SWALE ALE SUMMER 2018
THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA
Behind the Photos A Tiny Rebellion Return of the Grumpy Landlord
CELEBRATING OUR TOP PUBS
Wantsum Brewery Canterbury
The Kent Barn, St Nicholas Court Farm, Court Road, St Nicholas At Wade, Kent, CT7 0PT, Tel 01227 910135 Award Winning Local Brewery, Wantsum Brewery makes and sells great beers using only the finest ingredients, we also supply a wide range of Guest Ales from Breweries around the UK Upcoming Events Open Days/Beer Festival July 28th & 29th – Location Wantsum Brewery, from Sat 11:00am – 8:00pm, Sun 11:00am – 7:00pm. There will be a wide selection of Wantsum Beers on offer as well as Guest Beers Green Hop Festival October 6th & 7th – Location Wantsum Brewery, from Sat 11:00am – 8:00pm, Sun 11:00am – 7:00pm. ON SATURDAY ONLY a Shuttle Service will be running from Herne Bay Station to Wantsum Brewery and Goodys Brewery from 11:00am – 6:00pm There will be a wide selection of Wantsum Beers including the Green Hop Beers and a range of Guest Green Hop Beers Taproom Opening Hours: Fri 4:00pm – 9:00pm, Sat 2:00pm – 8:00pm, Sun 2:00pm – 7:00pm Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for the latest information about Beers & Events from the Brewery
CHAIRMAN’S CHOW As I sit down to write my usual piece of diatribe, I find the branch in the midst of pub of the year presentations. So far, these prestigious certificate presentations have been well attended by members who have joined wholeheartedly with the celebrations. The worthy recipients have been superb hosts with buffets and complementary refreshments being gratefully provided. Once again congratulations to all the top six but especially to the teams at The Shipwrights Arms in Hollowshore who are this year’s runners up and to Chris, Rachel, Joe and all the staff at this year’s winner The Admirals Arm in Queenborough. I may leave myself open here but I think that this is the first time that a venue from the Island has won pub of the year.
July 11th will see our AGM which is to be held at The Elephant in the Mall, Faversham. This is always a well-attended event and sees the formation of officers within Swale Branch for the forthcoming twelve months through till July 2019. This year we shall be looking for a Pubs Officer to have responsibility for keeping up changes or news about any pub within the Swale area, and to oversee “Whatpub” entries for the branch with any updates being reported to Jeff Waller for updating. You would also be responsible for reporting back to the branch any pub that has not been surveyed within a twelve-month time frame so that members can visit and in turn report back with updates. If you are interested in taking on this fulfilling role, please email Lin Gates with your details.
The summer is now in full swing and festivals are commonplace throughout Kent and beyond. We, as Swale branch are involved in a few of these and are always looking for any help or assistance even if it is for just a few hours. The branch will also be involved with Septembers Faversham Food Festival in which we will be selling tickets for the ale trail as well as being one of the trails beer stops. We are also selling a cask and a cider to raise funds for ourselves and future events. If anyone has a bit of time to spare to assist in any capacity over the weekend of September 14th – 16th then please let either Lin Gates or myself know.
Finally, in this chow, let me thank you for taking the time to read our latest offering of which we are, as always, very proud. Swale Ale is a labour of love for the members that put in the time and effort to make the publication what it is. We trust you will enjoy what we have on offer for you and thank you at the same time for all your comments regarding the last issue. Many a conversation ensued from articles within! Enjoy Summer 2018, all that Kent has to offer and until the next time. Cheers John Sissons
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Swale Ale © Summer 2018 Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd (CAMRA). Branch Details Chairman: John Sissons Secretary: Linda Gates Social Secretary: Rachel Collier Treasurer: Les Bailey Pubs Officer: Andrew Kitney Press & Publicity: Matt Deller Membership: Alex Earl Editorial Committee and Contributors: Paul Irving, Matt Deller, Steve Bennion, Rachel Collier, John Sissons Advertising: Matt Deller
All correspondence to: Les Bailey, 58 Wallers Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7PL Email: swaleale@gmail.com www.camra-swale.org.uk www.issuu.com/swaleale Twitter: @CAMRAswale Facebook: CAMRAswale Telephone: 01795 538824 Design & Layout: Ascent Creative Printed by: Abbey Print, Faversham
Circulation: 2,250
Any opinions expressed within these pages are those of the individual authors only and do not represent those of CAMRA or any of its officials. The existence of this publication in a particular outlet does not imply an endorsement of it by Swale CAMRA.
SWALE BREWERY NEWS MAD CAT We had a great time at the Chatham Maritime Food and Drink Festival in May and Faversham’s Midsummer Night’s Feast in June. Over the coming months we will be at the Brogdale Cider Festival over August bank holiday, and the highlight of our beer year the Faversham Hop Festival! We’ve had a couple of changes to the brew schedule for this year. Jet Black Stout (4.5%) made an unscheduled return in the spring due to popular demand, and it looks like the hotly anticipated plum porter, Plum Source (4.3%), will be delayed for a few weeks due to the late start of spring. Launch date will be in August but as we are using fresh plums in the brew we are in the hands of nature! Plum Source will be made from plums direct from The National Fruit Collection here at Brogdale Farm. With access to 337 varieties of plums on-site a plum porter was calling out to be made. Using a rare, heritage, variety sourced directly from the orchards behind the brewery, we will produce a rich, rounded, mouth-watering porter. We don’t know which variety it will be yet, we will have to wait to see which is at its best when we come to brew!
SHEPHERD NEAME The brewery are excited to see the refurbishment and launch of three new sites; The Market House in Maidstone, The Boathouse in Yalding and The Spitfire in King’s Hill. There is lots going on beerwise, the recent addition to their keg range of Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale continues to go from strength to strength as it gains distribution nationally. The seasonal range is proud to feature a special, one off collaboration currently with Swedish brewer St Eriks. An American style pale ale called Midnight Sun, which is available whilst stock lasts throughout June and July. From September, they will be brewing the Autumnal favourite Late Red as well as a small brew of Green Hop Ale, which uses the fresh green hops from the first harvest.
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BOUTILLIERS The Brewery have seen a sharp increase in sales since the turn of the year, and have recently installed a new twelve barrel fermenter, effectively doubling its production capacity. This increase means that they should also be able to return to cans for some of their lines towards the start of August. 1 Mutual Friend, a 7.4% Braggot with Green Tea and Honey, was brewed with Sheffieldbased brewery Lost Industry, and has been very positively received. Two collaboration beers have recently been brewed with Affinity Brew Co. Both use a saison base, then aged on different fruits. Cat Snatcher is aged on orange and passionfruit. 13th July is aged on blood orange and cranberries.
