Swale Ale Summer 2014

Swale Ale THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA

KENT CIDER COMPANY WINS SILVER AWARD AT READING BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL

Three Hats wins Swale Pub of the Year Page 4 Two local pub walks: town and country

Pages 18, 37 Faversham Hop Festival Pub Guide

Pages 21-25

SUMMER 2014 1

Over 19 Kentish Ales and Ciders.

Live Bands Daily, Hog Roast & More.

Open from 12pm The Street, Lower Halstow Sittingbourne, Kent.

ME9 7DY 01795 842840 2

Kentish Beer & Cider Festival Bank Holiday Weekend

23rd, 24th & 25th

August

www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Swale Ale © Summer 2014

Editorial

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

Circulation: 2000 Editorial Committee and Contributors: Les Bailey, Derek Cole, Suzanne Collins, Trevor Duncombe, Mike Harris, Gary Holness, Paul Irving, Keith Pankhurst, Keir Stanley, Jeff Waller, Paul Skelton 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.

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: Paul Irving Secretary: Les Bailey Social Secretary: Doris Munday Treasurer: Les Bailey Pubs Officer: Andrew Kitney

S

ince the last edition of Swale Ale we have held our branch AGM. At this meeting held in July 2014 we elected our new branch Chairman Paul Irving. Simon announced that this would be his final year last July and all at Swale Ale would like to thank Simon for his hard work and commitment during his time as chairman.

Paul has now taken over as Chairman and although he was away on government business during the AGM he will be chairing the next meeting to be held in August. Those of you who do not already know Paul he has recently held the branch post of Pubs Officer and has overseen our local contribution to What Pub and the Good Beer Guide.

You may have noticed that this edition has a front cover with traditional perry pears. Why? Well we have something to celebrate locally as CAMRA’s new Perry champions were named at the Reading beer festival.

Every year at the Reading fest (1-4 May) a panel of judges including drinks writers and CAMRA members mull over ciders and perries from across the UK, in what is the final round of judging for CAMRA’s National Perry Championships. In the Perry category Silver this year went to our own local six per cent Perry from the Kent Cider Company. (Gold went to Oliver’s of Herefordshire).

Finally I urge you all to take part in the many events that we have taking place over the summer, whether that be the Faversham Hop Festival (where we will be having a beer stall), at the Great British Beer Festival or during Cask Ale Week at which a number of local pubs will be holding individual events.

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Three Hats Wins Pub of the Year

T

he Three Hats in Milton Regis has won Swale CAMRA’s Pub of the Year (POTY) award for the second year running. This well-deserved award recognised the quality and variety of ale, the community focus and the support for CAMRA’s campaigns. The award was presented to landlord Malcolm Winskill at the Three Hats Welsh Beer Festival which featured some excellent and unusual ales. Beer of the festival went to the Purple Moose brewery for their Dark Side of the Moose – the first beer to sell out. Other Purple Moose beer also proved popular. The Three Hats then went forward to the East Kent area competition and came second out of five pubs.

Runner-up in the Swale POTY competition was the Elephant in Faversham. Jim has re-established the Elephant as a centre of the Faversham pub scene and the pub is noted for the continued wide variety of beers sold and support for CAMRA. The Shipwright’s Arms in Hollowshore was Highly Commended. The consistency of the beer in the Shipwright’s makes it a regular in the Good Beer Guide. The pub has had a difficult year with severe flooding and then a fire. It is testament to the determination of landlords Derek and Ruth that the pub is now back on its feet.

[PI]

Chairman’s Chat

I

’m very pleased to be writing to you as the new Swale CAMRA Chairman and firstly wanted to thank all those members of the branch who voted for me and the other Committee Members.

CAMRA is an increasingly strong voice in Swale with around 450 members. We have seen a year on year increase in members and an increasing number of active members, including a fair number of local publicans. As Chairman I want to continue my predecessor’s work in encouraging more members to be engaged in the work of the branch so am really keen to hear your thoughts (contact swaleale@gmail.com). It would be good to see more members at monthly open branch meetings

which are an opportunity to feed in your views, visit different pubs around the branch and help decide which branch pubs should be in the Good Beer Guide. CAMRA has a strong campaigning and socialising record and here in Swale we have regular social events such as pub crawls and brewery visits. Members are welcome to attend these and we would welcome ideas for future events. In the meantime enjoy the magazine and I may well see you at one of our local pubs or Faversham’s Hop Festival.

Paul Irving

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 4

CONTEMPORARY PUB AND EATING HOUSE Great Cuisine from our light lunch menu to dining Ă la Carte from traditional dishes freshly prepared by our chef. 5 stars for food hygiene.

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

Mike Porter Ward & Friends

3rd Thursday of the month 8pm to 11pm next dates 21 Aug & 18 Sep

FREE HOUSE including Adnams, Broadside, Masterbrew & 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

The Ship Inn Conyer Conyer Quay, Teynham Kent ME9 9HR 5

ONE OF THE GREAT SURVIVORS ….and just as fresh as ever Winner of 3 Local CAMRA Festival Awards in 2013 and 4 Awards in CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain London & South East Area Competition 2012/13

‘Time Honoured Beer Locally Revered’

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BreweryAd.indd 1

14/03/2014 15:30

Swale Brewery News Shepherd Neame

Shepherd Neame have been busy creating a new Barley Wine which was brewed in Sweden by Emil Lindén and Stewart Main at the Sigtuna Brygghus. The brew was bittered with Magnum (one of Sigtuna’s ‘house’ bittering hops) and finished with the UK classic varieties Challenger, Fuggles and East Kent Goldings.

The finished beer has then been aging in 200 litre bourbon casks from Kentucky-based Blanton’s distillery. This limited edition beer is currently available only from the Shepherd Neame brewery shop.

The good news is that the Pilot brewery is to be used for two more events in the coming months. Firstly, there will be Original Whitstable Bay Oyster Stout (3.7%) with some real oysters contained within. This is for the Whitstable Oyster Festival running from Saturday 26th July to Friday 1st August.

The other beer is Bearded Lady (4.8%) which is brewed for the Broadstairs Folk Week which runs from Friday 8th August to Friday 15th August and, as in previous years, it mostly goes to one pub, The Royal Albion, 6-12 Albion Street. Two brews are usually made but beware, it sells out quickly.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Bob Thompson.

and styles they introduced a 4.8% Anglo American pale ale and Pow Wow; a 3.6% lighter ale.

Mad Cat have also devised a programme of special seasonal beers for the middle and latter part of 2014 so in May they produced Mild Disobedience - a lovely balanced mild cheekily hopped with Bramling Cross for a little fruits of the forest after taste. This was well received by customers who were kind enough to feedback what they thought.

