Pub of the Season Winter 2024 - The Northumberland Arms, Marple Bridge
This is already a special pub in the High Peak, Tameside and North East Cheshire CAMRA branch area. It is the only community owned pub. Originally a Robinson's house it was put up for sale in January 2017. It was successfully listed as an asset of community value. A Community Benefit Society was set up and raised enough money to buy the pub by the end of Sept 2017.
There are 5 handpumps serving 3 or more ales including Track Sonoma and Robinson's Unicorn alongside other, generally local, ales and a dark beer.
The pub is small and still has multiple rooms so has character that has been lost in many pubs today. A quick look at the notice board will show you how many community events are based at the pub. Although they do not have a kitchen they regularly have mobile street food outlets on the car park at the front. Football and sports are shown but do not dominate. There are plans to make further improvements to the building, create a community cafe and expand the small but perfectly formed beer garden.
It is a truly a community pub in every sense and has now been recognised as our branch Pub of the Season Winter 2024. The picture shows Peter Mitchell, branch secretary, presenting the award to the landlord, Phil Jarvis.
Pub of the Season Autumn 2023 - Bar 2, Glossop
Cider Pub of the Year 2023 - The Buffet Bar, Stalybridge
Pub of the Season Summer 2023 - The Ale Stop, Buxton
The High Peak, Tameside and N.E. Cheshire CAMRA Pub of the Season for Summer 2023 is the Ale Stop on Chapel Street in Buxton.
This former converted wine shop was the first micropub in Buxton and opened nine years ago. The current owner, Richard Andrew, has been there six years and has continued its aim as a good community pub offering continually changing beers from microbreweries (both near and far) on four handpumps; also two or three boxed ciders. Richard’s objective is to bring to Buxton beers and ciders which are rarely seen in the town. The Ale Stop has always had a music theme which is reflected in the decor plus an eclectic choice of background music on vinyl is played, with live music events taking place on at least one Sunday each month.
On a wet Saturday in August, all too common this Summer, CAMRA members and local patrons met for the presentation, which was made to Richard Andrew by High Peak Branch member Geoff Williamson.
Beer Scoring
Submitting Beer Scores
Although the percentage of our Branch Members submitting scores is higher than the national average, we are keen to increase this further. CAMRA have put together a couple of useful videos, each about 3 minutes long, one explaining why it is important to submit beer scores, and the other explaining how this is done. Members can view these by clicking on the links below.
- Why submit beer scores - https://youtu.be/NBkd4--5pxo
- How to submit a beer score - https://youtu.be/TSgRLWj7q20
Please can I encourage Members who try a variety of ales when visiting a pub to submit a score for each beer they try.