Beer Range 21/10/09 15:50 Page 32
32 Monday 26/10/09 thePublican Book your tickets today at www.thepublicanfda.com
The finalists
BEER RANGE PUB OF THE YEAR
THE NEW OXFORD
Salford, Greater Manchester
Tim Flynn
Tim Flynn came over from Ireland to pursue his passion for beer in January
2007. He has transformed the New Oxford from a backstreet boozer to a pub
that boasts one of the most unusual choices of beers in the country.
Describe the beer range
All 17 handpumps serve a changing selection of microbrewery ales, while on
keg are nine Belgian beers, three German and two Czech. Around 150 bottled
beers are on offer at any time, mostly Belgian and with an emphasis on newer
breweries and lambic ales.
How is quality ensured from cellar to glass?
A full-time cellarman is employed to keep the cellar and bottle stores at the
highest standards. Draught lines are cleaned at least once a week and cask
lines are cleaned after each cask. The glasswasher is cleaned every day and
deep-cleaned twice a week. The cellar is cleaned daily and a temperature
reading taken every morning.
What innovations have been introduced?
The Oxford aims to offer the most exciting range of beer in the country, sourc-
ing brands from the UK’s smallest microbrewers and developing a relation-
ship with lesser-known small brewers in Belgium.
How is the beer range marketed?
Beer menus are placed on tables and current cask ales displayed on chalk-
boards. New customers are attracted through CAMRA, and the pub advertises
in local CAMRA magazines, at the universities THE FACTS
THE FACTS
and on tickers’ websites. Beer festivals are
staged monthly. • Type of pub: City centre
freehouse
• Type of pub: • Wet/dry split: 96/04
Community freehouse • Beer as percentage of
• Wet/dry split: 90/10
PIVO CAFÉ BAR
wet sales: 96%
• Beer as percentage of
wet sales: 60%
York
Jamie Hawksworth
With support from Belgian brewer Bohemia, Jamie Hawksworth opened Pivo
in a historic listed building in the centre of York two years ago, defying
cramped conditions to create a beer lovers’ shrine.
Describe the beer range
There are three cask ales, 14 keg beers, including three from the Bohemia
Brewery, and more than 60 bottled. Most are purchased direct and none are from
multinational brewers. The choice is driven by the new, exciting and unusual.
How is quality ensured from cellar to glass?
Pivo doesn’t have a cellar. Casks rest on tilting stillages behind the bar and
are kept at the optimum temperature by line coolers and probes. There is no
set routine for conditioning as each beer behaves differently and it would be
wrong to have one rule for all. Every beer style has its own correct glass and
kegs are manually rotated daily to excite the yeasts.
What innovations have been introduced?
The cooling system is Pivo’s own invention, and a quirkier feature used on
special occasions is the Randolph Maximator, an American device for adding
extra hops to blanded brews.
How is the beer range marketed?
From the moment a customer walks through the door they are hit with a
choice of beers and staff are trained to ‘hold their hand’ through the selection
process. Beer menus are available throughout the building and offering free
samples avoids disappointment. Social networking has proved a great vehicle
for promotion.
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