Wuppertaler Brauhaus - May 2017

The building which today houses the Wuppertaler Brauhaus, opened as a bathing establishment in July 1882, in the centre of the then independent city of Barmen; thereby becoming one of the first German Volksbäde, or people’s baths. Today Barmen makes up part of the Wuppertal conurbation.

In 1993, after providing both swimming and bathing facilities for 111 years, the baths closed; presumably due to the difficulties  and expense of accommodating changes in public demand within a 19^th Century building. Fortunately, following extensive renovation work to adapt the listed building,  it re-opened in 1997 as the home of the Wuppertaler Brauhaus. This means that on 14^th June, this year, this brew-pub and restaurant will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

Our visit took place three weeks before this milestone, and we found the Brauhaus in good form. As mentioned in the previous article, we had a little difficulty finding the place, having taken a wrong turn away from the pedestrianised street, which forms Barmen’s main shopping centre. I was pleased that we did find it though, as I am starting to suffer from the condition which affects men of a certain age –  in other words I needed a pee!

Wuppertaler Brauhaus is housed in a fine red-brick, late 19^th Century building, as befits this former municipal swimming baths, and much care has been taken in the restoration work. I was a man on a mission though  and soon found my way downstairs to the gents, or "Herren" as the men’s facilities are labelled in Germany. I had to laugh, as I stood there emptying my bladder, as directly above the stainless steel urinal trough is a mural depicting a group of ladies looking down on what is taking place directly below. One lady is pointing and laughing, another is gasping, one has a camera whilst a fourth is holding a tape-measure!

I had to laugh too, and once I’d finished what I’d gone in for, took a number of photos on my phone. I wouldn’t normally be taking photos in a toilet, but I thought the mural was well worth capturing and sharing with the world. I also thought that if nothing else does, the sense of mischief conveyed dispels  once and for all the notion that the Germans don’t have a sense of humour! So for the lovers of “toilet art” amongst you, and especially retiredmartin, here are the lovely ladies of the Barmen Badeanstalt.

When I returned, my travelling companions were also greatly amused by my photos of the mural. In my absence they had grabbed a couple of the long bench tables, outside in the Biergarten. It was just the weather for sitting out, and whilst we had the place to ourselves to begin with, it soon began filling up with discerning locals. The waiter arrived to take our order; beer first of course. There were three draught beers on tap and I tried them all.

I began with the 4.9% Hell – an unfiltered and un-pasteurised, full-flavoured pale beer with a nice crisp finish. I followed it with the Dunkel – a dark lager, also 4.9% ABV, as well as being unfiltered and un-pasteurised. Last on the list was Bernsteinfarben – a 5.6% amber coloured beer. Well-balanced and refreshing and with hop flavours to the fore, this was good beer to finish on, but I have to say that out of the three I preferred the first. I was also pleased to see the beer being served in proper 0.5 litre tankards.

We all selected an item from the menu to go with the beer; knowing full well the rule about never drinking on an empty stomach. Matt and I both went for the Frikadelle mit Kartofelsalat – a type of burger served with potato salad. It was just the right portion size for lunchtime.

We were all quite sorry to leave the Wuppertaler Brauhaus, but our tour leader had another brew-pub in store for us on the way back to Sollingen. 

We departed mid-afternoon, but not without me making a last visit to the gents. There I heard, what one of my companions had pointed out earlier, as playing gently in the background, over some hidden speakers, were the recorded sounds from a typical swimming pool. Another nice humorous touch for this most excellent German brew-pub.

You keep me hanging on

The tour leader and guide on our recent Düsseldorf trip, did a sterling job by providing us with an interesting and varied programme of places to visit, pubs to try and beers to enjoy. He also looked after all the transport arrangements, going so far as purchasing  the requisite number of tickets, using group offers wherever possible. We then shared the costs between ourselves. This was the same arrangement which applied on the visit we made to Jihlava, in the Czech Republic, two years ago.

