M & B announces profits up

Pub Company Mitchells & Butlers have today announced an increase in profits:

• Total sales up 4.9% including food sales up 7.8%
• Operating profit up 1.1% and operating margin at 16.3%
• EBITDA returns of 21% achieved on expansionary capex invested over the last two years
• Net debt reduced by over £400m; net debt:EBITDA now at 4.7 times
• Like-for-like sales in FY 2011 of +2.6% with food like-for-like sales of +4.8%
• Like-for-like sales growth of 2.0% in first 8 weeks of FY 2

M & B run a diverse collection of pubs, mainly left over from the former Bass Empire:

• Sizzling Pubs
• Vintage Inns
• Harvester
• Ember
• Toby Carvery
• Crown Carveries
• Metro Professionals
• Nicholson's
• Premium Country Dining Group

• O'Neill's
• Alex
• All Bar One
• Village Pub & Kitchen
• Miller & Carter
• Browns
• Innkeeper's Lodge

They don't tend to brand themselves as M & B but as one of their 'flavours' above. 

The Conway, Pontcanna

New Conway, 58 Conway Road, Pontcanna, CF11 9NW

Open 12-11 Monday-Thursday, 12-12 Fridays & Saturdays, 12-10.30 Sunday

www.theconway.co.uk

The New Conway is a two-story Victorian building, with a traditional slate roof. Originally built as the Conway Hotel this street-corner pub was once owned by Whitbread Brewery and later Enterprise Inns who lease it to Knife & Fork Food Limited. Woods Brasserie in the Bay and the historic Old Swan in Llantwit Major are also run by this company. The name changed to 'The New Conway' a few years ago after a refurbishment. The exterior of the pub is rather plain, though with original corbelling above the ground floor windows. There is also an outside seating area on the part of the pub set back from the road.

The interior is relatively unspoilt with the original Victorian wooden bar running parallel to the outside walls. The walls are partly timbered and the pastel colours continue inside with light green and white being the theme throughout. A varnished wooden bar counter and brass foot-rail provide some contrast, as do the four gleaming brass handpumps serving real ales from Welsh breweries such as Vale of Glamorgan, Kite, Otley, Newmans, Purple Moose as well as those from further afield such as Timothy Taylor and Wychwood. Good to see the smaller independent Welsh breweries being supported in a back street pub. The bar back or gantry as it is known in Scotland has some unusual arching in it and may be another original feature of this pub.

The bar section is quite narrow and leads to the dining section at the rear of the pub. 

The New Conway is unmistakably a gastropub, but one with a firm commitment to real ale. There is also an extensive wine list as well as a good selection of single malts. Around 30 single malts are available, many from distilleries not normally seen in Cardiff, including one made with chocolate malt which is normally used to brew dark beers. Although at £18 a shot it is a bit expensive.

There are no printed menus on the tables, instead chalkboards which are updated daily feature the specialities of the house on that particular day. With everything from tapas, baguettes, full meals and deserts, the New Conway offers a wide menu with something for everyone's palette.

Throughout the year, regular themed nights are held, often featuring the pairing of drink and food, the most recent one was a Welsh night and a wine tasting is coming up in November. The New Conway also offers free WiFi and does not smell of fish as other nearby pubs do.

Google Map:

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Stout & Porter Festival for the City Arms

The premier ale house of Cardiff, the City Arms will be holding a stout and porter festival starting Wednesday November 23rd and finishing on the 30th. A week of these dark and delicious beers from across the UK have been hand-picked by manager Chris and include a few award-winning beers as well:

Purbeck, Studland Bay Wrecked
Blackwater Brewery, Pre-Raphaelite
Thornbridge, SeaForth
Banks and Taylor, SOS
Brentwood, Lumberjack
Brentwood, Spooky Moon
Brentwood, The Dodo
Salopian, Vortex
Salopian, Shropshire Gold Stout and Porter Fest 2011
Brentwood Weald Porter 4.9%
Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild 6%
RCH Old Slug Porter 4.5%
Banks & Taylor Black Dragon Mild 4.3%
Burton Bridge Damson Porter 4.5%
Blindmans ,Icarus 4.5%
Amber Winter Ruby 5%
Neathergate Umbel Magna 5%
Titantic Plum Porter 4.9%
Montys Midnight Stout 4%
Waen Blackberry Stout 3.8%
Waen chilli Plum Porter 6.1%
Bristol Beer Stout 4%
B&T Edwin Taylors Stout 4.5%
Mighty oak Oscar Wild 3.7% Dark
Otley Oxy moron 5.5%

Have previously written about the City Arms here, a pub previously known as the 'Van of Flesh Tavern' due to its proximity to the cattle market and slaughterhouse. This Brains pub now has regular beer festivals, American and German so far this year and offers the most interesting guest beers in the City Centre.

