Swale Ale Summer 2015

Swale Ale THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA

Wheely Good Pint

Pub of the year p.13 ~ What makes a good pub? p.15 ~ Hop Festival map p.40

SUMMER 2015 1

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

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

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

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

A S, F, K M B

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

01795 591462 • www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk 2

Swale Ale © Summer 2015

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

Circulation: 1500 Editorial Committee and Contributors: Les Bailey, Suzanne Collins, Trevor Duncombe, Mike Harris, Gary Holness, Paul Irving, Sam Oatley, Keir Stanley, Jeff Waller 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 Twitter: @CAMRAswale Facebook: CAMRAswale 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.

T

Chairman’s Chat

he variety of pubs in Swale continues to expand with the Freewheel in Graveney recently reopening. By the time you read this a new Wetherspoons will have opened in the Old Court House in Sittingbourne and new Marston’s pubs are planned for Queenborough and Faversham. Our existing pubs continue to do well with three of the four finalists in the Swale Pub of the Year competition traditional pubs. The winner, the Paper Mill, has quickly become a hub of community activity and our presentation of the award saw a very good turnout from both members and non-members alike.

The summer sees a number of important beer festivals culminating in the Great British Beer Festival in Olympia in August. It is an excellent chance to sample a very extensive range of UK and international beers.

Tickets are on sale now at www.gbbf.org.uk. Closer to home, the Three Tuns in Lower Halstow will be holding their summer bank holiday beer festival with up to 20 beers, Kent ciders, hog roast and live music. Then in September the annual Faversham Hop Festival will take place (5th and 6th September). Many pubs will be holding beer festivals and hosting live music but be sure to visit the CAMRA real ale (and real cider) stand on Market Street for a great range of local beer and cider.

Finally it is with much sadness that I have to report the great loss suffered at the Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore, with the passing away of Ruth Cole the landlady. I am sure that there are many locals who will always remember the way that Ruth, no matter how busy, would always have time for a pleasant chat. Our thoughts and hearts go out to Derek and his family.

Paul Irving

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

Contact us @

———————————————–— Printed by: Abbey Print, Faversham ———————————————–—— Branch Details Chairman: Paul Irving Secretary: Les Bailey Social Secretary: Doris Munday Treasurer: Les Bailey Press and Publicity Officer: Matt Deller Pubs Officer: Harvey Melia

www.issuu.com/ swaleale

CAMRAswale

@CAMRAswale

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Swale Brewery News

commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, so naturally this year is the 75th anniversary and the bottle labels will have a modified design to reflect this. Look out for a major brand new beer introduction in the Autumn.

Shepherd Neame

The Brewery Liaison Officer is Bob Thompson.

The three summer cask beer offerings are arriving in the pubs.

The recipe for Goldings (4.1%) has been slightly adjusted giving the beer more hoppiness in the body taste along with a slightly stronger malt element also. It tastes really fresh.

The second summer ale is Samuel Adams Blonde Ambition (4.5%) a regular for the last three or so years. This was the same brew as previous years with 50% Kentish-grown and 50% Americangrown cascade hops.

The final summer beer is quite a surprise as it is Red Sails Cherry Porter (4.0%), a completely new brew. Head brewer Richard Frost elaborated on how this beer came about. Initially it was commissioned by the M&B pubco for their pubs.

Other pub companies also became interested so it will be possible to taste this beer throughout the country. The cherry taste is definitely there but not overpowering, this could well be a popular beer. It has now been decided that it will also be available in the pubs of Shepherd Neame’s tied estate.

Sadly there has been one casualty and it is Brilliant Ale (4.0%). The company thought that having four seasonal ales out at the same time would be too many. However, all is not lost and Brilliant Ale may come out at a later time in the year and it will still be available in bottle at 5.6%.

Although Kent’s Best is no longer in the core range of beers, it hasn’t gone, I tasted some in May. However there is no doubt that its future is uncertain as it has suffered a very large drop in sales. However it is still being brewed and therefore its fate is in the hands of drinkers. So please make sure you drink it whenever you see it.

A big development is 1215 Ale (8.00%), a bottle-conditioned beer in 750ml bottles, brewed to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.

Only 1215 bottles were released for sale. This beer was developed on the Pilot Brewery and is offered at the brewery’s shop for £17.50 (see our review on p.22).

Spitfire was first brewed in 1990 to

Hopdaemon

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Hopaemon is currently brewing to capacity. They continue to brew their selected range of ales including Golden Braid (3.7%) a “refreshing golden session bitter, wickedly hopped with East Kent Goldings and Challenger.” Golden Braid is gorgeous all year round but also makes an excellent summer festival beer. Look out for GB along with other Hopdaemon favourites at Swale CAMRA’s beer stall at the Faversham Hop Festival. A map of Faversham’s pubs is available on the back cover.

The Brewery Liaison Officer is Howard Gates.

Mad Cat Mat Cat continues to brew its main and seasonal range of beers.

Although not seasonal it was great to see their Mild Disobedience (4.0%) available in many pubs during May. Described as “a naughty little number blending Rye and Carafa Malt with fruits of the forest flavours from Bramling Cross Hops” it was welcomed on Swale CAMRA’s stall at the Faversham Transport Weekend (see page 21).

For the Faversham Magna Carta celebrations Mad Cat produced two special beers - Barons Revolt; a brown ale style beer and Magna Carta bitter. Mad Cat were present in the market square that weekend and also appeared for the Midsummer Nights Feast extravaganza.

A beer will be brewed for the Green Hop Festival in late September.

Swale CAMRA explores the racking process at Mad Cat Brewery on pages 24-25.

The Brewery Liaison Officer is Doris Munday.

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 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, menus, special days, jazz & blues evenings, etc New weekend breakfast menu ~ served 10am to 12:30pm

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

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

East Lancashire CAMRA assembled over 160 beers from across the United Kingdom covering diverse styles from breweries new and old for their 2015 Pendle Beer Festival.

Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter was voted

‘Beer of the Festival’ by those attending.

The first brew of Harvey’s Best Bitter was brewed in June 1955, exactly sixty years ago, and it is a source of great pride that it retains its standing in an ever changing market.

