Swale Ale | Summer 2019

SWALE ALE SUMMER 2019

THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA

It’s Grim Up North Las Cervesas de Ecuador One for the Road Crew

IT’S HOP FESTIVAL TIME!

“There’s more in the barrel”

KENT BEERS!!

Musket Brewery is a family owned, Maidstone-based Micro Brewery located at Loddington Farm, Linton, brewing premium REAL ALE at realistic prices. The Musket brewers are CAMRA members, who provide these carefully brewed ales for your enjoyment.

MUZZLELOADER 4.5% Kentish Ale

FLINTLOCK 4.2% Best Bitter

FIFE & DRUM 3.8% Golden Ale

MATCHLOCK 3.8% Kentish Mild

FLASH in the PAN 4% Green Hop Ale

(Award winning beer!)

POWDER BURN 5.0% Kentish Porter (Autumn/Winter brew!)

(Spring/Summer brew!)

(Only available in September!)

TRIGGER 3.6% Pale Ale

BALL PULLER 4% Premier Bitter (Award winning beer!)

Brewing since 2013, Musket Brewery has earned a well-deserved reputation for providing GREAT beers of consistently high quality, supported by exemplary customer service!

You “MUSKET” these beers in at your local.

Musket Brewery Tap Room – “The Armoury” at Loddington Farm, NOW OPEN!

Contact Musket Brewery to find out more!!

079671 27 27 8 or 01622 – 749931 info@musketbrewery.co.uk “There’s more in the barrel” at

DDS Scheme

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CHAIRMAN’S CHOW As I look out of my window whilst writing this, I think of long hot summers, beer gardens, the sound of conversation over a good beer and the smell of a bar-be-que on the horizon. In reality, I’m currently slaving over my keyboard at home, with a coffee by my side. Now, is the season of festivals, jaunts out to country pubs on the longer evenings and making the most of time spent with friends and loved ones.

It is also currently pub of the year regional finals time and Swale Branch can take great pleasure in the fact that our branch has the East Kent winner in its fold. Congratulations to all the team at The Admiral’s Arm in Queenborough who now go head to head with the West Kent winner. Coming from Medway branch, our neighbours at the 10.50 to Victoria in Strood have taken the West Kent title. We wish both pubs all the best.

Voting ends for this round on 4th August with all completed voting papers having to be in on that day.

During the course of the past few weeks we have been out and about presenting our branch winners with their prized certificates. Keep an eye out on the Swale Branch Facebook page for updates on future presentations as we complete the rounds for 2019. May I thank all of you that have made the effort to attend on behalf of both myself, the committee and the publicans of Swale.

With your invaluable support these events have become an excellent social event and photo opportunity to showcase the best of ale in Swale.

Nationally, a big membership change is being introduced on July 1st. Gone will be the current Wetherspoons vouchers (there are

those that will both rejoice or mourn this) and in come CAMRA vouchers to the value of £30 to be used on Real Ale, Cider or Perry. More information on that as we have it. Membership is excellent value for money as, not only do you get the aforementioned vouchers but also benefits such as free or reduced entry to over 180 beer festivals, make savings on publications such as the Good Beer Guide, get access to ‘What’s Brewing’ and ‘Beer’ magazines plus there are exclusive partner benefits and offers which change regularly.

Why not gift a friend or relative membership for their birthday or celebration event. Pick up a copy of this publication and fill in the coupon inside. Alternately go online to camra. org.uk and join online.

We hope you enjoy your summer copy of Swale Ale, take it home with you and if you fancy taking a couple more copies to send or deliver to pubs outside the area, feel free to pick them up. We will restock as regularly as we can, and if you are a venue that takes this publication, firstly our thanks to you. If you are running short then get in touch via the web pages or Facebook. We can come and re stock you.

Happy Summer!

John Sissons

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YOUR LOCAL PUB OR BREWERY? Any beer-related stories to tell?

Send them to us atswaleale@gmail.com.

It’s your magazine!

KEEP IN TOUCH

CAMRAswale

Swale Ale © Summer 2019 Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd (CAMRA) Circulation: 1,800 Editorial Committee and Contributors: Matt Deller, John Sissons, Steve Bennion, Mary Cross, Bob Gates, Marc Bishop, Richard Bennett, Michael Hoey.

Advertising: Matt Deller All correspondence to: Les Bailey, 58 Wallers Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7PL Email: swaleale@gmail.com www.camra-swale.org.uk www.issuu.com/swaleale Twitter: @CAMRAswale Facebook: CAMRAswale Telephone: 01795 538824

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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. Design & Layout: Ascent Creative Printed by: Abbey Print, Faversham Branch Details Chairman: John Sissons Secretary: Linda Gates Social Secretary: Amanda Williams Treasurer: Les Bailey Pubs Officers: Nigel Mills and Tony Hayes Press and Publicity Officer: Matt Deller Membership Officer: Paul Ayre

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SWALE BREWERY NEWS house at the last moment. The hops used were Target, Amarillo, Bramling Cross and Lemon Drop which did indeed give it a slight lemon taste.

The Cask Club continues to deliver a new beer for each month. It has been successful so far and we have already had some excellent beers. To recap they have been Hop County Hopping Mad Pale Ale (4.8%) in March, Samuel Adams’s Blonde Ambition Ale (4.2%) in April and New Dawn Citrus Ale (3.5%) in May. June’s beer for this month was Bella Birra (4.4%). This one was a bit different from the rest as it was a collaboration with the Mezzopasso brewery in Italy. It is located in the mountains inland from Pescara on the Adriatic Sea. The beer is described as “Italian Red Rye Beer”. The rye flavour was detected in the after-taste. An odder ingredient was Rosemary which was added in the brew-

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The next beer in the series will be Hard Labor (4.6%) which will be an American style IPA. It is described as “American Double IPA” but at 4.6% it is a session IPA. Americans normally drink ales at around 2% higher than in this country. A Double IPA would typically be between 7.0% and 8.5% abv in the USA. It will be brewed with Target and Chinook hops and dry-hopped with Azzaca.

This is to be followed by another American IPA of approximately 5.0%. This will be brewed exclusively for Wetherspoon’s and will use Coronado hops. I don’t think it is for a specific festival. Probably one of the seasonal specials they commission from regional breweries. This will be a busy period as the next Cask Club beer will be brewed around the same time. By the way, the list for the rest of the year has not been finalised.

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Bob Thompson

CAMRAswale

Boutilliers have a few exciting beers coming out in the next few months: Carnival of Sorts (10.1%), a 3 bean barley wine with tonic, cocoa and vanilla. A big barley wine brewed with our friends at Hoptimism, it’s already sold out in keg, a few pins of it will be exclusively available at our festival Generation Craft taking place in Deal on the 23rd and 24th of August.

Another big one, Leia Cake (10.8%), brewed in collaboration with the wonderful Emperor’s brewery, is an imperial stout brewed with cocoa and vanilla and honey. All kegs sold out in advance but again, a few cheeky pins will be available.

This beer will be launched in bottle and keg at our open day on 20th July.

ADVERTISE WITH SWALE ALE AND REACH OVER 2000 REAL ALE DRINKERS

Look out too for Turtles’ Paradise, a lime Helles (a twist on our ever-popular Munich Helles recipe), a passion fruit wheat (Sex Bob‑Omb) and a few other interesting bits and pieces.

Richard Bennett

If you own or manage a pub, bar or restaurant and serve real ales, it’s never been easier to get your business in front of more than 2,000 people.

