Sussex Drinker Issue 17
Festival Special 1999

Wolverhampton and Dudley have launched a takeover bid for Marston’s of Burton-on-Trent, forcing Marston’s to postpone plans to sell over 600 tied houses to Japanese bank Nomura. W&D chairman David Thompson claimed that the securitisation deal with Nomura would lead to the dismembering of the company, and that the takeover would keep brewery and pubs intact. The postponement hasn’t helped the situation at Marston’s, as the company has spent £6.3 million setting up the deal, which is equivalent to a quarter of the annual profits.

CAMRA thinks the takeover is bad news — rural villages with both a Banks’s pub and a Marston’s pub would probably lose one of them; there would then be pressure to close the other pub and move the trade to the next village. Fewer pubs would mean less real ale drunk, and most drinkers would stock up at the supermarket rather than walk miles, pay expensive taxi fares or drive and then not be able to drink anyway. Additionally, both breweries have some similar beers, meaning some could be lost. Strongarm and Pedigree, both being premium bitters, would be particularly problematic. Although the three breweries are healthy, a slight downturn in business might be all it takes for the accountants to decide to close one.

Bidding for the sale of Vaux and Ward’s has now closed, and a decision should be made early this year. The only bidder known to be committed to keeping brewing at the sites is former managing director Frank Nicholson; over 7,000 Sunderland football fans have signed a petition in favour of the bid.

Finally, the details on the change of hands at Arundel. Dave Soester, Ann Fernie and Steve Wade have taken over from John Ryan and Stephen Lowson. Steve has been head brewer for the last five years, Dave runs the Bricklayers Arms in Shamley Green, Surrey, and Ann is in charge of admin, as well as being the chief taster! The beer range will continue as before, but with improvements being made, particularly to the Best Bitter.

Although production of Beards Best, brewed by Arundel, has been reduced since the Greene King takeover of Beards, the Wetherspoon chain has been buying quantities of Arundel beers, and the brewery has capacity to increase output by 25%.

Rectory Ales brewer, the Rev Godfrey Broster, conducted a carol service recently — in the Fountain at Plumpton!

Customs officers have raided several shops in Sussex over the Christmas period and seized bootleg alcohol and tobacco; one off-licence in Worthing had nearly 27 litres of duty-free spirits confiscated. A report by the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association shows that Brighton is the 22nd most popular targets for bootleggers, with an estimated 1,530 vans hitting Brighton in the last year — an increase of 5% on the previous year. Surely the Government must see that the only long-term solution is to cut alcohol duty

The former Astoria cinema in Brighton’s Gloucester Place will now not be turned into an It’s A Scream pub after the licensing committee of Brighton Council rejected the application. The chairman told Bass Taverns that there were already 37 pubs within a quarter of a mile, most of which catered for the pub’s intended market — students. He added that local residents, who presented a 250-signature petition objecting to the plans, would be likely to suffer disturbances and an increased risk of crime. The police were concerned about the promotional material used by the chain in other areas, including posters showing people vomiting, and a naked couple having sex. Bass Taverns have not yet decided whether they will appeal.

The inquiry into plans to convert Brighton’s Grade I listed Marlborough House into a Fullers Ale & Pie House continues, with a decision expected soon. The Brighton and Hove Regency Society pointed out that the building was the only one in Brighton designed by Robert Adam, who is "an architect of primary importance". The development control manager of Brighton & Hove Council said that the plans would result in increased wear on the building, and that other uses would be less damaging. Fullers, meanwhile, claimed that "the pricing regime will be higher than average, which will have the intended effect of making the premises unattractive to the less well off". In other words, if Fullers get their way, they’re going to charge horrendous prices so that the ordinary drinker won’t want to drink there anyway. Perhaps instead they could open another, more ordinary pub in Brighton, so everyone could drink there?

Plans to turn the ABC cinema in East Street into restaurants, bars and a nightclub were also rejected, although planning officers warned that the decision could be overturned as, bizarrely, a nightclub falls into the same planning category as a cinema, meaning that turning the site into a nightclub does not count as a change of use!

