Swale Ale
Vol 4 Issue 1
The FREE Magazine of the Swale branch of CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale
PUB CLOSURES IN SWALE Will new legislation help prevent more?
T
he British pub is a unique institution, but the bad news is that there are increasingly fewer pubs for us to enjoy. 2011 started badly for the Swale area with the closure by Shepherd Neame of The Windmill, London Road, Faversham. Although sold and available for letting as a pub, it is still boarded up. The Wheatsheaf in Newington closed 13th April and is no longer a pub; planning consent allowed change of use from pub to a letting agent. Pubs are, of course, businesses; the reason they close is that the owners are either not making enough money or feel they can make more money if the building was used for another purpose. In many cases after a pub closes the building stands empty and boarded up for ages like The Prince
The Sondes Arms Selling
of Wales and The Golden Ball, Sittingbourne. They are now joined by The Globe and Engine Sittingbourne and The Three Squirrels. Many more examples exist in Swale and often they are indicative of the failings of the pub company financial model, and when
In this issue….
UK and Overseas Pub Visits including: Brussels and London Branch and Brewery News A Look at the first Good Beer Guide
Winter Issue 2011
1
The Old Wine Vaults is a 16th century pub set in the heart of historic Faversham. 75 Preston Street, Faversham 01795 591817
FOUR Cask Ales TWO Cask Ciders Swale Cider Pub of the Year From after work nibbles to Christmas Dinners. Christmas Day Lunch Four Courses with Wine £60 New Years Eve Party £10 including a free Fizz, Buffet and Raffle 20p off a pint of Plum Puddinged with a valid CAMRA card. The pub is open Mon-Sat 11am to 11pm and Sundays pm to 10.30pm.
2
Winter Issue 2011
Pub Closures Continues on page 5
The Globe and Engine Sittingbourne
they give up they have tried restrictive covenants on the sale to prevent others having a go. Even more surprising to some local drinkers is the number closed by Faversham’s own brewery; no doubt part of their planned disposal of small community pubs, seemingly in favour of ‘quality’ eating establishments. Recently The Sondes Arms, Selling was suddenly closed by Shepherd Neame. It was different from many others, as a rural pub with limited alternatives. The local residents put up some resistance to save their local. Our Brewery Liaison Officer Bob asked Shepherd Neame about the closure and was told:- “The Sondes is not being sold to a developer. We have invited the local community to express interest. If the local community do not purchase then I would anticipate disposal on an existing use basis i.e. as a Free House. Winter Issue 2011
Unfortunately the local community interest failed to find a solution, a tall order in such a short space of time, but there is still hope for the Sondes, and maybe for two other pubs, one formerly in the Shep’s estate, which were being sold and will hopefully reopen soon. The Ship, Sittingbourne was sold at auction and is expected to reopen as a pub/restaurant while the Brown Jug at Upchurch is currently being sold as a pub. What can we do about closures? What is CAMRA doing? Well CAMRA has been active in facing up to the closure trend by lobbying against closures for some years and raising public awareness. Each branch provides information on what is happening locally and this information is used in tackling the various aspects that cause the problem. CAMRA has just responded to a Government consultation on the impact that imposing restrictive covenants on the sale of pubs has on local communities. This consultation has taken place as a result of a long-running CAMRA campaign, via the Sustainable Communities Act. At the same time CAMRA has been pursuing a campaign for Pub Company reform with members recently encouraged to contact their MPs. Recent research shows that tied pubs are twice more likely to close than ‘free of tie’ pubs. On 18th October CAMRA also 3
Swale Ale ©
Editorial
Winter 2011 Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. (CAMRA). Circulation 800 Email: bailey664@btinternet.com Telephone: (01795 538824) Editorial Committee and Contributors: Jeff Waller, Gary Holness, Keir Stanley, Andrew Kitney, Paul Irving, Suzanne Collins Print Liaison: Simon Ing Advertising: Gary Holness ——————————————— All Correspondence to: Les Bailey 58 Wallers Road Faversham Kent ME13 7PL ——————————————— 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 .
A
nother edition of Swale Ale! If you read the last copy (summer), you might be forgiven for thinking that we were shutting up shop. All organisations have communication problems and obviously we did. As a Branch we must thank the previous editor for the phenomenal amount of work and effort he devoted to the magazine and I am sure he will be pleased that the publication continues. Now back to campaigning. The front article highlights one of the most worrying aspects for the real ale drinker today; the closure of pubs. At a time when more people are drinking real ales, the number of places available to do so declines in number. As an individual there are many things you can do locally to help stem the tide of closures but the first thing which will provide you with a voice for consumer choice, is to join CAMRA!
——————————————— Printed by: University of Kent Press ——————————————— Branch Details: Chairman: Simon Ing Secretary: Les Bailey Social Secretary: Gary Holness Treasurer: Les Bailey Branch Contact: Les Bailey (01795 538824)
www.camra-swale.org.uk 4
Winter Issue 2011
Pub Closures issued a press release to say that they welcomed the proposed new National Planning Policy Framework which is out for consultation and particularly the following: The specific instruction for local planning authorities to "plan positively for the provision and integration of community facilities (such as local shops, meeting places, public houses and places of worship)." The introduction by Councils of policies to safeguard community facilities such as pubs. The encouragement of local planning authorities to consider use of Article 4 Directions to require planning permission for the demolition of local facilities. The application of these policies to urban as well as rural pubs and all pubs, rather than just pubs in local centres for the first time.