FULL PAGE

HALF PAGE

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£80 £40 £25 To book your place, email swaleale@gmail.com

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www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Kentish Beer&& Kentish Beer Cider Festival Cider Festival August Bank Bank August Holiday Holiday 24thth,, 25 25thth & &26 26thth

Over 20 Over 20 Kentish KentishAles Ales & & 20 20 Ciders, Ciders, Live Live Bands BandsDaily, Daily, The Street, Lower Halstow, TheSittingbourne, Street, LowerKent.

Halstow, Sittingbourne, ME9 7DY Kent.

ME9 7DY 01795 842840

01795 842840

info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

info@thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

TRADING

STANDARDS If you believe that you have been treated unfairly in a local pub or bar you can report it to Kent County Council Trading Standards by calling 03454 040506.

Sign up to receive alerts www.kent.gov.uk/ tradingstandards

BRANCH DIARY Wed 14 August, 8pm The Chequers, Doddington Wed 11 September, 8pm The Sun, Bredgar Wed 9 October, 8pm The Ship on Shore, Sheerness

FESTIVALS & PUB EVENTS Kent Beer Festival - 18-20 July Canterbury Rugby Club Faversham Beer Festival - 26-28 July Faversham Football Club

Like ‘Public Protection’ on Facebook

The Great British Beer Festival - 6-10 Aug Olympia, London

Follow Public Protection on Twitter @kentprotect

Kentish Beer & Cider Festival - 24-26 Aug The Three Tuns, Lower Halstow Faversham Hop Festival - 31 Aug-1 Sep

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TRIBUTE TO A LANDLORD Keith Neaves was born in Doddington, March 1936, and apart from three years National Service I believe he lived most of his life in the Swale area.

In the 1970’s he and his wife Eileen ran the |Brunswick Arms in Conyer. His brewery only supplied keg beers and I once asked him if he would like to get handpumps installed for a day or two. His reply – Let’s do it. I said we would get many CAMRA members to come and help his regulars drink it all and also arranged for his area manager to come and see how many people enjoyed real ale. It was a great success but the brewery in London would not change it’s mind.

Keith and Eileen then took over the Black Lion in Lynsted, this also becoming a very

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successful local. They were top publicans in every way.

After moving to Eastling it was not long before the couple became involved in village life once more.

Keith passed to the great bar in the sky in October 2018 aged 82. He will be sadly missed by his family and many, many friends.

Eastling church was packed for the funeral with The Alma in Painters Forstal having to raise a marquee to cope with the crowd at his wake.

Keith was good fun and a real gent. He loved people, a good pub and a good pint of which he served many – just like most of us.

swaleale@gmail.com

Bob Gates

CAMRAswale

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PUB OF THE YEAR

CELEBRATIONS The Three Tuns - Lower Halstow

The Paper Mill - Sittingbourne The Admiral’s Arm - Queenborough We are delighted that the Admiral’s Arm have also won the Kent sub region contest in this year’s Pub of the Year competition and now go head to head with the 10.50 to Victoria in Strood to be crowned the best in Kent.

(Correct at time of print)

The Shipwrights - Hollowshore

The Elephant Faversham

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The Furlongs - Faversham

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E of as th t K e en Ye t ar 20 19

Pu b

Real Ale Craft Beer Bottle Shop Cider Wine Over 50 gins

Admiral's Arm Micropub Trafalgar Court West Street Queenborough , ME11 5AD Tel: 01795 668598 info@admiralsarm.co.uk

/admiralsarm  www.admiralsarm.co.uk

UK BREWER OF THE YEAR

Harvey’s Brewery is proud to announce the following awards at CAMRA’s London & South East Area Champion Beer of Britain Competition 2018

Old Ale G OLD Old Ale and Strong Mild Winner Imperial Extra Double Stout

JOINT SILVER

Real Ale in a Bottle Category

Sussex XX Mild Ale

BRONZE

Mild Category “Brewed in the Heart of Sussex” WE WUNT BE DRUV www.harveys.org.uk www.camra-swale.org.uk 12 /HARVEYSBREWERYLEWES

/HARVEYS1790 swaleale@gmail.com

/HARVEYSBREWERY CAMRAswale

THE FLYING SHEEP, SHEERNESS Despite being open less than a year, The Flying Sheep has quickly established itself as a highflyer on Sheppey. Hosts Smutly and Amanda hit the ground running after an amazing two-week transformation from an original beauty salon back in 2018.

Mind you, the design team was the same group of experts in their field that brought you the award-winning Admiral’s Arm in Queenborough.

No doubt a goodly number of readers know about the Islands flying heritage and this lovely little pub pays homage to that and the abundance of the small woolly animal found around the Island, hence the name.

The interior has steadily evolved from day one and includes memorabilia from both air and green field. Up to four cask beers, keykeg machine, gins and an abundance of chilled ciders are all on offer along with snacky bits. It is not infrequently you will find several conversations all merging and general conversation engaging amongst allcomers, be they politicians, publicans on a visit from their own establishment, freemasons or furniture removers in after a hard day at work.

One of the signs of a good pub is that you will quite frequently see any number of CAMRA members happily supping at the bar. Visits from other branches are not uncommon having recent received delegations from both Medway along with a Saturday afternoon jaunt from team MMK. Good scores are regularly received on both Whatpub and Trip

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adviser assuring the discerning drinker of a good, well kept pint and if you ask politely, there is even a visit to the chiller room. Check out Whatpub for the opening hours at the Sheep. Come, join the flock and we’ll see you at the Baaaaa!!

Address: 193 High Street Sheerness ME12 1UJ Opening Hours: Mon: Closed (Except Bank Holidays) Tue-Thu: 12:00 - 15:00 and 18:00 - 21:00 Fri-Sat: 12:00 - 16:00 and 18:00 - 22:00 Sun: 12:00 - 18:00

THANKS FOR HAVING US We offer our thanks to the following for hosting our recent Branch meetings:

The Three Hats Milton Regis

Belle & Lion Sheerness

The Swan Teynham

The Three Tuns Lower Halstow

The Ship Conyer

The Elephant Faversham

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BLACK LION, LYNSTED There has been a bit of a change at the Black Lion over the past couple of years since long time host Chris Morgan moved to pastures new. To quote the new owners ‘We are a family run free house and restaurant in Lynsted Kent, offering a family, fun and comfortable atmosphere. Beer Garden, Fine Beers, Open Fires, Locally Sourced Produce, Function Room, Parking, Pool Table, Friendly Atmosphere, children and pets welcome, live music, freshly cooked food, locally sourced produce’

Address: The Street, Lynsted ME9 0RJ Phone: 01795 521229 Email info@blacklionlynsted.co.uk Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 11:00 - 23:30 Sun: 12:00 - 22:30

As soon as you walk into the well decorated entrance vestibule an air of character and charm greets the pubgoer. A three quarter length bar serves up to four cask beers plus an array of other drinks are available.

The whitewashed walls display local and interesting artefacts plus over one of the two open fires a menu board displays what is currently available in the dining department.

Dining has become a large part of the pub with Sunday roast especially popular.

Outside, there is a good amount of parking plus on street space, large well kept, mature gardens and even three letting units available for short stays. (Check with the pub for availability and opening of these units) With little traffic passing this lane, the gardens offer a quiet and appeali9ng way to while away the hours.

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IT’S GRIM UP NORTH! Well that’s how the North is perceived by many in the South so an intrepid group of eight Swale Branch members gathered all their strength, packed supplies and sullied forth to the land of flat caps and whippets!

Led by John Sissons (who has the advantage of his family being Northerners) two vehicles, loaded with happy adventurers Smutley and Amanda from the Flying Sheep along with their passengers Chris and Rachel from The Admirals Arm in the Range Rover, followed John and his car complete with Cllr. Cameron to keep us in order, and the two Petes, Neal and Ayre who both profess to be paramedics, in case of emergency, the merry band trekked their way up the A1 and across country to Hawes, first stop on this gruelling three-day expedition.