I’m sure our guide won’t mind me describing him as something of a “public transport buff”; but then he did work as bus driver of several years, prior to retirement.  He is well known in CAMRA circles for promoting buses and trains as a means of getting to and from the pub, and contributed the section in the “Gateway to Kent Pub Guide” entitled “By bus or train to the pub.” This is something I am all in favour of, especially as it is surprising to learn that many people are unaware of the public transport links in their own area; preferring instead to jump into their car and drive to a particular pub.

Trolley bus - central Solingen

It’s a bit different when holidaying abroad, and whilst some people might decide to hire a car, it kind of defeats the object when it is beer you are after. Most European countries seem to have better public transport systems than what we have in the UK. They attract more investment and are often fully integrated, meaning it is possible to switch from trains to buses and then onto trams or even the underground; all on the same ticket.

On my own forays abroad, I have normally done a bit of homework prior to departing, and have sussed out train times or details of bus routes etc, in order to get to a particular location and back. Sometimes though it is nice to just sit back and let someone else do all the donkey-work.

The first full day of our stay in Düsseldorf  saw us taking a train in a south-easterly direction, to the town of Solingen. After leaving the station we boarded a trolley bus which, for those not old enough to remember, is an electric bus that draws power from overhead wires (generally suspended from roadside posts) by means of spring-loaded "trolley poles". Our bus was heading towards the town centre, which is set on a hill a fair distance from the station. I discovered upon returning home that the city of Solingen operates the largest of the three remaining trolleybus systems in Germany, so I am not surprised that our bus-enthusiast guide took us there.

The terrain was surprisingly hilly as our bus climbed out of the valley, but eventually we reached the centre of Solingen. There was time for a quick coffee plus a visit to the cash machine before catching a different trolley bus; this time to Vohwinkel; a location which forms part of the Wuppertal conurbation. Vohwinkel is also the start of the  Schwebebahn, a 110 year old Suspension Railway which operates at a height of around 40 feet above the River Wupper, and which runs for a distance of just over 8 miles to Oberbarmen.

The Wuppertal Suspension Railway came into operation in 1901, opening in sections. It took until June 1903 before the full stretch of line from Vohwinkel in the west to the eastern terminus at Oberbarmen opened. Nowadays  the railway carries approximately 80,000  passengers per weekday through the city. An extensive modernisation programme began in 1997, during which much of the supporting framework was either strengthened, or replaced. Many of the stations were also rebuilt and brought up to date.

This was the second unusual mode of transport of the day, and a quite amazing one at that. Our group tickets were valid on this most unusual of railways, so we ascended to the platforms and waited for one of the two-car trains to arrive. We didn’t have to wait long as during the week, the trains run at four minute intervals. Once aboard, we settled down to enjoy the ride.

Werther Brücke station

I was sitting directly behind the driver’s cab, so had an excellent view as we travelled along, suspended in the air. For the first few stops, the track follows the course of the street, and it seemed strange passing houses and businesses at just below roof level, but before long we noticed the train was following the course of the River Wupper, some 40 feet below us.

It seems incredulous in this day and age that a railway could be constructed above a river, but I strongly suspect that at the turn of the last century the Wupper river was not the pleasant water-course it is today. There was a industrial purpose to the railway back then, as there were many factories and other works along the banks of the river and, as we noticed, agro-chemical giant Bayer still has a presence there today.

After a journey of around 25 minutes, we alighted at Werther Brücke station which is three stops from the end of the line. We were making for the Wuppertaler Brauhaus, which is a large brew-house housed in a former swimming baths. Our route took us through a busy pedestrianised shopping area, which didn’t look promising as a location for a brew-pub, but we eventually found the place we were looking for, tucked away in a pleasant location well away from the shops.

As the Wuppertaler Brauhaus is somewhere worthy of its own post, I will end here and cover this excellent brew-pub and beer garden in a separate article.

