Swale Ale Spring 2014

Swale Ale THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA

Heritage Micropub opens on the Isle of Sheppey

Shipwright’s Arms reopens after flood Page 7 The Old Wine Vaults Rebranded Page 19 Bottled Beer Tasting - our verdict Page 20

SPRING 2014 1

********SWALE CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2013********

The Three Hats Welsh Beer Festival 24th- 27th April 2014

CAMRA card holders will receive a 50p discount off every pint.

Thatchers Heritage + 2 Welsh Ciders will also be available

Friday night live music from “Jumbo Gumbo” “Fabulous Grandads” playing Sunday afternoon

Food available all weekend

Any person joining CAMRA at this festival will receive a free pint of their choice + the usual CAMRA membership offers – ask for more details. https://www.facebook.com/thethreehats 2

Three Hats Milton @Three_Hats1

Swale Ale © Spring 2014

Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd (CAMRA).

Editorial

Circulation: 1,500 Editorial Committee and Contributors: Les Bailey, Derek Cole, Suzanne Collins, Gary Holness, Julian Herrington, Simon Ing, Keith Pankhurst, Sam Oatley, Gillian Joiner, Andrew Kitney, Keir Stanley, Jeff Waller, Malcolm Winskill, Melvin Hopper Print Liaison: Les Bailey Advertising: Gary Holness ——————————————–—— 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 Telephone: 01795 538824 ———————————————–— 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.

W

elcome to the Spring 2014 edition of Swale Ale. The weather has battered the county over the last few months and we report on one particular pub in the Swale area that has suffered more than most.

On the up side another new micro pub has opened on Sheppey so, if you haven’t already, make time to visit the island and discover it for yourself.

Among many topics discussed in this issue we enter the heated debate regarding the merits of serving your pint through a sparkler or not and leave the secular world behind and enter the world of the sacred with an article on ales and The Church, (blessed are the beer makers!!)

For those of you who enjoy home baking you will find an intriguing recipe for English Tea Bread made with beer. From further afield you can read about what it is like to be exiled from the fine ales of the area in a piece written by an ex-pat living across the pond.

As usual there is plenty of pub and brewery news from right across the Swale area, so now the days are lengthening and (hopefully) the water levels dropping; the daffs beginning to emerge and the promise of Spring in the air, we hope you are able to get out and enjoy some of the fine ales that our region produces.

The existence of this publication in a particular outlet does not imply an endorsement of it by Swale CAMRA .

———————————————–— Printed by: Abbey Print, Faversham ———————————————–—— Branch Details Chairman: Simon Ing Secretary: Les Bailey Social Secretary: Steve Bennion Treasurer: Les Bailey Pubs Officer: Paul Irving

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Heritage Micropub opens its doors

S

o after two years of transferring ideas from brain to paper to construction, battles with planning, late sleepless nights and most importantly choosing the ales to serve, on Saturday 25th January, Melvin and Margaret Hopper finally made their dream a reality and opened the doors of The Heritage to the public. Melvin, a retired Metropolitan Police Officer (now working for KCC) and Margaret, a recently retired primary school teacher, had been offered several premises in Sheerness, all of which

were rejected. They knew they wanted the Halfway area of Sheppey, so when they had the chance of taking on the soon to close Halfway Post Office they made sure they were first in line of possible tenants.

In October 2013 they got the keys, and with the help of good friend Martin (who is also father-in-law to their son) they began the huge transformation from Post Office to The Heritage. Full credit to all involved – it looks great.

Martin said “We spent a lot of time doing research, visiting other micropubs and microbreweries throughout Kent, and tried to pick out the bits we liked. But a huge thank you has to go to Martin who has performed miracles, doing 95% of the work on his own, with no plans to work from, just scribbles and text messages and an 4

amazing ability to read my mind and know what I wanted.”

All this hard work and commitment over the past three months has resulted in a warm comfortable ale house, with two separate areas known as the High Butts and Cosy Corner. High Butts has the well known format of high benches and high tables and Cosy Corner has traditional pub tables and chairs as well as a converted church pew. However, by cleverly raising the floor, those seated in Cosy Corner are actually at the same level as those in High Butts.

Like most micropubs, lager and alcopops etc are not served, keeping to traditional cask ales from around the country but with an emphasis on keeping one or two from local breweries across Kent. Their opening night featured ales from Goacher’s in Maidstone, Mad Cat in Faversham and two ciders from Biddenden, all served by tap direct from the cask. They also serve wine and a variety of soft drinks, as well as snacks, tea and coffee.

One of the many benefits and characteristics of these ever popular “drinking houses” is the ability

Page 5 ▶

◀ Page 3 to conduct a friendly conversation with someone you just met on a wide spectrum of topics – not just beer! Listening and talking to “visitors” that frequented this new venture since opening the verdict is that it certainly passes muster and is well worth taking the time to visit.

The Heritage micropub is located at 17-19 Minster Road, Halfway, Sheerness ME12 3JE. Their contact number is 01795 664 000 or 07984 167 216 A regular Arriva bus service operates from various locations in Sheerness (ask for Halfway) or take the Maidstone to Sheerness via Sittingbourne service.

The stated opening hours are for guidelines only. The Heritage has a full licence that covers opening from 12 – 11pm every night (except Sunday) – it just depends on “supply and demand” on that particular day.

[MH & AK]

Photos by Andrew Kitney and Melvin Hopper

• • • • • • •

Monday: Closed Tuesday: 4pm - 9pm or later Wednesday: 4pm - 9pm or later Thursday: 4pm - 9pm or later Friday: 12pm - 11pm Saturday: 12pm - 11pm Sunday: 12pm - 8pm

Chairman’s Chat

A

re you like me considering investing in a small boat? It might be the only way that I can get to the pub soon. Climate change anyone? But seriously, with more and more rain, flooding and even sink holes appearing, can it get worse? Well yes it can, with water logged fields crops don't grow. So when you do eventually get to the pub (you should still go you know...don't want the pub to close because there are no customers, yes you will get wet...but sit by the fire and gently steam while drinking your pint) you may well find that the price of your pint has risen. Barley and hops grow or don't grow in those water logged fields. With the Environment Agency saying it could take months for water levels to drop and fields to dry out, who knows how

much we could be paying. If we get a summer (and drought conditions being announced) will any one be able to afford to buy a pint? By the way when I get a boat, I will be running a ferry service to my local. I'll only charge a small fare, I don't think you can be arrested for being drunk in charge of a boat (but I will be checking that) so the trip back from the pub may take longer than the journey to the pub. One more thing - if I get enough fare paying passengers I may even be able to buy that now expensive pint. I may even be persuaded to go and rescue those floating beer barrels before they get too far from the pub!

Simon

Trading Standards If you believe that you have been treated unfairly in a local pub or bar you should contact your local trading standards department. Trading Standards exist 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 trading.standardseast@kent.gov.uk 5

CONTEMPORARY PUB AND EATING HOUSE with log fires, comfy arm chairs, 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. Footpath to/from Teynham station - 20 minutes walk, Bus 344/345, parking. Dogs & children welcome.

Great Cuisine from our light lunch menu to dining Ă la Carte with a wide selection of traditional dishes prepared by our chef from locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. Always ask if you have any special diet requirements. Awarded 5 stars for food hygiene.

