Comments on: Yet More Pre-CAMRA Beer Organisations

By: Tooled Up Froth Blowers, RALF and the Ring | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog

Tooled Up Froth Blowers, RALF and the Ring | Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:10:56 +0000

[...] we wrote about the Ancient Order of Froth Blowers, we knew they were relatively well known, but didn’t know they’d been immortalised in [...]

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:27:49 +0000

“Bunny”, that’s what the game was. One member of the group had to hold up both hands as bunny ears and stare solemnly around the rest of the group; the people on his/her left and right also had to hold up one ‘ear’ apiece. The game element consisted of nominating somebody else to be ‘bunny’, whereupon they (and their neighbours) had to take over with due speed and solemnity. Forfeits consisted of drinking one ‘eye’*s worth of beer (dimple mugs assumed). If everyone was laughing – or, worse, if nobody was – the chair would call the end of a round and everyone had to drink an eye’s worth of beer.

The long winter evenings must have flown by.

*This was the term used for the ‘dimples’ in a dimple mug – so basically a third of a pint. (Before I checked I was convinced mugs had four rows of ‘dimples’ (or eyes) but apparently not.)

By: Bailey

Bailey — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:47:29 +0000

Only when we were searching for info on the NSPPB! We’ve got it on our to do list, though, because we’re wondering about its influence on the ‘all malt, no nasty additives’ trend in 70s microbrewing.

By: Ron Pattinson

Ron Pattinson — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:32:55 +0000

Hve you come across the Pure Beer movement of the 1880′s yet?

By: steve

steve — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:34:13 +0000

I have one of those head measuring cards, CAMRA used to send them in with membership packs

By: Bailey

Bailey — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:23:07 +0000

Worth noting that the first CAMRA constitution (March 1972) was full of ‘hilarious’ club slang like slutching/slutchers for drinking/drinkers, but Hardman and Lees sobered up and, embarrassed, rewrote it.

By: Phil

Phil — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:16:41 +0000

The Senior Blower (or higher rank) will inspect his immediate surroundings making sure that he is amply equipped with tankards (full) , a paviors beetle or piffle snonker, cash or oast box, cork screw, thumb screw, booklet, pennant and other Froth Blower’s implements deemed necessary to preserve dignity and order

This is pure Richard Boston (“piffle snonker” especially – a paviour’s beetle is a large mallet, which presumably the SB used to snonk any piffle that might arise). Or perhaps it’s nearer the mark to say that Richard Boston was pure this. Reminds me of some of the more laborious pub/drinking games I’ve been exposed to – I remember one where all involved had to keep a straight face, no “tittering” being permitted (subject to a forfeit) until the Chairman gave the command “Titter!” Hours of fun, possibly.

By: Zos93

Zos93 — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 10:07:55 +0000

There is a Frothblower’s Arms pub in Salisbury, we visited it a few years ago and took pictures for a friend who also has an interest in them.