Wensleydale Creamery Hawes, North Yorkshire.

With beer there must be cheese and we had supplies to collect for both ourselves and our good friends back South so we hit the tasting room hard, filled up and traded some of our hard-earned cash for goods.

We then ventured into the village for both more supplies and to top up Smutley (who we now know needs to be fed at very regular intervals). Back to the cars and onto our overnight stop. The heart of Yorkshire beer in Masham (pronounced mazum). Staying at the Kings Head hotel, rooms were occupied and we all settled in with a pint. Just a note here, The Kings Head is Greene King owned so they keep a tub of GK IPA on at the bar.

God knows why as hardly anyone drinks it, so most of it goes back as ullage. Mind you, the other engines had some cracking beers on and we punished them a bit. We had a 3pm tour booked at Black Sheep Brewery. Most entertaining, informative and even though John had been to the brewery on many an occasion, he had never taken the tour.

Sampling followed and we pretty much all agreed that the milk stout was most excellent.

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Again, supplies were procured, and we then made our way to one of the local village hostelries, The Bay Horse. Smutley required feeding again so we all joined him and ate a hearty meal downing a few more beers as you do. We moved on around the village square and into the Bruce Arms where we were greeted with a smile. More beer ensued until a degree of tiredness hit us. We had an early start the next morning so with sufficient beer inside us we settled down to bed.

Day Two got underway early as we needed to be at our Beertown rendezvous point by 10am. It seemed natural that we met for a beer tour in the car park of a pub! Breakfast was an event in itself – No need to go into it but suffice to say Smutley ate sufficient to keep himself topped up until we reached our destination some one and half hours away.

Google Brewtown tours for more information on our superb guide for the day, Mark Stredwick. We all met up in the car park of The Ham and Cheese at Scagglethorpe, just outside Malton, another pub where John had previously stayed, and quickly said hello to Clare and Sean who were our hosts for the evening.

The tour lasted pretty much the whole day and comprised visits to the following ports of call.

Rare Bird Distillery Talbot Yard, Malton. YO17 7FT Yes I know there was no beer here but as we had two gin selling publicans it seemed rude not to. We all learned how to make gin and even got to sample some secret brew that was only being trailed. It was damned fine we can tell you. Good job we had plenty of boot space! More supplies. Oh, and did I mention Talbot yard has a superb butcher, baker, coffee roastery, Italian gelato maker and a pâtissier. No wonder Malton is known as the food capital of Yorkshire. Luckily for us,

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Continued overleaf...

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Smutley could stock up on ‘snacks’ to keep him going Bad Seed Brewery 7 Rye Cl, Malton YO17 6YD. Fortunately we all know how the brewing process works so our tours were just a bit less formal. We were treated to some superb product knowledge from our hosts plus samples of all their range. These were both cask and keykeg, fined and un fined. Jovial banter all around and we even left with boxes of glasses in all sizes. Super stuff all round.

The Black Swan PH 18 Birdgate, Pickering YO18 7AL. This is also the home of Breworks microbrewery and an altogether short tour was complemented by us all repairing to the bar. Absolutely gorgeous interior, this is a high-end pub with excellent fittings, most of which are fashioned by the very talented family. Again, we freely sampled some of the range and then went back for seconds. We even purchased three tubs of their stock to bring home and sell down south. There were even some nibbles I recall although Smutley was looking to stock up on supplies by this time. Reluctantly, after what seemed a very short visit of an hour or so we were called to assemble in the car park. Recommended pub and rooms if you are ever in the area.

Brass Castle Brewery 10 Yorkersgate, Malton YO17 7AB. Our final stop on the tour. Again, we got to see the workings of this ever-popular craft brew house located in the heart of Malton.

More conversation, more beers, a chat with the owner Phil Saltonstall who had flow in from Boston, USA that day and we chatted about all things brewing. At the time of our visit Phil was about to launch the beer treasure map. Adventurers and beer drinkers will encounter serpents, sea monsters, dragons and vampires in their search for gold during Brass Castle Brewery’s Bigger Picture project. Over 12 months, the brewery will revive stories through a series of nine canned beers, the labels of which can be pieced together to form a fantasy map of Yorkshire, giving clues to a final treasure spot. The artwork has all been created by Leeds-based Claudia Bowler. More information to be found on the Brass Castle web site: www.brasscastle.co.uk

the evening and say goodbye to Mark.

Into the bar of the Ham and Cheese and settle down for the evening. More excellent food and beer followed, ask any of us that had the garlic mushroom starter!!!. Beers from Black Sheep and others were on hand, so we ate, supped and then crashed for the night.

Day Three began with a typical hearty Yorkshire fry up. There’s plenty and then some. We all filled up with more than we really should have and loaded the cars for the days travel. I have to say I was so impressed with our vehicles. Four ‘ample’ sized adults in each plus tubs of beer, food, other assorted drinks plus our holdalls. Our destination? York, the capital of the North. Park and ride from just outside the city is the way to go, so we did. None of the party apart from John had been to this jewel of a city but all left vowing to go back.

Places of note to visit whilst here are: The Bluebell 53 Fossgate, York YO1 9TF. The interior has been untouched since 1903 so a visit is a must. A look around the city found us in Shambles market, where some of us felt the urge to eat, then to two bars almost directly opposite each other: Valhalla and Pivni Nos 4 & 6, Patrick Pool, York YO1 8BB. Both venues impressed the Cllr. as they serve Artisan beers here having a range on that he’d only ever seen in the Czech Republic.

More food, more walking and then my last little touch before we had to wend our way homewards.

The House of Trembling Madness, 48 Stonegate, York YO1 8AS. Not just a bottle shop of gargantuan proportions but upstairs is a medieval bar with vaulted ceiling where more food can be served. When in York, make sure you spend some time here.

Mid afternoon saw us head back to the vehicles, load up even more purchases made within the city walls and commence the trek back to civilisation! Grim up North? I don’t think this band of branch members would agree.

See you up there sometime.

By now we had reached the point in the day where we had to return to out lodgings for

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John Sissons

CAMRAswale

Agoinglocal baa to new heights Real AleS ~ Wine Vodka ~ Brandy GIN ~ Whisky ~ Rum OPENING TIMEs:

Mon - Thu: 4pm - 9pm Please check our facebook page as Fri/Sat: 2pm - 11pm we may occasionally be closed for Sun: 2pm - 9pm private functions. facebook.com/flyingsheepmpub

The Flying Sheep Micropub 193 High Street, Sheerness, ME12 1UJ

Tel: 01795 669229

Sittingbourne’s newest micro pub, the first on the High Street • • •

Serving straight from cask, a choice of Kent and guest real ales Great selection of locally produced ciders Carefully chosen wines, spirits and soft drinks • • • •

Close to public transport facilities Beer garden with seating, family and dog friendly Right next to a great sandwich bar which will deliver WiFi

Open 7 day a week – Monday – Thursday 1 – 8 pm Friday and Saturday 12 – 11pm Sunday 12- 8pm 22A High St, Sittingbourne ME10 4PD 18

Facebook: The Yellow Stocks Twitter: @theyellowstocks www.camra-swale.org.uk swaleale@gmail.com CAMRAswale

NIGHTMARE IN THE SATAN’S ARMS The old pub stands empty;

been closed for many a year, It’s not the place of laughter,

for fun or song or beer.

It’s always after midnight

that I seem to pass, I hear muffled voices,

and the distinctive clink of glass.

There aren’t any streetlights;

just the occasional star, The windows are all shuttered,

fastened with a bar.

I can see through them,

right into the room, I recognise the shadowed shapes

gathered in the gloom.