The Cissbury Tap is now open in Findon Valley, featuring five beers on gravity dispense. Beers seen so far have been Ringwood Best, Ridleys Rumpus, Young’s Special and Ballard’s Wassail.

New owners Vintage Inns, a division of Bass, plan to rename the Friars Oak, Hassocks, to the Pilgrim Goose. The company says the name was chosen because of links with local monks — and a large flock of geese living on a pond nearby. Local historian Margaret Rose says, though, that the pub was named after a former owner by the name of Fryer, and that the nearby Clayton Priory never hosted a religious community! The pub has been called the Friars Oak for about 200 years.

Chris Yates is leaving the Greys in Brighton’s Southover Street after ten years, to become a teacher. The interviews for his replacement were a trifle unusual, consisting of auditions in the pub, with the bar staff awarding marks out of ten! Apparently wearing shorts in all but the coldest weather helps, too…

The Royal Oak in Newick is now being run by Trevor and Jenny Collins; the Bear in Horsham has also changed hands. Dave Green and Janet Durban have taken over the Cricketers in Burgess Hill — and are now so busy that they’ve had to postpone their wedding!

David, the temporary manager at the Vine, Tarring, has decided to stay on permanently. After reporting in the last issue that owners Badger Inns didn’t want Summer Lightning in their pub, we now find that it’s back on again, along with Ringwood True Glory and Old Thumper, and Harvey’s Best and Old — plus a range of Hall & Woodhouse and Gribble beers, of course. David is a former Savoy chef, which has done wonders for the food!

The Cricketers Arms in Portslade has been nominated for the award of Community Pub of the Year, for raising £2,800 for various good causes. Also in Portslade, the Stanley Arms has raised £388 for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, and £267 for Children In Need. The Bush Inn, Chichester, has also been nominated for a similar award.

Moulsecoomb children had a treat in December when the Bevendean Hotel closed for a day in order to lay on a party for them. Regulars raised £500 to buy presents for the children, and half the pub was decorated as Santa’s grotto. Over the years, the pub’s customers have raised more than £10,500 for various local charities.

Mudita Karnasuta of the Hamilton Arms in Stedham has been given a Woman of the Year award by Soroptomists International for her work with the Mudita Trust, which she set up to provide a school for vulnerable young girls in her native Thailand. 10% of the profits from the pub go to the trust — over eight years she has raised more than £50,000.

The Richard Cobden, Worthing, has introduced lined pint glasses. The pub sells a regularly-changing range of four real ales. Just down the road, O’Connor’s has installed a fourth handpump, and will feature a third Hop Back beer.

Dark beers, and winter ales in particular, are featuring more and more in the Worthing area, with sightings of various beers in the Warwick and the Fletcher Arms. The Thomas a Becket is selling Gales Winter Ale, while the Swan in Arundel has Arundel’s Old Knucker. Harvey’s Old has appeared at the Swan in Worthing, as well as the Vine, with King & Barnes Old at the Selden Arms, the Bridge at Upper Beeding and the Fox at Patching. Sadly, the Alexandra has no guest beer rights following the takeover by Punch Taverns, and is not stocking it this year. A special mention has to go to the Five Bells at West Chiltington, which sells a varying range of milds, always in excellent condition. Harveys and King & Barnes are regularly featured.

Board games appear to be the latest pub craze, with games like Connect 4 and Jenga appearing in various Brighton pubs, including the Brighton Tavern, the Chequers and the Font & Firkin.

Alan Edgar of the Golden Galleon in Seaford has been helping to reduce drink-driving over Christmas — by offering customers a lift home at the end of the evening!

Our apologies for the late arrival of last issue, caused mainly by various people being away over Christmas. Some copies of the last issue also had pages 4 and 17 blank, due to a printing error.

The main news on page 4 was that the Gun in Findon has been saved, with the stable buildings and part of the car park being turned into housing, while the pub itself is up for sale; a group of residents has put in a bid.

Page 17 was an article, reproduced from What’s Brewing, noting that over 100 MPs have tabled an Early Day Motion calling for duty to be on a sliding scale.

Although I am not a current member of CAMRA (therefore you could say that 1 am a novice by your standards) 1 do however receive great delight in reading the issues of the Sussex Drinker in my usual drinking establishment, the Selden Arms, Worthing.

