Prince of Wales, Shippon: 30th Sep – 2nd Oct

Next weekend (Fri 30th September to Sunday 2nd October) the Prince of Wales in Shippon is holding a beer and music festival. This will feature over 20 real ales, 7 ciders and a pig roast on Saturday. This pub is within easy walking or cycling distance from Abingdon. Last year this pub was on the verge of closure with planning permission to convert it into housing, but was saved from closure and a lot of money and effort has been put into improvements over the last year. There are normally 6 real ales available including local beers from Shotover and Loose Cannon. Regular live music events, and is a favourite pub for several local morris dancing sides.

Brewery Tap: 7th-9th October

It’s been 20yrs since Mr Warrick’s Arms shut. Keith and Marilyn Heritage were the licensees and soon after opened The Brewery Tap, but the pub will be remembered more for the ‘Duchess of Ock Street’, Mrs Heavens, who had run the pub for close to sixty years!

To celebrate the anniversary and to commemorate British beer week, The Brewery Tap is holding a big old beer, cider & sausage festival, with their biggest range yet. The festival will in a double top hat marque adjacent to the pub in the pub car park. Live music will include Big Boys Blues Band and Flexamuscle on the Saturday evening and Nevada plus guests on the Sunday afternoon.

When the beer list and tasting notes are available, I’ll add them here.

The Brewery Tap is in the latest 2012 edition of The Good Beer Guide which was published by The Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) last week. They offer a discount on real ale and cider for CAMRA members and have been recognised by CAMRA as a real cider pub.

Broad Face: 18th-20th November

Following the success of the Broad Face’s first beer festival earlier this year in April, they are holding their 2nd beer festival in November. I don’t have many details, but I expect it will be similar to the April one with around 12 real ales and live music. More details will be added when I get them.

The Broad Face normally has a selection of 4 real ales, and offers a discount on real ales to CAMRA members.

The list of beers will include:

• White Horse – Black Horse Porter
• West Berkshire – Whimble
• Oxfordshire Ales – Happy Hooker
• Loddon – In Yer Face American IPA
• Loddon – Russet
• Exmoor – Exmoor Gold
• Castle Rock – Harvest Pale
• Greene King – Bonkers Conkers
• Greene King – Olde Trip
• Wolf – RAF Battle of Britain
• Everards – Tiger
• Wentworth – Vanilla

The latest beer list can be downloaded Here

I am particularly looking forward to trying the Loddon American IPA. Loddon is a local brewery based in a converted barn between Reading and Henley, but we don’t get to try much of their cask ales in Abingdon’s pubs, although some is available in bottles from supermarkets

Live music each night, starting with BLIND DOG BLUES on Friday night, RAMI & THE TALC DAEMONS on Saturday night and finishing up with ADAM MATTHEWS early Sunday evening.

The Cross Keys is now also using YourRound so you can see what beers are currently being served and in the cellar.

You can also follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/crosskeysabingdon

Hook Norton Dray (Picture borrowed from Kings Head and Bell facebook page)

There is a good range of 20 real ales outside (and 4 more at the bar). Many of them are from local breweries including:

• Loose Cannon, Abingdon: Pale Ale and Abingdon Bridge
• Hook Norton: Hooky Dark, Hooky Gold, Old Hooky, Hooky Double Stout, Haymaker, Flagship
• Appleford: Power Station
• White Horse: Saracen IP
• Vale: Grumpling
• West Berkshire: Dr. Hexter’s Healer
• Oxfordshire Ales: Pride of Oxfordshire
• Butts: Barbus Barbus

From further afield are:

• Andwell, Hampshire: Gold Muddle
• Box Steam Brewery, Wiltshire: Tunnel Vision and Funnel Blower
• Cottage Brewery, Somerset: Licence to Chew
• Rebellion, Marlow: Mutiny
• Red Squirrel, Hertfordshire: Summer Ale
• Sadlers, Stourbridge: Stumbling Badger
• Adnams: Broadside
• Wadworth 6X

There are also 5 real ciders.

I haven’t tried everything yet, but probably the Hooky Flagship is my favourite so far.

You can also see more pictures of the horses on The Abingdon Blog

If enough people are interested in this kind of info, I could set up a mailing list, forum or database and also ask other local pubs to provide information for it. Please comment to this post to let me know if it is worth setting up.

You can also get up to real time info of beers available The Brewery Tap and some other pubs at YourRound.co.uk.

An e-petition has now been set up by recently elected Abingdon town councillor Iain Littlejohn asking the government to pass laws allowing local councils to have some power to prevent pubs and similar properties from changing use. Current laws mean the town and district councils are powerless to do anything to prevent a pub being turned into a shop.

Please go to http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/4922 to sign it. I have signed e-petitions before and they do get looked at and replied to by the relevant minister and if more than 100,000 people sign, it will get debated in the house of commons.