Len the landlord was a legend;

Oh, the beer that he could gulp, One day he fell into the cellar

and smashed his head to pulp.

The barmaid, luscious Lara;

her eyes looked dim and sad, She had breasts to die for,

And I know of three that had.

Her husband was a quiet man;

no one that you’d note, When he found her cheating,

he snapped, then he cut her throat He could not live without her;

he truly loved his wife, He shot her latest lover,

then he took his life.

There was milk stout Mary,

sitting near the bar, One-night wobbling down the road,

she was knocked down by a car.

That looks like me in the corner,

drinking London Pride, That’s my CAMRA tankard,

with a whisky by its side.

There was no cheer in this bar,

no music, jokes or chat.

Just the musty smell of decay –

even the beer was dead and flat.

I can hear voices in the back room;

one was mine for sure, I stood up and then I walked

slowly to the door.

There’s a surgeon with a stethoscope;

a nurse taking notes, Black horns grew from his head;

both wore blood stained coats.

On a billiard table lay a naked man;

who it was I could not see, Then the cigarette fug lifted;

I know that face, it’s me.

I could not move a muscle,

and I know I wasn’t deaad.

A whisky bottle on the wall

fed tubes into my head.

Then he ripped me open,

just above the heart, He hadn’t used a knife,

that’s my favourite dart.

Into the gaping hole

he pushed my billiard cue, He held aloft my liver;

it was black tinged with blue.

I spoke – What’s wrong with me?

He replied – Wake up and think, All who supped in Satan’s Arms

Were dying for a drink.

Bob Gates

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LAS CERVESAS DE ECUADOR! Ecuador is a small country in South America on the equator with a population of 16.5 million, a democratic government and much cultural diversity with Spanish influence. The currency is the US dollar, their own currency having collapsed some 10 years ago.

There are eighteen languages in native communities, most indigenous speak Quichua.

Spanish is also spoken by many and English is spoken by some in the more tourist-focused areas. Thus Cerveza = beer (Spanish)!

Ecuador has an amazing natural diversity, ranging from the mountainous Andes, Amazonian forests, coast and also the unique Galapagos Islands. The climate also therefore is diverse partly due to the range in altitude.

It is an area of intense seismic activity thus a high risk of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

The capital Quito – the highest capital city in the world at some 2,500m – is said to frequently have all four seasons in one day! The daytime temperature tends to be between 10 and 20 C and because of the altitude, when the sun is shining it is intense, but within the day it can suddenly cloud over and hail, then back to sunshine!

We visited in December, there is generally less rain and wind at this time of year and the daytime temperature about 19’C. The flight to Quito was 13 hours and armed with the advise re jet-lag and altitude to avoid alcohol decided to promptly explore the Hotel bar where we found some bottles of locally brewed ale from a German brewer in Quito Paramo Brauhaus, a golden ale at 5% and an altbier at 5.4% – which were tasty. That’s the highest beer I’ve ever had with my feet still on the ground! Because of the altitude the air is ‘thinner’ i.e. less oxygen so to accommodate

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this one walks slower! – especially up hills.

I had done some google research prior to travelling but being on an organised tour there was limited opportunity to escape the itinerary and explore the areas, but I was reasonably determined to try and find some local brews.

There are some 70 small breweries in Ecuador and in the city of Quito there are about 20.

It is a growing business. Not easy due to natural disruptions which can affect water and power supplies but these people seem determined to produce a good beer. Different to the average ‘pilsner’ type of Cerveceria Nacional Ecuador that has been the sole offering until relatively recently. Luckily only a 10-minute walk from our hotel in Quito we found the outlet of Bandido Brewing. The first microbrewery in Quito started by three Americans in 2013. The original site of the brewery, a lovely 1850’s Spanish colonial building now running as a pub/restaurant with the brewery having moved to a larger site in the city in 2015. The pub has three seating areas one of which is a chapel – complete with pews and altar!

It was early evening and had just opened as we arrived, we sampled a number of the ales including Rio Negro stout at 6.5%, a chocolate stout with malt and cacao husk.

Alta Amber 5.8% and La Gua PA 5.7% made with hops and a tea leaf native to the Ecuadorian amazon. All well presented and very flavoursome. It is a popular venue and over the couple of hours we were there filled up with mainly local people - the demographic appeared to be quite young , it was heartening to see them enjoying a good beer.

Our tour took us south to the city of Cuenca.

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The third largest city in Ecuador with beautiful and magnificent buildings, many churches, particularly noted for its flower market and many workshops making panama hats. We looked for but failed to find an outlet of Latitud Cero beers although later in our tour we met an enthusiastic restaurant manager in Guayaquil who supplied us with bottled Latitud Cero – cerveza artesanal. An American Pale Ale at 5% and a very tasty dark ale Sierra Negra at 4.8%.

It appears that small scale brewing of beer is happening in all corners of the world and I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to explore the beers of this fascinating part of the world. Where next?!

Mary Cross

In Cuenca we did manage to find the outlet of Jodoca Brewery at the edge of a lovely square, Parque San Sebastian a peaceful setting in the city. Jocada was started in 2012 by a Belgian man and his Ecuadorian wife.

They began brewing Belgian-style beers at these premises. There was a bar area and separate room with comfortable seating area and tables in front on the edge of the square where we sat in the evening sun watching the world go by – drinking very tasty beer of excellent quality. The brewing has outgrown these premises and is now done at another site in the city. The beers we sampled were Ambiorix Quadrupel 8% and Hopduvel Dubbel 8%.

Tiddly Pomme is the Farm Shop at Brogdale. We are home to a fabulous range of bottled Kentish ales and ciders, as well as our own Brogdale Craft Cider, produced on site entirely from apples and pears of the National Fruit Collection.

We are also the main stockist of Brogdale Fine Fruits and Brogdale Juices, as well as a wonderful selection of locally produced food and drinks, gifts, cards, prints and books.

Open Mon 12-4, Tues to Sat 10–5, Sun 10.30-4.30 Tel: 01795 529100 Email: tiddlypomme@brogdalecider.co.uk Web: www.tiddlypommeshop.co.uk Tiddly Pomme, The Marketplace, Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Rd, Faversham, Kent. ME13 8XZ

DESERT ISLAND BEERS A desert island without a cool cellar and lots of barrels stored within it sounds worse than Alcatraz. But a desert island with these facilities plus a perfect choice of beers sounds better than Tahiti. (Actually I’ve been to Tahiti and such a desert island would be much better!). Like John in the last issue, I’m going to assume I can draw beers from any time in my life for my eight beers. It’s been hard enough to choose the eight, and putting them in order of preference would be completely impossible, so I’ll put them in the order I drank them.

drink my way through the pub’s (at that time exceptionally large) selection of eight beers. They all tasted great but my three favourites were Abbot Ale, Theakston Old Peculier (chosen by John Sissons for his desert island in the last issue) and Adnams.

I stopped drinking the first two a long while back because they had stopped being special but I still really enjoy an Adnams ale. Good for them that they still brew great beer 45years on. We served Adnam’s at a special bar set up for my son’s wedding and it was every bit as good as ever.

The first on my list is Fullers ESB. As an undergraduate in London, I signed up for a brewery trip to Fullers with some friends from the law department. Lawyers are conservative people and Fullers wasn’t famous then, so only five people (myself one of them) signed up for the trip, when 25 were expected.

After we had done the tour of the brewery (which was being kept alive by Guinness who employed them to do their bottling for them), we were shown into the hospitality room and apologetically told that they had supplied the party with beer for 25 and it was up to us to drink as much of it as we could, as they couldn’t take it back. We took our duty seriously and I developed during the afternoon a serious taste for their strong ale, which was later badged as ESB. I never became a lawyer but I became that day a lover of real ale. (I also learned to dance like Gene Kelly in the tube train going back, but that’s probably best glossed over.)