Beer & Food Festival on the Gower

The historic 17th Century Kings Head at Llangennith on the picturesque Gower Peninsular will be holding their second beer, wine and food festival over the weekend of the 25th-27th November 2011. Featuring local produce and live music, if you don't fancy the trip back to Swansea the Kings also does accomodation so why not make a weekend of it?

Live music Friday night, Saturday Night and Sunday Night!
Bands confirmed are:-

Friday night:- 'The Fleas Massive'

Saturday Night:- 'Nimble Limbs'

- 'I Scream For Crow'


Sunday Night:- 'Stu's Gastric band'


The Kings will be Selling their award winning selection of cheeses and will have hampers for the festive season.

Welsh Cheeses

Welsh Whiskies

Welsh Chocolate

Welsh Preserves

Home-made Christmas cup cakes/ Biscuits/ Mince Pies

Home-made Christmas Yule Chocolate Logs

It is also the same weekend as the Christmas Produce Market in the Hall so plenty going on in Llangennith.


Kings Head Inn, Llangennith, Swansea, West Glamorgan SA3 1HX
 Facebook Event here

 Journey Planner:
The Kings Head can be reached by bus from Swansea, though its a somewhat infrequent service from the City Centre on bus number 116

Google Map:

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Save the Pub with UKIP

The United Kingdom Independence Party have recognised the problems facing British pubs and have launched a campaign to save them.
Head over to their site, to sign the petition


There is also a booklet to download which gives some British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) facts:

• A net total of 1,013 pubs shut their doors for the last time between July and December 2009,  
• 2,365 pubs closing during the whole of 2009 
• This has led to the loss of over 10,000 jobs in local communities across Britain, 
• This costs the government an additional £1.53 million a week in job seekers allowance. 
• As every pub contributes £107,000 in tax a year – 30% of turnover - pub closures in 2010,therefore cost the government more than £254 million in lost taxes, a loss that is increasing by more than £5.5m a week.
• There are still approximately 52,000 pubs across the UK.
• The average closure rate of pubs currently stands at a stupendous 28 per week.

UKIP actually come up with some useful proposals to save the pub:

• UKIP will institute a Royal Commission to investigate the pricing structures used by the breweries through pubcos, in particular; the Royal Commission will investigate the pricing structure used by breweries in their captive markets for bulk packaged wholesale goods and the cost of sales to
supermarkets. This pricing makes the cost of wholesale prices, from tied sales from a pubco or even independent wholesalers, more expensive than some retail beer prices in supermarkets. UKIP will insist on reduced differentials and a fairer balance in beer pricing between on and off-trade beer sales.

There is a Facebook Cause asking for this, please click on this link

• UKIP would cut duty and taxes on traditional draught beers such as real ale, ciders and some lagers. UKIP would also allow landlords to write off against tax promotional costs for traditional beers through pub posters, beer mats and giveaways.

Any tax cut is good for the trade theses days.

• UKIP would reduce both EU derived regulations and UK regulations /controls. Will tone down enforcement regimes, involving various licences, permits, certificates, surveys, reports, audits, contracts, procedures, assessments and policies. This would free up landlords/managers and reduce
costs. In so doing, it will allow the landlord/owner more time for the marketing of their pub/club and the organising of promotions.

A reduction in red tape is also good for the trade

• UKIP would amend the smoking ban to allow pub landlords and club managers to provide contained and ventilated 'smoking rooms' within pubs and clubs. This is in pubs and clubs where the customers desire it and the landlords or pub companies wish to invest in such a facility. This proposal also brings benefits to residents in reducing noise and intrusion from outside smoking areas, which can be uncomfortable and antisocial for users. It also removes the risk for landlords/managers of sizeable fines being levied by local councils.

Freedom to choose to smoke or not in pubs is also a good idea. 

All in all a lot of positive ideas there to help the pub trade out.

Tomos Watkin launch new beer

The award-winning Tomos Watkin Brewery of Swansea have launched a new beer, Blodwyn, named after the cockle-picking sister of the company's founder, Idris. Brewed with pale malt and Styrian Goldings hops this thirst quenching ale is already proving popular in their usual outlets. A bottled version will be appearing soon.
Tomos Watkin on Facebook
Tomos Watkin on Twitter

Beerex in Trellech

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The historic Monmouthshire village of Trellech will play host to be a beer festival this weekend in the equally historic and multi-award winning Lion Inn.