It is for this reason that 1 am writing to you with regards to what 1 have seen as a complete misquote in your recent issue (Sussex Drinker, Winter Edition, Issue 15, p8). What was written down was "they usually have a selection of 3 ales from local micros, such as Arundel, Skinners, Dark Star and Hop Back". My reason for saying that is a complete misquotation is because obviously whoever carried out their research about the Selden Arms, never looked into depth to what the true selection of ales which is on offer in this tavern.

Yes, it is not denied that there is only a selection of 3 ales at any one time (a 4th pump is now being used), but the choice of ale is frequently changing during the week, due to the high demand in the quality of ale which is being served. Should your researcher have carried out his task correctly, then he would have realised that the Selden Arms use a huge range of real ales selected within the county, therefore helping local breweries to survive against the larger companies, ie Bass or Worthington.

Prior to the arrival of Bob and Michele in May, the Selden Arms was not that well established within the Worthing area. Due to the hard work which has been put into the Selden Arms, it has became a traditional and friendly environment to come and relax in, and this is only due to the fact that the standards set out by Bob and Michele are of the highest level. Therefore 1 believe congratulations should be given to the landlord/lady in the professionalism that they have brought into the Selden Arms since they have become the licensees in May this year. Not only have they gone to great extreme to select fine real ales in which their regulars are more then contented with, but they have also provided a wide and varied range of selection in the catering department. The food is of excellent quality and the portion are above average (1 speak by experience), this making it a wise value for money decision. Without any reasonable exaggeration I believe the Selden Arms has become one of the finest alehouses in Worthing.

All that is requested, is that this letter should be publicised in your next issue of the Sussex Drinker, as 1 would like my fellow drinkers to give the Selden Arms a chance to judge the place for themselves.

PJD GRAYSMARK
Shoreham-by-Sea

The Editor replies: I wouldn’t say that our comment was a "complete misquotation" at all. Note the word "usually"! The comment in question appeared in the news section, and was intended to let people know that the Selden was now carrying a much wider selection of beers than it used to.

To have covered all the points you mentioned in any detail would have required a full-page article on the pub, and we clearly can’t do that for every pub that we mention. In any case, the local branch have already pointed out the many qualities of the Selden, both in the Sussex Drinker and in their own newsletter — but thanks for expanding on them, as I’m sure many of our readers will find them of use when visiting Worthing.

Finally, it’s probably worth mentioning that this newsletter, as with all CAMRA local newsletters, is compiled by volunteers in their spare time, not by paid staff as some people seem to think. Travelling to verify a story first-hand can take up a whole evening — without even the benefits of being able to claim the beer as expenses! I could ask contributors to give more detail, certainly — but only when I actually know who they are, as many bits of news have come through three or four people before reaching me; by the time everything had been passed back and forth, the news would be out of date before it was printed...

The 1998 Brighton & South Downs Ale Trail was once again a big success, with 247 passports received (124 completed the whole trail — a record!) The theme was Southdown Ale Trail; an open topped bus took us for a tour of the outlying pubs.

Thanks go to Beards, Harveys, Gales and King & Barnes for their support.

People completing all 40 pubs won a sweatshirt and either a T-shirt or an inscribed glass, as well as gaining free entry to a prize draw. For 30, the prize was a sweatshirt; for 20, a T-shirt. Everyone also received a cartoon map and certificate.

At the launch night, those attending were treated to a fine selection of locally brewed real ales, all at £1.20 a pint, plus a buffet and live entertainment.

We are planning to run more tours during the 1999 trail, which will again run in the summer (more details later). This year’s theme has not been decided — if you have any suggestions, why not pop along to a Brighton & South Downs meeting?

Andy Rivett

(The prize draw has not yet been made. We’ll print the result as soon as we have it — Ed)

Please insert this page in your copy of the 1999 Good Beer Guide. (You'll probably want to print it out first, of course :)

Below is a list of serious errors and omissions which we feel may affect your enjoyment of the Guide. The Good Beer Guide is a mine of information and contains in-depth details of some 5,000 pubs and around 500 breweries, together with the beers they produce. While we take great care and pride in producing the Guide some errors are inevitable, but we do try to keep these to a minimum. Rest assured that our procedures to reduce such mistakes are subject to constant revision.

