Compiled by Nigel Sadler, our Pub Liaison Officer.

I hope that you all managed to visit at least one of the beer festivals mentioned in the April newsletter and helped support not only the pubs which put a lot of time and effort into arranging them but also as support for National Cask Ale Week and our local brewers. I got round to visiting all of them....so much beer and so little time! Special thanks to my trusty driver and partner, Liz, for chauffeuring me around.

I have to say it was one of the best weeks ever for beer choice. An extra mention though to The White Horse, Townfield Street for going with the LocAle theme and giving Essex brewers prominence.

So to the news, first of all I think that everyone who turned up for the Local POTY presentation at The Wheatsheaf in Writtle had a great time and the beer was excellent! Congratulations once again to Barbara and Tony.

Barbara and Tony of The Wheatsheaf with the award.

MILD MONTH

The month of May has been designated by CAMRA as "Mild Month". Mild is an oft underrated drop of ale by many, at one time almost in danger of being lost from many brewers' repertoires. A great deal of local enthusiasm for the style must be put down to Mighty Oak's fabulous Oscar Wilde, a deserved medal winner if ever there was one.

However you might not know this but when originally brewed around 150 years ago it could be as high as 7% ABV! These days milds are black/dark brown to pale amber in colour and come in a variety of styles from warming roasted ales to light refreshing lunchtime thirst quenchers. Malty and possibly sweet tones dominate the flavour profile but there may still be a light hop flavour or aroma. In terms of strength most are between 3.5% and 5.5% ABV.

You will have seen from Brian Debenham's Branch Social Calendar that there will be a mild crawl though Chelmsford on Saturday 2^nd. Come along and join us at the Endeavour, Springfield Road from which we will start our stroll towards the town at around 12.30pm. I think there are at least 5 pubs we plan to visit.

(Also see BREWERY BITS below.)

RECOMMENDED PUBS

In recent weeks, under the guidance of Bryan Grimshaw (our Gray's BLO and CAMRA membership guru) the branch has compiled a list of our top pubs in the Chelmsford & Mid-Essex area. These we feel deserve to be recognised and not just for the quality and range of their beers but hospitality and decor.

Each of the outlets has received a "Recommended 2009" blue plaque from the Branch. It is hoped that these will become an established sign of the efforts made by the licensee/manager alongside Cask Marque and that there will be a touch of kudos in being awarded them.

In addition to these blue plaques The Wheatsheaf, Writtle was given a gold "Local Pub of the Year - Winner" version and the White Hart, Margaretting Tye a silver one as "Local Pub of the Year - Runner Up".

It probably goes without saying that all the pubs put forward for inclusion in the new Good Beer Guide are also from our "Recommended" selection.

In due course a copy of our new booklet will be sent to all members giving full details of the pubs listed.

All should be able to provide a tip top pint of real ale so why not get out and about to visit them?

To download the Recommended Pubs booklet in pdf format and see photos of some of the other recipients click on the Recommended Pubs link in the menu on the left.

A small selection of pictures featuring yours truly with a few of the award winners:

Liz of The White Hart, Margaretting Tye (Runner-Up)

Tina and Mark of The Three Elms, Chignal St.James

Some bloke at The Horse & Groom, Galleywood

Silent Mike of The Orange Tree, Chelmsford

Paul at The Crown, Ingatestone

Bicknacre	Brewer's Arms	East Hanningfield	Windmill
Black Notley	Vine	Fuller Street	Square & Compasses
Blackmore	Leather Bottle	Galleywood	Horse & Groom
Boreham	Queen's Head	Great Leighs	St Anne's Castle
Braintree	Horse & Groom	Great Waltham	Rose & Crown
Broad's Green	Walnut Tree	Ingatestone	The Crown
Broomfield	Angel	Little Baddow	General's Arms
Chatham Green	Windmill Motor Inn	Little Dunmow	Flitch of Bacon
Chelmsford	County Hotel	Littley Green	Compasses
Chelmsford	Cricketers	Margaretting Tye	The White Hart (Runner Up Local Pub of the Year)
Chelmsford	Endeavour	Mill Green	Viper
Chelmsford	Orange Tree	North End	Butcher's Arms
Chelmsford	Original Plough	Rettendon	Bell
Chelmsford	Queen's Head	Stisted	Dolphin
Chelmsford	Railway Tavern	Widford	Sir Evelyn Wood
Chelmsford	Riverside Inn	Witham	Battesford Court
Chelmsford	Ship	Writtle	Rose & Crown
Chelmsford	White Horse	Writtle	The Wheatsheaf (Local Pub of The Year)
Chelmsford	Woolpack
Chignal St James	Three Elms