Beers available:
Bath Ales Festivity,
Otley O8,
Wye Valley Butty Bach,
Felinfoel Double Dragon,
Butcombe Bitter -
2 local ciders and 2 local perries
19 different bottled beers including Chimay, Pen Lon, Leffe Blonde, Fruli

Lion Inn, Trellech, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, NP25 4PA

Traveline information:
Trellech is accessible by public transport, the Chepstow-Monmouth service 65stops by the pub though this being rural Monmouthshire, not at night.

Up for sale

 

The Red Lion, Stow Hill, Newport is up for sale, asking price £175,000, down from £190,000 last month. A once decent boozer that has fallen on bad times over the past few years, not helped by the indifference of the owners, Punch Taverns, and their sozzled tenant.

Once a Welsh Brewers pub, the Red Lion played host to the first meeting of Gwent CAMRA back in the 1970s and in the 1990s was bought by Marr Taverns and then Ushers Brewery of Trowbridge. In the Ushers days the landlord used to serve guest beers from a secret cellar - it was know as the 'Ann Frank Cellar' due to it being so well hidden. The same landlord built up a lunchtime food trade, the present incumbent does not even open the pub lunchtime, no doubt too busy sleeping off the drink from the night before - the pub opens around 3/4pm depending on when the landlord wakes up from his vomit-encrusted bed.

The pub has also gained a reputation for violence, not helped by the fact that the landlord refused to identify to the police a regular who attacked another customer. So he lost a few customers that way, not that he cared too much as his drinking has reached such problem levels that such thoughts are blocked out of his tiny alcohol-soddled mind. Yes Brian I mean you - are you going to threaten to stab me again just because I criticise your shitty pub?

From the sales catalogue:

"No accurate trading figures are available. Prospective purchasers will need to reach their own conclusions as to the potential trade and profitability which can be enjoyed at this outlet"
So Punch refuse to tell anyone what the pub is trading at? No surprise they have had to knock down the price by £15,000 in a month.

This could be a very successful pub once again, given the right ownership and management, opening the pub lunchtimes would be a start. Lighting the real fire in Winter would also help - the miserable git of a landlord could not be bothered one Christmas a few years ago.
There is a small area out the front for smokers and a larger unused rear courtyard and a passageway - this was the first pub I noticed when the smoking ban came in - noticed the smell of stale beer in the carpets as well as the smell from the toilets - tobacco smoking did have its advantages in some shit pubs!
Can't see anyone wanting to buy a Newport pub at the moment, looks like another auction property on the cards and conversion to flats?

Mid-Wales Beer festival starts this weekend

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The smallest town in Britain, Llanwrtyd Wells, will be playing host to the 10-day Mid-Wales Beer Festival this weekend. The festival is centered on the Neuadd Arms Hotel and brewery but other pubs in the town do take part.
Starting on the 18th and going on until the 27th November, this long-stablished beer festival will feature around 60 real ales on tap from breweries all over Wales, it is a true showcase of Welsh brewing talent.

The 60 ales are those just available in the Neuadd there are as many ales again available at other establishments in the town, and with no entry charges it is simply a case of turning up and enjoying as many as you can cope with. There is live music each Friday and Saturday evening, or visit during the week for quieter enjoyment of the ales.

No beer list but Sue from Waen Brewery tells me that their Blackberry Stout, Chilli Plum Porter and Festival Gold will all be available
The beer festival also has a couple of fringe events:
Real Ale Wobble
The Wobble is a mountain biking event where participants down free fresh pints of ale from the local Heart of Wales Brewery. The three trails are 15 miles, 20 miles and 35 miles long, through the Cambrian Mountainside. Riding is mostly off-road due to the alcohol consumption.

Routes change from year to year or sometimes just run backwards. Trails used in the past few years have run towards Coed Trallwyn and the Woolen Mill. Riders used to go near the LLyn Brianne reservoir, but not in recent years. A video of the 2010 event shows the trail highlights, stops and after-party.

Checkpoints are located throughout routes and are where the free drinks are tapped. These stops are also used make sure no one has gone astray during the adventure.

Around 700 riders joined the Saturday ride in 2010 and about 70 the next day.

Real Ale Ramble
The Ramble is similar to the Wobble, only stomped out on foot. Think of it as a pub crawl through the Welsh countryside. The routes begin at the town center and are a tad bit shorter. The three distance options are 10 miles, 15 miles and 20 miles.

