Hi

Welcome to Witch Ale, the newsletter of East Lancs CAMRA branch

Pre-order the Good Beer Guide 2027 NOW!

Get ready for the UK’s definitive guidebook to great pubs that serve top-quality cask beer.

This year's foreword is written by Sir Ian Rankin, creator of the conic Detective Inspector character John Rebus, both famous patrons of the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh.

The 2027 Guide is sponsored by Midland Snacks Traditional Scratchings. There’s no better snack pairing for that perfect pint of cask beer!

The Guide is also endorsed by Cask Marque, a hallmark of beer quality and consistency.

Published 24 September, pre-order your Guide here.

BRANCH NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Changes to Beer Scoring

From 1 June 2026, we’re using a new set of ratings, rather than a numerical scale of scores, for our beer scoring system.

Click here here for more information

EVENTS

We’re now heading into the second half of the year and plenty of events in July to fill your calendar with.

Branch Events

July 2026 Social: Lytham

Wednesday 1 July 2026

The next informal Wednesday outing will be on 1st July to Lytham

The train times are:

Burnley Manchester Road 12-03, Accrington 12-12, Blackburn 12-22, arriving Preston 12-38

Leaving Preston 12-49, arriving Lytham 13-09

If getting on at Rose Grove 11-51, Accrington 11-58, Blackburn 12-08, change at Blackburn for the 12-22 to Preston

We'll meet up in the Taps around 13-15.

Places/trains may be busy as it's Lytham festival weekend!

Hope to see you on the train or in Lytham

Cheers!

Regional & National CAMRA Events

Cider & Perry Month - July 2026 Wednesday 1 – Friday 31 July
Chorlton Beer & Cider Festival 2026 Thursday 2 – Saturday 4 July
(go to the Branch & Events Diary page for more information)

Peterborough Beer Festival 2026 Tuesday 25 – Saturday 29 August
With the GBBF (Great British Beer Festival) not going ahead this year, Peterborough Beer Festival will be CAMRA's largest festival in 2026, and with members now gaining free entry, they're having a real push to try to attract people from further afield to the event. (click pborobeerfest.camra.org.uk for more information via their website)

Non-CAMRA events

Moorhouse’s Brewery Tour evening Friday 3 July
Whitworth Valley Brewing July Taproom Pop Up Friday 10 – Sunday 12 July
Bowland Beer Festival Friday 10 – Sunday 12 July Holmes Mill in Clitheroe which houses the Bowland Beer Hall is turning 10 years old in July and having a beer festival as part of the week long celebrations.
Bowland Brewery Tour Friday 17 July 18:00
Meet the Brewer: Brew York at Holmes Mill Thursday 23 July 18:30
Tap Takeover @ 1B Tap House: Brewsmith Friday 24 – Sunday 26 July
Rossendale Real Ale Festival 2026 Saturday 25 – Sunday 26 July
(go to the Branch & Events Diary page for more information)

Is there an event missing we should know about? Please email ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw or share the details via our social media (links below) for it to be added to the branch diary.

Pub, Club and Brewery news

After 7 and a half amazing years, time came for Lucy to say goodbye to The Shooters Arms in Nelson for a new venture. The pub closed on Saturday and will reopen shortly when a new team begins.

The Witch Ale News page on the website is always being updated, and we’d love to hear from you. Please share what’s been happening in and around the East Lancs area so that we can build an archive of local stories, changes, and memories. Please email:- ku.gro.armac.scnaltsae@swenelahctiw

For more broader news from across the country visit What’s Brewing online at https://wb.camra.org.uk

Keep up to date via Social Media

Click the links to join the Facebook group, X/Twitter , Blue Sky , Instagram or search camraeastlancs

Cheers!

Alan Leach
Witch Ale newsletter editor