S.P.B.W.

The Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood
(The original beer consumer organisation. Established 1963)

UPDATE:
Friday November 1st -trip to Marstons Brewery 7.00 - definitely confirmed £7.50 - food extra (but reasonable).
Saturday November 2nd - To be confirmed -Derventio Brewery 12.00 -outskirts of Derby £12 including food.
Saturday November 2nd - Afternoon Evening -visit Derbyshire pubs by coach/mini bus.
Sunday November 3rd - all day pub crawl in Derby.
Monday November 4th - Considering trip to Leicester.



THE LONDON PUB OF THE YEAR AWARD
All SPBW branches and individual members based in the London area are invited to nominate their favourite pub in Greater London (one per branch/member only); please contact Bill English for a nomination form. Note we cannot consider any pub unless a nomination form is submitted. Closing date for nominations is 9 June. Judging will be done through the summer and early autumn with a view to deciding the winner by the end of October. If you want to help with the judging please let Bill know.

DOWNLOAD FORM FROM HERE,


EALING BEER FESTIVAL
The Ealing beer festival will be in Walpole park again on Wed July 3rd – Saturday July 6th.

Campden Hill branch is hosting this event, which will involve a quiz and beer mat flipping. Buffet will be provided. All branches are invited to participate and the winning team has to organise next year’s event. If you don’t belong to a branch, come along anyway and we’ll fit you into a team.


THE 4th ALTON ‘BRISTOL RE & VR’ RUNNING DAY
The SPBW is supporting the following event on Saturday July 20th. - advised by Kingston branch – If anyone wishes to go please contact Peter Campbell as below.

FREE event-booklet available on the day for £6 detailing vehicle history, timetables and routes.
•A selection of single & double deck buses will operate a number of routes from Alton station from10:40 until 20:50.
•Morning connecting services from Basingstoke & Winchester railway station to Alton, returning in the evening.
•Routes call in at eleven* pubs (all offering money saving vouchers!) and all described within the souvenir bookletSouvenir Booklets can also be purchased in advance by sending a cheque for £6.50 with your address payable to the ‘Hants & Surrey Bristol RE Group’ Hants & Surrey RE Group, 18 HodsonAve, Willenhall, West Midlands WV13 2HSFurther information available at: hantsandsurreyregroup@gmail.comwww.bristol-re.moonfruit.com.


Wantz/Cheshire (CRAP) branches - Macclesfield Marathon revisited
Saturday 27 July
Wantz branch trip to Macclesfield: this was a popular destination for the branch 30 years ago and still great for pubs; we’ll be visiting small selection of these and sampling some of the local microbrews in company with our SPBW friends in Cheshire and hopefully others.. Meet at the Treacle Tap, Sunderland Street (250 yards south of rail station), from midday. Contact Roger Jacobson for more details if you’re interested


BLACK COUNTRY BREWERY TAP PUB CRAWL
Saturday 24 August - North Dudley Pub Crawl
11am The Old Swan, Netherton leaving at 11:35.
Then The Park Inn, Woodsetton - The Beacon Hotel, Sedgley - The Bull's Head/Mee's Thai - Crispins, Gornal. Possibly some of The Brittania - The Black Bear - The Fountain - Five Ways all in Gornal. Finishing at The Old Bulls Head, Gornal fairly late.
A multi company day anywhere Bus Pass is useful, as The Old Swan is not near the rest.
Rod Richmond needs to know numbers and can be contacted on rod@aleaficionado.co.uk 0771 208 2608


ANNIVERSARY SOCIAL
Anniversary Social at the pub of our genesis, where the SPBW was formed – The Rising Sun in Epsom. Date to be advised.
 

QUIZ NIGHT
The SPBW quiz night at the Eleanor Arms (Bow, east London) on 9 May was a great success. Organised by pub landlord Frankie Colclough – an SPBW member and supporter himself – the event drew 3 SPBW teams and 3 teams of other customers. The theme of the quiz was beer, other drinks and drinking and perhaps it was no surprise that the SPBW teams filled the medal positions. Wantz branch followed up its Tony Littler Trophy win two weeks earlier by coming first and winning a bag full of bottled beers. The quiz was followed by a raffle and this, combined with quiz entry fees, netted a tidy sum for the SPBW’s coffers, helped by product sales and the recruitment of a new member. The Eleanor Arms (460 Old Ford Road, E3 5JP) is a superb community local serving well kept Shepherd Neame beers and is highly recommended.


MEET THE BREWERS NIGHT
On the Friday of the May Bank holiday weekend Bmads branch arranged a meet the brewer tasting session at the Burnt Mill snooker & Social club in Harlow. The club usually has at least three real ales on the bar, but this was augmented by 6 Brentwood beers on stillage. I still however managed to try the Great Heck Angel from the bar – a pleasant hoppy light beer with a citrus taste of 3.7%.

Sophie the Brentwood brewer gave a talk about the brewery and the beers represented and RACS branch provided the food and organised a raffle. About 6 months ago Brentwood added the elephant school brewing plant to their site. This is so named because up to 1959 there was an elephant training school in Brentwood. This new micro facility enables them to try out some new unusual brews. Three of these were represented at the tasting session. Aussie Blonde at 4% uses Ella Australian hops and had a notable citrus/grapefruit taste. Red Riot (4.3%) uses red and rye malts and Bramling Cross Hops and as a result is very malty/fruity red rye ale. The most unusual beer was the 8.3% after 8 which used roasted chocolate malt and roasted coffee beans and had mint tea added at the end of the boil. A small amount of Green & Blacks cocoa powder is also added to each cask. The result is a strong dark chocolate and mint tasting beer.

There were also 3 regular Brentwood beers served in the “marquee”. Brentwood Maple mild is a 3.6% mild flavoured with Maple syrup. Burton Ale (4.8%) uses Burtonised water –this means that Magnesium & Calcium Sulphate is added to replicate the hard water in the Burton area and to enhance the bitterness, a process aided also by East Kent Goldings hops. The last beer was Brentwood Blonde, (3.8%), a spring seasonal made with Slovenian Hops.

LPOTY 2013

Alasdair Boyd [L] gives the Trophy back to Roger Jacobson.
Co-organiser John Rooth lurks in the background.

Presented to Scotty & Cath at Ye Olde Mitre:
Ely Court, Ely Place Chancery Lane/Hatton Garden EC1. Monday January 28th  from 7.00 onwards.
The ubiquitous JOURNAL gives all the pubs and details.

NB:
Nominations now open for 2014 LPOTY - more info HERE.