Swale Ale Magazine - Spring 2016

SWALE ALE SPRING 2016

THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA

The Signs Are Bad The unsavoury history of our favourite pub names

Clun... “Where?”

Getting to know the Clun Valley Beer Festival

Wake up and use our loaves

A new and novel way to brew beer

CHEERS

FOR 40 YEARS!

CONTEMPORARY PUB AND EATING HOUSE With log fires, comfy arm chairs, restaurant & private dining room, courtyard & garden. Set in Conyer which is part of the fabulous Swale walking area with the Saxon Shore Way and Swale Heritage Trail. Dogs & children welcome.

Great Cuisine from our light lunch menu to dining Ă la Carte with a wide selection of dishes prepared by our chef from locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Always ask if you have any special diet requirements.

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Food served daily ~ see our website for times, menus, Special set menu days, jazz & blues evenings, etc Weekend breakfast menu ~ served 10am to 12:30pm

FREE HOUSE with good range of cask ales, lagers & wines including Adnams, Masterbrew, Old Dairy Red Top, Guest Ales Read about us in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. CASK MARQUE www.shipinnconyer.co.uk email enquiries@shipinnconyer.co.uk TABLE BOOKINGS t 01795 520881

The Ship Inn Conyer Conyer Quay, Teynham Kent ME9 9HR

CHAIRMAN’S CHOW Welcome to the latest edition of Swale Ale. This year is a very special one for Swale CAMRA as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary.

We kicked off our celebrations at the Fountain in Sittingbourne where a recent open branch meeting took place 40 years to the day of the group’s formation. It was great to see so many familiar faces; including one of our founder members and one of our newest members.

Now would be an appropriate time to take stock of what CAMRA has achieved and its relevance. With over 176,000 members; nearly 1,500 breweries and successful campaigning on tax and pub preservation; some have said that the campaign has achieved its objectives.

It strikes me that although a lot has been achieved, there is still much to do. For whilst many pubs have real ale, the quality varies

enormously – who hasn’t had a lifeless pint or one which has been served too cold?

And pubs are still closing, most recently in Swale the Railway Tavern in Teynham and The Summoner in Sittingbourne.

CAMRA is currently embarking on a “Revitalisation” project and a number of events are being held across the country to engage members. It’s an opportunity to shape the future direction of CAMRA. Keep an eye on our website, Twitter and Facebook sites for more details and also more information of the event that will be planned for this year to celebrate 40 years of CAMRA in Swale and look forward to the next 40.

Cheers!

Paul Irving

KEEP IN TOUCH Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to be sure that you don’t miss any of the latest news, events and goings-on in Swale.

CAMRAswale Swale Ale © Spring 2016 Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd (CAMRA).

Circulation: 2000 Editorial Committee and Contributors: Les Bailey, Mike Harris, Gary Holness, Bob Gates, Paul Irving, Matt Deller, Steve Bennion, Andy Kitney, Alex Earl

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.

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 Branch Details Chairman: Paul Irving Secretary: Linda Gates Social Secretary: Howard Gates Treasurer: Les Bailey Press and Publicity Officer: Matt Deller Pubs Officer: Harvey Melia Membership Officer: Alex Earl

SWALE BREWERY NEWS SHEPHERD NEAME In Spring Shepherd Neame will relaunch some of its seasonal ales.

Early Bird (4.3% ABV) takes its name from the Early Bird variety of Shepherd Neame’s signature East Kent Goldings hops, grown in hop gardens near the Faversham brewery. A refreshing pale golden beer with floral aroma, it is a superb accompaniment for salads and fish dishes.

Created to commemorate St George’s Day, Dragonfire (4.5% ABV) combines barley, oats, rye and wheat with two English hop varieties – Goldings and First Gold – in addition to a fiery secret ingredient. Conceived in Shepherd Neame’s pilot brewery, the gutsy seasonal ale is full bodied and rich with mellow mahogany hue.

India Pale Ale (4.5% ABV) hails from the tradition of 18th Century IPAs, which relied on generous hopping to protect exports during arduous journeys overseas. This modern incarnation retains the strength, body and strong hop character which is synonymous with this beer’s provenance. India Pale Ale delivers potent bitterness, offset with generous amounts of pale ale malt to deliver

a balanced, yet uncompromising brew.

In addition to these there is an exciting new limited edition American-style beer available on draught nationwide from March 1 for one month only.

Hog Island East Coast Pale Ale (4.8% ABV) eschews Shepherd Neame’s tradition for using Kentish hops, by opting for some of the most in-vogue hops from across the pond: Boadicea, Amarillo and Cascade. These have been combined with pale ale and crystal malts to create a deep golden beer boasting citrus, pine and fruit aromas melded with light caramel notes and a robust bitterness.

Head brewer Richard Frost said: “Hog Island is a really exciting addition to the No.18 Yard Brewhouse collection. It is a refreshing, zesty beer which retains the malty character of the typical East Coast pale ale.”

The branch Brewery liaison Officer is Bob Thompson.

MADCAT

HOPDAEMON

The brewery is currently undergoing a re-brand and hope to unveil their new look soon, more to follow in our summer issue. We are also pleased to hear that the brewery has re-signed another three year lease at Brogdale.

Hopdaemon continues to brew to capacity. They continue to brew their core range of ales. A recent addition, Raeven Black IPA (4.8% ABV), was available for a limited period of time and spotted in the Paper Mill, Sittingbourne and the Elephant, Faversham. More new beers will appear throughout 2016.

A new special will be released each month from February and bottling will recommence around Easter although we are told this part of the process will be contracted out. Sales of their Mild are going very well.

The branch Brewery Liasion Officer is Howard Gates.

Members have recently noted that the White Horse, Sittingbourne has started serving their beers.

The branch Brewery Liasion Officer is Doris Munday.

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www.camra-swale.org.uk

swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

2016 Good Pub Guide Awards

WORLD’S BEST MILD ALE World Beer Awards 2015

WORLD’S BEST BROWN ALE World Beer Awards 2015

CHAMPION BOTTLE CONDITIONED BEER

CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain Competition, Olympia 2015

BEER OF THE FESTIVAL Pendle Beer Festival 2015

BEER OF THE FESTIVAL

South Downs Beer & Cider Festival 2015

BEER OF THE FESTIVAL Eastbourne Beer Festival 2015

SUSSEX BEER OF THE FESTIVAL

Worthing Beer Festival 2015

Award Winning Beers

Handmade in Lewes

Tel: 01273 840 509 • www.harveys.org.uk

CAMRA NEWS CAMRA in call for further beer tax reduction to help protect pubs The number of pubs closing every week has fallen slightly to 27, but the industry still needs help so the “fragile recovery” can continue, a new report says.

and beer industry and the Government is taking effect and arresting the decline in the number of pubs being lost every week.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) called on the Government to cut beer tax, despite the reduction in pub closures in the last six months of 2015 from a weekly figure of 29.

However, it’s a fragile recovery which could very quickly be reversed if the Government fails to build on this positive development and misses the chance to support the British pub and beer industry by reducing tax again.