“The Sussex Beer that’s much revered and won outright in Lancashire!”

PendleBFAd.indd 1

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13/04/2015 14:35

K

Kent Branches Bring About Change to Cider Definition

three years ago in Sheffield was unsuccessful, but resulted in a request for evidence to support our claim that adding fruit to cider had been a long standing tradition in Kent. Historical evidence was found and Kent won the day!

If like many members you were unable to attend the Members Weekend and wish to listen to the debates on any of the motions, these are now available in audio format on the new improved CAMRA website under ‘Events; Members Weekend’ in the members section. While logged on it is well worth watching and enjoying the video of this year’s guest speaker Charlie Bamforth, extolling the virtues of beer.

Next year the Members Weekend takes place in Liverpool.

[JW]

Branch Diary

Beer Festivals

ent branches of CAMRA had success at the CAMRA Members Weekend in Nottingham, when their motion (No.19) to conference was carried. This amended the part of the definition of real cider and perry which states that “no added flavourings to be used” to include the phrase “except pure fruits, vegetables, honey, hops, herbs and spices, yet no concentrates, cordials or essences.” A previous attempt at change some

Wednesday 12 August 2015 8pm - 9.30pm Business Meeting at The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore.

Saturday 15th August 20151.00pm Bat and Trap Match at the Castle at Oare (ME13 0PY). Further details on the Swale CAMRA website Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th September 2015 Faversham Hop Festival Swale CAMRA beer stall outside Iceland on East Street.

Wednesday 9th September 2015 8.00pm Queens Head, High Street, Sheerness followed by a social at Minster Working Mens Club.

Wednesday 14th October 2015 8.00pm The Plough & Harrow, Oad Street (ME9 8LB).

Wednesday 11th November 2015 8.00pm The Limes (formerly the Chimney Boy), Preston Street, Faversham followed by a social at the Elephant.

Wednesday 9th December 2015 8.00pm The Three Hats, High Street, Milton Regis.

23rd, 24th, 25th July 2015 41st Kent Beer Festival Merton Farm, Merton Ln, Canterbury CT4 7BA www.kentbeerfestival.com 11-15 August Olympia 2015 Great British Beer Festival

11th & 12th September 2015 The Plough Inn Beer Festival The Plough Inn, Stalisfield Green, Faversham, Kent ME13 0HY 2nd, 3rd & 4th October 2015 West Kent Green Hop Festival. Poacher & Partridge, Tudeley, Nr. Tonbridge. Huge selection of Green Hop beers, entertainment and food. More info at www.musketbrewery.co.uk Swale CAMRA’s branch business meetings currently start at 8pm for approximately one hour. They are often followed by a social meeting at another pub close by.

Additional details and maps are available on our website: www.camra-swale.org.uk 7

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Swale Pub News

Charing The Bowl - serves a range of Kentish beers. Recent beers have included brews from Wantsum and Ramsgate (Gadds’).

Badlesmere The Red Lion - There is a quiz night held on every 3rd Friday of the month, and a Breakfast Club on every 4th Saturday. Website for details is redlionbadlesmere.co.uk Doddington The Chequers Inn - the tenancy is currently being advertised. This can change quickly so please see the Shepherd Neame website for full details.

Eastchurch The Wheatsheaf - an application has been submitted for change of use to residential accommodation.

Eastling The Carpenters Arms - the tenancy is still being advertised by Shepherd Neame. However, we understand the new tenants are staying!

Faversham The Chimney Boy - has been renamed The Limes.

This reverts the pub to its previous name pre-1970.

The pub has been recently taken over by Gareth Finney and Dan Sidders and has reopened with a new restaurant. Faversham Folk Club still meet at the pub on Wednesday evenings.

The Elephant - no longer offers a CAMRA discount but often has many beers (below 5.8%) priced at £3 a pint. Beers continue to be primarily sourced from Kent, Sussex and Essex.

Furlongs Ale House - serves four beers mostly from Kent (and occasionally from Sussex). Regular beers include those from Dark Star, Gadds’ and Wantsum.

It has also had a repaint on the outside and new window signage. Looks very smart and recently featured in the Guardian.

Faversham Brewshop - Colin has now started selling a range of bottled beers from breweries such as Gadds’, Pig & Porter and Old Dairy to name but

a few, with most being priced under £3. Website for details is homebrewkent.co.uk M & B Farmshop - the old Macknade shop at 6 West Street is now being run by the butchers next door. They recently held events with local suppliers which included Old Dairy Brewery. The shop continues to serve a selection of local bottled beers including some that are bottle conditioned. They also have Kent cider on draught.

The Market Inn - the ‘meerkat’ hosts a range of quality bands as well as folk sessions on the last Sunday of the month.

The Vaults Cask and Kitchen - continues to serve a house Mad Cat beer alongside national beers from the enterprise range. The St Kevin’s Day Cider and Music festival proved popular and preparations are now underway for Hop Festival celebrations.

The Phoenix Tavern - home of the Timothy Taylor Landlord Appreciation Society, the Phoenix hosts regular bands and special events including Sail the Swale and Wool and Wine. Please see pub website www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk for further details.

The Railway Hotel - home to Faversham Blues and Jazz club the last Wednesday of each month.

This pub serves a range of Shepherd Neame beers including Master Brew, Kent’s Best and Seasonal Ales.

Graveney Four Horseshoes - has recently reopened under their new name the Freewheel The pub now has a saloon and public bar as well as a workshop undertaking bike repair. See p.26 for more details.

Lower Halstow The Three Tuns - held an excellent produce fair with some very good Kentish beers. Plans are already underway for the summer beer and music festival. The produce fair was a good opportunity to present hosts Carol and Chris with their award of Highly Commended in the Swale Pub of the Year competition. The award demonstrates the continued focus on good quality beer in a friendly and community orientated atmosphere.

Continued on page 10 9

Continued from page 9 Milton Regis The Three Hats - serves a good range of well-kept beer and an occasional real cider. Regular jam sessions are now taking place and a number of real ale bars have been arranged for outside events (such as Art in the Park). A joint Three Hats/Paper Mill ale festival took place as part of the Milton Regis Saffron festival. Historically, Milton Regis was a noted Saffron producing area.

