 6 Clubs in the branch area that we currently know serve cask ale.

After selecting between 1 & 6 entries the system will list them for your confirmation. 

If you confirm the selection will be complete & your vote cast, you won’t be able to log back on to the system this year. 

If you do not confirm then your choice will be disregarded & you need to log back on & vote again.

Once your vote is cast your CAMRA membership number will not be stored with your votes thus your vote will be anonymous. CAMRA membership numbers are retained, but only for audit purposes & to ensure one member one vote.

For this year only: Those branch members for whom we don’t yet hold a valid email address will also receive a paper ballot slip with their written notification letter. They should use this ONLY if they do not have access to the online voting site. 

However in order to audit these paper votes against online votes these paper slips must contain your valid CAMRA membership number, so paper votes will not be anonymous. We very much recommend therefore that the online site is used for your vote.

If you have joint CAMRA membership can you please make sure your joint members have also seen this notification. All joint members have a unique CAMRA membership number & thus are enfranchised to take part in this ballot.

Should you have any problems or queries either with the online vote system or this notification please contact the adjudication officer on evote@sst.camra.org.uk

CAMRA Members weekend (+AGM) Nottingham 17th - 19th April 2015

Branch member?
If so issue no.2 of our new branch members eNewsletter should now be in your inbox.
No?

---Then check what email address held on your CAMRA HQ account & if necessary update it.

Press Release
Released: Friday 28th November
For immediate release

CAMRA announces four finalists in National Pub of the Year competition

Pubs from Kent, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Gloucestershire to fight it out to be crowned Britain’s best pub

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today announced the four pubs in the final of their National Pub of the Year competition – one of which will be crowned the overall winner early next year.
The Freshfield in Formby (Merseyside), The Harewood Arms in Broadbottom (Greater Manchester) The Salutation Inn in Ham (Gloucestershire) and The Windmill in Sevenoaks Weald (Kent) have won their local and regional competitions before being selected as the final four from a list of sixteen regional winners.
“Each of these four fantastic pubs are already winners in their own right and really are well worth a visit from any ale-lovers who find themselves in the area. They will now go forward to fight it out for the overall National Pub of the Year, which will be announced in February next year.” Gary Chester, competition organiser.
Last year’s winner was The Swan with Two Necks in Pendleton, a cosy, village-centre pub that proved a huge hit with locals and visitors alike – as well as impressing the competition judges of course.
The competition looks for a number of things in winning pubs - decor, atmosphere, value for money -  but it is the quality of the beer that is always most important. In fact, last year’s winning landlord Steve Dilworth said at the time he believed it was his close relationship to the beer in his cellar that helped them win, saying “Talking to the barrels has finally paid off!".
The Four Finalists
The Windmill 
Kent Region
1 Windmill Road, Sevenoaks Weald, Sevenoaks, TN14 6PN
“We are hugely honoured to receive this award. The main focus of our business is great quality cask beer, focussing on locally produced ales but also offering guest beers too. We think it’s important to offer a true range, with dark beers such as porters and stouts, tawny beers such as best bitters, as well pale ales, IPAs and Golden Ales. The staff are really proud of the cask beer we serve.” Matthew Rudd, Landlord of The Windmill.
The Windmill offers an excellent selection of five to six top-notch ales, three Kentish ciders, and continental draught lagers, together with a comprehensive menu and basket meals (no food Sun eve). The homely interior features wooden settles, a log-burning stove, etched windows, porcelain and pub memorabilia, while a quiet, colourful garden is available for warmer times.
The Freshfield
Merseyside & Cheshire Region
1a Massams Lane, Freshfield, Formby, L37 7EU
“When we first heard the pub had reached the final 16 for the second year running, we were astonished. To learn we have now reached the final four is a dream come true. I am so proud of my team and everything they have helped us to achieve. They constantly deliver and exceed our customers’ expectations. I am not sure how we will celebrate if we win Pub of the Year, but we will definitely be toasting this latest news with a glass of real ale!” The Freshfield manager, Simon Cox
A great example of a community local where the emphasis is on beer quality. A Greene King pub, it offers up to 14 ales including 10 guests. The pub also has a growing reputation for good food served in the restaurant. Following a successful CAMRA-led campaign, the stone floored area has been retained. Families are welcome and an enlightened management with engaging staff help to ensure a welcoming experience.
The Harewood Arms
Greater Manchester Region
2 Market Street, Broadbottom, SK14 6AX
“It’s awesome to win but I can’t just take credit myself as this is a family effort with my wife and son also running the pub with me. We bought the pub from Enterprise and have put lots of effort in to improve the beer on offer and give the pub its character back.” Philip Wild, Landlord of The Harewood Arms.
Taken over in 2013, the Green Mill brewery has moved from Rochdale to the cellar of The Harewood Arms and the pub is now essentially a brewery tap. A range of continental bottled beers and a guest handpull cider complement the Green Mill beers. This large open-plan community pub is warmed by open fires, helping to create a friendly atmosphere. There is a pool table and elevated darts area to the rear.
The Salutation Inn
South West
Ham, Berkley, Gloucestershire, GL13 9QH
“It’s incredible [to be named in the final four]. My wife Claire and I have never run a pub before and have only ran The Salutation Inn for 18 months so to be in the final four is overwhelming. Our passionate staff and great regulars really do make this pub what it is.” Peter Tiley, Landlord of The Salutation Inn.      
This rural gem is in the Severn Valley, within walking distance of the Jenner Museum, Berkley Castle and Deer Park. The enthusiastic landlord keeps an inspired selection of ales and eight real ciders and perries. The pub has two cosy bars with a log fire and a skittles alley.