FESTIVALS & PUB EVENTS The Great British Beer Festival 7 - 11 August Olympia, London
The Aviator Beer Festival 11 August The Aviator, Queenborough
Kentish Beer & Cider Festival 25 - 27 August The Three Tuns, Lower Halstow
Faversham Hop Festival 2 - 3 September Faversham
A third collaboration is lined up with Blackjack Brewery from Manchester, which will be a fruit-aged IPA. This will coincide with a tap takeover at Sand Bar as part of Manchester Beer Week. Michael Hoey
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NATIONAL UPDATE
REVITALISATION & BEYOND Back in the early 1970s, the brilliance of CAMRA was in its simplicity, clarity of the message about the preservation of cask ale, which became a cause capable of bringing together people from all walks of life who enjoyed real beer and who wanted to make sure that it did not disappear from our pubs. That’s how CAMRA gained 30,000 members in five years and forced a retreat from the Big Six brewers. But in many people’s opinion, momentum was lost when that battle was felt to be won and, by the late 1970s, the Campaign was already agonizing over what to focus on next. Beer quality? Purity, Pubs, Cider Mild, Tasting notes, Lager? And so it did all of them, a bit, with the interests of sub-campaigns sometimes conflicting. Factions bickered, the public got confused, and membership dwindled. (Though it has absolutely rocketed in the last couple of decades.) Personally, I think the battle over caskconditioned beer has been won — most people who want a pint of cask ale in decent condition know where to find one, and the situation is better in Kent and Yorkshire than that in many other parts of the country. There will always be the debate about more variety and better quality overall, but that’s all woolly, subjective stuff and the subject of another article! There are many who have said that they would like the campaign to be less stuck in their ways and to find a way to support all good beer whichever way you wish to define it. To many, it seems strange to be screaming from the rooftops over say, Greene King IPA over something way more interesting that just happens to be in a keykeg. That kind of thing has made it impossible for people to wholeheartedly shout in support of the Campaign, or get more actively involved at branch level and these people have never felt the need to huffily tear up or burn their membership cards. CAMRA’s magazine, BEER, has been quietly reporting on wider developments for some
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years now. The Campaign’s publishing division has made gestures towards acknowledging craft beer with a profile of BrewDog included in the 2014 book Britain’s Beer Revolution. The technical committee has appointed some interesting new names and has found a way to permit certain types of keg at CAMRA festivals. And so on. Many will ask one simple question. WHY CAN’T THEY JUST SORT IT? But this is Britain where we don’t really have revolutions — we just carry out a series of compromises so slowly that no-one notices until, fifty or a hundred years later, accompanied background rumblings, everything has got where it needs to be by something like consensus. We’ve come to feel that, yes, pubs are disappearing at a worrying rate, and that something needs to be done. However, we are faced with the eternal chicken and egg question here — should CAMRA focus on saving pubs because that will help beer? Or focus on beer because that will ultimately benefit pubs? Whatever your thoughts on this, my opinion is the focus on pubs is about right at the moment. Back to the revitalization, I see things branching into a couple of distinct camps. On the one hand, some would like to see CAMRA finding a way to represent all beer drinkers, and lobbying and campaigning for a healthy beer culture, in which cask ale is of course important but not the be-all-and-endall. On the other hand there are those such as Steve Bury, vice chair of South Hertfordshire branch who has fervently disagreed with the special resolution of ‘accepting all quality beer, perry and cider. Indeed, what have perry and cider got to do with the campaign for real ale, some of you are bound to ask? Steve goes on to say that if others wish to go and form their own association then please be my guest but go away and do it! The question is therefore, what does the vote on revitalization mean to the ordinary drinker?
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In order to approve the changes, motions required 75% of the vote or more. The objective which recommended that CAMRA should ‘act as the voice and represent the interests of all pub goers and beer, cider and perry drinkers’ only received a vote of 72% and thus narrowly missed out on approval. Among the changes that were confirmed was the removal of CAMRA’s former mission statement. The new objectives render the organisation “more inclusive, relevant and welcoming,” according to the body. Members voted to approve the following: •
To secure the long term future of real ale, real cider and real perry by increasing their quality, availability and popularity
•
To promote and protect pubs and clubs as social centres as part of the UK’s cultural heritage
•
To increase recognition of the benefits of responsible, moderate social drinking
•
To play a leading role in the provision of information, education and training to all those with an interest in beer, cider and perry of any type
•
To ensure, where possible, that producers and retailers of beer, cider and perry act in the best interests of the customer.
While CAMRA will not officially represent the interests of the wider beer, cider and perry community, it will put extra resources into educating both members and nonmembers on different types of beer. This, head of communications Tom Stainer was heard to say before the AGM that CAMRA could involve “developing a training arm – either independently or in partnership with established operators – to offer a range of courses to improve beer education”. In place of its old remit, members voted to approve recommendations to add in new objectives for the campaign, designed to make the organisation more “inclusive, relevant and welcoming”. The changes will see Camra put increased focus on educating members (and nonmembers) about different types of beer, and see campaigning for real cider and perry added to the objects for the first time, as well as recognising pub and club protection as key for the organisation.
The only objective that wasn’t passed was for the campaign to “act as the voice and represent the interests of all pub-goers and beer, cider and perry drinkers”. Beer writer Pete Brown has, in my humble opinion, summed up the current situation in the UK with the following words. Whether or not I personally agree with it is neither here nor there but thanks to him for the following. “Most drinkers just want good beer, irrespective of who made it or what it comes in. Most cask ale brewers now brew in other formats as well – cask now only accounts for 74% of SIBA members’ output, which puts CAMRA in the strange position of endorsing some but not all of the beer of the breweries it claims to support. Most cask drinkers also drink other drinks. Back in my advertising days. I had access to a big survey database that asked pretty much anything you could think of. One attitude statement was ‘The only beer worth drinking is real ale.’ I took people who ‘strongly agreed’ with this statement, and split them to see what beer brands they claimed to drink ‘most often’. Top of the list was Stella Artois. Some cask drinkers switch to Guinness if they’re in a pub with nothing good on. Some Stella drinkers have a pint of cask with their dads when they go home to visit. Many drinkers I know make a choice based on style, ABV or brewery before they decide whether they want cask or keg. From both a producer’s and drinker’s perspective, saying you’re only going to support cask and keep it in some isolated bubble actually confuses things rather than helping get the message across. To engage the occasional or non-cask drinker more often, cask needs to speak to them on their own terms, where they are, and in a way that’s relevant to them. In other words, in order to save cask ale, CAMRA needs to engage with and represent the interests of all pub-goers and beer, cider and perry drinkers – precisely the thing its most reactionary members have just voted against. Craft keg is not the enemy. There are many reasons people are walking away from cask. Pubs are closing, partly because we’re visiting them less often than we used to. We’re drinking less alcohol overall, which is being exacerbated by increasingly blatant lies from the anti-alcohol lobby. Within that shrinking market, we’re drinking more at home than we Continued overleaf...