Minster The Heritage – held a Spring Beer Festival over the late Spring Bank Holiday featuring around 40 beers.

Oad Street The Plough and Harrow - stocks two guest beers with a focus on local breweries including such Mad Cat and Wantsum.

Queenborough There are rumours that a Micropub might be set up in Queenborough.

Rodmersham Fruiterers Arms - serves a range of Enterprise beers including Otter Ale, Doom Bar and Marston’s beers.

Selling The Sondes Arms - remains closed and an application for conversion into housing is with Swale Council. Articles appear in the local newspaper regarding attempts to save the pub.

A new housing estate is currently being added between the pub and the railway line which may increase demand for a local pub.

Sheerness The Belle and Lion - serves a range of real ales. A recent visit found Oakham JHB on offer.

The Old House at Home - the tenancy is currently being advertised.

The Royal Hotel - has new tenants.

Sittingbourne Bunters – sells real ale at £2.90 a pint (usually London Pride or Bombardier).

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The Golden Hope - the new Sittingbourne Wetherspoons will be opening on 21st July in the Old Court House on Park Road, near West Street.

The large pub will also have three hotel rooms and car parking.

The Paper Mill - continues to feature a wide range of interesting national and local beers including rarely seen (in this part of Kent) beer from Tiny Rebel. The recent Pub of the Year presentation (see page 13) saw a number of beers sell out very fast, including Oakham Citra and Thornbridge Jaipur.

The Park Tavern - the tenancy is currently being advertised.

The Summoner, Wetherspoon - continues to serve a good range of local and national beers and recently hosted the Head Brewer from Rockin’ Robin Brewery.

The Vineyard – has been refurbished and continues to serve several national beers including some from the Marston’s range.

Ypres Tavern - regular beer Courage Best Bitter and ever changing regional offerings such as St Austell and Wadworth.

Stalisfield Green The Plough - there will be a Beer Festival held on 11th & 12th September 2015 featuring local beers and some from further afield. A Whisky Tasting evening is being held on the 30th September. The band Hullabaloo will be playing on 16th October. Halloween will be celebrated on Saturday 31st October to be followed by Guy Fawkes Night with a bonfire. Website for details is theploughinnstalisfield.co.uk Teynham The Swan - has new owners.

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.

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O

The Paper Mill Pub of the Year

ur Pub of the Year for 2015 is the Paper Mill in Charlotte Street, Sittingbourne. This well-deserved award recognised the quality and variety of ale, the community focus and the support for CAMRA’s campaigns. Swale’s first Micropub, which opened in October 2013, won from over 80 Swale pubs that serve real ale. Owners Marianne and Harvey Melia were joined by many of their regulars to receive the award at a celebration event on 23rd May, which featured a wide selection of ales including Thornbridge’s Jaipur and Brock, Tiny Rebel’s Goldie Lookin Ale and Goacher’s Real Mild Commenting on their success, Harvey said: “It’s an honour to win such a prestigious award.

Our thanks to all the CAMRA members that voted for us and the support we have had from all of our customers and regulars that have made the pub as successful as it is. And we must pay special thanks to Simon, head-brewer of Goacher’s Brewery for his ongoing support.”

The Paper Mill then went forward to the East Kent area competition and came third out of

Award Ceremony

Photograph courtesy of the Paper Mill

five pubs. Highly commended pubs in the Swale Pub of the Year competition were The Elephant in Faversham, previous winner The Three Hats in Milton Regis and The Three Tuns in Lower Halstow.

[PI]

Swale is one of nine CAMRA branches in Kent.

Each branch has now announced their Pub of the Year. The other eight pubs are: • Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh: The Red Lion (Snargate near Ashford).

• Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay: The Ship Centurion (Whitstable).

• Dover, Deal and Sandwich: The Carpenters Arms (Coldred near Dover).

• Gravesend and Darent Valley: The Cock Inn (Luddesdown near Meopham).

• Maidstone: The Bell & Jorrocks (Frittenden near Headcorn and Staplehurst).

• Medway: The Kings Arms (Upnor near Strood).

• West Kent: The Windmill (Sevenoaks Weald).

• Thanet:Yard of Ale (Broadstairs).

For information on these pubs visit: www.whatpub.com

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

Up to 11 Cask Ales Plus 6 Key Keg Ales. Always 6 Ciders Available Also serving “Si’s Pies,” Delicious Hand Made Pork Pies and Scotch Eggs Follow us on Facebook and Twitter www.theberrywalmer.co.uk Tel: 01304362411 23 Canada Road, Walmer, Kent CT14 7EQ 14

10 years at the Berry!

Upcoming Events You are invited to our Quiz Nights: 2nd Friday of each month Green Hop Beer Festival 9th /10th October see Berry website for details.

All Rugby World Cup Matches Will Be Shown!

What constitutes a ‘good’ pub?

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ith many different guides and websites available professing to assist beer drinkers in finding a watering hole, I thought it was time to consider what makes a ‘good’ pub. Working in education I have no problem with the term ‘good’, but I am sure that others would be looking for the term outstanding, marvellous or even best! I steal the word from the Good Beer Guide but I know that this does not always translate into Pub of The Year or, to annoy the judging committee, POTY. Initially this question can be answered with an equation: Good Beer = Good Pub.

However the issue is far more complicated than this. I personally have favourite breweries and beer styles that would enable me to preach about one particular beer over another. My favourites include Goacher’s Real Mild, Harveys Best and Dark Star Creme Brulee. But I have also been into pubs where my choice beer would not necessarily be my first preference.

Similarly I have been to pubs in which these beers have failed to pass the taste test and fall short of my expectations. So a good pub not only needs to serve good beer, but also keep this product in a way that either maintains or in some cases enhances its characteristics.

This particular issue seems to arise with many regional breweries who own a vast local estate where their beer still seems to differ from one establishment to another. I know that a publican would tell me this is down to expertise, cellar temperatures, cleanliness or even timing, but it can seem frustrating to a customer paying £3.80 plus for a special expression of the brewer’s ideas, only to find that it is at best satisfactory. I can also see how some customers turn away from real ale with variations in style(s) in search of the consistency, however low the standard might be, offered by keg.