My next job was at the University of Birmingham. Birmingham was an ale desert in those days, but thankfully our staff bar served Davenport’s Bitter. I used to volunteer to entertain our visiting speakers, and made sure they had a pint or two before being taken off for a meal. I don’t think it was just because it was the only ale around, but it seemed to me to be the perfect session beer, and it was a sad day when the brewery closed, especially as I had nothing to drown my sorrows with.

My second beer is Adnams Bitter. My first job was at Hatfield Polytechnic and half way between the Poly and St Albans was a pub called the Barley Mow which catered especially for members of CAMRA whose headquarters were (and still are) in St Albans.

I used to meet there with friends from the Poly at the end of the week every week and

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Having moved up to the University of Liverpool, I lived in Southport and joined CAMRA for the first time (to my shame having left it so long. Southport wasn’t far from the Lake District, so it wasn’t difficult to visit Hawkshead Brewery (and the lakes and mountains were nice too.) Our CAMRA branch organised a trip round the pubs of the Lake District and this was the first stop.

Most of us would have been more than happy to have abandoned the rest of the trip and stayed there. The tour was great and the brewery tap was superb. All the Hawkshead beers are excellent, but I’ll go for Hawkshead Bitter because it was always served really well at what was for a long while the best pub in Southport (until the owner sold it as private housing, the traitor).

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The same pub used to serve Moorhouse’s Black Cat MIld, a quite delicious beer, and in a style that is endangered, especially in the south. Moorhouse’s has actually taken the word Mild off the beer clips these days, presumably because it put young punters off, though a recent pint happily suggested that the beer itself hasn’t gone downhill.

Some time after I joined CAMRA, one of the Southport branch members set up a brewery called, somewhat unadventurously, Southport Brewery. But what beers! Every one of them was a treat. I used to tell all my friends that my all-time favourite beer was Southport Golden Sands, and they’d all smile, thinking I was a tad biased. But a year or two later it became Champion Bitter of Britain. So it wasn’t bias, just good taste. Southport Brewery to its credit has never tried to capitalise on their success and has kept their operation modest (It was, though, served for a while at the House of Commons bar; a less deserving audience for such a fine beer it is hard to imagine.) The only other place it has been possible to drink it down south in recent years was at my daughter’s wedding. They very kindly sent a barrel down especially for it and it was the first to be finished. (My son, daughter, son-in-law and daughter-in-law are all keen real ale drinkers, so I don’t suffer dehydration when I visit. Both their weddings were also mini-beer festivals!)

barrel was emptied within less than an hour.

(The cider I had bought, though delicious, was left virtually untouched, and there were plenty of undrunk bottled lagers standing around at the end, so it wasn’t that we hadn’t supplied enough drink!) It wasn’t surprising, though, that it should have been so popular with our visitors. There are a lot of good stouts about but not many are both delicious and good session beers, and that’s Mad Cat’s secret with all their beers. Their beers are just so drinkable. On a hot desert island, I’d want to refill my glass, not sip.

So what would be the one that I couldn’t do without? Well. I once drank a stout in Finland in Tampere that struck me as the greatest beer I had ever tasted, but I was too far gone to make a note of its name or e§ven of the brewery… But if I was forced to drink only one of the eight beers lovingly described above, and assuming my desert island was tropical with palm trees swaying in the breeze, how could I choose other than Golden Sands?

Michael Hoey Vice-Chair, Swale CAMRA

When I retired, I came to Faversham which I discovered is blessed with excellent breweries.

Two, though, stand out for me – Boutilliers and Mad Cat. They are great in quite different ways. Boutilliers beers are adventurous and off-the-wall, and Mad Cat beers are unfailingly refreshing and returnable to. We served Boutilliers Rye Pale Ale at my daughter’s wedding’s mini-beer fest and the barrel was emptied faster than all the beers except Golden Sands. It is a superb beer and could be a prize winner if they kept it on regularly.

(And I got Golden Sands right…) On the other hand, who’d want to tie them down when the recipes keep on coming?

I am a Rotary member and was responsible for the bar at a big celebration last year of Faversham Rotary Club’s 70th anniversary, when we had 40-odd visitors from Sweden, Denmark, the Neth4erlands and Germany coming to join us. I chose Mad Cat Jet Black Stout as the draft beer for the occasion because I love it. I was concerned, though, that our visitors came from countries famous for their lagers. I shouldn’t have worried. The

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Wantsum Brewery & Taproom Taproom Opening Hours:Fri 4pm – 9pm & Sat 2pm – 8pm Address:- The Kent Barn, St Nicholas Court Farm, Court Road Kent St Nicolas At Wade CT7 0PT

Wantsum Brewery is an Award Winning Local Brewery, that makes and sells great beers using only the finest ingredients Why not visit our Taproom where we always have a great selection of our beers on offer, as well as Bottled Cider, Wine, Soft Drinks and a selection of Snacks This year we are celebrating 10 Years on Wantsum Brewery Beers since opening in 2009, we have brewed a special 10th Anniversary Ale to mark the occasion

We are launching our new Wantsum Craft Range, small batch one off exclusive beers, brewed Bimonthly with Five A Day IPA being our first of the series and “Vacay in Cali” being the next edition being released in July, with many more to follow Follow us on Social Media to get the latest updates of what’s happening around the brewery:@wantsumbrewery www.camra-swale.org.uk swaleale@gmail.com CAMRAswale 25

Red Lion Badlesmere 01233-740309 redlionbadlesmere@gmail.com

The Red Lion is a family run free house. Serving food and drinks all day every day. Please visit our web site redlionbadlesmere.com for menus and special events. Including music, the first Friday of every month. Food events such as gourmet dinners, tapas evenings, bands, BBQ in the garden.

This year on the 17th of August we have a movie night in the garden showing “Bohemian Rhapsody” “The most welcoming English country pub with a lovely atmosphere and beautiful food” “We had a lovely meal here today, went in for a drink at lunchtime and had the 2 vegan options (gnocchi and polenta with veg). Both were lovely, wonderful garden atmosphere, friendly owners and staff. Lots of shade for the dogs to chill out (they even enjoyed a biscuit on behalf of the owner). Would definitely go in again!”

“We had a brilliant 3 course lunch today at the Red Lion. It was a pleasure to be able to choose from an extensive menu knowing it was all gluten free. Very tasty fresh food. My husband who is not Coeliac thought the food was excellent too. Even the deserts were great.

We will definitely be back. Thank you.”

THE BEAR, FAVERSHAM The Bear Inn is a traditional pub in the centre of Faversham. It is thought to be the oldest surviving pub in the town, dating to the middle ages and purchased by Shepherd Neame in 1736. Located in Faversham’s historic market square, the Bear is popular with regulars and visitors alike, for a pint, lunch, or to spend a relaxing evening with friends. The pub is unusual in that it retains a layout with three separate bars – a small ‘Public Bar’ to the front of the pub, a snug in the middle, and to the rear a larger third ‘Lounge Bar’. On fine weather days you will also find customers seated outside the front of the pub, chatting and watching the world go by.

The Bear has recently changed hands. Just a few weeks ago popular host Chris and Marie Annand departed on their next adventure leaving the pub to the hands of Tim and Lacey Stowell who themselves have been part of the pub scene.

On the menu you’ll find a good choice of traditional, home-made lunches, made from locally sourced ingredients including meat from the local butcher, and fruit and veg from

the nearby farm shop. The pub prides itself on serving an excellent quality pint, regularly features in the Good Beer Guide, and is well known locally as the place to go for the perfectly kept pint.