These are some examples but others and more detail can be found on the CAMRA website. BUT one thing we can all do is use our locals, encourage the Landlord to have locally sourced real ale and if you are not a member join us. Remember; the Cask Report research shows that Britain's 7.8 million real ale drinkers are more than twice as likely as other drinkers to visit the pub once a week or more. (The Cask Report 201112, written annually by beer writer Pete Brown and backed by CAMRA, SIBA, Cask Marque and IFBB) Finally I leave you with the recent words of Shepherd Neame Chairman M H Templeman:- “It is disappointing to note that the Government has so far failed to recognise the importance of beer and pubs to the economy and the social and cultural life of the UK.” [JW]
Chairman’s Chat
H
i I’m Simon and I’m the current Chairman of the Swale branch of CAMRA. I hope you find this free magazine interesting. Take it with you if you like, pass it on or leave it in the pub for someone else to read. Now can I ask for your help? I like good beer, and if you’re in a pub then hopefully so do you. CAMRA needs you to tell us if the beer is good and tell us if it’s not.
As much as I would like to go to every pub in the area, I don’t have the time. But if everyone who reads this visits only one other pub, that’s a lot of pubs. Better than that, that’s a lot of beer tasted. So please if you would recommend a pub and its beer to a friend, how about telling us as well. Thanks,
Simon Ing Winter Issue 2011
5
Swale CAMRA Branch Diary Sunday 11 th December: Faversham Christmas Pub Crawl starting at the Anchor, Abbey Street at 12 noon. Wednesday 14th December: Open Branch Business Meeting: 7:30pm, Swann and Harlequin. Wednesday 11th January: Open Branch Business Meeting: 7.30pm, The Swan, Teynham. Wednesday 8th February: Open Branch Business Meeting: 7.30pm, The Bear, Faversham. Wednesday 14th March: Open Branch Business meeting: 7.30pm, The Red Lion, Blue Town, Sheerness.
For updates visit our website at: http://www.camra-swale.org.uk/
Kent Pub and Brewery News HOPDAEMON: Brewed a beer in November called Artic Citra, using citra hops, for the Dartford Working Mens Club. RAMSGATE BREWERY (Gadds): Is holding an Open Day on 17th December, 1- 5pm. SHEPHERD NEAME: Christmas Ale (5%) on draught should now be available. Porter (4.8%): two brews were planned for late November, amounting to 32/33 nine gallon casks only of this beer using Pale, Crystal, Brown and Black malts. It should be in the pubs about three weeks later. Seasonal Beer Availability : Our Brewery Liaison Officer has also been advised when seasonal beers will be available from the brewery. (The brewery 6
divides them up as seasonal and event beers but they are listed in their order of appearance) Late Red (4.5%) - w/c 10th October 2011 to 23rd March 2012 Christmas Ale (5.0%): w/c 21st November to 23rd December 2011 Amber Ale (4.5%): - w/c 9th January to 24th February 2012 Double Stout (4.1%) - w/c 5th March to 23rd March 2012 Early Bird (4.3%) - w/c 26th March to 18th May 2012 Dragonfire (4.5%) - w/c 16th April to 27th April 2012 Canterbury Jack (3.5%) w/c 7th June to 28th September 2012 Whitstable bay (4.1%) w/c 21st June to 2nd September 2012
Winter Issue 2011
Winter Issue 2011
7
8
Winter Issue 2011
Pub News
Beer Festivals
SHEPPEY (The Bay View (287 Leysdown Road, Leysdown) – no real ale Ferry House Inn (Harty Ferry) – no real ale Wheatsheaf (Warden Road, Eastchurch) – Abbot and Bombardier (guest). Ale may be served in jugs and they always have a rotating guest ale. The Castle Inn (78 High Street, Eastchurch) – no real ale Shurland Hotel (Eastchurch) – London Pride. Harps Inn (The Lees, Minster) – no real ale The Playa (The Lees, Minster) – Masterbrew and Late Red (although not a Shepherd Neame pub) SITTINGBOURNE Golden Ball, Murston, – A planning application has been submitted for demolition and replacement with 9 terraced houses. Old Oak, – sold and currently being converted (we understand) to wine bar/ bistro. The Ship : We understand it is sold and will be re-opening as a Pub/Restaurant The Cherry Tree. Is currently closed. SELLING: The Sondes Arms: The closed pub is for sale on the open market as a pub. A planning application for change of use is to be expected if it fails to sell as a pub. Meanwhile the housing development on the former rear garden has commenced. LocAle: Three Tuns , Lower Halstow and The Swan, Teynham. These are now included in the LocAle pub scheme as local ales always available.
6-10 December (Tue-Sat): Pig’s Ear Beer & Cider Fest, Round Chapel, Powerscroft Rd, Hackney E5 0PU. 200-plus beers in Magnificent English Heritage-restored venue, w/seated Gallery area. Open: Tue-Thu Noon-10.30pm; Fri-Sat: Noon11pm.Entrance: CAMRA Members £2; NonMembers £4. Further info: www.pigsear.org.uk
Publications: The Railway Faversham and the Rose and Crown Perry Wood have both featured in CAMRAs new book ‘Great British Pubs’ Congratulations!
Winter Issue 2011
9th - 11th December :The Faversham; Winter Ales Festival.
Elephant,
18-21 January 2012 (Wed-Sat) : National Winter Ales Festival 2012 Sheridan Suite, MANCHESTER; Wednesday – 5 p m - 1 0 . 3 0 p m Thursday, Friday & Saturday – 12noon10.30pm. See www.nwaf.org.uk for ticket prices 3rd - 4th February : White Cliffs : Maison Dieu (Town Hall), Dover, Kent, CT16 1DL : Friday 3rd from 1pm to 11pm; Saturday 4th from 10.30am to 6pm (unless the beer runs out). Admission £5.00 on Friday, £2.00 on Saturday. Free to card-carrying CAMRA members. Admission will be refunded if you join CAMRA at the beer festival.
