The sixth St. Ives beer festival run by CAMRA Kernow at the beginning of June was declared by both staff and drinkers a great success, with numbers attending, at around 1,000, up on last year. There was enough ale, cider and entertainment to keep visitors from near and far - including one woman from Toronto, and a group of Spaniards - happy throughout all the sessions, from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon.  Guests over the three days included the new St Ives mayor, Su Holland, and a number of well-known Westcountry brewers and publicans.

Festival chairman Gerry Wills was particularly impressed by the number of people who returned to the event having visited in previous years, including a good number who were now planning holidays in St Ives to tie in with it.  There was also a noticeable increase in the number of women and youngsters trying not just the 70 or so real ales, but also the traditional ciders and perries too.

"Our staff, who are all unpaid CAMRA volunteers, have been fantastic as usual," said Gerry, "and we were very pleased with the backing of the county's breweries, who are always keen to support this event and, indeed, CAMRA's work throughout the year."

The beers came from all over the UK, but there was, as usual, a special emphasis on products from Cornwall's 14 breweries. The 'punters' pint' award, for the most popular beer as voted for by visitors, went to Scorrier-based Doghouse brewery for its 4.3%abv Snoozy Suzy bitter.  Skinner's new premium bitter, Davy Jone's Knocker (5%), came second.

Fourth Rail Ale Trail for Cornwall

The Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, whose operating member is Wessex Trains, launched their fifth Rail Ale Trail (fourth in Cornwall) at the St. Ives Beer Festival on 3 June 2005. Researched with the help and advice of CAMRA Kernow, this one covers the St. Ives Bay line between the seaside towns of Penzance and St. Ives, and lists no fewer than 14 real ale pubs to visit while travelling along one of the most scenic rail routes in the UK.  The idea is that you go into each pub armed with your valid rail ticket, buy a pint of real ale, and claim a stamp in the brochure (illustrated, right).  Collect all 14 stamps and you win a souvenir T-shirt, window sticker and badge. Launching the trail at the festival, coordinator Lyn Winter said: "This is an ideal way to get people to use trains and pubs - everybody wins.  The other trails we have done already are proving a great success, and we have high hopes for the St. Ives trail as well".  CAMRA branch Chairman Rod Davis added, "Anything that gets people to go into our local pubs is to be welcomed.  This fits in well with CAMRA policy, which is to encourage people to use public transport for pubgoing and leave their cars at home whenever possible.  The pubs get more custom, public transport gets more custom, and drivers are not tempted to indulge in licence-losing activities". There are 5 pubs in each of Penzance and St. Ives, 1 near St. Erth station, 2 near Lelant Saltings and 1 at Lelant.  The other trails in Cornwall are along the routes between Truro-Falmouth, Liskeard-Looe and Plymouth-Gunnislake.  Another trail is now being researched along the branch from Par to Newquay, which should be ready later this summer.

Blisland Inn Does It Again!

Following a closely-run contest, the Blisland Inn has once again come out on top in the annual Pub of the Year competition run by Cornwall CAMRA. This is the fourth time in six years that landlords Gary and Margaret Marshall have managed to beat all the other entrants in the competition, albeit with two or three other pubs snapping at their heels in the final count of votes.  Theirs is a difficult act to beat when you consider the criteria that CAMRA considers in its selections.  Pubs of the Year firstly have to meet the highest standards in consistency of real ale quality.  However, we look for the same high standards in the welcome you get when going through the door and the service you receive when inside, the atmosphere of the place, the décor, the overall value for money and the mix of clientele (there should be a good cross-section) - these are all weighed in the balance when the final short list is drawn up.  The whole of the branch membership was balloted and the Blisland Inn came top again, perhaps not surprisingly to those who know the pub well. Gary mans the pumps (right)

Gary said simply, "I'm delighted to have made it to the county title once again.  Look forward to seeing you on the 21st".  This is the date when the Branch is going to the pub to support Gary's Mild Month, as he is hoping to get through over 50 draught mild ales before May is out.  He will be presented with his certificate at the same time.

The Blisland Inn now automatically goes into the regional heats for the title of South West Pub of the Year, which covers an area from Cornwall to Gloucestershire and north west Wiltshire.  The winner of that competition goes into a 'super-regional' knockout to find the national Pub of the Year, which was won by the Blisland in 2001.  Only one pub has ever won that title twice, the Fat Cat in Norwich, which is the current holder.  Can we dare hope it might happen again....?