Cressing

The Willows

Please let me have your thoughts/comments on any of the pubs shown above that you do visit in the coming months as they will be taken into account for the 2010 Recommended List when it comes to be compiled.

PUB REVIEW

Liz and I thought we would venture out and blow her week's housekeeping on a Sunday lunch with my youngest daughter, Helena (Aged 14) at the Chelmer Tavern over on the edge of Chelmer Village. Why would we go there you ask? For those of you that don't know it's one of Mitchell and Butler's Ember Inns chain, the only other in our area being the White Horse in Great Baddow. M&B are keen supporters of real ales, Cask Marque and CAMRA. Did you know that their monthly beer list can include up to 15 ales from micro breweries dotted around the country? Of which at least 3 should be available at any one time. They also provide a "tasting rack" of three 1/3 pint glasses so it's possible to try them all and still be able to walk in a straight line! The menu is standard pub grub fare but good value.

The beers I went for were Hyde's 1863 and Fuller's London Pride. Both were served properly and in excellent condition. The "1863" being particular good. Also available that day was Slap and Tipple from Smiles.

So on to the food then. We went with a selection of starters: loaded potato skins, cheese topped nachos and mushrooms with onion chutney on ciabatta bread. All were good though the mushroom starter was rather "oily". Main courses were: barbecued chicken skewer, rack of ribs and salmon fishcakes. There were also 2 roasts available (Beef and Chicken) but we didn't go for these but, from what we could see on the neighbouring tables, they looked excellent. Our only adverse comment about the main courses was that they could have been hotter. Finally we finished with a chocolate sundae to share.

(NB. No children under the age of 14 allowed)

Total bill in the region of £55 so good value and well worth a visit. We give it 7/10.

PUB NEWS

Sir Evelyn Wood, Widford - Landlady Ann has introduced a takeaway food service which is proving to be very popular with the locals. At just £3, yes £3, there is a choice of 5 meals with favourites such as chilli con carne, Caribbean curry and steak and ale pie. Ann likes to have 3 ales on and one of these will be a guest, the two regular beers being GK IPA and Mighty Oak's IPA.

The Horse & Groom, Galleywood - Doesn't get a mention again this month. Well except for the fact that it was gorgeous barmaid Denise's birthday in April and I forgot to put it in the last Pub News. Sorry Denise! XXX (PS. Hope you enjoyed the "rabbit".)

St. Anne's Castle, Great Leighs - More music for May! Pat has sent me an email listing the acts along with her beer list and here they are:

Beers - Flowers IPA   /     Woodfords Wherry    /       Bombardier 

Friday 1st  Maurices Rocking Machine - Rock n Roll night

Sunday 3rd Prozac Yodel (From 5pm)

Tuesday 5th Open Mic

Thursday 7th Rock Jam

Friday 8th Tony Williamson - Music, Quizzes,Fun!!

Saturday 9th Kris Dollimore

Sunday 10th Acoustic Blues Open Mic

Thursday 14th Planet Rock Quiz

Sunday 17th Acoustic Soul

Thursday 21st CASY's night

Friday 22nd Maurice's Rocking Machine

Saturday 23rd Rebel Souls

Saturday 30th Alone Me

For any further information please visit:- www.myspace.com/stannescastle

(Wot? Still no Ozric Tentacles? I'll settle for Portishead then.)

Battesford Court, Witham - Manager Dave will have 4 if not 5 milds on during May from Nethergate, Mighty Oak and Brentwood Brewing. Remember their beer festival runs through to 4^th May.