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do out of the home. When we do fancy a drink, we’re increasingly likely to order wine or spirits – both of which are in growth at beer’s expense. And within this scenario, cask is doing worse now than any other beer style because of its appalling quality issues – which need to be saved by training and education as a matter for urgency – and because the price of this premium product has been depressed to such an extent that publicans can sell other beers – which are easier to keep and have less wastage than cask – for a lot more money. These are the main reasons cask is in decline. CAMRA’s leadership do of course recognise all this, and deserve huge credit for working so hard to modernise the organisation. But while CAMRA members are still spending most of their time fretting about the kind of container beer comes in, they are not tackling these other, far more important issues as urgently as they could. Broaden the remit to good beer, establish cask’s relevance within that broader remit, and champion the bigger picture. You just might turn cask’s fortunes around.” I’m off down the pub for a pint of brown boring beer!! John Sissons
LATEST PUB NEWS In Sittingbourne, the key-keg lines in the Paper Mill continue to prove popular with some unusual beers available. The town is also set to see the opening of its third micropub in the next few months. Sara Seabridge and her husband Paul are converting a former clothes shop in the High Street, next to Baileys sandwich bar, into a micropub called The Yellow Stocks. And despite the regeneration building works around Sittingbourne Railway station, the Fountain of Ale is very much open for business! In Faversham, The Vaults now have The Dead Pony Real Ale Club every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4pm to 7pm with 50p off a pint of ale. They have also confirmed they will be having a chilled racking system in the garden to extend the cask ale choice during the Hop Festival. On Sheppey, the Admiral’s Arm has achieved a major milestone by claiming top spot in both the Pub of the Year and Cider Pub of the Year. Sheppey is also set to get two other micropubs. Melvin Hopper, the owner of The Heritage at Halfway, the Island’s first micropub, is converting the former AYS electrical shop in Marine Parade, Sheerness, into a new watering hole. He plans to rename it A Y’s Man (A Wise Man). The Flying Sheep has planning granted for the conversation of Hairy Monster Hair and Beauty in Sheerness high street.
The Woolpack in Iwade, The Fruiterers Arms in Rodmersham and The Ypres Tavern in Sittingbourne. Lots of further detail on Swale pubs can be found on www.whatpub.com. If you notice anything that is out of date or have any pub news please let us know.
theflyingsheepmicropub.co.uk At the time of going to press there are a number of branch pubs currently up for lease, these include The Chequers in Doddington,
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2018
PUB OF THE YEAR AWARDS
It’s presentation season once again and the six worthy winners in this year’s pub of the year awards (POTY) have been hosting branch members as certificates are issued. At the time of writing members have attended gatherings at three of these events, the first being The Corner Tap in Faversham on 24th May where owner Rafik and recently appointed manager Shane Horton not only put on a great buffet but also treated the 12 attending members to complementary drinks. The pub was full and the atmosphere convivial as all the staff joined in with the merriment, along with tending to the requirements of many very cheerful customers including some guests from the United States. Pictured are Corner Tap Manager Shane Horton along with the hard-working staff at the pub receiving the highly commended certificate from myself on behalf of Swale Branch. Wednesday June 6th saw the prestigious runners up certificate go to long serving Derek Cole and grandson Michael Rogers at the Shipwrights Arms, Hollowshore, just on the outskirts of Faversham. The Shipwrights has the honour of being in the good beer guide since time immemorial it seems and as some say in the light of the micropub revolution “well done to a traditional pub on coming in as runner up in this year’s awards”. Landlords Derek and Mike were as convivial as always and a goodly number of branch members assembled for an informal presentation with a super photo opportunity just as the sun was going down on this idyllic rural setting. Goachers and Kent Brewery favourites were available and in the usual very good form. Special mention must go to Jim Pearson of The Elephant who arrived fashionably late and was heard, as he approached the bar, to ask for a pint of Sheps!! Hearty banter abounded on the return to the bar with one question posing deep thought as Nula uttered the question “If you were an old car, what would it be and why? Enough said. Continued overleaf...
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Furlongs, Faversham
Corner Tap, Faversham
Shipwrights Arms, Hollowshore
The final presentation for the first half of June takes us back into Faversham’s historic town centre and to Swales other ‘Preston Street’ micropub. Andrew and Martin at Furlongs, along with their team were taking delivery of a highly commended certificate to go with the one they were presented with last year. A Friday evening on June 8th with the sun again shining was the backdrop. An almost full house enjoyed some superb ale from Kent and beyond, lively conversation and another Paper Mill, Sittingbourne
Watergate Bay, Cornwall
sumptuous buffet. At this rate we may have to start a competition for best buffet of the year during the presentations. Our thanks go to team Furlongs for their hospitality with congratulations to all the above for the forthcoming year. Into the second half of the month and things all running smoothly on the presentation front we moved onto Saturday 16th where we saw a lovely summers evening to host the next event at The Paper Mill. Winners for the past three years, Harvey and Marianne were on hand to receive a highly commended certificate for their efforts over the past 12 months. The Paper Mill has always been a lovely little back street watering hole and there was plenty of choice on offer this particular evening. A slightly smaller gathering than normal did not detract from the same jollity and banter that has made this one of the best pubs in the area for so long. We move on and Saturday 23rd June was, from my own point of view, a very proud moment. As an Islander myself, I cannot recall there ever being a Pub of the Year from Sheppey over the history of the branch. This all changed when I had the pleasure to present Chris and Rachel Collier, along with their son Joe, the certificate that everyone wants to have, that of being Swales’ Pub of the Year. It is hard to imagine that this venue has only been open just short of two years and in that time has achieved so much in that time. Consistently with four ever changing ales served either from an engine or directly from the cask and with a variety from Kent to Cornwall and up to Scotland this ale house has been voted as the one that delivers the
best of Swale in all departments. Indeed, it was another of these departments that we were here for in addition as the Admirals Arm was also voted, for the second year as Swale Cider Pub of the Year, a superb achievement. Oh, did I mention that once again a buffet had been put on by Rachel which included some lovely home-made Thai curries and other finger food. At the time of writing the announcement of West Kent Pub of the Year had just been made. Congratulations go the The Lanes in Dover who have again been awarded this accolade, but how close was the result with the Admirals Arm just point 45 of a mark behind in second place throughout the region. From my point of view as both the writer of this piece and as branch Chairman I have been almost overwhelmed at the spirit of togetherness that this branch has. I cannot recall a time that the branch has not supported in a grand manner, any event or presentation, without smiles, polite conversation and good humour. Once again my thanks to each and every one of you that took the time and effort not only to visit pubs in our area throughout the year but for the work involved in voting, attending branch meetings and then again completing all of your PotY score sheets. I would also on a personal note wish to thank the pubs that took everything up a level by providing superb buffets at their presentation events. Let’s see if we can get even more of the branch to vote next year. We are indeed very fortunate to have each and every one of you as members. Here’s to next years’ presentations. John Sissons
BRANCH DIARY Wed 8 Aug, 8pm
Three Tuns (Lower Halstow) Branch Meeting
Wed 12 Sept, 8pm
The Alma (Painters Forstal) Branch Meeting
Wed 14 Nov, 8pm Black Lion (Lynsted) Branch Meeting
Wed 12 Dec, 8pm
The Vaults (Faversham) Branch Meeting
Wed 10 Oct, 8pm
The Maypole (Borden) Branch Meeting
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DONNA’S ALE HOUSE What is your background? We both have a history of working behind a bar. We first met when we were working at UK Paper Leisure club in 1994. Subsequently James went off to work in the somewhat duller arena of financial services (and still does!). Why this venture? Following a career break Donna returned to work with JD Wetherspoon, and following the closure of the Summoner, went to help open the Thomas Waghorn in Chatham. A short but very enjoyable stint opening the Gunpowder Mill for Marston’s in Faversham followed, and then we managed to secure the West Street shop to open our own venture. Micropubs seems to be getting more and more popular. Why do you think this is? After working at the Summoner, Donna knew that the real ale scene in Swale was very big, and that the town would benefit from a central bar specialising in real ale with no fuss. Whilst the pubs in town offer real ales, they tended to be the larger breweries and we wanted to bring variety into the mix. Our pub is part of the growing breed of pubs that allow people to interact with one another, with no TVs, fruit machines or loud music to interrupt a conversation, and it is that atmosphere we wanted to engender. What process did you go through to get up and running?
