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- Written by Mel James-Henry
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Liverpool Brewing Company Ltd held a product launch evening at the Lion Tavern Tithebarn Street on the 8th November. It was a great opportunity to sample their first beer offerings and talk with head Brewer Karl Critchley (ex Liverpool Organic ) and the owners about their plans for the future. Karl’s brews were on form as usual with my particular favourite being the Liverpool Stout. Liverpool Brewing company Ltd are a new company that has purchased the brewing set up of what was the Liverpool Organic Brewery including the recipes, names and branding of their brews. It is owned by 7 local businessmen with vast experience in the brewing/ pub sector. Initially the beers on offer will be 24 Carat Gold, Cascade, Liverpool Pale Ale, Bier head and Liverpool Stout all based on Karl’s original recipes so look out for them in your local. As well as these there will be a completely new version of Liverpool IPA a 5.7% West Coast IPA. The event was well received and feedback was sought from the attendees about the beers and the future plans for the business which hopefully raised some interesting ideas and suggestions. Liverpool and districts CAMRA branch would like to wish Liverpool Brewing Company Ltd every success for the future and we also hope to have a few of their beers at our upcoming Beer Festival in February for you to try.
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- Written by Mel James-Henry
- Category: Uncategorised
On a blustery night in Liverpool a group of about a dozen CAMRA members met in the Dispensary, Liverpool and Districts pub of the year, to explore some of the best pubs in Liverpool and sample some local beers.
The Dispensary is a haven for lovers of dark beers, daring to serve strong, dark stouts which many other pubs shy away from. Cains mild was once a permanent fixture on the bar, but when Cains stopped brewing mild on a regular basis, Pauline and Dave searched for a ‘dark’ replacement. After approaching several local breweries it was George Wright who provided the idea beer, a mild produced exclusively for the pub and named ‘Mark’s Mild’ after the Dispensary’s affable bar man Mark. An excellent starting point for the walk, and thanks to Dave for the talk on LocAle and its importance to licensees and brewers alike.
Next stop was the Roscoe Head, one of only seven pubs to appear in every edition of the Good Beer Guide, and an outlet for another local brewery, Liverpool Organic. The aptly named ‘William Roscoe’, a floral bitter, can often be found here but this evening I chose ‘Cascade’. Also produced by Liverpool Organic this is a light session beer and ideal for a pub crawl such as this.
After enjoying the buzz of conversation in the music free Roscoe Head it was time to head to the rather nosier Ye Cracke. Tucked away down a small side street Ye Cracke is steeped in history and is another outlet for Liverpool Organic. Like the Dispensary, here, you often find stronger beers such as ‘Empire Ale’ a bitter, which at 5.3% may be too much for some, especially on a night like this, but was on excellent form, definitely my beer of the night.
At our next stop, the Caledonia, we met up with Liverpool University’s ‘Real Ale Society’ and were treated to an open mike night from Liverpool and District’s current music pub of the year. The LocAle on offer here was ‘Hilbre Gold’ from Birkenhead’s award winning Peerless Brewery, unusually, this hoppy golden ale, is vegan, something I have never come across before. This shows that our local breweries are not afraid to branch out and be adventurous with their beers, very admirable in the current financial climate.
Our Final stop was the Belvedere where we had two locale ales to choose from, Jade again from Liverpool Organic, and Viking from Liverpool Craft. A relatively new brewery Viking is the first brew from the Liverpool Craft Brewery, although there are more in the pipeline including an excellent winter stout.
This is just a small sample of the pubs selling real ale, and of the local brewers who brew it. Check out the LocAle page of this website for further details. Supporting LocAle (beer which has travelled no more than 30 miles from pub to brewery) is not only environmentally friendly but also helps support the local economy, so try LocAle today, you won’t regret it.
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- Written by Mel James-Henry
- Category: Uncategorised
Liverpool CAMRA is a Campaigning Branch and here is a snapshot of the Campaigning Year
Liverpool Beer Festival (February).
Our annual festival is internationally renowned as the ONLY Beer Festival in the World to be Held in a Cathedral. Always a sell out event, this has become as much a part of the Liverpool Events Calendar as the Grand National.
Bringing New People to Real Ale Campaign.
A programme of around 14 events throughout the year designed to encourage new people to try real ale especially women and young people. Discovering CAMRA Events - two large events a year to introduce new and intending members to what Liverpool CAMRA does and how they can become involved.
Mild Month (currently May).
A series of events will be held to promote mild which is a classic beer style with great flavours.
LocAle the green local pint.
Scheme to promote local brewers within a 30 mile radius by publicising pubs that undertake to offer regularly at least one beer from a local brewer, thereby reducing beer miles and supporting local business. 
Liverpool CAMRA Oscars Night (usually July).
A night of awards and media coverage recognising contributions to serving and promoting real ale in Liverpool including the award for Liverpool CAMRA Pub of the Year and awards for Pubs of Excellence.
Liverpool Real Ale Pubs Festival.
A two month programme of events in September and October promoting Liverpool's Real Ale Pubs including pub real ale festivals, special pub events, free tastings, music events, beer and food events and much much more. See MerseyAle Autumn edition for programme details.
Liverpool Real Ale Pubs Map.
This is a free colour map pinpointing over 110 real ale pubs both in Liverpool and the surrounding areas. No need to get lost again looking for the best pubs in Liverpool.
365 Days a Year – Liverpool the Real Ale Pubs Capital of Britain. Liverpool has a pub for all reasons including pubs that are recognised as having the best interiors in the country. One day is not enough to do Liverpool pubs justice!! So Stay Another Day and enjoy! Promoting Real Ale, Liverpool Pubs and CAMRA.
All the Fun of the Queue (December). Almost as famous as the event itself is the queue for tickets on Liverpool Beer Festival Ticket Sales day. Be there early to buy yours - ticket details in Winter MerseyAle and on website
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- Written by Mel James-Henry
- Category: Uncategorised
Pub Of The Year (POTY)
Earlier this year members of the branch were asked to vote for their top 3 POTY pubs. This was done via a form on the website, an article on Face book and by asking for members vote at the Liverpool Beer Festival. In total 123 votes were cast.
Thank you to all those who put their name forward to be a member of the judging panel. The panel was chosen at random, and consisted of 7 of those members and 1 committee member.
A scoring system of 3 points for 1st choice, 2 for 2nd choice and 1 for 3rd choice was used to draw up a list of top ten pubs. From this list the top 5 went forward to be judged against the national POTY criteria. After which the branch POTY was the Roscoe Head congratulations to Carol Ross and her staff.
Results when judged against national POTY criteria
| PUB | SCORE |
|---|---|
| Roscoe Head | 846.5 |
| Dispensary | 834.5 |
| Belvedere | 770.5 |
| Lion | 765 |
| Ship & Mitre | 759 |
The Roscoe Head now goes forward to judging for the first stage of the Regional Pub of the Year along 3 other regional pubs:-
Gallaghers, Birkenhead (Wirral Branch)
Guest House, Southport (Southport Branch)
Duke of Cambridge, St Helens (St Helen's Branch)
Details of the winner of this round of judging to follow.