Cornish Pub News

West Cornwall

The County Arms in Truro seems to have hit problems of late, with the licensees being moved on and replaced by Brian and Cheryl Terry, until now tenants of the Western Hotel in St. Ives.  The County was extensively refurbished last year, being closed for a period while it was given a £1,000,000 refurbishment by owners St. Austell Brewery.  One of that brewery's flagship houses, it is a large roadhouse at the top of the city which now caters for a mainly dining clientele, but people are still welcome to go in there just for a drink of the handpumped real ales if they want to.

Shorts....... Tenancy of the Western Hotel in St. Ives changed at the end of May. Outgoing landlords Brian & Cheryl Terry (see above) have been replaced by former managers of the Par Inn.  New landlord Kevin Meenie and his wife acknowledge the enormous difference they will find between the Par Inn, a basic working one-bar local, and the Western, a medium-size hotel in the centre of a popular holiday town and a magnet for the local music scene, especially modern jazz and folk.......The White Lion at the top of Penzance has appeared on the 'for sale' listings.  A pub chain leasehold property, it was never very adventurous in the real ale department, with the best you could hope for being Courage Best on a single handpump.  Handy for the bus stop, though.... One of the county's more obscure pubs, the former Pendarves Arms at Gwithian (near Hayle), has been sold recently.  Re-christened the Red River Inn, it is a free house and seems to specialise in Sharp's ales at present although this has not always been the case.  It is now run by the former barman...... Back in Penzance, the oddly-named Flanagan's is up for sale, as a leasehold property but advertised as 'free of tie', in other words it is a free house in beer terms.  It was once a Courage pub called the One & All, but the landlord changed it as he always wanted to run an Irish pub - so he said at the time!....  A pub which went the other way, converting back from an Irish theme bar two or three years back, is also on the market.  Now named the Clipper Bar, it started to sell real ale when it reverted, although availability is reported to have been sporadic. A free house, it's yours for £400,000.  Fancy a Camborne town centre pub, anyone?......  A familiar old pub on the Penzance-Helston road, the Lion & Lamb at Ashton, is also up for grabs as a £140,000 lease.  One of the many Devenish pubs asset-stripped away from the brewery by the Cannon revolution, it has been acquiring a name for a good selection of real ales of late.... In Devoran, the Old Quay has reportedly been sold to Helston pub entrepreneur John Nesbitt.  Mr. Nesbitt has variously owned the Prince of Wales at Mawgan-in-Meneage and the Station at Marazion, as well as the Ladystreet and Trelawney's night clubs in Helston itself.  He turned the old Devenish hotel in Falmouth, the Kimberley, into an ersatz Irish theme bar with, of course, no real ale.  The Old Quay is leased from a pub chain and therefore limited in what it can buy, but it nevertheless has enjoyed a reputation for a decent pint and food.  Its sale followed the sad death of the landlord last year...... The under-rated and undervisited (at least by CAMRA members) pub high over the north coast at Towan Cross near Porthtowan, the Victory Inn, is to be disposed of.  One of the precious stock of Cornish free houses, the asking price is £400,000.... Down in Falmouth, a relatively new establishment, the Waterfront Bar, is for sale.  Opened only a couple of years ago, it is as its name implies a seaside town bar rather than a pub, and attracts the younger element with its sometimes lively programme of entertainment.  Real ale is available, albeit a bit on the cold side in Lizard's experience..... 

Mid-Cornwall

East Cornwall

The Crumplehorn Inn at the top of Polperro changed hands on 3 May.  Alan and Sonja Crockford take over a free house which has hitherto sold a couple of Cornish ales on handpump, and has to be the first port of call for anyone visiting the village for a beer or two - especially if arriving on the bus from Looe or Plymouth, which turns round outside......

North Cornwall

The Old Wainhouse Inn at Wainhouse Corner near Bude is on the market.  A frequent entry in the Good Beer Guide, the asking price for this free house is £700,000.... The Golden Lion in Padstow remains on the market for £300,000, while across the river the Rock Inn is being offered on the market by Miller Commercial for £400,000.  It is free of brewery tie.