Food served daily ~ see our website for times weekend breakfast from 10am

FREE HOUSE with good range of cask ales, lagers & wines including Adnams, Masterbrew, Whitstable Native & Red Top 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 6

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

The Shipwright’s Arms reopens after flood

T

he Shipwright’s at Hollowshore has been no stranger in the past to flooding, I recall marks on the interior wall showing where the water levels reached in 1953 and 1978, so it is indeed very good news for the regular customers that following the pub’s closure after the surge tide on 6th December, and then to top it all a chimney fire on 7th January, the pub is back up and running. It reopened on the weekend 25/26th January and thankfully, aside from the new carpet underfoot and new photographs adorning the fireplace, showing scenes of water surrounding the area, there is little change inside.

A job well done. It still retains that comfortably British nautical and historic feel and Derek, the landlord, once again gives you that welcoming smile as he serves you with pints of lovely beer from either Goacher’s or maybe Whitstable, straight from the cask.

There is often mention of community pubs and

Photos by The Shipwright’s

the value of such places in our lives but sometimes with all the pub closures reported you might wonder if such values still exist. Quite apart from the personal heartache Derek and Ruth have been through over the Christmas period, their customers have had an element of their life changed with their routine enjoyment of this pub taken away.

Shipwright’s regulars have had winter walks across the marsh curtailed by the closure and who can possibly guess how the boating fraternity coped.

This is why we should all now consider how we can emphasise to others the pubs importance in ‘Community Pubs week’ in April. Do something for the CAMRA campaign even if you just take time to visit a favourite pub that you have neglected for a while; oh and take friends with you.

[JW]

Enjoy your garden ?

But don’t enjoy the maintenance.

Then please call ‘Dave the Gardener‘ on 07952031292

for all your garden maintenance needs.

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A pub for everyone !

The Swan & Harlequin at Faversham

Welcome to our traditional English pub. We offer real ales in two contrasting bars and we have eight en-suite bedrooms

Conduit Street, Faversham, Kent. ME13 7DF Tel: 01795 532341 www.swanandharlequin.co.uk 8

Swale Brewery News Shepherd Neame As the Pilot Brewery is currently mothballed, the Shepherd Neame beers available this quarter will all be produced on the main plant.

There has been some redesign of pump clips and the beers are divided into four distinct series.

There are “Seasonal”, which are the established beers that run for several months. These will have new rectangular pump clips to the same basic design with each being a different colour. Next there is “Heritage” and these are the beers that are presented with the “retro” type of pump clip design. Then there is the “Discovery” range of short-run summer/autumn beers. Finally there is category that is yet to get a name but could be thought of as seasonal specials. I state the series of each beer in the list.

6th January to 2nd March Amber Ale (4.5%) Seasonal A dark brown ale with fruity aroma, citrus taste and a malty finish.

The St George’s Day beer; it contains malted Barley, Oats, Rye and Wheat, with medium bitterness.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Bob Thompson.

Hopdaemon Hopdaemon recently brewed a special beer for the Dover Winter Beer Festival called Over the Top, 5.2%, pale bronze with a citrus and tropical fruits aroma. The brewery smells like a lemon grove (with a couple of pineapples in there somewhere) at the moment! They have used the hops of the allied forces in WWI...UK, Russia, Serbia(Slovenia), France, Canada, NZ, Australia and the USA, so I think this is a bit of a first. So popular was it at the Dover Beer Festival that it won beer of the festival and ‘both’ casks sold out before any other cask. What’s more a second batch is being brewed.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Howard Gates.

Mad Cat The brewery appears to be supplying a good number of pubs in East Kent with Platinum and Auburn Copper Ale both at 4.2%. Their Jet Black Stout at 4.8% is in production and should be available as we go to press. Mad Cat has also brewed some special house beers for The Vaults Cask and Kitchen, Faversham (formally The Old Wine Vaults). For more details see page 19.

3rd February to 6th April India Pale Ale (4.5%) Heritage A Pale Ale hopped four times with Kentish hops. Well balanced between malt and hops and a spicy aroma.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Doris Munday.

3rd March to 3rd June Early Bird (4.3%) Seasonal This is brewed with Golding hops. It has pine and floral overtones and a soft hop taste.

The brewery now has planning permission for their new site in Tenterden and they aim to be in the new location by the summer. At the new site there will be a brewery shop and brewery tours will be offered by arrangement. A 10% discount is offered to CAMRA members on all their beers – when you collect your beer from the brewery show your current CAMRA card to get your discount.

7th April to 4th May Dragonfire (4.5%) Series name to be decided.

Kent Brewery News Old Dairy Brewery

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THE BEAR Faversham

The Bear Inn, 3 Market Place, Faversham, Kent ME13 7AG, Tel 01795 532668

Chris & Marie Annand and staff welcome you to this historic 15th Century inn in the heart of Faversham.

Immaculately kept Shepherd Neame beers Traditional home made lunches served every day Join us for our popular Quiz Night held on the last Wednesday of every month Find us on Facebook

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Swale Pub News Badlesmere The Red Lion - rumours are that they are negotiating with Mad Cat Brewery to have a permanent Mad Cat beer on tap. Easter Beer Festival on to be held over the 18th, 19th, 20th & 21st April 2014 which will include both local & national beers and live music.

Charing The Bowl Inn - rumours are that this pub has been sold to the owner of the Hoodeners Horse and several other pubs.

I

n our last magazine we gave the impression that The Brents Tavern was selling the cheapest pint in Faversham at £2.60 for Directors and £2.40 for Courage Best. We have been reminded that Wetherspoons Faversham has beers starting with Greene King “Ruddles” at £1.99 a pint and guest beers all sell for £2.20 a pint. Sorry for any confusion this may have caused. Remember that CAMRA members can use their 50p off vouchers brining a pint of Ruddles down to £1.49! If you know a cheaper pint please let us know.

whether the refurbishment will include the upstairs function room.

The Bear - continues to serve at least two Shepherd Neame beers including the seasonal beer.

A recent visit found Shepherd Neame Amber Ale on good form.

Conyer

The Sun - hosts a number of live bands each month and serves Shepherd Neame Master Brew, Spitfire and other seasonal beers.

The Ship - at the time of going to press this pub was regularly serving Old Dairy and Adnams ales.

The Brents Tavern - continues to serve two real ales; Courage Best and Directors.

Faversham

Swan and Harlequin - continues to offer Dark Star Hophead and American Pale Ale and a recent visit found Gadds’ Dark Conspiracy. There are rumours that the pub has been sold to be reopened as a boutique hotel with bar.

The Phoenix Tavern - continues to have a varied lineup of events including its well publicised dining club. Harveys Sussex Best Bitter and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord are their regular beers.

The Old Wine Vaults - recently renamed “The Vaults Cask and Kitchen” continues to serve up to four ales including (usually) a Kent beer. CAMRA discount is offered on the Kent beer. Two to three real ciders are also served. A recent visit found the beer on good form with Summer Lightning going down particularly well. Nuala and David recently celebrated five years at the Vaults, with Peter Meaney launching a number of new Mad Cat beers.

The Elephant - continues to serve up to five beers including an occasional house beer which was very nice when sampled recently. Other recent beers have included Dark Star, Caveman, Rother Valley and Northumberland. Jim also has two regular real ciders and continues to offer CAMRA discount.

