Pub, Brewery and Festival News

Four cask ales for “brand new” Red Lion in Yarnton

Oak Taverns has fulfilled its pledge of re-opening its latest purchase in time for Christmas – the Red Lion in Yarnton, which it had acquired from Admiral Taverns. A speedy but thorough renovation has created a bright, welcoming pub for villagers to enjoy, re-opening on December 14 having been closed since the summer of 2022.

The village – on the S3 bus route between Oxford and Woodstock – had wanted to buy the pub itself, but a community buy-out did not raise enough cash. But the Red Lion is in safe hands with Oak Taverns, a small Oxfordshire-based company which has a track record of rescuing failing pubs in towns and villages. It now operates 10 pubs in the county and 16 overall, having bought three in the last year – the Sun in Wheatley, the Crown in Marcham (also long-term closed, until re-opening in September), and now the Red Lion.

A blackboard outside welcomes visitors to the “brand new” pub, whose covered patio and large garden will be much appreciated come the spring. A new bar, furniture and polished floor give it a contemporary feel while continuing with traditional features including two wood burning stoves.

But best of all is the line-up of four cask ale pumps, which this week were dispensing XT4, Bass, Ox Blood by Little Ox, and Oakham’s OPA. Listed as coming on soon are Harvey’s Sussex Best (see below), Santa’s Litte Helper from Tring brewery, Otter’s Elf, Santa Claws by Renegade, XT3, Animal’s Hop Kitty and Wallingford 8d Ale, brewed by XT for Oak Taverns and the Dead Brewers Society.

Jess Dixon comes to the Red Lion with experience at its namesake pub in Chinnor

An experienced landlady has been recruited – Jess Dixon, whose mother Nichola runs the Red Lion in Chinnor, another Oak Taverns pub. She has run the Chinnor pub when her mother is away and is relishing the challenge of building up the Yarnton pub from scratch.

“XT4 will be our regular beer as it is so popular in Oak Taverns pubs, but the three guest ales will vary,” she said. “We hope to keep four real ales on although we need to see more real ale drinkers here. But our first week was really positive, and it’s clear the community really wanted their pub back whoever is running it. Everyone has done a fab job to make it a cosy, sociable pub, as people were worried it could be turned into housing.”

As with all Oak Taverns pubs, the Red Lion is not operating a kitchen but expects to welcome food vans on a regular basis, mainly on Fridays and Saturdays. On the edge of Yarnton village, on the A44, is the food-led Turnpike pub, an M&B house.

Top cask ales in 2023 revealed

The annual survey of top selling drinks brands by market research firm CGA once again shows major brewing groups dominating real ale sales, but with heartening progress by a few independents.

The top 10 to October 2023 (see below) shows that Timothy Taylor’s Landlord is again the top selling independent brand, beaten only by overall leader Sharp’s Doom Bar, owned by global conglomerate Molson Coors and sold to pubs alongside its other brands including Carling and Foster’s. Doom Bar sales declined while remaining the top seller, but Landlord sales advanced.

The major new entry, at number 10, is Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter, a malty beer seen increasingly in Oxford as the Grapes and Gardeners Arms, North Parade Avenue usually stock it, while it has long been a staple at the Masons Arms in Headington Quarry. According to the data there was a 52% increase in volume of Sussex Best sales this year, by far the largest in the top 10. Doom Bar volume declined by over 11%.

The Gardeners Arms in North Parade Avenue often offers Harvey’s Sussex Best

Butcombe Original, another malty beer, is also an independent being owned by Jersey-based Liberation Group, with Butcombe pubs including the Victoria Arms in Marston. St Austell brewery keeps its place in the top 10 with Tribute.

The other entries, predictably, are owned by or allied to major breweries or pub groups. Greene King has two of the top sellers, as does Marston’s with Wainwright and Pedigree. Fuller’s London Pride remains in the top 10 although the brewery and pub group are under separate ownership.

BrandVolume (HL)Value (£m)2022 RankUp or Down
Sharp’s Doom Bar144,11391.81Level
Timothy Taylor’s Landlord110,20482.62Level
Greene King IPA84,70357.33Level
Fuller’s London Pride71,98556.14Level
Wainwright47,63530.97+2
Greene King Abbot Ale46,15229.85-1
St Austell Tribute Ale36,84526.96-1
Marston’s Pedigree33,41721.38Level
Butcombe Original26,82617.39Level
Harvey’s Sussex Best23,98219.4N/ANew entry

All data provided by CGA for the 12 months to 8 October 2023

Tap Social crowdfunding push

The Oxford-based craft brewery started a crowdfunding campaign on December 6 which, as of today, had raised nearly £23,000 towards its £50,000 target. The campaign runs until midday on January 3 and already has over 150 supporters.