While in anticipation of their next pint of Felinfoel's Double Dragon, ramblers will walk clearly marked trails through the mountains, moors and forests of Mid Wales. Medals are awarded to those who complete the trek, although badges have to be purchased.

Traveline Information:
Llanwrtyd Wells is on the Heart of Wales line, a very scenic journey that runs through the mountainous countryside between Llanelli and Shrewsbury.

Squatters take over Cardiff pub

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The former Entrerprise Inns pub, the Tredegar on Clifton Street has been taken over by squatters after lying empty for many years. The pub was closed in 2006 due to drug problems and Media Wales has some details here of what has happened to the place.
The absurdly named “Red and Black Umbrella Collective" have taken over this building and have no doubt banned smoking whilst holding meetings about how to promote more diversity amongst Afghan goat herders and the like.
 A sign on one of the windows reads:

"We are currently renovating the pub and want to provide a cultural hub for the local community. We want to create a safe and welcoming environment for everybody. The social centre will be a drug and alcohol-free zone, for people to come together, share skills and ideas, meet new people, make art, watch films and learn new languages.”
Sounds like Chapter Arts Centre without the bar!

Photographer Tom Ashmore has gained access to the squatters and photographs of the inside of the pub appear here.
It looks like the squatters were involved in the Occupy Cardiff fiasco in which the anti-globalisation and anti-capitalist protestors all went into into JD Chaverspoons after their eviction from the outside the castle walls.This is what happens when pubs close down - the buildings become derelict and squatters get in. Actually when this place shut the area improved as the drug dealers and their customers moved on elsewhere. No one has any idea who owns the pub now - Enterprise claim they sold it or are denying ownership - if Enterprise had not let this pub get in such a bad way it would never have closed in the first place and has lain empty for 5 years. Cardiff council are also to blame for failing to enforce Enterprise to do something to this pub - a compulsary purchase order can be issued for derelict buildings and it could have sold for housing or demolished. I am not an advocate for keeping failed pubs open, especially ones with known drug problems that do nothing to enhance the area but squatters moving in is not in anyones benefit - especially the neighbours in the South Wales Echo piece.

Golden Lion, Penarth

Golden Lion, 69 Glebe Street, Penarth, CF64 1EF
Open all day


The Golden Lion is a two-story Victorian building on the corner of
Glebe and King Streets and was one of the original ten pubs built when
this area of Penarth was constructed in the nineteenth century. The
pub was originally owned by Hancock's Brewery, then was taken over by
Welsh Brewers but was recently bought by the locally-based JW Bassett
Pub Company who have leased the pub for a number of years previously.
The frontage consists of large windows and black painted wooden beams
with a decorative pub sign of a golden lion with the words 'Serving
the finest ales and lagers' written underneath. The entrance doorway
is on the corner and this leads to the small and compact bar area.
Polished wooden floorboards give way to black and red Victorian floor
tiles approaching the tall wooden bar counter.
Three gleaming brass handpumps serve real ales and a cider, the Golden
Lion is a rare local outlet for beers from Wales oldest brewery,
Felinfoel of Llanelli and also a rare local outlet for one of Wales'
newest breweries, Kite of Gorslas. The ciders and occasionally a perry
are from Westons of Much Marcle, a traditional Herefordshire maker.
All the drinks are served in branded glassware with the beers from the
Kite Brewery being served in their own oversized vessels.

A large real fire is a feature of the bar area and to the left hand
side of this is a passage into what once was the next door house, now
encompassed into the Golden Lion as part of the pub. This part of the
pub features a dart board as well as more seating. To the rear of this
room is a doorway that leads to a courtyard which features as the beer
garden and smoking area. An outside drinking area is unusual to find
in Penarth and this one is even equipped with its own weatherproof
flatscreen television. Live sports events are a feature of this pub
and there are 6 plasma screens in total, including one for 3D
broadcasts.

Food is served all day with grills a speciality and a carvery on
Sundays. One of the menu items is a 32oz mixed grill for under a
tenner. A chalkboard in the bar gives details of a Pick 'n' Mix combo
or 'Welsh Tapas' which prove very popular during major sporting
events. Real Crisps and pickled eggs are also available.
The Golden Lion is a thriving, friendly community pub with regular
charity events and drinks promotions on Monday nights and a poker
night on Tuesdays. Free WiFi.

Google Map:

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Calling Time series on the BBC

Tonight will see a new four-part documentary series on BBC One Wales entitled 'Calling Time' which follows pub landlords as they try and keep afloat during the recession.