welcoming smile, we want all our customers to feel like they are visiting our front room. What range of beers do you have? Our focus is the provision of Kentish real ale and ciders, with a few guests from time to time. We try to have at least 5 ales to choose from at any one time and have a cupboard full of ciders for people to choose from. For the customers that don’t want an ale or cider, we offer the biggest range of Gins in Sittingbourne (currently 69) and have a good selection of wines and other beverages. We are planning to refit the kitchen in July which will allow us to provide cheese boards, cold meat selections, ploughman’s lunches etc, and maybe some hearty winter warmers when the weather turns colder (usually in July!).
The West Street shop was ideal. We had looked at it in April 2017 but were only able to take it on from October. We applied for planning and licencing pretty much at the same time and got our licence about a month before we got planning permission.
What are your opening hours?
Once planning had been secured we went full gas in fitting out the bar area and cellar so that we could open prior to Christmas. The combination of real wood, brickwork, and dark paint scheme give it a contemporary rustic welcoming feel.
In a year’s time what would you like to look back and say?
When we first went into what would be the bar area, we knew straight away it was the right place to be. Add to that a warm and
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Other than Wednesday we are open every day from 12pm. Mondays and Tuesdays we close at 8(ish), Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 11pm, and 4pm on a Sunday.
In a year’s time, we will be right where we are now, our pub will be the same welcoming home as it is now, just with extra bits to make your visit even better. We have made many new friends during the short time we have been open and look forward to making many more in the future.
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THE THREE SISTERS, UPCHURCH With the coming of the brickfields to lower Rainham in the mid-19th century which required a large number of men to do hard physical work, the construction of The Three Sisters in 1863 came as no surprise. Throughout the 19th and into the 20th century brickfield workers regularly drank in the pub and some even lodged there. There are several theories about how the pub acquired its name but the exact reason is unknown. The first of these is connected with three sarsen stones which are situated at the south west corner of the pub. These mark the footpath that passes through Natal Farm. Secondly, there were once three beacons situated on the marshes to guide shipping that were known as The Three Sisters. Another theory is that the pub was named after the three Hubbard sisters who lived in a nearby cottage during the 19th century. Robert Moulton and his wife Margaret became long serving landlords at the pub until the 1970s but with the closure of the brickfield, trade from brickfield employees ceased and the pub had to rely on a hard-core group of locals to keep the Sisters open. One of the most popular landlords and innovators at the pub, a former talented local footballer named Mick Harris, resided there during the 1980s to the mid-1990s. A very outgoing, sometimes outspoken and lively individual, he encouraged a younger clientele with discos and music nights and proved to be a very popular landlord with large numbers of customers attending at weekends.
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Landlords arrived and departed with varying degrees of success until in September 2015 the premises were purchased by Bernard Woolmer and Gail Willoughby. Both Bernard and Gail are keen motor cyclists and have encouraged owners of classic bikes to come along and meet up with them and other likeminded customers. Gail is also a dab hand at repairing bikers’ leathers. Currently, work is progressing on a full refurbishment of the rear barn which will incorporate kitchens and a function venue for up to sixty people. The kitchens are particularly exciting as when completed, will give the opportunity for a variety of different meals to be served from breakfast to Sunday roasts. There is ample parking, a rear sun terrace and something that harks back to days of old – a bar billiard table. Beer wise there is usually Goachers Gold Star available which is backed up with one or two guest ales from the likes of Wantsum. The Montgomery ale was on when I recently visited and was in very good form. Things have been changing at the Three Sisters and I must say that in my opinion, changing for the better. Why not call in and visit. A warm welcome will await. John Sissons
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BEHIND THE PHOTOS use a play on words or some other link to the beer, but either way, the beer always takes the lead, and I’ll fashion a picture around it. It started when Moor Beer hosted Craft Beer Hour and I had a bottle of Confidence, a proper Moor beer, a 660ml bottle. I’d seen plenty of floating cans and I thought, you know what, with this bottle of Confidence I can show just how confident I am and make it float.
Pictures are known to say a thousand words, and in recent times some of those words about my photos have been “what the hell’ or “how on earth did you do that?’ Occasionally there is a why too, and that why is always because I strive to create something different wherever I can. The photos I’ve taken over the last few years have always been centred around the beer in question. I may
It did take me while to figure out exactly how I would achieve this, as I didn’t want there to be any sign of anything supporting the bottle in the final photo. But as you can see, the bottle is floating perfectly above the Moor glass. This, like all of my photos was not Photoshopped, I figured out a way of supporting the bottle without any of that support being visible in the final photo. Take a proper look, can you work it out? Since taking this, I explored a little further and came up with the photos that follow.
Cloudwater/Other Half, Imaginary Greenscapes. From the moment I saw this beer, and that artwork, I knew I had to photograph it in front of a pylon. All I had to do was find a suitable location and make the shot. Armed with some suitable support in the form of some steel pipe, I wandered into a farmers field and set about lining up the shot. I positioned the can and glass atop the pipe in front of a pylon and lined up the can artwork with the angular metalwork of the pylon. The final photo was cropped in order to disguise to method of support. www.camra-swale.org.uk
Wilde Child Brewing Co., Pushing Boundaries These were both shot for Craft Beer Hour when Wilde Child hosted. I was lucky enough to have had my name pulled from the hat to receive beer from the hosting brewery, so I thought I’d return the favour and take these. I pushed the boundaries of the floating can shot with this and made it float without using the ring pull.
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Salopian, Lullaby. Everyone loves a nice lullaby before bedtime, and I’m no different.
55|06, Firing on all six. This is one for the petrolheads and fans of V6 engines. I recreated a V6 engine using bottles and devised a method of support that was not visible in the final photo.
55|04, Four to the Floor. Originally inspired by the Starsailor song of the same name, I wondered how I could make this into a beer photo. If you are musical you’ll see that the position of the glass and bottles represents the notes on a stave of a disco bass drum pattern. The floorboards play their part too.
St Austell, Smoking Guns. Not being a gun owner I thought the best way to photograph this beer was to create a little smoke around it. I’m no longer a smoker but I do vape, and after multiple attempts of vaping around the beer I ended up with something I was happy with. Cloudwater, Seville Row.
