CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE

• Wetherspoons for St Neots?
• Buntingford Brewery Visit
• October is Cider & Perry Month
• Where is all the Green Beer?
• Cornwall Revisited

In a surprise move, Ringwood of Hampshire, one of the oldest established British microbreweries, has been taken over by Marstons plc, the renamed Wolverhampton and Dudley Group. Ringwood was set up in 1978 and supplies over 750 outlets. A new 120-barrel fermenter was installed recently, which gives an idea of the increasing demand for Ringwood's beers - they include Fortyniner and the CAMRA award winning Old Thumper. CAMRA fears that consumer choice will suffer as a result of the move and has sought assurances that Marstons will continue to make Ringwood beers available in its pubs around Hampshire as well as the free trade.

In July, Bury St Edmunds brewers Greene King was in discussions with the Loch Fyne chain of fish restaurants about a possible takeover. The chain includes local restaurants in Cambridge and Elton, near Peterborough. The take-over would follow a similar move by the Laurel Pub Company's take-over of the tapas bar chain La Tasca.

Suffolk Brewers Adnams have arranged a deal to distribute Meantime Brewery beers in its pubs. Meantime was set up in Greenwich in the year 2000 and produces unpasteurised continental style keg beers in the authentic style of a number of foreign nations, such as Bavarian Helles. Their bottle-conditioned beers include wheat beer, pilsener and porter as well as others using a variety of unusual ingredients. The new deal adds to Adnams' existing partnership with German brewer Bitburger.