Late June had the launch of Paws for Thought - a 4.5% complex, yet traditional Brown Ale. 2014 is the centenary of the start of the first world war with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand taking place on 28th June 1914, a month later and the world was at war. The brewery modified the old Kitchener recruitment poster as the pump clip for this beer and were asking customers to Paws For Thought in remembrance of the Great War with a Tommy’s favourite; Brown Ale. In late September Mad Cat will bring out a Green Hop Beer. Later in the year the brewery will return to Jet Black Stout and Thanksgiving Winter Warmer. There was a lot of interest in these last year and complaints because they did not make enough! They may also have another go at that Mild Disobedience which was also very well received.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Doris Munday.

Kent Brewery News Old Dairy Brewery

Old Dairy Brewery, the Kent brewer founded in 2010, has raised £600,000 for expansion and announced the appointment of former Fuller’s Beer Company managing director John Roberts to lead a strengthened board as it enters a new phase.

Hopdaemon

Faversham micropub latest news

Hopdaemon brewery is currently brewing to capacity.

The branch Brewery Liaison Officer is Howard Gates.

Mad Cat

Last year Mad Cat ran continuously with three beers all at 4.2%. These were Auburn Copper Ale, Platinum Blonde and Golden India Pale Ale. After customer requests for a greater variety of strengths

A

n application for change of use and planning consent for a micropub has been submitted for the former fresh fish shop on Preston Street.

It is possible that a temporary licence will be in place for the forthcoming Hop Festival either inside or outside the premises.

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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

8

Swale Pub News Boughton The White Horse was serving Early Bird and Master Brew on a recent visit. Beer pump clips on the wall suggested that many of the occasional Shepherd Neame beers may be found in this pub.

The Phoenix Tavern continues to offer six real ales although the price varies considerably – a recent visit found the price of a half of Hop Back’s Summer Lightning to be £2.05.

The Bear recently won Shepherd Neame’s Heart of the Community Pub of the Year. ▶ Jonathan Neame presents award to Chris and Marie

Charing The Bowl - a recent visit to the Bowl found a good selection of well-kept ales including Dark Star’s Hophead and Gadds’ East Kent IPA at a powerful 6.5%. The Bowl has recently changed hands and the new licensee is Peter Watts.

Hernhill The Red Lion continues to serve a very good range of national and local beers including, on a recent visit, Westerham’s Alt Ego – a German style pilsner ale – which was very tasty.

Conyer The Ship continues to serve three or four ales including, on a recent visit, Old Dairy’s Red Top. This particular beer seems to be a regular. Other guest beers are often from Old Dairy.

The Three Horseshoes pub in Hernhill, near Faversham, raised £1,800 for charity at its annual Wheelie Bin Race. The pub continues to serve two Shepherd Neame beers including the seasonal brew.

A recent visit found the Early Bird on good form.

Dargate The Dove - continues to offer two Shepherd Neame beers including the seasonal brew. Food is a major focus for the pub but the beer remains on good form.

Lower Halstow The Three Tuns continues to be popular. Goacher’s Real Mild and a Millis beer continue to be permanently on tap with two other guests from Kent breweries. Carol and Chris are already preparing for their forthcoming beer festival (August Bank Holiday weekend) which will feature around 20 Kent ales.

Dunkirk The Red Lion was serving Greene King IPA on a recent visit.

Faversham The former Swan & Harlequin should have reopened by time you read this article – renamed The Red Sails Hotel and Restaurant. Rumour has it that real ale will be served.

The Vaults Cask and Kitchen house beer from Mad Cat remains popular and the pub continues to offer a good range of ciders.

The Elephant continues to stock five beers, some recent beers on offer have included the very drinkable Dark Star Victorian Ruby Mild.

The Chimney Boy has re-opened after a substantial revamp.

Minster The Heritage – the Isle of Sheppey’s micropub recently hosted their first beer festival.

Oad Street Rumours are that the Plough and Harrow will reopen shortly after a substantial make-over. It is unclear whether it will serve real ale and is likely to focus on food.

Otterham Quay The Three Sisters (on the boundary of Medway and Swale branches) stocks a good range of Kent beers including a house beer from Mad Cat and regular beers from Goacher’s.

Page 10▶ 9

◀ Page 9 Selling The White Lion has now reopened but the Sondes Arms remains closed, having recently been sold for auction.

Upchurch The Brown Jug continues to serve Harveys beers but also Mad Cat’s Pow Wow, a good American Pale Ale.

Sheerness By the time you read this update another pub serving real ale will have opened in Swale. The Belle and Lion will open in Sheerness High Street in July.

This will be J.D. Wetherspoon’s third pub in the branch and the second new real ale venue to open on the Isle of Sheppey this year. Look out for an article in the next edition.

For the latest news and information on pubs in the branch (and across the country) don’t forget to check www.whatpub.com regularly. This website is an excellent source of information and is updated

by CAMRA volunteers. Around 95% of real ale pubs are now detailed, providing an unrivalled source of information. Nothing is infallible so if you see any errors please let your local branch know.

If you are a CAMRA member remember to add your scores and comments to What Pub.

Sittingbourne The Three Hats has again won Swale Pub of the Year. The pub showcases a diverse range of beers, including many to celebrate the World Cup such as the excellent Ossett Rio-De-Ja Beer-o and Otter’s Wotter Shot. Other pubs in Sittingbourne including the Paper Mill and the Tudor Rose, Borden also showcased World Cup beers.

Finally, if you want to try something different why not visit Posillipo’s in Faversham. This stylish Italian restaurant is located by the creek and serves up to 15 Italian bottled craft beers from leading microbreweries across the country www.posillipo.co.uk/ restaurant

The Paper Mill goes from strength to strength proving popular with locals and visitors alike. Three or four beers continue to be offered including some interesting beers from outside Kent.

The Summoner - the new manager in is looking to expand the number of ales they sell, with a focus on local beers.

The Billet stocks occasional guest beers, including from St Austell.

Congratulations to The Berry, Walmer, for winning East Kent Pub of the Year.

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

www.whatpub.com

Beer Festivals

The Long Hop is advertised for sale and is currently boarded up.

Great British Beer Festival Olympia, London 12th August to 16th August 2014

Stalisfield Green The Plough - the relatively new owners continue to focus on Kent beers with Mad Cat being one of three beers available.

Faversham Hop Festival 30th August to 31st August 2014

Teynham The Swan continues to offer two real ales, often from Wantsum, at £3 a pint. The quality of the beer and welcome continues to be excellent. A free quiz is held every Sunday afternoon (for those wishing to exercise their brain cells).

Cask Ale Week 25th September - 5th October 2014

10

East Malling Beer & Cider Festival 6th September 2014 11am to 7pm

Kent Green Hop Festival Fortnight 26th September – 10th October 2014

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12

Goldings Ale 4.1% abv June - September A well-deened dark-blonde which melds citrusy hops with the nutty, wholemeal character of crystal and pale malt.