The Plough, Mountnessing - On the edge of our patch but still close to Chelmsford wanted us to know that they will be holding their first beer festival on May Bank holiday weekend between Sunday 3^rd and Monday 4^th. The pub was acquired by the owners of Lot 67 and Lot 75 in Shenfield just over a year ago. Though not regarded as a real ale pub I understand from Richie, the manager, that they hope to offer up to 32 ales over the 2 days. Ambitious? Maybe but we wish them luck. I will certainly pop over for a couple of pints.

The White Hart, Margaretting Tye - Liz is moving on ever upward with her renovations and is having 2 B&B rooms fitted out at the time of writing. She hopes that these will be useful for anyone attending her beer festival in June! More details to follow in due course on both room rates and the Tiger's Island beer festival.

The General's Arms, Little Baddow - Debbie the landlady advises me that on Saturday 9^th Little Baddow will be holding its "OPEN GARDENS" event. Some of the gardens of the big houses will be open to the public, tickets are £5 on the day. The pub will be having a hog roast at 1pm and then there will be entertainment with morris men performing at 1.45pm. So what better way to spend the afternoon having looked round some of the wonderful gardens in the area?

The Butcher's Arms, North End - I was sorry to learn that landlord John Powell passed away in February. I am sure that all branch members would join me in sending his widow Brenda and son Mark our condolences. John hadn't been in the pub game all that long and took over the Butcher's in 2006 having spent most of his working life in IT. He will probably be remembered by those that knew him for his charity work, which started in his youth working night times in the soup kitchens for the homeless in East London.

Having been diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, he realised the plight of many kidney patients. He was horrified to learn that dialysis was not an option for children or the elderly, and for those that were eligible, only a lucky few got dialysis.

In the 80s when he moved out of London in to Southend. He, along with two other patients, formed SHARP (Southend hospital association for renal patients). This later joined forces with another group (Southend and District Association for Kidney Care). John was then chairman of this group for several years.

The Rodney, Little Baddow - Will be holding their beer festival this month starting at 7pm on Friday 8^th and running through to last orders on Sunday 10^th. Both English and Thai food will be on offer. Up to 20 ales and 5 ciders will be available.

The Cricketers, Danbury - New Landlord Terry took over the pub on 21^st April. Not having prior experience (he used to run a golf club with a partner) he is keen to learn and has recently been on a cellarman course. The Cricketers is of course still a Shepherd Neame tied house and is in a lovely location on the edge of the village. Terry is keen to develop the business and we wish him well.

The Green Man, Howe Street - Will be holding a beer festival and BBQ on Bank Holiday Monday 4^th May featuring entertainment from live bands throughout the day and then on Bank Holiday Monday 25^th May they will be holding a Hog Roast (3pm) with BBQ thereafter.

BREWERY BITS

As mentioned in last month's issue there are a number of new brews from our local micros marking Mild Month. Mighty Oak has Memory Loss Mild on offer following on from their computer themed brews. Brentwood Brewing Company has come up with Marvellous Maple Mild at 3.7%. (Ok so the name is sensible but the pump clip is definitely worth a second glance!). Nethergate's have produced an excellent Mary's Ruby Mild (4.5%).

I bumped into Phil and Jeremy of Wibblers at the Maldon Festival and they told me somewhat elatedly that they had just brewed their first lot of "New Dawn" in the 18BBL kit they recently acquired from the deceased Packfield Brewery. Their capacity is now considerably increased and certainly puts them up a notch on the local brewery scale. They will also re-brew their popular 'Darker Mild' at 4.3% in the coming weeks.

NEWS FROM HQ

CAMRA has released a new book unearthing the secrets of one of Britain's most legendary craft industries- the production of cider and perry.

'Cider' is a lovingly-crafted exploration into the world of apples and pears, celebrating some of the industry's pioneering characters and events, whilst travelling the length and breadth of cider country to form one of the most comprehensive cider and perry publications to date.