COPY ENDS

Sunderland Octoberfest 2014

Beer List:

	Brewery	Location	Beer	ABV	Tasting Notes
1	Binghams	Ruscombe, Berks.	Space Hoppy IPA	5.0%	A pale golden ale and the hops impart a citrus flavour to make this beer hugely refreshing.
2	Brewlab
3	Burton Bridge	Burton upon Trent, Staffs.	Bramble Stout	5.0%	A traditional stout with a mellow flavour and just a hint of blackberry in the aftertaste.
4	Bushys	Douglas, Isle of Man.	Ruby 1874 Mild	3.5%	An authentic 100% malt brewed mild with a fine aroma of crystal malt and fuggles and challenger hops. Deep red in colour, the flavour is well balanced creating a popular session beer.
5	Downton	Salisbury, Wiltshire	Quadhop	3.9%	As the name implies, this is a beer brewed using four varieties of hops :- East Kent Goldings, Pioneer, Challenger, Styrian Goldings. A golden coloured beer with the full range of hop flavours and aromas.
6	Freeminer	Cinderford, Gloucs.	Honey Dipper	4.6%	A clean tasting and well hopped beer brewed with 'Fairtrade' honey, to give a crisp clean bitterness and a complex aftertaste.
7	Grafton	Worksop, Notts.	Silhouette	4.0%	A pale yellow coloured ale which is brewed with vanilla pods. Easy drinking and refreshing.
8	Green Jack	Lowestoft, Suffolk.	Orange Wheat	4.2%	Light, with grainy citrus & marmalade flavours. This delightfully drinkable Wheat Beer is enjoyed by men and women alike. Now brewed with Citra Hops!
9	Highland	Orkney.	Orkney Blast	6.0%	A stunning stronger ale in the true British fashion, with balanced flavours from maris otter malt and English hops added early and late in the copper. One to take great care with as it is so drinkable.
10	Ilkley	Ilkley, West Yorks.	Rye n Dry	5.0%	Roggenbier
11	Jarrow	Jarrow, Tyne & Wear.	McConnell's Stout	4.6%	In 1932 Patrick McConnell left Ireland looking for employment.  He found work at Palmers Shipyard in Jarrow and lived the rest of his life at Jarrow on Tyneside.  Today his grandson brews an Irish Stout he would be proud of.  A rich creamy stout, with a l
12	Jarrow	Jarrow, Tyne & Wear.	Isis	5.0%	A well balanced golden premium ale with a full hop aroma and grapefruit presence on the palate.
13	Kent	Birling, Kent.	Enigma	5.5%	A highly hopped dark ale with a soft malt body and a balance finish. A black IPA, that's the engima!
14	Kelburn	Glasgow.	Red Smiddy	4.1%	Red Smiddy is a smooth, dry ale with a unique spicy aroma and flavour. Its reddish hue, warm glow and tight head gives it a presence that makes it stand out.
15	Little Valley	Hebden Bridge, W. Yorks.	Ginger Pale Ale	4.0%	Light and fresh with a hint of ginger and citrus. Ginger Pale Ale is approved by the Fairtrade Foundation.
16	Loch Ness	Drumnadrochit, Invernessshire.	Hoppy Ness	5.0%	A golden hoppy beer made with maris otter pale Ale and malted wheat. Hopped with Admiral, Columbus, Citra and Williamette. Hugely hoppy beer with a little sweetness in the background.