The group said that more than 1,000 pubs would have closed and 26,000 jobs lost if beer tax had not been cut in 2014.

It’s pleasing to see that our campaigning to protect community pubs is having an effect, with closure numbers reducing.

Ministers were urged to continue cutting tax to help keep beer affordable and slow the number of pub closures.

As well as reducing tax, the Government can continue to support these pubs by strengthening national planning regulations and supporting local groups seeking to list pubs as Assets of Community Value.”

Tim Page, Chief Executive of CAMRA, said: “The latest figures show that the work of campaigners across CAMRA, the wider pub

FESTIVALS & PUB EVENTS Sussex Beer Festival - 17–19 March Brighton Corn Exchange, Church Street, Brighton, BN1 1UE.

The closure figures for the second half of 2015 compare to the total for the previous six months.

A Treasury spokesman said: “The Government continues to support the pub and beer industry across the UK. That’s why we took action at Budget 2015 to cut the tax on a typical pint of beer by a penny for the third year in a row, to cut duties on spirits and most ciders by 2%, and to freeze duty on wine.”

11th Planet Thanet Easter Beer Festival 25-26 March Winter Gardens, Fort Crescent, Margate, CT9 1HX

BRANCH DIARY

CAMRA Members Weekend & 2016 AGM 1-3 April Liverpool

Wed 13 April 2016, 8pm – 9.30pm Open Branch Meeting at Minster Working Mens Club

11th Bexley Beer Festival - 5-7 May Old Dartfordians Sports Club, War Memorial Club House, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1LW

Wed 11 May 2016, 8pm – 9.30pm Open Branch Meeting at The Chequers Inn, Doddington

8th CAMRA Kent & East Sussex Railway Beer & Cider Festival - 17-18 June Kent & East Sussex Railway, Station Road, Tenterden, TN30 6HE

Wed 8 June 2016, 8pm – 9.30pm Open Branch Meeting at Three Horseshoes, Staplestreet

Great British Beer Festival - 9-13 August Olympia, London

www.camra-swale.org.uk

Wed 13 July 2016, 8pm – 9.30pm Branch AGM at Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore

swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

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SWALE PUB NEWS BADLESMERE

GRAVENEY

The Red Lion has launched a new website at www.redlionbadlesmere.co.uk. Recent beers have included Westerham Spirit of Kent & God’s Wallop. They will also be sourcing beers from Romney Marsh Brewery.

The Freewheel continues to host regular themed evenings, film showings and cycling related events. Canterbury Brewers beer feature frequently.

HERNHILL

DODDINGTON The Chequers Inn has a number of live events planned details of which can be found on its website.

LOWER HALSTOW

EASTLING The Carpenters Arms has a Reggae Night on 30th April. Masterbrew being served on recent visit.

FAVERSHAM The Limes reopened last year under new management following refurbishment.

Regular events are held including music evenings and up to four Shepherd Neame beers are available.

The Elephant recent beers include the impressive Dark Star Imperial Russian Stout at 10.5%. Jim continues to have regular house beers from Hopdaemon and Mad Cat. Furlongs Ale House continues to go from strength to strength and still offers a CAMRA discount. They celebrated their first anniversary in December with a good turnout from regular customers, including many CAMRA members.

The Market Inn continues to host regular live music.

The Phoenix - regular events continue to be organised (check the website for details) and a range of enterprise beers are served.

The Vaults Cask & Kitchen hosts a quiz and curry on the 1st Monday of each month and will be hosting St Kevins (cider) and St Arnolds (ale) festivals during the year. A CAMRA discount continues to be offered on local ale and cider and a house beer is often sourced from Mad Cat. A new Micro Pub is likely to be located at the former Able Glass shop in Preston Street.

www.camra-swale.org.uk

The Red Lion has re-opened under new management, still focusing on good quality food and local ales.

The Three Tuns held a very successful winter beer festival which was well attended by CAMRA members. Some great beers were available along with a hog roast. Regular quizzes continue to be held (usually first Wednesday of the month) and food continues to be popular. A CAMRA discount is still offered on beer and cider.

MILTON REGIS The Three Hats continues to serve up to four beers. Regular themed food evenings, including a Thai evening, are proving popular.

MILSTEAD The Red Lion is up for sale.

MINSTER The Heritage continues to serve a range of real ales, ciders, wines and mead.

NEWNHAM The George continues to serve a choice of Shepherd Neame beers and regular events are scheduled throughout the spring.

RODMERSHAM The Fruiterers Arms continues to offer 3 real ales from the Enterprise range. A recent visit found London Pride, Moorhouse’s Blond Witch and Well & Young’s London Glory available all at £3.40 a pint.

swaleale@gmail.com

Continued overleaf...

CAMRAswale

9

SITTINGBOURNE

SELLING

The Fountain - new licensee Ricky was delighted to host our 40th anniversary branch meeting on 13th January. Two well-kept Shepherd Neame beers were available.

The White Lion has opened under new management. Up to two Shepherd Neame beers are served.

Golden Hope - after its first six months is proving popular amongst locals and serves a good range of local and national ales.

TEYNHAM The Swan is under new management. They continue to serve local beers.

Long Hop is under new management and continues to serve a range of beer from the Enterprise range.

The Railway Tavern has had approval for change of use to residential and is now for sale.

Paper Mill continues to feature a wide range of interesting national and local beers. The pub recently hosted a Chinese New Year week with a tap takeover from Blue Monkey brewery. Regular quizzes, cheese Sunday and other events are held.

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.

Park Tavern under new management.

The Summoner closed its doors on 14 February after 17 years of trading in the town.

White Horse is now selling Mad Cat beer.

ADVERTISE WITH SWALE ALE AND REACH OVER 2000 REAL ALE DRINKERS If you own or manage a pub, bar or restaurant and serve real ales, it’s never been easier to get your business in front of more than 2,000 people.

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www.camra-swale.org.uk

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THE PHOENIX TAVERN Founders and home of The Timothy Taylor Appreciation Society

Always a great selection of real ales on the six hand pumps, five lagers, cider and wines from Corney and Barrow.

Food served every day lunch and evening, all day Friday and Saturday and Sunday to 4.30pm.

All prepared on the premises with care and skill by our team of chefs.

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Inglenook fires in winter and lovely garden in summer Cask Marque Accredited

01795 591462 • www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk

THE HISTORY OF

THE PINT

The recent 800th Anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 may give the impression that the pint measure originates from the same date. But whilst the Magna Carta did indeed specify that “there shall be one measure of ale throughout the Realm” it defined this measure in very general terms as “the London Quarter” which was the equivalent of 2 pints. In fact it was not until the introduction of the 1824 Weights & Measures Act that the Imperial Pint was defined as 1/8th of an Imperial Gallon (20 fluid ounces). Scientifically it was defined as “the volume of 20 ounces (567 grams) of water at 62 F (16.7 C)”. Interestingly the old Scottish Pint (or “Joug”), which was the equivalent of 3 pints, remained in use until the 19th century, outlasting all other Scottish measures, for obvious reasons! More reassuring is the thought that the UK Pint is 20% larger than the USA Pint. So not everything is bigger in the States!

