News
Here is the latest news about what is going on in the branch area.
News reaches us of the sale of the Egerton Arms in Broxton to Robinsons Brewery. Any updates for whatpub most welcome as ever....
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/604/egerton-arms-broxton Congratulations to Dave Owen and the team at the Plough in Christleton for their award of Pub of the Season for Summer 2019.
The Plough is a lovely rural pub where food features heavily but there is also a separate bar with nooks and crannies for drinkers to explore. Spitting Feathers is the house ale with the likes of Salopian, Osset and Robinsons ales as the changing guests. Well done to all at the Plough!
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/692/plough-christleton Great news that the lovely Boat in Erbistock has reopened. Now a freehouse owned by Ed Chantler and Graham Price (ex B&P) and serving 5 cask ales. Description on Whatpub will be updated shortly....and updates welcome
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/13601/boat-erbistock This has reopened as Craft and Kitchen. Food based with what looks like bottled ales.
Curry and craft nights are advertised.
Good to have it open again. Any updates for whatpub welcome....
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/13671/craft-kitchen-glyn-ceiriog Great to hear of the Rhostyllen two doing well and keen to promote their real ales. New landlady Nicci at the Black Horse now has four real ales on sale and hosts plenty of community activities at the pub..
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/13629/old-black-horse-rhostyllen Just down the road at the Swan, landlady Claire has introduced a 15p CAMRA membership discount on their real ales.
https://whatpub.com/pubs/CLW/13677/swan-inn-rhostyllen It is excellent to hear that the pubs are in such good hands. Why not get the bus to visit both? You can also have a short stroll over the Clywedog to the Black Lion in Bersham and enjoy three great pubs in one trip! At the July branch meeting of Chester & S.Clwyd branch held at the Halfway House, Childer Thornton, licensees Chris & Jane were presented with a Highly Commended certificate for coming a very close second place in the 2019 CAMRA Pub Of The Year competition for the Chester area. Chairman Brian Vardy said it was a very close run competition with the winner, The Olde Cottage in Chester only ahead by the smallest of margins. As a reward for being so close he was delighted to present the certificate to Chris & Jane as recognition for their hard work in promoting real ale served in a real pub! Both were very pleased, and surprised to receive the award and they are well supported in their quest by a loyal following of locals who certainly filled the pub on this night.
Well done Chris & Jane! On a sunny Saturday (June 22) 15 people turned up at Chester station to board the 1023 train to Halifax. This was a new service from Northern Trains which formed a direct service from Chester to Leeds via Manchester Victoria. We arrived at Halifax just after midday and headed to the café/bar in the Square Unity, originally a square chapel but now restored as an arts and performance venue next to the Piece Hall building. Four beers on handpumps were available and I tried Stod Fold Chord, a light blonde ale which was refreshing after a 2 hour journey. On the way out we walked across a delightful, colonnaded square which has featured on several TV programmes e.g. Antiques Roadshow, and made tracks to a micropub called The Grayston Unity. 5 beers were on offer here and I had Kirkstall Black Band porter which was very good, I think most other people had the lighter beers and we found some outside space to sit out and enjoy the sunshine. Next stop was Victorian Craft Beer Café which spoiled us with a choice of 10 beers including 2 dark and 2 ciders. So I had Moor stout and North Riding Toffee porter, both very good with the latter just ahead on beer scores for me. A quick stop at another micropub called Alexanders for Beartown Atlas then on to the Royal Oak which 9 beers on – 4 of them dark beers, I must have landed in heaven! In fact this pub wasn’t on our original itinerary but was recommended by a small breakaway group who couldn’t fit into the micropubs with the main group but it was a brilliant tip and the pub offers 10% CAMRA discount. Eagle of Darkness, a 5% porter by Eagles Crag brewery was my beer of choice, in very good condition with smooth taste.
Now we moved on to our last pub in Halifax; the famous Three Pigeons, an excellent 1930s Art Deco style pub with 5 separate rooms radiating off an octagonal entrance lobby. It is owned by Ossett Brewery so 5 of their beers were available plus 4 guests. The Ossett Yorkshire Brunette was very good as was Ikley Black IPA, not as hoppy as I has expected. Back to the station for the train to Hebden Bridge, a charming small town with a well kept old-fashioned station. First stop was Calan’s micropub but it was packed out so some of us moved on to the White Lion for a quick half of Timothy Taylors Boltmaker, then moving on to the Old Gate, a modern style pub with impressive copper bar top, 9 beers on offer and tempting food menu! A very good pint of Thornbridge Black Harry helped wash down excellent fish & chips There are many more good pubs to try in Hebden Bridge but sadly it was time for the train to Todmorden where we only had time to visit Nightjar, a new micropub with a small front room bar but also upstairs seating. 6 beers were on and I had Born Slippy banana Stout, an excellent beer. Time for the last train journey of the day catching the 1939 to Chester after a great day out. Photo shows most of the group outside Halifax Town Hall. At the Cheshire Beer Festival held at Chester Racecourse in March, Guide Dogs for the Blind were the chosen charity and had a merchandise stall on both days of the festival. Festival goers were able to donate their unused beer vouchers, and thanks to their generosity a total of £1,000.26 was raised. A cheque for this amount was recently presented to the Charity by one of the festival organisers, Mal Pulford.Pub News
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