It has been commended for its quality real ale by Cardiff CAMRA
MANAGER of Whitchurch’s Earl Haig Club, Mark Evans says he was “shocked” after receiving Cardiff CAMRA’s award for Club of the Year 2025.
The Cardiff CAMRA citation said: “The Earl Haig won the award for consistently excellent cask ales and more choice than most clubs; also it has a very lively and welcoming atmosphere.”
The Campaign for Real Ale is a consumer organisation that promotes the consumption and production of real ale, cider and perry and advocates for pubs and clubs as part of the UK’s cultural heritage.
With over 200 branches across the UK, it gives awards “to recognise the very best in pubs, clubs, beer and cider”.
For Mr Evans, the club’s real ales are a source of pride.
“I try to use Welsh brewers,” he said, singling out Glamorgan Brewing, Evans Evans Brewery and Gower Brewery.
The club’s three real ale options are regularly rotated.
Drinkers can currently enjoy HPA, a 4% pale ale, Butty Bach, a 4.5% premium, which Mr Evans described as “in between a bitter and an amber ale” as well as the club’s mainstay, Doom Bar, a 4.5% amber ale.
What is real ale?
The word “beer” encompasses a range of drinks, but the most common categories are ale and lager. They use different yeast, which affects the way they taste.
Keg beers are filtered and usually stored in a stainless steel barrel connected to a gas pump to help the beer flow from the tap. This forced carbonation makes them colder and fizzier than real ales, extending their lifespan.
Real ale is unprocessed and unfiltered. It continues to ferment and age in the cask, which provides it with a deeper flavour.
“It’s a living beer, it breathes,” said Mr Evans.
Real ale needs to be kept at the right temperature and can take up to 48 hours to prepare.
Due to its shorter shelf life, Mr Evans said he needs to be turning over nine gallons, or 72 pints, every three days, otherwise the beer can become sour and stale. But that isn’t a concern at the Earl Haig.
“In Whitchurch village there’s a very real ale predominance, still a lot of real ale drinkers,” he said.
“Whitchurch is thriving as a village, you’ve got a least five or six restaurants. You’ve got about eight pubs within less than a mile, so it’s a lovely village to live in.”
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“We’ve had people visit over the weekend who are part of CAMRA because they want to come to taste the real ale, it’s had a real positive effect,” added Mr Evans who has also received over 300 messages on social media.
“Anything that gets a club out there is great,” he said.
The future of the 90-year-old club didn’t always seem so certain.
“We’ve gone from being nowhere 11 years ago – it was on the verge of closure – to a very successful social club,” said Mr Evans.
It has grown from 200 predominantly elderly members to 1,300 members.
“We cater for everyone really, we’ve got 18, up until people come here in their 80s,” the general manager said.
The social club is well known for hosting live music events in its 225-capacity venue, from local Cardiff bands, to The Rollin Stoned, The Oasis Experience and Bootleg Blondie.
It also celebrates major sporting events, has a skittles alley and welcomes clubs for bikers, divers, tai chi lovers and even pigeon enthusiasts on a weekly basis.
“There’s always something going on,” Mr Evans says.
Shirley Roberts, chair of Cardiff CAMRA, stressed the importance of UK pub and club culture.
“When a pub shuts, a whole community will disperse,” she said.
She said clubs offer a warm space for people to come in for a simple chat and that clubs and pubs are in a “fighting battle” due to rising costs.
Mr Evans is hopeful for the future and has credited the “Littler Effect” on darts for offering clubs a lifeline.
“It’s bringing social clubs that have been struggling and giving them more of a chance,” he said.
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The manager continues to reinvest in the club, which is due to open its newly furnished games room in April.
“We continue to do as much work as we can do,” he said. “As the club keeps making money, we’re going to keep spending it.”