A day in Cologne

On the second full day of our trip to Düsseldorf, we caught a train to nearby Cologne. This was to be my sixth visit to the city, and my second one this year. The journey time between the two cities is around 35 minutes, and on both the outward and return journeys we travelled on one of the double-decker RE (Regional Express) trains. We also managed to get seats on the upper deck on both occasions.

I do enjoy travelling by train, and the extra height meant we had excellent views of the surrounding countryside. As our train turned towards the right, in the direction of the River Rhine, we could see the imposing bulk of Cologne’s magnificent cathedral towering above the city. Our journey into Cologne Hauptbahnhof, took us across the Rhine by means of the Hohenzollern Bridge; a structure I have walked back and forth across more times then I care to remember, en route to the exhibition halls which make up Köln Messe. We could see the Trade Fair complex as the train made its way towards the bridge.

We were in Cologne for a look round, and also to have a tour around a typical Kölsch brewery. Our tour of Brauerei Sünner was not scheduled until later in the afternoon, so this gave us plenty of time for a look around the city, and also to sample some Kölsch.

Kölsch is the local style of beer and it is to Cologne (Köln),  what Altbier is to Düsseldorf. Like Altbier, Kölsch is top-fermented and is a clear beer with a bright, straw-yellow hue. This gives it a similar appearance to other beers brewed mainly from Pilsner malt, such as Pilsners and other lager-style beers. It is warm fermented at around 13 to 21°C , before being conditioned by lagering at cold temperatures.

Kölsch is served in small, plain cylindrical glasses, which typically hold just 20 cl of beer; although some outlets will use 25 cl versions. To ensure customers have a fresh glass of beer for as long as they wish to continue drinking, the waiters, who appear to always be male, carry round a circular tray known as a Kranz, which has inserts designed to accommodate up to a dozen glasses, or Stangen. Kölsch waiters are known as "Köbes" (a word derived from “Jakobus”), and wear distinctive blue aprons.

The reason for the small  glasses is Kölsch is a beer designed to be drunk fresh. Leaving a newly poured glass standing for any length of time allows the beer’s condition to dissipate, and is not conducive to enjoying it at its best. I put this theory to the test yesterday, as I brought a couple of 500 ml cans of Kölsch back with me. Drinking the beer by the half-litre glass, definitely wasn’t the same as necking back two-fifths of this amount, but the beer was still enjoyable.

Our train deposited us at Köln Hauptbahnhof shortly before 11am. We made our way out of the northern entrance into the large piazza immediately below the cathedral. Most of us expressed a desire to visit this magnificent edifice, so we decided to split up and do this at our own pace. We agreed to meet up again around midday, at Gaffel am Dom, a large beer-hall, which describes itself as a Brauhaus. This establishment is just around the corner from the station, and is a place I know well from previous business trips to Cologne.

Matt and I had a brief look inside the cathedral (Dom), although several more adventurous members of our party climbed the 533 steps to enjoy the view from the top of the south tower. I had done this back in 1976, during my first visit to Cologne, and seeing as I was 40 years younger back then, I decided there was no need for me to repeat the climb! For those who haven’t been to Cologne though, a visit to the city’s cathedral is a “must”. Further information can be obtained by clicking on the link here.

After a look around some of the shops, and a welcome cup of coffee, we met back up with our companions; most of whom were already ensconced in Gaffel am Dom. We joined them at one of the “posing tables”, and proceeded to quaff a few glasses of Gaffel Kölsch. Gaffel is a soft, easy-drinking beer which slips down easily. Matt much preferred it to the rather bitter-tasting Altbier we had been drinking in Düsseldorf.

We weren’t due at Brauerei Sünner until 4.15pm, so still had several hours to kill. We decided to make for Brauerei zur Malzmühle at Heumarkt; an old established brew-pub at the far end of the Alter Markt. This was a pub I had never managed to get to on previous visits to Cologne, so I was pleased with the opportunity to go there this time round.