The plan is not only to safeguard and expand its brewing, baking and pub and bar operating activities, but also to employ more prison leavers and break the cycle of re-offending by teaching them a wide range of skills before they move on. Director Tess Taylor explained: “Social impact wise, we’ve had a really great year at Tap Social. With a third of our team joining us from prison, we’ve now created 10,000 days, or around 38 years, of full-time meaningful employment for prison leavers who wouldn’t otherwise have had that opportunity, reducing the re-offending rate in that cohort by over 40% from the national average (down to 7% from over 50%).

“Financially, times have obviously been more challenging for hospitality and so we are now launching the rewards-based crowdfunding campaign in the run-up to Christmas to see us through what will inevitably be a difficult first few months in 2024, and to allow us to continue to grow our impact into next year and beyond.”

Rewards for the main campaign range from discounted gift packs of a few cans of beer to full events packages and it is also keen to put together bespoke rewards for key corporate partners to include customised events and parties, bespoke gift packages for staff or clients, brewing or bakery class experiences, and more general sponsorship packages such as a company logo on the taproom wall.

Tap Social has grown from a team of just five people in 2016 to more than 55 employees, and expanded to six sites across Oxfordshire. Creating training and employment opportunities for prisoners and prison leavers is at the heart of everything at the brewery, bakery and five hospitality venues, including the White House pub, Market Tap bar and taproom at the Botley base, all in Oxford.

Two members of its team had this to say:

“I know I’ve got people on my side, and that makes me step up… I could never repay Tap for what they’ve helped me gain … It’s not often you’re going to come across a group of people who want to help like that.  If they can grow, believe me, it will only be positive.”  

“It was a little bit difficult at first, coming from being by yourself and being in a cell 23 hours a day, to learning to communicate and be in a crowd. Working here has helped me build a social network, which I never really had before. Most of all, I feel like I have a sense of structure in my life. There’s many, many things this job has done for me: I’d be here for ages if I was to try and give you all of it.”

Help Tap Social Grow Our Impact – a Food and Drink crowdfunding project in Oxford by Amy Taylor (crowdfunder.co.uk)

GBBF cancelled for 2024

The Great British Beer Festival will not be happening next year due to uncertainties at its regular venue, Kensington Olympia in London, which usually stages it in July or August each year. The festival didn’t happen in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic, and now there is discussion about whether it should continue in the capital in 2025 and beyond.

CAMRA’s Events Director Catherine Tonry commented: “While we are understandably extremely disappointed that CAMRA’s flagship event will not take place next year, we are now looking at a range of options for its triumphant return in 2025. It has been a difficult decision to make as it is the highlight of our calendar. Unfortunately, our current venue could not offer us the dates we needed. It is essential the Great British Beer Festival is the absolute best it can be for our valued volunteers, wider membership and customers.

“While other venues have been explored, due to timescales, costs and our requirements, we have not been able to secure a suitable venue. While this was not a decision taken lightly, we will now look forward to the future and continue with plans for 2025, looking at a variety of options and venues.”

Next year’s Champion Beer of Britain competition, which usually culminates at the national festival, will still go ahead. CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival Winter also continues, and takes place in Burton-on-Trent on February 15-17.

Fox Inn, Middle Barton

Closed since last June and put on the market for £495,900, this country pub in a West Oxfordshire village is the latest to be subject to a Community buy-out bid with a deadline looming of December 28. Villagers successfully applied for ACV (Asset of Community Value) status for the Fox in 2021, and they are now preparing to make a bid.

Richard Brown MBE, who is leading the bid, said: “In today’s world, pubs need to totally reinvent themselves, both in the way they are run and the way they are used. We know that community pubs have more than a 99% success rate. We believe that only our community can ‘Save Our Fox’.”

A structural survey indicates that the building is in good shape and a commercial feasibility study confirmed that the Fox can, as a free house under community ownership, be a profitable business. Villagers are seeking help from the Plunkett Foundation, which has helped many communities save their pubs, and set up The Bartons Community Benefit Society.

The community has shared photos and memories to revive the history of the pub, and a local carpenter has reproduced the village stocks, which stood at the side of the pub until 1868, to help publicise their cause. More information at SAVE OUR FOX

Although a Community buy-out plan for the Red Lion in Yarnton did not proceed recently, with the pub now re-opened by small independent operator Oak Taverns, the trend is well established in Oxfordshire. The White Horse in Stonesfield will re-open fully in 2024 after villagers finally succeeded in buying it.