If you have any pub or beer festival news please contact Swale Ale at: Les Bailey 58 Wallers Road Faversham Kent ME13 7PL bailey664@btinternet.com
9
10
Winter Issue 2011
Hop Festival Beer Stall 3rd & 4th September 2011
T
his years CAMRA Beer Stall at the Hop Festival in Faversham was again a great success, which was helped by larger than normal crowds on Saturday. Our pitch was outside Iceland Frozen Food store in East Street as it has been for a number of years, a great location in my view as it offers easy access for setting up and take down. It also is beneficial to our customers as there is ample space to enjoy your ale or cider, as being off the main street it gives a welcome break from the crowds. Saturday was blessed with perfect weather making us extremely busy with queues up to eight deep at the bar as our volunteers worked as fast as possible to serve the thirsty throng. A wide range of customers sought us out, from CAMRA members who are regular visitors, the Morris dancing groups, people who had travelled long distances to visit the Hop Festival and local townsfolk enjoyin g t he lively atmosphere. Beers for the weekend were sourced from three Kent breweries, Gadds of Ramsgate, Hopdaemon of Newnham and Whitstable Brewery based at Grafty Green. Eighteen firkins of beer were ordered for the weekend with twelve being sold on Saturday alone. Cider came from two producers, Old Wife Cider from near Chilham and Kent Cider Company from near Teynham. Nearly all of our stock of cider sold out on Saturday and extra supplies Winter Issue 2011
Morris Dancers Next to CAMRA Beer Stall had to be obtained from Kent Cider Co. on Sunday to meet expected demand. Sunday’s weather stated bright but with a gusty breeze and some small showers of rain around lunchtime did little to deter visitors from enjoying the festival. The stocks of beer and cider finally ran out around 4pm that day much to the disappointment of customers to our stall. A great weekend it had been with our staff managing to sign up nine new members to the Campaign for Real Ale. I should lastly like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who assisted in planning and running this years stall, as it has been for a number of years run in partnership between Canterbury & Herne Bay and Swale Branches. And to all our customers thank you for your support and see you next year. [GH]
11
CAMRA’S
GREAT BRITISH PUBS CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has today (1st Nov.) released a new publication which has taken on the ambitious task of celebrating everything great about the British pub! CAMRA's Great British Pubs is the definitive collection of the top 200 must-visit pubs that can be found from the tip of Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands. The Railway Hotel, Faversham is included amongst them. That’s nice, isn’t it? THE RAILWAY HOTEL Preston St, FAVERSHAM, Kent. www.railwayhotelfaversham.co.uk odd, eh? 12
Winter Issue 2011
A look back at the first CAMRA Good Beer Guide
W
ith the 2012 Good Beer Guide a must on many peoples Christmas list here is a nostalgic look back at the first edition. Published by CAMRA in 1974, when flares and wide lapels were all the rage, Blazing Saddles and The Exorcist were on at the cinema and beer cost around 15p a pint! The headline on the opening page of editorial was “The quest for a decent pint”, which set out the stall for CAMRA. The two major threats to good ale were seen to be: “The large scale promotion of characterless keg and tank beers at an advertising cost of millions of pounds each year” and “The transfer from traditional methods of serving draught beer to pumps using carbon dioxide pressure, which make ale gassy and sickly”. The guide stated that: “It is designed to help people who are searching for a decent drop of ale anywhere in England, Wales or the Isle of Man. It is not just another pub guide recommen ding the unsuspecting traveler to places cluttered up with horse brasses or landlords who won a runners-up medal in the 1949 FA Cup Final. It is for the millions of people who spend millions of pounds a year between them on beer and deserve a product of quality.” The guide cost all of 75p and was 96 pages long and, as well as the
Winter Issue 2011
introductory editorial, included an article entitled “What IS real ale?” which went on to define what CAMRA considered to be real ale covering ingredients, storage and serving methods. As today the guide was split into counties and had a list of brewers at the back (which barely covered two pages!). The two brewers in Kent that are mentioned are Whitbread Faversham (Fremlins) of which they comment “Several regional brews still retained without gas, but quality varies” and S heph e rd Neam e (Faversham) about which is commented “Good when it is not gassed up” Kent had 56 pubs listed in the guide of which 4 were in Faversham (The Bear, The Railway, The Sun and the Willow Tap), 4 in Sittingbourne (The Fountain, The Globe and Engine, The Milton Arms and The Park Tavern) and 2 in Sheerness (The Old House at Home and the Ship on Shore). Also in the Swale CAMRA area was listed The Three Horseshoes at Staplestreet, The Chequers at Doddington, The White Lion at Selling and the Blacksmiths Arms at Wormshill. A total of 14 pubs. As the latest edition of the Good Beer Guide hits the shops “The quest for a decent pint” carries on but it is a lot easier in 2012 than it was in 1974! I’m off to see if the flares still fit and dig out my old ABBA LPs. [OS] 13
The Old House at Home Queenborough The home of live music! Bands every Sunday from 5pm also bands some Fridays & Saturdays
Jamming nights every Wednesday A great place to meet and see the sunset Real Ales changing regularly We serve food Monday to Saturday from 12 to 9
Roast Sunday dinners 12 to 4 Real log fire
“May you come as a stranger and leave as a friend� Children & dog's are welcome
Tel: 01795 662463
oldhouseathome@btopenworld.com 1, High Street, Queenborough ME11 5AA
14
Winter Issue 2011
Folkestone Leas Lift Beer Festival
T
hat unseasonable scorcher of a weekend (seems a while ago now doesn’t it) was both a blessing and a curse for the organisers of the Folkestone Leas Lift Beer Festival on the 23rd—25th September. It was such a popular event that the bar was drunk dry on the Saturday night, meaning those planning a Sunday session were left disappointed. We arrived on the Saturday afternoon and could tell by the huge gathering of people at the bottom of the cliff that things were going well. We took a ride in the lift, dating back to 1885 down to the bottom of the cliff. The lift was free for CAMRA members during the beer festival or £2 return for non-members. We bought our vouchers and duly queued for a few minutes in the small enclosed area near the lift’s
entrance for our first pint of the day. There was a varied selection of local ales on offer, from mild through to some lovely hoppy beers from Canterbury Brewers, Abigale in Ashford, Canterbury Ales, Wantsum and The Old Dairy Brewery. There was also a Leas Lift Beer brewed specially by Abigale for the festival, as well as at least six different ciders and perries. Other than a few straw bales strewn around the seafront for those who were perhaps no longer able to remain upright, most people congregated to sup their pints on the wide path between the lift and the stony beach. The next festival is planned for February 2012, when I’m sure there will be enough beer for the whole weekend. [SC]
Faversham’s hidden gem The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore, Faversham
A 17th Century traditional creek side free house. Selling up to five real ales from Kentish brewers, and serving good food. Take a trip back in time and savour the delights of a truly traditional pub. Rated by Jamie Oliver as one of the top 100 traditional pubs in the country.