Even for non-beer drinkers though, the Bear Inn is a special spot. Quaint and traditional, it’s a pub packed with character - with centuriesold oak beams in the main bar salvaged from a ship built at the nearby boatyard. Around the pub there are interesting pictures and paraphernalia relating to its history, which contribute to the warm, friendly nature of the place. It’s the kind of pub where you pop in for a pint, stay for lunch, and find yourself returning.

Address: Market Place, Faversham, ME13 7AG Phone: 01795 532668 Opening Hours: Mon-Sat: 10:30 - 23:30 Sun: 11:30 - 23:00 Food Serving Times: Mon-Thu: 12:00-14:30, 17:30-19:30 Fri: 12:00-14:30 Sat & Sun: 12:00-16:00

BEERLIEVE IT OR NOT...

US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Barack Obama were all keen homebrewers.

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BEERS OF THE BIRD TABLE The early spring is a fine time to observe garden birds and their feeding habits around the bird table and feeders. Different bird species have individual characters just like beers, so for fun I’ve listed an analogy of birds and the more popular ales. Hopefully I won’t offend anyone, either bird fanciers or beer enthusiasts with my comments, it’s just for fun! they ascend the table for a short while then disappear. Perhaps the most frequent of all birds on the table, its easy to take them for granted but without them the table would be a lot less busy and by their very brown nature, they allow the brighter marked birds to strand out from the crowd. So in many ways, they provide the essential background for the other birds to shine. If we have no sparrows, we’d surely miss them.

Black Cap & Brewdog Punk IPA The Black Cap is a recent interloper on many garden bird feeders and something of the bird table bully. He does not care about other birds, he is unconventional, does it his way and takes what he wants when he wants.

However as a new visitor he is a welcome addition to any bird table despite his selfish habits.

The beer equivalent would be Doombar. An unremarkable but inoffensive brown beer its everywhere. but, just like the sparrow, without Doom to set the playing field, how would we know the other beers are so good? Some might be pleased if we had no Doombar, but there have always been big volume if somewhat bland beers that dominate the market i.e. Courage Best etc. They are essential as often drinkability is what required most and that means a beer that’s easily available with a non descript but accessible flavour.

As a beer analogy, that just has to be Brewdog. A recent arrival in the beer market and totally unconventional, they do the opposite to what other brewers do and are happy to step on a few traditional toes!

None-the-less the beer is still pretty good and a welcome option on many bars and supermarket shelves.

Bullfinch & Proper Job

House Sparrow & Doombar An unremarkable grey/brown bird and ten-a-penny on many bird tables. They are always there, normally arriving in small flocks,

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The Bullfinch is a shy but common bird.

When you see him its always a thrill. Superbly marked, Mr Bullfinch is unmistakable and certainly stands out from the crowd. Mrs B is not that bad looking either and its common to see pairs rather than single birds. However they are a reserved couple, never the first to the party and often heard rather than seen. If you get Bullfinches cherish them and

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encourage them to stay, they are one of the stars of the bird table.

Proper Job is the Bullfinch of the beer world.

On draught it’s common but not often seen.

A frequent visitor as part of many a guest ale programme, its still not easy to find. However once you have it, then it’s unmistakable rich citrus hop and bitter backbone, combined with the sharp golden straw colour make it a welcome guest and a beer to encourage the licensee to keep.

Magpie & Hobgoblin The Magpie is a big noisy bird, strikingly marked, its also a very loyal bird as couples bond for life. Their reputation for thieving and bullying smaller birds is probably warranted.

When it visits the bird table everything else disappears, including our cats! They muscle in, will empty a meal worm feeder in less than an hour then pose as if to say, come on, I’m not frightened of anything. You cant help admiring the Magpie, for all its cheek and bravado.

Chaffinch & Old Speckled Hen The Chaffinch is a handsome looking bird.

When first seen the male in particular is a good looking fella, but then you come across other more striking birds, the fore-mentioned Bullfinch, the Goldfinch or the Great Tit, all birds that arguably challenge the place of the Chaffinch in terms of looks. However, the Chaffinch is a staple and frequent visitor to garden bird tables, its just they are not quite the stars.

A beer analogy would be Old Speckled Hen. Once the beer of choice of many, its a good beer but not quite a great beer and has been surpassed by many new more interesting arrivals to the bar. The Old Speckled Un as it was originally known, was the forerunner of guest beers from the late 1980’s and set the playing field for later arrivals. Its easily dismissed now by beer enthusiasts and those who don’t appreciate the commitment to the beer market of the brand owners Greene King. A bit like the Chaffinch, a little under appreciated.

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The beer analogy would be Hobgoblin.

Just like the Magpie, it has a band of loyal enthusiasts and it shouts from the shelves with its quirky label design. Its a big bold beer as well, not subtle, its full flavoured, raisins and toffee the marked flavours. Hobgoblin always stands proud on the shelves and bars, nothing to hide, as if to say, that’s who I am, if you don’t like me I don’t really care, I’m here stay. There are better beers out there with far more complexity of flavour, but none-the-less, Hobgoblin will be a regular part of many a BBQ or party over the summer months.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings here, its just for fun and not mean’t to upset anyone. Other suggested garden bird and analogy beer combinations would be as follows.

Raven & Guinness Goldfinch & Thornbridge Jaipur Blue Tit & Fursty Ferret Blackbird & Fullers London Porter Robin & Adnams Ghostship

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Marc Bishop Beer Sommelier

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ROSE & CROWN, PERRY WOOD Set in the lovely surroundings of Perry Wood this whitewashed exterior under a peg tile roofed pub has a long and interesting past including being called the’ Waggon & Horses’ for a small period in the 1800’s, then owned by the very local Miller, John Sutton, who also had the nearby cottages built.

According to the history books and local press, on the evening of 20th August 1889, Hammond John Smith left the Taproom of the Rose and Crown to make his way home to Sheldwich. The next day he was found in a barn on adjacent land having bled to death after a vicious assault the previous evening.

His two assailants, James Foster and James Packman, were arrested the next day and after trial James Foster was sentenced to 14 years ‘penal servitude’ for the manslaughter of Hammond John Smith. These events were all triggered that wet August day when the three men involved all argued about who could cut an acre of corn the fastest. These days, if you listen carefully enough, Hammond John Smith is still reported within the pub, sometimes found to be getting up to mischief in the kitchen with his liking for the ladies!

The centrepiece to the Guinness World record held in the 1980’s for a darts match marathon, the old saloon bar was home to the dartboard and in the third of the three original bar rooms was the lounge bar, or where the ladies went. This room also housed a bar billiards table, once a common feature in a pub but nowadays hard to find.

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To the side of the original structure, the Woodcutters cottage was a separate two roomed home that housed a family of twelve in the early 1900’s and only became part of the pub in the 1980’s when a doorway was knocked through where the dartboard used to hang. At the same time another doorway was knocked through into the skittle alley, now a lengthy narrow restaurant and home to old farm tools, corn dollies & brewing memorabilia.

Today, as the hub of the locality, many events take place at The Rose and Crown. The first Wednesday of the month is Quiz Night where teams of up to four can play at £2 per head.

Other things to do include: •Beer Festivals - hog roast, real ales & live music!

•Bat & Trap - if there are enough of you, book the pitch - it’s free!

•Pub games - to keep you busy in the winter shut the box / cribbage / dominoes / cards / darts / giant Jenga & garden dominoes •The countryside - Always available, come and see it in all the seasons.

