"Toasting England could ruin your life"

Under this headline in one of our free papers, our local Inspector Knacker says, "We appreciate that people may like to enjoy a drink on an evening, especially with the Euros [i.e. football] on, but if they are going to do that they shouldn't then get behind the wheel of a vehicle." I was expecting "if they think they may be over the limit" at the end of that sentence, but it wasn't there. The report also states that "In the last four years, June has seen ... 889 collisions where alcohol or drugs have been a contributory factor", which is clearly information supplied by the police. Hang on a moment there - drugs? I thought we were talking about people slipping over the limit during the enthusiasm of watching a match? I've never seen anyone shoot up, smoke dope or pop pills during a match in a pub. So now we've dragged in an illegal activity too, in the hope that the hostility many people have towards illegal drug use will rub off on alcohol: a form of guilt by association (it also handily bumps up the numbers too). Not only that, I'm suspicious of the phrase "contributory factor": obviously this means that some of the drivers had been drinking, but if so, how many were over the limit? Also, how many of these accidents were caused by the alcohol? It is possible to have a drink and be involved in an accident which was entirely someone else's fault. Do these stats take such factors into account; I really doubt it, and if I'm right, then they are seriously misleading, and I don't think that's an accident either.

I do not approve of driving when drunk (or for that matter under the influence of drugs, but that is beyond the remit I have set this blog), but you'll never see it written anywhere nowadays that drinking and driving is a perfectly legal activity. I rarely do it - usually when I am touring pubs to collect adverts for our local CAMRA magazine - but on the rare occasion I do, I take care to stay within the legal limit. I'm lucky in that I have more than 20 real ale pubs within half an hour's walk of where I live, but some people in more remote locations may have none within reasonable walking distance. Driving to the pub for a couple of slow pints over the course of an evening may the only way they can drink cask real ale (or any pub drink, for that matter), but if such people are made to feel that what they are doing, although completely lawful, is unacceptable, then that opportunity to socialise is removed. An evening of J20s or coffees is not a suitable replacement, as I know from my own recent medically-enforced abstinence. Rural pubs would suffer too, as a lot of their trade is from people in cars. Bus services are often inadequate or non-existent in evenings, and taxis can become prohibitive if used all the time, and certainly not worth the outlay if all you want is a couple of pints anyway.

The problems with drunken killers on the road are not caused by people who carefully make a couple of drinks last all night; they are caused by idiots who will drink copiously irrespective of the drink-drive limit: they'd still drive drunk even if it were zero. These are the people who need targeting, not a football fan who has taken it easy all evening while watching the match (I cover this in more detail here). No sign of any such awareness in Inspector Knacker's preaching to the public, but it would cost the police a lot more to tackle the real morons, who won't take the slightest bit of notice of the article in the paper. So, all in all, a bit of a wasted effort which will only discourage the sensible driver who keeps his drinking within the limit, and does nothing to deal with the real problem. Must do better, Knacker!

Songs in the Lion

An etched window in the Lion.

Acoustic music in the fine Victorian surrounds of the Lion Tavern; that's what my singaround there is about. With Moorfields Station just across the road and eight changing real ales, not only is it easy to get to, it's also hard to drag yourself away from. If you want to perform yourself, you're welcome to, but it's not compulsory.

From about 8.30 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) night and on every second Thursday of the month.

More local pub news

The Albert - new real ale venue (again)

Driving through Downholland the other day, I passed the Scarisbrick Arms. This canalside pub was closed for several years until it was refurbished and reopened 2 or 3 years ago as a pub-restaurant. It sold real ales but was never really successful, at least in pub terms. It has recently been refurbished yet again and has reopened as the Gastro Bar and Grill with no real ales. Although it's been struggling for years, it's still sad to see this local landmark lost as a pub.

Dave Williams tells me that the The Upsteps in Birkdale has been closed for a couple of weeks with a For Sale advertising a business opportunity to be your own boss. I'm not surprised that PubCos are finding it harder to get people to fall for that enticing-sounding line; their reputation increasingly precedes them. I remember our acoustic music sessions in that pub a few years ago, at which time it used to sell Coach House beers regularly, the only Southport pub to do so. As Dave says, "Another pub closure waiting to happen soon I suspect." This leaves the non-real ale Blundell Arms down the road as the only pub currently operating in that part of Birkdale.