There was another reason though, to head for this particular pub and that was because it was on the direct underground/tramline which would take us to Sünner. Cologne was looking at its late spring best as we made our way through the Alter Markt, passing the diners sitting out at tables in front of the many restaurants and bars, and when we reached Malzmühle, it didn’t disappoint either.

Housed in a rather functional-looking building, replacing the original structure which was destroyed in World War II, Malzmühle was every bit the traditional German beer house on the inside. With high ceilings and plenty of wood panelling, we made for the two tables at the far end of the room. One of the thoughtful waiters came over and fixed a “bridge” in between the two, thereby joining them and enabling us to all sit together.

Malzmühle Kölsch was quite a bitter variant on the style, and like the beer we’d just enjoyed at Gaffel, slipped down rather to easily. The majority of the party ate there, but Matt and I resisted, having bought a roll each from the Yorma’s outlet, at the station. (Yorma’s are a chain which sells good quality, baguettes, hot snacks and decent coffee. A Yorma’s outlet can be found at most major railway stations in Germany, and are somewhere to grab a decent and low-cost snack). We were also aware that our tour leader had booked us into the restaurant at Brauerei Sünner, so didn't want to be consuming  two large meals in a row.

Being slightly away from the main tourist areas, Brauerei zur Malzmühle was very much a local’s pub, but we were nevertheless made very welcome. (I think the staff were glad of our presence during what seemed a slack period). A couple of photo’s of former US President, Bill Clinton, hanging in the room next to us, were pointed out to us. They date from his time in office. Somehow I can’t imagine Donald Trump calling in for a drink, especially as he’s teetotal.

I asked the waiter about the on-site brewery; which he confirmed was behind the pub. I didn’t press him to show us, as I imagine it was off limits to customers anyway. Besides, we were due to visit a much larger brewery later that afternoon.

We drank up, paid our tab and then walked across the road to the tram stop. A quick journey across the Rhine, via the bridge which is also shared with vehicle traffic, saw us on the opposite bank. We walked over to the riverside, and spent 40 minutes or so admiring the view of Cologne and watching the boats sailing up and down the river. Matt and I also ate our lunch.

After, we walked back to the tram stop to make our way to Brauerei Sünner. Our visit there is worthy of a post of its own, so I will draw this narrative to an end.

Düsseldorf Altbier

Many beer lovers will have heard of Altbier, and many will know that the style is largely confined to the Rhineland city of Düsseldorf and its immediate surroundings. 

I had tried Altbier on a number of previous occasions; mainly in bottled form or at the foreign beer bar of a home-grown beer festival. Last week’s trip to Düsseldorf allowed me to sample the beer on its home ground.

The name Altbier, literally means “Old Beer”, and the description is apt as the beer is produced by top-fermentation; a much older method of production than bottom fermentation, which is used to produce lager-style beers. 

Altbier is usually a dark copper coloured beer, with some fruitiness present in the flavour. This is derived from fermentation, at a moderate temperature, using a top-fermenting yeast. The primary fermentation is followed by a period of maturation at a cooler temperature. This gives the beer a cleaner and crisper taste, more akin to lager-type beers, than is the norm for top-fermented beers. 

Brauerei Schumacher

As well as being the dominant beer style in Düsseldorf, Altbier can be found in other parts of the Lower Rhine region, particularly in the towns of, Krefeld and Mönchengladbach. 

The first producer to use the name Alt to distinguish its top fermenting beer from bottom fermenting kinds, was the Schumacher Brewery, which opened in Düsseldorf in 1838. We visited the brewery on the last morning of our trip, and discovered that it still employed many traditional methods.

The most common Altbier, in terms of volume sold, is Diebels, a brand which forms part of the Anheuser-Busch-Inbev brewing empire. Schlösser Alt, is another commonly seen Altbier, and this brand is owned by the Radeberger Gruppe.  We came across the latter in a number of  Düsseldorf pubs, and with regards to the former, I brought back a couple of cans of Diebels to try at home.