55|05, Hang Five. Hang Five is a surfing term that describes when the surfer moves to the front of the board and hangs all of their toes over the edge of the board. I emulated this by hanging the five bottles over the edge of my table.
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This shot was quite simple; with Seville Row sounding similar to Saville Row, all I had to do was make sure I distributed the one beer I had evenly between multiple glasses which formed a row.
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Crane Beer, Cake by the Ocean. Around the time that I took this photo, the band DNCE released a song called Cake By The Ocean. I had a bottle of Cake, so a photo of this beer by the sea seemed perfect.
Art Brew, Art Attack. These were the first beers I’d managed to get hold of from Art Brew and all I could think of was the children’s TV program Art Attack, I took inspiration from that program to create a beer photo.
Hedonistic Existence. It’s a ganache stout, so rather than putting the beer in the glass, I made some ganache and used that instead. Both the beer and the ganache went down a treat. 01|30, Resting on your Lorals. Not being one to rest on my laurels, I will continue to take shots that will make you think a little differently about that beer sat in front of you. But I’m not giving away the secret of this photo.
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Verdant/Howling Hops, Auspicious Directions of 8 Mansions. This is where things started to get a little deep, maybe a little too deep for some, but like with my other photos, I wanted to make this a little different. Initially I wasn’t familiar with the concept of the Eight Mansions theory, and a lot of research was required in order to create this shot. The Eight Mansions theory is a practice of Feng Shui used to determine the best and worst locations/positions of your dwelling. It is used to find out whether you are compatible with the house and to find your favourable and unfavourable personal directions within that house.
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01|27, Meanwhile, down on the allotment.. Just a few hundred yards from our house is a small collection of allotments, so I put my wellies on, grabbed my trowel and went to photograph some beer. One of the allotment keepers was intrigued by what I was doing, he offered to help too. He told me that the plant in the background was actually Chard, but rather disappointingly, he didn’t have any Fennel.
Brew By Numbers. I know everyone thinks I favour the beers of Brew By Numbers for photo’s, I don’t, honest! But, they have given me the most inspiration for photos over the last few years. I set myself a goal too, which was to take a photo of every DIPA that The Numbers brew, although I have done a few others along the way too. Chris Elston Beer Writer
A6_Advert.qxp_Layout 1 05/06/2018 11:23 Page 1
STAG BREWERY
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NEW FROM BOUTILLIERS
RUNNING MAN On 22 April, I lined up with 40,000 other runners to take part in what turned out to be the hottest London Marathon on record.
Fuelled with energy gels and isotonic drinks I completed the course in what I believed at the time was a less than respectable 5 hours 7 minutes, a few weeks on and I am now immensely proud of my achievement and the medal that now hangs proudly at home – why? Well because these were hostile conditions for all runners but more importantly I had raised £1,600 for the Paget’s Association.
lovers, leaving a mere 50 bottles for the brewery to sell on to the trade. It was a great day brewing this beer and even better when I finally sampled a bottle after the gruelling 26.2 miles. I am in the ballot again for London Marathon 2019, and who knows if I am successful maybe there’ll be another beer. Matt Deller
My thanks go to all those Swale Ale readers who sponsored and to the Boutilliers boys in Faversham who went above and beyond in allowing me to spend a day brewing ‘Running Man – Peanut Butter Stout’ to help me raise additional funds. Limited to a small batch release of just 300 bottles I had already pre-sold 250 bottles to friends, work colleagues and fellow ale
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Donna’s Ale House, 20 West Street, Sittingbourne, Kent. ME10 1AB Facebook: Donnasalehouse
Twitter: @donnasalehouses
THE MAYPOLE, BORDEN It is very much the hub of the community and supports many village activities throughout the year including the village fete and Christmas lights evening. Wednesday night is quiz night open to regulars and guests alike. Being right next to the church it is also often frequented by the local clergy who love to chat in the bar with everybody. It is worth noting that this pub still retains the public bar area- a room which is becoming a rare beast in many pubs It is also dog friendly this side. Recently they have held events to raise money for Stand Up to Cancer Campaign offering homemade tasty cakes for sale which helped raise in excess of £800.00 for the charity. The local Parish Council have recently purchased a public defibrillator and Lesley & Kevin were very happy to have this fitted on the outside of their pub.
Th Be e U lti er Fe ma te st iv al
Lesley & Kevin have run The Maypole Inn the attractive village pub in Borden for the last 12 years.
7-11 August • Olympia London
More than 30 bars under one roof! Real Ale • Craft Beer Cider • Perry • Wine Gin • Entertainment Street Food • Music
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The Maypole offers very good value meals and also a regular selection of up to 4 real ales which are kept in tip top condition. On our last visit we had a lovely pint of Sharps Atlantic, Sharps Sea Fury and Master Brew. If you have not been to this pub yet then please do you will enjoy a warm welcome in a friendly atmosphere. Howard Gates
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SWALE CAMRA’S TINY REBELLION Picking up 16 CAMRA members from Faversham, Sittingbourne and Sheppey the coach left early on Saturday for our trip to Wales. We made a couple of stops along the way to check out the craft beer offerings in the supermarkets in the services - slim pickings but we knew we were in for some treats later in the day. We arrived soon after lunch and checked into the Queen’s Hotel in Newport, part of the Wetherspoons chain. The group had done their research and found a Micropub just down the road from the hotel, the Cellar Door, where we tasted the offerings of local brewery, Brew Monster. We reconvened at the coach for our visit to the Tiny Rebel Brewery. Timing couldn’t have been more perfect as Tiny Rebel were celebrating their 6th birthday that weekend and had 6 exclusive collaboration beers for us to try, so as we waited for our tour guide we made a start in the brewery bar. Alice, our guide, started the tour by seating us in the board room and giving us samples of their beer. She explained the history of the company, how they came up with the name and the iconic design. We then moved onto the brewery itself where we saw the mash tuns and fermentation vessels. Alice explained that the brewery is served by a natural spring and that it supplies all the water for hot liquor. From there we moved onto the bottling plant where we were given samples and asked to decide which was cask and which was keg. Cameron spied some Peaches and Cream in bottles, but couldn’t convince them to part with any. The tour
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ended and we were all given goody bags with more beer in them and Alice let out a sigh of relief having been ‘entertained’ by Barry for the whole tour. We returned to the bar to continue our sampling of both the cask and keg beers they had on offer. We had booked a table for dinner in the brewery but our booking had got lost, but not to worry, Alice came to our rescue and said that we could eat in the boardroom - a Tiny Rebel first! To apologise for their error they then brought up a generous selection of bottles and cans and told us to help ourselves. The food was absolutely amazing and the service second to none. After dinner the coach collected us and dropped us back to the Micropub where we proceeded to drink them dry. The owner managed to get hold of the brewer from Brew Monster and arranged fresh supplies for the morning (plus 2 barrels and some bottles which returned to Kent). The group were then free to explore Newport, most ended up in the Tiny Rebel bar and some had sore heads in the morning after drinking cans of Northern Monk Death a 12% Imperial stout. After breakfast in the hotel, we all met up in Newport’s other Wetherspooons. The group split again all in search on Sunday Lunch some choosing the Pen & Wig and others the Tiny Rebel bar. We all made it back safely to the coach and started the long journey home to Kent.
