Author: Steve Renshaw

Big Win for the Tiny Tavern

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Tiny Tavern as their overall Pub of the Year for 2024. The micropub is located on the Lower High Street in what was originally two of the 17th century cottages in the Grade II listed St Andrew’s Row.

Emma Chapman and her daughter, Steph, opened the Tiny Tavern in March 2020, just one week before the first COVID lockdown. However, since re-opening, they have built a strong following and a reputation for serving some of the best real ale in the city. This is hardly surprising, as Emma ran the Jolly Brewer on Broadgate from 2004 until 2013, while Steph worked there from 2004 until 2018.

The cosy lounge at the front of one of the cottages that comprise the Tiny Tavern has a window seat and fireplace. Towards the rear is a bar area with a dartboard. The other, linked cottage has the cellar room, plus an extra room which is available for community activities. There is a large garden to the rear. On the bar, the six handpumps feature beers from microbreweries near and far. They also serve traditional cider and perry.

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “It’s a tough job for our judges picking a top pub out of such a great set of contenders. Emma and Steph have shown how hard work and enthusiasm through trying times such as a world-wide pandemic pays off. They have taken a vacant building and turned it into the great micropub we see today, and this award shows how much that work is appreciated, not just by our members but by all that cross the threshold. So ‘Cheers!’ to the Tiny Tavern team, and well done to all the finalists.”

The Lincoln CAMRA Branch area covers a large part of the county which includes Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa and Leadenham, as well as Lincoln itself. It contains over 200 pubs. The Pub of the Year competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the rest of the Branch area. Four judges then visited the top three city and top three country pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, the service and community focus.

The runner-up in the overall Pub of the Year competition is Lincoln’s Joiners Arms. The Dambusters Inn at Scampton and the Three Horseshoes, Waddington are joint winners of the Country Pub of the Year title. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn and the Ripon Arms at Nocton.

The Tiny Tavern 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, Fenland and Peterborough CAMRA Branches.

We need your help

Well, it’s just over three weeks until the Lincoln Beer Festival opens and, at the moment, we are looking a bit thin on the ground for volunteers.  If you are planning to help, please complete your forms sooner rather than later, so you can put the Volunteer Manager’s mind at ease.

If you have already applied via email or web form, you will receive an email in the coming week or two.  Please encourage your friends and family to come along and help too.  As the saying goes, many hands make light work. 

Check this website over the next couple of days for a list of areas where we are short of volunteers.

Strugglers Inn is still Lincoln CAMRA’s top pub

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn as their top pub for the second successive year. This is a notable achievement, given that long-term landlady, Anna, retired last year and Emma Blacklock has taken over.

The Lincoln Branch area covers a large part of the county which includes Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa and Leadenham, as well as Lincoln itself. It contains over 200 pubs.

The Pub of the Year competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the rest of the Branch area. Five judges then visited the top three city and top three country pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, the service and community focus.

Standing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle, the Strugglers Inn is popular with locals and visitors alike. The walls of the two rooms are festooned with old photographs and the ceilings are covered with pump clips. The sunken garden is a sun trap. The numerous guest beers offer a range of styles and strengths, and local brews always feature.

One of the judges described the Strugglers as, “Very near perfect. A great range of ale and staff with the knowledge and enthusiasm to promote it.”

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “It’s a real tribute to Emma and the staff that the change of management has happened so seamlessly.”

The runner-up in the overall Pub of the Year competition is Lincoln’s Joiners Arms, and the Country Pub of the Year is the Dambusters Inn at Scampton. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Tiny Tavern, the Anglers in Saxilby and the Butcher & Beast in Heighington.

The Strugglers Inn 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 CAMRA Branches.

Strugglers Inn is Lincoln CAMRA’s top pub

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn as their Pub of the Year for 2022.

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 five pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, service and community focus.

Standing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle, the Strugglers Inn is big on character and conversation, and a warm welcome from the staff is assured. The ceilings of the main bar and snug are adorned with pumpclips of beers that have appeared on the bar. There is regular live music on Sunday teatimes. The sunken garden is a hidden gem that came into its own during the Covid restrictions.

This is the latest in a string of awards won by the pub since Anna took over as landlady in 2008. Anna is due to retire at the end of April.

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “The Struggs is a classic community local. And with ten handpumps on the bar, it’s a magnet for real-ale drinkers from near and far. This award is a fitting tribute to all of Anna’s hard work, as she prepares to step away from the pub.”

The Lincoln CAMRA Country Pub of the Year is the Dambusters Inn in Scampton. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Joiners Arms and Tiny Tavern, and the Ripon Arms in Nocton.

The Strugglers Inn 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 CAMRA Branches.

Beer Festival stays put

Planning for the 2017 Lincoln Beer Festival started last October. And I’m pleased to report that we have lots of local CAMRA members keen to get involved in organising this major event.

One of the first issues we discussed was where to hold the festival. At popular times, customers usually have to queue to get in to the Drill Hall. To ensure the comfort and safety of everyone there, we are not allowed to have more than 500 customers in the venue at any one time. So, once we hit that limit, it’s “one out, one in”. Continue reading “Beer Festival stays put”

Pubs and wellbeing

No doubt there are plenty of Echo readers who are taking part in Dry January. I hope they raise lots of money for their chosen charities and feel better for doing it. However, you may not be surprised to learn that I’m not joining in.

While most studies warn of the health risks of alcohol consumption, new research published in the journal “Adaptive Human Behaviour and Physiology” shows that moderate alcohol consumption with friends at a local pub may be linked to improved wellbeing. Researchers at the University of Oxford have looked at whether having a drink may play a role in improving social cohesion, given its long association with human social activities. Continue reading “Pubs and wellbeing”

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