Brilliant Ale 4.0% abv July - August A pale, golden, brilliantly bright ale and bittered by the choicest East Kent Golding hops.

Queen Court 4.5% abv August - September Golden and hoppy, a bright and refreshing Summer ale which balances a full bodied malty palate with a spicy and fruity aroma.

Late Red 4.5% abv September - December Bequeathed with the fresh green character of Kent cultivated Cascade hops and enriched with lightly toasted Crystal malt.

T

Faversham Transport Weekend

Branch Diary

his year was the second time that the Faversham transport weekend was staged, now expanded from the previous classic car show which has been run in Faversham for a number of years.

It was Swale CAMRA’s fourth year in attendance and it is becoming a regular occurrence with many people looking forward to our beer and cider stall.

This year we had beer from Wantsum, Hopdaemon and Mad Cat and cider from Kent Cider Company, Dudda's Tun and our first ever Woolly Pig cider from Brogdale. We had enough volunteers working on the stall to be able to spread the message of CAMRA’s aims by giving out publicity leaflets and a good number of membership forms as well. As has been the case in past years we were again fortunate to be blessed with fantastic weather over the weekend and the stall was as successful as in previous years.

[GH]

Wednesday 13th August 2014 The Red Lion, Hernhill Wednesday 10th September 2014 The Alma, Painters Forstall Wednesday 8th October 2014 The Old House at Home, Queenborough Wednesday 12th November 2014 The Vaults Cask and Kitchen, Faversham Wednesday 10th December 2014 The Three Hats, Milton Regis Branch meetings currently start at 8pm for approximately one hour. Additional details and maps are available on our website: www.camra-swale.org.uk

The Three Hats, Milton Regis T HE T HREE HAT S

£1

MI LTON REGI S

Off all Cask Ales with CAMRA discountselection during Cask Aleales Week Ever changing of cask Large Beer Garden Mobile Bar and Catering Ser vice Available for Weddings,

and Birthdays Any person joining CAMRA at ThreeChristenings Hats during cask ale week No Function t oo bigof or small will receive 2 free pints of their choice ale.

Call Malcolm on 07764 842478 T hree Hats, 93 High Street, Milton Regis, Kent, ME10 2AR

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14

Memories are good but can’t always get you to the pub!

T

he old brain cells ain’t what they used to be.

And now I think about it, they weren’t that good to start with.

I’m an ex-pat Brit living in Nashville, Tennessee, and I fondly remember the wonderful pubs and the fine ales I enjoyed between my late teens and early 30s before emigrating to the USA. At least I thought I remembered them and every twist and turn around leafy country lanes leading from one pub to another.

My wife Preshias and I timed our visit to Kent to coincide with the arrival of my old friend Phil, who would be visiting from Tasmania. Phil and I had worked together many years ago at various Kent Messenger properties, but mainly at the [long-lost] Evening Post in Chatham. Back in those days, Phil and I would regularly escape to the backroads of Swale to dampen our elbows on the bars of some fine old establishments and unwind after long days of racing rats in the world of newspaper advertising.

A pint awaits on the bar at the Red Lion, Badlesmere

So Phil and I concocted a cunning plan via email.

Phil’s wife, a non-drinker (the poor dear), would be our designated driver allowing us to enjoy a few beverages. A perfect plan, we thought. What could go wrong?

Phil and his wife Reigh picked us up at my sister’s house in Rainham on the designated Saturday and we set off, the ladies up front and Phil and I in back, beginning to catch up after all these years. I had created a list of potential pubs, set out carefully in a semblance of an itinerary that would

A lunch fit for a hungry ploughman at the Red Lion, Badlesmere. Photographs by Michael Harris

take us logically from one to the next. As I said: what could go wrong?

Despite living in the USA, I had learned that British Sat Navs can generally find a location simply by the post code, so our designated pubs were listed that way on my itinerary. One slight hitch: Phil’s Sat Nav is Australian but loaded with British maps, and for some reason, perhaps due to age, it didn’t recognize post codes.

Getting a little thirsty, Phil and I felt sure that we could locate any of these pubs from memory, even though several decades had passed since we last entered any of them.

“I think it’s just down here,” was a phrase that Reigh, our driver, got a little tired of hearing. After about two hours, we had already struck off two or three pubs from our list due to time constraints and still hadn’t tasted a single drop. So we made an executive decision and decided to head straight to the Red Lion at Badlesmere. Now that one I knew I could find, as I had stopped by a few days earlier, as part of a reconnoitering expedition with my friend Eric Pollard, the pub signwriter. As it was my wife’s birthday, I had left a birthday card behind the bar for her as a surprise.

Phil and I headed straight for the bar, gasping like cartoon characters crossing a desert in search of an oasis. Two pints of Gadd’s arrived in front of us and I was about to take my first gulp. “Wait,” said Phil. “When was the last time we did this?” I thought for a moment. “Thirty four years ago!” I replied. We raised our glasses. “Cheers.” A special moment. No pint ever tasted better.

The Red Lion’s Rosie even made the day special for my wife, with a floral bouquet that arrived with our lunch. I sure miss the hospitality of British pubs!

Page 16 ▶ 15

◀ Page 15 But the day was getting away from us and our next stop was to be the Black Lion, Lynsted, where I was anticipating a pint of Goacher’s. Sadly, we found that it was closed at the time we arrived, and it appears to be for sale. Undeterred, we stopped at one or two other pubs (despite numerous wrong turns and double backs) before heading to our final destination: The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore. No Sat Nav needed this time, as the ad in Swale Ale actually had directions, a good idea that other landlords might want to emulate for ‘foreigners’ like us!

The Shipwright’s was the ideal place for Phil and I to end up our ‘grand reunion’ Swale pub tour, together again after more than three decades, and for a grumpy landlord, Derek was remarkably ungrumpy.

But we did learn one thing: you can’t rely on distant memories OR Sat Navs when you need to find that special pub. Next time, we’ll bring a good old-fashioned road atlas. Cheers.

Mike Harris, Nashville, Tennessee

The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore. Note the hook with the “Covers for Muddy Boots”!

FINE ALES FROM THE GARDEN OF ENGLAND Brewed using the finest malt and hops in a range of scrumptious beers including Red Top Best Bitter.

You won’t want any udder bitter!

AvAilAble in CAsk, bottle And PolytAiner

WWW.OLDDAIRYBREWERY.COM 16

FOR SALES: Telephone: 01580 763867 OR email: sales@olddairybrewery.com OLD DAIRY BREWERY LTD, STATION ROAD, TENTERDEN, KENT. TN30 6HE

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 www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk Directions: At Davington School turn into Ham Road and follow the signs across the marsh.