17	Maxim	Houghton Le Spring	Simcoe Kid	4.2	A light golden ale with a citrussy bitterness from the 7 Cs hops and an interesting fruity burst of aromas including passion fruit, lemon and grapefruit from the Simcoe hops
18	Maxim	Houghton Le Spring	Swedish Blonde	4.2%	Named after Maxim Breweries own Anna Goransdotter – Bell, this smooth blonde beer is very light in colour and uses cascade and first gold hops to give refreshing hoppy and complex grapefruit flavours on the palate.
19	Maxim	Houghton Le Spring	Maximus	6.0%	A strong and warming beer that is also smooth and easy to drink, dark ruby in colour, Maximus is described as smooth, sweet, with a hint of liquorice.
20	Saltaire	Shipley, West Yorkshire.	Raspberry Blonde	4.0%	A refreshing blonde ale infused with a hint of raspberries.
21	Skye	Uig, Isle of Skye.	Black Cuillin	4.5%	A distinctive dark ale brewed with roast barley and rolled roast Scottish oatmeal giving an almost stout-like bitterness, smoothed with the addition of pure Scottish heather honey.
22	Stewart	Edinburgh, Lothian	Pentland IPA	4.1%	A golden dry abv, with a slight fruit tones and a moderate bitterness. Fresh hop and added to contribute a more complex character, resulting in an easy to drink ale that offers refreshment with a little extra spice.
23	Stewart	Edinburgh, Lothian	Edinburgh No 3	4.3%	A full-bodied cask ale, with an intense colour, rich malty taste and a clean finish. Brewed using 4 types of malt, including generous portions of black and crystal, subtly balanced using only a small amount of the finest hops.
24	Strathaven	Strathaven, Lannarkshire.	Old Mortality 80/-	4.2%	A blend of five different types of malt gives this chestnut coloured ale a rich dried fruit flavour which is beautifully offset by spicy American hops.
25	Temptation	Houghton le SPring	Sorachi Ale	4.6
26	Tryst	Falkirk, Fife	Transatlantic Hop Trials	3.90%	A continual series of hop trial beers. Each beer will have the same light malt base, be the same strength and will feature a different American aroma hop in each trial.
27	Titanic	Burslem on Trent, Staffs.	Plum Porter	4.9%	This beer is dark, strong and well rounded; the richness of such a rotund beer is brought to an even keel by the late addition of Goldings hops and natural plum flavouring.
28	Tyne Bank	Newcastle upon Tyne	Barrel of Monkeys	6.9	Collaboration between Tyne Bank and Hand Drawn Monkey of Huddersfield. Due to the high strength, sold in third pint measure
29	Williams Bros.	Alloa, Clacks.	Fraoch	4.1%	Brewed with malted barley and heather flower tips to create a multi-award winning beer.  A light amber ale with a floral/peaty aroma, full malt character, a spicy herbal flavour and a dry, wine-like finish.