Yes I am fully aware of the ‘craft’ revolution of quality keg beers, and that in Europe they may regularly produce beers in keg which may be

acceptable in some beer festivals, however in my mind I don’t drink fizz. Bottled, canned or kegged.

VARIETY A good pub can utilise the beer it sells as a clever marketing ploy. We have all seen specific ales being marketed as a reason to visit a particular inn.

‘Dark Star APA sold here’ one sign read. I would argue that it is not simply one beer that raises a pub to ‘good’ status but rather its selection of ales.

I have been into great pubs that serve a range of different beers which, on closer inspection, seem all to come from the same stable. The bar that only serves citra hop beers, the pale ale craze. These might be helpful in the short term with some drinkers only selecting a single style, but I personally like to see a balanced bar. I do not want only beers over 5.0% (yes Trevor I know this comment might offend you). Similarly I do not want to see a sea of Doom Bar, Fuller’s London Pride and Young’s Special.

My preference would be for a pub to serve five beers ranging from 3.4% (yes that is Goacher’s Real Mild) right up to 6.5% (Dark Star Six Hop). The beers in between would include milds, pale ales, bitters, IPAs, porters and stouts on a rotating basis.

I personally drink a range of styles and strengths to suit my mood and time of the day. The different flavours and styles encourage me at times to drink more different beers in one session which sometimes might lead to drinking in halves.

I am however fully aware that some pubs do not have the custom to serve more than one or maybe two beers.

These establishments I would like to see mix up their styles a bit to offer the local customer something different.

Having been to a pub that only served Sharp’s Doom Bar and being told that customers “only want to drink this beer” or “most of our customers don’t like real ale” I would argue that given no choice or a poor choice customers are likely to stick to one thing or go elsewhere. Thus it may be correct that your current customers only want to drink Carling, but what about the people who look in the window and pass on by?

It has been proven that given choice and good bar staff a pub can encourage customers to try new styles. The Three Hats in Sittingbourne started mainly serving Master Brew and now has a wide Continued on page 16 15

Continued from page 15 section of real ales.

In my opinion a ‘good’ pub that cannot sell over one or two beers on cask can easily sell a wider range of bottle conditioned beers. In the UK we seem to be fixated that good real beer comes from a pump, and although this can be correct, a pub with slow turnover might be better selling a range of quality bottle conditioned ales (at reasonable prices) similar to a bar in Belgium. As these beers have a longer sell by date a pub can offer seven or eight different beers to customers, all of which will come in excellent condition.

BOTTLE UP I am still very much against gassy beers in bottles. For the same reason I do not like lager I am not a fan of additional carbonation. Old Dairy, Canterbury Brewers, Turnstone and Mad Cat all make local bottle conditioned beers in a range of styles that provide variety and taste. However these are rarely seen in local pubs and, when they are, customers are expected to pay a premium for the product. It is great to see Shepherd Neame selling its Heritage range of beers including Indian

The Heritage Range

Photographs by Shepherd Neame

Pale Ale [6.1%], Double Stout [5.2%] and Brilliant Ale [5.6%] in bottles in most of its tied estate, however it is a shame that only the 1698 [6.5%] is regularly bottled conditioned.

So any pub, even if they lack a cellar, expertise or turnover could, with a little effort, become a good pub selling a range of excellent beers in perfect condition.

Yet I hear the shouts already “yes, but it’s not just about the beer!” With the Micropub revolution we have seen new pubs opening all over Kent. Towns that until recently I considered being a desert have now opened up an oasis of beer.

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THE MICROPUB REVOLUTION So are all Micropubs Good Pubs? My answer would be yes and no. Some Micropubs do a lot towards creating a good pub. In addition to beer they can create a climate which a community can grow. People can talk, play games and from what I have seen eat cheese and pies. This community feel expands the good pub away from simply the beer. In fact it may be suggested that you can have a good pub with what I would call inferior beer and likewise you can have a pub that serves excellent beer that still fails to be a good pub.

This friendly community feel does not necessarily have to be built by the publican but can actually grow organically by the range of people who choose to drink in an establishment. The small group of people who always meet on a Wednesday lunch time. The five o’clock people who have a pint after work or even the Sunday 6.30 people who arrive just before closing time at The Elephant to annoy Jim! The size of Micropubs (which initially was small but now seems to be growing with each planning application) lends itself to a group of people who sit together, talk freely without the distraction of fruit machines and loud music.

However there is an element to a good pub that in my opinion some Micropubs lack.

Sometimes it is the building itself that enhances the atmosphere. On visiting London it can be the Gin Palaces and grandeur that catches the attention. In York it was the layout with bar-less rooms. In the country it can be small dark pubs with low ceilings clinging to the edge of civilisation (or not in some cases).

Alongside CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide and Good Bottled Beer Guide is Britain’s Best Real Heritage Pubs.

Along with regional guides these provide an insight into the history of different pubs and with colour photos identifying their key features. Without this type of guide I would not have visited Ye Old Mitre, The Princess Louise or The Nag’s Head in London.

I welcome new pubs, especially at a time when many are closing down, but in this process I do not want to lose some of the pub heritage, styles and variety. I love visiting new Micropubs but I do feel that they often have an unfair advantage over the brewery and pub chain owned locals, where tenants and customers are expected to pay for large corporate profits. I can see why, in some areas of Kent, customers are more frequently visiting Micropubs and Macropubs (Wetherspoons) in an attempt to escape from high prices.

So in conclusion a good pub must provide

quality beer(s), served in a conducive atmosphere. The number of beers, size of pub, location, style of architecture and ownership are all factors that might impact on this, but none provide a winning formulae.

With this in mind Swale has many winning pubs. All with a unique flavour and each meeting the specific needs of a variety of drinkers.

Like others I will choose my pub, beer and even seat to suit the mood or time of day that I am drinking.

We must continue to support the variety of pubs we have - town, urban and rural. The breweries and pub chains need to do their bit to ensure that these premises continue to be viable in the future.

[KS]

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Advertising Rates Half Page £30 Full A5 Page £55 Minimum circulation 1,500 Contact: swaleale@googlemail.com Please send your advert as a PDF or JPG file.

