INN INVENTORY

This is just a swift guide to publications and associations connected with the Pub World.

AA. This is not to be confused with Alcoholics Anonymous or A.A. Gill the Alcoholic and Dyslectic Sunday Times journalist who somehow produces very rude and erudite and amusing Restaurant Reviews. No, this AA is part of the Automobile Association Developments, who for many years have produced maps and travel guides in Britain. Along with many Pub Cycle Rides and Walks they produce a yearly Pub Guide. A thick glossy paperback well illustrated and produced. Obviously the pubs they chose will be AA approved using their own scale of standards. The guides are well illustrated which cuts out the need for overdosing on descriptions. Our only quibble is that they will too often place country pubs under the name of the nearest town

The address for the publishing part is:

BBPA. This is the British Beer and Pub Association. We are not quite sure what they do except they must not be confused with the British Body Piercing Association.

BEC. Nothing to do with Becks Beer or David Beckham. It's the Business and Enterprise Committee. It's a Government thing so it obviously wants to destroy or help the Pub trade. With the present turmoil within the licensing trade we can only boggle at the restrictions and manipulations.

BII. The British Institute of Innkeepers. Approx 9,000 members. It has ambitions to be some sort of pressure group but still seems to be seeking the right pressure points. Meanwhile Pubs bleed to death.

CAMRA. The Campaign for Real Ale. This is the campaign started by two men in a pub in the 1970's moaning about the lack of decent beer. Without them you could still be drinking Watneys Red Barrel, the worst keg beer within living memory closely followed by pressurised products from the five other monopolistic breweries which made up The Big Six. They seemed set to try and take over every pub in the country squeezing out and closing down small breweries.
Surprisingly CAMRA prevailed membership multiplied and the Monopolies Commission stepped in and the Big Six got their Come Uppance - or rather Downance. When they have something to fight CAMRA pitch in. When beer flows well they can nit pick and quibble. However, the myth that CAMRA members are all bearded hobbits with sandals and beer bellies still prevails along with the idea that God is an old man with long white hair and beard, dressed in a nightshirt and living on a cloud. Quite a lot of Camra members are female these days but there is no sign of a Mrs. God. Furthermore CAMRA host The Great British Beer Festival every year, which is also the largest where over 5 days 10,000 plus visitors will head to Earls Court.
As there is no mayhem, murder, bloodshed, screaming binge mobs or riots this event never makes the news or gets a television mention. As they say 'No News is Good News'.
We now have a state of turmoil in the Pub Trade with Pubco's becoming the new monopolists, and an unhelpful and un-elected Government of Doom. The good news is over 500 microbreweries now. And CAMRA can fight against Pub closures and crippling taxes imposed on the licensed trade.

Their address is:

CHEF & BREWER - The Pub Grub Logo of Mitchell & Butler.

DARK STAR The Micro brewery in Ansty, West Sussex which originated in the EVENING STAR near Brighton Station. Through circumstances of splendid serendipity they turned my Blog into what is now a Pub Log of authors after following the trail of Hilaire Belloc. You need to start at the beginning with 'STARDOM'.

DEFRA - The Department for ENVIRONMENT FOOD & RURAL AFFAIRS. Like so many Government Departments well know for turning a Deaf Ear to reason. They have done their best to destroy the Hop industry by closing down research funding at Wye in Herefordshire .and have given Imperial College the go ahead to build on, and thereby destroy protected countryside. We won't mention Foot and Mouth or Mad Cow Disease.

ENTERPRISE - One of the largest Pubco's with an estate of around 7,700 pubs tied by lease and tenancy. They are at the heart of much controversy and debate. It is not as if they brew anything, and many leaseholders are not happy with the way they are treated. And to think there is only one Monopolies Commission. What can it be they monopolise?

FAIR PINT - Another pressure group. Their idea of fairness is to do away with all pub ties, but they do not seem to distinguish between massive Pubco's with vast estates and small regional breweries who would be squeezed out of their small estates which is the main direct market for their products.

FANCY-A-PINT - This is an organisation which had a web-site with phone in connections with regard to LONDON PUBS. They produced a paperback book of this name which was very handy, and had maps with nearest underground station, and thumbnail photo pics. The copy I have is from 2006 . If they have done an up-date I have not seen it - and now I cannot see my copy which is not in it's rightful place in my near at hand bookcase. I shall have to come back to this. Aha - John Blake Publishing Ltd. 3, Bramber Court, Bramber Road, London W14 9PB. If I had to spend time looking up several thousand web-sites I would never get to any Pubs or time to work on Pubology . If you want Geek and Ancient Greek go to Godchecker.com.

FREE HOUSE - This does not mean you can have Free Beer. It means that the landlord (or lady) really are Lords of all they purvey and their Pub is freehold and not tied to any Brewery tenancy or lease, or to any Pubco. Drink to Freedom of Choice.