The UK’s membership of the European Union briefly threatened the existence of the “pint” with the introduction of the 1980 Weights and Measures Act which gave precedence to the use of metric units of weights and measures for trade and commercial activities.

Fortunately the UK negotiated an opt out for the use of the “pint” for draught beer and cider, initially until 2009 and more recently the EU has confirmed that it will continue indefinitely.

TRADING

STANDARDS

The trade off is that from April 2012 draught beer can only be sold in 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or 1 pint glasses. Hence we are spared the horror of ordering a 0.56826125 of a litre!

On a final note the origin of the word “Pint” derives from the French word “Pinte” or the Latin word “Picta” both of which mean “painted” referring to a line mark on the side of a glass marking a 1 pint volume of ale.

So the arguments for using pint to line beer glasses, as advocated by CAMRA, have a long standing historical basis.

Les Bailey

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 Email:

www.camra-swale.org.uk

trading.standardseast@kent.gov.uk

swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

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ROCKIN ROBIN BREWERY TRIP A group of Swale CAMRA members were lucky enough to visit Rockin Robin Brewery last year. The current brewery site, a 15 barrel microbrewery near Maidstone, was set up by Robin Smallbone in 2014. The team (Robin, Michelle and Oz) were excellent hosts and supplied us with a number of casks including a nice special beer brewed for the Rugby World Cup. We were joined by other discerning drinkers as part of Robin’s regular open days. During a tour of the brewery Robin explained that after starting from a core range of beers he is gradually exploring new styles.

We were lucky enough to try his first porter which it was pretty good. It was unnamed at the time but eventually entitled “Portly Robin”.

running, but also brewing out some seasonal specials; recently Portly Robin, Jinglebell Rock and out for St Patrick’s Day we have Stoutly Robin.

“To push the business further we are now going further into London. Our Summer Bash will be held at the brewery on 9th July 2016.

Meanwhile Keep Rockin!!”

Robin’s beers can regularly be found in Furlongs, the Elephant, the Three Tuns (Lower Halstow) and Wetherspoons pubs across Kent.

Paul Irving

Speaking during our visit, Robin said “We shall continue to keep our core products

On Wednesday 16th January, members returned to The Fountain in Sittingbourne (the scene of the first-ever branch meeting) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the groups formation in 1976.

The celebration saw members past and present reminisce about the early days of the Branch and share memories about local pubs, ales, beer festivals and breweries.

Chairman Paul Irving said: “It was great to return to the scene of the very first meeting.

Forty years on, it’s heartening to know that our efforts in campaigning for real ale continue to be successful, with CAMRA thriving both nationally and locally. Some pubs that didn’t serve real ale back then now offer a range of beers, with a good selection from the region’s smaller breweries.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWALE! www.camra-swale.org.uk

“We enjoy many social gatherings as a branch, visiting pubs and breweries and we’ll be working very hard in our anniversary year to get even more involved with our members.”

Matt Deller

Bob Gates [left] one of the founding members enjoys a pint with James Cousins [right], one of the branches newest members

swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

15

CLUN: ‘WHERE?’ I HEAR YOU SAY “Clunton and Clunbury, Clungunford and Clun are the quietest places under the sun” - A. E. Housman. (and how very true is that! – 110% I say.

Seven years ago I too had never heard of these places but thanks to the annual Clun Valley Beer Festival it’s a place I now know well – certainly the pubs and one particular excellent B&B/farmhouse in Clunton village! Clun – the biggest of the four (in the immediate area and mentioned in the Doomsday book) is located deep in the Shropshire hills about 15/20 minutes (by car) from Ludlow (Ludlow Brewery), Bishops Castle (Three Tuns and Six Bells), Cleobury Mortimer (Hobsons) and Wistanstow (Woods). Of course a little further afield you have the wonderful Salopian in Shrewsbury.

So the Clun Valley beer festival, now in its 15th consecutive year, is held over the 1st Fri - Sun in October. Brilliantly masterminded by ex London landlord, and now owner of The White Horse pub and Clun Brewery Jack Lemond, this event visits 6 rural pubs over a 10 mile radius deep in the 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 this a superb range of hot and cold food is available throughout the day

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and evening in all the pubs – I can personally recommend the mixed grill option at The Crown Inn – it’s not for the faint hearted!

Live music from local bands plays in the White Horse and Hundred House.

Jack thought of everything when staging this weekend. Due to the distance between the pubs a local coach firm is hired all day on the Saturday providing a shuttle from 2 - 11pm running two coaches back and forth from Newcastle to Aston on Clun. 2015 was my 7th consecutive year attending this highly enjoyable weekend normally accompanied by 4 other CAMRA members all from different branches (Stoke on Trent, Bridgenorth, Reading and West London). Over the years we have made a complete weekend of this opportunity by meeting in Shrewsbury on the Friday sampling their fine pubs. Then on the Saturday morning, prior to the main event, we would travel to either Bishops Castle and visit the highly rated Three Tuns Brewery, “which claims to be the oldest working licensed brewery in Britain from 1642!!”, or go to Ludlow and visit their brewery plus other fantastic pubs in this beautiful market town! Then we head to the nearest pub on the festival and start the long afternoon/evening working our way along the route.

I thoroughly recommend this event. It’s very well organised, heavily supported by CAMRA groups throughout the country, the pubs, their selection of beers and of course this picturesque area of Shropshire.

See you next year …….

swaleale@gmail.com

Andy Kitney

CAMRAswale

WAKE UP AND USE OUR LOAVES Following the success of the Brussels Beer Project, established by two maverick beer pioneers, Hackney Brewery is now serving up a tasty brew whilst combating a growing UK waste problem.

The brewery has teamed up with charity Feedback to create Toast Ale, made using leftover bread from London’s bakeries.

Bread is the UK’s most wasted food product, with around 1.5 million tonnes of bakery products being thrown away in the UK each year worth almost £860m.

The brewing process is much the same as for other beers, except about 30% of the malt used is replaced by mashed bread.

Starches from the bread are converted into fermentable sugars during the brewing process, creating a pale ale with hints of caramel and oats.

Using just 1.5 slices of bread per bottle, swapping out the malt for mashed bread helps hop utilisation so not only is it using less hops but also helping to hold onto the flavours more.

So come on brewers, surely there is a better place for bread than in the bin. If we only make a small dent in this waste problem or simply heighten awareness then that’s got to be a good thing – right?

Three batches of the ale have been brewed so far and can be bought online at www.toastale.com for £3 or from a list of stockists. Proceeds from the beer go to Feedback charity.

Marsh Mash.pdf

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Matt Deller

Brewery Shop Now Open Fridays 10am - 6.30pm

The first micro pub in Medway selling Real Ales, Ciders and Wines plus soft drinks, snacks & hot drinks.

Beer garden.

