Real Ale, Real Music

"Look up here, I'm in heaven..."  So sang David Bowie on 'Lazarus', one of the tracks from his last album, 'Blackstar', released on his birthday last January. A powerful and amazing album, the words above proved to be prophetic as 3 days later on January 11th, his death was announced, leaving millions of us fans stunned, this was a guy we'd grown up with, part of our lives, and who was now no longer with us. And this in many ways was the shape the year was to take, with a crazy number of musicians from all genres leaving us this year. Here's just a few of those we lost: Prince, both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, Merle Haggard, Pete Burns, Leonard Cohen, Phill Dawg, Dave Swarbrick, and Bobby Vee. And in the last few days, Rick Parfitt and George Michael. Many, but not all, of these were of a pretty senior age but we don't tend to think of them that way, we expect them to just carry on, not having prescriptions or hearing aids or walking stic...

"It was the little man that built this town..." Alan Jackson* As 2016 starts to draw to a close, I thought I would have a look back over the past 12 months at what has been a pretty momentous year for the local pub and bar scene. A year which started with devastation for several and then over the course of the year, new venues opened and closed up and down the area, and Halifax finally became a great town for a visit again after years in the doldrums. The year started with several of our pubs, particularly in the Upper Calder Valley trying to pick of the pieces after the devastating Boxing Day floods. We started the year with The Olde Gate, Calan's, Drink, The Railway, The White Swan, The Shoulder of Mutton, and Stubbing Wharf all shut in Hebden Bridge. Of those, The Railway is still shut. The rest had different periods before re-opening, ranging from a matter of weeks to several months. Indeed, in the midst of battling with insurance companies, Calan's 2 opened u...

One of the best pubs in Calderdale, and, indeed, anywhere, celebrated an anniversary this week. Wednesday marked 4 years since Hugh Kirby and Ruth Dunsmore took over the Cross Keys in Siddal, Halifax. This had previously been an unremarkable place belonging to a pubco, the sort of place that you would drive past and to which you would never give a second glance. Definitely not the sort of place to trouble any fan of real ale. Now a Good Beer Guide regular and serial award-winner, it features a choice of 6 ever-changing ales on handpump - which have recently included the likes of Abbeydale, Salopian, Great Heck, Vocation, Squawk, and Titanic - all of which are served in tip-top condition. The pub also hosts a very popular beer festival each August with beers from near and far. The pub is warm, comfortable, and friendly, with a main bar area, another sitting area to the side, and a tap room. Outside there is a paved beer garden which is a real sun-trap. The pub doesn't do meals, b...

Some of the most frequent visitors this year on the guest beer list of many of Calderdale's favourite pubs and bars have been beers like Lemon Dream and Shropshire Gold from Salopian Brewery. Now unlike other frequent visitors such as Abbeydale, Vocation, Mallinsons, and Saltaire, Salopian aren't local but originate, as their name suggests, from Shropshire. Salopian beers are brought to this area by Russ Baron, who over the last 20 years or so has also introduced beers to this area from the likes of Newby Wyke and Purity. Russ is able to offer a more personalised service to both the pubs and the breweries themselves than general beer distributors so that the arrangement suits both parties. Whilst Russ also works nowadays with both Millstone and Pictish breweries, it is Salopian which is the one in the most demand these days! When Russ - who I have known for 25 years - mentioned some time ago there would be a Meet The Brewer evening with Salopian at the Victorian Craft Beer ...

I got off the train at Newcastle's Central Station, and made my way to the station's Centurion Bar, the Grade 1-listed building which was originally a luxurious waiting room for first-class passengers, then British Transport Police cells, before being re-opened as the popular bar and meeting place it is today. It has been restored to its former glory with fantastic tiling and paintings adorning the walls. The friendly girl behind the bar asked me if I was in the toon for work or pleasure as I ordered a pint of Mordue Workie Ticket."Pleasure" I replied and she wished me a happy stay.  Following on from that friendly greeting I noticed a couple of beer and listing mags. I wondered if there was any music on anywhere that evening and discovered that Julia Holter was on at the Sage across the river. I checked on their website, found there were still tickets, and so before I'd finished my pint one was purchased. Isn't modern technology wonderful? I moved on and ...

It is very unusual for me to ever applaud any action taken by the FA, but in the case of their stance regarding the wearing of the poppy in the England football team's upcoming game against Scotland, who have also backed the move, I am in total agreement. Both teams will wear an armband featuring a poppy to commemorate Armistice Day, which falls on the day of the match. According to FIFA, the world governing body, wearing a poppy constitutes making a political statement and thereby contravenes FIFA rules. Should they allow this to happen, they say, it would open the floodgates for further breaches. Now FIFA have frequently allowed teams to support a cause or an event in the past, so this is double standards to say the least. Indeed England have previously worn armbands - with no objection from FIFA - to commemorate Remembrance Day. The poppy is not a political symbol, it is a sign of peace originating from just after World War One, to commemorate the millions who lost their liv...

I heard the other day that The Works in Sowerby Bridge has closed, with the pub's Facebook page saying on Monday they were closing for the foreseeable future, and referring any enquiries to a Cleckheaton-based insolvency firm. Only a few weeks ago we celebrated my brother's wedding there, were very well looked after, and there was no indication at all that there were any issues in the background. I had also visited with friends earlier in the year and it had seemed busy enough. When I heard the news I had a look at their Facebook page, they were taking Christmas bookings within the last few days, they had acts booked in the next few weeks for their popular Comedy Club, and even on Sunday they were catering for dog lovers and had posted a picture of Benson, their Pup of the Week. So to many people, and, no doubt, Benson too, this will all come as a bit of a shock. The Works has been a key player over the past 15 years or so in changing perceptions and helping Sowerby Bridg...