Welcome to the first of a regular series of guides that will encompass the area covered by the Chesterfield and District Branch of CAMRA.  Our aim in these “Mini-Guides” is to point out which pubs in certain areas regularly serve real ale. 

Never let it be said that CAMRA members only drink the “proper stuff”, as our guide shows most of Chesterfield’s 30+ pubs, even if they don’t serve real ale.  Obviously we recommend you seek out the ones with the symbol under their name, but we are always willing to encourage any pub that is thinking of adding cask ale to its regular list of nitro-keg beers.  Perhaps on your next visit to a cask-less pubs, you should mention that a cask conditioned beer would really add quality to the beers currently on the bar.

As soon as any guide like this one hits the streets, it will be out of date almost immediately, as all things change (and change is not always for the best!), so If you find that the details for a pub on the list have altered then we would be REALLY grateful if you would contact us with any such amendments.  Email details to updates@innspire.org.uk or contact any of the committee members listed on our contacts page.

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The Mini-Guides are currently being updated.
Mini-Guide #1 Chesterfield Town Centre 160k Last Updated October 2005
Mini-Guide #2 The Matlocks 557k Last Updated October 2003
Mini-Guide #3 The Brampton Mile 375k Last Updated December 2003
Mini-Guide #4 Bakewell 123k Last Updated June 2004
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37% - Is It Enough?
Article relating to the Chesterfield Mini-Guide

That’s the percentage of pubs in Chesterfield town centre that have a regular cask conditioned beer available for Joe Public. Are punters abandoning the centre of town and risking their driving licences by venturing further afield to find a drop of the real stuff?

During a recent survey around Chesterfield’s cobbled streets, CAMRA branch members were dismayed at the number of pubs that didn’t have any real ale. All of the pubs surveyed had the usual lagers and nitro-keg style ales on the bar, but very few hostelries gave the discerning drinker a proper choice. It was either try a freezing cold glass of a flavourless liquid (called beer) - or leave - which is what our survey teams did!

Once we managed to find the real ale pubs, the amount of choice we had was actually quite impressive. In Chesterfield, there were 16 different cask ales available, the most frequently found ones being Marston’s Pedigree and Greene King Abbot Ale, both of which were found in four separate pubs. The other beers available in more than one outlet were: Boddingtons, Tetley’s Bitter, Courage Directors, Shepherd Neame Spitfire, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Caledonian Deuchars IPA (which won the Champion Beer of Britain award at last year‘s Great British Beer Festival).

The search for a regular cask Mild was important for me, as Mild is one of my favourite beer styles. Thanks to the Barrow Boy, I was not disappointed as they always have Thwaites Mild, as part of their regular selection. Only four of the "real ale pubs" have regularly changing guest ales. If you like to try something different then the pubs you need to head for are; The Rutland, The Market, The Spa Lane Vaults and The Portland who usually have a locally brewed Townes Beer available.

Alun Waterhouse

Matlock 1 - Chesterfield 0
Article relating to the Matlock Mini-Guide

When someone suggested to me that we picked Matlock as the subject of our next Mini-Guide, I almost fell of my bar stool and choked on my pint of Mild.  I was assured that it was a veritable oasis in the middle of the Derbyshire desert… How right they were!

You may recall that in the last issue of InnSpire, an embarrassing 37% of pubs in Chesterfield Town Centre served cask conditioned bitter…  Now compare that figure to “The Matlocks” 88% and you realise just how bad the situation really is in Chesterfield.

During our recent survey of 18 pubs in Matlock, Matlock Bath and Starkholmes, we found that 16 pubs regularly serve cask conditioned beer and there were a total of 20 different ales available (4 more than Chesterfield… grrr!).  The most popular beer was Marston’s Pedigree, which was available in 7 outlets, Bass came second with 4 outlets, and third equal were Black Sheep and Hardys and Hansons Bitter, both being available in 3 pubs.

Again, the search for a pub with a regular mild on tap was top of my list, and this months award goes to “The Princess Victoria” in Matlock Bath (No, 16 on the map) as they had a truly excellent pint of Bateman’s Dark Mild available, as well as Bateman’s XB and XXB!  Well done.

Perhaps our next Mini-Guide destination will also wipe the floor with Chesterfield – the bookies have already stopped taking bets…

Alun Waterhouse

The Brampton Mile
Article relating to the Brampton  Mini-Guide

Just as Sherlock Holmes never said “Elementary, my dear Watson”, and Captain Kirk never uttered the immortal line “Beam me up Scotty”, The Brampton Mile has never been exactly a mile in length... its been longer than a mile and it is currently shorter than a mile, but it has NEVER been a mile, but I suppose we cannot argue about the Brampton bit.

Over the years, “The Mile” has been home to well over 30 public houses along its stretch, which covers Chatsworth Road and its many offshoots, and many years ago, the route would start at “The Terminus” which was at the far end of Chatsworth Road – sadly no longer with us, and then it would be quite a trek to visit the next pub on the list, “The Star” which is currently the first of the pubs on our Mini-Guide.

WARNING - Don’t be fooled by false statements on pub frontages that claim to have “Real Ale” available – as you will be sorely disappointed if you enter these premises… perhaps you ought to demand some real ale and see what happens!

Alun Waterhouse