Please check website or phone to confirm hours of opening. Tel: 01795 590088
Web: www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk Directions: At Davington School turn into Ham Road and follow the signs across the marsh.
Winter Issue 2011
15
Valid from 2nd January 2012 until 29th February 2012
16
Winter Issue 2011
Thornbridge Brewery Tap
A
s a build up to the Clun Valley Beer festival weekend I had the pleasure of an overnight stop in Sheffield. Anyone that knows anything about beer in Sheffield will have certainly spent many an hour at the Thornbridge Sheffield Tap then no doubt moving on spent a few more enjoyable hours in the Kelham Island Brewery tap (about 10 mins walk away). The Sheffield Tap is housed within the former Edwardian Refreshment Room & Dining Rooms at Sheffield Station. What is seen to visitors today is two years of hard work and considerable investment to restore the rooms to their original condition. They became disused in the 1960’s, with the final whistle being dealt by British Rail in the 1970’s when the Refreshment Room was converted into a waiting room. The original mahogany bar top was removed and the damaged front bar pushed to the rear of the room beneath the back bar, and the ornate fireplace and features taken from the building. Over a few months the Grade II listed interior was vandalised and eventually locked-up in 1976. The interior was then left to decay with the original ornate plaster ceiling suffering partial
Winter Issue 2011
collapse due to the leaking roof. Finally in 2008 after lots of ‘red tape’ Thornbridge gained access to the derelict rooms and begin the much sought after restoration. With private investment and grant assistance from The Railway Heritage Trust, the brewery were able to correct the damage caused by years of abuse. Their vision was to repair where possible and replicate as required. The ornate barrel plaster ceiling is a complete replica of the previous feature, taken from moulds of the original and handmade by a local contractor. The existing mahogany bar was salvaged from pieces of the original, being rebuilt and polished to detail. It is worth noting that the brewery is the caretaker of the tap as it is Grade II listed and publicly owned. Today the Tap offers the a superb choice of beer sourced from all over the UK, dispensed from 10 traditional cask hand pulls (at least 5 from Thornbridge) and 12 continental swing handled taps. This impressive selection is complemented and set against a backdrop of over 2000 bottled world beers. DEFINITELY ONE OF MANY PUBS TO TRY WHEN NEXT IN SHEFFIELD. [AK]
17
The Elephant Faversham’s Free House
Swale CAMRA Pub of the Year 2007 to 2011 and East Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year 2010 Normally five beers, mainly from local microbreweries and a real traditional cider
Large courtyard garden and a function room Open: Tuesday to Friday: 3pm to 11pm, Saturday: 12 noon to 11pm, Sunday: 12.00 noon to 7pm 31 The Mall, Faversham, Kent ME13 8JN. Tel: 01795 590157 18
Winter Issue 2011
Cantillon Brewery, Brussels
N
ot far from the Gare du Midi in Brussels, in a unassuming street, lies one of the brewing gems of Brussels. In fact if it weren’t for a good guidebook and the sign outside I would have walked straight past taking no notice. But as I opened the door and stepped inside a rich vinous aroma engulfed me and it was as if I had stepped back in time. The Cantillon Brewery is a family brewery where Lambic, Gueze and Kriek are made and where nothing has changed since 1900 when it was founded. The Van Roy-Cantillon family. The brewery offers a self guided tour where you will see the original copper cooling vessels that allow the wild yeasts in the air to naturally impregnate the beer which is then fermented in the barrel and stored for up to three years. You have to remind yourself, as you are walking through the avenues of barrels, that you are not in one of the famous cognac houses in France.
The Brew Kettle Winter Issue 2011
The Cooling Tun The tour starts and ends in the bar - a delightful beamed and flagged area with an old iron pot stove in the centre and scrubbed wooden tables and benches. Here you can sit and sample the beers whilst watching the bottling of the next batch. On the tour you will see the round copper brew kettle where grain malts and water combine and dried hops are added during the boil. The entire building filled with a wonderful aroma that is familiar to anyone who has spent time near a brewery. The wort is then transported to the cooling tun. This is a large, open, and shallow copper pan which holds 7,500 litres of wort. The tun is entirely riveted, with no welds and is a testament to the skill of the coppersmith who made it. This allows a large amount of surface area to be exposed to chilly air via louvers in the building’s walls. This process can only take place from the end of October to the start of April as 19
THE LEADING LIGHT
wetherspoon OVER 600 OF THE FINEST ALES SOLD NATIONALLY AT J D WETHERSPOON BRITAIN’S NO.1 SUPPORTER OF MICROBREWERIES JOIN CAMRA TODAY AND RECEIVE WETHERSPOON REAL VOUCHERS WORTH £20 FULL DETAILS ON APPLICATION FORM: WWW. CAMRA.ORG.UK
Join us for your Christmas meal up to 22 December. No booking required. Why not eat on one of our Club days? Steak Club: Tuesdays 3pm to 10pm Curry Club: Thursdays 3pm to 10 pm Sunday Club (Roasts): Sundays Noon to 6pm Club meals include a free drink. See menu for details.