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

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

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 17

A Short Pub Walk from Sittingbourne Railway Station

A

rriving at Sittingbourne Station turn right onto Milton Road then follow the road under a railway bridge. At the bottom of Milton Road turn left onto Mill Way. On the left hand side of the road you will see the recently built Morrisons Superstore. This was built on the site of Sittingbourne Paper Mill, one of three mills operating in Sittingbourne in the 1990s. Only Kemsley Mill (near Milton Creek) now survives.

After 0.1 mile you will need to bear left onto Church Street. On the right hand side of Church Street you will see the former Lion Tavern, now a house. Walk up Church Street and at the next junction (with Charlotte Street) you will find The Paper Mill.

The Paper Mill is a small, one roomed micropub – the first in Swale. For up to date opening times please check whatpub.com, although in the evening the micropub usually opens from 5-9. Three or four beers are on offer including Kent and national microbrewery beers. Goacher’s Mild is always available and if you’re lucky you may have your mild served by Goacher’s Head Brewer, Simon.

From The Paper Mill, head straight down Charlotte Street and cross over the main road. Directly opposite Charlotte Street is a gradually sloping path – Milton High Street. As you go up Milton High Street you will begin to see some interesting historic buildings.

The main High Street is full of medieval buildings – including a very fine town hall. The town itself likely dates back to Roman times (a number of Roman 18

graveyards and artefacts have been found in the area) and Milton is mentioned in both the AngloSaxon Chronicles and the Doomsday Book. Cross over the High Street and you end up at our next stop – The Three Hats.

At one stage there were three pubs in Milton High Street but the Three Hats is the only one that remains. The historic building dates back to the 1503. Step inside and you are likely to be welcomed by the friendly staff. Malcolm the landlord will be instantly recognisable as he is usually sporting a colourful shirt. The Three Hats makes the most of the “Enterprise” beer list to stock many beers which are otherwise rarely seen in Swale – including beers from Dartmoor, Windsor and Eton, Purity and Skinners. The wide variety of ales and the substantive support for CAMRA are two reasons why The Three Hats is our Branch Pub of the Year.

The Three Hats is a true community pub and you will encounter varied and entertaining characters. If you get there between 11-3, take advantage of the good value food menu.

Exiting the Three Hats follow the route back to Sittingbourne railway station. If you have time you should pop in The Fountain – opposite the railway. The Fountain is a Shepherd Neame pub and serves one or two of their ales, together with a selection of their bottled beers. The pub is full of railway memorabilia and serves Thai food.

[PI]

PHOENIX TAVERN Abbey Street, Faversham

The Beating Heart of Faversham ® SIX REAL ALES Changing regularly, but always Timothy Taylor Landlord, Harvey’s Sussex and a Blond!

REAL FOOD prepared freshly on the premises each day 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 Dogs and children welcome Car park

Good Beer Guide 2014

'Official home of the Timothy Taylor Appreciation Society'.

The country pub in the medieval town

@Phoenixfav

The Phoenix Tavern Faversham

www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk 01795591462 591 642 w w w .thephoenixt avernfaversham .co.uk - -01795 19

THE

ELEPHANT THE MALL, FAVERSHAM Freehouse

Hop Festival Weekend All Ales and Beers £3.20 a pint Swale Camra pub of the year 2007, 08, 09, 10, 11, 2012.

Highly Commended 2013 & 2014 EAST KENT PUB OF THE YEAR 2010 Excellent selection of real ales

BEST BEERS FOR MILES. 01795 590157, ME13 8JN 20

Faversham Hop Festival Pub Guide 30th - 31st August 2014 The Brents - Free House One of the best value pints in town! Interesting memorabilia.

The Three Tuns - Shepherd Neame

The Albion - Shepherd Neame

The Vaults Cask and Kitchen -

Good place for a pint with some Mexican food.

Enterprise Inns. Recently renovated and usually offering a Mad Cat beer. Large beer garden.

The Bull - Shepherd Neame

The Chimney Boy - Shepherd Neame

The Sun - Shepherd Neame Historic house much extended to accommodate paying guests and drinkers.

The Elephant - Free House A proper alehouse with the best choice of beer in town. Excellent walled garden.

Historic and traditional two roomed 15th Century house, with garden.

One of the original Shep’s houses. Garden.

Refurbished this year combining a modern interior touch within the historical structure.

The Carpenters Arms Eastling

01795 890534

Horse and Dog Friendly ‘the little pub with a big heart’

Mon 18:00 - 22:30 Tue - Thur 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:30 Fri - Sat 12:00 - 23:45 Sun 12:00 - 20:00

www.carpentersarmseastling.co.uk 21

Faversham Hop Festival Pub G The Brents Free House

The Albion

Shepherd Neame

The Sun

Shepherd Neame

The Bull

Shepherd Neame

The Three Tuns Shepherd Neame

The Vaults Cask and Kitchen Enterprise Inns

The Chimney Boy Shepherd Neame

The Elephant Free House

Crown and Anchor Shepherd Neame

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Guide: 30th - 31st August 2014 The Anchor Shepherd Neame

The Phoenix Tavern Enterprise Inns

The Bear

Shepherd Neame

CAMRA Real Ale Stall

The Market Inn Shepherd Neame

Faversham Homebrew Leading Light Wetherspoon

The Railway Hotel www.openstreetmap.org

Shepherd Neame

23

THE THREE HATS T HE T HREE HAT S MILTON REGIS MI LTON REGI S

Ever changing selection of cask ales

Ever changing selection of cask ales

Large Beer Garden Mobile Bar and Catering Service Available for Large Beer Garden Weddings, Christenings and Birthdays

Mobile Bar and Catering Ser vice Available for Weddings, Christenings and Birthdays

No function too big or small No Function t oo big or small

Call Malcolm on 07764 842478 Call Malcolm on 07764 842478

T hree Hats,The 93 High Street, Milton Regis,Street, Kent, ME10 2AR Three Hats, 93 High

Milton Regis, Kent, ME10 2AR

SWALE CAM RA PUB OF T HE YEAR 2013

SWALE CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 24

Crown and Anchor - Shepherd Neame

The Market Inn - Shepherd Neame Large pub with garden and good community following

The Anchor - Shepherd Neame Multi roomed old building with character and garden.

Leading Light - Wetherspoon Just as it says on the tin, a Wetherspoons!

The Bear - Shepherd Neame Wonderful old pub. Heritage interior with rooms off the side corridor.

The Railway Hotel - Shepherd Neame

The Phoenix Tavern - Enterprise Historic old building with garden and enterprising landlord.

CAMRA Real Ale Stall

Local’s pub run by long serving Faversham landlord.

Faversham Homebrew

A place to escape the throng and stock up on brewing equipment.