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Rachel Collier CAMRAswale
Pu S b W of AL th E e Ye ar
Real Ale Craft Beer Cider Wine Over 50 Gins
"a proper pub"
"just fabulous" "cracking little place" "Great little pub"
TBC
The Admiral's Arm Micropub Trafalgar Court West Street Queenborough ME11 5AD Tel: 01795 668598
/admiralsarm www.admiralsarm.co.uk swaleale@gmail.com CAMRAswale 23
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www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk Kentish Beer & Cider Festival August Bank Holiday Weekend 25th, 26th & 27th August
The Street, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent. ME9 7DY 01795 842840 info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk 24
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WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN A recent three-day break in Copenhagen is barely enough time to form a strong view of the cities beer scene, but it certainly left an impression on me for a number of reasons. As one would expect, Carlsberg is the dominant brewer and very high profile. The main brewery is no longer on the outskirts of the city but there is still a very well run visitor centre where the brewery once produced thousands of barrels of beer and a micro brewery that specialises in the excellent Jacobson beers. The main production plant is now in Fredericia on the Jutland peninsular, but more of Carlsberg later. In Copenhagen we visited Vesterbro, the old meat packing district. This has become the fashionable and vibrant place for new restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries to establish themselves. Its also a great place for a craft brewery and WarPigs (below) is a brilliant buzzing brew pub.
Targeting the younger drinker with a thirst for zany beers that challenge both the palate and traditional beer styles, they brew some interesting beers both in name and flavour. We only visited the once and tried a couple
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of beers, First Resort IPA and Iron Dice Weiss bier, both were very good. They have upwards of twenty taps and all beers are unfiltered and if the other beers match up to the two I tried then no wonder this place is so popular. The food offer here was all around large chunks of meat, potato salad, beans and slaw. Kept very simple it was satisfying and tasty and fitted like a glove when paired with the strong robust beers on offer. The décor suited as well, it reminded me of a canteen from a British Leyland car factory of the late 1970’s from where I began my working life - uniform, simple, unpretentious but functional. However, the surroundings were the picture frame that allowed the artist to shine with the beer and food offering. So if WarPigs is a good example of the craft beer scene then it certainly looks like that is well catered for. Another interesting visit was to Charlie’s Bar. This is a well known haunt that specialises in cask ales from the UK. I was delighted to find some fine beers on show including two St Austell Brewery small batch beers. The beer was in good condition and served at the correct temperature. The bar is small, narrow but cosy and has a certain charm about it harmonises with the beer. There were some English voices to be heard but also Danish and it was clear the bar is not just an outpost for Brit’s missing their favourite beers.
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So, back to Carlsberg, from where my latest rambling began. A much respected multinational company they brew and own some very big brands. As a Brit, one tends to think of the UK Carlsberg Green that’s brewed to 3.8% abv, a standard lager, it performs a role
but is still a big powerful brand. However the Carlsberg beers in Denmark are different, they are not dull, they are not insipid, they are polished, crisp and very drinkable stunning beers. I enjoyed Carlsberg and Tuborg lagers and all were excellent. Carlsberg is clearly a brand the Danish are very proud of and rightly so, it was great to see their branding in Copenhagen is confidently visible and part of the fabric of the city. They may not be cutting edge fashionable craft beers, but they are beers people enjoy drinking and of reputable quality. So if you do visit Copenhagen and I would recommend it, especially at Christmas time, do visit Tivoli, its for tourists but a night time visit is quite charming. If you are into your beers search out the local craft offerings and if you have time, Charlie’s Bar is well worth a visit. However I would finish by saying, do try the beers from the Carlsberg stable, just because they are the large dominant brewer does not mean they are characterless, it means they are fine beers and people have enjoyed drinking them for generations. Skal! Marc Bishop Beer Sommelier
TOUR 93 BEER ON THE WATERFRONT Thursday 2 August – Tuesday 7 August 2018 TOUR 94 BEER & BATTLEFIELDS ARMISTICE TOUR Tuesday 30 October – Sunday 4 November 2018 TOUR 95 CHRISTMAS IN ANTWERP Saturday 22 December – Thursday 27 December 2018 www.podgebeer.co.uk Ring 01245 354677 for details Driving people to drink since 1994 26
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THE PLOUGH, LEWSON ST If you pull off the main A2 between Teynham and Faversham where a pair of white Kentish weather boarded cottages meet the country lane that is Lewson Street, then slowly head along this twisty, turny route for about a mile, you will be greeted by the sight of The Plough Inn. A Shepherd Neame house, run by Kevin and Carole James along with their son, Michael and welcoming staff. Kevin and the family have been at the Plough for five years or so now and during their tenure have brought this lovely country house along to now boast one of the best dining pubs in Swale. A look at their web page (www.ploughinnlewsonst.co.uk) will give you a flavour of the fayre on offer and I can personally endorse the quality and variety of produce, a sizable percentage of which is locally produced or sourced. The pub itself is a former blacksmiths and local folklore has it that a man once shoed his horse in the bar. Originating from 1260 and offering a wealth of beams, nooks & crannies, indeed, it boasts a large inglenook fireplace which blazes beautifully during the chilly winter months warming the cold and weary walkers as they make their way from the downs to the coast in this rural landscape.
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Meals are served in the bar, a dedicated restaurant area or outside in the large garden, where there is a small children’s play area. Parking is to the left of the pub and has plenty of room to accommodate. As a Shepherd Neame house, beer wise there are seasonally changing offerings from Kent’s oldest brewer along with a core range of lagers and cider. Children are welcome but should be well behaved. Opening hours are currently as follows. Mon: Tue - Thu: Fri – Sat: Sun:
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Closed (Except Bank Holidays) 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 21:00 12:00 - 16:00, 18:00 - 22:00 12:00 - 18:00 John Sissons CAMRAswale
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SWALE ALE
BACK IN TIME
Our editorial team have been rummaging through the archives and stumbled upon these two adverts from Fremlins Brewery and the Sheerness Beer Festival. The Fremlins ad is from April 1979 prior to the closure of the Maidstone and Faversham breweries and the Sheerness Beer Festival is from May 25th 1981 - a well-attended Swale Branch event we believe. Unfortunately we have been unable to track down the beer list, perhaps you can help?
THANKS FOR HAVING US We offer our thanks to the following for hosting our recent Branch meetings:
The Elephant Faversham
The Admiral’s Arm Sheppey
The Golden Hope Sittingbourne
Chequers Inn Doddington
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w w w. s p i t f i r e a l e . c o . u k
GOLDEN ALE & pine aromas
/s p i t f i r e a l e
Tropical fruit, citrus S W E E T M A LT B A S E
Challenger, Centennial SOFT BITTER FINISH
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and Saaz hops 4 .1 %
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KENT BEERS!!