The full wording is:

Give town councils the power to use planning process to protect the diversity and individual character of town centres. Currently multiple retailers are able to set up in high streets regardless of the impact on independent retailers. Planning authorities are not currently able to prevent this happening and as such many towns centres are becoming clone towns. Similarly many pubs are being converted to convenience stores owned by multiple retailers with little consideration of their long term impact on the community. Specifically we would like to see: 1. Town councils gain right to designate their town centre for diversity protection 2. Impact on the character of the town to become a legitimate reason for rejecting an application in towns designated for diversity protection 3. All retailers wishing to locate in designated towns required to submit planning application 4. Move from public house to other form of retail to be regarded as a change of use

It may be too late to save The Ox and The Fitzharris, but signing the petition could prevent the same thing happening to other pubs elsewhere.

Many local people are opposed to this as it is next to an existing recently opened convenience store, and the underhanded way that Tesco is taking over the town. They have started this work even though no planning permission applications have been submitted! Local town and district councillor are also opposed to it, and a petition has been started.

This Saturday, a protest is being organised, starting from The Ox and marching to the main Tesco store in Marcham Road. Meeting at 2pm outside The Ox.

The Ox being developed into a Tesco Direct.

The Loose Cannon Brewery is now selling Abingdon Bridge and Loose Cannon Pale in pint bottles. Currently available from the brewery shop in Suffolk Way off Drayton Road, at £2/bottle or case of 12 for £21.50. You can of course still buy it directly from the conditioning tanks in plastic PET bottles (1,2 or 3 litre), 5 liter mini cask, 18 and 36 pint polypins or 72 pint firkins. Please support our local brewery, which reintroduced the brewing tradition back to Abingdon following the closure of the Morland Brewery.

The Old Anchor

The Old Anchor on St. Helen’s Wharf is now running under new management. The new managers have good plans to refurbish it. Currently it is serving 3 beers in good condition from the Greene King range (Morland Original, Speckled Hen and London Glory). With the Nags Head still closed, this is the only pub where you can sit outside with a view of the river.

Brewery Tap

The Brewery Tap is now serving 5 real ciders. Unlike other pubs that just have cardboard box polypins on the counter serving at room temperature, The Tap has them in the cellar at a cool temperature being served through the beer fonts. The range includes ever popular and strong Old Rosie and the sweeter Thistle Cross. The beer range continues to be the best in Abingdon and you can now get a real time update of what is on the bar and what is coming soon in the cellar by logging into yourround.co.uk. This site if you register can also send you email alerts when a beer is changed.

Kings Head & Bell

The King’s Head & Bell on East St. Helen’s Street is having a beer festival on August bank holiday weekend (27th-29th August). They always have a range of 4 real ales, which change frequently, but mainly includes beers from Hook Norton, Box Steam, Loose Cannon and Adnams.

The Ox

Work has begun on The Ox on Oxford Road to turn it into a Tesco Direct. This is despite the fact that no planning permission has been applied for and it is close to an existing convenience store which may go out of business if next door to a Tesco Direct. There is more on this on the Abingdon blog including a lot of comments from concerned residents, and some of our town councillors are investigating what if anything can be done to stop it, though it seems at the moment that Tesco’s are not doing anything illegal. This is almost exactly the same as what happened earlier this year at The Fitzharris arms.

Blue Boar

The Blue Boar on bath street is now serving a good pint of Adnams Southwold Bitter. For several years no real ale had been available in this historic pub and this is a good sign of things to come.

Added Ingredients

Added ingredients in Stert street sells a range of bottled beers from local brewery, The Compass Brewery.

The Plough

Continues to be open, but with no real ale. I think it is still for sale, but its future seems uncertain.

Nags Head

No news on this. As far as I can see from the Land Registry, Punch Taverns still own the lease, and there are no for-sale or to-let signs on it making it difficult for anyone who did want to take it over from even knowing who to contact! I understand there are several interested people who want to take it over and turn it back into a thriving pub with its wonderful beer garden in the middle of the Thames.

Other pubs

No specific news, but other pubs including The Punch Bowl, Spread Eagle, Broad Face, Stocks Bar, White Horse and Cross Keys continue to serve beer in good condition and are worth a visit. Also if you don’t mind a walk or short cycle ride I can also recommend The Prince Of Wales in Shippon (6 real ales including beer from local Shotover Brewery), The Flowing Well in Sunningwell (a recent change of management with 3 well served beers from Greene King guest range and a lovely beer garden) and The Crown in Marcham which has real ales not seen elsewhere in this area.

Local band, Full Circle, will be playing and hopefully it will be a fun event.

Also see this article in the Abingdon Herald.