GOOD BEER CUIDE - This is the one produced by CAMRA every year. Not only does it have Pubs with consistent beer quality and choice, there is a section on all the latest breweries, microbreweries and their wares. Mostly text, with a few glossy colour pages in the fore section it is a mine of information, well laid out and easy to use. It stands out from the other guides of this ilk by being an inch taller and not having PUB in the title. The binding is improving. In previous years my copies have disintegrated well before September, which seems to be the chosen publication date. For address details see CAMRA.

GOOD PUB GUIDE - This solid wedge of text believes in the weight of words and the only Pub illustration to be seen will be on the cover. There are now variations in text which make it easier to pick out relevant facts than in former years. The foodie facts for those who like to drool over menus are in heavy type at the bottom of every entry. Also there is a LUCKY DIP section for every county, where readers may promote there own pub choices. This is much briefer and quite good fun encouraged by FREEPOST TN1509, The GOOD PUB GUIDE, WADHURST, EAST SUSSEX TN5 7BR.
It is edited by Alisdair Aird and Fiona Stapley.

GREENE KING - One of our larger breweries with an estate of around 1,690 Pubs. They operate from Westgate Brewery, Abbot House, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. IP33 1QT. There is some concern that there expansion has been too fast and too far, but they do brew cask ale. Once upon a time you had to travel to Suffolk to sample a pint of Abbot Ale. Now there are areas where it is almost obligatory.

HUNGRY HORSE - The GREENE KING Grub Pubs.

IFBB - Independent Families Brewers of Britain. It is nice to know there still are some. Not nearly enough.

LocAle - This is a scheme for Pubs to stock at least one cask ale from a local brewery not more than 20 miles away thus saving 'beer miles'. CAMRA will have more details on this.

LVA - Licensed Victuallers Association. Around 400,000 members. This used to be the Bees Knees for publicans when they shared problems and held local branch meetings.

MARSTONS - Another Brewery with an estate of around 2,500 Pubs. It has expanded at quite a rate buying other breweries to become a 'super regional'. This has not made the brewery popular in some quarters, and it also supplies about 3,000 free trade pubs and clubs. However they are dedicated to Cask Ale as long as it is their products. They operate from Marston's House, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 4JT

MICHELIN - Eating Out In Pubs. Another guide. Glossy and compact. Obviously it chooses upmarket Pubs - but cask beers are taken into consideration, and there are some very user friendly Pubs in a selection of 600 or so. Also well illustrated.

MICROBREWERIES - The amazing phenomenon that has sprung up in this last few years where Pubs and people are brewing on a small scale. Back in the bad old keg days there were at one time only 3 pubs brewing their own beer. Now there are some 600 or so small breweries - some exceedingly good indeed. The survival rate is high - and with the choice available it has to be. Somebody wants Pubs to thrive.

MITCHELL & BUTLERS - Once upon a time they used to be Brewers, but now they seem to be in the Pubco business with an estate of around 2,000 Pubs. They seemed to be parcelled into different categories and some of the 'Best Village Pubs' are very well maintained. The address is 27, Fleet St., Birmingham, B3 1JP.

MORNING ADVERTISER - Established in 1794 and still going strong this is the weekly trade paper for the Pub Trade. It is on the side of the Publicans, as it picks its way through the minefields of controversy and Government regulations that seek to tear the Pub Trade apart in these tormented times. Address : William Reed Media, Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 9RT.

NI - Nation Inventory of Inns and Pubs which are protected and listed buildings. Further information from CAMRA.

OFT - Office of Fair Trading. What is fair in Pubs and Laws?

O'NEILS - Part of the MITCHELL & BUTLER'S Corporate pubs. They are painted dark blue and given a phoney Irish image. Blimey O'Reilly.

PORTMAN GROUP - Another Government pressure group concerned with calling drinks by silly names or glorifying alcohol in any way. So why do they have Port in their name?

ROGER PROTZ - If you see a man with combed forward hair, glasses and a pointed beard pontificating about Beer it will probably be Mr. Protz. He edits the GOOD BEER GUIDE, writes for the MORNING ADVERTISER and has written what seem like thousands of Pub Guides. I have never actually seen or met him but he is omnipotent. I did once write to him but never received a reply or an acknowledgement. Come to think of it I've never tried writing to God and do not know his stance upon beer, although his son was known to be a wine convert.

PUBCOS - The Big Boys of the business like PUNCH and ENTERPRISE are not at all popular at present. They are in the trade for profit. They do not brew. They are manipulators. History and Heritage are not their concern. Fingers are now getting badly burnt as they have overstretched. Some of their vast estates of pubs are on the market, but what of the closures?

PUNCH TAVERNS from Burton-in-Trent have some 7.000 or so properties. Never mind Monopoly, this is a game of Pubopoly.

PUB HISTORY SOCIETY - This has been chugging along since 2001 and now has over 100 members. During the year they host Pub Tours to unspoilt and Historic Pubs and have gathered a wealth of material appertaining to every aspect of Pubs. Standard membership is £10 a year which includes quarterly revues - worth it for this alone. There is a web-site www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk and the Secretary is Steve Williams, 15, Hawthorn Road, Peterborough, Cambs. PE1 4PA who is most helpful.