The Chimney Boy - currently undergoing a major internal refurbishment this should be open as we go to press. Rumours are that a beer garden is being created to the rear along with the main bar being repositioned. No news has been given on

The Shipwright’s Arms - has re-opened following severe flooding before Christmas (refer to article on page 7). The pub is back to normal opening hours and continues to serve three Goacher’s beers (including a house special – Shipwrecked) and a Whitstable Brewery beer.

Halfway The Heritage - this new micopub on the Isle of Sheppey has its house beer produced by Black Tap Brew Co. Hernhill The Red Lion - at the time of going to press it is having its restaurant fully refurbished on the upper floor of the building. This refurbishment will also include a lounge and bar area. They are also planning a music festival at the pub sometime in August.

Page 13▶ 11

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◀ Page 11 Lower Halstow The Three Tuns - beers at our last visit; Goacher’s Real Mild, Millis Kentish Best, Kent Fire Starter (smoked taste) and, fairly rare to the area, a Westerham beer, the extremely good Puddledock Porter.

Milton Regis The Three Hats - continues to serve up to three beers. Recent beers have included Fuller’s ESB and Bath Ales Barnsey – both of which were particularly popular. Tribute, Otter Beers and Jail Ale remain regular guests. Malcolm continues to offer CAMRA discount on all beers and is currently starting to plan for his April Beer Festival which will feature around 12 Welsh Beers.

Minster The Harps Inn - has two beers - on a recent visit Courage Best and Doom Bar. The British Queen and Prince of Waterloo have now been converted to houses.

Oad Street The Plough and Harrow - has been sold and is likely to be converted into a restaurant and bar (there is no news on whether real ale will be available).

Queenborough The Old House at Home - (owned by Admiral rather than Enterprise) continues to serve three beers, on a recent visit these were Doom Bar, Young’s Special and Young’s Bitter. The pub continues to have live music every Sunday.

The Flying Dutchman - has up to two cask ales on - although on a recent visit both the Tribute and Doom Bar were off.

Sheerness Royal Hotel - refurbishment is currently taking place and the tenancy is being advertised.

Wetherspoon’s - application for a new pub on the High Street is currently with Swale Council but by the time of going to press there was no further news.

Sittingbourne The Fountain - this Shepherd Neame pub close to

Sittingbourne station continues to have bands on Friday nights and has an excellent Thai menu.

The Paper Mill - this micropub continues to be popular with Goacher’s Real Mild on permanently.

Two to three other beers tend to favour Kent breweries including Goacher’s, Kent and Hopdaemon. Recently more national beers have been stocked including Saltaire Blond which went down exceptionally well.

The Kemsley Arms - remains closed but became Swale’s first “asset of community value” in November 2013 following a campaign by a local community group. This status means that the owner has to notify the local Council if it plans to sell the property. The local community group then has six months to raise the money to buy the property.

The New Inn - due to be part of a major refurbishment by Shepherd Neame over the Summer. This pub has been advertising for a tenant.

Long Hop - has been sold to the owners of the Billet.

The Summoner (Wetherspoon) - going from strength to strength and now stocks up to five guest beers including two local ales. Mad Cat and Spencer ale are regulars and the usual CAMRA discounts apply.

The Vineyard - has been brought from the now defunct Smith and Jones Pub Company.

The White Horse (Charlotte Street) and Millers remain advertised for sale.

Ypres Tavern and Bunters have new landlords.

Upchurch The Brown Jug - regular beers; Harveys Sussex Best Bitter and Greene King IPA plus two guests, one guest Harveys Old, of course was very tasty, and Master Brew bitter. Harveys Mild was a regular but after 18 months a change was required by the customers.

Teynham The Railway Tavern - has closed with an application with Swale Council for change of use to several dwellings.

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◀ Page 13 The Swan - a free house serving a wide range of beers including Brighton Bier English Garden and Tonbridge Coppernob. Always has at least one beer from Wantsum such as One Hop (first gold), Dynamo or 1381. This pub holds regular beer festivals and has an excellent modern function room to rent.

Regular updates on pubs in our area can be found on “What Pub”

www.whatpub.com

Les Wood

I

t is with sadness that we report the death of Les Wood, former head brewer of Shepherd Neame, on 11th February 2014. Les Wood started working at the brewery in 1941 after leaving school at 14 and continued full time until 1985. After this he carried on working at the brewery part time running the visitor centre until 2002.

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Beer Festivals London Drinker Beer and Cider Festival - Camden Centre, London, Wed 12th - Fri 14th March Planet Thanet 9th Easter Beer Festival - Margate Friday 18th to 19 April 2014 Three Hats Welsh Beer Festival - Milton Regis Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th April 2014 Swale CAMRA Beer Stall - Faversham Transport Weekend (normally outside Iceland) Sunday 18th May 2014 St. Kevins’ Day Cider Festival - The Vaults Cask and Kitchen, Faversham Saturday 24th to Sunday 25th May 2014 Kent and East Sussex Railway - CAMRA Beer Festival Friday 13th June (evening) and Saturday 14th June 2014.

The PHOENIX TAVERN

Abbey Street, Faversham SIX REAL ALES Changing regularly, but always Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey’s Sussex and a Blond!

REAL FOOD prepared freshly daily on the premises REAL ATMOSPHERE Lovely garden and open inglenook log fires REAL TRADITION - 14th century oak beamed pub Five Quality lagers and Quality Wine from Corney and Barrow, Cask and Keg Cider

Good Beer Guide 2014

'Official home of the Timothy Taylor Appreciation Society'.

@Phoenixfav

The Phoenix Tavern Faversham

www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk 01795591462 591 642 w w w .thephoenixt avernfaversham .co.uk - -01795 15

16

Want some sparkle in your life?

P

ut down your glasses! Put on your spectacles! Be ready to take part in the most eagerly awaited debate of the past few minutes.

YES or NO to nozzles on your ale dispense?

MAMMOTH PROPORTIONS Firstly, calm down, we all know this is a heated debate of mammoth proportions, rivalling that of immigration and rising fuel costs. Well let me try and shed some light on the situation.

It is believed that a bright thinking Yorkshireman (I’ve ‘googled’ it and they do exist) wanted to replicate the ‘just tapped’ conditions of the cask (years ago in the black and white days, before colour was invented) and attached a device to ‘froth’ his beer during the pouring stage. This was purely for aesthetic (the most erudite word in this edition of Swale Ale, I thank you) qualities and wasn’t thought to have any effect on the Without Sparkler taste of the beer. How wrong our Yorkshire friend was later proved to be.

HOT POTATO In researching this ‘hot potato’ of a topic I took the time out to e-mail some brewers to gauge their opinions on the subject. The response was swift and enlightening and proved certain potential stereotypes: Timothy Taylor - they advise the use of sparklers in the dispense of their ales to achieve what they called the ‘tight Northern head’. (One can only assume that was still in reference to the beer). They did acknowledge a different ‘flavour profile’ with the sparkler and were the first to agree to a (fanfare please...) NORTH/SOUTH

DIVIDE. They were however, very quick to point out that many Southern ales are pictured for advertising purposes after being poured in a Northern style (i.e. with a sparkler).

Shepherd Neame - it is very clear how much Mr Frost gets asked about this topic when there is an official stance, which is ‘we do not routinely supply creamer nozzles to our accounts. Providing our beers are properly conditioned in cask, they will pour with sufficient head to meet consumers’ expectations in our trading areas, without the use of such nozzles. However, we will supply them to accounts that specifically ask for them – this often occurs where there is a regional preference for this type of presentation.’