20-22 Preston Street, Faversham, Kent Subject to local licensing restrictions and availability at participating free houses
20
Winter Issue 2011
Cantillon Brewery, Brussels at other times the air is not cold enough to cool the wort quickly enough. Two things happen here: first, the liquid cools down quickly; and second, it is produced with natural yeasts that happen to be airborne around the building at that time. The resultant brew is then transferred to oak or chestnut barrels for fermenting and aging where they will stay for up to three years before being blended and bottled. Lambic beer is somewhat of an acquired taste due to its sourness. Some batches are more acid and some more bitter and some are softer and less harsh. This is due to the natural characteristics of the brewing process. Batches of different aged lambics are blended together to create Gueuze. Fruit is added to other lambics to produce Kriek (cherry), or Framboise (raspberry).
The Barrel Store
Pubs to visit in Brussels —————————— Delirium 4a Impasse de la Fidelite This beer café stocks over 2000 beers. Poechenellekelder 5 Rue du Chene Opposite the statue of Manneken Pis, this bar allows you to drink surrounded by Mannequins. Cirio 20 rue de la Bourse This café serves excellent food, beers and coffee.
Further Reading: CAMRA Good beer guide to Belgium – Tim Webb CAMRA 100 Belgian beers to try before you die – Tim Webb & Joris Pattyn Winter Issue 2011
The Becasse Off 11 Rue Tabora This bar serves its own sweet draught Lambic in earthenware cups.
21
The PHOENIX TAVERN Abbey Street, FAVERSHAM Tel: 01795 591462 REAL ALES from Around the UK and Local REAL FOOD prepared freshly daily on the premises REAL ATMOSPHERE lovely garden and open inglenook log fires REAL TRADITION—14th century oak beamed pub Quality lagers and Quality Wine form Corney and Barrow
Good Beer Guide 2012
@Phoenixfav
The Phoenix Tavern Faversham
www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk 90 Abbey Street, Faversham, ME13 7BH—01795 591462 22
Winter Issue 2011
Rose and Crown Perry Wood
Christmas party bookings are now being taken. Call for details and a menu. Regular casks are Harveys Best and Adnams Southwold along with a changing guest. Food is traditional using local suppliers with daily specials served in the pub or adjoining restaurant. Opening hours: Mon to Sat 11.30-15.00, 18.30-23.00 (not Monday evenings) Sunday all day 12.00-22.30 Lunch served daily 12.00-14.00 (Sunday 15.30) Evenings Tuesday - Saturday 18.30-21.00 Perry Wood, Selling, Nr Faversham, Kent ME13 9RY. Tel: 01227 752214 www.roseandcrownperrywood.co.uk Winter Issue 2011
23
Selling to Perry Wood Walk Overview This is a linear walk from Selling station across fields and orchards into Perry Wood. This walk takes in two pubs, one with its own hop garden. Length 50 minutes to 1 hour each way. This walk can be extended by spending time walking in Perry Wood. Rose and Crown, Perry Wood
T
his walk starts at Selling station w h i c h i s s it u at e d on t h e Sittingbourne to Dover railway line 4 minutes from Faversham. On arriving at Selling cross the railway bridge and walk up the station approach road for one minute until you reach the sadly now closed Sondes Arms. You will reach Crouch Lane, Turn left and walk for about three minutes until you reach a footpath sign bearing right. The sign reads ‘footpath, Selling 3/4 miles’. Take this footpath. Follow the footpath between the houses with garages on your left. Continue between the tall trees and a large hedge and you will emerge in a field of pear trees. Follow this path straight on as the pear trees are replaced by large polytunnels, which on my late September walk were full of ripe strawberries. The walk continues straight on following the tractor path which undulates across the fields. At key junctions the ground will become muddy and will be separated by a row of large 24
trees. Choose the least muddy route and continue straight on until you reach a fenced off field that has been developed into caravan accommodation for fruit pickers. This small development is hidden behind a row of tall trees. Continue for a short while with the fence on your left until you reach the end of the field and a choice of stiles. Take the stile on your left and enter a field with a row of tall, established trees. Follow the well-trodden path with these trees on your left and the barbed wire fence on your right. You will walk past a cricket pitch on your left which on my sunny Saturday visit was being prepared for an afternoon game. Cross over the stile at the end of the field where you will meet a small road. Turn right and follow the road past Selling Court until you see a footpath sign ZR652 on your left. At this point you have a choice. Continue your walk up the footpath towards Perry Wood or stop for a pint at the White Lion, a delightful Shepherd Neame pub that serves excellent lunchtime and evening food. Winter Issue 2011
1
White Lion, Selling
2
Rose and Crown, Perry Wood
Follow this path up a small hill until you reach a field full of apple trees. Continue straight on towards the path marker with a yellow arrow. Continue between the rows of young apple trees under the support wires until you reach a further marker. At this marker turn right. Follow the tractor path down a small hill and you will see a further marker. You will notice that the land here has been churned by agriculture vehicles and care should be taken when crossing this area. Turn left and enter a well established pear and apple orchard. Walk up hill with these trees on your left. In the corner of this field you will see a gap. Follow this, bearing left in order to continue straight on. You will notice many rabbit warrens to your right and a stile straight ahead. Cross this stile into a small field. Walk with the small trees on your right towards a gate and a house.