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Opening Times

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Unit 7 Jacks Park, Cinque Ports Rd, Mountfield Industrial Estate, New Romney, TN28 8AN

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12-7 Mon & Tue 12-6 Wed 12-9 Thu 12-11 Fri & Sat 12-4 Sun

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2 Skinner Street, Gillingham, ME7 1HD 07725 072293

For other opening time please calL 01797 362333 wWw.romneymarshbrewery.com

VICTORY FOR THE

BLACK PRINCE Black Prince, our mild Kent ale, has won gold in the SIBA regional awards. There’s no stopping him now.

WANTSUM. THE REBEL BREWERY OF KENT Fighting the good fight for real ale, made from the finest ingredients

400,000 years in the making

CYPRUS MICROBREWERY GETS THE FINAL GO AHEAD! The Yorkshire-family-owners of the Paphos-based Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub, the first licensed microbrewery in Cyprus, tell CAMRA the incredible story of the obstacles they had to overcome to start their brewery.

Why Did You Decide to Start a Microbrewery in Cyprus?

work later, before our thick dossier of documentation was complete. We were assured all was in order and we “…should receive the Permit to Brew in a week”.

Imagine our shock on receiving notification from Nicosia not with our promised Permit to Brew but with further demands, then further and then still further unreasonable and, often, impossible demands.

William Ginn, ‘Bill’, said, “I’m a Chartered Engineer in the oil industry and have travelled all my life. We wanted to start a family business and saw real potential to establish a microbrewery in beautiful Paphos where we had happily settled along with many other British expatriates.

It must be said that Jean, my wife, and I were treated very badly during these years and our health undoubtedly suffered. It turned out that CIPA was, in fact, powerless to help.

It almost felt as if there was a deliberate attempt by the government to drive us out of Cyprus for some reason!

Melanie, our daughter, studied in Sunderland as one of a growing band of British women brewers. Then, in 2010, we prepared a full business plan for CIPA, the Cyprus Investment Promotion Agency, who agreed to assist us.

We didn’t enter into this lightly nor, knowing Cyprus, did we expect things to be easy but no market research, business plan or MBA could have prepared us for the government nightmare to follow…”

We persevered and met all demands making it clear we would not just go away. Customs & Excise then dropped their bombshell, never previously mentioned, that should we ever receive a Permit to Brew we must pay a €51,000 bond and have a full-time Inspector on our premises whose salary and all expenses would be to our account. The cost could be well over €100,000pa; a crippling sum for a small family business.”

What Were the Problems You Encountered in Cyprus?

To Brussels and the European Parliament…

“We found an old defunct winery in a lush green valley in the hills above Paphos. The size was perfect plus it was full of charm and character with all permits as a ‘winery’.

CIPA said the ‘Change of Use’ application to ‘brewery’, “…should be straightforward”. It was, however, Easter 2012, eighteen months of continuous and largely unnecessary

www.camra-swale.org.uk

Bill said “With no options left to us, and feeling very alone, we took this to the European Parliament in Brussels with the support of our former Yorkshire MEPs.” Questions put to the European Commission in 2012, were:

swaleale@gmail.com

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CAMRAswale

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“Will the Commission investigate whether the difficulties and very long delays experienced

by Aphrodite’s Rock Brewing Company in its attempts to open for business in Cyprus are a function of: • •

•

•

The existence of non-tariff trading barriers The Cypriot authorities manipulating regulations to prevent or discourage competition Tacit and potentially illegal bureaucratic connivance in favour of existing Cypriot business And, whether the brewing sector in Cyprus is operating in accordance with the requirements of all relevant aspects of EU law”

“After nearly four years of struggles our Permit to Brew was finally granted with the resident Inspector and bond requirements dropped.”

Bill said, “After all those years of Cyprus bureaucracy, I nearly called our Irish Red Ale ‘Red Tape’!” He added, “Finally, however, we can say that a holiday in the ‘Med’ no longer condemns CAMRA real ale drinkers to long days of bland, commercial lagers. Cheap flights and low cost accommodation make even a long weekend break possible so come to our little oasis in Paphos in 2016 and have a few great days with us!”

can also join the highly popular, informative and complimentary Brewery Tour held every Monday to Friday after lunch. This is an idyllic and inexpensive Mediterranean venue for birthday parties, anniversaries and wedding receptions with all special arrangements made.

Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub is regularly #1 in Tripadvisor “Top 100 Things to do in Paphos” with a Certificate of Excellence.

Holidaymakers visiting Paphos will enjoy a great, low-cost ‘sun, sea & sand’ holiday on golden beaches beside the crystal-clear Mediterranean Sea as well as experiencing some amazing historical sites in one of the safest overseas tourist destinations available in these troubled times.

The family’s tenacity and determination to bring this much demanded microbrewery to fruition in Cyprus is to be commended.

Institutional problems continue for them but they say the support and solidarity shown by fellow CAMRA members, and friends & family, visiting them in Paphos is a great help.

Our mission is to let it be seen that British microbreweries overseas that are fighting to push back the frontiers of real ale in Europe are not alone but stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 200,000 CAMRA members. Support Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub!

Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub Today “Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub is in a lovely old winery 15 minutes from Paphos surrounded by beautiful olive groves and grape vine terraces. You and your family can take in the views sat in the traditional stone courtyard shaded by walnut, hazelnut and mulberry trees and also enjoy regular live entertainment staged for your pleasure.

The kitchen offers delicious, great value-formoney meals plus authentic hand-stretched Italian pizzas baked-to-order in an Italian wood-fired oven. Portions are generous come hungry, you won’t leave that way!” Bill said.

Despite its stunning location, great restaurant and warm ambience, Aphrodite’s Rock Microbrewery & Brewpub is still, first-andforemost, a microbrewery. Quality real ales and real ciders with real character are brewed by Head Brewer, Melanie, and her team for tourists and residents alike. You At the rear of 37 North Street, ME2 4SJ, Strood, Rochester, Kent 07941 449137

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3 New Cask Ales & Our First Keg Ale Being Launched This Spring!

Available in steel firkins and pins, and 5L mini casks (All kegs will be 30L non returnable).

Contact Paul on: 07962 016286 or Mark on: 07973 381883 Follow us... For all our latest News on Twitter WEBSITE: www.tonbridgebrewery.co.uk EMAIL: mail@tonbridgebrewery.co.uk TELEPHONE: 01622 871239 19 Branbridges, East Peckham, Kent TN12 5HF

THE SIGNS ARE BAD! Greetings gentle reader. Following on from last issue’s ‘The Signs are Good’ piece which focussed on pub signs with religious meaning this piece turns to the dark side. There are many pubs named after notorious criminals, ghosts, witches, The Devil and such like. As before I want to explore some of the less obvious meanings and the strange tales behind a few of these pub names. Let’s start with dark deeds on The Kings highway.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY Many inns were built along the coaching routes across the country, in fact they were the motorway service stations of their day. One of the hazards of travelling by coach was the possibility of being robbed by highwaymen (and women) along your journey. There are many inns that bear the name of these nefarious charactures such as The Dick Turpin in East Finchley (now closed) and The Black Robin, Kingston near Canterbury. Here are some others with interesting stories.

