Love a magic roundabout. I’ve navigated it my bike a fair few times now. Still feels very odd going counter-clockwise around it.
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Hertfordshire is one of those counties in the UK, and there are a few, which barely registers on my radar not just for beer but for anything. It was a county that was close to where I used to live however other than Berkhampstead which is quite an attractive town with a couple of beery highlights and St Albans where I once did a ghost pub walk when attending the beer festival, it really hasn’t drawn me in with it’s charms. Btw the aforementioned pub ghost walk was really boring and we ducked out after 2 or 3 pubs when we realised it wasn’t actually taking us in any of the pubs for a beer, we then sat in one of the pubs and waved, pints in hand at our bored looking fellow ghost pub walkers. I also seem to recall we got very drunk at that same St Albans beer festival, it must have been back in the mid nineties so pre-RB days. I think Hertfordshire is more memorable for me for simply being a county that we used to drive through if we went to Pickett’s Lock campsite, Edmonton, London to hit London venues over that side of the city or occasionally when heading east we might drive through it.
51 ratings puts me in joint 32nd place for Hertfordshire.
I’ve rated 6 or 7 breweries by the look of things. Other than Mad Squirrel and the more traditional but decent enough Tring and Buntingford, it’s a pretty lacklustre county for breweries, in fact it reminds me of a regularly penned comment on my school reports, ‘Stephen has potential and if he applied himself he could do much better’ that’s Hertfordshire for you, it’s never going to be a big hitter but with a few decent sized places and some attractive countryside it should and could be better, for venues and breweries, but I guess it has a commuter reputation and it’s proximity to London means it’s unlikely to try harder.
Top rated breweries and number of ratings (see below)
Mad Squirrel - 16
Tring - 13
Buntingford - 8
Tesco - 8
McMullen - 3
Top five beers
- Mad Squirrel - Hold Your Nerve 4.2
- McMullen - Stronghart 4.0
- Buntingford - Boadicea 3.9
- Tring - Little Miss Muffet 3.8
= 5. Buntingford - Garden City 18 3.7
= 5. Buntingford - Pure Flannel 3.7
= 5. Red Squirrel - English IPA 3.7
= 5. Mad Squirrel - Roadkill 3.7
= 5. Mad Squirrel - Puckerberry 3.7
I’ve rated just 4 places which puts it in 27th place on my England place table. My top two places (see below) are both in Berkhampstead which is a nice little town and I visited The Rising Sun following a text from Mes telling me all about it, Mes used to be a regular on this site.
The Rising Sun - Berkhampstead 88
The Mad Squirrel Brewery Shop - Berkhampstead 82
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- I have a single rating from this County. Tesco India Pale Ale. Bottle purchased from Tesco, Ystradgynlais, Wales.
- Turns out Hertfordshire and Herefordshire are completely differently places, not just a typo/places that sound the same! My Tom Clancy book based comment was for Herefordshire. I therefore have little to contribute to this thread lol
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15 Hertfordshire rates for me, making it my second lowest English County
Top rated beer is Mad Squirrel Roadkill with 3.7
In terms of Cider there are 7 active cideries and Millwhites in Hemel Hempstead is the most prolific producer, I have only had one from them and one from Mayfly (plus 2 ciders from Tesco), making it one of my lowest English county cider tallies as well.
The top 5 cider raters are:
HertfordshireCider Ratings
The top 5 cidery raters are:
HertfordshireCideries
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CAMRA
At first I was flummoxed as to what additional background interest I could add for Hertfordshire and then the blindingly obvious became clear with contributors inputs above, the Headquarters of CAMRA lies within Hertfordshire, in the city of St. Albans. It’s a slightly more controversial subject than I ever imagined when I first signed up for Ratebeer, views on the organisation tend to be polarized, however some background.
It’s gone down in legend about a meeting of minds in a bar, Kruger’s Bar in Dunquin, County Kerry where 4 friends Michael Hardman, Graham Lees, Jim Makin and Bill Mellor came up with an idea to oppose the growing domination of the mass producers of bland keg beer within the UK, this was in 1971. Initially called the Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale the first meeting was held in the Rose Inn, Nuneaton in 1972, this included the 4 founders and a few invited friends. There was obviously great interest as by 1973 there were already around 5,000 members signed up.
The ambitions of the organisation in the early years was clear, the saving of what became to be called ‘Real Ale’, live beer distributed and served from casks through pubs that served the beer correctly and thus the Good Beer Guide and Membership became a must for beer lovers.
The campaign grew rapidly, gaining influence at all levels of the beer trade and within Government. There has been problems along the way though. In the 80’s for instance the organisation campaigned against the ‘Big Six’ breweries having a stranglehold over a majority of British pubs, they were successful and into being came the Beer Orders where the number of pubs that a Brewer could own was limited. Unfortunately this only became a short term success as into being came PubCo’s where previously brewing companies gave up beer making to concentrate on owning vast amounts of pubs, so the battle had to continue.
By the early 2000’s many of the campaign’s initial aims had been achieved, there was more choice within the market, ‘Real Ale’ was a substantial sector of the market and there was an increase in newer brewers who were able to get a foothold by showing their beers at the popular CAMRA run Beer Festivals. As a Super Influencer organisation, probably the largest of its type in the EU, the aims diversified into campaigns like saving all pubs, full pints and the LocAle schemes. Many feel that it was at this point that CAMRA began to lose its direction despite increasing membership.