Winter Issue 2011
Start
Cross the rickety stile into the front garden of Puddledock house. Continue straight on down the driveway until you reach the road. At the road turn left and then quickly take the bridleway ZR654 into Perry Wood on your left. Follow the bridleway straight through the woods. After a short while the route becomes more defined, After a about 10 minutes you will reach a road. Turn left and you will see the front entrance of the Rose and Crown. This busy 16th Century pub has one main U shaped bar with a small restaurant area leading off down some steps to the rear. Inside this old pub has a good atmosphere which has not been disturbed by the excellent food that is served both lunch times and for dinner. On my visit they were serving Adnams Southwold Bitter [3.7%], Harveys Sussex Best Bitter [4.0%] and Wells Naked Gold [4.1%].
25
White Lion Selling
The White Lion is a restored coaching inn dating from 1703, in the village of Selling, close to the beautiful walks of Perry Woods Mon - Fri: 12:00 - 15:00 and 18:00 - 22:45 Sat 12:00 - 22:45 Sun 12:00 - 22:45
The Street, Selling, Kent, ME13 9RQ Telephone: 01227 752211 26
Winter Issue 2011
Selling to Perry Wood Walk For your return journey retrace your steps, stopping at the White Lion. The White Lion is a two bar Shepherd Neame pub serving Master Brew [3.7%] and Late Red [4.5%] on my visit. The pub has accommodation above and a indoor and outdoor restaurant area to the rear. It has its own hop garden which last year was visited by a double decker bus full of ex hop pickers. The pub has two live fires - a log burner in the public bar and an open fire with a hydro powered spit roast. Good food is offered daily, but not always from the spit roast! [KS&SC]
The White Lion, Selling
Quizzicale Can you work out the brewery or beer from these cryptic clues? There is no prize for getting them right, just the warm glow from knowing you are a clever clogs!! 1. Does this point the way to the See? 2. This brown ale is not for the ladies 3. Aged, spattered fowl at the wheel of a sports car 4. Seasonal Flasher 5. No magic but Merlin is at the front of this high flyer 6. The Prince’s watering holes 7. Jealous Royal 8. Does this beer need to one of these to win at Crufts? 9. Would you get a pint of this bitter if you won a championship? 10. Tell the devil to jump on one leg to get this Kent brewery 11. Does Bambi’s aged friend drink this ale? 12. The pig has returned to the brewery 13. A windy brewery? 14. The PM’s brewery? 15. If you kept on building dwellings you would get this brewery.
Winter Issue 2011
27
THE BOWL INN
Come and relax and enjoy the good company and friendly atmosphere with a glass of fine ale - always 4 available. We have a welcoming real fire & heated patio area. Regular steak nights, curry nights, and live music. For ‘what’s on’ please visit our website www.bowl-inn.co.uk We can also offer bed and breakfast accommodation with 4 ensuite bedrooms, and a garden room which offers full facilities for disabled guests. We are a 'dog and horse friendly' Inn Alan and Sue Paine Egg Hill Road, Charing, Ashford, Kent TN27 OHG Tel: 01233 712256 email info@bowl-inn.co.uk
28
Winter Issue 2011
Pub Crawl - Charing Cross Station to Victoria Station
T
his is the first in a series of London pub crawls designed to give a flavour of the wealth of pubs and real ale available in London. The Harp, Chandos Place, Charing Cross The first port of call on the crawl is the 2011 CAMRA pub of year, the Harp adorned with hanging baskets. Arrive here at lunchtime for some of the best sausages in a bun in London washed down with a good selection of ales including three from Dark Star (Hophead and American Pale Ale always on), Wandle and a range of beers from, mainly, South East and London microbreweries. The Harp has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere with committed and informed bar staff.
The Harp The Lord Moon of the Mall, Whitehall From the Harp it’s a five minute walk to the Lord Moon on Whitehall near Horseguards parade. The Lord Moon is Winter Issue 2011
Lord Moon of the Mall one of the best Wetherspoons in London with a very good range of real ale including the full range of festival beers. You can often find a nice Scottish beer (Harviestoun or Caledonian) on tap. The Plume of Feathers, St. James’s Cross Horseguards then St James’s Park towards the tube and you will come upon the Feathers. This is one of the better Nicholson’s pubs in London with Tribute, Jaipur, Doom Bar often on and the full range of Nicholson’s Festival beers (eight pumps in all). The Speaker, Westminster Cross Victoria Street and head down Strutton Ground, turn left at the bottom and you will come to the Speaker. This is consistently one of the best pubs in London where you can guarantee that the beer is on good form. Tim Taylor Landlord and Young’s Original are always on tap with two guest beers from around the UK usually as part of a themed beer festival. The Cask and Kitchen, Pimlico 15 minutes walk from the other pubs in the guide, but well worth the walk, is the 29
Pub Crawl - Charing Cross Station to Victoria Station
The Cask Pub and Kitchen
Cask Pub and Kitchen, which since opening two years ago has grown from
strength to strength to be local branch pub of year. When last in there you could choose from 11 pumps of real ale, 8 kegs of foreign beer and cider and hundreds of bottles of American Beer. The beer is consistency good and usually comes from small micro-breweries from across the UK with regular Dark Star as a staple. The Cask also has meet the brewer evenings so keep an eye on their website. From the Cask it is a five minute walk to Victoria Station. Next time Charing Cross to Blackfriars. [PI]
Bat and Trap
O
ur annual bat & trap match was held on Saturday 13th August at The Castle, Oare near Faversham. This year we had eight teams, three made up from branch members and the other teams came from the pubs’ own teams and regulars. The weather on the day started overcast but the cloud broke up to bathe us in sunshine once we had started. Bob Mason the landlord organised the teams and as we did last year we played a shortened version of the game with each batsman being bowled six balls each. This was done to keep the games short and to regularly change the teams playing. At half time break we stopped play to enjoy a buffet which Dawn the landlady had prepared whilst the first half was played. Into the second half and it was
