Ale Trail
*** This Year's Ale Trail ***
The Trail is launched this year on 13 February at the The Cunning Man, Burghfield Bridge.
See the List of Pubs
This year the Trail has increased from 24 to 28 pubs that serve the community in and around Reading. The full list is below. As always the idea is to visit the pubs, enjoy some real ale and collect a sticker. Then when you've completed the trail, send it in to claim some great prizes including tickets to the Reading Beer and Cider Festival and entry to a free prize draw. The draw takes place at the Festival on Saturday 1 May at 14.00 and prizes include polypins of local beer from Loddon and West Berkshire breweries, and bottled beer from Westholme Stores.
People have asked about the ticket prizes so for clarification:
The ticket you receive may not have "VIP" written on it but it will allow you to join the shorter, priority queue at the festival.
Tickets will be posted out shortly before the Festival. They will not be sent until after the trail has closed (entries close on Wednesday 14 April).
Participating in the Trail
Taking part is easy - and fun! Just visit as many of the pubs in this leaflet as you can, buy a pint or a half of Real Ale (or Real Cider/Perry where available) and ask for a coloured sticker. Place this over the corresponding black-and-white photo in this leaflet and, when you have visited as many pubs as you wish, complete the form and send in this leaflet to claim your prize (see inside back page for details).
You must send in your form to get your free ticket. This leaflet cannot be accepted for entry into the Festival!
The pubs are listed below.
Burghfield Bridge
- Cunning Man, Burghfield Road
Charvil
- Lands End, Park Lane
Caversham
- Baron Cadogan, Prospect Street
- Griffin, Church Road
Emmer Green
- Black Horse, Kidmore End Road
Knowl Hill
- Bird in Hand, Bath Road
Mortimer
- Turners Arms, West End Road
Reading
- Butler, Chatham Street
- Fishermans Cottage, Kennetside
- Foresters Arms, Brunswick Street
- Hobgoblin, Broad Street
- Hop Leaf, Southampton Street
- Horse and Jockey, Castle Street
- Lyndhurst, Queens Road
- Nags Head, Russell Street
- Retreat, St. Johns Street
- Rose and Thistle, Argyle Street
- Zerodegrees, Bridge Street
Shinfield
- Bell and Bottle, School Green
- Magpie and Parrot, Arborfield Road
Shurlock Row
- Shurlock Inn, The Street
Theale
- Crown, Church Street
Three Mile Cross
- Swan, Basingstoke Road
Tilehurst
- Fox and Hounds, City Road
Twyford
- Waggon and Horses, High Street
Upper Basildon
- Red Lion, Aldworth Road
Waltham St Lawrence
- Star, Broadmoor Road
Woodley
- Inn on the Park, Woodford Park, Haddon Drive
*** This year's Ale Trail is underway ***
Prizes
18 pubs visited: One entry ticket (admits one person on any one day of the festival).
28 pubs visited: Two entry tickets (admit two people on any one day of the festival,
or one person on any two days of the festival), plus entry into the Prize Draw.
Tickets make use of the priority entrance (although you may still have to queue if the site is full!). Draw prizes as follows:
- Two 1st Prizes of a 36-pint polypin of Real Ale (kindly donated by Loddon Brewery (www.loddonbrewery.com) and West Berkshire Brewery(www.wbbrew.com).
- 2nd Prize: a selection of 12 bottle-conditioned real ales (kindly donated by Westholme Stores, Goring-on-Thames www.westholme-stores.goring-on-thames.co.uk).
- 3rd Prize: a selection of 6 bottle-conditioned real ales (also kindly donated by Westholme Stores, Goring-on-Thames, noted for their huge selection of bottled ales).
Delicious