Welcome to West London CAMRA!

Campaigning for real ale and pubs in West London.

The branch of the Campaign for Real Ale for the London boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea and City of Westminster.

May to July 2022 diary dates

Some diary dates for you:

 

From FRIDAY 13th to SUNDAY 15th MAY, there is a beer festival at the Prince of Wales Townhouse, 73 Dalling Road, W6 0JD, just round the back of Ravenscourt Park tube station. They promise 35 cask beers, 50 keg beers, 15 ciders, and a BBQ and hog roast on the Friday and Saturday. There is a discount on ale for card-carrying CAMRA members.

 

On TUESDAY 17th MAY 7.00pm for 7.30pm, we are having our branch meeting at the kind invitation of Portobello Brewery, Unit 6, Mitre Bridge Ind. Estate, W10 6AU. The brewery is up Mitre Way (off Scrubs Lane) on the north-west side of Little Wormwood Scrubs recreation ground. We will be joined by North London branch members.

 

On THURSDAY 9th JUNE at 1.30pm: Visit to Sambrook’s Brewery Tap and Museum. (Open to CAMRA members & non-members). We are off to Wandsworth not only for a visit to Sambrook's Tap Room but also the museum, which covers 500 years of brewing on the site. This is likely to be a great event as we will be on a tour guided by the wonderfully eloquent and entertaining, John Hatch, winner of CAMRA London's John Young Memorial Award (see article in October/November 2020 edition of London Drinker Magazine. https://www.london.camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=27767#gal2021

The ticket includes a tutored tasting at the start and a pint of cask in the Tap Room afterwards.

Book via: Brewery Tap & Museum Visit, https://tckty.camra.org.uk/e/64/leisure-social-visit-to-sambrooks-brewe

 

On WEDNESDAY 22nd JUNE 7.30pm for 8.00 pm we are holding our branch Annual General Meeting at the Carpenter’s Arms (upstairs), 12 Seymour Place, Marylebone W1H 7NE. There is a discount on ale for card-carrying CAMRA members.

 

On TUESDAY 5th JULY at 7.30pm: Beer & Snacks Tutored Tasting

Often when you visit a pub, you eat snacks but have you ever thought about which beer goes best with which snack? This is your chance to find out more - and there are many more snacks than crisps! This fun session will team 5 beers with 5 different snacks - all talked through by Beer Tutor, British Guild of Beer Writers member and Master Trainer, Christine Cryne.

The tasting is at the Snooty Fox, which has won CAMRA's North London Pub of the Year twice. 75 Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury, London N5 2NN. The event starts at 7.30pm and will last about 90 minutes. Book via:
https://tckty.camra.org.uk/e/65/beer-snacks-tutored-tasting

Demolished Maida Vale pub wins CAMRA award

On Saturday 17th April, CAMRA’s West London branch presented its Pub of the Year (POTY) award for 2022 to the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale.

Open for almost exactly one year, the Carlton Tavern literally rose from the rubble after it was illegally demolished by a property developer on the day before it was to be listed by Historic England. Westminster Council ordered it to be rebuilt “brick by brick” to match the original - and this miraculously happened.

Despite the effects of Covid, the Carlton Tavern is now a thriving business. Tenant Ben Martin, who runs the pub with his partner Tom Rees, said “We’re very proud to have won this award in our first year of operation”.

The POTY certificate was presented by West London branch Chairman Alex Langford. Such is the significance of the pub’s rebirth, West London CAMRA was joined by eight other CAMRA branches to celebrate the Award.

Also on hand were representatives of the London Brewing Company and Anspach & Hobday, who brew the house beer, “Build Back Bitter”.

 

Thanks to North London CAMRA for the photo. Their article on the event can be found at https://northlondon.camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=170907.

March 2022 news

Here's an update on the latest news and information from West London branch of CAMRA. Further news can be found in the London Drinker.

 

Branch events
  • Monday 7th March: The Plough & Harrow (King St, W6) is hosting a Meet-the-Brewer on Monday 7th March from 5pm until 7pm. Sambrooks will be showing off their wares: providing samples, answering questions and hosting a raffle.
  • Tuesday 8th March: West London CAMRA Branch meeting. 7pm for 7.30pm upstairs at the Star Tavern, Belgravia.
Other CAMRA events

 

Branch and regional CAMRA news
  • West London CAMRA branch members have recently been voting for the branch Pub of the Year. The results will be announced soon.
  • London Pubs Group has resumed its tours of historic pubs - for information see https://londonpubsgroup.camra.org.uk/events
  • The London Drinker is available with news about pubs and CAMRA, and is once again available in print as well as online.
 Pub and brewery news

 

For the latest news check out our Facebook and Twitter pages (please note our Twitter page is currently being set up at a new address, the old Twitter page is no longer run by the branch). Also for news from CAMRA across London see London Drinker, and the London CAMRA Facebook page.