Local Area

Derby CAMRA Annual Beer Census Results 2008

More Real Ales per head than any other City

The recent Derby CAMRA Annual Beer Census saw the City try to recapture the title of 'Beer Capital of Britain', which it has held on numerous occasions throughout the years. However, we came up slightly short of our bigger City neighbours, Nottingham and Sheffield although per head of population we definitely have more different ones available than any other City in the Country.

The ABC crawl (as it has become known) has developed into one of the best social nights out of the year with members young and old crawling around most of Derby's pubs in the name of Beer Science and a pint or three. Meeting up at the end of the evening for a right good knees-up, a swapping of tales from the night's activities and of course the all important result announcement.

This year's event saw 79 pubs visited with the idea being to determine how many different Real Ales were available in the City on any one given night. The results again proved startling but fell slightly below last year's total by 4. However this in itself is still quite impressive for a cold wintry night in February with less pubs being visited than last year.

With no Real Ale available in 10 pubs and 4 Closed, the 275 Real Ales recorded (147 different ones) came from just 65 pubs, an average of over 4 per pub. These Ales came from 70 different breweries throughout the Country. 7 Real Ciders & Perries where also found.

Star pubs of the night included the Flowerpot with 28 Real Ales followed by the Babington Arms with 25 and the Brunswick with 16. Marston's Pedigree is still the most dominant brand in the City available in 40 pubs easily beating its nearest rival Draught Bass which continues its steady decline and is now only available in 16 pubs compared to its position of power a few years back. Greene King Old Speckled Hen - 8 pubs, Wells & Youngs Directors - 8, Wells & Youngs Bombardier - 7 and Greene King Abbot - 7 make up the next nearest rivals.

The average price of a pint was noted but this was recorded before the last budget increase and City Centre price hike. Anyway, on the night itself the average price of a pint came out at £2.38 (6p up on the previous year) making Derby probably the most expensive place to drink in the East Midlands. On a slightly worrying note though the beer quality throughout was generally found to be average with only a handful of pubs (mostly Derby's Good Beer Guide entries) serving good quality ale.

So there you have it, a few stats to bear in mind while crawling around 'Beer City' sampling one or two of the many different beer styles and tastes available. We may have failed to take the title back but Derby is still a haven for Real Ales and long may it continue!!!

The World of Beer

FANCY a tour of Marston's brewery in Burton with sampling and lunch for four people, and a crate of Pedigree thrown in too?

This is the great prize available to readers of the Derby Evening Telegraph's latest special supplement, The World of Beer, which takes a look at the brewing industry, from how Marston's do it, to the expanding - and successful - micro-brewery business, to those who brew their own at home with ever more-sophisticated equipment.

The World of Beer, which also features some of the beer festivals taking place in the early months of the year, and highlights some of the some historic Derbyshire pubs and special ales, is available from newsagents until the middle of February, priced 60p.

Or email hforde@derbytelegraph.co.uk to order your copy, priced £1.20, including posting and package.

Derby CAMRA Pubs of the Year 2008 - The Winners

The Judging is now complete and we are proud to announce the winners of this year's Pub of the Year awards.

The Derby Branch City Pub of the Year is the Babington Arms on Babington Lane with the runners up being the Brunswick, Flowerpot and Smithfield.

The Derby Branch Country Pub of the Year is the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton with the runners up being the Green Man at Ashbourne, Old Oak at Horsley Woodhouse and the Royal Oak at Ockbrook.

The 8 finalists were short listed at the March Branch Meeting by secret ballot on the night and from votes received beforehand by post, text and e-mail with all 1400+ Branch Members eligible to vote.

A volunteer group of 11 judges then visited all of the pubs on different days of the week and at different times of the day marking them along National CAMRA Pub of the Year Guidelines. Each pub was judged in the following categories:- Quality of the beer; atmosphere/style/décor; service and welcome; clientele mix; sympathy with CAMRA aims and whether it was a good value visit or not.

The competition as always proved fierce with only a few marks separating all 8 pubs but the final outcome resulted in the Babington Arms and the Barley Mow winning these prestigious awards. Both pubs are more than worthy winners where good beer and atmosphere are guaranteed and both will be presented with certificates.

The overall Branch Pub of the Year from the two winners is the Barley Mow by virtue of achieving the highest overall mark.

