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The Trafford and Hulme Winter Pub of the season 2018 is the Church, Flixton.
It is a long established and busy community local. It stands next to the Norman church of St Michael’s and looks very much like a typical country pub, although it is on the fringe of a large and well developed urban area. Over the years the pub has expanded almost seamlessly into adjacent cottages. Inside it is a friendly and busy pub with a variety of different spaces inside, reflecting the small rooms of the original cottages.
Cask ales have always been important at the Church and the present managers, Joanne and Lance Amison make the most of their ability to pick interesting and unusual beers from small independent breweries. On a recent visit the bar featured Blackedge Brewer’s Gold, RedWillow Stateless and Acorn Yorkshire Pride alongside the more mainstream Sharp’s Doom Bar. The beers tend to be of session strength and from North of England breweries but they are never predictable. Card-carrying CAMRA members can claim a 10% discount on cask beers.
They also host a variety of community activities throughout the week. Tuesday is Poker Night. Wednesday is Open Mike Night. There are quizzes on Thursday and Sunday nights.
Don’t miss the pub’s “mystery object”, the so-called Shell. This is a strange and antique piece of ironmongery, attached to the corner formed by the pub wall and the wall of the churchyard. It’s been there for at least a century and is thought to be a deterrent to anyone tempted to use that semi-sacred corner as a pissoir, to borrow a French term.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Trafford & Hulme CAMRA. On checking we found that the Lord Nelson is the only Pub in both the 1977 and 2017 Good Beer Guides. At the December Branch meeting we presented the pub with a special certificate in recognition of this achievment. Here we see Phil Parkinson, Head Brewer from Joseph Holts holding the certificate, along with Julie and Ian from the pub.
Congratulations to The Chorlton Tap - they have been listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide every year since 2009 - ten consecutive entries. Here is the award being presented during the Chorlton Challenge..
On Thursday 26th October Trafford and Hulme CAMRA descended to Andrew and the team at Strange Brew Chorlton to present thm with the "Pub Of The Season Autumn 2017". Here we see John, the Trafford & Hulme CAMRA chairman present the award:-
And here are some of the team basking in the glory.
The Autumn 2017 Pub of the Season is Strange Brew, Chorlton. A smal and friendly bar opposite Chorlton Bus Station. They have four hand pumps and serve a range of beers typically from "Craft" brewers such as Blackjack, Squawk, Ilkley, Thornbridge, & Siren.
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On Thursday 27th July we visited the Morley Cheeks for a double presentation.
The first is as runner up in last year’s Most Improved Pub awards in recognition of the vastly improved selection and quality of its real ale offering since the current management took over.
It has consolidated this status with a range that almost always consists of four real ales including one dark ale, real cider, a new menu and regular events including comedy nights & live music.
Second, but more important was the Pub of The Season award for Summer 2017. Here we see John the Branch Chairman (left) presenting Darren Tute and Natasha Khoury (Tash) with the awards.
Trafford & Hulme branch is delighted to announce that its Spring Pub of the Season is the Quarry Bank, Bloomsbury Lane, Timperley.
This pub has been in the Hydes estate for over 100 years and is believed to have been built by the family in 1914. The first tenant was James Walker who moved into the pub on 23 October 1914. It then spent the next 78 years being run by a member of the same family, still living on the premises, until the end of 1992* when it came back to the Hydes family to find a new licensee.
Dave Kershaw has only been at the Quarry Bank since the beginning of 2016 but he and his team have made a fantastic job of building up their trade and he runs an excellent cellar which showcases the full Hydes range, which also includes the Beer Studio range, together with ever changing guest ales. There are up to eight different cask beers available at any one time. Dave also features the Hydes “Provenance” line which comprises beers brewed with hops from around the world, the current range using hops from America. He also has the “Occasional” series which is beers brewed for special events either in the UK or worldwide. Let’s hope that at the time of our visit we get a beer for St George’s Day. If you have the opportunity to call in on a Monday or Thursday they have their ‘Cask Club’ which enables you to have a pint of any cask beer for £2.10 per pint all day. The kitchen is always open for food and there is still an extensively used bowling green out the back with a fantastic patio area for you to watch the bowling.