Cider & Perries List:

All from Barbourne Cider
Maker - Richard Reynolds
http://www.barbournecider.co.uk/
 
Ciders
Golden Drop – Medium – 5%
Crimson King – Medium / Dry – 6%
Sweet Kernel – Sweet  - 4.5%
Worcestershire Cider – Dry – 6.3%
 
Perries
Painted Lady – Medium / Sweet – 5%
Blakeney Red – Medium – 6.5%

Sunderland & South Tyneside Pub of the Year 2014:

1st: The Isis, Sunderland.

2nd: The Steamboat, South Shields.

3rd: Fitzgeralds, Sunderland.
  
{Picture of Isis supplied by Jarrow Brewery}

Sunderland & South Tyneside Club of the Year 2014:

1st: Mid Boldon Club, Boldon.

2nd: Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland.

The branch offers its congratulations to all five venues for the work they have put in & for serving quality real ales throughout the year.

The full results list this year is:
Position     Pub    (Position in 2013/2012:)

1st: The Isis, Sunderland. (1/-)

2nd: The Steamboat, South Shields. (2/2)

3rd: Fitzgeralds, Sunderland. (3/1)

4th: The Alum Ale House, South Shields. (4/5)

5th: The Maltings, South Shields. (5/3)

6th  The William Jameson, Sunderland. (12/-)

7th  The Harbour View Sunderland. (-/-)

8th: The Courtyard, Washington. (6/6)

9th: The William De Wessington, Washington. (8/9)

10th: The Kings Arms, Sunderland. (6/4)

11th: The Museum Vaults, Sunderland. (10/12)

12th The Wouldhave, South Shields (-/-)

Again well done to all on the list, with over 100 venues in the branch area serving real ales it is an achievement to appear anywhere on these lists. 

All Sunderland & South Tyneside members: 

The Pub & Club of the year ballot papers are in the post, if you don't get one let us know asap so it can be sorted. 

 

Please, please use your vote & thus have your say in selecting our Pub & Club of the Year 2014! 

(Lets try & beat last year when about 40% of the ballot was returned.) 

- Returned papers must be in the Secretary's hands by Saturday 1st Feb....so do it NOW! 

• The vote for PotY is from the 22 pubs listed on the ballot....These are the 22 pubs we put in the 2013 edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. 
• The vote for CotY is a free vote, choose upto 3 Clubs in the branch area that serve real ale &/or real cider.

Also:

Selection of Pubs for our entries into the 2014 edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide are underway. 

I can't reveal the list on a public forum, (branch members who missed Tuesday's meeting in Fitzgeralds can find out from the latest set of branch meeting minutes, once they are written up!)

What I can say is that we have been allocated 22 entries in the 2014 Guide & the list of 22 that we are currently reviewing were selected from the NBSS scores made by CAMRA members during 2013.

In 2013 a total of 1923 surveys were carried out in 84 pubs in the branch area, so well done to all who took part & all CAMRA members, including those visiting our branch area are encouraged to have there say & score pubs. Remember NBSS scores can now be entered through WhatPub at:  http://whatpub.com/login

Choose your Champion Beer of Britain

Choose your Champion Beer of Britain It’s time for you to consider the beers you want to nominate for the Champion Beer of Britain. This year the nomination period will run from the 1st November 2013 to the 31st December 2013. Now that we have announced this year’s Champion Beers it’s time for you to consider the beers you want to nominate for the next Champion Beer of Britain competitions. As last year all CAMRA members can nominate their choices via the national website and take part in the process to choose the Champion Beer of Britain. The beers judged in the national finals go through a very rigorous process to be selected, including a series of regional competitions in nine areas, to find the best regional beer in each of eleven beer style categories. In each region, the beers selected for the local competitions are determined by member nominations and Tasting panel input.