The Albert Hotel by Southport station has put real ale on yet again. Good luck to them; I must pop in some time.

Our old Yates's Wine Bar on Lord Street became the Slug and Lettuce, before closing down completely a couple of years ago. It has been reopened as The Sandgrounder Bar, a name I'm surprised hasn't been used before for a pub. It apparently is selling Southport Sandgrounder at £2.20 a pint. I'm told the pub is aimed at the sports-loving drinker with multiple televisions, so my visits are unlikely to be frequent. Still, I'll have a look.

Cara Luft in Southport

Canadian Cara Luft (and not as one wag had it, Lara Croft) will be appearing at the Bothy Folk Club this Sunday. She was a founder member of the Wailin' Jennys (whose name is apparently a play on Waylon Jennings), and is probably one of the few folk-based artists to cite acts as diverse as Buddy Holly, Yes, and Led Zeppelin as influences. For instance, she does a version of Black Water Side that combines the sung version of Bert Jansch with the instrumental Black Mountainside by Jimmy Page (which was ultimately derived - uncredited - from the Jansch version anyway). Her new album, Darlingford, is out this month and will probably be on sale at the gig.

You can see her on Sunday 10 June at 8.00 p.m. in the Park Golf Club, Park Road West, Southport, PR9 0JS. Tickets available on-line here. Here is a video of Cara playing at the Cambridge Folk Festival:

Guest House singaround tonight

If anyone's at a loose end tonight, why not come to the Guest House for my monthly singaround? I shan't be singing any jubilee songs, and I'd be surprised if anyone else will. From around 8.30 p.m. The Guest House is in Union Street, Southport.

I understand that they're currently serving the following beers:
Lytham Blonde 3.8%, Ahtanum 4.3%, Black Sheep 3.8%, Theakston Best Bitter 3.8%, The Rev. James 4.5%, Black Cat 3.4%, Dark Night 3.9%, Tiger 4.2%, Ruddles Best 3.7%, Wainwright 4.1%, Butcombe Bitter 4%.

There's also a singaround in the Mason's Arms, Anchor Street, Southport, on Wednesday, but other commitments may stop me going. The beer is usually Robinson's Unicorn.

Blanket Apology last night in the Coronation

I went to see Blanket Apology last night; it's a rock band led by my friend Mick Cooper, in whose recording studio I have recorded quite a few songs. Mick is a great guitarist but doesn't sing, so the band has had a succession of female lead singers. They now have a new one, Sue Raymond, who, unlike her predecessors, also plays rhythm guitar. This immediately creates a different dynamic: the singer appears more as part of the band, rather than being backed by a band. I liked her singing, and she has a good on-stage persona, chatting to the audience and joking with the others in the band. Mick Bennett on drums and Ronnie Clark on bass complete the line-up, and I have had fun in the past jamming with them all playing old rock & roll numbers. The roots of the band are mostly in soul, blues and R&B, and their mixture of originals and well-known covers and went down well with the small but appreciative audience there. Personally I thought the vocal was too low in the mix (and said so, but they're still talking to me), but perhaps that's what happens when a band is led by a guitarist! Future gigs by Blanket Apology are listed in my What's On page.

The Coronation serves Greene King IPA at £2.45 a pint, and also sometimes Old Speckled Hen, but not last night. A copy of a tabloid on the bar screamed that, "Britain goes bonkers with jubilee fever". Not last night in the Coronation it didn't, nor in the Guest House later where I went after the gig. It just seemed like an ordinary Friday night to me.

I'm listening to their rather good promo CD as I type this, called "26 of the Best", with (astonishingly) 26 tracks. CDs are on sale at their gigs.

My Darling Clementine - in Formby

My Darling Clementine are the next guests at Formby Americana club, Grateful Fred's. They are husband and wife team Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish.