This message was left on the answer machine and resembled that of a Dalek, monotone and rehearsed and therefore I don’t believe it to have been Mr Frost himself.

Wantsum - finally a rational answer with some personal view points. Wantsum do not give guidance either way and would prefer beer straight from the barrel (had to be smart didn’t he!!).

We do see once again though, the belief that good beer doesn’t need assistance in obtaining a smooth head and as the name ‘real ale’ suggests, no superfluous (the second most erudite word in this edition of Swale Ale, I thank you) device should be necessary.

Wadworth, Devizes.

Brian Yorston - ‘Hate With Sparkler to say it but I am a Geordie as you already know – so personally I like a head on a beer. This is drilled into you like whether you support Newcastle or the better team - Sunderland’.

As you can clearly see, the passions run deep with this dividing issue and so, I e-mailed Everards, somewhat in the middle of the country to see if they had strong persuasions either way. They, knowing the magnitude of the situation, sat firmly on the fence: 1. Do you advise the use of nozzles/sparklers on any of your beers? ‘If sparklers/nozzles were to be used we would advise on how to use sparklers Page 18 ▶ 17

◀ Page 17 correctly and how to keep clean’.

2. Do you think the ale would be inferior with/ without it? ‘No I don’t, the dispense character is obviously different and beer drinkers have their own preference whether they like beer with or without a head’.

3. Would you acknowledge a North/South divide on this issue? ‘I don’t think it is as clear cut as a North/South divide, we have 1 or 2 areas within our own core trading area where they prefer not to use sparklers but this is still in the Midlands.

Landlords and customers can influence this and you will find some pubs preferring not to use sparklers in various parts of the country.’

4. Would you have personal feelings if ale you had brewed was served with/without one? ‘I think it is one of the charms and character of beer that we can offer choice. Personally I prefer to see and drink beer that is presented with a nice head. I think this sort of presentation has more appeal and it demonstrates the unique character of beer to produce foam and lace the glass as you drink it, to me this is a sign of a well brewed quality ale. I am unaware that any other beverage has this ability.

However, I respect the views of our customers and if they prefer beer dispensed without a sparkler who am I to tell them otherwise. I would much rather have them drinking cask conditioned ales as they prefer them than not drinking them at all’.

THE SCIENCE It has to be acknowledged that as you pour through the holes of the sparkler that the surface area of the liquid is increased, ergo the aeration process is greatly advanced. Some (many in fact) will say that a lot of flavour is then lost to the head of the beer as opposed the liquid itself.

My personal opinion is somewhat indifferent.

I do agree that the addition of a sparkler can sometimes have a profound effect on the quality (both flavour and appearance) of the beer, for good and bad reasons, but not enough to firmly express an opinion either way on the matter.

In conclusion, the only real answer to the monumental topic at hand is to keep sampling ales from all regions of the country, and occasionally ask the landlord of your frequented Public House to put on a sparkler to see what the difference may be. I know Jim at the Effelump loves to be asked.

[SO]

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.

Home of the Grumpy Landlord.

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.

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The Old Wine Vaults re-brands

A

fter five successful and enjoyable years at the helm of The Old Wine Vaults, Faversham, both Nuala and David thought it was time for a change and so on Friday 7th Feb in the company of regulars, friends, family and a familiar local brewery owner “The Vaults Cask & Kitchen” was launched.

Speaking to Nuala on the launch night she said “Although we have a good working relationship with all local brewers we have a special one with Mad Cat. We were the first pub in Faversham to have Mad Cat owner/head brewer Peter Meaney’s beers and as such he felt we could go forward to make our offering unique as a reward for being a loyal and supportive customer.

During many discussions and tastings (hard job but has to be done!) we decided that our 5th birthday was a perfect opportunity to launch the ales. We hope that people will continue to enjoy the beer and the pub. After discussions on possible names Peter suggested we go along The Vaults theme and name the beers accordingly. To accompany this we also thought about what food we could do (steaks, grills etc) and matched the taste to our menu.

With Peter we like to think we can convince people that beers, not just wine, match food perfectly.

CAMRA have done considerable work to promote this as well. We also wanted to give people the opportunity to meet Peter & Mike Meaney and promote their brewery.”

When Nuala and David took on The Hole in the Wall they decided that a new name was needed to assist with the change in ethos and the reputation of the pub. It had had many names since it was first licensed (approx 1602 although the building was selling alcohol many years before that!). Until 1965 it was called The Albion Wine Vaults but to avoid confusion we dropped Albion

Photo by Andrew Kitney

and substituted it with Old, hence The Old Wine Vaults. This served a purpose and certainly helped change the reputation of the pub, however it did not reflect what they did or offered. This new branding better reflects what the pub does and the direction they could see it going in the future.

They are not a wine bar! But indeed serve a good variety of cask ales and good food. They are also committed to continue to serve good ales, local and national, as well as two cask ciders.

If possible they are also looking at expanding the number of ciders if demand is there.

Nuala added that “We are going to try and hold a cider festival this year (May bank holiday) along with the Saint Arnold Beer Festival (first weekend of July).

We have also been in talks with Macknade Farm about matching beers to food and so would like to extend this to the pub, maybe holding taster nights for cheese, tapas etc and matching the ales to them.”

Peter Meaney of Mad Cat Brewery at Brogdale Farm, Faversham, said that “Nuala and David have been customers of Mad Cat almost since we started up at the end of 2012 and have been very supportive of us. In late 2013 the “Old Wine Vaults” looked at its own brand image and decided to update this under "The Vaults" name. Nuala then expressed an interest in having house ales which could share the new branding and be a way of differentiating the pub's ale range from others; which would be bespoke to “The Vaults”.”

Page 20▶ 19

◀ Page 19 Mad Cat Brewery have produced three short batch beers which cover a range of flavours - a Best Bitter in the form of Strong Box, an English Pale Ale as Treasure Chest and an American style hoppy ale in Fort Knox. All of these beers are 4.0% abv. The roots of these beers lie in three regular ales Mad Cat produced in 2013, but have modified the burtonisation (water treatment), the final hopping stages and changed the alcohol strengths to produce flavour profiles hopefully more tuned to those flavours the customers of "The Vaults" seem to like.

Peter said “We look on these as our first stab i.e. "work in progress" and could make more changes as we receive feedback from the pub. Like all development work; what we start with may not be what we end up with so recipe contents like malts and hops are not being given out just yet as

they may differ from the final versions.”

I was lucky enough to be present at the launch event and first impressions of the “Vaults” branding and of course the three new “house” beers was very impressive. As Peter mentioned these are not final versions so I am looking forward to trying further annotations until both Nuala & David and Peter are happy. Their aim and plan will be to always serve at least one of the Mad Cat house beers alongside two or three other guest ales from the range that Enterprise offers.

[AK] Other pubs with house beers in the Swale branch including: The Elephant - On the Hop - Hopdeamon The Shipwrights - Shipwrecked - Goacher’s The Heritage - Sheppey Heritage - Black Tap Brew Co.

Please let us know of more.......

The Beers

Drunk Blind

R

ecently some of the members of the Swale branch held a blind beer tasting evening. We followed the example of the excellent articles in CAMRA’s Beer magazine and scored the smell and look out of ten and the taste out of twenty.

Five bottle conditioned dark or strong beers from different Kentish breweries were tasted and the order in which they were sampled was randomly selected.