Have Your Say the On-line Way Any CAMRA member can login into the CBOB web site www.cbobvoting.org.uk using the same login details they use to access the members' area of the CAMRA national website. Having logged in they are able to access information about the nomination schedule. The website allows all members to nominate five beers in each of the eleven categories to be put forward for the CBOB competition. Those members whose branches straddle multiple CAMRA regions will be presented with the option to choose the region they want to vote in. You will be permitted to vote in both regions. The CBOB voting web site is www.cbobvoting.org.ukwww.cbobvoting.org.uk. Do not delay. Vote today.

The 2013/14 Cask Report came out a few weeks ago, if you are working in the trade this is a must read publication. Others interested in cask ale in general will also find it of interest:
http://www.caskreport.co.uk/cask-reports/report-2013-14

PRESS RELEASE:

The Sunderland and South Tyneside Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is pleased to announce the return of our beer festival, the Sunderland Octoberfest to the Bonded Warehouse on Low Street from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 October. This is fifth year that we have held our beer festival at this venue.

We have put together a selection of real ales from micro and independent breweries from all over the country. Many beer styles will be available from mild, bitters, stouts, wheat beers, fruit flavoured beers and a chilli plum porter. The focus this year is on the new wave of small brewers from London, the East Midlands and Yorkshire.

All of the brewers located in our branch area will be represented- Jarrow, Maxim, Darwin and Temptation. We will be one of the first to have Jarrow Amber Ale- one of the first beers brewed on their new brewery following their return to Jarrow. 

The beer range is complemented by a selection of ciders from small producers from Gloucestershire, Hereford and Worcester. CAMRA nationally has designated October as Cider Month.

The festival is open from 4 to 10:30 on Thursday, 1 to 10:30 Friday and from noon on Saturday.

Admission is £1.00 and free to students and card carrying CAMRA members.

A souvenir glass will be available for sale or hire.

Michael Wynne 

(Branch Chair and Festival Organiser)

Next Branch Meeting:

• Next branch meeting is Wednesday, 9th October @ The William de Wessyngton, Washington. 

  Starts 20:00. All branch members welcome

Steamboat Halloween Beer Festival 2013.
From 31st October, until 3rd November.
Friday 1st November is Fancy Dress Night.

25 Real Ales, Suitably chosen to match the theme!


Opening night event (Thursday 31st October):
Erasmus Bottle, aka Dave Walker, local historian and writer.
Entertains audiences across the North East recanting tales via an alternative version of history with a bit of humour:
Opens Steamboat Halloween Fest - £4 per ticket + Buffet

DRACULA TO MAKE APPEARANCE IN SUNDERLAND!

A comedy play based on the Dracula story, which has been invited to be performed at the Whitby Goth Festival, is to have three dates in Sunderland this autumn.

Dracula: Die Laughing which will be performed at the Isis pub (Sunderland and South Tyneside CAMRA branches Pub of the Year 2013) in Silksworth Row, Sunderland city centre, has been penned by South Tyneside playwright Ed Waugh who came up with the idea after a friend returned from the Whitby Goth Festival and was raving about it.

The weekend festival, which is held every April and October, attracts 12,000 people of all ages from all over the world, many of whom dress as Goths but most attend to take in the styles, music and laid-back atmosphere of the event in the North Yorkshire town.

Ed, who with his writing partner Trevor Wood has notched up some of the most successful north east plays in the past decade, explained: “My mate Les went last year and he never stopped talking about it. So I agreed to go with him next year but I felt if we were going it should be with a play. Everyone knows about Dracula being a vampire, and how it was at Whitby that he first came ashore. 