Musket Brewery is a family owned, Maidstone-based Micro Brewery located at Loddington Farm, Linton, brewing premium REAL ALE at realistic prices. The Musket brewers are CAMRA members, who provide these carefully brewed ales for your enjoyment.
MUZZLELOADER 4.5% Kentish Ale
POWDER BURN 5.0% Kentish Porter (Autumn/Winter brew!)
FLINTLOCK 4.2% Best Bitter
FIFE & DRUM 3.8% Golden Ale
TRIGGER 3.6% Pale Ale
MATCHLOCK 3.8% Kentish Mild (Spring/Summer brew!)
FLASH IN THE PAN 4.0% Green Hop Ale (Only available in September!)
BALL PULLER 4.0% Premier Bitter (New for 2017!)
Musket Brewery offers a significant promotion campaign on initial orders, to help increase beer sales for our valued customers. Musket has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing GREAT beers, supported by exemplary customer service!
Contact Musket Brewery to find out more!!
079671 27 27 8 or 01622 – 749931 info@musketbrewery.co.uk “There’s more in the barrel” at
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MAN, I’VE GOT
THE MUNCHIES Greetings gentle reader and welcome to another of Obadiah’s rambles through the world of the beery tippler. The other day I was ensconced by the fire in my favourite pub supping a splendid pint of Von Graf’s Old Dirigible when I, in the words of John Cleese in Monty Python’s famous cheese shop sketch, came over all peckish, esurient, ee I were all ‘ungry like. So to paraphrase the next few lines, I sallied forth to the bar to negotiate the vending of some nibbly comestibles. Or to put it another way I got the munchies after a beer and wanted a snack. The selection was ample ranging from the traditional crisp via peanuts to the almost exotic scampi fries. I settled on a packet of cheese and onion and resumed my position by the fire and started to mull over the origins of the packeted snack in pubs. It seems that as long as people have enjoyed a pint in a pub there have been others willing to sell them an easy to eat snack to go with it. According the Henry Mayhew’s book The London Labourer and The London Poor, around the middle of the 1800’s you could have been offered such delights as pickled whelks and pigs trotters. An early version of surf and turf perhaps. Tasty maybe (probably not) but certainly messy and it was not until the turn of the twentieth century that snacks were first put into packets for easy eating. Let us concentrate first on that most quintessential of pub snacks – the packet of crisps. Early references to crisps seem to come from America in the early 19th century. In the UK Frank Smith was one of the first
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pioneers of the packeted crisp. His genius was to include a small sachet of salt in his crisps thus maintaining the thirst of the drinker to induce the purchase of that extra pint. In 1949 Smiths Crisps boasted that they supplied nearly every pub in the country and it seems that from the 30’s to the 50’s crisps were one of the few pub snacks available. After extensive research (asking the other three members of the Spillage family) I have deduced that probably the three most popular flavours of crisp in the UK are Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion and Ready Salted. However I have had communiqués from some of my cousins worldwide that tell me there are some pretty strange alternative flavours out there. Ivan Spillovich informs me that in Russia if you wish to flaunt your good taste and wealth there are red caviar flavour crisps. My patriotic Canadian cousin Mountie Spillage will only eat Maple Syrup and Moose flavour where as Ho Chi Spillage insists that Chilli Squid is the flavour du jour in Vietnam and Hirohito Spillage has informed me that bizarrely the Japanese delight in Borsch flavour crisps. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Borsch it is a Russian beetroot soup. Not to be left out the UK has produced some odd flavours. Hedgehog (a mix of bacon and herbs I believe) being one and Cajun Squirrel being another. Please tell me that on the squirrel flavour packet there was a warning informing the potential consumer that the packet ‘may contain nuts’. (Sorry - I’ll get my coat).
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Continued overleaf...
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So moving on, what better accompaniment to a packet of crisps can there be than a pickle and especially the pickled egg. There they sit, behind the bar in a large jar of brown liquid looking like eyeballs in a mad scientists laboratory, those ovals of tangy, tangy sharp loveliness just waiting to be scooped into a packed of ready salted crisps. Ok, ok stop throwing things at me. I know they are not to everyone’s taste, the range of opinion seems to be from ‘delicious’ to ‘the work of Satan himself’ but they have been around for a surprisingly long time. It seems that the pickled egg has found its way from Germany via the USA in the mid 1800’s. Less popular than the egg is the pickled gherkin. Not the fat green sausage shaped ones you get in your local chippy, but their smaller cousin the cornichon referred to in some Essex pubs as ‘Wallies’ – or was that just the people who ate them? Again not to everyone’s taste in fact I have heard them described as hard, knobbly and viciously sharp, or was that my old woodwork teacher? Let us move on to another snack that divides opinion, the pork scratching. Those bristly
Olivero's Pizzeria @oliverospizza @admiralsarm
Made the classic Italian way
nuggets of salty loveliness (a bit like old Obadiah himself!); hard enough to break a tooth and fatty enough to induce a coronary. It is widely accepted that scratchings originated in The Black Country as a food of the working classes in the 1800’s when many families kept a pig and used every part of it except the grunt! However the ubiquitous scratching is not confined to the UK but has spread it’s trotters worldwide where they are referred to by some interesting names. In Canada they are called ‘Scrunchions’ (cute) where as in Holland and Belgium they are called Knabbelspek – Nibbling Bacon (I like that) and in Germany they are referred to as Schweinkrusten – Pig Crusts (less appetising name I think). Before I go I wanted to touch on a few other favourites that have made themselves available in pubs. The Pepperami for instance. That thin greasy sausage that comes in its own condom, Scampi Fries – is it just me or do they obliterate your taste buds too? Lastly, let’s explore the delights of the Sunday nibbles on the bar. When Obadiah was a young drinker most of the pubs would put out cheese for the Sabbath drinker which brings to mind an especially good manifestation of this practice. At Christmastide in my local in a village in Essex the landlord would place a whole stilton cheese on the bar for the clientele to help themselves to which every day he would add a glass of port – yummy. Alas I guess today the food safety Stasi would nowadays take a dim view of this. A pub I used to frequent near a harbour on the South Coast would put brown shrimps out for their customers. As many of you will know these small bursts of seafoody saltiness are so small that the best way to eat the is whole not peeled like a friend of mine who would spend five minutes peeling each shrimp only to be left with something the size of a grain of rice! Finally (really this time!) it would be remiss of me not to mention what in my opinion is the king of bar snacks – the Sunday roast potato. Crisp outer with a fluffy interior, liberally sprinkled with salt. What s not to like? All this talk of food has made me nibblesome. I’m off to the bar for another pint and a snack. Till next time – Toodle Pip
Eat in at The Admiral's Arm Micropub Trafalgar Court West St, Queenborough
Obidiah Spillage
www.admiralsarm.co.uk
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UK BREWER OF THE YEAR
Brewer of the Year At the International Beer Challenge, Harveys were named UK Brewer of the Year, having achieved the most points in the medal table. Among its tally of medals, Christmas Ale and Imperial Stout were both awarded Gold and the latter went on to take the Best Stout or Porter Trophy. It was also named World’s Best Imperial Stout at the World Beer Awards 2017. Malt Brown, Wharf IPA, Georgian Dragon and Star of Eastbourne were all Gold Medal Winners in their respective classes at the British Bottlers’ Institute Awards 2017. CAMRA’s ‘Sussex Drinker’ commented “perhaps their recent successes demonstrate the wisdom of traditional values while moving with the times.”