There have been a couple of pubs in Essex called The Sixteen String Jack. The name refers to a local highwayman called John Rann who earned the nickname ‘sixteen string’ because of his flamboyant dress including brightly coloured ribbons he wore on his breeches. Rann would have barely made a footnote in the pantheon of eighteenth century criminals, being hanged for his crimes in 1744 (even if he did wear a

pea green suit for the occasion - that surely was enough to convict him!!) if he had not been dramatised by the writers of Victorian ‘penny dreadful’ magazines.

Highway robbery was not the sole preserve of men as The Wicked Lady pub, Nomansland near Wheathampton, Herefordshire can testify. The lady in question was Lady Katherine Ferrers who lived in a mansion at Markyate in Hertfordshire. It was said that she would dress in male attire and on a jet black steed rob travellers on the road. She was fatally wounded after one such attack at Nomansland and her ghost is said to haunt the surrounding lanes still riding the black horse.

HANG ‘EM HIGH The all too frequent result of these despicable deeds on the highway was an appointment with the hangman’s noose and there are many pubs that reflect the harsh treatment of these criminals in the past. The Three Legged Mare in York is an unusual example of the apparatus to dispatch evil doers. On the face of it you might think that it refers to the type of horse that I seem to bet on however a three legged mare is a slang term for a gallows with three posts and crossbeams set in a triangle so several people could be hanged at once. Efficiency in the eighteenth century workplace!! The notorious highwayman Dick Turpin was sent to meet his maker via the famous three legged mare at Tyburn London. Other pub names such as Jacob’s Post in Burgess Hill Sussex and Canard’s Grave Shepton Mallet in Somerset refer to the name of the person executed in the area.

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It was not only people that came to a sticky end at the end of a rope as The Noose & Monkey in Aberdeen testifies. The pub was renamed by the new landlord who hailed from Hartlepool. There are stories from the 19th century of a monkey being hanged in both Hartlepool and the costal village of Boddam near Aberdeen. The Hartlepool story tells of a French warship which sank during the Napoleonic wars off the North east coast and the only survivor was a monkey. The people of Hartlepool took the unfortunate creature to be a French spy and hanged it. The Boddam story refers to another shipwreck in which all hands were lost except for a monkey. Under Scottish salvage law a ship with livestock still on board was not deemed a wreck so could not be claimed for salvage so the locals who went out to the ship hanged the poor beast to ensure they could claim salvage!!

swaleale@gmail.com

Continued on page 27...

CAMRAswale

HIGH SPIRITS Many pubs have been in existence for centuries and it seems that some of the regulars are reluctant to leave and are said to still ‘haunt their old haunts’ so to speak. This is reflected in some of these pub’s names.

Here are a couple of examples from Kent.

We start in what is believed to be the most haunted village in England, Pluckley at The Blacksmith’s Arms formally known as The Ghost’s Arms and The Spectre’s Arms. Three ghosts reside here, a Tudor maid, a coachman who sits staring thoughtfully at the fire in the public bar and a Cavalier who wanders around upstairs. The pub has now closed so I wonder if time has finally been called on these phantoms.

At the nearby village of Biddenden is a pub called The Castleton’s Oak, the sign for which shows an old man sitting on a coffin!

The story goes that an oak tree in the area was felled by lightening on the 70th birthday of local carpenter Ebenezer Castleton. He took this to be an omen of his impending demise and purchased wood from the tree to make his coffin. It seems this portent of his imminent end was somewhat premature as he lived for a further thirty years dying when

he was 100 years old. The ghost of the old carpenter has been seen in the pub and is frequently heard by the tapping sound of his spectral hammer.

WITCH PUB? Throughout history ordinary folk have needed something (or someone) to blame for their misfortunes and the belief that witches were able to malevolently affect a person was widespread. Many areas have become famous for witchcraft and none more so than Lancashire where in the 17th century the most famous witch trials in England were held resulting in the hanging of ten ‘Pendle witches’ for the murder by witchcraft of ten local people. The pub sign of the The Pendle Inn at Barley’s shows the silhouette of a hook nosed, pointy hatted crone astride a broomstick flying by the light of a full moon towards a creepy looking church.

Perhaps the other most famous witch in England is Mother Shipton who died in 1561 and was said to be a prophetess who predicted many modern inventions.

Unfortunately the best of these that, ‘A carriage without a horse shall go; disaster fill the world with woe. In water iron then shall float, as easy as a wooden boat’ were faked by a chap called Charles Hindley in 1862. Probably the most famous pub bearing Mother Shipton’s name is at Low Bridge, Knaresborough the pub sign for which shows, appropriately, an old woman with a broomstick.

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27

HE WHO SUPS WITH THE DEVIL...

Lastly we come to Old Nick himself. It will not come as a surprise that Old Harry has found himself onto many a pub name over the ages, usually with a tale to tell about how the name came into being. Here are a few interesting ones. There is a pub that sits on the Thames at Wapping which dates from around 1520.

Although known by the name Prospect of Whitby now, renamed after a fire, it was once called The Devil’s Tavern because of its reputation for being the drinking hole of choice of dubious footpads, smugglers and such like of the area. However the ‘Hanging Judge’ Judge Jeffreys once frequented the pub and a noose hangs outside to remember him by. It is also said that nearby convicted pirates were tied to stakes at low tide and… well I leave the rest to your imagination!!

There are a couple of pubs that are named for acts of capturing or causing the Devil to flee. The Devil & Dunstan formally stood in Fleet St London and commemorates the story of St Dunstan who was tempted by the Devil whilst working at his forge. Firstly The Devil tried bawdy and blasphemous talk then when that failed he changed himself into a beautiful young woman. St D was not to be tempted and once his tongs were red hot grabbed Old Gooseberry (really!!) by the nose and when he let him go he fled as fast as possible. The second instance of the Devil being thwarted So there you have it, a short perambulation around some of the darker pub names across the country. At this point I need to raise a note of caution. It is a sad fact that many pubs have and are in the process of closing across the country so please if you are feeling brave and want to visit any of the ones mentioned please check out What Pub to see if they are still around or if they have mysteriously disappeared!!

Lastly I would like to recommend a couple of volumes that I found invaluable when researching this article.

is remembered by The Devil in the Boot pub at Winslow Buckinghamshire. This is the tale of a local rector called Sir John Schorne who conjured The Devil into one of his long boots and imprisoned him there. What he did with the boot (and The Devil) afterwards is not clear.

The last devilish pub name I want to recount to you is The Devil’s Stone in the village of Shebbear in Devon. The story goes that the pub gets its name from a huge bolder that lies on the village green which was said to have fallen out of the Devil’s pocket as he was on his way to drop it on the local church.

The sign shows Lucifer with forked tail, horns carrying a trident sitting crossed legged on the stone. The local bell ringers ring a peal each November 5th and then proceed to turn the stone over to stop the Devil returning.