The Panel Four members of CAMRA’s Swale branch gallantly volunteered for the task.

Wantsum - Black Pig Imperial Russian Stout 4.8%

Shepherd Neame - 1698 6.5%

Burnt chocolate and smoky malt mixed with delicate hop bitterness and floral notes Average Scores

Copper bronze thrice hopped ale with rich resinous notes with spikes of citrus that add to the liquorice, Masala wine, caramel and spicy orange notes.

Look – 6.5/10

Average Scores

Smell – 4.5/10

Look – 7.5/10

Taste – 8.5/20

Smell – 7/10

Total – 19.5/40

Taste – 13/20 Total – 27.5/40 Page 22▶

20

21

◀ Page 20 Canterbury Brewers – Street Light Porter 5.8% Dark, malty porter with strong toffee-chocolates and a liquorice finish.

Nelson Brewery – Nelson’s Blood 6% Strong malty ale with mellow roast tones. Slightly nutty and fruity with a warming after taste.

Hopdaemon – Leviathan 6% (not currently bottle conditioned) Strong ruby ale with spicy hop aromas and a rich malty finish.

Average Scores

Average Scores

Average Scores

Look – 7/10

Look – 5/10

Look – 7/10

Smell – 6.5/10

Smell – 7/10

Smell – 6.5/10

Taste – 12.5/20

Taste – 9.5/20

Taste – 11.5/20

Total – 26/40

Total – 21.5/40

Total – 25/40

Overall Scores 1st – Shepherd Neame - 1698 2nd – Canterbury Brewers – Street Light Porter 3rd – Hopdaemon – Leviathan 4th – Nelson Brewery – Nelson’s Blood 5th – Wantsum - Black Pig Imperial Russian Stout It was a close run thing with only eight points separating the first and fifth which goes to show that Kentish brewers brew some excellent beers, but the plaudits this time go the 1698, so many congratulations to Shepherd Neame.

Real Ale in bottles is widely available in Swale from major supermarkets and local retailers including Macknade Fine Foods, Simply Fresh and the breweries themselves. Always look out for the CAMRA Says its Real Ale logo.

The Good Bottled Beer Guide is the definitive guide to bottled beer around the UK. The book features listings for over 550 bottle-conditioned beers from beer expert Jeff Evans, a full directory of breweries around the UK that produce real ale in the bottle and their bottle-conditioned products, and selected details of independent bottle-conditioned beer retailers.

Perfect for anyone interested in finding the best real ale in a bottle at the local shop or in the local pub.

22

10 Real Ales & 4 Real Ciders *Time and Tide Brewing

23

P

reviously in Swale Ale I wrote an article on one of our local cider producers Dudda’s Tun Cider of Doddington. In this issue I present a piece written on one of our other local producers, namely Kent Cider Company.

The Kent Cider Co, owned and operated by Mark & Serena Henderson, has been operating for several years now. The company has been the recipient of numerous awards and they are highly respected among their peers. I asked them to tell me how they came into cider making. “We have always had an interest in fruit and grew some of our own, we especially enjoy spending time in orchards. It wasn’t until moving to live in a very rural area that we saw how many lovely Kentish apples were going to waste. So with some experience as hobbyists and through a fortuitous chain of events including meeting a cider maker who was looking to retire and pass on his knowledge that we formed the Kent Cider Co.” I asked them about getting started and whether it went as they planned or did changes occur with experience. “Right from the start we wanted to produce ciders using traditional, artisan methods using apples that were rarely used including heritage varieties to showcase and celebrate the differences between apple flavours. As a business you are not just catering for your own palette and we both like our cider on the dry side! So we are always exploring other flavours, often trialling small batches at events to see if they get the thumbs up from drinkers.”

Their selection of ciders is in my opinion nicely 24

balanced with a range of styles and tastes to suit the occasional cider drinker and the aficionados alike. I asked them about their range and if any proved more popular than others?

“Well, flavoured ciders are hugely popular at the moment and we love to experiment, but the most important thing to us is that we retain a good apple flavour. Our spiced cider is one of our best sellers garnering numerous awards as well as being voted one of the top ten ciders in the U.K. by the Independent Newspaper two years in a row! We still also make small limited batches of Whisky & Rum cask matured ciders for the connoisseur and we also produced in time for the 2013 Faversham Hop Festival a cider flavoured with green hops.” I also asked them what plans they had for the future. “We always have our eye on what’s new and different things that we can explore. Our range of ciders is constantly evolving and we have some exciting new things to bring to events this year so watch this space!”

Well it appears that we will have to do just that and I for one will be looking forward with great expectation to what they have in store for us. With thanks to Mark & Serena Henderson for their valued assistance in helping me with writing this article.

[GH] Remember to look out for the ‘Real Cider Sold Here’ sign in pub windows

25

26

Sacred Ale

M

uch as we all adore real ale I’m sure some of you are surprised to see the word “sacred” next to a word like “ale” or “beer” as the title for this piece but for many primitive people, including in our own distant past, beer was used almost exclusively as a part of religious ritual. It wasn’t just the consumption of beer that was part of the ritual either; the production of beer was also a highly ritualised and sacred process.

Ancient beers were created independently in numerous different locations around the world between 10,000 and 30,000 years ago and some of the recipes still in use today by so called “primitive” cultures date back to that time. Each culture would have used whatever ingredients were available locally and might have been in the form of grains, fruit, root tubers or indeed the whole plant and almost nothing in the process of producing the beer would bear comparison with modern production methods.

These cultures have remarkably similar “creation” stories or myths about how the gift of beer was first given to their people and this almost invariably involves a goddess feeling pity for the plight of humanity and bestowing the art of brewing on a woman – for in these cultures the brewing of beer was carried out almost exclusively by women.

The process of making primitive beer varies around the world because of the differences in the cultures making the beer and the ingredients involved, but a representative example might be the process followed by some South American and African tribes that is still in use today. The main ingredient used in this beer is maize. Prayers would be made to the plant throughout the growing process but especially at the time of harvest, when some kind of offering or sacrifice would be made to thank the plants. The maize kernels would be dried in the sun and then ground between two stones to make a kind of rough flour. About a fifth of this flour would be moistened with a little water and made into little cakes which would then be chewed by the women who were involved in the making of the beer. This chewing process would mix saliva with the flour in order to convert the starch in the grain

into sugars suitable for fermentation and each cake would be chewed until it started to taste sweet.

Once all the cakes had been chewed in this way they would be combined with the remaining fourfifths of the flour, mixed with water and heated in a large vessel. The enzyme amylase, which is present in human saliva, would convert all the starch in the chewed flour into sugars and because the enzyme is not altered or destroyed in this process it will still be present in sufficient quantity to convert the starch in the flour that had not been chewed.

During the heating process other plants may be added, some for flavour and sometimes for their psychotropic properties. This wort would then be taken to a sacred place where it would be exposed to the atmosphere in controlled conditions in order that wild yeast from the air would combine with it. This long process would be accompanied with much prayer – usually until the fermentation process has visibly started at which point the pot would be covered and fermentation would be allowed to continue until all the sugar had been turned into alcohol.