Ornate wooden interior with central bar.

No frills, a small bar offering local beers, a couple of ciders and if you want, advice on beer and CAMRA.

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The Worshipful Company of Brewers

G

reetings gentle reader. This time I have a conundrum for you to start off with. What links an English folk story character, Canterbury Cathedral and a ship of Her Majesty’s navy? The answer is the Worshipful Company of Brewers about which I bring you the following. You will of course realise that I am standing to attention when I write about such an august institution!

Situated in the City of London the Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the oldest of the London Guilds or Livery Companies and ranks fourteenth in the City Livery Companies of London. The Company received its first Charter in 1438 from Henry VI where brewers were incorporated as ‘The Wardens and Commonality of the Mystery of Brewers of the City of London’ to control the trade, although now The Company is governed by the Charter granted by Charles I in 1639.

So what of the conundrum clues I mentioned at the start? The character from English folklore is none other than Dick Whittington who as we all know became the Lord Mayor of London (presumably with his feline companion attaining the title of First Cat).

However the relationship between Whittington and the brewers was not an altogether cordial one as Whittington was forever fining the brewers for their misdemeanours and threatened the Master and Wardens with imprisonment. What hideous crimes were the brewers accused of I hear you cry. Well according to William Portland, the Company’s clerk, the brewers were accused of ‘taking too much water from the Chepe Conduit, artificially increasing the price of malt and overcharging for their beer’.

Perhaps Dick’s feline friend changed sides and became a ‘fat cat’!! The fact that the brewers were having too much of a good 26

Photographs by Swale CAMRA

thing is borne out by Whittington’s complaint that they had ‘fat swans at their feast on the morrow of St Martin where as he had none at his’. Anyway this was too much for the Lord Mayor as he reputedly forced the brewers to sell their ale at 1d per gallon all the next day. Perhaps the next time you feel that a brewer is charging too much for his beer you might want to reflect on this penalty!!

The Canterbury Cathedral connection comes from the Company’s patron saint who is Thomas Becket, although it is not completely clear as to why Becket was adopted. One theory is that because the pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine of St Thomas at Canterbury Cathedral drank so much ale the brewers felt it appropriate to align themselves with this particular saint.

The naval connection comes from its affiliation with HMS Albion, which is an amphibious transport dock. Albion carries troops, normally Royal Marines, and vehicles up to the size of the Challenger II main battle tank, deploying these forces using Landing Craft. Also there is a flight deck for helicopters. The commander of the ship is automatically appointed an honorary Liveryman of the Brewers’ Company for the duration of the command.

The Company gives an annual award to a member of the crew for outstanding contribution to shipboard life. The award consists of £500 and an engraved tankard.

Appropriately the pennant number of the ship is L14 which as we have already seen corresponds to the Company’s

ranking in the City of London Guilds.

The Brewers were one of the first Guilds to have their own hall. You will find it in Aldermanbury Square in London. The building you see today is latest in a series of buildings. One was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666 and another by bombing in 1940. The present hall was completed in 1960 and was designed by Sir Hubert Worthington RA whose other works include many of the Oxford College buildings and, as principal architect for the War Graves Commission for Egypt and North Africa, work that involved the design and supervision of the various cemeteries and memorials to the missing. One among them, at

Valletta, Malta, is a memorial to missing airmen.

On the outside of the hall you will find The Company’s Coat of Arms which appropriately enough has emblazoned on it crossed sheaves and three barrels. You will also find a statue of a woman holding two bunches of barley. This figure refers back to St Thomas, only the reference is more cryptic as it refers to Gilbert Becket (Thomas’ father), a city merchant who, as the story goes, was captured by pirates off the coast of Africa and saved by a Moorish lady who followed him to London and married Gilbert, thus becoming Thomas Becket’s stepmother.

Today the Company is still close to its trade with only directors and senior management of the member companies admitted to the Livery. The Company actively supports the brewing industry and is involved in much charitable work.

So there you have it gentle reader. So until next time I will bid you farewell.

Cheers,

Obadiah Spillage

Enjoy your garden?

But don’t enjoy the maintenance?

Then please call ‘Dave the Gardener’ on 07952031292

for all your garden maintenance needs.

27

Public House Research and History

G

reetings readers, I am not sure how many of you know about my hobby, but I started off researching the history of the public houses in Dover and as things developed the neighbouring villages were included. Then some bright spark suggested that I should also add Deal and Walmer, and then another wanted Folkestone, then Canterbury and things just grew. In a weak moment at the start of 2014 I decided enough was enough, No more suggestions about what town to include next, I’d take on all of Kent. Yes! It is more than one can do alone, but I have the enthusiasm.

This area, of course, includes Swale and here is where the research begins. Firstly I had to make a list of all the towns and villages in the Swale area.

That’s the easy bit. Then for each of those listed, find out what pubs are or were operating in each of them. Next comes to see what photographs I can find to add to my page of that pub, licensee lists and of course anything of note that happened that is connected to the premises or licensee.

That’s the interesting bit, and you’d be surprised just what comes to light.

Prostitution, mysterious ghostly apparitions, serving after hours, smashing windows, drunkenness, deaths. The list goes on. It all sounds rather negative, but certainly most interesting.

Every pub has an interesting story attached to it, and often as not the sign hanging outside is interesting as well.

All my research I hate to keep to myself, so I have created a web site that displays all the gems and my research. Each pub has its own page, and as I find or am given information regarding a pub it 28

For more information about Dover and Kent pub history please go to www.dover-kent.com ALL emails are answered. gets added to the page. It’s not a blog, and isn’t open to the public to add their own comments, I don’t like that format and that can be abused. Everything I add comes through me and I add it if I think it’s relevant and going to be of interest to others. And so, the pages get larger, more photos are added and more people send me information. This is the way it grows at present. Of course, a good deal of information I gather from local newspapers and other sources. Anyway, enough of what I do and am doing. The web site is www.dover-kent.com and if you get the time to view it, please do. Better still, if you have something that I haven’t added yet, please send it to me, and I’ll get it included.

Onto some of the interesting things I have found to date in the Swale area. Think I’ll start with Faversham, that being the home of Shepherd Neame of course.

To date I have traced no less than 71 pubs that have existed in the town.

I only know of 19 that are open today, and one that has stated an interest to open, but I don’t think it has yet. This is where local knowledge comes in, and I would really appreciate your help in this.

Of the pubs that have closed, I will admit that some have changed names and I do include them as a different pub. The earliest I have managed to trace one back to so far is the Castle Inn, trading in 1450 and rumour has it that it was the first pub that Shepherd Neame owned in 1711. It unfortunately closed sometime after1938, that’s the closest date I know when it was serving, and is now a private residence. The building gained a Grade II listing on Page 31 ▶

Rose & Crown Perry Wood A proper country pub in outstanding surroundings

Come by train, car bike or foot, Bring the dog, kids, other half or not, Walk, run or cycle the woods, Enjoy a drink in our beautiful garden!