New House Ale at The Plough Inn, Stalisfield Green

n Saturday 6th June at The Plough Inn Richard & Marianne Baker launched their new house beer Dragon's Tail, brewed exclusively for them by the Musket Brewery of Linton near Maidstone, Kent. As this coincided with the 71st anniversary of the D-Day Invasion they invited several members of "The Buffs" (The Royal East Kent Regiment) Association to pull the first pints as their regimental crest is of a dragon. A 1940s themed day was staged with music, cocktails and food. With the sun shining the locals all turned out to try the new beer.

The beer’s name is derived from the style of timber construction used in the building of the pub and can be seen in the ceiling of the bar but which is more easily seen on the pump clip! In the first six days they sold five firkins of Dragon's Tail, which is obviously proving a great success.

[GH]

Richard and Marianne Baker

Photograph by The Plough Inn

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Malt, lovely malt W

hen people talk about beer it is often focused on the taste arising from the hops used, from UK’s Goldings to Mount Hood hops from the USA. Malt has been somewhat neglected or relegated to technical beer descriptions although they give many types of ale their flavour.

For many years pretty much every town had its own maltsters but, like many things, rationalisation and impact of Government policy (e.g. discouraging beer drinking during wars!) has reduced the number to fewer than 30. However, those that have survived are thriving supplying malt to brewers, whisky producers and some foodstuffs. In fact the UK industry is producing to capacity.

The biggest maltsters are on the east coast of the UK. And this makes sense as these are the main cereal producing areas of the UK. As you would expect the maltsters in England mainly produce malt for use in brewing, whilst those in Scotland focus on supplying whisky producers.

East Anglia is home to some of the largest maltsters including one I visited in Witham. From the outside it looks like many other industrial sites with a series of large cylinders, regular deliveries from HGVs and plumes of steam rising from the stacks. Like many maltsters, Witham is an older 18

site dating from 1926. Owned by Bairds, the site produces around 48,000 tonnes of standard brewing and distilling malts, destined (primarily) for the brewing industry. In addition Witham produces “speciality malts” including a range of roasted malts which give many types of ale their flavours.

PRODUCING MALT But how is malt produced? Barley is carefully inspected to make sure it is of sufficient quality and then separated into different types as necessary.

It is then stored until it reaches optimum quality.

The first main stage in the process is steeping, which increases the moisture content to start the germination process. Germination takes place in a grain bed, kept at a specific temperature and regularly turned to maintain a loosely packed bed.

Kilning dries the grain and reduces the moisture content to around 5%. Kilning also arrests germination. After kilning, the malt is cooled. It is during this part of the process that you really smell the malt. The whole process takes around 8-10 days. Following kilning, malt can then be roasted or peated to meet customer needs.

I hope this is an interesting introduction to the malting process. For lots more fascinating information I recommend you visit the Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain website: www.ukmalt. com/home.

Micky McMalty

19

Furlong's Ale House

20

Mild Excitement at Faversham Transport Weekend M

ay is the month that CAMRA promotes the type of real ale known as Mild, as Mild for May. Mild beer was once one of the most commonly consumed styles of beer in Britain right up to the early 1970s when the emergence of keg lager and the mass buying up of smaller breweries by the larger nationals reduced its availability in the market. Tastes did change in preference to keg lager as this was heavily promoted by the large companies such as Carling and Heineken. Mild became regarded as an old man’s drink - an attitude that you can still come across today, especially with people who haven’t tried a pint of Mild.

This year at the Faversham Transport Weekend we had our stall in our now customary place in East Street and we took the opportunity to offer four Milds as well as bitter to encourage visitors to give Mild a try in the lovely May sunshine. May is also a time when CAMRA likes to promote real cider. With the orchards in blossom it’s a good time to remind people that real cider is a great summer drink. Our selection of ales and ciders are locally sourced, with Milds being obtained from the breweries of Mad Cat, Whitstable,Wantsum and Goacher’s and cider and perry coming from Kent Cider Co. and Dudda’s Tun. Perry is a cider made from pears. In Kent it is made from dessert pears and in other regions made with ‘perry pears’ specially grown for cider making.

We set up our stall early on Sunday morning with our trusty band of eager volunteers (though some are not so eager at 7.15 on a Sunday morning)! With about an hour’s worth of work the stall is set up and dressed with posters and leaflets and once

Tapping

Photographs by Keir Stanley

the beer and cider is loaded onto the stillage it is looking ready for business. Our first customers arrived at about 10 o’clock and then it was a steady custom throughout the day, which gave those working at the bar time to speak to people about the beers and ciders on offer, with special regard to the Milds on sale. Many of our patrons were tasting Mild for the first time or had not drunk it in many years, and we managed to enlighten a good number of people to the delights of this style of beer, so fulfilling our campaign objective of bringing Mild beer to the attention of the public. The branch takes justifiable pride in our stall and thanks are due to all the members who work in bringing this to the events that we attend. We look forward to being at the Faversham Hop Festival in September.

[GH]

21

Faversham’s Magna Carta Tours Kent S

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.

www.myfreetextures.com

hepherd Neame’s limited edition ‘1215 Ale’ celebrating the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta comes in at a hefty 8% and is described as a strong English ale infused with medieval ingredients such as Mugwort, Yarrow, Woodruff and fennel herb. Herbs were used as preservatives/flavouring before the introduction of hops. Now your editorial team are not terribly sure what Mugwort or Woodruff taste like so we try to keep an open mind for the good of research!

The embossed bottle has a crown cork and on opening when poured into the glass there is an immediate snatch of CO2, like breathing in deeply above the brewery fermenting vessel. On tasting, no sharp gassiness hits the tongue and there is not a hint of the Shepherd Neame signature flavour.

Instead we have a pleasant, slightly oily and malty smoothness reminiscent of a fine old ale style leaving a slight liquorice taste in the mouth (the fennel?). The ale slips down very well and at 8% you know you are drinking something special. Well done Sheps.

You can read past issues of Swale Ale online at

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 22

www.issuu.com/swaleale

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

23

Cracking Racking Sam Oatley, former landlord at The Swan in Teynham, visits Peter Meaney (right) at Mad Cat to help with the racking of their beer into casks. Sam took a range of pictures during his visit. Mad Cat can be visited at their brewery at Brogdale, Faversham.