For this week (7th February) they have:

• Morland’s Original 4.0% WEST GATE Suffolk 3.05
  RUBY BROWN. Original is a fully fermented, refreshing ale with a very distinctive and intense
  bitterness. Hints of subtle fruitiness on the nose follow through to the palette along with a light
  touch of malt.
• Good Old Boy 4.0% WEST BERKS BREWERY Yattendon, Berkshire 3.45
  LIGHT CHESTNUT. A good balance of malt and hops giving a full-bodied bitter with strong malt
  fl avours, yet retaining a rounded bitterness and a strong hop fi nish. Champion Best Bitter in
  the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain London and South East Regional Beer of the Year Competition
  2009.
• Riptide 4.1% BREW DOG Fraserbourgh 3.45
  DARK. A strong, silky smooth imperial stout with a deep, dark ruby appearance. Mocha, bitter
  chocolate, liquorice and dark cherry flavours prevail, before the balanced, warming and
  encapsulating finish.
• Original 5.5% EVERARDS Leicestershire, 3.55
  CLASSIC TAWNY BROWN. A locally brewed ale with a good balance between hop and malt.
  Full fl avoured and smooth, with well rounded bitterness from Challenger hops. Savinski hops
  give the beer a light citrus and floral finish
• Alpha Dog 4.7% BREW DOG Fraserbourgh 3.45
  HAZLENUT BROWN. A rock and roll medley of summer fruit and pine gives way to hints of
  roasted malt and a heady hoppiness, but with very low bitterness.
• Yorkshire Terrier 4.2% YORK BREWERY 3.40
  GOLDEN. This multiple award-winning Yorkshire beer is a golden coloured premium bitter with
  a rich, creamy malt and full hop palate finish.
• In the cellar: Pheonix by Westgate, Henry’s IPA by Wadsworths, Golden Glow by Holden’s, Abingdon Bridge by Loose Cannon

If any other landlords (or customers) would like to keep me regularly informed of the beer range in any Abingdon pubs, particularly ones which have a changing range of guest beers, then I will be happy to post them here.

The Fitzharris Arms has closed down, currently boarded up and sold to Tesco. This was a community pub serving an area of Abingdon without any other pubs close by. The nearest pub is the Spread Eagle which is over half a mile away. See This Abingdon Blog for photos of the Fitzharris in its sad closed down state.

The Nags Head also closed after christmas and is currently boarded up.

The Plough was up for sale and I understand an offer has been made on it. There are several rumours going around town about the buyer and what the intention is, but it seems unlikely to remain as a traditional pub.

The Ox closed down briefly, but appears to have reopened again. I have heard that it is now selling good real ale such as Timothy Taylor Landlord Bitter, but I have not yet had chance to check for myself. If true, then this would be excellent for Abingdon to have a freehouse free of Greene King’s control of most Abingdon pubs.

The Black Swan I believe has changed management and has signs on the window applying for a change in license involving making the bar smaller and removing some fixed seating.

The Blue Boar which has been something of a desert for real ale has been reported as occasionally having real ale available.

The Brewery Tap has reached an agreement with Greene King allowing two handpumps to be free of tie. As part of CAMRA LocAle scheme, it is expected that at least one of these will have a local beer on most of the time. The other four handpumps are from Greene King’s range of guests, and currently include a good range of different ales including two from Brew Dog. They are holding a blues, brews and jazz festival on March 25th-27th.

The White Horse, also a Greene King pub continues to have an interesting range of guest beers.

The Stocks Bar (Crown & Thistle Hotel) also continues to vary its range, mainly from the Marstons group of breweries including Ringwood, Jennings, Wychwood and Brakspear.

The Old Anchor (yet another Greene King pub) always serves its 3 Greene King beers in good condition, but it is likely that landlady Leslie will be leaving in a few months when Greene King find new tenants. Over the last few years several excellent beer festivals have been held there, and you always get a friendly welcome. This is one of Abingdon’s picture postcard pubs, being one of the first sights you get of Abingdon when travelling up the Thames. I hope that it will continue as a pub.

The King’s Head & Bell had its first Winter Beer festival last weekend. This include 16 beers with about half coming from Hook Norton’s range, some local beers from Vale, White Horse and Abingdon’s Loose Cannon, and the Steam Brewery. This was held upstairs in the King Charles’ Room and combined with the Rugby being shown on TV Friday and Saturday and a folk music session on Sunday had a really good friendly pub atmosphere.

The Broad Face have managed to recover and restore the original lost pub sign that was taken down in 2001, and plans to reinstate it soon. They are also holding their first beer festival on 1st-3rd April coinciding with Abingdon Arts Festival. Also remember they have live jazz music every Sunday afternoon as well as live bands most fridays.

Sorry not to mention every pub… The Spread Eagle, Punch Bowl and Cross Keys are always worth a visit. The Prince of Wales just outside Abingdon in Shippon always has 6 real ales, a new dining room, open fireplace and a friendly environment.