9 Who's who

Researcher, editor and publisher

>Peter Fox> does the hard work struggling round the Essex countryside tasting and tasting - Oh God will it never end? To make the guide complete requires additional information from the poor wandering drinkers of the county and local organisations, not to mention the trade itself.

Trade organisations

Gray & sons A family firm that used to brew in their own right until 1974. Now their houses are supplied with draught from Greene King and bottled from Ridleys. Some pubs have excellent guests that vary.
- Bell,Castle Hedingham
- Bricklayers Arms,Stondon Massey
- Cross keys,Hatfield Peverel
- Maltsters Arms,Heybridge
- Round Bush,Purleigh
- Star,Ingatestone
- Sun and Anchor, Steeple
Address: Rignals Lane, Galleywood, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8RE
Tel: 01 245 475 181
Greene King,Brewers Supply draught to Gray & Sons. Abbot ale (recently revamped recipe) should be treated with respect. IPA is Plain-Jane 3.6% (Recently much improved). Mild is occasionally available straight.
T.D.Ridley & Sons Based in the heart of Essex with a number of remote watering holes spread mostly on the north of Chelmsford. In recent years Ridleys have made a determined effort to build a comprehensive range of beers to supplement the IPA and Mild of long tradition.
- Bird in hand,Earls Colne
- Compasses,Littley Green
- Dolphin,Stisted
Address: Hertford End, Chelmsford, Essex CM3 1JZ
Tel: 01 371 820 316 http://www.ridleys.co.uk

Consumer organisations

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Beer buffs can't half be monotonous and self-opinionated, and if you've suffered then I understand your complaint. On the other hand, brewers (especially the nationals) have an awful history of trying to deceive, running pubs for property development rather than as quality retail outlets, giving less value for more money and making unsuitable changes for profit's sake - and they're still at it! Publicans are easily pressurised to go along with the stuff-the-punter methods of the brewers. (Managers of course have no choice.) CAMRA exists to encourage real ale (and cider), to fight for a fair deal for drinkers and to save the national heritage of public houses. CAMRA is almost totally a grass-roots organisation. The Essex branches typically have one meeting a month and host a beer festival. Membership is £12 per year which is a snip considering you get a monthly newspaper full of news and history home and abroad, and also discounted entrance and organised travel to many beer festivals.
CAMRA has its own national WWW pages.