Every traditional pub in the Isle of Man has real ale on offer, that’s the boast of the island’s branch of CAMRA following the launch of its latest Good Beer Guide.
This year’s guide sees a few new entries such as Sam Webb’s in Douglas and the Tap Room in Castletown, and Douglas’s Old Market Inn also returns to the guide having been missing last year.
CAMRA’s David Halliwell said the real ale scene in the island is increasingly healthy with few other regions in the British Isles able to boast real ale in every traditional pub.
‘Sam Webb’s is a new entry and the Tap Room in Castletown, the former tapas bar, sources some of the more unusual beers,’ he said.
The Prospect in Douglas is notable particularly for its wide range of hand-pulled ales – probably the biggest range in the island.
Each CAMRA region is allowed a maximum of 28 entries in the guide and this year, as in 2015, there is a full allocation in the guide. Fewer than 28 can be included if not enough are up to scratch.
‘For the purposes of the guide, judging is done purely on the quality of the beer,’ Mr Halliwell said.
‘It doesn’t matter if there is just one real ale on offer, or if the pub is a bit rundown, provided the quality of the beer is good it can go in the guide. There doesn’t have to be 20 hand pumps.’
Any candidates for the guide must be free to enter. To select pubs for the guide, regional members meet and make preliminary nominations. The contenders are then visited and in a final meeting the guide entries are decided by a members’ vote if necessary. This usually happens in February or March each year.
Decisions are made from scratch each year and the fact that a particular establishment has been in the guide for years is no guarantee of inclusion.
Isle of Man CAMRA also selects its pub of the year annually, which this year is the Albert in Port St Mary. The competition runs separately from the Good Beer Guide and is assessed not just on the quality of its ale but also on value for money, clientele, decor and welcoming atmosphere.
The guide’s 28 entries come from all corners of the island with well known hostelries such as the Castle Arms and the Sidings in Castletown, The Whitehouse, Creek and Marine in Peel and the Trafalgar in Ramsey all featuring.
The Hooded Ram brewery has recently started selling its beers from the former Clinch’s bar on North Quay in Douglas. It is also hoping to have further venues in the Isle of Man as well as in some of the major cities in the UK.
The CAMRA beer festival 2017 will take place on Thursday April 6 to Saturday April 8, with more than 150 ales ciders and perries. It is intended to hold it in the Villa Marina, where it moved three years ago from the Masonic Hall.