Eight pubs are listed in Düsseldorf as brewing Altbier on the premises, and we visited five of them. I won’t describe them all, but  will pick out the three which particularly took my fancy.

Zum Schlüssel in Bolkerstrasse, provided a welcome respite from the crowds jostling in the streets outside. This was late on Saturday afternoon, and the Alstadt was packed with people out for a good time. It also happened to coincide with the finale of the  Bundesliga, which saw Bayern München crowned as champions (again). Many pubs were showing the game live, with large TV screens erected outside to draw the punters in.

As I said, we were glad to escape the throngs of people, and although most of the tables inside Zum Schlüssel were fully occupied, we managed to find space at one of the “stand-up-to-drink” tables in a corner, right at the front of the pub. I was particularly impressed with the Schlüssel Altbier, finding it refreshing and with a nice bitter “bite”. We stayed for several glasses, and had a Gouda roll each to go with the beer. This snack is known locally as a "Halve Hahn".

Zum Schlüssel can trace its history back to 1632, but like much of the Altstadt, the pub was destroyed in one of the heavy bombing raids carried out by RAF Bomber Command in 1943. Not exactly the air force’s “finest hour”! The pub was rebuilt after the war, and whilst the exterior looks relatively modern and functional, the interior  has been fitted out in a traditional style.

The same can be said of Zum Uerige, which we visited the following morning. This pub looks even more modern than Zum Schlüssel, but a look inside is like stepping back in time, with a maze of different inter-connecting rooms. Uerige’s Altbier was, if anything, even more bitter than Schlüssel’s, but provided a good “pick-me-up” on Sunday morning. Matt and I sat outside, enjoying the warmth from the sun, whilst watching the people strolling by.

Zum Uerige

The following evening, we visited Zum Uerige for the second time; this time in the company of our
tour group. A trip to the Gents, and then trying to memorise your way back, led to several members of our party, including me, ending up in the wrong place, but with the weather set fair, it was nice to sit outside.

Brauerei im Füchschen, was our last port of call on Tuesday night. This was housed in a square and rather functional-looking 1950’s building, but like other Altstadt pubs had a traditional interior, with plenty of dark wood and beams on the ceiling. “Füchschen” translates as “little fox”, and a picture of a small fox looking up lovingly at a large foaming jug of beer, is the brewery logo.

This short insight into Düsseldorf Altbier gives a taster of the delights which await lovers of traditional should they choose to visit this vibrant city, but the beer itself is available all over town, and you will not need to look far in order to enjoy a glass or two.

Four days in the Rhineland

As a consequence of four varied and beer-filled days in Düsseldorf, there’s lots for me to write about. But first it was back down to earth with a bang, with a full in-tray waiting for me at work this morning, and with two key members of my staff about to depart on their own holidays, there’s not been a lot of time to think; let alone decide what to write about first.

There were eleven of us on this trip, all male and, with the exception of my son Matthew, all over 50 years old. Quite a few of us were over sixty, and there were also two septuagenarians. One of them asked Matt how he felt about coming on a “Saga Holiday”, with a bunch of OAP's, but he took it all in his stride and had a good time; as did we all.

Although we based ourselves in Düsseldorf, we had a day out in Cologne, and also a day exploring the area around Wuppertal; a day which included a ride on the 110 year old Suspension Railway, which operates at a height of around 40 feet above the River Wupper, and runs for a distance of just over 8 miles.

We visited two fine old breweries; one producing Kölsch and the other Altbier. Both were old established, family firms, still employing traditional methods, but both were also companies which had not been afraid to invest for the future.

We also found several brew-pubs and these, when added to the many fine and traditional old pubs which can be found in the two Rhineland cities,  contributed to a  rich and varied local drinking scene.

Full coverage about these, and other experiences, to follow in due course.