Adnams Southwold, Harveys Best, Bitburger lager, Benediktiner wheat beer.

Open all day weekends 01772 752214

www.roseandcrownperrywood.co.uk 29

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◀ Page 28

4th May 1970. The photos show it left, open, and right as it is today.

Other pubs that I have found, which I doubt anyone will have heard of let alone know anything about include the likes of the Royal Oak, operating at 5 Tanner Street from 1855 under the rule of a Peter Skelton, (probably a relation of mine) and changing name to the Holly Bush by 1888. It closed in 1904 and operated as a lodging house until the 1960s and was demolished in 1969. The street has now vanished. I wonder if anyone has a photo of the building or indeed the area?

Preston Street seems to have had more than its fair share of pubs. From the Albion Wine Vaults at number 85 mentioned as housing a brewery in the 1700s and changing its name to the Hole in the

Wall in 1965, and now known as the The Vault Cask and Kitchen. The politically incorrect Black Boy at number 8, open 1750 when Cock Fighting took place till 1828 or possibly later. How many people can remember the Dolphin Hotel at number 86 from between 1794 and 1930, possibly later, where the new building of Superdrug is now operating.

Or the Fleur de Lis from 1824 to 2002 at number 13. The George at 51 open in 1872, closed in1969.

The Hand at number 4, open 1702, changed name to the Good Intent in 1844, changed again in 1855 to the Rose and again by 1866 to the Prince Albert; that closed about 1990. Still open is the Leading Light, but it only opened in November 1997. At 59

was the Limes Hotel operating in 1871, but changed name and still operating as the Chimney Boy in the 1970s. Incidentally inside there is an inglenook fireplace with three steps inside which a small boy would have used to get access for cleaning. Pity we don’t send some I could mention up there today.

At 43 is the Railway Hotel, but this was here before the railway in 1859, and I have no idea what it was called then. And lastly, the Furlong’s Ale House.

Local resident Andrew Sach intended opening this micropub and mentioned the fact in 2013, but I have heard no more about this venture yet. Local knowledge please.

Anyway, that’s just a snapshot of the pubs and information I am still researching, but Swale is a large area, and I need more information about other pubs in areas such as Bobbing, Conyer, Hartlip, Leysdown, Kemsley, Newington, Oare, Ospringe, Rushingden, Teynham, Tunstall and Warden, to name just a few of the towns and villages in Swale. [PS]

I

f you would like further information on either pub or brewery history we have a number of local books and papers that may be of interst.

The Faversham Society have two papers in their ‘About Faversham’ printed series - No’s 19 and 92. Information on brewery history can be obtained from local CAMRA member Peter Moynihan in his book Kentish Brewers and The Brewers of Kent: A Historical Directory of Kent Brewers, available from Faversham’s Fleur de Lis Centre.

If you have information on pubs in Swale, or indeed anywhere in Kent, do contact Paul via his website.

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Herbal Beer: A Brief History

S

o beer is made from malt, hops, water and yeast; always has been and always will be... right?

OK so those strange Belgian folk sometimes put cherries and raspberries in their beer and you’ve heard there’s a Heather Ale brewed in Scotland but that really is it, isn’t it?

Well you might be surprised to hear that there is no record of beer being made with hops in this country before 1412 and hops weren’t grown here until the early 16th century. In fact hops didn’t become dominant until around 1750.

The trend spread across from Europe where the first documented use of hops was in the 9th century. However you look at the facts you have to conclude that beer was being brewed here for about 9,000 years before the benefits of hops were discovered.

So if hops weren’t used for all those years then what was? Well the answer to that question would have to be “just about everything that wasn’t poisonous”. I’m not going to bore you with a definitive list of all the herbs, plants and trees that have been used to flavour and preserve beer but let’s have a look at some of the more common ones. As I mentioned in my last article, “Sacred Ale”, Gruit was the dominant form of ale in this country for many hundreds of years and was still brewed (albeit in increasingly obscure places) up until World War 2. It was primarily a combination of three herbs: Sweet Gale (Myrica gale),Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Marsh Rosemary (Ledum palustre) though each commercial Gruit ale varied somewhat - different brewers added their own herb and spice combinations (such as juniper berries, ginger, caraway seed, mugwort, nutmeg and cinnamon) to produce unique flavours and other properties in their ale. Any and all of these ingredients (along 32

with others too numerous to mention) have also been used individually and in different combinations to make hundreds of ales in this country alone.

So hops took over because they were just better than all these other herbs – right? Well yes and no. There is no doubt that hops give a good bitter flavour and are an excellent preservative but so do several other herbs and hops do have some drawbacks – they are soporific (make you sleepy) and reduce sexual drive. The high level of plant estrogens in hops make hopped beer an extremely good drink for women in menopause but also make it a bad drink for men. Consumption of large levels of estrogenic compounds by men can lead to erection problems later in life. There is of course a well-known condition in this country called Brewer’s Droop. Herb ales on the other hand have been shown to have the exact opposite effect. Many common herbs such as Yarrow, Mugwort and Wild Lettuce are known to have very mildly narcotic properties; when used in beer, however, they can be highly intoxicating and aphrodisiacal when consumed in sufficient quantity. The English herbalist Maude Grieve reports in her “Modern Herbal” that “The leaves [of marsh rosemary] are reputed to be more powerful than those of Ledum latifolium [Labrador Tea], and to have in addition some narcotic properties, being used in Germany to make beer more intoxicating.”

But among them all yarrow, the common allgarden herb, was best known as an inebriant. Odd Nordland (author of Brewing and Beer Traditions in Norway) states “According to Linneaus, it was used by the people of Lima in Dalecarnia, instead of hops, when they brewed for weddings: ‘...so that the guests become crazy.’

The historical record is clear that hops’ replacing other herbs was primarily a reflection of Protestant anger about “drugs” (including alcohol) and the Catholic Church in concert with competing merchants trying to break the Protestant Church’s monopoly and so increase their profits. The motivations were both religious and mercantile.

That this occurred is clearly regrettable. Though Page 35 ▶

CAMRA East Kent Pub of the Year 2014

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

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THE BOWL INN Find us on the top of the North Downs above Charing, in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Enjoy a pint of real ale or a glass of wine in our large beer garden or heated patio area.

Regular steak nights, curry nights, and live music.

Four Star Bed and Breakfast Accommodation We can also offer bed and breakfast accommodation with 4 en-suite bedrooms, and a garden room which offers full facilities for disabled guests.

