Real Ale, Real Music

More often than not these days we hear about pubs closing, rather than opening. However, one sector of the pub trade that is showing an increase in numbers is that of the micro pub.  The Micropub Association's definition is as follows: 'A small free house which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks.'   As I wrote in a previous blog, about Calan's in Hebden Bridge, the first to open in Calderdale, last year: ' The first was set up by Martyn Hillier at The Butcher’s Arms in Herne, Kent, back in 2005. This was in an old converted butcher's shop, and this tends to be the pattern, old shops and odd buildings lending themselves to being converted into a one-room pub. Possibly because the first one was in the county of Kent, a lot of them have been opened there. However, the model has gradually caught on and spread around the country over the past 1...

News has broken in the past few days that one of the most iconic pubs in Calderdale, the Barge and Barrel in Elland, is reportedly under threat, not this time from flooding, but from owners Punch Taverns, who wish to transform it into a destination foodie pub meaning that decades of commitment to real ale could be washed away. This would be a further blow to a pub that has recently been hit by flooding, the loss of footfall due to the closure of the historic bridge beside which it sits, and bereavement.  The Barge has been a real ale mecca for 30-odd years, since it became the West Riding Brewery's first and only tied house. It had originally been built to serve the customers of the long-closed Elland Station. It was called the Station Hotel and carried on quietly for decades, before having a few years as a disco pub(remember them?) called Barbados. In the early 80's it became the Barge and Barrel, and attracted visitors from far and wide to sample the West Riding Brewery...

As we approach the end of January, I look back over a month that has brought much misery to so many people. Yes, January is never top of the list when it comes to naming your favourite month, even amongst those of us that have our birthdays in it. Many decide to abstain from food, drink, socialising, pleasure in general - but this year, in the Calder Valley and in many other areas, this particular one has been a shocker. Just before Christmas, I had gone to Hebden Bridge with our Tom and Annie for a wander around and the odd beer. The town was buzzing and twinkling with pre-Christmas atmosphere and anticipation. We tried the town's latest latest micropub, Drink, set in an off licence and bottle shop, with Bridestones Brewery much in evidence. We then moved on to the local co-operatively-owned pub, the Fox and Goose.  Then it was on to The Old Gate, where as usual it was pretty busy, beer as good as ever, then on the the town's original micro, Calan's, where our Tom enth...

". ..then the loud sound did seem to fade.... "  David Bowie, 'Starman', 1972 January 11th, 2016.  I have just scraped the ice off my car before setting off to work. The Today Programme is on Radio 4, as has been the case on my morning commute for the last 25 years. I catch the tail end of a breaking news item saying David Bowie had died a few hours ago in New York. I can't believe what I am hearing. 3 days ago, on January 8th, the birthday I shared with him, he was 69. On Saturday, I had bought the album he had released on his birthday, Blackstar , the first he had released since The Next Day  almost 3 years ago. This had followed the release of a single, Where Are We Now? , which had appeared out of nowhere, in true Bowie-style, on his 66th birthday, following a long hiatus. Over the next hour, as presenters Nick Robinson and Justin Webb, and guests like the Archbishop of Canterbury, add their own personal views and experiences of Bowie's impact on thei...

There's been some good music about again this year. Around Brighouse there has been some fine music to be heard most weekends at the Beck and/or Millers Bar, plus the odd event at the Cock of the North. And the highlight of the year on the local scene had to be the amazing Brighouse Canal and Music Festival in August where the weather's dramatic mood swings did nothing to dampen the spirits! I know I probably sound like a stuck record, but to have the quality of musicians like The Rainey Street Band, Blood, Sweat and Beers, Ryan Spendlove, Chris Martin, Bella Gaffney, Scott Wainwright, JP Totham, and the Tom Gee Band, regularly playing in the town means we punch well above our weight in terms of musical quality. And then there's bands like Rugosa, who are from Brighouse, but tend to play further afield but who nonetheless contribute to the area's musical heritage. And let's not forget Roger Davies, who whilst playing nowadays all over the country still comes back t...

Many of you will have seen the excellent TV series 'Happy Valley', starring Sarah Lancashire and written by Sally Wainwright, filmed in and around the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire. Now the Calder and neighbouring Ryburn Valley are my patch. I was brought up here, and I have also lived, worked or studied for a fair amount of time in Leeds, Manchester, and other areas close by. So to see the devastation caused by flooding of the past couple of days across this area is horrendous. This is my country, and it is horrible to see what has happened. OK, so the weather of the past few days has been exceptional, the temperatures have been high, meaning there's more moisture in the air, and as we keep getting told repeatedly, global warming is having a major impact.  However, it keeps happening again, not just here but in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and no doubt in due course, down the Severn Valley. Does it not occur to the powers that be that the preventative action taken is in...

As Christmas approaches, many of us look forward to a well-earned break and time with family and friends. And it is quite likely you may end up in a pub at some point over the festive period. But, beware! If you fancy a pint, you risk encountering the dreaded Christmas beer!!! Beers with names like Rockin' Rudolph, Santa's Ruin, Good Elf, It's a Cracker...the list goes on. At least one of those names has been used but I'm sure you get the picture! In my view, 90% of these are an excuse for brewers of some of the most boring beers to pump them full of 'Christmas' flavours like cinnamon and cloves, badge them with a seasonal hand pump clip featuring a cartoon Santa/Reindeer/Elf/Christmas Tree(delete as required), then add a novelty flashing light and/or a bauble, whilst at the same time stopping supplying their regular beers so those that don't want a mouthful of seasonal spices are left with no alternative! Now not all of them are bad - Batemans' Ro...