(Sources: CAMRA members, Beer Today, Packet Newspapers, the West Briton and allied publications, pub gossip, Scilly locals and Lizard's beer-stained notebook).  And One & Ale!

Cornish Brewery News

A new operation called the Lizard Brewery has started full-time brewing from premises in St. Keverne on the Lizard peninsula.  The brewery appears to be brewing regularly, with two ales available in limited outlets in the Lizard area: Kernow Gold and Lizard Bitter, both around 4%abv.

At the Ring O'Bells Brewery near Launceston, recent rapid expansion into a new building to cope with demand has allowed production of more of its beer to be shipped ‘up country’ for distribution through the Jolly’s/LWC network, as well as brewing beer brands owned by LWC.  Ring O’Bells has also started production of a lager called Cornish Steam, mainly for keg and bottle although the occasional cask-conditioned version is to be found.  The brew is sent to Burtonwood for kegging and bottling.

In Stithians, the newly-installed tiny Bathtub Brewery ('nano-brewery' according to its head brewer) has started brewing on site.  Some experimental brews have already appeared over the bar in the village pub, and following the success of Pete's Porter a premium bitter called Stithians Special has been developed.  Based on an earlier trial version called Wasted which made its debut at the pub in September, it has been through several iterations (via, recently, a 'Wasted Version 2.2'), to its current incarnation, slightly weaker, at 4.7% abv.  Brewing remains sporadic, however, as Peter Martin the brewer strives to get the balance of ingredients right before going into continuous production.

The newly-revivified Wooden Hand Brewery at Grampound Road goes from strength to strength, has added a fourth beer to their portfolio.  Called Cornish Buccaneer,  it is a 4.3% abv brew .  The other three beers produced by ex-Redruth Brewery employees Kevin Frantham and Mel Hill are Cornish Mutiny (4.8%abv, their first brew), Smugglers' Gold, a lighter beer at 3.6%abv that has sold well in spite of limited fine weather; and Black Pearl (4.3%), not a dark beer as its name implies but a best bitter aimed at the likes of Doom Bar and Betty Stogs drinkers.  The brewery's premises, the original Ventonwyn Brewery site, was too cramped for everything that Kev and Mel want to do, so they recently acquired two other industrial units close by where they can store beer for maturing and bottling.

Sharp's Brewery has been going all out recently to expand its operation both within the county and beyond.  Sales went up 30% during the autumn quarter of 2004 compared with the same period in 2003, presumably as a result of their new sales team operating all over the south-west, as far up as Swindon  so far.  The brewery has installed 6 new fermenters, and plan to have doubled plant capacity to 100 barrels during 2005.

Skinner's Brewery in Truro are now looking to take forward plans to instal two more fermenters in the brewhouse.  This will be the first stage in a move into keg lager to satisfy the demands of the surfing fraternity.  Meanwhile, the lager is now in production and being kegged by Robinson’s of Stockport pending installation of Skinner’s own plant.  A new addition to the real ale portfolio is Davy Jones Knocker at 5%abv.  Now appearing in various pubs, the brewery is donating 5p for each pint sold towards training of beach lifeguards. 

St. Austell Brewery  The new Admiral’s Ale (5.0%) has been launched in bottle, and is planned to be in draught form as well from July till October. Bottles are available in ASDA, Somerfield and Spar shops.  Meanwhile, brewing overall remains very healthy, with an 11% increase in annual sales recently announced which takes the total volume produced to 26,000 barrels.

Keltek Brewery continues to be very busy, selling everything it can brew as well as being kept busy bottling the Spingo range for the Blue Anchor in Helston and other brewers in the county and beyond.  Keltek have also initiated a serious expansion on their Lostwithiel site, with new fermenters installed to increase their brewing capacity to a massive 20 barrels from two and a half. Not all of this is being used immediately however, which will allow some capacity for experimental brewing.  Keltek King (5.1%abv) delighted everyone by winning first prize at the Miami beer festival in March.  The brewery is also moving into darker beers at the moment, developing two stouts and a winter ale, which will be available seasonally.  A new bottled beer at 6.8%abv was launched at the Maltings beer festival in April.

The Organic Brewhouse is still brewing steadily but suffered a slowdown over the winter months with operations just barely ticking over.  New sources of organic ingredients (malt and hops) have been identified which brewer Andy Hamer plans to use to widen the scope of his production of real ales.