Michael is a British singer-songwriter who's been admired by the likes of Chris Hillman, Ron Sexsmith, Jackie Leven and the legendary Townes van Zandt, who recorded one of his songs. He draws his influences from a wide range of styles: from pop, folk, country, soul, gospel and blues. Lou was a dancer and actor with TV and film roles in her 20s; she is now a singer-songwriter who has been praised by, and worked with, the likes of Elvis Costello, Bryan Ferry, The Brodsky Quartet, and many more.

What the papers say:
"Michael Weston King has a voice part Nashville balladeer and part Alt Country hero ... a cross between Nick Cave and Rodney Crowell." The Independent.
"In his craft and his perfections, MWK closely resembles Ron Sexsmith.  A pair of insufficiently recognised performers who see no call to lower their standards." Bucketful of Brains.
"As fine a singer songwriter as Gram Parsons." Chris Hillman.

You can see them this Thursday 7 June at 8.00 p.m. - on-line tickets from Grateful Fred's website here. It's at the Formby British Legion, Whitehouse Lane, Formby, L37 3LT.

From Braveheart to Nanny

The ruling Scottish Nanny-Statist Party has announced that it will lower the drink-drive limit in Scotland from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg. Sorry to repeat myself, but this is a very effective way of appearing to address a problem without actually doing much at all, and at very little cost too - in other words it's spin, the politician's favourite policy. The real problem with drink-driving is not the person who carefully drinks within the 80mg limit; it is the person who drinks as much as he or she likes, completely ignoring any limits, even a zero one should that be introduced. After a recent accident locally, a young woman who'd survived with injuries described how the young, male, drunk driver, who had killed both himself and someone else, regularly boasted that he could drive better after drinking. I remember certain drivers spouting such nonsense in the 1970s and thought it had gone out with the Bay City Rollers - obviously I was wrong.

The only way such drivers will mend their ways would be if the chances of getting caught were increased significantly because, at present, if you're over the limit and don't cause an accident, it's highly unlikely you'll be stopped. Tackling such drivers would be costly and labour intensive because you'd need many more police officers to identify, apprehend and prosecute them, mostly at night time which entails paying overtime. The cheaper option is to lower the limit, which will only affect those people who are being careful anyway - but you can claim you have done something about drink driving. In the meanwhile, the real damage caused by drivers who are actually drunk, as in the tragic instance above, remains untouched.

The Pub Curmudgeon has recently made an interesting point. If you lose your licence on a visit to Scotland because you have, say 65mg (illegal in Scotland, but not in the rest of the UK), you would not be able to drive on English roads even though you had not broken any drink-drive laws that apply in England. Logically, a ban imposed in Scotland for any level below 80mg should apply to Scottish roads only. But will it? I seriously doubt it myself, but I'll try to find out for certain; I'll let you know how I get on.

Make Beer, Not War ...

Too good to hurry?

... was for some time the slogan in this blog's header, so I was really pleased to learn that trade between India and Pakistan, which is almost non-existent (1% of India's exports go to Pakistan and 1.7% of Pakistan's to India), is to be given a boost by a Pakistani brewery, Murree Brewery, which was founded in 1860 to slake the thirst of the soldiers and civil servants of the British Raj. Murree is preparing to export its beers to the growing beer market in India, a market which was firmly closed to them after the Partition in 1947. Moslems in Pakistan are not allowed to drink by law (well, not officially anyway), so Murree has relied on supplying the small non-Moslem population of Pakistan and on exports. Considering the troubled history between these two countries since 1947, greater trade can only help increase mutual understanding and trust, and I can't think of a much better way than over a beer.

The ruins of the original
Ghora Galli Brewery today

As well as exporting the beer into India, they're also planning to brew it under licence there, and Murree hopes to make inroads into the UK market with beer brewed in the Czech Republic. The beer will almost certainly be a lager-style offering, although it may gain credibility in the UK by being brewed under licence in the Czech Republic, the original home of pilsner beers. Murree have their advertising slogans lined up already: in the nineteenth-century they used to urge people to "Eat, drink and be Murree." Today they plan to encourage us to "Have a Murree with your curry." If I see it anywhere, I might even give it a try.

You can read the full story here.

