Author: Bob

Dambusters Inn is Lincoln CAMRA Pub of the Year

The Dambusters Inn at Scampton has been named as the Lincoln CAMRA Branch Pub of the Year for 2016.

The competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the villages in the Branch area. Four judges then visited the top three pubs in each category to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, service and community focus.

The Dambusters reflects the two great passions of landlord, Greg Algar – real ale and RAF wartime history. The pub is crammed with RAF memorabilia, and an entire wall is dedicated to the men of 617 “Dambusters” Squadron. But this is no a sterile museum; it is very much a thriving community local with real ale at its heart. Greg has installed a microbrewery in an outbuilding, and his beers are served alongside ales from small breweries across the UK.

The runner-up and Lincoln CAMRA City Pub of the Year is the Dog and Bone on John Street. The other city pubs in the final were the Strugglers Inn and the Golden Eagle. The Butcher and Beast in Heighington and the Three Horseshoes in Waddington were the other country finalists.

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “Since taking over, Greg has worked tirelessly to develop the pub. And that hard work is really paying off. Last year, the Dambusters was our Country Pub of the Year and, now, it’s taken our top award.”

The Dambusters now goes forward to the Lincolnshire round of the competition, where it will be up against the winners from the Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Louth, Grantham and Fenland branches.

Beer – the healthy option?

by Steve Renshaw

You can hardly open a newspaper these days without finding an article about the harmful effects of sugar and fat in our diet. Given the impact of obesity on the nation’s health and the potential cost implications for the National Health Service, we should all be concerned.

So I was pleasantly surprised recently to read some myth-busting facts about my favourite tipple. Granted they were on the “There’s a Beer For That” website that is run by the British Beer Alliance, so we may have to take them with a pinch of salt. (Or is that unhealthy too?) However, they are taken from a study by nutritionists into some of the misconceptions the general public has about beer. Continue reading “Beer – the healthy option?”

The Cardinal’s Hat

by Steve Renshaw

A number of organisations, including CAMRA, regularly publish statistics on the number of pubs across the country that have closed. But there’s one organisation (or individual) that has gone even further.

The Lost Pubs Project catalogues pubs in England that have closed. The project’s website lists over 29,000 lost pubs. It gives brief details for the majority and includes over 15,000 photographs. Continue reading “The Cardinal’s Hat”

The other Magna Carta

by Steve Renshaw

Given everything that’s been going on in the city this summer, I thought I’d better write about the Magna Carta. Of course, I mean the Marston’s pub on Exchequergate, not the historic document.

Over the centuries, the view of Lincoln Cathedral from Castle Square has been a favourite for artists and, more recently, photographers. As a result, it is possible to trace the evolution of the buildings of Exchequergate and the top of Steep Hill. Continue reading “The other Magna Carta”

Golden Ales

by Steve Renshaw

You can tell that craft beer is taking a hold because the big boys of the brewing industry are starting to muscle in on the act. Guinness dipped their toes in the water last year with two bottled porters. Fair enough, that’s not very different from their core product, namely Irish stout. But now, according to their big-budget TV ad, they’re producing a golden ale. That just doesn’t seem right!

“Good Beer Guide” editor, Roger Protz, commented, “The bigger brewers are under pressure from younger drinkers who don’t want to drink what dad drinks, and if dad drinks stout they’ll have something different.” Continue reading “Golden Ales”

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