The Driftwood Spars Brewery recently stopped dry-hopping its Cuckoo Ale, which has reportedly improved the flavour.  Blackawton Brewery in Saltash is continuing production of the beers as before despite being sold last autumn, and the new proprietor/brewer Steve Horn has now developed a brew of his own - Peninsula Ale, to be launched soon at the Old Mill House, Polperro.  A younger micro-brewery, Doghouse, has reported brisk sales of Staffi Stout, competing well with Guinness since the prices of the latter in Cornwall started to reach near rip-off levels. Dingo Lager has also appeared again for the summer period.  And the long-awaited brew using the new Susan hop variety, Snoozy Suzy, has been generating a strong demand.  Its strength is 4.3%abv.  Finally, the small-scale Wheal Ale brewery based at Paradise Park in Hayle appears to have stopped brewing after around 20 years of operations behind the Bird In Hand pub.  Domestic problems rather than financial are thought to be the reason.

Pubs Diary

Welcome to our feature, the Cornish Pubs Diary. The idea is that anything to do with the promotion of real ale by our local landlords will warrant an entry here. Events will mostly take the form of beer festivals no doubt, but with a growing fund of experience in this field and their growing popularity, we feel that some central listing is useful - which also helps landlords to avoid clashes! Do let us know of any planned real ale events at your local boozer. For further details of pub festivals, go to our beer festival page.

Cornish Ale Guide On Sale

This is the definitive guide to real ale in Cornwall - and it is on sale now, with recent updates included.

Members of Cornwall CAMRA spent no less than 12 months researching every one (we hope) of the county's pubs, sampling the ale, and writing about it in order to bring you the most comprehensive guide to date. Every known real ale pub has been listed in standard Good Beer Guide format, and the ones which don't have any also get a mention, so that you don't have to waste time going through the door (and in the hope that they may change their policy in future).  AND we are not standing still.  Research is continuous, so every so often we can bring the listings up to date, even if the cover still looks the same.

Because we are such a large county, the Guide has been divided into 5 geographical areas for convenience - north, east, mid-Cornwall, west, and Scilly. This keeps nearby pubs grouped together in the book and should make it easier to refer to. Street maps are provided for the bigger towns, and all of Cornwall's 13 breweries - including the newest on the Isles of Scilly - are listed with a description of the beers they produce.

Due to the lack of public transport in some areas, willing driving partners and the foot & mouth epidemic (one of our busiest researchers is a ministry vet!), as well as everyone being volunteers with other jobs to do, it took us longer than anticipated to get the thing published. However, the means are now in place to update it easily, and we are now able quickly to produce updated editions from time to time.

Want a copy? Of course you do. It is available by post to UK CAMRA members for £5.00 including the stamp (quote your membership number) or £5.80 to non-CAMRA members. Send cheques (made payable to Cornwall CAMRA) to editor Steve Willmott - see Contacts list for address details. Or we'll take €10.

One & Ale - the Cornwall CAMRA Newsletter

In common with the other branches of CAMRA, the Cornwall branch produces its own hard-copy newsletter, One & Ale. It appears about 5 times a year, at slightly irregular intervals because it may be timed to coincide with the major events such as the local beer festivals. It is aimed both at the branch membership, who are widely scattered around the county and each get a copy through the post, and non-members who may pick it up to read in selected pubs.

One & Ale contains news of breweries, brews and pubs in the county, as well as views and reports of pub crawls and the like written by the branch members. As a free publication, its only source of funding is its advertising income, which is of course to an extent dependent on how interesting the contents are. We are always looking for reports or articles from CAMRA members, and new contributors are especially welcome. Copy should be submitted to Steve Willmott, who is also the Editor and Distribution Manager (see Contacts page). If it is a word processor file and sent on a floppy disk, it's even more welcome!

Some earlier editions of One & Ale On-line can be seen in our archive. Just click on the one you want to see:

January-February 2004 
March-April 2004 
May-June 2004 
July-August 2004 
September-October 2004 
November-December 2004 
January-February 2005 
March-April 2005 

The views expressed in these pages are of course those of the authors, and not necessarily of CAMRA Ltd or the Cornwall Branch of CAMRA.