We are a 'dog and horse friendly' Inn

Under New Management

Peter Watts

Egg Hill Road, Charing, Ashford, Kent TN27 OHG

Tel: 01233 712256 email info@bowl-inn.co.uk 34

◀ Page 32 Gruit herbs do possess mild inebriating properties, they are actually quite healthy for people when used in moderation. Though it might seem from the descriptions of some writers from that period that Gruit herbs are in the same category as what some might call “drugs” today, they are in fact more similar in their effects to gin than marijuana.

The writers who described the dangerous effects of Gruit were in fact those who wanted to outlaw their use and stop the indiscriminate use of stimulants (as well as make money by being able to brew a product competing with the Catholic Church). Now that hops have supplanted Gruit herbs the vast majority of men in the western world are still being drugged by their beer only now they are being drugged into a dull, flaccid sleepiness.

So do herbal beers have any future? Well that remains to be seen but I can tell you that I have already started experimenting with small batches of home-made herbal ales from what I can forage in the area. I’ll be reporting back in the next edition with my results – who knows, if I hit on a great combination of flavours and effects I might be able to persuade one of our local micro-brewers to start making it commercially…

[KP]

Advertising Rates Half Page £30 Full A5 Page £55 Minimum circulation 1,000 Contact: swaleale@googlemail.com Please send your advert as a PDF or JPG file.

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F12

TIME FOR A PINT AT SWALE’S FIRST REAL ALE MICROPUB

PUB REGULARS: BILL AND DALLAS F12

THE PAPER MILL www.thepapermillmicropub.co.uk 2 Charlotte Street, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2JN info@thepapermillmicropub.co.uk Tel: 07927 073584 Facebook: The Paper Mill Micropub Twitter: @TPM_Micropub 36

Overview

Swale Pub Walk Rainham, Otterham, Upchurch, Lower Halstow and Newington

T

he intention of this summer walk is to take Swale branch members and visitors alike away from our normal well trodden walks.

Starting at Rainham station just outside the branch boundary you should exit the station via the London bound platform and then take a left towards the pedestrian and road railway crossing gates. Carefully cross the rail lines, cross the station road and take a right across the car park towards the recreation ground. Take a left when entering the park and follow the path around the outside, exiting onto the junction of Wakeley Road and Scott Avenue. Take the next left and continue along Taswall Road until you reach a footpath leading clearly to Caldecote Close. Continue until you reach the junction of Ten Acre Way. Take a right and follow the road until you reach Otterham Quay Lane. Walk for a further 3 minutes and you will reach a mini roundabout with your first pub.

The Three Sisters is a traditional urban/ country free house which is now located on the edge of a number of reasonably new housing estates. The pub has a U shaped bar with a pool table and dart board to the left. On our visit this pub served three real ales from Photographs by Jeff Waller Goacher’s, Old Dairy and Tonbridge and one real cider from Double Vision [7.4%]. The Three Sisters is a member of the CAMRA discount scheme and offers 20p off a pint of real ale. This pub has regular events including bands and beer festivals. A beer garden and car park is available to the rear.

Upon existing the pub take a right and follow Otterham Quay Lane skirting around the edge of the golf club.

Walk for a further 14 minutes or 0.7 of a mile and you will reach your next pub.

The Brown

This walk starts at Rainham railway station (outside the Swale Branch Boundary) and then follows country roads through Otterham, Upchurch and Lower Halstow finishing at Newington railway station.

Length This linear walk is suitable for an afternoon covering approximately 5 miles. Adequate time should be allocated to allow a suitable visit to each of the pubs en-route.

Jug is a free house serving three real ales including Harveys Sussex Best and two changing seasonal beers. Located on a quiet country road with adequate car parking this would be an excellent place to start or finish a country walk. Good pub food is served and often Harveys beers that do not normally make their way into Kent make an appearance including Old Ale, Dark and Light Mild.

To continue our walk you need to take a left when exiting the pub and follow Horsham Hill for 15 minutes passing St Mary the Virgin, until you reach a T junction next to the Church. Turn left up ‘The Street’ walking for 1 minute and you will see The Crown on your left.

The Crown is an Enterprise Inns pub that served three national ales on our visit including Fuller’s London Pride, Doom Bar and Bombardier.

Upon leaving the pub take a right and then the first right up Forge Lane. After a few minutes you will pass Hollywell Primary School and then will leave the houses behind on your walk to the final pub.

After five minutes walking the main road will bear left and become ‘The Street’ Lower Halstow.

On your right you will pass the cricket ground and in around 15 minutes you will reach your final pub.

The Three Tuns is a large free house serving excellent restaurant and pub food. They pride themselves in serving a range of ever changing local and national beers. Feeling a little peckish we glanced at their enticing menu and opted for the Kentish pub lunch and an antipasto platter Page 38 ▶ 37

◀ Page 37 washed down with a pint of Goacher’s Mild and a pint of Millis Kentish Best.

Splendid.

Leaving the Three Tuns the easiest way to return is to avoid the footpath through the housing (you might get lost, as we did) so turning left (west) outside the pub continue until the first proper road turning on the left and walk to the second or third footpath on the right, both of which head towards the A2. The third path is the more direct passing over Broom Downs in a clear straight path through the crops, once you have hopped over the paddock stiles. However a warning is given that the proximity of nettles as you approach the head of the stream demands long trousers. Thereafter you turn right onto the country lane and head straight along there to the A2 passing under the railway line.

[KS & JW]

www.openstreetmap.org The countryside is a living place and for this reason many of the paths, fences and natural features in this guide may be subject to change. All details are to our knowledge correct at publication and follow signposted public rights of way. We cannot of course be held responsible for any diversion orders, inaccuracies in the text or maps which may result from changes to the landscape or any damage which may be caused by walkers trespassing on private property.

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Swale Mail

New Zealand Revisited

O

n my return from New Zealand last year I was asked many questions about beer. When I replied to my fellow CAMRA members that I didn’t have an opinion thereon but the wine is excellent I got some strange looks.

Therefore I decided that I would look into the beer situation on my return this year. Firstly I would point out that there are numerous microbreweries in NZ and the number is growing constantly. There is definitely a general awareness amongst the drinking fraternity of the emergence of real ales. In fact I can quote that in 2012 Craft beer was the fastest growing segment of the alcohol industry in NZ - it had 16% growth. There is also a growing trend for bar owners to sever their ties with the big brewers and turn their establishments into free houses.

So what were my first impressions of NZ beer?

I visited the outlets of three micro-breweries and was very impressed in the main with the quality of their offerings. Similarly I tried bottled beers from the supermarkets and again, in one instance was extremely pleased. However let’s not get carried away, the beer is in my opinion as good if not better than that in the UK but the price can be prohibitive.

