News & Features

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Dunham Massey News 2019

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Dunham Massey Brewery continues to trade successfully, as does their other brewery (Lymm Brewing Company). The Costello family are continuing in their ongoing refurbishment of all their bars. 2019 is the fourth year that all three of their bars have got into the same edition of the Good Beer Guide at the same time. Costellos, … Read more

Old Abbey Taphouse goes sustainable

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The Old Abbey Inn is a pub which many people have no idea exists. Despite only being a few minutes walk from Oxford Road, it’s location tucked away in the centre of Manchester Science Park has seen it typically only open weekday lunchtimes to serve office workers. However, now the pub has been taken over … Read more

CAMRA Gift Membership

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gbg19

Not long to Christmas, it will be here almost before you can say Winter Warmer. So if you cant’t get out for the snow and need a present for a real ale or real cider fan consider buying them CAMRA Gift membership.  http://www.camra.org.uk/gift-membership To make it extra special you can include include a copy of the … Read more

Flixton Conservative Club named Greater Manchester Club Of The Year for second time

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Flixton Conservative Club has been named CAMRA Greater Manchester Club Of The Year for the second year running. The club which is on the corner of Flixton Road and Chassen Road between Urmston & Flixton has retained the title it first took in 2015, beating off six other private members clubs from across CAMRA Greater Manchester’s branches.

The club has been named Club Of The Year by Trafford & Hulme branch for four consecutive years and after winning the regional title, the club will now go forward to be judged against 15 other regional winners for the National Club Of The Year title.

Mystery shopper judges visited all the finalists over the summer, scoring each club on a range of attributes including the range and quality of beer & cider, customer service, warmth of welcome, and value for money. Judges praised Flixton Conservative Club for the devotion of its staff, the wide range of beers on offer and the warm welcome extended to non-member visitors.

Club stewards Nigel and Sharon Porter have transformed the beer range at the club from two real ales when they arrived five years ago to six on the bar at one time and the club is reaping the benefits with membership flourishing. Nigel said “Feedback I get from the committee is that many new members cite the beer as their main reason for joining the club with others stating that they come here because they find it a welcoming, safe and secure place to enjoy a good beer”.

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Trip to Hudderfield – 30th July

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On Saturday 30th July, Trafford & Hulme will team up with our neighbours in North Cheshire branch and Halton & Chester branch for a trip to explore the pubs of Huddersfield. Details of the trip are: 10.11 DEPART Manchester Piccadilly. Arriving at Huddersfield at 10.46 11.00 WOOD ST CRAFT BEER HOUSE (WAS HDM BEER SHOP) … Read more

Tavern On the Green reopens (updated)

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Altrincham’s Tavern On the Green has re-opened after a refurbishment. It is now part of the Bermondsey Pub Co which is the company set up by owners Enterprise Inns to run managed pubs as opposed to their tenanted model which has so badly let down pubs like the Tavern (formerly the Faulkner’s Arms) in the … Read more

When is a keg not a keg? Real ale from key-kegs explained

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Key-keg

When is a keg not a keg? Real ale from key-kegs explained.

Back in April 2015, when delegates at CAMRA’s Members Weekend in Nottingham passed a motion about the labelling of “real ale in a key-keg”, many commentators saw it as a major step in CAMRA modernising and recognising what is popularly known as “craft keg”.

In fact, whiKey-kegle the motion was the first to be passed by CAMRA’s highest body to positively recognise the sector, it actually came four years after CAMRA’s Technical Advisory Group first recognised that key-kegs can contain beer meeting CAMRA’s definition of real ale, a decision which followed trials held at The Great British Beer Festival. Even in a hall full of CAMRA activists in Nottingham, it was clear that many were unaware of CAMRA’s position nor what key-kegs are all about.

When CAMRA was established in 1971 it fought against a sweeping trend for what came to be known as “real-ale” being replaced by bland “keg” beers. Forty-four years later the word keg still has massive negative connotations for many CAMRA members with any beers associated with the “k” word being dismissed as “fizz”. However, what those pioneering members were really fighting against wasn’t the physical containers the beer was served from, it was the product in them which was made with low quality ingredients and universally filtered & pasteurised, killing so much of the flavour in the process.

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Brewster Erin departs

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Bootleg Brewery Brewster Erin Guy has left the Joseph Holt owned Bootleg Brewery. It is not known if she will be replaced or whether all remaining production from the Horse & Jockey based brewery will be transferred to Joseph Holt’s plant in Cheetham Hill where “Bootleg” branded beers like “Spin Doctor” lager are already produced.

Stretford News

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Brewster Erin Guy has left her position as head brewer at the Joseph Holt owned Bootleg Brewery. She has joined the team at Stretford’s Sip Club, looking after everything to do with their beer offering, including brewing their own beer exclusively for the Sip Club. The first Sip ale was brewed on the pilot kit … Read more

Pi Pi to Ben

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The Pi bars group has bid farewell to Operations Manager Ben Reynolds who has decided to take a career change after 8 years which began with opening Pi (Chorlton), taking it into the Good Beer Guide before overseeing the expansion of the group to Liverpool’s Mosley Hill and then to Pi (Altrincham). Group owner Andy … Read more