Sunday Mercury - Toby Jugg

Festival time in Warwickshire

2009-11-02T17:35:00Z

Knowle's acclaimed hostelry The Vaults is hosting its own beer festival until Sunday evening.

Located just off the village high street, this popular real ale bar won Solihull CAMRA's "pub of the year" competition for a record fifth time in 2008.

Beer pundit launches website

2009-11-02T00:45:00Z

Award-winning beer writer Jeff Evans has launched a new online resource for real ale enthusiasts.

Inside Beer will promote new brews and recommend the best places to drink in Britain.

"I'm very excited about Inside Beer," says Jeff, who edited eight editions of the annual Good Beer Guide.

"It allows me to continue the work I've been doing for more than 20 years, which involves highlighting the very best beers and showcasing the people behind the world's most interesting breweries."

There has big plans for the site, he added. "It's designed as a one-stop shop for beer news and information and what you currently see online is but the first stage of our development. As the beer world becomes ever more diverse and fascinating, so I hope Inside Beer will reflect this and become increasingly influential."

CAMRA has designs on pub heritage

2009-07-23T12:12:00Z

Reckon your local's decor is a match for its top-class beer?

The Campaign for Real Ale, in conjuction with English Heritage and the Victorian Society, is running a national competition to promote pub design.

The deadline is 30 September and you can download the entry form here.

Making a hash of customer relations

2009-07-08T01:42:00Z

From Hugh Muir's diary column in Tuesday's edition of The Guardian: "Finally, while the Act of Union holds fast, each day it is characterised by its controversies and tested by its tensions. Many important figures have been called upon to address these sensitivities. Tim Martin, the ebullient, outspoken boss of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain is just the latest. Asked by a customer to address the issue of why a standard side order produces two tasty, golden hash browns in his English establishments but just one in Wetherspoons outlets in Rhyl, North Wales, Martin said: 'My wife comes from the Rhyl area, where they are notoriously parsimonious (like the Scots, without the generosity).' But then, this mutual understanding is what makes the union what it is. Destinies entwined by love and hate."

Wye oh Wye?

2009-07-05T21:55:00Z

Bad news from the fifth Hay on Wye Beer Festival, where even an emergency delivery of 18 beer barrels failed to satiate the tide of thirsty punters. The turn-out was apparently 30% up on last year's event.

Free beer for D-Day heroes

2009-06-12T22:25:00Z

Forget Gordon Brown and his dismal D-Day photo-op: there's a far better celebration taking place at Meriden's historic Bulls Head pub.

Landlord John Smedley has laid on the commemorative Liberation Ale to mark the 65th anniversary of the Normandy invasion - and is offering a free bottle to any ex-service personnel from that campaign who turn up from 22 June onwards.

He told our sister newspaper the Solihull Times: "The D-Day veterans are very special people and we would like to acknowledge their bravery by giving something back."

Win a weekend beerhunting in Brussels

2009-06-04T17:26:00Z

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is marking the release today of a new edition of its popular Good Beer Guide Belgium with a competition to win a weekend trip to Brussels .

Author Tim Webb catalogues the various beer styles and Belgian brewers, and suggests places to drink the best beers, as well as offering quirky trivia about the industry.

He said; "The Belgians make the finest, most enjoyable and extraordinary beers on Earth - the fact that they don't realise it is a bonus. It's great to be a tourist with a weapon that puts you ahead of the locals."

CAMRA has joined forces with Eurolines for a tie-in competition, offering coach travel and accommodation in Brussels for the lucky winner and a companion. Cave Direct, sponsor of the new edition, has also offered cases of Belgian beers as the 10 runners-up prizes. You can enter online here.

Good Beer Guide Belgium is available from all major booksellers and the CAMRA shop, priced £14.99 (there's a £2.00 discount for CAMRA members).

Staffs CAMRA to brew own festival ale

2009-06-04T15:01:00Z

CAMRA's Heart of Staffordshire branch has been invited to create its own beer this weekend by Shugborough's Titanic Brewery.

The results of members' labours will be unveiled at their second beer festival, being held 25- 27 June at Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre.

For further information, check out their website.

Beer in Barston

2009-05-07T00:30:00Z

Solihull CAMRA will be hosting a social evening at the Bull's Head in Barston on 3 June. For full details, call Allan Duffy on 01564 200 431.

For further information on the branch's activities, check out its award-winning website.