New real ale outlets

The Cheshire Lines

I've been getting several reports of new real ale outlets in the Southport area: Rueters [sic] and the Hoghton Arms, both on Hoghton Street, the Wellington and the Old Ship, both on Eastbank Street, have all been selling real ale when visited by friends recently. I've also learnt that the Birkdale Tea Rooms now sell two cask ales from the Liverpool Organic Brewery, which recently were 24 Carat Gold and Liverpool Pale Ale, both of which I have written about previously. This is not an obvious venue for real ales, but a welcome addition in Birkdale village, which until now has only had the Park Hotel flying the real ale flag.

The Cheshire Lines in the town centre has recently changed management following the departure of Marge, one of the longest-serving licensees in the town. This pub has been in the Good Beer Guide in the past, despite only serving Tetley Bitter and Mild, but the new licensee has put Bombardier on a third hand pump. Tetley fans will be pleased to know they intend to keep their favourites on, but the addition of a third beer will broaden the real ale appeal of this attractive old pub.

I must check all of these venues soon.

Chorley pub crawl

Our local CAMRA branch is planning a trip by bus to Chorley this Saturday afternoon for a pub crawl. There are eight pubs on the itinerary. I haven't been to Chorley for a drink since the 1980s or early 1990s, although I have driven through the town many times. I was asked to put the crawl onto a Google map that can be easily circulated by e-mail and printed if necessary. It's below, as you can see, and I've also included a link to it in my pub crawl page.


View Chorley Pub Crawl ~ 26 May 2012 in a larger map

Branch Merseyside Pub Of The Year

Next Tuesday, the 22nd of May, our local CAMRA branch (Southport & West Lancs) will be making its Merseyside Pub of the Year award to the Guest House, which happens to be my local, as regular readers of ReARM will have gathered. Gail Heyes, the licensee, has told me that she wants the award to be received by her staff, as the pub's success owes a lot to them. I rather like this recognition of the workers' contribution.

I'm told that there will Morris dancing: the Southport Swords definitely, and possibly the Argarmeles Clog too. No doubt there will be some food on the bar, and overall I'm expecting a convivial evening. For those who don't know, the Guest House has up to 11 real ales. It's in Union Street, Southport, and the award is scheduled for 8.00 p.m.

Betrayed!

"Red Nev to join Roy's England revolution" - headline in The Independent. Who's been leaking my plans? And who on earth is Roy?

Olympic shenanigans

I have very little interest in sport. I put that down partly to the way it was taught at school, where it was like an ordeal rather than a pleasure. I don't have a problem with other people enjoying sport, but I do hate hype in all its forms, and we are being subjected to a lot of pro-Olympic hype as the build-up to the damp squib of the century begins.

I am particularly incensed by the claim that the Olympics will be a showcase for the best of Britain. It will be the best in an X-Factor or Britain's Got Talent sort of way: they'll trot out a few stereotypes, although they'll call them "icons" (whatever that means), along with some superannuated pop stars and a couple of gullible current ones in an attempt to keep the "kidz" on board. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games ( LOCOG)'s invitation to Keith Moon was particularly crass, proving that, as those tasked with selecting what represents Britain, they really aren't up to the job.

As most people reading this blog will know, Britain is a country with distinctive brewing traditions that haven't been entirely swept away by the pseudo-pilsner beers that have taken over most of the world, and yet LOCOG has accepted a £10 million bribe from Heineken to have "sole pouring rights" for the Games. So the best of British will be represented in beer terms by a tenth-rate Dutch facsimile of a Czech beer.

The archery will be taking place at Lords cricket ground where the beer concession is held by Marston's. During the Olympics, the handpumps will be removed, and they're even covering up the portrait of cricketer Matthew Hoggard, Marston’s "beer ambassador". The only compromise there is that drinkers will be able to buy John Smith's Smooth under the name "British Bitter" while Strongbow will be called "Cider". Another missed opportunity, as there's a brewery in Wiltshire called Archers!