Wild yeasts are inherently unpredictable and unwanted yeast could spoil the whole brew, which is why complex ceremonies have evolved to prevent this sort of thing from happening. Once the spirit of the yeast had been established in the brew most cultures believed it was important that it was left in a very quiet and peaceful situation to continue its work, though it should be noted that a few cultures (pun intended) believed the exact opposite and would bang, shout and stamp around the vessel throughout the fermentation process. It is worthy of note that Lambic beers from Belgium still use wild yeast to brew their characteristically sour flavoured beers.

Beer was not produced for general consumption and was never drunk casually. It was generally brewed at very specific times for specific rituals. It was not usually stored and the whole batch would be consumed during the ritual and, along with drumming, chanting and dancing would be used to produce an ecstatic state amongst those taking part in the ritual. This altered state of consciousness was seen as a very sacred state – bringing the people closer to their gods and therefore greatly increasing the chances that the ritual would be successful.

Page 28▶ 27

◀ Page 27 In this country the Catholic Church had control of the production of beer until the 16th century. Up until this time it was illegal to even grow hops in Britain and the only beer produced was called Gruit Ale – a beer flavoured with moderately narcotic herbs, usually including Yarrow, Wild Rosemary and Bog Myrle. It was said to be a highly intoxicating brew – narcotic, aphrodisiacal and psychotropic, when consumed in sufficient quantity. In fact it was only Henry VIII’s reformation and break with the Catholic Church that took the monopoly of beer production away from the church and so introduced the use of the (much more soporific) hop as the primary flavour in our beers and hence making the kind of beer we are familiar with today.

[KP] This article was inspired and informed by the book “Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers” by Stephen Harrod Buhner.

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30

What’s in a Glass?

G

reetings once again Gentle Reader. Now you might suppose that from the title of this issue’s piece I am going to regale you with a tale about a beer or two that I have had of late. This is not so, it is in fact about the glass that the beer came in (for indeed I have had a beer or two since we last conversed!).

Pottery Pint Mug It all came about when recently I, to misquote Photos by Jeff Waller John Cleese in the Monty Python Cheese Shop very difficult for the customer to gauge how much sketch, “sallied forth and infiltrated a place of beer was in a pewter tankard so were inclined to purveyance to negotiate the vending of some beery serve a short measure! comestibles” (nothing new in that I hear you cry) As we entered the Edwardian era the usual and I ordered a pint of the landlord’s finest (still glass to get your beer in was a straight sided, no revelations there). However what happened handleless, conical glass. Now there were several next had not happened in a long time (no I don’t disadvantages to this type of glass as we shall mean I bought a round). Mien Host asked me if I see later. Anyway back to those aficionados of wanted a straight glass or a jug. I was taken aback the pewter tankard frequenting the saloon bar. for a moment as I could not recall the last time I Although they wanted to see the clarity had been asked what type of receptacle of the beer that they were drinking they I would like my beer in and it used to did not want to be associated with the happen virtually every time I ordered a straight glass drinkers in the public bar. pint.

As a result in the late 1920s the fluted, As I sat supping my ale I began to handled glass became popular. You know, ponder on when the habit of asking what the ones that appeared on the ‘Beer is type of glass you would like died out.

Best’ posters promoting beer by the This got old Obadiah’s cogs turning so I Brewers Society in the 1930s (or the tee did a bit of research and it turns out that shirts that are available at beer festivals there is more to the humble beer glass that show a chap drinking out of said than might at first appear. On the face glass with the slogan ‘Beer – so much of it, the glass is just a convenient carrier more than a breakfast drink’ or some to transfer beer from the bar to your such witticism). mouth but there have been many changes These ten sided glasses were Victorian Sleever to the style and shape of the glass over popular with drinkers until the 1950s the years. when the dimple jug was introduced. It should be Until the end of Victorian times pubs were noted that the British drinker is not one to change often dingy and beer was drunk from pewter jugs his habits easily and fluted glasses were still being (especially in the saloon bar, glasses were served made up to the 1960s. to the lower orders in the public bar). Possibly The demise of the fluted glass was due to this was to disguise the dingy nature of the beer the introduction of the dimpled glass (you know however as pubs began to brighten up so did the the one that looks like a second world war Mills beer as filtration methods improved and drinkers started to demand that they saw what they were Page 33▶ drinking. Also canny publicans found that it was 31

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You’ll find a warm welcome and a great atmosphere at the Three Tuns Pub and Restaurant. Food prepared daily using the finest local produce. Kentish real ales & ciders always available and a welcoming open fire.

Good Beer Guide 2014.

Kent Life Dining Pub of the Year Finalists Produced in Kent Dining Pub of the Year Finalists Swale CAMRA Pub of the Year Runners Up.

THE THREE TUNS The Street, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent. ME9 7DY 01795 842840

www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk 32

info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

◀ Page 31 Bomb type hand grenade). This style of glass was introduced to enhance the look of the amber bitters that were increasingly being brewed at the time in favour of the darker mild beers and it was felt that the dimple glass made the beer look more appealing.

The popularity of the handled glass was not only from the drinkers but from the landlords as well. The problem with the straight sided conical glasses was they had a tendency to stick together when stacked one inside another when being collected by the bar staff and they had a propensity to chip around the rim when being washed. To reduce this problem the ‘nonic’ glass was introduced. This style of glass has a bulge a couple of inches from the top which reduced the likelihood of the rims being chipped. This style of glass is becoming less popular as pubs revert back to the straight sided glass conical glass (the name ‘nonic’, by the way, seems to derive from ‘no nick’ as the glasses as I have said had a reduced likelihood of being chipped). This reversion to an older style of straight sided glass can be thought of as retro chic or does it just make the beer look better than in a nonic?

There is some speculation about a North/ South divide when it comes to the straight and the handled form of the glass. It has come to Obadiah’s ears from the Northern branch of the Spillage ▶

For the Modeller

I

If you have an ‘00’ gauge model railway layout and want a period brewery delivery vehicle then this ‘Faversham Hobby Shop’ limited edition 1/76th model of Shepherd Neame’s Reliant could be the answer (or maybe you just want a small souvenir of a visit to the brewery). The detail is amazing; very clear printing of branding and number plates and once you have unscrewed the van from its base you will see the spoked wheels actually work; the tyres may need a bit of plastic moulding flash removing but this can be done in two ticks. £5 secures. [JW]

Ten Sided Pint Mug family that the dimple glass is a southern trait as we softy Southerners find it hard to get our hands around round a straight glass. However, mi’lud, I call that Southern hard man Michael Caine who in the film Get Carter asks a landlord in a Newcastle pub for a pint of bitter in, and I quote, ‘a thin glass’.

The matter is further complicated by none other than the renowned author George Orwell when he wrote describing his perfect fictional London pub that ‘they are particular about their drinking vessels at The Moon Under Water and never, for example, make the mistake of serving a pint of beer in a handless glass’ but then apparently Orwell preferred his beer out of a china tankard! I fear that this schism will never be resolved so we are best to leave it there.

Recent trends have seen the logo of the brewery and sometimes the specific beer logo on the glass. This is something I am sure you are familiar with if you have ever been to Belgium where every beer seems to have its specific glass. I quite like this. It somehow seems right.

So there you have it dear reader. I hope you have enjoyed this short foray into the world of beer glasses and I leave you with one last thought.

It doesn’t matter what shape the glass is so long as there is a hole in the top to let the beer out!!

Oh and in case you were wondering I opted for a dimple jug when I was asked.

Obadiah Spillage 33

Hoppy Easter Cake

T

ry my Easter adaptation of a traditional English tea bread recipe.