This post should have been published yesterday, but I forgot to click the right button; in fact I fell asleep in front of the computer! 

Apologies, therefore, if it doesn't quite read right.

Düsseldorf

I won’t be blogging for a while, as Saturday morning I’m off travelling again. The destination this time is the Rhineland city of Düsseldorf. This will be my third trip in as many months to Germany, and my third major city within the country.

Son Matthew and I will be joining a group of fellow beer lovers from Maidstone CAMRA; although I hasten to add this is not an official CAMRA trip. This will be my second outing with the group, as two years ago I travelled with them to the town of Jihlava, in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. That particular trip consisted of brewery visits and sight-seeing in equal measure, and we certainly travelled through some of the most pleasing countryside I have seen; with rolling hills, dark forests and stretches of verdant green pasture.

The group visiting a brewery two years ago

The Düsseldorf trip, of course, will be a lot more urban in nature, but the tour organiser has a number of brewery visits lined up for us; including one in Cologne, where we’ll be spending the second full day of the trip. Düsseldorf is famed for its Altbier; a copper-coloured, top-fermented beer, brewed in the “old” or “alt” style. It is also served in 30 Cl cylindrical glasses, similar to those used for Kölsch in the neighbouring, and rival city of Cologne.

There are some classic pubs to visit, and from what I’ve seen we’ve got a full itinerary to look forward to. Matthew and I are flying out a day ahead of the main party, so we’ll have time for a spot of sight-seeing and some shopping before the rest of the group arrives.

It will be my first visit to Düsseldorf, although I have been to neighbouring Cologne on five separate occasions. It will be Matthew’s first visit as well, and will provide a chance for him to see and experience a part of the country which is very different from Bavaria. If nothing else, it should demonstrate just what a diverse nation Germany is; a diversity which expresses itself in beer as well as many other things.

I must say it will be nice to get away for a few days, and nice also to get away from a Brexit Britain obsessed with meaningless slogans (“strong and stable”, “control of our borders”). Most Germans I spoke to on my last trip, thought the UK had taken leave of its senses. As a nation which knows only too well what happens when the extreme right is allowed to bully and lie its way into power, I tend to think they know what they are talking about!

A full report of course, plus some photos, when I get back.

CAMRA Members Weekends - a few reflections

Last month saw CAMRA holding its Member’s Weekend and Annual General Meeting. The event took place at Bournemouth, on the sunny south coast, and a few days by the sea would have been very nice and most agreable. Given  the resort’s relative proximity to where I live, I had little in the way of excuses for not turning up. I could even have gone there for the day had I so desired.

However, a number of things kept me away, not least of which was a growing disillusionment with CAMRA; certainly at national level. The much vaunted “Revitalisation Campaign” seems to have run out of steam, and there are various other shenanigans going on behind the scenes, which all point to a lack of direction within the organisation.

In the end I decided that attending the AGM would not be the best use of my time, but I have been to several of these events in the past and thoroughly enjoyed them. So as I’m feeling in a slightly reflective mood, I thought  I’d take a look back at some of  those past AGM’s and share some of my recollections of them.

According to my calculations, I have been to six Annual General Meetings of the Campaign for Real Ale, (they weren’t called Member’s Weekends in the early days). Four were back in the early 1980’s, and the other two were in much more recent times; the Isle of Man in 2010 and Norwich in 2013. What happened in the intervening period equates to a large chunk of my middle years, during which I changed partners, became a father, raised a family, had several changes of job and ran my own off-licence business.

Obviously, much else changed as well during this period; both within CAMRA and with the beer, brewing and pub scene in general. Recounting these various changes, is beyond the scope of this post, but it is worth noting that I too changed and the rather earnest twenty-something who went along to those early meetings, and listened intently to all the debates, has been replaced by a rather more cynical and laissez-faire individual, with a slightly world-weary approach to the whole thing.

