HOW AN INNOCENT SHOPPING TRIP ENDED IN A BREWERY.

Now I have to admit , but although this is a local brewer, I have not had many Hill Island Brewery beers. Today I remedied this at the 2015 Durham Christmas Festival. 

In Durham, I got off the bus and headed up towards the Cathedral where the main Xmas Market stalls were. Walking up Silver Street I spied a sign which took my interest - see above  . Thinking "if I go there now I will never get away",  so kept on going towards the Cathedral. Outside was a large Marquee with an entry fee of £4. Bugger that. Straight into the Cathedral and the free entry food market in the cloisters. The place was rammed with like minded people not wishing to pay to walk into a tent. 

There were no beer stalls, mostly food and the Real Cider Company.  Buying some Christmas stuff, headed back downhill, calling into the Shakespeare Tavern on the way down. Great little pub but no imagination re the beers ; London Pride, Deuchars, Cumberland and Hobgoblin. Had a swift half then sought out the aforesaid Hill Island.

 
 The brewery itself is very small and its bar is smaller than a micropub. The place was quiet, only half a dozen punters. I thought this was a disappointing considered the crowds elsewhere. Nevermind, on offer were 6 ales ( see photo). The barmaid was a good salesperson and soon I had all 6 as thirds.

 

Soon the bar filled up - they must have followed me down.  Still it was still possible to have a friendly chat with everyone ( by this time there were 24 of us) , something you don't usually get in a pub. At one point after some more came in I nearly placed a a call to the Guinness Book of Records ! 

I  had brought with me some  of our CAMRA branch magazines and a  couple from Kent were pleased there was an article in this issue about Micropubs in.....Kent.

 

The brewer, Michael Griffin, made a brief appearance, on his birthday but soon disappeared.  

A good time was had by all, good beers and good company. Here's to the next one !

PS - forgot to mention , when I got of the bus I made a slight detour to see if Durham's first micropub had opened. The Station House, (See link here) just down from the Railway Station, is still being decorated but looks nearly ready. If the cameraderie in Hill Island is anything to go by, this place will be a winner.

CAMRA ANGLE SPRING 2016

The Spring edition of CAMRA Angle , the quarterly magazine of the Sunderland and South Tyneside branch of CAMRA, has  just been published. Copies are now being distributed to real ale pubs throughout the area , and beyond . It is noticeable that the front cover depicts a painting of the Steamboat in South Shields. 

A regular section is a news update on pubs and breweries in the branch.

There are pub features on The Stables in West Herrington, McConnell's Gin and Ale House in Jarrow  , and the Marine in South Shields. 

Mention is made of  the branch pub of the year results, and there is a report about SIBA ( The Society of Independent Brewers) with thanks to Maxim Brewery. 


There are articles by our roving reporters  visiting London and Russia. I kid you not.  


A new feature in the magazine is a pub walk suggestion  set  in the Herrington Country Park area of Sunderland and taking in 5 pubs ( so in theory a pub crawl)

Issue 43 is rounded off by a  pub quiz and where am I  . 

If you cant find a copy, follow this link to download your own,  and for more branch news. .http://sst.camra.org.uk/

( note the download version comprises 2 documents, the magazine and the pub walk map).

And remember, accept no imitations.