GREATER LONDON YOUNG MEMBERS
We have arranged a tour of Wimbledon Brewery on Saturday 3 February. The tour starts at 3pm and costs £15.00. This includes all tasters (excellent value!). If you just wish to come for the social, please do. We will be at the brewery tap all afternoon and evening. There will be a generous discount for all CAMRA Young Members who attend. Numbers are restricted and so, if you want to book a place on the tour or need any further information, please e-mail me at navindhb@gmail.com. The full address is Unit 8, College Fields Business Centre, 19 Prince Georges Road. The nearest underground station is Colliers Wood (Northern Line); bus routes 152 and 200.
Navindh Baburam
BEXLEY BEER FESTIVAL – ADVANCE NOTICE
This year’s Bexley Beer Festival, the 17th, will be held from Thursday 9 to Saturday 11 May. The venue, as before, is the Dartfordians Community Sports Club.
EALING BEER FESTIVAL – ADVANCE NOTICE
This year’s Ealing Beer Festival will take place between Wednesday 10 to Saturday 12 July in Walpole Park.
BROMLEY BEER FESTIVAL PRESENTATION
On the evening of Wednesday 15 November, Marlix Brewing Company from Petts Wood were presented with the Beer of the Festival award from Bromley Beer Festival 2023. The winning beer was a chilli chocolate stout called Where’s the Bloody Vindaloo, Hippie? (6% ABV). Like a number of Marlix beers, it takes its name from the TV series The Young Ones (1982 to 1984).
Pictured above are Alex Mears (left) and Mark Irwin (right), the proprietors and brewers of Marlix brewery, either side of Anne Claridge, the festival co-ordinator.
Barry Phillips
TWICKENHAM BEER FESTIVAL
This year’s festival, held once again at the Turk’s Head in St Margaret’s (TW1 1LF), was opened by Munira Wilson, the local MP. The event was a resounding success, with over 90% of the beers being consumed.
Tiny Vessel’s Dark Matter, a 5% ABV chocolate porter, was beer of the festival. The winning cider was Pandemic (6.7% ABV sweet). The photo shows Munira enjoying a pint of local favourite, Naked Ladies (4.4% ABV), from Twickenham Fine Ales, with branch chairman and festival organiser, Bob Gordon. The beer came second in the voting.
John Austin (and photo)
THE ALE TRAIN NOW DEPARTING…
The Epping Ongar Railway is pleased to announce that this year’s programme of ale trains will commence on Saturday 27 April, with additional trains running on Saturdays May 25, June 15 and September 21. A bus service to and from Epping Underground station will be provided as part of the fare and fish and chips remain available as optional extra. The latest news and tickets can be obtained here. Subject to the usual budget approvals, this year’s joint CAMRA & EOR beer festival is pencilled in for 27 to 29 July.
Alan Perryman
NATIONAL CLUB OF THE YEAR
Sadly, no London clubs made it through to the final round of CAMRA’s National Club of the Year competition for 2023. The finalists are the Dobcross Band Social Club in Oldham, the Parwich Royal British Legion Club in Derbyshire , the Marden Village Club in Kent and the Cheltenham Motor Club.
NATIONAL PUB OF THE YEAR
Stop press: as we go to publication, the winner of CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year has been announced. For the second year running, it is the Tamworth Tap in Tamworth. It is the taproom for the Tamworth Brewing Company.