The Arkwright Arms at Sutton Cum Duckmanton has been judged as CAMRA Derbyshire Pub of the Year 2008 with the close runners-up being the Dewdrop at Ilkeston and our own Branch Pub of the Year, the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton. The pubs where all judged along CAMRA National Pub of the Year guidelines with the six finalists being selected by the local Branches who cover Derbyshire as follows:- The Arkwright Arms at Sutton Cum Duckmanton (Chesterfield Branch Winner); Barley Mow, Kirk Ireton (Derby Branch Winner); Dewdrop, Ilkeston (Erewash Branch Winner); Bowling Green, Winster (Matlock & Dales Branch Winner); Horse & Groom, Scarcliffe (Mansfield Branch Winner) and the Grouse Inn, Longshaw (Sheffield Branch Winner).

The winner will now go forward into the East Midlands regional competition against other County winners.

Branch Pub of the Year 2007- The Flowerpot

The Flowerpot was at the forefront of the Real Ale revival in Derby and has remained true to the cause for the 13 ½ years it has been open under the Headless Pub Company banner.

In all that time it has served a multitude of different Real Ales from its many hand pumps and unique cellar bar (pictured from left: John, Sylvia holding the award and the staff) showcasing some rare and unusual beers in these parts.

On any one day there is usually at least a dozen different ones on expanding to almost 2 dozen or more at the weekends. The Flowerpot is indeed a Beer Festival every day the like of which some pubs can only dream but it is much more than just that catering for all ages and tastes.

A pub where anybody can go and feel at home and relax in a great social atmosphere with regular live music on at the weekends as well. With all that in mind it is truly hard to believe that the pub has never ever won this award before so it is perhaps fitting in the year of its onsite Brewery and Pot Fest that it finally receives the Branch Pub of the Year Award.

The award is very much deserved for all the hard work that has been put into the pub over the years by all of the staff making the 'Pot' such a great place to drink.

The pub is also home to a lively band scene - check out www.rawpromo.co.uk for more details of forthcoming gigs!

John Evans - R.I.P.

Most of you will by now have already heard of the very sad death of John Evans from the Flowerpot in Derby who passed away after a massive heart attack on 4/6/08 while away in China.

John was one of the early Real Ale pioneers in Derby helping to establish the Brunswick Inn and Brewery with Trevor Harris before going his own way to open the Flowerpot as a multi Real Ale House followed by the Smithfield and laterally helping to get the new Headless Brewery up and running at the Flowerpot.

He was passionate about Real Ale and always keen to promote it and was a great friend to Derby CAMRA so his loss will be deeply felt by all those that knew him.

A special beer will be brewed by Headless in John's honour to be called "Legend" a 4% golden brew which will be available at the Flowerpot, Smithfield and Derby Summer Beer Festival.

And we have been assured by Alastair Moffat and Lol Stephenson that both the pubs and brewery will not be affected by John's untimely death.

Local Micro Breweries

Amber Ales
Amber Ales aim to brew the finest beers and ales in the traditional way but with a modern edge. That means using only the finest ingredients sourced locally wherever possible, while keeping up with new ideas and leading the way in developing new styles. Think of it as 'classic beers with a twist'...

Derby Brewing Company
Derby Brewing Company, established by Trevor Harris in 2004, are brewers of quality hand crafted beers from the finest quality produce. The brew-house is in full production and orders are being taken now...

Derventio Brewery Limited
Welcome to the home of Derventio Brewery Limited, a company formed in June 2005 by three railway engineers, all CAMRA members who enjoyed home brewing and wanted to take the next step up and brew on a larger scale.
The name of the company is taken from the name of the Roman fort built in Little Chester, Derby around AD52-57, Derventio Coritanorvm.
The actual name Derventio is Celtic in Origin from the words dyr "Oak Tree" and venta "market settlement" and literally means "The Market in the Oaks".....

Falstaff Brewery
In spring 2003 The Falstaff Freehouse and Brewery were leased by Jim Hallows and his partner Steph Briggs. The brewery was re-vamped and after a long struggle with utility companies the power supply was re-connected.
The plant was tested and the first brew, called Phoenix, was produced on 12th December 2003. This was so well received by The Falstaff regulars that within a month the two previously best selling real ales were no longer on the bar. The rest is, as they say, history...

Haywood Brewery
Callow Top Bad Ram Brewery - Our Dr Samuel Johnson ale won a Gold Medal at the most prestigious UK Beer Festival at Peterborough in 2003. We now brew five real ales...

Campaign for Real Ale - Derby Branch