Address: Rose & Crown, Perry Wood, Selling,

nr Faversham, Kent. ME13 9RY E-mail: info@roseandcrownperrywood.co.uk Telephone: 01227 752214

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Supporting your local Breweries

The live beer experience 6-10 August • Olympia London

This year the Great British Beer Festival takes you on a journey from the smallest seed to the perfect pint! Experience the natural magic of grain to glass, while enjoying live music, fabulous food and more…

Book your tickets today

gbbf.org.uk

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ONE FOR THE ROAD CREW Greetings Gentle Reader.

You know there was a time when the young teenage Obadiah could be found haunting the Hammersmith Odeon, denim clad with hair flowing down shoulders and ears ringing after a high decibel assault from the likes of Sabbath or Thin Lizzy. Now you may be wondering what this trip down memory lane (given that Obadiah’s teenage memory lane is largely strewn with fag ends, kebab wrappers empty cheap lager cans) has to do with beer, and who could blame you. Well now some things never leave you (thankfully a liking for cheap lager has) but good old (emphasis on the old) rock is still a favourite musical genre of the 2019 vintage Obadiah albeit that the flowing locks have, well, flown and now I sport a hairstyle more akin to a hardboiled egg! Stop waffling Obadiah and tell the nice people what the heck you are going on about!!! Well patient reader I have noticed that many rock bands now produce their own beers so I wanted to explore some of the ones that have crossed my taste buds or, at least, I have found whilst perusing ‘tinternet’.

Let us start with a beer that many of you will have come across, Trooper brewed by Robinsons of Stockport. This beer is inspired by a track from Iron Maiden’s fourth album Piece of Mind. For those of you who don’t know Iron Maiden were pioneers of the NWOBHM in the 1980’s. (NWOBHM? Don’t worry my keyboard hasn’t got stuck, it stands for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal).

Lead singer Bruce Dickinson says on the official Maiden website “I’m a lifelong fan of traditional English ale; I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when we were asked to create our own beer.” Apparently the cultivation of the beer required numerous visits to the brewery to get the recipe perfected. A tough gig Bruce but someone had to do it!! The

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result, according to Robinson’s website, is a 4.7% deep gold beer with a sweet malt and zesty hop smell and a bitter strong roasted malt taste. Trooper has gone on to inspire further Maiden themed beers. Light Brigade, a 4.1 golden beer (from the sale of each bottle sold five pence goes to the charity Help for Heroes), Red & Black a 6.8% porter, Hallowed a 6% Belgium style beer (now discontinued) and Trooper 666 a stronger version of Trooper at 6.6% which was brewed as a limited run and alas is now sold out.

Now, I am sure many of you will have seen the film Bohemian Rhapsody about the band Queen but did you know that the Pinovar Protivin brewery in the Czech Republic brewed a 4.7% pilsner called Bohemian Rhapsody in 2015 to celebrate forty years of the release of the song. The bottle label shows a design created by Freddie Mercury whilst he was a design student.

I can’t help thinking that they should have called it ’I’m In Love With My Bar’ or ‘Don’t Hop Me Now’ or even ‘Beer Heart Attack’ (Sorry I’ll get my coat!)

Crossing the pond we find those painted popinjays of grandiose glam (get Obadiah’s alliteration!), yes it can be none other than Kiss. Never ones to miss out on a retail opportunity Kiss have added their name to a beer called Destroyer (named after their 1976 album of the same name). It is a 4.7% pale lager brewed by Krönleins Brewery in Sweden.

I am sure the taste is ‘Ace’.

Even further afield, in fact you can’t get much further afield from the home country of the next band. We are in Australia the home of those legendary Aussie rockers AC/DC. The band have teamed up with German brewer Karlsberg to produce a 5% premium pale lager called Australian Hardrock which is

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brewed to the German purity laws. The beer was released to coincide with start of the bands Australian leg of the Rock or Bust tour.

As well as in 586ml (pint) cans the brew is also available in mini kegs. Well AC/DC never do anything by halves do they!

Back to Blighty now for the last two beers in this romp around rocky beer and how much more English than the next band/beer collaboration. They opened Live Aid and have been smashing the twelve bar blues sound for over fifty years. I can be talking about none other than the mighty Quo. Status Quo have produced a couple of beers. Firstly, in collaboration with Wychwood Brewery, Piledriver a 4.3% malty amber ale. Apparently this beer sold so well that is prompted Francis Rossi, the bands singer and guitarist to say “This is incredible news - we haven’t seen sales figures like that since the 1970s”. Alas Obadiah understands that Piledriver is no longer being produced. But fear not you beer loving aficionados of The Quo for they have teamed up with Hobsons brewery in Shropshire to produce a beer named after their 1971 album ‘Dog of Two Heads’. This beer is a 4.2% traditional chestnut ale and as you sup you will be helping our four legged friends as 5% of profits will be donated to The Dogs Trust. This beer is brewed with British malting barley and a blend of UK-grown Fuggles, Challenger, Goldings and Progress hops.

Lastly we come to perhaps the loudest band that Obadiah subjected his teenage ears were to. I refer to of course the incomparable Motorhead. Yes young Obadiah was there at

the Hammy Odeon on the last night of the Ace of Spades tour when the band had a custard pie fight in the middle of the set after a roadie ran on and hit Lemmy squarely in the chops with one. You have to remember that this was at the time of the height of the Tiswas Phantom Flan Flinger’s fame (if you don’t know, you’ll have to ask your parents).

My ears rang for days afterwards! Now many of you will know that one of the stand out track from the Ace of Spades album was (We Are) The Road Crew. As Lemmy puts it on the No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith live album, the song is “dedicated to a fine body of men”.

With lyrics that include ‘I just love the life I lead, another beer is what I need, another gig, my ears bleed. We are the road crew,’ it was only a matter of time before a beer was produced and sure enough the band teamed up with Camerons brewery to produce a 4.5% (5% bottled) pale ale called, appropriately, Road Crew. With labels emblazoned with the Motorhead ‘Snaggletooth’ logo Camerons website describes the beer as golden in colour, packed full of hoppy citrus and blackcurrant flavours delivering a crisp, refreshing, superior taste with satisfying bitter finish.

So there you have it gentle reader. I hope this meander into the murky world of the teenage Obadiah has not been too traumatic and that you are able to give one or two of these beers a try for yourself.

So until next time, Toodle Pip.

Obidiah Spillage

ARE YOU MISSING OUR UPDATES? Every month we update our branch members with all the latest updates from across the branch, including brewery, pub and social news. There are still a number of you who will not be receiving these email updates so we would urge you to login via the CAMRA website and check your settings to allow us to contact you.

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www.theshipwrightsathollowshore.co.uk

HONEY & STOUT PIE Ingredients 80ml Good Stout 1 Bramley Apple, peeled and grated 90g Golden Syrup 50g Rolled Porridge Oats 90g Honey 90g Breadcrumbs, stale 2 Eggs 1/2 Lemon, zest and juice 1/2 Orange, zest only For the Pastry: 250g Plain Flour Pinch of Salt 125g Butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing 50g Caster Sugar 3 Eggs Method 1. To make the pastry, use a food processor to pulse together the flour, salt, butter and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl.

Add the eggs and form into a ball of dough. Do not overwork, just mix enough to bring the dough together. Chill for 20 min.

2. Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.

Grease a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin and set aside

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3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Once the pastry has chilled, lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry out into a large circle, 5cm bigger than your tin. Loosely roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then carefully drape the pastry over the tin and lightly press the pastry into the edges to fit Carefully trim the edges of the pastry using a sharp knife. Line the pastry with some greaseproof paper, then pour in some baking beans. Blind bake the pastry case in the oven for around 45 minutes until pale golden in colour. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperate to 180°C/gas mark 4 Discard the greaseproof paper and baking beans and brush the entirety of the pastry case in egg wash - this will help to prevent cracks appearing in the pastry To make the filling, add the stout and grated apple to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave the liquid to reduce by half, then remove from the heat and set aside until warm.

Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and pour into the pastry case. Bake the tart for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set

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GRUMPY LANDLORD One of the problems with having a destination pub in the middle of nowhere is that we are very much dependent on the vagaries of the British weather. So far this year Mother Nature has been fickle to say the least, giving us all four seasons in the space of two months.

What stock to order is always a problem, as the weather can change so quickly over the space of a few days. Whether to open a new Firkin of cask ale on a Tuesday when the weather is unpredictable is often a decision we face, since if we are quiet we may not be able to sell it out quickly enough to ensure it is in good condition when served. Get it wrong and we end up throwing away a lot of ale, which has reached it’s ‘best by’ peak and subsequently lose any profit.

I’ve been to many a pub where the landlord has kept a slow selling ale on the stillage for longer than is wise and subsequently it is not good to drink, which reflects on the pub and can also give a false impression of the ale or Brewery to the unenlightened drinker.

Speaking of breweries, there are so many around now that it is impossible to try them all. Our regulars know what they like and there are several beers we cannot take off because people come to us because they like a particular beer. They are the customers who come to us through hail, rain and snow, so we would be silly to go down the road of constantly changing brews. A guest beer alongside our normal selection is fine in the summer, (if we ever get one), but looking after the regulars is the cardinal rule in our trade.

Having said that, I am amazed by the number of people who come to us from all over the world, having heard about this quirky little pub at the back of beyond that serves

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real ale straight from the cask, has outside gents toilets and a grumpy landlord, (and now a grumpy grandson who has passed his grumpiness exams with flying colours).

Lately we are seeing a lot of DFL’s - ‘Down from London’ for the uninformed - many of whom have made the trek to solely to find us and I’m pleased to say that the greater majority think the trip is worthwhile.

Everybody is aware that the pub trade is not going through a good time at the moment, costs are rising and bureaucracy increasing, so being a ‘bit different’ is one way of surviving. The trade is changing rapidly.

People are seeking out the unusual, the quirky and the downright odd, since they are now far more selective in where they want to spend their leisure time.

Of course sometimes people who are used to the fast life of the city and the availability of ‘anything they want at anytime’ are a bit surprised by our slower and more basic approach.

The customer from the smoke who asked “Can I get a double Mocha with vanilla and goats milk” was a tad surprised to be met with a blank look and the retort that “since this is a 17th century pub madam, not a coffee shop, you can have have filter or filter, but if you like I’ll stick a dob of vanilla ice cream in it.”

Likewise the punter bedecked with CAMRA stickers and badges from all over the country and waving his copy of the Good Beer Guide, who expressed his concern that we we stock a keg IPA from a well known national brewer and a keg Belgian Weiss beer.

“Why keep that stuff,” he asked rather

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indignantly, “when there are so many good real ale equivalents around.”

It had been a bad day, (following a good evening if you know what I mean), so I was not in the mood to force a smile and play the indulgent host.

“Because it’s what some people want,” I replied, “this is a business, we like real ale and sell a lot of it, but recognise that beer is beer and keg beer is not inferior to cask ale, just different.”

I hasten to add that the vast majority of CAMRA members are not of this ilk, but some still pursue the line that keg beer is a poor substitute for real ale, in my opinion an outdated view. If pubs sell the products and provide the environment that people want, they are more likely to survive the current downturn.

Hope everyone has a good summer.

The Grumpy Landlord

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www.spitfireale.co.uk

/spitfireale

PRIZE CROSSWORD Compiled by R Gregory No 1065

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Across 1 Healthy town in Greater Manchester (4) 3 Kind of poignant in Devon (8) 9 Ruin entrance to seaside town (7) 10 Malefactor endlessly returns to

Irish Town (5) 11 Cloth crate maybe stolen from

Cumbrian town (5) 12 Desperate man is held initially by

tongue (6) 14 Steer car in city (6) 16 Part of Sussex - an adult could have

a good time here (6) 19 Note: Welshman has first ride in this

type of collision (6) 21 Bachelor has bird in Swiss city (5) 24 Man that is climbing Swiss mountain (5) 25 It can be risky to be a supporter of a

particular house (7) 26 Dicky yearned to find love initially

in Scotland (8) 27 Christmas back in Mexico (4)

Across

Down 1 Sailor’s lover in Scotland (8) 3 Kind of poignant in Devon (8) Name: 2 Peers at ground in London (5) 9 Ruin entrance to seaside town (7) 4 Turkish ruler has aim for programme (6) 10 Malefactor endlessly returns to Irish Town (5) Address: 11 Cloth crate maybe stolen from Cumbrian town (5) 5 Find out answer in Scottish valley (5) 6 VAT is best back in country (7) 12 Desperate man is held initially by tongue (6) 7 Al’s nemesis in lake (4) 14 Steer car in city (6) Every clue this- issue’s 8 (6)Occupation of nurse touring Spain (6) 16 Part of in Sussex an adult crossword could have a has good time here something to do with locations (some 19 Note: Welshman has first ride in this typeof of collision13 (6) Sounds like you could go hungry here them a bit tenuous). Have fun solving.

in Warwickshire (8) 21 Bachelor has bird in Swiss city (5) All entries received by 31/10/19 24 correct Man that is climbing Swiss mountain (5) will 15 Bordered on top of Surrey downs be draw a prize £10. The house (7) initially (7) 25 entered It can beinto riskyato be a for supporter ofof a particular prize winner and to thefind solution will be printed(8) 17 Chain bridge located in London (6) 26 Dicky yearned love initially in Scotland in next issue, with all other correct 27the Christmas backalong in Mexico (4) 18 Pattern largely knitted entries.

Down

(last pearl dropped) (6) Entries by email toScotland saxwords@gmail.com 1 Sailor's lover in (8) 20 Drier Scottish town - right or postattoground Saxwords, 48b(5) Newton Road, 2 byPeers in London 22 Common money almost found by Faversham, Kent, 8DZ. Scanned(6) and 4 Turkish ruler hasME13 aim for programme

English river (5) emailed entries preferred but all entries 5 Find out answer in Scottish valley (5) 23 Star girl missing from outside welcome including photocopies.

6 VAT is best back in country (7)

American city (4) If7 youAl's have any in questions nemesis lake (4) please email the above address or sendtouring s.a.e. Spain (6) 8 Occupation of nurse I 13 will Sounds reply to queries after the here closing date. likeall you could go hungry in Warwickshire (8) Compiled by R. Gregory 1 Healthy town in Greater Manchester (4)Ref 1065

15 Bordered topissue of Surrey Solution fromon last (ref downs 1055):initially (7) 17 Chain bridge located in London (6) Across - 1: Stream, 4: Fails, 8: Rhine, Pattern knitted pearl 9:18Pilsner, 10:largely Washout, 11:(last Bran, 12:dropped) Sip, 14: (6) 20 Drier Scottish Lees, 15: Redo, 18:town Egg,- right 21: Bass, 23: Russian, 22 Stirrup, Common almost found by river (5) 25: 26:money Unbar, 27: Regal, 28:English Revels 23

Down - 1: Straws, 2: Reissue, 3: Alehouse, 4: Fill, 5: Inner, 6: Spring, 7: Spots, 13: Pressure, 16: Dribble, 17: Abuser, 19: Grape, 20: Ingress, 22: Sting, 24: Oral

Star girl missing from outside American city

Correct entries were received from: R Amos, G Bond, S Christie, L Edwards, B Fullick, A MacGregor, T Mayhew, D Peacock, S Renwick, E Taber, and S Tompkins. for solution email rinfav@sky.com

The winner of the £10 prize was A MacGregor. www.camra-swale.org.uk

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