Vale of Clwyd CAMRA - Newsletter

(this newsletter can also be found in Ale Drinker in the Abercolwyn Branch area - website)

VoC Newsletter (March 2008)

ISLE OF MAN – PART TWO

As there are 3 breweries and around 70 real ale pubs on the Isle of Man it is likely that more than one visit will be required to cover the whole island. This time we concentrate on parts of the island not covered previously and also Bushy's brewery which celebrated its 21^st anniversary in 2007, coinciding with the 100^th anniversary of the Isle of Man TT.

Historically the islands pub heritage has suffered thorough 'unsympathetic' refurbishments and pub closures particularly in Douglas old-town and the latest threat is the no-smoking legislation which is due to be implemented in March 2008. The main threat is to so-called land-locked pubs with no garden or outside drinking areas that can be used as designated smoking areas. Heron & Brearley have already put a number of land-locked Okells pubs up for sale including the once renowned Waterloo on Strand St, sadly now a pale shadow of its former self.

In Douglas the old quay area has seen the most pub re-development with mixed results. We were impressed with Clinch's, named after a long defunct IoM brewery and situated in the old brewery buildings. The downstairs bar has two rooms to either side of the bar and apart from an incongruous pool table the overall impression is tasteful, well-designed and a welcome addition to the Douglas real ale scene. A house beer, Clinch's bitter brewed by Bushy's is available together with a guest beer (Abbeydale Alchemy on day of visit). Across the road is the Railway, recently refurbished with a modern interior designed it seems to attract a young clientele. The beer list includes a good selection of foreign bottled beers to complement the Okells bitter and guest ale. Further down North Quay another refurbishment has taken place at the Bridge on the Quay (Okells). I remember the Bridge as a Castletown brewery pub many years ago and, along with the Albion (now the Rovers Return), a rare opportunity at the time to sample Castletown beers in Douglas. The modernised interior is bright and airy but now somewhat uninspiring. We also tried two other Okells pubs on the main promenade, the Queens Hotel and Terminus Tavern. The Queens Hotel has a traditional bar and a large outdoor seating area overlooking the seafront. The aptly named Terminus Tavern is situated at the end of the promenade at the terminus for the electric and horse-drawn trams. Both pubs are probably best enjoyed on a hot summer day where you can sit outside and relax watching the trams go by.

Bushy's brewery (www.bushys.com), originally set up on a small scale in Douglas in 1986, has since gone from strength - to -strength and is largely responsible for the wider choice of real ale available on the island these days. The original mini brewery was in Bushy's bar which could be found near where the Bushy's tent is now situated during the annual TT fortnight. The merger of Okells and Castletown breweries created an opportunity to open up the free trade on the island and in 1990 a new operation was set up in Mount Murray. We were shown round by brewer Neil (Curly) Convery who explained the history of the brewery and its current operation. The Robert Morton brewing plant is based on the traditional tower principle and can brew either a 5 barrel or 10 barrel brew length. The original brew Old Bushy Tail (4.5%) is supplemented by Bushy's bitter, Ruby mild and a number of seasonal specials. With a small tied estate of four pubs and an extensive presence in the free trade on the island Bushy's beers can sometimes also be seen on the mainland via the Flying Firkin wholesaler and occasional beer swaps with English brewers. More exotic locations to sample Bushy's include far-away Gibraltar (bottled beer) and nearer to home on the Irish Sea (re-racked beer in plastic glasses available on the Steam Packet ferries). The nearest outlet to the brewery is the Hop Garden which normally sells Bushy's bitter but we found that it had just run out, so after collecting various souvenirs of our brewery visit we decided to move further a-field.

From Mount Murray we carried on to Castletown and the Sidings, a short walk from the town centre by the station. This popular pub suffered from a smoky atmosphere but there was a wide selection of ten beers to choose from including three from Bushy's. The interior is decorated on a football theme with a selection of supporters scarves displayed inside including a representation from Wrexham FC.

The next day we took a bus ride to Peel on the west of the island and the Whitehouse Hotel, situated close to the bus station and a must-visit for all real ale fans visiting the area. This unspoilt multi-roomed traditional pub is full of character and difficult to leave with eight cask ales available on the day of visit. Due to a longer stay than anticipated in the Whitehouse we were running out of time but still managed to try the Creek Inn, a seafront pub with two large rooms decorated on a maritime theme. The bar menu specialises in local seafood and the beer quality was found to be excellent with a guest beer (Spitting Feathers from Chester on day of visit) complementing the local IoM beers. Peel has a number of other pubs not visited due to time constraints so a return visit is planned for sometime in the future.

The Isle of Man TT this year takes place between 24^th May and 6^th June and the island gets very busy during this period. At other times it is an ideal destination for a relaxing holiday being just a short journey from Liverpool by sea or air. 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 2008. Further details can be found on the Isle of Man tourist website www.visitisleofman.com.

VALE OF CLWYD PUB NEWS

The Blue Lion, Cynwyd, one of the few regular outlets for Plassey beers in North-East Wales is reportedly closed and up-for-sale. Until recently this free house often featured in the Good Beer Guide and had been run under the same ownership for many years. Located off A5 on B4401 in a village noted for being the headquarters for Ifor Williams Trailers this traditional two-roomed pub had remained unchanged over the years and would be a sad loss if it were to close permanently. Historically Cynwyd was known as a haven for real mild aficionados with Border Exhibition available in the Blue Lion and Burtonwood Dark Mild in the Prince of Wales opposite. Unfortunately there is no real ale at all in the village at the moment and it is hoped that the Blue Lion will soon re-open as a true free-house selling quality real ales from our local craft brewers.

There have been some changes in ownership at other pubs in the branch area that have at some time over the years featured in the Good Beer Guide. The Red Lion, Llanasa has been taken over by Punch Taverns a major pub-owning group not well known for offering its licensees a wide choice of cask ales so little improvement is expected here. Thwaites brewery are the new owners of the Pwllgwyn, Afonwen on A541 whilst JW Lees brewery have bought the Drovers, Rhewl on A525. The Drovers was once the brewery tap for Bragdy Dyffryn Clwyd, the late lamented Denbigh brewery which briefly supplied the North Wales free trade with quality local real ales in the 1990s. True free-houses have always been hard to find in Denbighshire and Flintshire and whilst both Thwaites and JW Lees usually sell real ale in their tied estate these recent changes in pub ownership and wider long-term trends are unlikely to result in improved choice for the consumer and further opportunities for our local micro breweries.

Ian Ogden

16/03/2008

The views expressed in these pages are the views of the local branch or the individual member(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Campaign for Real Ale.

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