Durham, in 1981, was the venue for my first CAMRA AGM, and I remember travelling up by train, with three CAMRA colleagues from Maidstone, where I was living at the time. The city’s university was hosting the meeting, with the conference debates taking place in one of the lecture halls. We had lodgings, of sorts, in the halls of residence.

The highlight of the weekend, was looking round Durham’s impressive and imposing cathedral, but we also managed to find a number of decent pubs. The beer choice was far from impressive in those days, and was limited to brews from Bass, McEwan’s, Vaux and Whitbread (Castle Eden), but we still had a good time, and for me it was good to meet and socialise with members from up and down the country.

The following year, it was Bradford’s turn to host the event. I attended with two of the colleagues who’d attended the previous year, but this time we were accompanied by our respective wives. There’s not a lot I remember from that particular AGM, apart from travelling out by bus to Keighley on the Saturday evening.

There we meet up with the girls who had spent the day in nearby Howarth, whilst us “more dedicated” men-folk were stuck in the debating hall. We visited several excellent Timothy Taylor’s pubs that evening, where Golden Best and Best Bitter ruled the roost; with not a drop of Landlord in sight.

1983 brought the AGM closer to home, with the event taking place at Reading University. My then wife and I travelled in convoy with a group of slightly younger, local branch members from Maidstone. We stopped for lunch at the Crooked Billet, a Brakspear’s pub in a woodland location,  up in the hills close to Wokingham, before carrying on into Reading itself.

There’s not a lot I can recall from that particular AGM either, apart from the memorable evening we spent at another Crooked Billet; this one a wonderfully unspoilt, rural alehouse, in the tiny hamlet of Stoke Row. Entering this basic, country pub was like stepping back in time. There was no bar as such, just a simple serving hatch in the door of the ground floor cellar. The excellent Brakspear’s beer was served straight from casks, stillaged in full view of customers. I understand the Crooked Billet has now become a restaurant; its new owner having rescued it from a state of almost total disrepair.

Conference venue IOM 2010

The AGM moved north of the border in 1984, for its first incursion into Scotland. Edinburgh’s  grandiose McEwan Hall was the setting for the conference, whilst a few friends and I, again from Maidstone, stayed in a guest house. I think that was my third visit to the Scottish capital, but I wasn’t really in the right frame of mind to appreciate all that Edinburgh had to offer, or to get into the spirit of the AGM. My marriage was on the rocks, and whilst I tried putting on a brave face, I was hurting quite badly inside, and shouldn’t really have been there. Consequently my memories of both the conference, and the city’s pubs, are rather sketchy.

A year later, I had got divorced and then re-married. My new wife, the present Mrs Bailey, wasn’t particularly into either beer or pubs, although to her credit, she did persuade me to become more engaged with CAMRA again, after a period of non-involvement.

It was to be a quarter of a century, before I next attended a CAMRA AGM, and by 2010, the event had been re-badged as the Members’ Weekend. Douglas, Isle of Man, was the venue for that particular AGM, but it’s also remembered as the weekend of the Icelandic volcano; the one with the unpronounceable name!

I was oblivious to what had been going on in the outside world, as I had arrived on the island late on Thursday evening. It was only after breakfast the following morning, when I phoned my wife, that I learned that European airspace had been closed because of the enormous ash cloud from the volcano, and that all flights had been grounded.

I was due to meet up with a couple of friends from my own branch, alter that morning, and also with a group from Maidstone CAMRA. My friends had flown over the day before, and the Maidstone contingent had, like me, travelled over by ferry. It seemed that most of the delegates had also arrived the same day, so the conference went ahead almost as though nothing had happened.

Getting back was fun; I was OK as I’d booked a return ticket, but the Sea-Cat back to Liverpool was much more crowded than it would have otherwise been, and I’m sure the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company really cleaned up that weekend. As for the AGM itself, well I enjoyed the beer exhibition and the excursions to Castletown and Port Erin in the south, and to Peel and Ramsey in the north. The pubs we visited at these destinations and points in between, were also good, although I must confess I grew a little tired of Okells’ beer. As for the IOM, well I’m glad I went, but it’s  not somewhere which features high on my list of places to return to, (sorry all you Manx people out there).