The book is written, compiled and visualised thanks to a collaboration of leading experts on the subject, bringing together freelance journalists, producers and even self-confessed enthusiasts from the CAMRA membership.

Due to this panel of knowledge, no stone is left unturned for the reader, with information on where to find cider retailers at home or abroad, how to match cider with food, and, as a light-hearted aside, how to produce your own cider or perry!

Andrea Briers, Chair of the CAMRA National Cider and Perry Committee, said:

'This book is a lavishly illustrated, true insight into the world of cider and perry making, and one that captures some of the characteristics making this industry so treasured. The cider and perry world is simply brimming with diverse customs and history, to a majority of people this element of Britishness remains undiscovered.'

'Cider' also devotes attention to Spanish, French, Austrian and German producers that have influenced the industry. As the book notes, 'the temperature climate of Europe's Cider Belt gives rise to a landscape and a culture that's all pastures and orchards.'

Domestically, cider is currently undergoing a revival and 'Cider' reports that, in the past five years, the number of producers has blossomed and more real cider and perry is now being produced than 15 years ago. Most of these cidermakers are hobby producers, though several are reaching the tipping point where they are able to pack their day jobs in and produce full time.'

Andrea Briers points out:

'CAMRA's National Cider and Perry Month in October has been a catalyst for change over the last few years and has really helped raise the reputation and renown of craft producers. The aim of this 'Cider' book is to make more consumers aware of one of Britain's oldest drinks, and to champion the delights of fresh, well-crafted produce coming from some of the nation's most innovative artisans.'

'Cider' is available from all good retailers, as well as from the CAMRA shop (www.camra.org.uk/shop), priced £12.99 for CAMRA members, and £14.99 for non-members.

However I am pleased to say that HQ has sent me a copy which I am offering as a prize in the first "Pub News" competition (see below).

So for one lucky member it won't cost a penny!

BEER COMMENT

I like beer..... Will that do for this month?

Ok seriously then, like many of you I have been reading David Sherman's recent articles, or should I say, tirades, against golden ales in The Edge magazine. Whilst I appreciate that everyone has an opinion I myself have no problem with the style and feel it gives a new dimension to real ale sales, especially for some of the smaller micros.

On the continent these lighter beers are normally bottled and are often, as in say Belgium, served chilled with their own "styled" glass which supposedly enhances the drinking experience.

My own thinking is that if they are brewed as real ales that by definition means we, as CAMRA, should support them and do. More importantly if there wasn't a demand they simply wouldn't sell so there is definitely a space in the market for them but not at a cost to other real ale styles I believe.

Over the summer months they make a much more pleasant drink than a super chilled lager by virtue of the fact that they at least taste of something! Who knows they might even convert a few lager drinkers.

Anybody else have an opinion on the subject?

COMPETITION

Yes, folks after no less than 4 month's hard slog I am pleased to announce the first "PUB NEWS" competition to win a paperback copy of "Cider" reviewed above.

The rules:

1. This is open to CAMRA members in the C&ME branch only.
2. Maximum one entry per member.
3. First correct answer drawn out of my lucky tankard is the winner.
4. My decision on the winner is final (Though of course if you are a pretty, 25 year blonde brewery heiress with large firkins my decision could possibly be swayed!).

Closing date is 20^th May 2009. Email your answer to: nigsad@yahoo.co.uk or by snail mail to: 31 Moss Path, Galleywood, CM2 8YG.

Competition question: Which Essex micro derives its name from a sketch in an episode of "Black Adder"?

Send me your answers with name, address, phone number and membership number. GOOD LUCK!

MALDON BEER FESTIVAL

Finally thanks to our friends over at the Dengie Branch for putting on such a good festival at Maldon. With great beer and a nice comfortable venue it is one of my favourites. I'm sure I speak for all of us that visited on the Branch trip Wednesday evening that we all had a great time. We hope you enjoy our summer one as much.

Keep your eyes open for the next issue in June!

For further news on pubs and breweries visit: www.tap-room.com

Please email me with any news/items for inclusion in future issues. (nigsad@yahoo.co.uk)