Milton Keynes and North Bucks Campaign for Real Ale

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Congratulations to our branch's only cider press, Virtual Orchard, for winning Gold at the National Cider and Perry Championships 2011 with their Hard Core cider!
Try it at the Bell & Bear, Emberton - the only regular outlet
Milton Keynes and North Bucks Campaign for Real Ale

Beer festival news

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If the choice of beer in your local pubs is getting a bit predictable, there are plenty of local and nearby beer festivals on the horizon to spice things up.

CAMRA National Winter Ales Festival

Wednesday 18th to Saturday 21st January 2012
Take a break from the cold weather and sample some wonderful winter warmers at the annual celebration of winter ales in Manchester. There will be 300+ British and Foreign beers, bottled ales, cider and perry, plus food and entertainment. The event is held at the Sheridan Suite, Oldham Road, Manchester (M40 8EA) with a trade session on the Wednesday and public sessions Thursday through to Saturday, 12-10:30. Entry is £2 on Thursday, £3 on Friday until 4:30, then £5 after and £4 all day Saturday. CAMRA members get £1 off except on Thursday when entry is free. See the NWAF website for more details. There are direct rail links from MK Central station and buses run from Coachway. Not only is the festival well worth visiting, but the city of Manchester also boasts a fantastic array of pubs and beers that are well worth seeking out.

Last Updated on Friday, 13 January 2012 21:31
 

Good Beer Guide 2012

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The 39th edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide is now available to purchase in print and digital formats for your mobile device. If you haven't already got your copy, you can purchase direct from the branch. The cost for members is £10.

The CAMRA Good Beer Guide is the definitive list of the best UK pubs to enjoy real ale in. A city, town or village may have many good pubs, but only the best, as voted by local drinkers, get into our guide. Pubs do not pay to be included to be in the guide: they simply serve consistently good beer.

For further information, including a link to purchase a copy online, visit the national CAMRA website.

Thirteen pubs from the Milton Keynes and North Bucks area are included in the 2012 Guide. Please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any information regarding these pubs, or any others in our branch area.

Last Updated on Friday, 16 September 2011 20:34
 

Damp drinkers defy drizzle

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6th Annual MK Cycle Pub Crawl

MK Cycle Crawl at the Victoria Inn

Heavy overnight rain did little to dampen the enthusiasm of MK's cycle crawlers as a good sized contingent arrived bright and early at the Victoria Inn for a bite of breakfast and some Concrete Cow. With sausage sandwiches consumed and ales sampled, stage 1 of the crawl got underway with the short trip into central Milton Keynes and a stop at Wetherspoons.

There was an early casualty to mechanical failure, but it was the train load of football fans swamping the Wetherspoons staff that knocked the crawl off course. As usual, the beer range was pretty impressive (complete with a LocAle from Concrete Cow), but the long wait to get served meant some decided to move on swiftly. The group eventually reassembled at Ye Olde Swan, Woughton-on-the-Green, where the calmer atmosphere and slowly improving weather helped get things back on course.

Some MK Cycle Crawlers dpart the Plough

Running about 30 minutes behind plans, the next port of call was The Plough at Simpson, where the steady arrival of cyclists briefly turned a quiet bar into a bustling local. Wells & Youngs Banana Bread Beer and Everards Tiger were among the ales on offer. Soon it was onwards to the current MK & North Bucks Pub of the Year, the Red Lion at Fenny Lock, joining the locals enjoying the rugby on TV. The dealy to the crawl proved advantageous here, as this pub had also been busy with football fans earlier in the afternoon. After sampling a good choice of beers, all in excellent condition, it was time for the crawl to retrace its steps back towards Central Milton Keynes.

On arriving in Woolstone, there was an unplanned pit stop at the Cross Keys to check out their range of ales before heading just up the road to the Barge Inn. Copper Dragon Best Bitter was the pick of the three ales on offer as the crawl regrouped again before heading off for the final stop at the Secklow Hundred.

Thanks to the landlords and staff at all the pubs that hosted the crawl and to Alan Sanders for organisation.

Last Updated on Monday, 07 March 2011 20:00