Somewhere I am always pleased to return to is Norwich; the host city for the 2013 Member’s Weekend. There were no transport problems this time, but I had arrived a day early in the city, as I had planned to visit my parents. As it happened, they were both ill at the time and asked me not to pop over, so instead I spent the day exploring Norwich and its many pubs on my own, before meeting up with friends from Maidstone CAMRA in the evening.

That meeting took place at the wonderful Fat Cat, which was bursting at the seams with AGM attendees. We adjourned later for a curry, before heading back into the city centre for yet more beer in the Golden Star. This was my last Member’s Weekend, and I can safely say that the social side was by far the best part of the event.

I would go further and say that the activities which take place outside of the conference hall are definitely the highlight of an AGM. The local branch whose job it is to host the event, will normally organise a beer exhibition, highlighting the best beers the area has to offer, and there will be various brewery visits taking place s well, over the course of the weekend.

Some people go along purely for the socialising and the pubs; as I discovered at this particular Member’s Weekend. It was Saturday morning and the first full day of the conference proper. I was walking up into the city, from the boarding house I was staying in, when I bumped into a couple from another Kent CAMRA branch. I won’t embarrass them by revealing their names, although they’re quite well known within CAMRA circles, but as we continued towards St Andrew’s Hall, where the conference was taking place, the couple suddenly turned and said goodbye.

“You’re not coming to the AGM then?” I asked, somewhat puzzled. They laughed, and both replied with a firm “No”. As one of them pointed out, “Who wants to spend a beautiful spring day, shut up in a stuffy hall, listening to a load of waffle and hot air?” They told me they were off  to explore Norwich and sample its many delights. They would, of course, be taking in the odd pub or two along the way. They wished me a pleasant day, and sauntered off in the direction of the city’s castle.

Slightly taken aback, I wished them the same, before hurrying on towards the conference hall. As I sat in the coolness of the historic surroundings, listening to the various debates, and occasionally raising my hand when there was a vote on a particular motion, I found myself thinking of this couple from the opposite end of Kent, and wishing I had done the same.

I later found out that this husband and wife team, who were regular attendees at Members’ Weekends, never went along to the actual conference; preferring instead to make the most of their time in a different part of the country. And who could blame them?

The conference adjourned for lunch, and I went along to the beer exhibition, where I bumped into several people I knew. I also enjoyed a couple of cheese rolls and several pints of local ale. We went outside into a courtyard area behind the hall. The sun was still shining and there and then I made up my mind that I would not be returning for the conference’s afternoon session. Instead I made my way out of the hall complex, and back into the real world, away from some of the  more crass and pointless motions being debated.

It was very pleasant, walking around in the mid-April sunshine, and I had a wander around the centre of Norwich. I didn’t call in at any pubs, because not only had I drank plenty at lunchtime, but I was also booked on a tour of Woodforde’s Brewery, that evening, and the coach was due to pick up outside the conference venue, shortly after  5pm.

The tour of Woodforde’s was very good, and the visit included a meal at the brewery tap next door. The Fur and Feather is an excellent pub which my wife and I had been to on a couple of previous trips up to Norfolk. As well as good food, it serves a wide range of beers from the adjacent brewery, all served by gravity, direct from the cask.

So there we have it; my own experiences of CAMRA Member’s Weekends and AGM’s, looking back over a thirty year period. If I wanted to summarise them I would say they offer an excellent opportunity to visit and explore some different parts of the country, and to meet up with members from all over the UK. You may find the debates intriguing, or more likely they will bore the socks off you, but if you are a member, and haven’t been, then why not give one a go? Who knows, you might even bump into yours truly, should I have a change of heart and decide to show my face!