In a city centre bar one can expect to pay $10, around £5 for a glass of beer. I am not talking about a pint but 420 cls.!!! One reason for the high price is the tax levied thereon. These taxes are referred to as “sin taxes”.

The first brewery outlet that I visited was the Deep Creek Brewing Co. which is located in Brown’s Bay, just north of Auckland. And with a wonderful view of the sea. They brew eight different beers ranging in strength from 4.6% to 6.9%. I drank two beers here, the first was called “Little Armoured One” and described as an American Amber Ale. This beer was first class and really very hoppy. Its name was derived from the fact that the hop content was Amarillo, which I didn’t get at first but then realised that it referred to the armadillo.

A great beer at 5.7%. I then went on to my second beer which is called “The Dusty Gringo”- what a beauty. This beer has a large chocolate malt profile

Trevor Duncombe enjoys a beer in New Zealand

Photo by Trevor Duncombe

which gives it a unique flavour and really appeals to me. A great beer at a great strength - 6.8%.

My next visit was to Croucher Brewing Co. in Rotorua, a town with a beautiful lake but unfortunately blessed with constant sulphuric smells. There were seven beers on offer ranging in strength from 5 to 7%. Again I had two beers. The first was called “Patriot” at 5.5% and described as an American Black Ale. Despite the fact that darker beers are normally very much to my liking this particular beer didn’t suit my palate and I quickly moved on to Galaxy IPA. This beer is loaded with Australian Galaxy hops but again, for me, an acceptable flavour was lacking.

Finally I visited Galbraith’s Brewery in Auckland where the beer is brewed on the premises and the only bar where I saw the traditional British hand pump. They were dispensing twelve of their own beers and three guest beers. A superb pub with a noisy but nice atmosphere and well worth a visit.

The first beer I tried was “Dockerty’s IPA” which was strong in hops and very drinkable with a very pleasant after taste. I followed this up with an American Pale Ale called “Santana” at 7.5% which was truly amazing. It was very strong in Cascade hops but certainly not overdone. Indeed it was far the best of all the draught beers that I had drunk during my time in NZ. The bars or pubs in New Zealand are similar to those in the UK although there is a much stronger accent on food, which I suppose is a growing, but disappointing, trend in the UK. Finally I would like to just mention two bottled beers which I was drinking on a regular basis at home in NZ. They were “18th Amendment” and “Flying Fortress” both from the Boundary Road Page 40▶ 39

◀ Page 39 Brewery in Auckland. The former at 6% is superb, full of American hops. The latter at 4.6% tastes so much like the Truman’s bitter that I used to drink in my teens, a really great traditional taste.

So if you are considering a trip to NZ you can look forward to some superb beers - but make sure that you take plenty of the folding stuff along with you.

Oh, and by the way, the wine was awesome!!

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

Trevor Duncombe

Kent Brewery Quiz

W

e are blessed with many breweries in Kent. Here are a few of their logos to have a go at identifying.

This is just for fun and there is no prize for getting them right! Many thanks to the breweries for allowing us to use their logos.

Answers 1 – Old Dairy Brewery, 2 – Westerham Brewery, 3 – Kent Brewery, 4 – Mad Cat Brewery, 5 – Nelson Brewery, 6 – Spencers Brewery, 7 – Tonbridge Brewery, 8 – Whitstable Brewery, 9 – Ramsgate Brewery, 10 – Caveman Brewery

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41

The Grumpy Landlord

On small breweries, telesales and Facebook!

T

his will probably put the cat among the pigeons, but I have to ask just how many small breweries can survive at the rate they are cropping up at the moment. It seems that almost every week we get flyers or phone calls from the latest micro-brewery offering us their wares, described in glowing terms and assuring us that we are missing out on the beer of the century.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s good that we have such a wide selection of beers to choose from, (some of you of a certain age may remember the ‘Watneys Red Barrel’ days), but the number of free trade outlets is limited and we can only stock a certain amount of beers. For instance I can rack six beers, but three of those are permanent by popular demand. If I changed them there would likely be a lynching mob at Hollowshore, probably led by ‘Big Ron’, who would see the loss of his favourite pint as an assault on his human rights and take the matter to the European Court.

One advantage of competition is the home truth that quality will tell, and the best judge of quality are the customers, who let me know in no uncertain terms what they do and don’t like, and will suggest guest beers they have sampled elsewhere - they will also let me know when they have a bad experience. Gone are the days of ‘take it or leave it’, in a highly competitive market, sales are driven by customer demand and it would be folly not to listen to those who keep us in business.

No doubt the law of supply and demand will sort the market out in the end, but I do feel for those who are just venturing into brewing in such a competitive and limited market.

While on the subject of people looking for business, I’m rapidly developing a siege mentally when it comes to the amount of phone calls, mail shots and emails I get from people whose sole ambition in life is to get their hands into my back pocket and sell me things I neither want nor need.

Every time some chirpy ‘telesales’ person manages to get through our defences, I end up snarling down the phone that I do not want, need or desire the 42

product they are offering and add that in fact they will be added to the long list of companies that I will never, ever, buy from.

Apart from the usual ‘incredible offers’ for energy, staff training and television, we also get trade related requests from companies who cannot take no for an answer and are impervious to pleas not to call me again. I have tried complaining, emailing and outright abuse – all to no avail. There is however a glimmer of hope, I have taken to answering the phone in German and lo and behold, after a short puzzled silence, they hang up and I am told that we are probably on the ‘wrong number’ list. Isn’t it nice to get your own back now and then!

Another glimmer of hope is that the new phone we have has the ability to block overseas calls from numbers not in the phone’s internal contact list.

Sheer bliss, as I no longer have to remember how to say ‘go forth and multiply’ in twelve languages!

Finally, I have to announce that I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the age of digital communication.Yes folks, believe it or not the Shipwright’s is on Facebook!! After a lot of resistance, the younger members of my family finally persuaded me that I had to get ‘with it’ and enter the world of ‘social media’. Actually it’s not too bad, but on the downside, there’s another hour a day gone, checking for ‘posts’ and ‘updating’ the information.

My niece, who is a high flyer in the publicity business, tells me that I need to sort out a ‘social media strategy.’ Now that’s going a bit too far for an old luddite like me, and sounds suspiciously like someone trying to sell me something – will it never end?

Derek, Grumpy Landlord of the Shipwright’s Arms Visit the Swale CAMRA website

www.camra-swale.org.uk

Come with friends, come with family, bring the children – and bring the dog! The Red Lion country pub is your ‘home from home’, providing superb home made food, delicious real ales and inspired events throughout the year.

Daily Changing Lunch & Supper Specials Afternoon Tea Available From 3-5pm Open All Day, Every Day Join us in celebrating our tenth annual

AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY BEER FESTIVAL

A delicious selection of real ales to tempt your taste buds Live Music Great Food ALL WEEKEND

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