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GRUMPY LANDLORD Well, for those who thought I had disappeared off into the ether, I have returned by popular request to offer some personal thoughts on life, the universe and being a pub landlord. Amongst many milestones this year, I managed to celebrate my 70th birthday, which was marked by a genuinely surprise party. I’m told that it was very good, I just wish I could remember it more clearly! Retirement is not really an option, since being a pub landlord is very much a way of life rather than a job and while I am able, I will continue to ‘tread the boards’ of the Shipwright’s. Luckily my grandson Mike is slowly taking over the reins and you will be pleased to hear that he has recently passed his ‘grumpiness’ finals and in fact won the “Basil Fawlty” award for his dedication to continuing the role of the Grumpy Landlord. So for those of you who cheered when the rumour spread that I was to retire, sorry to disappoint you. A lot of publicity lately about the ‘reformation’ of CAMRA and it’s role, aims and ideals. I’ll not say too much on this, for fear of invoking the wrath of the beer Gods and those aficionados who consider anything other than cask ale a travesty and mutter about ‘follow throughs’ and ‘after tastes’ as they issue dark threats about the end of beer civilisation as we know it. My view is that times have changed. Beer comes in many guises and the ‘cask or keg’ argument is largely a matter of taste. Good beer of whatever type sells, bad beer doesn’t, simple as that. CAMRA did a fantastic job in raising standards and bringing about the return of choice to pubs, but my view, Keg beer cannot be judgementally dismissed as a poor second choice when so many people enjoy it.
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Last year I had the good fortune to travel to the USA on several occasions and was delighted to find so many good beers on offer. Cask ale is readily available, but my favourites were some of the keg IPA’s on offer. A great selection and all eminently drinkable, but different to our keg beers in that they serve up very similar to cask ale, not at all ‘gassy’. Some fantastic pubs as well - and I do mean pubs - with terrific atmosphere, good service and friendly locals. If ever you are in New York City, I recommend ‘Blackwells’ on E47th St. or the ‘Dead Rabbit’ on Water St. You will not be disappointed. Look them up on Google. Blackwells is the quintessential Iris Pub and one I have great trouble leaving, (eight hours is the record so far.) The Dead Rabbit is a must and best described as an old English Ale House in New York. Moving on to the amount of ales now available from small or micro breweries. While it’s good to see so much choice, there is a limited market and only so many beers a small pub can keep. Telesales calls from small brewers have now surpassed those offering unbeatable electricity/gas/telephone deals. Especially in the winter months, we keep only those beers we know we can sell. To take off any of our regular ales would spark off a major revolt amongst our regulars, who come because they know we will always have their favourite tipple. This means we have a quick turnover, very low wastage, happy customers and a happy landlord. Trying to sell me the latest ‘must have’ ale with names like ‘Sheep Dip IPA’, ‘Dandelion Butterscotch Delight’ or ‘Strawberry Armpit Porter’ does not go down well, especially at 9 am when I have only just started my first cup
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of coffee. (Those that know me tread very carefully until at least the third cup has been quaffed in silence). Start going on about hints of grapefruit, subtle tinges of chocolate, or caramel overtones and their chances of a sale plunge rapidly from low to non-existent. Of course, for some pubs - especially the micro’s - their trade seems to be in a constantly changing selection of beers, but for others, continuity, with the occasional guest beer is the key. I hope that all the small brewers do well and prosper, but I do wonder when “market saturation’, will be reached. Now, on a totally different subject, we like dogs and we are definitely ‘dog friendly’ and for those who brave the wet, windy and muddy walk for a pint, we offer dog wipes, towels and blankets, (as well as the essential doggy treats).
While most people are sensible, there are the few who think it perfectly OK to bring their dripping wet and muddy dog into the pub, let it shake itself dry over the other customers and then roll around on the carpet to rid itself of the caked mud on it’s fur. When offered a towel or a blanket the response is often, “Oh no, don’t worry, he/she is fine,” totally oblivious to the dark looks and muttering from other customers trying to brush Fido’s muddy offerings from their clothes and Ham egg and chips. By and large our doggy regulars are a lovely bunch as are their owners, I just wish some people would be a bit more considerate when bringing their canine companions into a pub full of people and other dogs. Nice to be back. Derek Cole Landlord of The Shipwright’s Arms
BEER STYLE:
NEW ENGLAND INDIA PALE ALE I’ve recently come across many beers classed as New England India Pale Ales (NEIPA). There has been a debate on whether this is a separate style or if such beers should just be considered as American Pale Ales. Having reflected on this through research (which includes trying different beers!) I think it is fair to class it as a separate style as these beers have some features that are completely different to your traditional American Pale Ales. The beer website – Beer Advocate – gives a helpful description of the style. For one they are hazy as a rule. This is achieved through extensive dry hopping, use of high protein grains and using certain yeast strains. To the taste they are often fruity with a clear hop taste coming through. Traditionally many drinkers have shied away from hazy beers – the traditional view being that such beers are off and therefore pubs have not stocked them. However, with the increasing emergence of vegan and unfiltered beers, many discerning drinkers now accept that a beer can be produced that is not crystal clear but still of a high quality. This may be why an increasing number of UK brewers are producing NEIPA’s. Currently there are relatively few available in the UK, but times seem to be changing as I have
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seen more and more in many pubs around the country. Breweries to look out for include Verdant and Wylam – both producing some excellent beers in a variety of dispense methods. Verdant is often available at the Paper Mill in Sittingbourne and the Admiral’s Arm in Queenborough. Further afield venues like the Thomas Tallis in Canterbury and Mother Kelly’s Bottle Shop and Taproom in London (Vauxhall and Bethnal Green) are regular stockists of NEIPAs. Paul Irving
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THE BEAR Faversham
The Bear Inn, 3 Market Place, Faversham, Kent ME13 7AG, Tel 01795 532668
Chris & Marie Annand and staff welcome you to this historic 15th Century inn in the heart of Faversham. Immaculately kept Shepherd Neame beers Traditional home made lunches served every day Join us for our popular Quiz Night held on the last Wednesday of every month Find us on Facebook
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PRIZE CROSSWORD Compiled by R Gregory
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TRADING
STANDARDS If you believe that you have been treated unfairly in a local pub or bar you should contact your local trading standards department. Trading standards exists to ensure that customers are treated fairly and neither cheated nor mislead by traders. The Trading Standards organisation in Swale is entitled ‘Environmental and Consumer Protection’ and can be contacted on: Telephone: 01233 898825
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Email: trading.standardseast@kent.gov.uk
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