High note for Highwood

2009-04-02T20:10:00Z

Congratulations to Solihull licensee Dave Hunt, who made it into the final four contenders for this year's Publican Awards. Dave's run The Highwood in Solihull for the past decade, recently switching from manager to leaseholder.

Full marks, also, to: The Bell in Welford on Avon, shortlisted for "best pub food"; The Fox in central Birmingham, nominated for "best community pub" (it's a really friendly hostelry, with great beer, only a stone's throw from the Hippodrome); Oxfordshire's Hook Norton brewery, down for both "pub company of the year" and "regional brewer of the year".

A spokesman for the organisers said : "We are looking for the very best that this great industry has to offer and our expert judging panels simply will not settle for anything less! Not only have [our finalists] risen to this challenge, they have gone far beyond that and grown their business through innovation and sheer hard work."

Far from tickled pink

2009-03-28T19:00:00Z

The landlord of Ledbury's historic Prince of Wales pub has a colourful problem - artistic vandals have painted the exterior of his premises a striking pink.

Les Smith has no idea who perpetrated the prank, although locals did spot a couple of men in overalls active in the early hours. Speaking to BBC1 this morning, he joked that the pub might have been targeted by the Lavender Hill Mob.

Still, makes a change from painting the town red.

CAMRA backs Scots clampdown

2009-03-04T18:32:00Z

The Campaign for Real Ale is supporting moves by the Scots Parliament to ban below-cost alcohol sales.

The organisation's support for such an initiative was announced back in January 2007, in the wake of reserach revealing some supermarkets were selling alcohol cheaper than the equivalent amount of bottled water.

CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner said: "It is irresponsible and reckless for the major supermarkets to sell alcohol at below cost. A person who is addicted to alcohol is completely free to buy an enormous amount of alcohol at ridiculously low cost and then consume it, either at home or on the streets.

"It is well documented that irresponsible price promotions in the off trade are a major cause of binge drinking and alcohol related disorder."

Supermarket undercutting has been blamed in part for the closure of nearly six British pubs early day.

"Well-run community pubs are being undermined as a result of unfair competition from the major supermarkets selling alcohol at below cost," he added. "Supermarkets are subsidising alcohol loss leaders by higher prices elsewhere in their stores which is not something a pub can do.

"Well-run community pubs abide by high standards which help encourage the sensible and responsible consumption of alcohol. These pubs are also at the heart of their communities providing an irreplaceable venue for socializing, sporting, community and charity activity."

Springtime in Solihull

2009-03-03T20:45:00Z

Solihull CAMRA has unveiled its spring schedule (for further information on local activities, check out the branch's award-winning website):

20 March: Beer and balti at the Anchor, Bristol Road, Birmingham, 8:00pm.

19 April: Earlswood ramble and pub crawl, starting at The Reservoir, 12:00 noon.

2 May: Long Itchington Beer Festival (details to be confirmed).

Last orders postponed for Derbyshire pub

2009-03-03T15:15:00Z

Real ale campaigners in Farnah Green, Belper, are celebrating a planning victory against the owners of the village's Bluebell Inn.

Planning officials have upheld Amber Valley Council's refusal to allow the pub to be switched to residential use.

CAMRA's East Midlands Regional Director, Julian Tubbs, said the Bluebell Inn was "undoubtedly a community facility.

"There is insufficient evidence that the pub has been properly marketed and its recent failure is more evidence of the failure of choices made by the owners rather than that the pub is inherently unviable."

Is your pub under threat? Check out this CAMRA resource for advice.

Festival update

2009-03-03T14:35:00Z

5-7 March: Walsall Beer Festival, Walsall Town Hall, Leicester Street, Walsall.
5-7 March: 33rd Loughborough Beer Festival, Polish Club, True Lovers Walk, Loughborough.
11-14 March: Leicester Beer Festival, Charotar Patidar Samaj, Bay Street / South Churchgate, off St Margarets Way, Leicester.
12-16 March: The Trent Navigation Inn's 1st Annual Spring Beer Festival, Meadow Lane, Nottingham.
13-14 March: 2nd Burton Spring Beer Festival, Burton Town Hall.
27-28 March: Coventry Beer Festival, Coventry Rugby Football Ground, Butts Park Arena, Butts Road.
7-9 May: 9th Banbury Beer Festival, TA Centre, Oxford Road.
21-23 May: Lincoln Beer Festival, Drill Hall, Free School Lane, Lincoln.
22-24 May: 14th Newark Beer Festival, Riverside Park, Newark.