Incidentally the pub is said to be one of the dozen most haunted in Britain the spectral residents include a coachman seen in the restaurant (perhaps the same one who frequented the Blacksmith’s Arms in Pluckley who now prefers the West Country air!), a little girl who likes to play hide & seek and a grumpy old man who inhabits one of the upstairs rooms (I promise that it is not Old Obadiah annoyed at not getting a final pint in before closing time!)

Green Men & White Swans – The Folklore of British Pub Names by Jacqueline Simpson and The Old Dog & Duck, The Secret Meanings of Pub Names by Albert Jack.

Thanks to the Inn Sign Society for the Castleton Oak picture. The Inn Sign Society are recognised as the leading authority on the subject of inn signs and pub names. www.innsignsociety.com

Obidiah Spillage

SWALE’S WINNING PUBS 2016 We have now selected our Good Beer Guide 2017 entries. Out of the 17 successful pubs, six were shortlisted for Swale Pub of the Year.

By the time you have read this article we will have chosen our Pub of the Year so keep an eye on our website and social media channels.

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The Elephant, Faversham The Paper Mill, Sittingbourne The Three Hats, Milton Regis The Three Tuns, Lower Halstow Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore Furlong’s Ale house, Faversham

swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

Furlong's Ale House

MINE’S A HALF In a recent survey it has been reported that drinking beer in half pint glasses is now the most popular way of drinking a beer. To many of us this will not come as a great shock because at most beer festivals, beer has been served in half pint glasses for a long time.

So why are drinkers changing their habits? It is probably because drinkers are becoming more open to trying new beers and moving away from the mentality of drinking pintafter-pint of the same brew. Particularly for stronger, more full flavoured real-ales such as barley wines, or strong porters and stouts, a half is a much more sensible option and allows people to try a range of beers without drinking past their limits Another up and coming tradition is to drink beer in a third of a pint. This trend is also beginning to be seen in pubs with the

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option of ordering 3 thirds of a pint beers all presented in appropriate glasses, often carried on a small wooden tray. A number of our branch pubs have already introduced these.

The result of the survey of 2,000 drinkers, which was presented at the Great British Beer Festival in London last August, showed that 34% of people would rather drink from a half pint glass, while 25% preferred a pint glass and 25% a third of a pint.

swaleale@gmail.com

Matt Deller

CAMRAswale

Fai r on dea b tax eer l now !

A Campaign

of Two Halves

7EZI &VMXEMR W 4YFW

Join CAMRA Today Complete the Direct Debit form and you will receive 15 months membership for the price of 12 and a fantastic discount on your membership subscription.

Alternatively you can send a cheque payable to CAMRA Ltd with your completed form, visit www.camra.org.uk/joinus or call 01727 867201. All forms should be addressed to the: Membership Department, CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW.

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If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd will notify you 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed.

If you request The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit by The Campaign for Real Ale Ltd or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society - If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when The Campaign For Real Ale Ltd asks you to You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society.Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.

THE THREE HATS T HEMILTON T HREE HAT S REGIS MI LTON REGI S ales Ever changing selection of cask

Largeselection Beer Garden Ever changing of cask ales

Mobile Bar and Catering Service Available for Beer Garden Weddings,Large Christenings and Birthdays Mobile Bar and vicebig Available for Weddings, No Catering functionSertoo or small Christenings and Birthdays

CallNoMalcolm 07764 842478 Function ton oo big or small The Three Hats, High Street, Call Malcolm on 93 07764 842478 Kent, ME10 2ARME10 2AR T hree Hats, Milton 93 High Regis, Street, Milton Regis, Kent,

SWALE CAM RA PUB OF T HE YEAR 2013

SWALE CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 38

BRANCH MEMBERSHIP UPDATE A warm welcome to those who have joined CAMRA since the last edition, and also to all existing members who have recently renewed, or moved into the branch area.

These include: James Sawyer, Martin Holt, Lynne Coleman, Matthew Maynard, Michael Resch, Alex Simpson, Julie Simpson, Nick Finley, Scott Clark, Glyn Johnson, Juliet Cowgill, Benedict McLoughlin, Thomas Addis Stuart Gill-Banham, Paul Murley, Michael Turner, Derek Carr, Stephen Pratt, Dawn Williams, Paul Godden, Tracey Love, Ian Broadmore, Dwan Broadmore, David Quigley, Bruce Hickmott, Robin Jamieson, Neil Gridley, Kevin Booth, Susan McKinnell, Ben Jarmyn, John Everingham, Colin Milborrow, Angela Gladwin, Benedict Tumber, Kim Solly, Bruce Springett, Antony Tippins, Mike Richardson, Kevin Roche, Daniel Asekokhai, Ian Pascal, Gill Weathers, Roy Pay, Nicholas Mendham, Sam Matthews, James Cousins, James Dixon, Steven Jarmain and Joe Jarmaine.

Thank you for your support. You should have received a membership pack from head office by now, along with an edition of ‘What’s Brewing’, CAMRA’s monthly newspaper. This

provides news and information on a variety of subjects involving real ale, and also includes details of national and local activities, such as beer festivals, campaigning socials and other special events. We hope you will be able to come along to one of these occasions in the near future and look forward to meeting you.

More information about local events and the Swale Branch can be found on our website; simply visit http://www.camra-swale.org.uk for details, or turn to the ‘Branch Diary’ section of this publication.

New members and visitors are always made welcome at our events and socials, so why not come along? Your input is something we value as new people bring in new ideas.

The Branch itself now has over 500 members, with over 175,000 nationwide.

Looking forward to seeing you at a forthcoming event. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any membership enquiries. I can be reached on 07921 928958 or email qagold@yahoo.co.uk Alex Earl

Rochester’s First Micropub

Local Drinks, Local Food Local ales, ciders and juices. Home cooked, locally sourced cuisine from our resident microchef /KentinCrepe/

/TheFlippin_Frog

rochestermicropub@virginmedia.com

THE PERILS OF DRINKING WITH AN

ABRASIVE FRIEND “Where are we going to go tonight?”

“Are you sure?” asked Dave.

“I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

“Absolutely!” said Kevin.

This was the gist of the conversation that my friends and I seemed to repeat, as we sat nursing a pint, every Saturday lunchtime.

Where would we go that night?

It was settled. Apparently, Dave’s prior misdemeanor was no longer an issue and we agreed to meet up that evening at 7:30 at the designated pub. At the appointed time, we arrived and made our way inside. It was already fairly busy, but almost immediately, I saw the face of a stout, middle-aged woman behind the bar staring at us. She did not look happy.

My friends and I were all between 18 and 23.

Some of us were art students, some of us were gainfully employed, some of us could be generously classified as “other.” The one thing we had in common was an enjoyment of the pub atmosphere. In winter, we preferred somewhere with a crackling fire; in summer we wanted a pub where we could sit outside as the sun went down. And, of course, a decent pint.

