Solihull CAMRA tour the North Cotswolds

Saturday 11^th March saw the realisation of a long-awaited mini-bus trip down into the heart of the Cotswolds.

The objective was to visit a couple of micro-breweries and a number of near-by real ale pubs.

After an hour's drive we arrive at our first destination - the North Cotswold Brewery, a 10-barrel brewery situated in farm buildings on the southern edge of Warwickshire. The owner, Jon Piling, is there to welcome us. The brewery itself consists of just one building containing 5 highly polished, stainless steel vats of various shapes and sizes, helpfully labelled "Mash Tun", "Copper" and "Fermentation Vessel". A faint, sweet smell of malt lingers tantalisingly in the air. Jon tells us how he got into the brewing business a number of years ago, and talks eagerly about the brewery's future plans, including the revival of an old a "Nettle Ale" recipe and a celebration ale to mark Brunel's 200th birthday - the entertainingly named "Isambard Kingdom Brown Ale". We then move to another building across the courtyard to sample some of their wares. The room has several narrow shelves high up on the walls, each containing dozens of beer bottles from around the country and the world, including some famous beers we haven't seen for many years. In one corner is a small bar with a pair of beer taps - one for "Stour Stout", a rich, Irish-style stout, the other for "Cockles Of Your Heart", a dark ale brewed with roasted chocolate malt. We're urged to try the latter with chunks of plain chocolate, an intriguing experiment that can be thoroughly recommended. In another corner a table is set out for us with a selection of beer-munchies. The real ale sausages are most welcome.

From here, we drive a few miles southeast to the village of Whichford. The pub, the Norman Knight has what looks like a large garage at the back. A small sign on a wooden door tells us this is the home of Wizard Ales. This is an even smaller brewery that has recently upgraded from a 1.25-barrel to a 5-barrel plant, which is now a tight squeeze in its premises. A good variety of ales are on offer in the adjoining pub, consisting of "Apprentice", "One For The Toad", "Sorcerer" and "Druid's Fluid", in increasing order of strength. The more adventurous (or foolhardy, possibly) of us decide we need to sample all of them.

A short trip east across the border into Oxfordshire takes us to the Falkland Arms in the tiny village of Great Tew, a pub that sweeps you back in time with low-beamed ceilings, flag-stoned floors and wooden settles. Plenty of traditional ales are on offer along with bewildering array of fruit wines. The often-changing choice of ales is written on a small blackboard by the bar. Those of us that have been here before know to start at the bottom of the board and work up, as the guest beers are always down there. Today's selection includes Timothy Taylor "Landlord", St Peter's "Golden Ale", Everards "Buddings Bitter", Batemans "Jester's IPA" and Pint-size "Mild" along with the regular Wadworth's offerings of "6X" and "Henry's IPA". Inch's "Harvest Dry Cider" is also there on draught. The afternoon's entertainment is provided by a few of us sampling some of the surprisingly large selection of snuff and puffing on clay pipes.

Moving on southwards, we travel to the picturesque, Cotswold-stone village of Charlbury where we're presented with a choice of places to visit - the Rose and Crown, the Olde Horseshoes and the Bell Hotel. The Bull is unfortunately closed for the afternoon. Most of us, at least to start with, opt for the Rose and Crown - possibly because of its 19 years of entries in the Good Beer Guide, or maybe because it's the first pub we come across. We are rewarded with a wide selection of different ales, chalked up on another blackboard. This time we work from top to bottom, sampling Beartown "Kodiak Gold", Wye Valley "Victory Ale", Loddon "Hoppit", North Cotswold "Spring In Your Step", Hanby "Golden Honey", Rebellion "Sparko" and Breconshire "Brecknock Best". As we meet back at the minibus a while later, we're told that the Horseshoes was offering a selection of Wizard ales.

Onwards and northwest across another border to Broad Campden where we visit the Baker's Arms, 2005's Gloucestershire Pub of the Year and another traditional stone building with beamed ceilings and a wide selection of ales. By the time we arrive it's dark outside and becoming rather cold. Inside a warm log fire awaits us along with a choice of Stanway "Stanney Bitter", Sharp's "Doom Bar", Donnington's "BB", Timothy Taylor "Landlord" and Charles Wells "Bombardier". One or two of us are definitely wilting by this stage, but we press on dutifully.

From here we travel just a mile or so north to Chipping Campden. Just the mention of Chipping gets many mouths watering, and the drive to the next pub is delayed a while for several of us to disembark at the local chippy. Most of those that have enough will-power to stay on the bus succumb to the food available in the Volunteer Inn. Hunger abated, we get back to the matter in hand and sample the selection of Fullers "London Pride", Hook Norton "Hooky Bitter", Goffs "Tournament" and Archers "Little Gem". Thatchers "Traditional Somerset Cider" is available for those of that persuasion.

The end is almost in sight now as we head back north into Worcestershire and make our final call at the Hollybush in Alcester - a building fronted by large bay windows and containing scrubbed wooden floors and benches. We are presented with the daunting choice of Morgans "Churchill's Best", Black Sheep "Best Bitter", Wychwood "Wychcraft", Cannon Royall "Fruiterer's Mild", Goffs "Launcelot", Purity "Pure Gold", Belhaven "Six Nations" and Uley "Bitter". By this time the CAMRAman had well and truly lost his focus!

Two breweries, four counties, at least six pubs and up to 36 different ales later our objective is achieved.

Story and most of the photographs courtesy of Gordon Clarke