Pub of the Year Presentation
Landlord
Chris Simmonds receives the award from South Devon CAMRA chairman
Bob Southwell.
The Pub of the Year award places the Queens Arms top of the 29 pubs the South Devon CAMRA branch is allowed in the annual Good Beer Guide. The branch area extends from Salcombe to Teignmouth on the coast, and up to the middle of Dartmoor.
More to
follow. Meanwhile read all about it
in
the Herald
Express.
Meet the staff
From left to right: Carole Sutton, Hannah Picken, Emma Ostermeyer, Chris Simmonds (landlord) Emma Simmonds, and Charlotte Johnson in front.
The Queens Arms charity beer festival presentation night
Thank you everyone that has supported! Here we are with the winners, and presenting the cheques to PATH, who we managed to raise over £2000!
CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2018
Thank you CAMRA back in the good
beer guide!
And congratulations to all the
other fine ale houses that made it in there with me not forgetting
The Ploughman - The original Simmo Spoons
A BRIXHAM pub landlord is celebrating having its 100th different real ale since opening up for business with a special visit from local brewers.
Chris Simmonds, who took over the Queen’s Arms in Station Hill last November, decided to invite Teignworthy head brewers Chris and Brett Robins in his pub to pour the first pint of their Golden Sands.
The ale from Newton Abbot microbrewery is the 100th different beer on the pump at the pub, uninterrupted and un-repeated.
Mr Simmonds who used to run the Dragon pub with his brother in Peterborough where his second brother runs the CAMRA pub of the Year 2011 The Ploughman, said: “Real ale is up and coming in the beer industry.
“It is gathering interest and is a real passion of mine. Having all these real ales in my pub is like having your own sweet shop.”
Mr Simmonds said feedback from punters had been good and the pub which had a negative reputation for many years was now turning round the corner.
He added: “We’re getting there slowly but surely.
“We have had people who came from Newton Abbot because they heard of the good ales we have.
“CAMRA is interested in us. I’m very proud of where we are.”
The 100th ale celebration will take place tomorrow with the first pint being pulled by Chris and Brett Robins at 8pm.
A BRIXHAM pub landlord celebrated having his 100th different real ale since opening for business with a special visit from local brewers.
Chris Simmonds, who took over the Queens’s Arms last November, invited Teignworthy head brewers Chris and Brett Robins to his pub to show off their brewery’s own Golden Sands beer and kick off the celebrations in style.
The ale from the Newton Abbot micro-brewery was the 100th different beer on the pump at the pub, uninterrupted and un-repeated since Mr Simmonds took over.
Mr Simmonds said: “We had a fantastic turn out with about 35 people and a good Campaign for real Ale (Camra) contingency turning up on the night to try out new ales.
“The night went really well with nine gallons of Golden Sands being steadily drunk from 8pm when Chris and Brett pulled the first pints off, until midnight.”
Chris and Brett stayed until around 11pm mingling with all the guests answering everyone’s questions and suggesting a possible brewery tour.
“It was a really good night and a great way to celebrate our 100th ale.”
The Queen’s Arms had six ales on during the night including St Austell’s Tribute, Adnam’s Lighthouse from Suffolk, Hunter’s Royal Hunt and Crackshot from Ipplepen, Harviestoun’s Number of the Beast from Scotland and Teignworthy’s Golden Sands.
A BRIXHAM publican has been praised for turning his pub’s fortunes around.
Chis Simmonds, landlord of the Queen’s Arms pub in Station Hill, received a certificate from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for being the most improved pub in the area.
Mr Simmonds, who took over the pub almost a year ago, brought in several real ales from around the country and has made a point of stocking up beer from Ipplepen’s award-winning Hunters Brewery.
He celebrated having his 100th different ale uninterrupted in his pub only a few weeks ago.
Mr Simmonds — with the help of his daughter Emma and her friends — raised almost £600 for charity, including £567 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and £127 for the Golden Vanity Trust.
He said: “I’m delighted with CAMRA’s award but it’s not just me. It’s the locals who make the pub as good as it is. And the real ales, of course.”
The Queens Arms is toasting its inclusion as the ONLY Brixham pub to feature in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, first in the 2014 edition and now 2015.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) guide is the bible of the UK pub industry. The 41st edition of the popular book features more than 4,500 of the UK’s best inns and comes complete with tasting notes on more than 1,000 independently brewed beers.
Landlord Chris Simmonds works hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in first-class condition at all times. The pub’s inclusion in the Guide highlights this.
Local CAMRA branch members chose the pub following regular visits to check on the quality of the real ales on offer. They also took into account customer service, décor and overall atmosphere.
CAMRA believes that if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of other drinks and atmosphere, are likely to be of an equally high standard.
The Queens Arms very nearly won the popular vote for the Herald Express Pub of the Year competition in 2013.
The Queens featured first among the top nine runners-up in the paper’s articles, and a certificate was duly presented by Paul Lehuray of Torbay Taxis.
Hundreds voted because of the Queens Arms commitment to fund-raising, its friendliness and cleanliness, and of course the highest quality cask ales and ciders to be found locally.
The real award to covet is of course South Devon CAMRA Pub of the Year recognition, and that is what we are aiming for. To achieve that we first have to get listed in the national CAMRA Good Beer Guide as one of the top 29 pubs allowed for South Devon. The Herald Express award in nonetheless a reasonable thermometer to guage the quality and spirit of a pub, and we are very proud.
Congratulations to the Old Albert in Torquay and landlord John Webber for getting more votes – we wonder how many more!
A traditional back street corner pub with excellent beers, pleasant staff, nice meals, good music, weekday activities, friendly company, great community spirit. Come and sample some award winning cask ales and real cider. Enjoy a Saturday night band. You’ll love it.
© The Queens Arms, 31 Station Hill, Brixham, Devon, TQ5 8BN
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