Been which were finalists in the 1998 Champion Beer of Britain competition or the Champion Winter Beer of Britain 1997/98 competition should carry a full tankard symbol as indicated on page 431. Their details appear in the Brewery section (pages 431 to 544). Several been have wrongly been given a full tankard symbol while some winners have not been given a symbol at all.

Please refer to the listings on page 25. Beers not included in this list should not have full tankard symbols except Gales Festival Mild, Burton Bridge Pale Ale and Hampshire Pride of Romsey which are missing from this list.

There are a number of errors relating to independent breweries and their regional listings in the pubs section. Please refer to the breweries section starting on page 431 if the brewery you are looking for does not appear in the relevant regional listing.

A couple of other errors have appeared in the Sussex pubs section. Under Ringmer, the ‘Clock Inn’ should be the ‘Cock Inn’; under Fishersgate, the Stanley Arms symbols are wrong: ‘(Fishersgate)’ should appear next to the station symbol, not the pub games symbol (unless someone’s invented a game called Fishersgate, of course!) and a ‘Real Fire’ symbol should also appear. Also delete Swan, Crawley and Sussex Yeoman, Brighton (change of licensee in both cases — the Yeoman is also rather different from the description these days…)

After the success of their first beer festival, the Crown at Turners Hill has decided to make it an annual event. The second beer festival will run from Friday, February 26 until Sunday, March 7, incorporating two weekends. There will be 30 real ales available from breweries all over the country, including King & Barnes, Brewery on Sea, Weltons, Pilgrim, Marston’s, Gales, Greene King, Young’s and Harveys to name but a few.

A collectors card and ale trail T-shirt will also be available this year. The confirmed guest list of beers will be available a little nearer the date — so watch out for further details.

The Malt Shovel in Horsham is holding its 1999 beer festival during February and March; it will run for 6 weeks from February 15, and will serve 120 real ales. Beers will include Pommie’s Revenge by Goose Eye, and Uley Old Spot.

There will be a prize for those manage to consume 75 beers during the festival (no problem!), so put the date in your diary and make sure you visit Horsham’s best beer festival.

Fri 5–11; Sat 10:30–11 or when the beer runs out! £1.50 admission, members free. 45 winter ales, all 5% ABV or higher and all under £2/pint.

Thu–Fri 12–11; Sat 11–6. £2 admission (members £1) — Friday evenings 50p extra.
Details: Chris Cobbold (0181) 674 0556.

Wed–Thu 12–3, 5–10:30; Fri 12–10:30. £2.50 admission (members free Wed, Thu lunch, 50p before 1 Fri, else £1.50). Staff required, contact Christine Cryne (0181) 452 6965.

See previous page for times and prices. Around 140 real ales, plus real ciders and perries. A third of the beers will be local brews, a third new beers to the festival, and a third "old favourites", such as Landlord and Summer Lightning…

Thursday will see the return of the trade session; all local publicans welcome to meet CAMRA and try some new and different beers. Phone your local branch contact for a complimentary ticket, or use the voucher in the February issue of Inn Sussex, the local LVA magazine.

Live music: Thursday sees the Fabulous Tomato Brothers (aka Laughing Gravy, as seen at Worthing and Yapton) on the balcony from 8:30, while Uncle John’s Band (as seen at Hove last year!) return from 7:30 on Saturday in the main hall.

Staffing: Pete Coppard (01273) 683322

Unfortunately, the Southdown Real Ale and Cider festival will not take place this year. Lewes Town Hall was booked for late May, but the organisers of the Rodin exhibition, which is to be held there in the summer, now want the halls during the time the festival would have been open. A search for alternative venues has not been successful so it was decided, regrettably, not to hold the festival in 1999.

However, all is not lost. There is a festival in Mid Wales where some of the town pubs combine to put on extra and different beers, plus entertainment; this may happen in Lewes, but the plans are still at an early stage.

The festival will return to Lewes Town Hall in July 2000 — put it in your diary now!

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