Shives,keystones, acid

Casks on wash station

Pipe,funnel on table

New shives and keystones cleaned in parasitic acid

Casks cleaned with caustic soda and thoroughly rinsed

Pipe and funnel cleaned with parasitic acid too

Row of casks

Funnel in cask,pint finings, sugar solution

Full cask,shive,mallet

Pipe from fermenter to each rinsed cask

One measure of sugar solution and one pint of finings added as each cask is filling with beer

Cask now full, it’s sealed with a clean plastic shive and a hit with the mallet

24

Gloves, goggles

Hydrometer in cylindrical measuring tube

Casks, mallet, crowbar

Safety First

Sample of ale taken and hydrometer used to test the original gravity

Casks on the drainage system, old shives and keystones removed, ullage poured away

Sugar, scales, kettle

Measuring jug, plastic cups

White bucket, finings tub

Sugar weighed and dissolved in boiling water

Water measured, sugar dissolved and solution equally poured into clean plastic cups

Finings measured and mixed with water, sterilised pint cup used to measure for each cask

Hose on cask

Shiny casks

Standing upright

Final clean to stay fresh during conditioning

All done and shiny

Standing upright ready for labels 25

The Freewheel opens for business in village pub

W

ith the rise of Micropubs we have seen abandoned shops open as pubs. This shift has come as pubs find it difficult to survive with the toxic combination of high rents and excessive beer prices. In Graveney (near Faversham) we have seen the Four Horseshoes close for the second time, but this time it has been reignited by Adrian Oliver who was looking for premises for his cycle business.

With the government hoping pubs will combine with other useful services such as shops, post offices and even libraries, we can see a possible glimmer of hope for the traditional country pub away from the single restaurant approach. Thinking particularly about a number of different pubs I visited in Dingle, Ireland, where the main business was shoe repair or hardware (Foxy John’s) but also sold beer.

Adrian’s cycle business focuses on cycling training at schools, repair and bike repair classes.

Adrian was looking for premises for his workshop and the pub seemed to solve these problems.

The Freewheel serves at least one cask ale (three on my visit) supplied by Canterbury Brewers, who also appear to be the main supplier of local keg beers. The pub has three main spaces. A public bar in the centre is linked via glass doors to the cycle workshop, which shows live cycling sporting events. The saloon bar has a rustic pub/coffee shop feel offering a range of local ciders and apple juices as well as teas and quality coffee. Good value light meals are offered including pies and ploughman’s with local meats and cheeses. A selection of home made cakes and scones are also offered to go with teas and coffees.

Although it would be customary to cycle to this pub and make full use of the cycle parking available it is also possible to walk.

The Freewheel is just a one-hour walk across fields and country roads from Faversham market square. Walkers should leave Faversham

by Whitstable Road walking past the recreation ground and taking the first left down Abbey Fields.

You should then take the signposted path on the right between the fields and the back gardens of the houses.

26

Saloon Bar, The Freewheel, Graveney Photograph by Keir Stanley

Continue along this path until you drop down into a field with the path bearing left until it reaches the railway line. Cross carefully following the country code and then follow the path across the field until you reach the hop fields. Continue straight on and after a few different fields including strawberries under polytunnels you will reach St Bartholomew Church. Continue through the church yard and walk until you reach the main Head Hill Road. Turn left and follow the road carefully until you reach the Freewheel pub. It is possible to return to Faversham the same way as you came or, instead, take a left as you leave the pub and make this into a circular walk going down Sandbanks Road which links (after a long walk) to the national cycle route back to Faversham via the creek and the Saxon Shore Way. [KS]

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 were correct at the time of publication and follow signposted public rights of way. The author and Swale Ale 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 for any damage which may be caused by walkers trespassing on private property.

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

Check Twitter/Facebook for our themed nights and events Location

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

THE HERITAGE

Sheppey’s 1st Micro Pub

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 27

G

The Signs are Good

reetings Gentle Reader. Firstly apologies for my absence from the last issue and many thanks to cousin Otto for stepping into the breach.

Recently over a pint of landlord’s finest I was pondering the meaning and derivation of the multitude of pub names that you find across the country. How did the Ratchet and Ball Bearing in Little Withering or the Truss and Trumpet in Upper Codswallop get their names? Please don’t go looking for these particular pubs as they don’t exist, however there are some very strangely named pubs out there.

It is a vast subject so I have decided over this and the next issue of Swale Ale that I would concentrate on two areas: The Good and the Bad! In this issue I shall focus on The Good; the Biblical and religious meanings behind some of the UK’s pub names. One might say it is a connection between ale and aisle, beer and benediction or pint and pulpit. In the autumn issue as the days grow shorter and the nights draw in we shall turn away from the light and focus on the dark and in some cases downright macabre stories behind some of the UK’s pub names.

Across the country there are many pubs where the name refers to religion in some way. Some are obvious such as The Thomas Becket in Canterbury but some of the names are a little more obscure. In 28

this piece I shall endeavour to shed light on some of the less obvious meanings behind the often familiar names of the pubs we drink in. Many of these pub names came into existence in the Middle Ages when religion played a hugely important part in the lives of people, many of who went on pilgrimage to The Holy Land hence pub names such as Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham which incidentally claims to be one of the oldest pubs in the country.

In this article I am going to concentrate on four areas, The Bible, Angels & Saints, The Clergy and Religious Beasts.

BIBLICAL NAMES There are many pubs that derive their names from the Bible such as the Rainbow and Dove which refers to Noah and The Flood and the Adam and Eve, but here are two which perhaps the meaning is a little less obvious.

The Lamb and Flag. This pub sign usually shows a lamb holding a red cross flag. The lamb represents a title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John and the flag with its red cross on a white background is now England’s national flag and was previously used by the Knights Templar and prior to that represented the Resurrection of Christ.

The Gospel Oak. This name has both a religious and secular meaning and refers to the old custom of beating the parish bounds. This event occurred once a year when the parish priest would lead a procession around the boundaries of the parish stopping at significant landmarks i.e. a prominent oak tree where he would pray and read from the Scriptures. The purpose was twofold, to pray for a bountiful harvest that year and to reaffirm where the boundaries were between one parish and the next.