Episode 1, 14.11.11, 2235hrs:
Investor Tina sinks her savings into a derelict Porth pub, Caerleon landlady Lorraine fights to keep her retirement plan alive, and Swansea publican Ron spends his last night behind the bar.
Available on BBC iPlayer

Episode 2, 21.11.11, 2235hrs:
Investor Tina is back from Spain and meeting unexpected hurdles with her renovation. Landlady Lorraine comes to a final decision on her pub in Caerleon, and Brains brewery takes drastic measures to secure the future of a Cardiff boozer.
Available on BBC iPlayer

Episode 3, 28.11.11,. 2235hrs:
Three regulars live out their dreams by taking over their local pub in Carmarthen. However, a costly plan to brew their own ale could end in disaster for the inexperienced landlords, as they try to bring in the custom without breaking the bank
No details of episodes 4 as yet but I did film a piece for the series in the Vulcan in Cardiff.

Calling Time

New Brewery for Brains

The largest cask ale brewer in Wales, SA Brain and Co Ltd , today announced that it is to extend production facilities at the Cardiff Brewery by installing a new craft brewery.

The brewery will complement Brains’ existing plant and enable them to brew a diverse range of craft cask, keg and bottled beers.

Bill Dobson, Head Brewer at Brains, explains: “The beer market is always changing and there is a growing interest in more diverse beers and different beer styles.  We have seen this through the growing popularity of our seasonal ales and a demand for a wider choice on the bar, especially from the younger drinker.”

 Above: Bill Dobson in the existing brewery

“This new brewery means we will be able to meet these growing needs by brewing on a much smaller scale, at the same time developing our capability to innovate new products and to experiment with limited editions and one-offs.”

David Bonney, Commercial Director at Brains, added: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to the development of our cask and keg beers – a key element of our growth strategy – enabling us to remain at the forefront of new product development.”

Brains hopes to have the new plant up and running by the end of March 2012. The company will continue to brew its range permanent and seasonal beers – which includes the renowned SA, the award winning SA Gold and the legendary Dark – at the Cardiff brewery.  

Good news for Brains and beer drinkers - the existing plant was built in the 1970s by Bass and this new plant will allow Bill and his team to develop smaller brew lengths for experimental brews as well as use new hop varities, for instance the currrent brewery uses hop pellets and not every new hop is available in pellet form. So we can look forward to more great brews such as Milkwood, Summer Ale and Brains Strong Ale being available in 2012.

Zero Degrees Banana beer

Popped into the excellent Zero Degrees in the centre of Cardiff to try their latest brew, the bananarama. I've tried banana beers before, a company called de Troch produced a truely awful one a few years back. This is not so bad, it seems to be based on their wheat beer and the banana flavour is present in the nose and initial taste, before the spicy flavour of the wheat beer kicks.
Not too bad but don't think I'll have another.

New Book of Beer Knowledge

CAMRA’s Book of Beer Knowledge- the essential source of pub trivia ammunition
Pocket-sized book of beer wisdom returns for second edition


CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is pleased to announce the release of the second edition of its Book of Beer Knowledge, a pocket-sized compendium to load beer drinkers with the ultimate pub trivia before a trip to their local.
Compiled by award-winning beer writer Jeff Evans, this must-have title for lovers of pub ammo contains more than 200 entries covering the serious, silly and the downright bizarre from the world of beer. Packed with beer facts, records, stats and anecdotes, CAMRA’s Book of Beer Knowledge reveals everything from the smallest pub in Britain to how to say ‘cheers’ in 26 different languages.
Jeff Evans, author of CAMRA’s Book of Beer Knowledge, said:
‘I’ve always been fascinated by facts and figures so it’s been a great pleasure to put together tables and charts showing lots of information beer and pub lovers will hopefully find useful. At the same time, I’ve been looking at the crazy side of beer production – the wacky facts and oddball bits of trivia that sum up the fun of beer drinking around the world.
‘In addition to compiling lists of best-selling beers, important hop-growing regions and other hard facts, I’ve been discovering a beer in Australia that is made for dogs and the Japanese beer made with barley grown in space, as well as unearthing the truth about names such as Samuel Adams and JD Wetherspoon. It’s been great fun.’
Some of the unusual facts contained in the book include-

• China produces the most beer of any country in the world (410.3 million hectolitres each year)
• Home-brewing is still illegal in Alabama and Mississippi, USA
• Buddhist monks in Thailand have built an entire temple from old beer bottles
• The longest pub name in the UK is ‘The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn’