Lager confession of Croydon's real ale pub champ Ray Snadden
Aline Nassif
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BEST BOOZER IN TOWN: Ray and Teresa Snadden who run The Cricketers Photo no: CCRfb020710d003 by Fergus Burnett
A LANDLORD who has just seen his pub named the best in Croydon for real ale has confessed "I'm a lager drinker".
Despite his personal preference, Ray Snadden is delighted to see The Cricketers, in Shirley, named CAMRA's (Campaign for Real Ale) Croydon pub of the year.
The 51-year-old publican bought the pub in Shirley Road with his wife Teresa in 2004, and won the same award in 2007.
"It's always nice to win something in recognition of what you do," he said.
"This pub concentrates on what it does well, which is bringing in a wide selection of real ales and getting ideas from customers on what they want to taste.
"This is a traditional pub, there's nothing swanky or modern about it – I even got rid of the juke box."
Ray serves up six real ales at a time – five of which change on a weekly basis.
Many of these are sourced from exclusive micro-breweries around Britain. But there is a certain irony about winning the prize, as Ray admitted: "The funny thing is I'm a lager drinker."
That has not stopped Ray serving more than 300 different real ales in the last four years.
"When I first bought the pub, the only real ale that was served was Courage Best, which wasn't very popular," he said.
"So I replaced it with Harveys, and more people started drinking it.
"I then got another pump and it just built up from there. Now we have enough pumps for six real ales at a time and the customers appreciate the choice."
Regular Roy Jarrett, 62, said: "I've been going to this pub for 40 years and until Ray showed up we only ever had ordinary bitters. I love the choice of the real ales. The CAMRA award is well deserved – he's really made the pub stand out."
4 Comments
by Brabanomyces, Lambic Land
Saturday, July 17 2010, 11:50AM
“CORRIGENDUM
Actually, it's calcium carbonate (CaCO3), not chloride but the effect's the same...”
by Brabanomyces, Lambic Land
Saturday, July 17 2010, 11:41AM
“Anne,
I catch a whiff of prejudice, here. Beer is drunk by royalty (eg HM King Albert of Belgium, the Queen Mum and the PoW) as much as by the great unwashed.
There are many, many styles of beer. Some may even please your refined palate.
Gueuze, for example is a lambic beer from the Brussels region. It is known as the champagne of beers. It is at least as complex as any malbec. Try Boon or Mort Subite oud.
What about a Koelsch or a Flemish witbier? On a scorching day, there's little better to slake the thirst.
Even amongst British bitters, you find heavily hopped dry-as-a-bone examples made with water rich in calcium choride (it's what makes the water hard), from London and the south east, through the malted offerings made with soft Pennine water in Yorkshire to the dark heavies of Scotland. You also have porters and that uniquely British offering, mild.
You could do a lot worse than to pick up a copy of two books by the late Michael Jackson (no, not that one - the Beer Hunter): 'Grandes Bieres de Belgique' and 'Great Beers Guide' or even 'Le Gout de la Biere Belge' by Christian Deglas. You may just learn something. [no accents on this keyboard]
To dismiss all beer with haughty disdain is, I'm afraid, simply obtuse to the point of being ignorant.”
by ANNE, SELSDON
Wednesday, July 14 2010, 4:48PM
“I would not touch any type of beer or lager with a bargepole. Give me a nice glass of Argentine Malbec, though.”
by Brabanomyces, Lambic Land
Saturday, July 10 2010, 12:26PM
“Liking lager needn't place one beyond the pale. If it's a genuine preference (which I suspect it is, here) and not the product of the marketing muscle of the industrial brewers, then fine.
There are many examples of the lager style. Some are utter pish and others rather good. Compare, for example, industrial Fosters (or Carling) wih, say a bottle of own-brand Czech Pilsener, from the Co-Op in Lower Addiscombe Road. The former really are both utter pish while the own-brand reeks of hops, flavour and character.
So, three cheers to Ray for promoting Gruntfuttock's Brain Blaster and other such (excellent) ales but let there be no stain on his character for his own honestly-held preference.”