Seconds later, she had come out from behind the bar and was advancing towards us through the throng of customers. Her right arm was extended, pointing at Dave, a ferocious expression on her red face.

This was in the late 60s and early 70s.

Naturally, such other-worldly inventions as the Internet and cell phones lay in the distant future, so our endless discussions about which hostelries that we should favour with our presence relied entirely on our prior experiences or simply hearsay. As a result, the discussions usually turned to bickering, as one or other of us proposed a particular pub as being ideal while someone else was adamant that it was a rat-infested dump.

“You! You! You!” she was shouting.

“You’re barred!”

I recall one such lunchtime in particular, although it was the evening that followed that made it so memorable. One of our group – I shall call him “Dave” to protect the not-soinnocent – was basically a good chap, but he had a bit of an abrasive personality that took some getting used to. Unfortunately, this trait tended to make him a less than ideal customer to certain landlords. It was not uncommon for one of us to suggest a pub only for Dave to say, “Nah. I’ve been barred from there.”

I emigrated to the United States a while ago and I haven’t seen Dave for many years. For all I know, there might still be a few landlords in Kent who keep a faded picture of him behind the bar. Fortunately, I’ve never been barred from any pub, but if Dave is smart, he’s using that newfangled Internet thingy to keep track of the few pubs where he is still welcome. Now he can use his Pensioner’s Bus Pass to visit them… if he hasn’t been barred from the buses, too.

As she reached our little group just inside the door, Dave, ever the diplomat, turned to Kevin and said, “You told me the old bat was dead.”

Needless to say, we were all turfed out of the place. All of us were innocent bystanders whose only crime was… well, innocently standing by Dave when we probably should have known better.

So on this particular Saturday, one of us suggested a pub (I’ll not mention its name) and we were all in agreement. All except Dave, who said he’d been barred from that one by the landlady about a year ago.

Mike Harris

“A year ago?” said Kevin. “Well, that’s no problem. The landlady died. It was in the newspaper.”

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swaleale@gmail.com

CAMRAswale

www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Produce & Craft Fair - 30th May Bank Holiday Monday (12 - 4pm)

Stalls include: Meats, Veg, Kentish Ales & Ciders, Cheese & Chutneys, Oils & More. Hog Roast available The Street, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent. ME9 7DY 01795 842840 info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

THE CHEQUERS INN The Street, Doddington, ME9 0BG - 01795 886366 A warm welcome awaits at this charming 14th Century listed Coaching Inn. This historic pub has recently been refurbished and with its oak beams and mullion windows is an inviting place to eat.

There is also a large family garden for those warmer days.

Food is served Tuesday to Friday: 12 - 2.30pm, 6 - 9pm, Saturdays 12 - 9pm and Sundays 12 - 6pm.

Sunday Lunch Menu: 1 Course £9.95 / 2 Courses £12.95 (Cheeseboard: £1.50 supplement) Child’s roast (includes ice cream dessert): £4.95 We serve roast topside of beef or roast free range chicken from our award-winning local butcher.

Vegetarian and gluten free options are also available, please specify any dietary requirements when booking.

The full menu is also available on a Sunday.

Lunchtime is often busy so advance booking is advisable.

info@chequersinndoddington.co.uk

NEVER MIND WINE... ... THERE’S BEER IN CAPE TOWN Given South Africa’s well-deserved reputation for fine wine, I was somewhat surprised to discover, on a recent business trip that the Western Cape is also awash with beer. And not just big-name brands like Castle Lager; Cape Town is also home to a busy industry of smaller-scale craft beers.

beer brands on tap and 99 different bottles of beer on the wall was too much. They are pretty much a tasting room for the South African beer industry, with their already legendary beer-o-clock taster platter (12 different 120ml beers), I couldn’t leave without sampling.

As early as my arrival taxi ride from the airport I quickly spotted the large Newlands Brewery, overlooking the famous cricket ground, which has been in operation since 1820. However, beer has been brewed in that neighbourhood since 1658.

And Cape Town doesn’t lack a good beer festival. The blossoming craft beer industry has brought with it the idea that beer isn’t just something you drink when you’re watching sport on a Saturday afternoon. Of the many festivals to emerge, two are especially notable. The Cape Town Festival of Beer and the Durbanville Beer Fest, both of which celebrated their sixth year last November, feature almost 100 different brands. It’s a real blessing for beer fans, seeing as so many craft beers can be frustratingly hard to get hold of, particularly those from South Africa’s other regions.

Craft brewing really took off in Cape Town about five or six years ago, when younger male capetonians started noticing that there was a local market willing to pay them to brew – and drink – their own ale and thus a new industry was born.

Situated close to my hotel I found Mitchell’s brewery, which was the first South African micro-brewery to really make a name for itself. Mitchell’s started out in 1983 before opening a second brewery in the now popular V&A Waterfront in 1989, and their Forester’s Lager and Bosun’s Bitter are as close as any micro-brewery beer gets to being household names in Cape Town.

Another popular spot I visited during my brief visit was the Beerhouse. The lure of 20/25

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Such is the rise in popularity for new beer that even some wine estates are getting in on the act. One winery is now using spring water from its own farm and a self-taught brew master to create its own micro-brewed offerings.

Sadly my trip was short but it is very clear that something is brewing in South Africa…

swaleale@gmail.com

Matt Deller

CAMRAswale

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11th BEXLEY BEER FESTIVAL 5th – 7th May 2016 NOTE CHANGE OF DATES AGAIN THIS YEAR

Old Dartfordians Sports Club War Memorial Club House Bourne Road Bexley Kent DA5 1LW

75+ Beers & Ciders In large Marquee, not squashed into small hall like 2013

Souvenir glass, Hot & Cold Meals, (snacks & soft drinks available at Club bar) Updates available nearer the date on www.bexley.camra.org.uk Admission: Thursday 5th May Friday 6 May Saturday 7th May

5pm-11pm 11am-5pm 5pm-11pm 11am-11pm

£2.50, CAMRA members £1.50 £2.50, CAMRA members Free £2.50, CAMRA members £1.50 £2.50, CAMRA members £1.50

(While stock lasts)

Concessions for under 25s – To be confirmed All rights of admission reserved

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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FROM OLD KENT ROAD TO MAYFAIR Monopoly’s exact origins are disputed, but 2015 marked the 80th anniversary of when the Parker Brothers, having bought out various other rights holders, started marketing the iconic game as we know and love today. But what if this famous board were to be redesigned to incorporate the best real ale pubs/bars ... wouldn’t it look a little different. Certainly be great to try it.

Please appreciate this is certainly not the definitive list it’s just my take and personal Old Kent Road: Oaka (Kennington Park Rd) Whitechapel Road: The Blind Beggar – famous for Krays gangland killing in the early 1960s.