30
Bat and Trap, The Castle, Oare down to two teams to play for second place as the men's pub team had won outright by then by winning all their games. Everyone expressed how much they had enjoyed the day and looked forward to next year’s match. [GH]
Winter Issue 2011
Pub of the Year
F
or the fifth year running The Elephant was selected by the Swale branch as their Pub of the Year (POTY), and in 2010 it even progressed to the East Kent POTY title. Prior to this excellent run The Shipwright’s Arms at Hollowshore was a regular winner and once made it to the Super Regional stage. How do pubs achieve POTY, what is the judging process, and perhaps I should add why do certain pubs win? The Flowerpot in Maidstone is currently Kent POTY repeating it’s success in 2010. The start of the process is the selection of pubs in each branch area for the Good Beer Guide (GBG). Swale is allocated a limited, but agreed, number of entries in the GBG. These are the pubs where we have surveyed throughout the year for real beer quality and from that number, the branch vote for the POTY before the end of March. The lucky winner then goes forward to the next stage where all the East Kent branches and West Kent branches produce a POTY for their area, which is then judged by those Kent branches without a finalist, to establish Kent POTY by mid-August. At this point the responsibility for marking and judging passes away from branch level. The next stage is to reduce the number of Regional winners, 16 in total down to four Super Regionals by the end of October and these last four are judged to produce the CAMRA National POTY around the beginning of February. The marking system is consistently applied throughout the country; is well documented, and guidance notes are comprehensive. All details are available for CAMRA members on the website. The
Winter Issue 2011
Awarding SWALE CAMRA the Pub of the Year to Kim and Jim Pearson at the Elephant judges visiting each selected pub use an agreed process to establish how far the pubs meet the standard for various criteria set out in the judging form. The criteria marked out of ten are Quality of Beer Atmosphere/style /décor Service and Welcome Clientele mix Sympathy with CAMRA aims, and Good value. The scores, hardly surprising, are slightly weighted in favour of the Beer Quality. The judging is intended to be enjoyable and certainly a good day or evening out often results from the visits, but when the marking is added up it is sometimes amazing how close the results for the pubs can be. It may be too late for any involvement this year but maybe next year, apart from having an input in the GBG, perhaps a bit of judging to see how it works in reality would bring an insight into the competition and a new
31
32
Winter Issue 2011
Cider Pub
Awarding Cider Pub of the Year to Nuala at the Old Wine Vault selection of pubs into your drinking portfolio. So why do some pubs feature regularly in the competition? An understandable question, especially if
Winter Issue 2011
your favourite watering hole doesn’t. My personal view is that the successful pubs are those that do follow and understand the CAMRA campaign and are mindful of what the customer wants in terms of beer, cider, atmosphere and service. In some cases because they, as individuals, are there in the pub, have the same aims as us and can see the customers’ point of view when constructive criticism is made. How many times have you been to a good pub, never see the licensee and see the same old range of beers on the handpump, from the same old pub company list? It is those licensees that go a bit further and try harder that reflect successive pubs in Pub of the Year. [JW]
33
Swale Pub Database
D
o you want to know whether there is a pub in a town or village near you selling real ale? Or do you know of any pub, selling real ale or not, but cannot remember the name? Well the answer may be to look at the Swale CAMRA website and check the Kent pubs database. It’s so easy, all you need to do once on our website is click ‘Kent Pubs database’ on the left-hand menu and when you reach the database page you make an enquiry by searching for either location or the pub name. All the known pubs in Swale are included as well as pubs in our neighbouring branch Canterbury, Herne Bay & Whitstable and also those of Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh. Our Swale pubs were only added to this system in 2010 and while the information provided for those pubs surveyed for inclusion in the Good Beer Guide (GBG) is fairly comprehensive for beer, opening times and other facilities the other pubs may be restricted to very basic information on location and
whether selling real ale or not. The database is being progressively enhanced but updates have to await a visit from our branch members. Have you a favourite pub or local in Swale which isn’t in the GBG? If so perhaps you might like to take a look at the entry and check the details. If you can fill in some details, then send us an email with the additional or revised information and I will get the changes made. [JW]
Quiz Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Bishops Finger Manns Old Speckled Hen Summer Lightening Spitfire Charles Wells Greene king Pedigree
9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Trophy Hopdaemon Old Thumper Hogs Back Gales Camerons Moorhouses 34
Winter Issue 2011
THE ALBION TAVERNA CREEKSIDE WWW.ALBIONTAVERNA.COM
TEL: 01795 591411
MEXICAN & ENGLISH COOK HOUSE
29 FRONT BRENTS, FAVERSHAM, KENT Experience the exciting colours and flavours of Mexican and English cuisine in the water front setting. Relaxed, value for money dining in great surroundings. Serving three cask ales Open 7 days a week Till late Winter Issue 2011
35
A Tale of Two Breweries
T