You can experiment with a variety of real ales to suit the seasons!

Gill Joiner

Ingredients 8oz/225g self-raising flour Pinch of salt ½ teaspoonful baking powder 3oz/75g butter or baking margarine 3oz/75g soft brown sugar 1 tablespoonful cocoa ½ teaspoonful mixed spice 1 teaspoonful black treacle 1 large egg (lightly beaten) 2oz/50g raisins 2oz/50g chopped walnuts 8 glace cherries each cut into 4 pieces Approximately 4 fl oz/125ml Bateman’s Mocha Beer or similar Chocolate Ale…you can drink the rest while the cake is cooking…shame to waste!

Method 1. Grease and line a medium sized loaf tin.

2. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl.

3. Rub in the margarine or butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4. Add the mixed spice, cocoa, raisins, walnuts, cherries and mix thoroughly.

5. Add the black treacle and slightly beaten egg and again mix well.

6. Slowly add enough chocolate ale so that the mixture forms a soft dropping consistency.

7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared loaf tin.

8. Bake in a moderate oven for 45-55 minutes until firm and well risen.

9. Allow to partially cool in tin, then turn out on to a wire cooling tray before either dusting with icing sugar or topping with the coffee butter icing as suggested.

For the topping: Either dust with icing sugar or for the absolute indulgent icing on the cake, cream 2oz softened butter with enough icing sugar to form a stiff paste, then dissolve I teaspoonful instant coffee with 2 teaspoonful of boiling water and add to the icing.

34

Mix thoroughly, adding more icing sugar/water if needed to form a soft topping on cake. Decorate with chocolate chips, walnut halves or cherries or a combination of all three.

Suggestion: At Christmas, try substituting the chocolate ale for a good dark porter, the walnuts for almonds and the raisins for dried cranberries, eliminating the cocoa and using a different topping. Or why not try the recipe with your own favourite ale?

Our beer recipes have been written tried and tested by our own Swale branch members.

If you cannot wait for the next recipes in Swale Ale consider purchasing An Appetite for Ale which is available from the CAMRA website.

This collection of more than 100 simple and approachable recipes has been specially created to show the versatility and fantastic flavour that ale has to offer. With sections on Snacks, Spreads and Dips, Soups, Pasta and Risotto, Seafood, Chicken and other Birds, Meat Feasts, Spicy Foods, Bread and Cheese and Sweet Treats it provides countless ideas for using beer from around the world.

www.camra.org.uk

35

Swale Mail

T

o the Editor of Swale Ale, I must say that I have enjoyed the recent editions of Swale Ale and congratulate you thereon.

Having been a member of CAMRA for many years I need to think back why I joined it and whether I am happy with the intervening changes.

I joined CAMRA because of my love of real ale and traditional pubs and I now question whether this objective has been fulfilled and whether my own tastes have changed over the years.

I would first like to address the subject of traditional pubs. My idea of such a pub is one without any form of music apart from a piano, or gaming machine, which dispenses good quality beer from a well managed cellar. I am not familiar with all the pubs in the Swale area but of those with which I am familiar there is only one that almost matches the aforementioned criteria. That is the Black Lion at Lynsted. Would you believe that I have never seen this establishment mentioned in the annual honours list for Pub of the Year. Why has this happened? All that I can think of is that the persons conducting the annual pub reviews are so young that they would not know what a traditional pub was like. Or maybe we are all guilty of taking our eyes off the ball and losing sight of the original objectives.

I read a lot about the campaigning matters where large pub companies are frowned upon for closing local pubs which are running unprofitably.

A recent case is of Marstons who are now clearly focused on the growth market of gastro style pubs which provide good value food alongside the sale of their beers. I am sorry but I cannot support CAMRA on such an issue. In my opinion it is a business case for closing the unprofitable pubs and if CAMRA wish to buy these pubs then they should feel free to do so and see if they can run them profitably. I am sorry but beer drinking is not a social service.

Whilst I like good beer I find it irritating that I go into pubs nowadays which have a choice of four or five real ales but none of them is more than 4% gravity. I personally find that there is a 36

Trevor Duncombe

Photo by Trevor Duncombe

growing trend for brewers to produce low gravity beers, where flavour can be so lacking rather than something that is bursting with flavour. These low gravity beers are often referred to as “session beers” - well I am sorry but I really do not want to sit in a pub for a whole session and feel sorry for those who do.

Another minor irritant is the term “Beer Festival” which I feel is so misused and abused. I can remember when a Beer Festival comprised an array of beers accompanied by marked glasses to commemorate the occasion, a description of the beers on offer plus tasting notes, bunting and bands.

Now it has got to the point that one can go to Tesco, pick up a couple of bottled real ales and tell one’s mates that you are having a beer festival!!!

Finally I feel that CAMRA’s campaigning efforts should be directed towards the Pensioners’ pint rather than pub closures. Those who were around in the good old days when pubs were pubs should be rewarded for their contribution to the industry.

I was thinking in terms of an OAP pass, similar to a bus pass, which would be honoured in all of one’s local hostelries - or is this going too far!!!!

Yours imbibingly, Trevor Duncombe

If you would like to write to or contribute for Swale Ale please contact swaleale@googlemail.com

A friendly independently run pub restaurant in the picturesque Faversham area. Local beers, wines & ciders and a choice from the constantly changing selection of unique homemade dishes from our blackboard come as standard in our family-run country pub. Come and try from our selection of real ales from the local brewers in Kent.

Easter weekend family events – see our website for details Farmers markets on the green outside the pub from April 2014 and will continue on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10am to 1pm 16th May – Live music event with Hullabaloo 4th June – Cider & Cheese evening with Kent Cider Co July – Beer festival – keep an eye on the website for dates The Plough Inn, Stalisfield Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 0HY www.theploughinnstalisfield.co.uk Tel: 01795 890 256 Email: info@theploughinnstalisfield.co.uk

37

Jottings of an Itinerant Brewer A

s I travel the lanes of Kent I expect to taste a new-to-me beer every day. When trespassing into the territories of London there is an even greater plethora of beers. I am told that there are now 50 microbreweries in London. The choice of beer styles, strengths and inventive names is a theatre in itself. More oatmeal stouts are finding their way into the winter mix and I noticed an oatmeal porter the other day which also tasted well.

The stronger dark beers are more prevalent this winter. Porters were the first beers brewed in bulk when work moved from the country into the cities, particularly London. Stouts are strong porters and weaker strengths became milds - all porters in style.

Have publicans never had it so good? Well, I am told that publicans are so inundated with brewers trying to sell their products that they no longer pick up the phone. So, from this angle it might be deduced that there is too much choice. And the question I often hear is 'when is the bubble going to burst' that all these brewers can survive? In one pub in London I was told that an analysis of the sales showed that a cask beer was the top selling brand followed by Meantime's London Lager and

Landlord’s Rant

R

egular readers of Swale Ale will recall an article in the Autumn 2013 magazine inviting local MP Gordon Henderson to visit my premises in a show of support for Cask Ale week in September 2013. Unfortunately there was no show from Mr Henderson and no response from his back room staff to inform me that he was unable to attend.

So, when on a quiet January lunchtime, a sound erupted from the mobile phone charging behind the bar, signalling an incoming email, imagine my shock when upon inspection it was a belated reply from my local Member of Parliament’s Constituency Office Manger. They apologised for Gordon being unable to attend (well it was party conference 38

then Peroni. If I tell you that the cask beer was Sharp’s Doom Bar, which was competing with three other guest beers on the bar, you have to wonder whether the choice of cask beers is sustainable.

