Due to ongoing renovation works being carried out at the Muni Theatre in Colne the Pendle Beer Festival for 2024 has had to be cancelled!

We understand that additional problems have been found in the roof area and this has caused the delay.

It is not really possible for us to move to any other date and so we have decided to make a return in 2025.

Welcome to a revised and online version of the old and much missed Witch Ale Magazine!

Witch Ale will be emailed out to all East Lancs CAMRA members regularly with pub and brewery news, together with details of local meetings and events for the following month.

We need your input so that everyone will know what’s going on pub-wise within East Lancs. Please email any news or views from your local pub, club or brewery to :- ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw

WITCH ALE Issue 96 – August 2023

The Good Beer Guide is the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide and it continues to represent the best of the best in the brewing and hospitality industry.

With 4500 pubs, bars, and clubs selected by unpaid volunteers up and down the country, this is the best guide for pubgoers interested in being served a good pint of real ale as well as those who wish to find a local near them that is welcoming and has many other benefits that may appeal.

Each entry contains a short description as well as details of regular beers that can be linked to the brewery section to discover local beers, as well as some treasured national favourites.

This guide is compiled by consumers for consumers and is the most independent and complete guide to find good beer.

Exclusive hardback edition £25.00

With such an iconic image on the cover we felt it was necessary to offer people an opportunity to collect something that will be remembered for many years to come.

In stark contrast to the 50th anniversary edition, this copy is printed black with the unmistakeable lettering from Iron Maiden and the iconic figure of Eddie pulling a pint of real ale.

With the addition of a red bookmark and silver foiling on the lettering to emphasise the ‘metal’ influence this copy will appeal to collectors and beer enthusiasts.

Only available as a pre-order until 24 July 2023, this one-off hardback will be extra special.

Standard Edition £15.99

The standard edition of The Good Beer Guide 2024 will feature the iconic image of Eddie pulling a pint and the lettering from the world renowned band Iron Maiden.

‘Every beer has a story to tell, and every Pub ……well…if the walls could speak- what dramas have unfolded under the oak beamed roofs?

It is easy to forget that the roots of our Pub culture go back for centuries, and perhaps we have been guilty of taking them for granted.

This guide is a clarion call to get involved, to go local, to preserve humanity and courtesy in our Pubs, not have them turned into mere alcohol cash machines.’

Bruce Dickinson

Alternative Edition edition £15.99

To account for those of you who may find the image of Eddie bursting through the cover a bit too heavy, we have decided to offer an alternative cover that features the recognisable lettering and imagery of previous editions.

This cover will only be available to pre-order and is exclusively sold by CAMRA.

With a striking black cover and red detailing this limited run edition will still feature all of the 4500 pubs as well as an up-to-date listing of active breweries from across the UK.

It will also feature the foreword by Bruce Dickinson.

This exclusive paperback edition of The Good Beer Guide will not be available from retailers and is only available to pre-order before 25 July 2023.

Getting your copy

Click here to order your copy of the Good Beer Guide 2024

Privilege Club

Save £’s with the Privilege Club subscription

Subscribe to the Privilege Club and order the ‘Standard’ Edition or the ‘Alternative Edition’ for only £12 with free postage

As a Privilege Club subscriber, you also get delivery up to 2 weeks before release date!

As a Privilege Club member, you can also order multiple copies for friends and family.

Please note: The hardback edition is only available directly from the CAMRA shop for £25, and is not available as a Privilege club subscription – this edition will be delivered on or around 28th September 2023.

Click here to find out more about the Privilege Club

The branch has made some changes to its meetings to make them more welcoming and sociable.

These OPEN meetings replace branch meetings and are a chance for CAMRA members (or anyone) to meet and chat about the things we are all interested in whilst supporting some of the great venues around the branch.

First up is Saturday 3 June 2023 in Pendle starting from 1:30pm at the Bankers Draft in Barrowford, with a social around the local area afterwards and ending up at Nelson Cricket Club. The day will include presentations for the Pendle Pub and Club of the Year 2023 awards respectively. All with a promise of some good beers.

Transport: Bus no 2 Burnley to Nelson then No 2 or 66 to Barrowford or Number 2 from Colne.

Pick up times & locations

09:00 Colne Bus Station
09.15 Nelson Bus Station (Top stand)
09.35 Burnley (Croft Street)
10.10 Blackburn (Coach stand on Ainsworth Street)

Return in reverse, 18:00 from Ulverston

Interested in volunteering?
Complete a CBF 2023 Volunteer Form and return to Martin Snelling moc.tenretnitb@gnillens.nitram with a copy to Sue Kidd moc.duolci@na56sus

Thank you for all who voted for the pubs and clubs to go into the Good Beer Guide 2024.

An interesting response combined with beer scoring has thrown up a few surprises.

We can't wait until the GBB2024 comes out later this year for you to see the results and beery debating wll no doubt commence.

Please continue to submit your beer scores throughout the year at whatpub.com as these play a part of who goes forward to getting into the guide.

Cheers!

Welcome to a revised and online version of the old and much missed Witch Ale Magazine!

It is intended that Witch Ale will be emailed out to all East Lancs CAMRA members regularly with pub and brewery news, together with details of local meetings and events for the following month.

We need your input so that everyone will know what’s going on pub-wise within East Lancs. Please email any news or views from your local pub, club or brewery to :- ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw

I look forward to receiving more news from you!

John Ingham - Editor

WITCH ALE Issue 94 – February 2023

Click the link on the side menu for news from previous years

A welcome return to the largest beer festival in our area running with 100 beers and a theme 'Bringing Back the Beer' we are aiming to revitalize your taste buds with some iconic beers . Get there early to sample some Titanic Plum Porter Grand Reserve that's been maturing in the cellar for three months.

Buses stop right outside the Muni for Nelson, Burnley, Skipton and Keighley. The railway station is just five minutes' walk down the hill for hourly connections through to Preston.

At the time of writing there is a train strike on Friday 3rd Feb, so do plan your journey.

In light of this we need your support more than ever. Please do try to get over to Colne and support this event.

For travel advice visit www.transdevbus.co.uk/burnley and www.nationalrail.co.uk

For all details of the festival including the beer list which can be downloaded visit www.pendlebeerfestival.co.uk