his month we were lucky enough to visit two breweries in one weekend. I started at Ludlow Brewery in the historical Shropshire Town. Ludlow has just moved to an impressive ultra-modern brewery right next to Ludlow railway station. The brewery bar serves the full Ludlow range which includes Black Knight (ruby stout), Gold, Best, Stairway to Paradise (golden ale with a hint of honey (5%)) and The Boiling Well (malty and dark) all in peak condition as you would expect. Ludlow Brewery was established in 2006 and with its move has increased capacity to 20 barrels. The new building em bodies sustainable principles including rainwater harvesting, energy efficiency and has potential for solar microgeneration. If the brewery isn’t enough for you then head five minutes into Ludlow town to the Church Inn with 10 local beers (Wye Valley, Hobsons, The Three Tuns, Ludlow, Six Bells) and very good food. The next day provided the opportunity for a trip to Bishops Castle on the border of Wales; a town with the oldest licensed brewery in the country – The Three Tuns. We were treated to a guided tour by the head brewer around a brewery that has remained on the same site since it was established – some of the buildings are still the same (albeit with more modern fixtures such as lights). 36
Three Tuns, UKs oldest licensed brewery 1642
Production capacity is limited and therefore they don’t supply to many festivals outside the area. It is truly a local brewery and gets its hops from down the road. They produce four regular beers – 1642 (3.8% Golden Bitter), XXX (4.3% Premium Bitter), Cleric’s Cure (5% hoppy beer) and Old Scrooge (6.5% Barley Wine) - all were very nice. A visit to Shropshire is a must, particularly combined with the Clun Valley Beer Festival. [PI] Winter Issue 2011
Clun Valley Beer Festival
T
he Clun Valley beer festival, now in its 11th consecutive year, is held over the 1st Fri Sun in October. Brilliantly masterminded by ex London pub landlord, and now owner of The White Horse in Clun Jack Lemond, this event visits 6 rural pubs over a 10 mile radius deep in the heart of the Clun - Shropshire valley. The pubs that subscribe to this very popular and very well organised weekend are The Crown Inn, Newcastle, The White Horse and The Sun Inn, Clun, The Crown Inn, Clunton, The Hundred House, Purslow and the Kangaroo Inn, Aston on Clun. Each pub along the route showcases at least 10 real ales and a couple of cask ciders, the majority being locally sourced from micros in the area - Hobsons, Wye Valley, Three Tuns, Salopian and Stonehouse to name a few. To complement the excellent selection of quality ales a superb range of hot and cold food is available throughout the day and evening in all the pubs – I can personally recommend the mixed grill option at The Crown Inn; also live music from local bands plays in 3 out of the 6 pubs. Jack thought of everything when planning this weekend so because of the distance between the pubs a local coach firm is contracted for the Friday evening and all day Saturday providing a comprehensive timetable until 11pm, running two Winter Issue 2011
coaches back and forth from Newcastle to Aston on Clun. If the beer festival is not enough to keep most ale lovers amused then the surrounding villages have a lot to offer – it boasts four breweries within 5/10 miles of each other – Ludlow Brewing Company (Ludlow Gold), Woods of Wistanstow famous for their Shropshire Lass and Lad, The Six Bells Brewery in Bishops Castle and finally the Three Tuns (also at Bishops Castle) which claims to be the oldest working licensed brewery in Britain from 1642. Our group had the pleasure of visiting this brewery and organised a private tour of the Three Tuns over the Clun festival weekend (see write up from Paul Irving) – this being one of the many highlights of the packed and enjoyable weekend. I recommend this event to any ale supporter – very well organised, heavily supported by many CAMRA groups throughout the country, the pubs and their selection of beers and of course the picturesque area of Clun and the surrounding villages. See you there next year... [AK] 37
A Pint of View The Editor, Swale Ale. Sir, I am extremely concerned at the adoption by many hostelries in our area of the slogan “locale” which is effectively discouraging the promotion of beers from around the country. The county would now appear to be running alive with microbreweries brewing which I would call sub-standard beers. During the summer I had the misfortune to visit the Canterbury Beer Festival, where apart from the appalling lack of hygienic toilet facilities, the other most notable feature to me was the preponderance of Kentish beers. There were 59 beers from Kent breweries and just 50 from outside of Kent. More recently I went to the beer festival at the Flying Horse at Boughton Aluph. There were 50 beers on offer and would you believe not one was from Kent. I questioned why this should be the case and was told in response that the beers were ordered from Flying Ferkin who do not have this ridiculous Kentish bias. Please do not think that I dislike Kentish beers. Indeed I find those from Goachers and Gadds very palatable but I would only resort to the others in the unlikely event of a nationwide brewing strike. However on the occasions that I visit the pub I do not want to be drinking the same beers all the time. Maybe the “locale” sign is another CAMRA hobbyhorse along with the fuss they kicked up about the use of cask breathers, the demand a full pint campaign etc. I started drinking beer in my late teens and we certainly did not have the variety to choose from in those days. Truman’s Best Bitter was a favourite then along with Courage Directors from Alton in Hampshire and Bass from Burton. As I have
38
now probably drunk in excess of 50,000 pints ( no wonder I’m broke ) I would like to think that I will not be denied my favourite beers because of the impact of the “locale” campaign. As I write this letter I am thinking to myself what 8 beers I would classify as my “Desert Island Beers”. They are as follows, in no particular order of preference : American Pale Ale - Dark Star Batham’s Best Bitter Gold Star - Goachers Brewers Gold Extra - Crouch Vale Double Header - RCH Pale Rider - Kelham Island Broadside - Adnams Brodie’s Prime - Hawkshead What happened, I included one from Kent !! Yours imbibingly Trevor Duncombe
If you agree with Trevor or have your own view please write to Swale Ale at: bailey664@btinternet.com
Winter Issue 2011
CHIMNEY BOY FAVERSHAM Traditional Pub Food Served Monday to Saturday 11:30 to 2:30pm Sunday Lunch 11:30 to 2:30pm Live Music Every Friday Night 8:30 PM
Home of Faversham Folk Club Every Wednesday Serving Shepherd Neame Largers and Real Ales Dave and His Team Wish Our Customers and Friends a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Winter Issue 2011
39
Advert
40
Winter Issue 2011