A Heineken spokesperson said that many venues are not suitable for cask beer as they are either temporary bars or lack the necessary cellar facilities, which is really quite feeble. CAMRA has been running real ale bars in such circumstances for decades, and there is an increasing number of commercial companies who specialise in temporary real ale bars: I've come across several at music festivals, and they work very well. It's just an excuse, of course: Heineken simply want to sell their own products, and as they've coughed up that £10 million sweetener, in a way I don't blame them. No, the real villain of the piece is the gaffe-prone LOCOG, which chose a single supplier of beer on the size of the bribe, rather than its degree of Britishness. But then, given how LOCOG has been profligate with our money - it's already spent nearly all of the contingency fund intended for emergencies - I suppose they needed every penny they could lay their hands on. Thinking about it, perhaps that is representative of modern Britain after all.

End of the drought

Having been off the ale for a while because of tablets, I finally had a pint (well, several) last Thursday at my Liverpool singaround in the Lion Tavern, Moorfields.  I'd had no beer for 32 days, 20 hours and 20 minutes, approximately. Regrettably, this enforced abstinence coincided with a planned trip to stay with my friend Geoff in London, a trip by Wigan CAMRA to Ulverston brewery with a pub crawl around the town, and a friend's stag night, which I joined for one cup of coffee in the Guest House. It was to have been a particularly busy month.

I have been variously asked whether I felt better not drinking (no) or indeed whether I felt any worse (again, no). There were two or three occasions when I really fancied a pint, but for the most part I wasn't yearning for it, even though coffee in a pub isn't satisfying, and doesn't last very long.  And while I can easily drink six pints on a quiet night, I can't manage six coffees. No, the biggest difference I've noticed is that my bank account is about one month's worth of beer money better off.  Plus a lot of obvious jokes!

The first pint last Thursday was the Lion Returns, a house beer brewed for the pub by the George Wright brewery. It was very nice as usual, but I just didn't feel as though I'd been away from beer: it simply felt right, like putting on a comfy pair of slippers (not that I wear slippers). As they say old habits die hard.

Christine Collister in Southport

After an absence of quite a few years, Christine Collister is returning to the Bothy Folk Club for a Friday Special. I first saw Christine in the 80s when she was in a duo with Clive Gregson.  She is a small, slim woman with a great bluesy voice that leaves you wondering how such a small frame could accommodate it. Other collaborations have included Daphne's Flight and the Richard Thompson Band, but she has also produced a large body of solo work.

She has "... a voice personally delivered by God", according to The Times. Hyperbole aside, she is a great singer with a range of material that crosses genres. I think it's quite unusual nowadays for her to play venues such as the Bothy, and the opportunity to see her locally will not present itself again soon.  She will be accompanied by talented guitarist, Rob Cross.

You can get tickets on-line here. The gig begins at 8.00 p.m. on Friday 18 May at the Park Golf Club, Park Road West, Southport, PR9 0JS. The venue sells real ale from Thwaites.

Southport Beer Festival 2012

The 13th Sandgrounder Beer Festival has now been confirmed:

• Thu 25 - Sat 27 October.
• St John's Ambulance Hall, Wright Street, Southport (very close to Southport railway station).

This is a month later than usual. The Southport Beer Festival was held in the Arts Centre for the first ten years, until the council closed the building down for major rebuilding.  The Scarisbrick Hotel on Lord Street stepped in and offered us a venue, but it was subsequently taken over by a national hotel chain. The new owners honoured the existing booking, but after that we had to look for somewhere else.

Why not put these dates in your diary now?

Southport Jazz Festival - real ale venues

This weekend is the Southport International Jazz Festival and, as usual, there are lots of events, many of them free, but only a few are in real ale venues. In some cases, such as hotels, the real ale may be in a different bar from the music. Here are the real ale venues that are putting on jazz events:

Friday 11 May 2012
Red Stripe Band, 8.00pm, The Bold Hotel - £13.00
Sueyo, 7.30pm, S&B Sports Club - £25.00 (tickets only available through venue)

Saturday 12 May 2012
La Tintos Bros, 8.00pm, The Bold Hotel - £10.00
Nova Scotia Jazz Band, 9.00pm, The Coronation - Free
EVE, 9.00pm, The Phoenix - Free

Sunday 13 May 2012
Modjango, 2.30pm, The Inn Beer Shop - Free

For details of the whole festival, click here.