Angels and Saints. There are many pubs called simply The Angel and many named after particular saints not least St George, however here are some of the meaning is less obvious.

The Salutation - This sign refers to when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary in the Bible to tell her that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus. Originally in Medieval times both Mary and Gabriel would appear on the sign but after the reformation this was considered to be too Popish, however a few examples survived until the seventeenth century until Puritanism put an end to them. Many pubs simply became The Angel.

Incidentally, the salutation is one of the oldest recorded names for an inn with Ye Olde Salutation Inn in Nottingham dating from around 1240.

Continued on page 30

The Elephant Faversham

31 The Mall, Faversham, Kent ME13 8JN

PURVEYORS OF QUALITY Golden ALES, Mild, Bitter PORTERS AND STOUTs Award winning CAMRA pub

Opening Hours Closed Mon Tue - Fri 3-11 Sat 12-11; Sun 12-7

EST. 1952 Faversham Kent

Proper Beer in a Proper Pub Just outside the ‘Heart’ of Faversham 29

Continued from page 28 The Cross Keys - The Cross (or Crossed) Keys is the symbol of St Peter who stands at the gates to the kingdom of heaven ready to admit, or not, the souls of the dead. It is also a symbol of the papacy as according to Catholic tradition St Peter became the first Pope.

Before finishing this section I just wanted to talk briefly about The Startled Saint, West Malling. Sadly it is no longer a pub but is worthy of comment as the sign showed a depiction of St Leonard with Spitfires circling his head. The reason for this was the nearby West Malling airfield which played an active role in the air war of WWII. It is alleged, by the original landlady, that the pub was opened on the day war broke out in 1939. One of the famous customers was Guy Gibson who was operational from West Malling piloting Beaufighter fighter-bombers. Gibson later went on to command the famous 617 Dambuster squadron.

THE CLERGY Let’s turn now from the heavenly to the earthly representatives of God, the clergy.

Bishop’s Finger - There are two Bishop’s Finger pubs listed on CAMRA’s WhatPub website, one in Smithfield, London and the other St Dunstans, Canterbury. Both signs show a venerable Archbishop. In Canterbury he is reading from the Good Book with his finger raised and in Smithfield he is clasping a crosier with forefinger outstretched. Nothing surprising about that you might think except when you learn that the name Bishop’s Finger does not refer to the extended ecclesiastical digit at all but to a common signpost!

These signposts pointed the direction to St Thomas Becket’s shrine at Canterbury Cathedral along the Pilgrim’s Way and looked like the forefinger and middle finger of a bishop giving a blessing. Bishop’s Finger is also, of course, the Kentish strong ale brewed by Shepherd Neame, on the label of which you will see a depiction of said signpost.

The Flying Monk - The Flying Monk was a pub in Malmesbury Wiltshire (sadly closed and demolished in the 1970s). The sign showed a monk with bat-like wings attached to his arms and ankles diving off the top of the local abbey. This story was related by the medieval historian William of Malmsbury, who describes how a monk called Elmer tried to 30

emulate the exploits of the ancient Greek hero Daedalus (father of Icarus) who created wings from feathers and beeswax with which he and his son flew. As every schoolboy knows, Icarus came to disaster when he flew too close to the sun and melted the beeswax holding the feathers in place.

William of Malmsbury describes how Elmer flew for more than a furlong (just over two hundred metres for those of you who do not have a horse racing or agricultural bent) before plunging to earth breaking both his legs. But fear not - the intrepid brother lived to a ripe old age albeit with a limp!

Although the pub is no longer there the name lives on as the Flying Monk Brewery, just outside Malmsbury, who appropriately produce a beer called Elmers.

RELIGIOUS BEASTS Religious Beasts. The Bible is full of animals and birds, some of which have found their way onto pub signs. For example the aforementioned Dove which can be found naming the pub in Dargate near Faversham. This name of course bears reference to Noah in the Book of Genesis, who sent a dove from The Ark to see if The Flood had receded. Here are a few more creatures which adorn pub signs the Biblical meaning of which may be less obvious.

The Cock – “Jesus said to him, ‘Truly I say to you that this very night, before a cock crows, you shall deny Me three times.’” (Matthew 26:34,74-75).

This was Jesus speaking to Peter during The Last Supper. In the 9th century Pope Nicholas I decreed that all churches must show the figure of a cock on its dome or steeple, as a symbol of Jesus’ prophecy of Peter’s betrayal. Hence you will see the bird showing the direction of the wind atop many parish churches across the land as a weathercock.

The Pelican - according to medieval folklore the pelican has religious meaning and is seen in paintings and stained glass depicted as piercing its own flesh to feed its young. Saints such as St Jerome saw this as an allegory for Man’s redemption by the power of Christ’s blood. There is a pub in Bridgend, Wales called The Pelican in her Piety.

The Unicorn - The Unicorn is more often seen as a heraldic beast, indeed it along with the lion is Continued on page 33

of Two Halves

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32

on the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.

However its symbolism goes back further again to medieval times where the unicorn stood for gentility, innocence and purity so is often depicted in paintings with its head in The Virgin’s lap.

So there you have it gentle reader - a brief glance at some of the heavenly meanings behind pub names that hang over the doors of the establishments that we are often eager to enter in order to partake of the earthly delights therein. It is true that you will find many a pub close to a church across the length and breadth of the land and I guess after a long sermon many people felt the need of a restorative glass or two. However, I am not so sure that so many people realise that many of these pub names will have a connection to the church that the drinker has just left.

I am indebted to a couple of excellent volumes when researching this piece and I would heartily recommend The Old Dog and Duck by Albert Jack and Green Men & White Swans by Jacqueline Simpson if you wish to explore further the meaning and derivation behind the pub names of Britain.

Next issue, The Dark Side of pub names.

Obadiah Spillage

Pub Signs Canterbury

Photograph by Swale CAMRA

33

FERiA de la CERVEZA ARTESANA

I

t was with some surprise that whilst I was in Bordeaux I opened an email from the Parador Hotel in Lerma, Northern Spain. I had booked and asked for a quiet room in the Spanish hotel and the email had apologetically advised me that a lot of noise would be inevitable on the night of my stay, Saturday 6 June. The reason given was that the Feria de la Cerveza Artesana de Castellan y Leon was taking place, in other words a beer festival.

I was naturally overjoyed at the news but didn’t let the hotel know as my thoughts were on a discounted rate given the inconvenience caused!!

The festival was being held in the Plaza Mayor, the immense square right outside the hotel. Opening time was 12 noon and closing time 2am. Rather a lengthy session. It was a proper beer festival with commemorative glasses and plenty of music and bunting about.

There were fifteen craft brewers presenting their beers; up from three in the previous year. In all there were sixty-nine beers on offer, thirty of which were in excess of 6% gravity - just up my street. The beers comprised a mixture of bottles and draught.

34

For starters I went to the stall of last year’s winner, a young man named Javier whose beer brand, not surprisingly, is Vier. He is based in Valladolid and has been brewing commercially for two years, although he has been dabbling for the past ten years. I started of with his IPA at 6% which was really super and then graduated on to his Red IPA which was equally as good and weighed in at 7.2%. The hop content on both was Cascade, sourced from the USA. Javier sells his beers direct to bars and small shops and obviously makes a living in so doing. He informed me that one of the brewers named Naparbier, based in Pamplona, had started exploiting the export market.

I was more than pleased and impressed at the rate of growth of craft brewing in this part of Spain.

From some humble beginnings ten years ago I am informed that there are now some three hundred in existence.

I did try at least six other beers during the afternoon, including one called English Pale Ale based on dear old Goldings hops. The quality though was not consistent and in some cases the beer came up very cloudy.

All in all it was a very satisfactory experience in very beautiful surroundings. The satisfaction was enhanced by the prices charged for the beer ranging from 1.50 Euros to 2 Euros for a 25cl glass.

And I can assure you that I was deaf to the music at 2am.

[TD]

www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Kentish Beer & Cider Festival

August Bank Holiday 29th, 30th & 31st Over 19 Kentish Ales & Ciders, Live Bands Daily, Hog Roast & BBQ The Street, Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent.

ME9 7DY 01795 842840 info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

35

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.

36

Y

Pub sign writer makes an art of his craft

ou’ve probably seen and admired the work of Eric Pollard, even if you didn’t realize it.

Pollard is the signwriter whose unmistakable style adorns the exterior of literally hundreds of pubs across Swale and far beyond. In an age when almost everything we see is computer-generated, he is one of the last of a dying breed, creating all his signwork the traditional way, by hand with a brush.

You might have seen him, high up on a ladder or atop scaffolding, as he generally applies his paint directly to the pub’s exterior walls, but for certain jobs he’ll paint on boards in the workshop at his Sittingbourne home. Painting directly onto the wall is Pollard’s preferred method, as his goal is to create signage as close as possible to the way it could have looked a hundred or more years ago.

Pollard worked on his first pub sign before he’d left school, working under the guidance of his signwriter father who was also an instructor at the Medway College of Art. On leaving school, Pollard spent four years at that same college in Rochester, honing his skills in lettering and type design.

As a self-employed craftsman, Pollard often works directly with the landlords of free houses, taking photographs of the building then overlaying tracing paper with his designs to review with the client. When working on a brewery’s tenanted or managed house, he will usually liaise with the brewery’s surveyor or design team. Shepherd Neame, for whom he has created literally hundreds of projects, has an in-house historian whose extensive knowledge has been invaluable in finding photos and descriptions of pub facades from decades – or centuries – ago.

Pollard’s signature style is the extensive use of 23½-carat gold leaf on the drop shadows under the lettering of the pub’s name. When the evening sun hits it just right, the lettering seems to glow with a

life of its own.

But it can be time-consuming, intricate and expensive work: on a recent job for the Abbey Hotel in Battle, near Hastings, Pollard used ten books of gold leaf for only thirteen letters, but he believes the stunning results are worth the time and effort.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. Pollard recalls rushing a job for export to a client who owned an abattoir in Massachusetts, USA, and wanted a humorous, ‘fairground’ style. Pollard created a 3-D sign with a moulded wagon and the words “Dennis Horan, Horse Slaughterer.” As he was driving the still-wet sign to his export agent in Whitstable, he glanced in the rear view mirror and realized that in his haste he had put three Ns in “Dennis” so it read “Dennnis.” It was too late to change it so the sign was sent off as-is, with Pollard expecting an angry phone call.

However, when the call came, it was far from negative. “That was great!” he was told. “Dennis has a stammer and the three Ns were just perfect.

He loves it!”

Now in his 60s, Pollard remains in high demand from breweries and landlords who want to create a classic, artisanal character for their pubs. But he might truly be the last of his rare breed when he retires. He hopes that one of his grandchildren might be interested in following in his footsteps and that would make him happy, but as he says, “There are some things you can’t teach them. They have to have the natural talent.”

The next time you enter a pub, glance up at the signage on the exterior. If, somehow, it looks “just right,” it’s probably his art you’re admiring. Go inside and raise your pint glass… to Eric Pollard.

[MH] 37

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

Largeselection Beer Garden Ever changing of cask ales

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

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

SWALE CAM RA PUB OF T HE YEAR 2013

SWALE CAMRA PUB OF THE YEAR 2014 38

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Faversham Hop Festival Pub Map

@CAMRAswale

The Anchor The Phoenix Tavern Albion The Brents Tavern The Bear The Sun The Bull The Three Tuns Furlongs Ale House Swale CAMRA Beer Stall The Market Inn Vaults Cask & Kitchen Leading Light Home Brew and Bottle Shop The Limes Railway Hotel Elephant Crown and Anchor Ship

CAMRAswale

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At the Hop Festival you may be fooled into believing that all the action is on the main stages. Swale Ale would like to encourage you to visit as many different pubs as possible for the full Faversham Hop Festival experience. Many pubs will be hosting a range of bands from Friday night onwards. It is also a great time to discover hidden gems! Finally do not forget the CAMRA stall on East Street (outside Iceland).