Trafford and Hulme have voted the "Morley Cheeks", Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy as the Summer Pub of the Season. Since taking over in mid 2016 the management team have improved the quality and choice of Real Ales and other beers. In addition real Cider is available.
To complement the beers a good range of food is served with the emphasis on chicken wings, ribs, burgers, hot-dogs and wraps
Trafford & Hulme Branch awards four seasonal awards to pubs, bars & clubs in the branch area
The Pub Of The Season award is presented to a pub or bar within the branch area which has excelled in one or more areas:
a) introducing real ale to a new area or market where none has been available
b) on-going excellence in the quality of real ales (and ciders) on offer
c) on-going excellence of service to customers and/or the local community
d) significant increases in the sales of real ales and/or traditional ciders
e) excellence in support promotion of CAMRA and its aims
f) significant charitable work
Nominees for the award are put forward by local CAMRA members & voted on by branch members once a quarter.
A pub (while under the same management) cannot be Pub Of The Season more than once in a 3 year period. A pub must have been under the same management for over one year before it becomes eligible to be nominated as Pub Of The Season.
Find out more about Trafford & Hulme Branch's process for pub and club awards here.
The Pub Of The Year award is presented annually to a pub or bar which in the opinion of the membership “ticks all the boxes”. It should ideally offer a range of quality real ales, including speciality styles like dark beers; offer good real cider and perry; and offer at least one LocAle. A branch pub of the year should be a community pub that provides events and services for the local community. The pub should have a strong identity and personality that will often reflect the tastes of the licensee. The pub should exude a sense of welcome and the experience of your visit should leave you wanting to return.
The pub or bar should be the one the branch feels is the very best overall in our area as the Pub Of The Year shall be put forward by the branch for entry into the Greater Manchester Regional round of the CAMRA National Pub Of The Year award where it will be judged on quality of cask ale (and cider); atmosphere; décor; customer service; welcome; value for money; customer mix.
Find out more about Trafford & Hulme Branch's process for pub and club awards here.
While the branch celebrates four Pub Of The Season winners throughout the year, these often go to long standing pubs and bars which are awarded for longevity of excellence. Starting from 2013, the branch decided it wanted to also recognise pubs that excel in specific areas.
The branch presents four annual awards in addition to existing Pub of The Season and Pub Of The Year awards:
Best Newcomer
Most Improved Pub Or Club
Best Community Pub
Best LocAle Pub or Club
For full details of the awards, click here
The Club Of The Year award is presented annually to the club, which shows the greatest commitment to Quality Real Ale. Factors to be considered are quality of cask ale (and cider); sympathy with CAMRA's aims (e.g. CAMRA literature displayed; hosting CAMRA events such as branch or committee meetings); welcome given to non-member cask ale drinkers; value for money on cask ales and ciders; promotion of real ale (e.g. real ale beer festivals, brewery nights, other real ale promotions).
Additionally CAMRA members must be welcomed to drink in the club on production of a current CAMRA membership card (guest admission fees and maximum visits before joining the club may apply).
Find out more about Trafford & Hulme Branch's process for pub and club awards here.
The Cider & Perry Pub Of The Year award recognises a pub, bar or club that has best excelled in the promotion of real traditional draught ciders and perries appropriately served. Quality of the cider and perry offered is the most important criteria alongside overall promotion of real cider and perry and cider producers by the pub (e.g. posters and literature in the pub; tasting events; cider and perry pub festivals). A branch cider/perry pub of the year should offer a good range of quality real cider and perry, and ideally the choice over time should include a range of styles from different cider producers.
Find out more about Trafford & Hulme Branch's process for pub and club awards here.
The Trafford & Hulme Cask Champion award was created in 2010 to recognise the achievements of a person, group, pub or company that have made an outstanding contribution to furthering CAMRA\'s aims in the branch area.
There award is only presented infrequently when the branch considers that there is a candidate worthy of this honour.
Find out more about Trafford & Hulme Branch's process for pub and club awards here.
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