Vale of Clwyd 

CAMRA 

Dyffryn Clwyd

 ISLE OF MAN – PART ONE

The Isle of Man is easily accessible for Liverpool by air or ferry and is unique in that the beers produced on the island are protected by the Isle of Man Pure Beer Act which stipulates that "No brewer shall use in the brewing …. any article, ingredient or preparation whatever, for, or as a substitute for, malt, sugar or hops. We travelled by ferry and on arrival in Douglas headed straight for the old quay area where most of the best pubs can be found. Our first port of call was the British, a fine old pub with Okells bitter which was also sampled at the Market, an IoM institution, this superb unspoilt compact pub has remained unchanged for over 25 years. Next door is the Albert, a busy two bar traditional local where the latest Bushy's seasonal, Shuttleworth Snap, and a house beer, Jough Manx ale brewed by Okells, were available. We then travelled on to Laxey where we were staying and enjoyed Bushy's bitter at the Mines Tavern, a recently refurbished pub by the tram station.

Through a contact at the Bear & Billet in Chester we had arranged an evening visit to Okells brewery. Brewer Harry Eastham lives in Laxey and kindly offered us transport to the brewery where we joined a pre-arranged tour. Okells brewery was originally designed to brew Labatts lager on contract but the modern plant is now committed to cask beer production. During the tour Harry explained that in addition to the main 60 barrel plant there is a smaller 20 barrel brewery which enables Okells to produce a number of seasonal specials. Summer Storm and Honda Blade were available for sampling at the hospitality bar alongside the standard range of bitter, mild, IPA and MacLir wheat beer. After a most enjoyable visit we returned to Laxey for the last drink of the evening, Bushy's Ruby Mild at the Queens.

The next day we took a short walk to the Shore Hotel in Old Laxey, an impressive brew pub in a superb riverside setting. The Old Laxey brewery produces a single beer, the hoppy and full-bodied Bosun bitter which is mainly sold in the Shore Hotel although other IoM pubs sell the beer during the busy tourist season. We were invited to join brewer Paul Phillips who was busy with the latest brew but still found time to show us round the purpose-built brewery, built with the involvement of Peter Austin, the grandfather of the British new brewery revolution.

After enjoying Paul's hospitality we took the tram from Laxey to Ramsey. Ramsey harbour has a number of real ale pubs close together and Cains mild was sampled at the Trafalgar whilst the upstairs Mitre bar offered Hook Norton Old Hookey with superb views over the harbour and swing bridge. The Ellan Vannin is a Bushy's pub with a good range of Manx ales including Bushy's Triskellion, Castletown bitter and Okells Spring Ram on our visit. On return to Laxey we visited the Bridge, a simple village local selling Bushy's bitter and Ruby Mild.

The next day we took the steam train to Port Erin where a Hydes seasonal beer was enjoyed at the Falcons Nest, a seafront hotel with good views of the bay from the conservatory. The other pub visited in Port Erin was found to be one of the best pubs on the island although it is a restoration of a long closed building. The Bay Hotel has two traditional bars with five cask ales and two ciders. We chose Old Bushy Tail from the excellent range of beers. The ground floor bars have a traditional feel with many outstanding features and we were informed that Martin Brunnschweiler, founder of Bushy's brewery, lives upstairs. This pub was one of the highlights of our stay, and although I had never visited before I shall certainly re-visit in the future.

From Port Erin we stopped off at Castletown on the way back to Douglas. The Castle Arms (Okells), better known as the Gluepot, remains relatively unchanged after a period of uncertainty whilst the Union (Bushy's) is a town centre locals pub. Back in Douglas we visited the Prospect, a modern pub in a commercial area, where Hadrian Centurion was sampled, and the Waterloo (Okells) previously one of my favourite pubs now tastelessly re-vamped and sadly devoid of character. The day concluded with the increasingly rare Okells mild enjoyed in the New Inn, Laxey.

The next day we visited the renowned Rovers Return in Douglas prior to catching the ferry back to Liverpool. I remember the Rovers Return as an original Castletown brewery pub and a must-visit on the island. Now extended and owned by Bushy's this multi-roomed pub retains the firemans hose handpumps and the Blackburn Rovers shrine, and is still not-to-be-missed. Guest ales (Archers Full Time on visit) supplement the Bushy's beers in this popular pub.

The overall impression from our short visit is that real ale is alive and well on the island and although cask ales from Okells and Bushy's are most commonly available guest beers from the mainland can also be found. We tended to stick to Good Beer Guide listed pubs where possible and the quality was generally very good as you would expect. As well as the attractions of its beers and pubs the Isle of Man has an excellent public transport system to get around and see the sights so why not take the opportunity to enjoy the Manx hospitality yourself in 2007. Further details can be found on the Isle of Man tourist website www.visitisleofman.com.

Ian Ogden, 16/02/2007