COVENTRY

It was reported previously that Whitefriars Olde Ale House in Gosford Street which had been on the market for some time had an “Under Offer” sign on the building. This is still the case and no further information is available as to the identity of the prospective new owner(s).

A new bar and restaurant is to open in Cathedral Lanes in Broadgate. The Botanist, which will have a capacity to seat 320 people, will offer an extensive range of botanical cocktails and soft drinks and will also have real ales on sale. It is part of a chain with 14 other venues, the nearest one being in Birmingham.

The Old Stag on the corner of Lamb St and Bishop St has reopened after being closed for some months. The pub, which was popular with staff who worked at the Royal Mail depot across the road, struggled when the depot was relocated. However, it is hoped that the regeneration of the area will bring new custom to the pub. Tony King, the pub’s licensee, has stated that he wants to bring the pub back to a traditional boozer again with hand-pulled ales and log fires.

A new brewery has recently started operating in Coventry. Mashionistas Brewing Company, based in Earlsdon, has installed its final piece of brewing kit and is ready to brew. Mashionistas is an experimental one barrel brewery (which means it produces a maximum of 36 gallons per brew). As they are experimental and intend their beers to evolve, they may not produce the same beer twice. The brewers (Simon, Flo & John) have several years’ experience brewing at home, and going commercial allows them to capture and share that spirit of adventure. Being smaller than almost any other commercial brewery, they have the flexibility to brew anything they like because it will only ever be in a small amount. They have a website https://mashionistas.com/ and can be followed on Twitter. https://twitter.com/Mashionistas

The Bell Inn, on Station Avenue in Tile Hill, has been added to Coventry’s local list of heritage assets. The building has a history stretching back at least 200 years and it is possible that parts of the building could be older. A Victorian census reveals that the pub was once known as The Wheelwright Arms and for a time it was called The Bell in the Tree Inn, before settling on its present-day name. Coventry City Council’s planning committee considered the historic interest of the building in reaching its decision. While a local listing differs from a listing by the Government it still carries weight when the council considers any future planning applications for either the building or its setting. It has recently been put up for sale by its current owners.

Dhillon’s brewery, located on Hales Industrial Estate on Rowley’s Green Lane, acquired its first pub in July when it took over The Criterion, a two-roomed pub which features live music and hosts comedy events in Millstone Lane, Leicester city centre.

Twisted Barrel brewery in Fargo Village has celebrated its first anniversary in its new location and to mark the occasion held a ”tap takeover” at its own bar where all ales sold were produced by the brewery itself. The brewery’s beers are spreading further afield and have recently been exported to Spain, Portugal, Germany and Italy.

The Cedars on Barker Butts Lane has changed its name and is now known as the Lion’s Inn. It is a combination of pub and Indian restaurant. It sells one beer on handpump and when visited, Sharp’s Doom Bar was on offer, although at the time of writing they are about to replace this with a range of bottled beers from the likes of Timothy Taylor and Wadworth.

The Town Crier in Corporation St will be selling Marston’s Owd Rodger on handpump in the pre Christmas period. This famous barley wine is generally only available in bottles and rarely seen in cask. It will be supplied to only a handful of pubs in the country and is well worth seeking out.

The Old Crown, in Windmill Road, has been sold. The new owners intend to convert it into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). It is understood that having already carried out extensive works to the pub, they have now submitted a planning application. The pub is valued by local people who believe that a need for it exists and it is likely that objections to the application were made, resulting in the withdrawal (at least temporarily) of the application.

Both A P Harvey Wines and Beer Gonzo, off-licences in Earlsdon, have been stocking Tynt Meadow, a beer made by Trappist monks at Mount St Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire. This is the first officially recognised Trappist beer to be made in the UK and was launched a few months ago. The beer weighs in at 7.4% ABV and has received excellent reviews.

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KENILWORTH

The Olde Bakery on The High St recently had a Warwickshire beer week which showcased beers brewed within the county. The event was a success and future beer weeks are planned. It is understood that breweries from the Black Country will feature next.

The Green Man on Warwick Rd was closed for a few days in late October in order for a “facelift” to be carried out.

Byatt’s Brewery wins awards

Byatt’s gains awards in the 2018 CAMRA West Midlands regional beer of the year competition.

Regal Blond was awarded Sliver place in the Golden Ale Category. XK Strong also gained a Sliver in the Old Ale/Strong Mild Category. And XXXmas Ale was given the Bronze award in the Real ale in a bottle dark category.

A very happy Lee with Mick CAMRA's Brewery Liaison Officer for Byatt's at the brewery taphouse delivering the awards

To coincide with the Members’ weekend, AGM and Conference we are pleased to announce the launch of Branch Polo and T-shirts sporting the Coventry & District CAMRA logo. We have teamed-up with Beadlebop Design to produce these distinctive dark blue garments. For details about garment options and costs please click following link.

Branch Polo & T-Shirt details

They are now available to order by quoting Coventry CAMRA from Beadlebop Design, Unit 2A, Fargo Village, Far Gosford Street, Coventry CV1 5ED. If you are unable to visit the shop in person then for more details, placement of orders and payment Tel 07982 040502 or email moc.yks@pobeldaebofni .

Triumph Brewery for Coventry

A new brewery for Coventry based in Tile Hill will soon be brewing. At present it looks like only bottles are to be produced. More details will follow as we here how the brewery is doing. They do have a Facebook page so search Triumph Brewing on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Triumph-brewery-426405274430122/.