“I felt we could have great fun with Dracula being a bit passed his best and, being pursued by Vampire hunters, takes refuge at the Whitby Goth Festival.

“We spoke to the organisers and they want to include us in the official programme alongside the bands, so we are delighted to be an integral part of the event next April.”

The north east tour will be to fine tune the show but director Gareth Hunter of Ion Productions is promising a cracking evening’s entertainment.

He said: “The script is hilarious. The show will include audience interaction and we initially want to run it at intimate venues in preparation for the Whitby event and a regional tour next year. This is Dracula as never seen before. People will actually feel sympathy for the poor old soul!”

Dracula: Die Laughing, opens at Collingwood College, Durham, on  Tuesday, October 29, and runs at the Magnesia Bank, North Shields (Wednesday 30) and Sunderland Isis pub on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (October 31 and November 1 and 2).

Tickets cost £8 and £5 (unwaged) and are available from the venues or via the Dracula: Die Laughing Facebook site.  The show is open to everyone and suitable for the 14+ age group.

Gareth added: “People are welcome to come in Gothic costume, especially for Halloween on the 31st.” 

Stables beer festival Saturday 14 September

The Stables brewery/pub at Beamish are having their annual beer festival and i was going to run a bus there on Saturday 14th September.  Over 50 beers and plenty of ciders and perry's + live music and food available.

If any one is interested, let me know asap and i will organize.

Lynn D ( email )

More Info.

After our August break the next branch meeting is Tuesday 10th Sept @ The Tram Inn, Market Place, South Shields (was Rosie Malones). Starts 20:00. All branch members welcome.

Next NE CAMRA Regional meeting is Saturday 31st August @ Durham University Students Union, Old Elvet, Durham. {NB This is also the last day of the Durham Beer Festival at the same location.}

The Dark Side of the Half Moon. 

For years a bunch of mates have drunk in their local pub The Half Moon - a traditional fleapit of an English pub. But all is about to change when the landlord, Trevor, decides The Half Moon is to become a trendy café bar. The locals, Jesus an ageing Pink Floyd fan, Harry a journalist and Tommy an allotment holder, are appalled by this and decide to revolt.

Add to the mix the huge tensions between Trevor and his brother Rob, an ex-footballer; something obviously going on between Trevor and Shelagh, the cleaner; Tommy's nephew Stan, who is a few sandwiches short of a picnic; and Trevor's missing wife Maria, and you have a perfect combination of hilarious laughs with more than a hint of mystery.

Written by National TV Comedy Award nominees Brian Walsh & Neil Armstrong, this is a great comedy for one and all, especially if you harbour an affection for the traditional old boozer! 

We are pleased that we can announce the support of Jarrow Brewery for this production.
The brewery is creating a special dark ale (which will be named "Half Moon") which will be available to all real ale pubs.
The brewery is also providing us with a hand pump for the actors to use on stage as well as allowing us to use its various pubs to film a variety of short vignettes where the characters will rant about weekly topics as well as having a real ale recommendation.

From Gareth Hunter of ION Entertainment.

“WhatPub.com”, CAMRA’s own online guide to real ale pubs will be launched to the public at the end of September/beginning of October.  (Currently only CAMRA members have access.)

Several branch members have already put in a huge effort, with the help of fellow members at Tyneside branch's "SPILE" team to get our entries to the stage they are currently at.....but it is a big demand on the volunteer’s time & what we currently have is still very much a work in progress!

None the less, your help so far & in the future is very welcome.

Please keep amendments & comments coming....Although it may seem nothing happens for quite a while do be assured that every comment is logged, available to the whole team & will be acted on at some stage. Also don’t be afraid to send negative criticism as well as positive, at the end of the day this is all about CAMRA providing the public with a pubs database that is useful and reasonably accurate.

See also the guide to using WhatPub in CAMRA Angle 32. (Which can be downloaded now from http://camra-angle.co.uk/)