PUB IS THE HUB - A Scheme to bring back the community life of the Pub which is slowly gaining momentum. It is a stand by those who care to prevent the social erosion of community life in all those places where schools, shops, post offices and pubs are eradicated without a thought or a care by authorities and developers.
When The OLD CROWN at Hesketh Newmarket in Cumbria was faced with closure the villagers rallied round and bought the Pub as a shared enterprise. It now has it's own brewery as well and is a shining example of what a village pub should be.
Support came from Prince Charles. It would seem he not only talks to plants but gazes into golden pints of real ale and asks them questions about the future and where they would like to be seen with very beneficial results.
There are now some 365 plus Pubs which double as Post Offices, sell local produce, supply school dinners, run micro-breweries and whatever fits in with what locals want. There is one which doubles as a laundrette. Don't drink in isolation, find a caring sharing Hub Pub.

The PUBLICAN - Another Trade weekly for the Pub Trade very similar in style and layout to The Morning Advertiser. The address is Publican Publishing Ltd. Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY. The choice is yours.

PUB WALKS - These are exceedingly popular pursuits for those who actually like Britain's Green and Pleasant land, and like the idea of panting towards a Pub before they run out of puff. Almost any bookshop will sell local guides with between 20 to 40 walks. Some are circular walks, some embrace two pubs. I am no longer at the two pubs per seven miles pace. Due to my copious Pubology duties and research it is now seven pubs per two miles. So far there are no guides to cope with this sort of thing.

PUNCH TAVERNS - Another of the Big Pubcos with 7,000 or so Pubs and are now facing crunching times. They operate from Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.

QUAFFER'S GLOSSARY - This is featured on our Publology Menu. It is actually complete and we seek a publisher. Even a capable agent would be nice. We don't want to put all this on line to be pillaged and purloined. Self publishing is a possibility - it will depend on what support we get from our ever growing Pubology Perusers.

SAVE OUR PUBS - A Campaign run through CAMRA to fight Pub closures and supply information on saving threatened Pubs. For further details use www.camra.org.uk.

SAWDAY - A Series of Guides for Special Place which includes SAWDAY'S PUBS AND INNS OF ENGLAND & WALES. Alastair Sawday is apparently involved in very green projects and chooses what I regard as hand-knitted pubs where you will be cosseted. I can handle this only in small quantities due to income limits. However there are some very nice Pubs run by pleasant people and you can pop in to sample cask ale in a peaceful atmosphere.
Address Alasdair Sawday Publishing, The Old Farmyard, Yanley Lane, Long Ashton, Bristol, BS41 9LR.

SCOTTISH & NEWCASTLE - Taken over by the HEINEKEN group. Another big enterprise with a 2,000 estate.

SHEPHERD NEAME - 17 Court Street, Faversham, Kent ME13 7AX are now the oldest continuous brewer in the country having been on the go since 1698. Pope Benedict is partial to their Spitfire Ale. Only with Pubology do you get such astounding insight into Quaffing details.

SIBA - Society of Independent Brewers. They run a scheme for direct delivery of craft beers, saving on transport, warehousing etc.

TIED HOUSE - Tied to a Brewery or a Pubco. Sometime with very big knots, nots or red tape.

TOBY INNS - Charringtons chain of Carvery Pubs.

TRAVEL PUBLISHING - Paperback Guides which specialise in series which specialise in Hidden Places and Hidden Inns everywhere in Britain. They are well produced, illustrated, and updated regularly. Editor Peter Long, 7a Apollo House, Calleva Park, Aldermarston, Berks. RG7 8TN.

WETHERSPOONS - The maverick Pub Chain that turns old banks, cinemas and civic buildings into Pubs. Unlike restrictive Pubcos these are the brainchild of Tim Martin an affable rubicund larger than life personality, who passes benefits on to the customers. Also he is a firm advocate of cask beers, supports micro-breweries. holds his own beer festivals, invites brewers from abroad to brew in England. He also does meals at very affordable prices using free range food. He does not do country pubs; he would probably get wedged anywhere with low beams, but he is now into 'Lodges' Historic Town Pubs where he can stay, get married or whatever.
Despite his low prices all his Pubs are profitable and you don't find them closing. At the last count about 700. He also gives pubs good names using local history, but more traditional inn signs would be nice.
He is always facing criticism from the 'Who does he think he is?' Jeer and Sneer brigades and other Pubcos, but he drinks happily in his own Pubs with an unconcerned smile. For a man who started with one Pub in 1979 a cry of 'Mullet haired yokel!' is a waste of breath.

WHATS BREWING - CAMRA'S monthly newspaper.

WHITBREADS - Once prestigious brewers, now some corporate Pubgrub, Hotel and Leisure combination. BREWERS FAYRE, BEEFEATER, TABLE TABLE, TAYBARNS etc.