Personally I am a member of CAMRA and have at points held offices in our local branch and helped organise and man Beer Festivals. However I no longer wish to waste time in turgid meetings mulling over the same things every month and getting no further forward. My membership gets me into Beer Festivals (I wonder if we will see those again?) and gets my Good Beer Guide cheaper than normal despite its faltering influence where sites like Ratebeer are more up to date. I disagree with their tie ins with the new Super Brewers and Pub Co’s and never get to use the vouchers. I’m ambivalent about them really, glad that they exist but pay little heed to their latest rantings, but I will continue my membership for now, always wishing I had gone for the Life Membership when it was as cheap as chips in the 90’s.
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Back in January 2018 (Pre-Covid shit), a friend of mine was living in Royal Leamington Spa so I visited him just in time for the Manchester Beer & Cider Festival. I landed at Stansted Airport and he picked me up at the closest Pub I found in Ratebeer (Bishop Stortford Spoons).
On our way to Royal Leamington Spa I told him I need to stop by The Land of Liberty, Peace and Plenty. He was very surprised that I found that place…but we both loved the ambiance of the pub and I even convince him (and his girlfriend) for joining me, a couple of days later, to the Manchester Beer Festival.
One of the highlights of that trip was that quick stop. Happy times.
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Like you Glen, I have been a CAMRA member for many years and held Committee positions in the past; I also now take ‘a back seat’ and don’t go to meetings because the same few pontificate about bollox for eons. Not helped at a beer festival for five year either, still enjoy attending them (if the beer quality is OK), but lost interest with CAMRA after going to an AGM and listening to some of the self-important bores and their hangers-on in the pubs and bars afterwards.
<*))))))><
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Re: CAMRA I was a member for just about 30 years also held positions in the Worcester and later North Oxon branches. I left a short time before leaving the UK, there are some great people in CAMRA who worked tirelessly at local beer festivals and to support local pubs and breweries but I just felt like nationally it had lost its way and was unwilling to change.
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I’ve had a CAMRA membership since I moved here, however I let it lapse last month. Not sure sending me an email in pandemic seems like they are doing enough for breweries or real ale. What is there mission when festivals are shut down? I’m not seeing it.
The old CAMRA or not to CAMRA!
I joined CAMRA in the mid 90’s whilst at Uni.
Never been involved in any local branches etc … haven’t the time tbh.
I let my membership lapse around 2006/7 for a year or two.
Reason was the smoking ban.
I’ve always been anti-smoking … not like a raving nutter but I don’t like it and have enjoyed pubs way more since it was banned.
For those of you that remember CAMRA were against the ban, saying it would ruin pubs for some people and banged on about it for some time in their monthly paper.
It pissed me right off … I’d joined because of beer … not to campaign for smokers rights in a pub so I didn’t renew for a few years.
Aside for that couple of years break I’ve probably done 25 years of membership.
Talking of Whats Brewing … does this still exist … havent seen one in ages come to think of it … has it gone digital ?
Hi Colin - Yes it has gone digital, however many of us asked to still be sent the printed copy, which they still do, but you have to apply for it. I would never read it on line, like any other publication, I just can’t be bothered when it’s electronic. The printed copy is a poor imitation of the earlier publication though.
Ok that figures … when did this happen ? Must have been pre lockdown … maybe two years ? I’ll have to get onto them … was a good toilet read if I’m honest !!!
Yes, probably around 2 years ago. Do you still get the Beer Magazine? Or perhaps that has gone on line too, unless, like us you have applied for hard copies.
Don’t recall anything for a few years … I’ve dropped them an email and asked them to restore my physical media delivery !
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Yes, like Glen I asked for my ‘hard copy’ to be posted, can’t be bothered to read on-line mags.
<*))))))><
It’s a sad indictment if the most interesting thing about Herts is that it has the headquarters of an organization whose lapsed member are now here. But other than the mind-boggling roundabouts, it remains a place that one passes. And unlike recent picks it has not moved up my list of places to visit. 9 beers by the way so it is neck and neck with Herefordshire for me and most of those are cask ales by Tring including Death or Glory which celebrated the Charge of the Light Brigade and thus maintained the tradition of celebrating really dumb moves across the century. I suspect recent events may offer ample beer opportunities in a similar vein judging by the success of Barnard Castle…
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I used to be very active in CAMRA, then I stayed a member for the beer festivals, then I let my membership lapse. Seems a common theme.
I find that it depends on the local branch. The Leicester peeps seem an alright lot, so I may become more active.
Regarding the St Albans festival, I remember getting as drunk as I’ve ever been one year at their festival and have not been back since…
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I was put off by my local branch. Pub crawls consisting of the Spoons in Camberley, Farnborough and Aldershot. Far too many references to which pubs did a lovely Greene King IPA or Spitfire.
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FUGGLES !!!
wow - wouldn’t let me post just FUGGLES
I said it was a more controversial subject than you would imagine. You are right about branches. My local branch became a real bore to be part of, little was getting done and they scared people off who wanted to try. The Oxford branch are good fun, know how to get things moving and apart from a few individuals are very friendly.