Kings Cross: The Queens Head (Acton St) and The Parcel Yard (Kings Cross Stn) The Angel Islington: Charles Lamb (Elia St) and The Tap Room (Upper St) Euston Road: Euston Tap / Cider Tap (opp Euston Stn) and Bree Louise (Coubourg St) Pentonville Road: Craft Beer Company (White Lion St) and The Lexington (Pentonville Rd) Pall Mall: Red Lion (Crown Passage)

selection on the vast and varied options when drinking Real Ale / Craft beer in London these days. It also means that the particular pub might not be on the street / road from the game and could involve a little walk – but that all adds to the excitement and anticipation.

The list is planned out by the route from the original Monopoly board – obviously not the most user friendly when using the London AZ or underground tube map.

Fleet Street: Ye Old Cheshire Cheese (Fleet St) and the Blackfriar (Queen Victoria St) Trafalgar Square: The Harp (Chandos Place) and The Admiralty (off Trafalgar Square) Fenchurch Street: Craft Beer Co (Mitre St), Draft House (Seething La) and Pelt Trader (Dowgate Hill) Leicester Square: Lamb and Flag (Rose St) and The Salisbury (St Martin’s La) Coventry Street: Moon Under Water (Leicester Square) Piccadilly: Lyric (37 Gt Windmill St) and Queens Head (Denman St) Regent Street: Whyte and Brown (off Carnaby St)

Whitehall: Red Lion (Whitehall) Northumberland Avenue: Ship & Shovell (Crown Passage) Marylebone Station: Gunmakers (Aybrook St)

Oxford Street: Argyll Arms (Argyll St) Bond Street: Running Horse (Davies St)

Bow Street: The Cross Keys (Endell St)

Liverpool Street: Williams Ale & Cider House (Artillery La) and Crosse Keys (Gracechurch St)

Marlborough Street: Old Coffee House (Beak St)

Park Lane: Market Tavern (Shepherd St) and The Red Lion (Waverton St)

Vine Street: The Red Lion (Duke of York St)

Mayfair: Coach & Horses (Hill St)

The Strand: Temple Brew House (Essex St), Edgar Wallace (Essex St) and The Coal Hole (The Strand)

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swaleale@gmail.com

Andy Kitney

CAMRAswale

Fancy a beer delivered to you?

Int�oducing the Scottish Beer Shop!

Take the cap off a Scottish Beer at

www.ScottishBeerShop.co.uk Visit us today to ex�lore the largest range of qualit� Scottish beer and brewers online delivered throughout mainland UK. Build a bespoke order from our vast range or pickup a selection biox - add a message at checkout to send as a giſt.

whatpub.com Featuring over 35,000 real ale pubs

Suppor�ing the campaig� for real ale by aiming Created by Information Over 96% CAMRA who to stock ever� craſt Scottish beer from ever� updated by of Britain’s produce the thousands real ale pubs UK’s best beer of CAMRA Scottish brewer. featured & pubin guide The countryside is a living place and for this reason many of the paths, fences andvolunteers natural features this guide may be subject to change. All details were correct at the time of publication and follow signposted public rights of way. The author and Swale Ale of course, be held responsible for any diversion orders, inaccuracies in the text or maps It’scannot, your round! which may result from changes to the landscape or for any damage which may be caused by walkers trespassing on Thousands of pubs at your fingertips!

Order today at www.ScottishBeerShop.co.ukprivate property.

Serving quality cask ales and ciders from both Kentish and national brewers. We also have a range of bottled Kent ales available to purchase (or drink).

Check Twitter/Facebook for our themed nights and events Location

17–19 Minster Road, Sheerness. Kent ME12 3JE Tel: 01795 664000 www.facebook.com/the heritagemicropub

THE HERITAGE

Sheppey’s 1st Micro Pub Proud to follow the traditional micro pub formula of no music, lager, spirits, food and TV – just good old fashioned talking.

Pop in for a pint and a chat

Opening Hours

Mon - Closed Tues -4-9pm (or later) Wed -4-9pm (or later) Thurs - 4-9pm (or later) Friday – 12pm-11pm Sat - 12pm-11pm Sun- 12-8pm

NEW BREWERS ON THE BLOCK As one of the branches newest brewers, we asked founders Phil and Richard to tell us about their exciting plans for Boutilliers “We see the flexibility of small scale production as one our biggest strengths compared with larger breweries. For us, beer and great food go hand in hand, and we aim to produce a range that shows off the great produce on offer locally, either in the beer itself or as an accompaniment.

We’re proud to be Kentish and we want to establish a sense of terroir. This will be supported by a range of food and beer tasting events. We will be making a range of styles, from traditional English pale ales, bitters and porters, to more adventurous styles such as New World IPAs, smoked beers, dubbels, tripels, wheat beers, and barleywines. We are keen to use local ingredients wherever possible, and in particular to make good use of the wide range of excellent fruit in the county, offering a uniquely Kentish take on Belgian-style krieks, geuzes and lambics.

Our beers will predominantly be available as short run, hand-crafted, bottle-conditioned ales. A small proportion will be available on cask. While our focus is initially on producing great beers consistently, we have plans to open a small tap room-style area on site at the brewery as soon as possible, enabling customers to visit us to see how the beer is made, before sitting down to sample it in a friendly, intimate environment.

In the longer term we hope to open a dedicated bar nearby that showcases the best of local breweries but also our favourite breweries from around the UK and further afield. We are also in discussion with Macknade Fine Foods about developing

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Based at Macknade Fine Foods, Boutilliers is a seasonal brewery offering a constantly changing range of beers. their on site beer range, with the aim of transforming it in a real craft beer destination that offers our beers alongside the most exciting beers being produced around the UK, as well as some very special offering from around the world.

In the summer, we will offer a subscription service whereby subscribers can receive a monthly box of mixed Boutilliers beers delivered directly to their door for a monthly fee.”

Boutilliers was founded by Phil Dodd and Richard Bennett, who have known each other for many years after meeting each other at the University of Liverpool - where their beer consumption was possibly not as refined as it is now. Their skills were developed, independently, through home brewing.

Phil Dodd

Barrel of Knowledge He is a DIY Lexic He really is no good When it comes to working With plaster board or wood He cannot change a plug Or even mend a fuse But he’s a walking encyclopedia When it comes to booze He can name two hundred brewers And near a thousand beers Yet knowledge does not come easy I’ve studied hard for years

swaleale@gmail.com

Bob Gates

CAMRAswale

THE BERRY WALMER Multi-award Winning Pub Where You Will Find: Real Ale, Real Cider and a Real Fire!

Up to 11 Cask Ales Plus 6 Key Keg Ales. Always 6 Ciders Available Also serving “Si’s Pies,” Delicious Hand Made Pork Pies and Scotch Eggs Follow us on Facebook and Twitter www.theberrywalmer.co.uk Tel: 01304362411 23 Canada Road, Walmer, Kent CT14 7EQ

10 years at the Berry!

Upcoming Events You are invited to our Quiz Nights: 2nd Friday of each month Opening Times: Mon: 11:00 - 23:30 Tues: 14:00 - 23:30 Wed: 11:00 - 23:30 Thurs: 12:00 - 23:30 Fri-Sat: 11:00 - 23:30 Sun: 11:30 - 23:00

Watergate Bay, Cornwall