But then these are craft beers of which the relatively new style, black IPA, is a recent development, well, in comparison to the days when porter was brewed. But are all microbreweries craft? I would say yes that they aspire to producing something inspiring, different, something that cannot be mass produced. But craft is up against the easy drinking, not so challenging but tasty enough beer which seems to suit the majority.

[JH]

week!) and for failure to inform me of this.

Now what triggered this sudden response over four months later? Well apparently, our MP had recently come across the article in this local CAMRA magazine, which just goes to show how wide and far our distribution network now extends (please remember, Swale Ale is available on www. issuu.com/swaleale to follow and download at no cost). Now with Swale Ale extending its range into the British Government what better way to put across CAMRA’s campaigning issues or any issue you feel strongly about. So why not write an article and send it to swaleale@gmail.com.

Back to dear Gordon who is happy to visit my pub on another occasion, probably if I give his office four months notice. However Mr Henderson has visited Swale’s first micropub, The Paper Mill, to show his support for this new venture, which is about 20 yards from his constituency office.

Reports are that Mr Henderson appeared to enjoy his glass of RED WINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MW]

0 00 rs !

0, be ing 15 m ow e m gr d an

CAMRA Membership Benefits For just £23* a year, that’s less than a pint a month, you can join CAMRA and enjoy the following benefits: ■ A quarterly copy of our magazine BEER which is packed with features on pubs, beers and breweries.

■ Our monthly newspaper, ‘What’s Brewing’, informing you on beer and pub news and detailing events and beer festivals around the country.

■ Reduced entry to over 160 national, regional and local beer festivals.

■ Socials and brewery trips, with national, regional and local groups.

■ The opportunity to campaign to save pubs and breweries under threat of closure.

■ The chance to join CAMRA / Brewery Complimentary Clubs that are exclusive to CAMRA members. These clubs offer a variety of promotions including free pint vouchers, brewery trips, competitions, and merchandise offers.

■ Discounts on all CAMRA books including the Good Beer Guide.

Plus these amazing discounts... £20 worth of JD Wetherspoon Real Ale Vouchers.**

15% discount with National Express coach services.

10% discount on toprooms.com.

10% savings at Cotswold Outdoor.

15% off boat hire with start locations form Falkirk to Hilperton.

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For more on your CAMRA Membership Benefits please visit www.camra.org.uk/benefits * This price is based on the Direct Debit discount. ** Joint CAMRA memberships will receive one set of vouchers to share. CAMRA reserves the right to withdraw any offer at any time without warning and members should check CAMRA website for updated and details of current offers.

39

Ex-pat Brit longs for those Swale Pubs W

hat is it about being a great distance from something that makes us even more determined to focus on it than if it was, say, on the corner of the street?

For example, why did Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton become superb blues guitarists even though they lived thousands of miles from the Mississippi Delta or the inner city of Chicago?

Quite possibly because the sheer distance fuelled their interest to a far greater degree than if it was something they saw and heard every day.

Similarly, here I am, an ex-pat Brit living in the suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee, having lived in New York, Delaware and California before ending up here in “Music City.” I spent my formative years in Kent before I emigrated some 35 years ago, and not surprisingly a fair portion of those years was spent supporting the income of various licensed victuallers who ran my favourite pubs.

After all these years, there aren’t a lot of things I still miss about my life in England. But the one thing I DO miss is the Kentish pub. Not the kind with the blaring juke box and big-screen TVs showing endless soccer matches. I mean the pub where the landlord knows how to keep a good ale and there’s someone at the bar whom you have never met but with whom you fall into an easy conversation.

I come back to Kent about once a year and I make a point to visit several of my old haunts, mainly in Faversham and the surrounding countryside. It’s always sad to find that, over the years, one or two have finally closed their doors.

But it is also heart warming to discover those that have seemed to remain unchanged from my first visits in the 1960s and even from a century before.

I’m fortunate to have remained close friends with Eric Pollard, a former art college mate who seems to know every pub in Swale and far beyond, mainly because of the amazing hand-painted sign writing work that he creates for so many of them.

With Eric, I have visited many of the pubs that I remember so well, and have been introduced to 40

Mike Harris

Photo by Mike Harris

some that I never knew existed.

I was delighted to read in Swale Ale about the emergence of ‘micropubs’ and I am determined to visit one or two during my next visit to Swale.

With other pubs having to put up the shutters, the micropub concept sounds like a smart way to keep real ale alive and well in Kent.

So my point is this: when something is close at hand – such as your local pub – it is easy to take it for granted. But when you live far away, you really appreciate every opportunity to enjoy a fine ale in good company. Support your local landlord!

Mike Harris Nashville, Tennessee

P.S. I was so homesick for a pub that I built one in my own house! As you can see, Shepherd Neame odds and sods are alive and well here, even if the beer isn’t, and mine is a true ‘micropub’ with only bar stools for two.

Like Mike you can read Swale Ale online at www.issuu.com/swaleale

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The Grumpy Landlord

The demise of the old fashioned barmade

N

ow when I was a lad, (yes I can remember that far back), our local pub was ruled over by a barmaid of truly epic proportions and a personality to match. The ‘back bar’ was her domain and even the landlord trod carefully when he made an infrequent excursion into Flossie’s territory.

Watching Flossie at work was a joy. She could serve three people at once, feed the cat and carry on a conversation with old Ted, while keeping a weather eye on everything that was going on in her bar. I once saw three teddy boys trying to start a punch up in the corner. Flossie was out through the hatch in seconds, clutching a spare pump handle that she kept handy. Exit teddy boys clutching their ears and helped on their way by a boot up the backside as they went through the door.

She was also psychiatrist, psychologist, marriage counsellor, and child care advisor and although she knew all the ins and outs of her regular’s private lives, her discretion was absolute.

Even though we were under-age, we lads knew that we could always spend a pleasant evening in the pub under Flossie’s watchful eye, making the two half pints we were allowed last as long as possible. The local policeman knew very well that we were under-age, but he also knew where we were and that Flossie would stand no nonsense – a clip round the ear, a two week ban and a word in our father’s ears awaited anyone who played up. In fact whenever he popped in to check all was well, he always gave us a nod, just to confirm that he knew what was occurring. We always nodded back, acknowledging the dispensation. Funny though, after a quick look around the pub, he always disappeared out the back, to re-appear five minutes later wiping his mouth with his hand!!!

One of Flossie’s attractions were her light ale dresses, (for you youngsters, light ales were kept on the bottom shelf and Flossie had a generous cleavage so had to bend down to get them - work it out).

There are still the Flossie breed of barmaid to be found, but they are about as rare as hen’s teeth 42

in a chicken run. Now all we seem to have are ‘bar persons’ or the daftest of all ‘mixologists’- who seem to spend most of their time texting friends and give you a nasty look if you interrupt their vital communications by daring to order a drink!

I may be politically incorrect, but give me a Flossie any time, you knew where you were with her and it’s her breed who make a proper pub tick.

Forget electronic pub games, scratch cards and piped music that sounds like a cow with its udder caught in the milking machine, give me a friendly barmaid who can serve a pint to perfection and lend a sympathetic ear anytime!

Derek Grumpy Landlord of the Shipwright’s Arms

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