Beer, real ale, Forest of Dean, CAMRA, Freeminer brewery, Dave and Alison Watts.

"I am vice-chairman of the All Party Beer Group and I take my duties seriously. This weekend I will most certainly do my bit to ensure they flourish." Tory MP Nigel Evans

"I drink excessively" London mayor Ken Livingstone's reply, quoted in the New New York Times, asked how he unwinds.

"If there were more pubs in the world there would be fewer wars" Lord Deedes

"Everybody should believe in something - I believe I'll have another drink."

"Hopped beer opens obstructions of the liver and spleen, cleanses the blood, lossens the belly and provokes urine. In cleansing the blood it helps to cure the French diseases, and all manner of scabs, otch and all other manners of breaking out over the body; as also all tetters, ringworms and spreading sores, the morphew and all discolouring of the skin. Half a dram of the seed powder taken in a drink, kills worms in the body, brings down women's courses and do help to expel poison that any one hath drunk" Culpepper 1653

My love of beer (the real ale kind) has evolved since I was eighteen - and before! It lead to my involvement with CAMRA as the Forest of Dean sub-branch rep for four years until February 2000. In 2002 I joined Freeminer Brewery in the Forest, a connection which lasted until the end of 2007. Now I am free to write my personal opinions on pubs but due to new job commitments I haven't been able to get out and about as much! These pages concern - for the most part - real ale and pubs in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Use the links above to reach the following pages and information -

Home		Home page for the beer section of my website
News		News on pubs and beer in the Forest of Dean.
Beer Tasting Notes		Various beers tasted and rated by me
What is Real Ale?		It does what it says on the button!
My Preferences		What I like and why I like it.
Local Breweries		Information on local breweries.
What Makes a Good Pub?		My feelings on good pubs.
Pub Details		Information on selected pubs in the Forest together with my opinions!
Beer Links		Beer and Pub related links
Guest Book		Fill in your comments and pub write ups here.
E-Mail

Too many publicans opt for the easy life of not stocking real ale - preferring not to bother with the extra time involved in preparation or, indeed, training. One publican (now retired) took over a closed, run-down pub from Whitbread at the end of the eighties and from a trade of zero turned it into a flourishing country pub which served five real ales - selling enough to keep quality high - had a good food trade, was much respected locally and won the Gloucestershire CAMRA Pub of the Year award two years on the trot. This was in an out-of-the-way village with narrow approach roads. It can be done. The pub is the Red Hart in Blaisdon (now changed hands of course).