Twixmas 2014

With the exception of 2011 when, for medical reasons, I was off the drink entirely, Christmas 2014 must count as one of the driest Christmases ever – certainly since my mid teens, when I first started drinking! As I described in my previous post, my wife Eileen and I both went down with this flu-like bug which has been doing the rounds.

This unwelcome Christmas visitor was enough to put the mockers on the festivities, and although Eileen was considerably worse than I, the bug has been nasty enough to put me off my beer for the past few days. It’s therefore been a pretty sober affair, with just the one bottle, St Austell Proper Job, opened on Boxing Day, and even that tasted harsh and unduly bitter.

I returned to Kent early yesterday evening, having spent the past few days in Norfolk, visiting my elderly parents. There was precious little time for pub-going or indeed beer-drinking in general, and in fact I only had the one pint during the three days I was away.

The Showground, Norwich

I based myself at a Premier Inn, adjacent to Norwich Showground; as the fishing lodge I normally stay at was full booked over the Christmas- New Year period. The accommodation was fine, being warm, comfortable and quiet and yes, Lenny Henry was right – I got a good night’s sleep on both the nights I was there.  As is normally the case, there was a pub-cum-restaurant adjacent to the Premier Inn. Formerly known as the Showground, this Brewer’s Fayre establishment now goes under the rather strange name of Table- Table.

Arriving tired and hungry on the evening of 27^th December I was in no mood for venturing further a field in search of sustenance and refreshment, so applying the old adage of “any port in a storm”, I ventured inside. It was decorated and furnished in that modern, minimalist style, but without being too sparsely furnished. The menu seemed tempting and reasonably priced, and the sight of a hand-pump on the bar dispensing Adnams Bitter, provided further re-assurance that this could be a pleasant place to spend the evening.

A "Proper Pie", but a decidedly less proper pint!

I was shown to a table and shortly after the waitress came over and asked what I would like to drink. “A pint of Adnams”, was my reply, and I sat their in anticipation of a glass of Southwold’s finest. The alarm bells should have been ringing when my pint arrived sporting a huge frothy head; definitely NOT the way to serve Adnams! My worst fears were confirmed upon raising the glass to my lips where, after fighting my way through an inch of froth, I discovered a lack-lustre pint, devoid of life, with all the condition forced out of the beer and into the unwanted head because the beer had been pulled through a wretched sparkler! To add insult to injury, the beer was served freezing cold.

Even though I spent five years living in Manchester, I fail to see any virtue in these miserable devices; apart from ruining a perfectly good pint! To use a sparkler on a northern beer is bad enough, but at least some Lancashire and Yorkshire beers are brewed to be served in this fashion. To use this devil’s device on one of East Anglia’s finest beers is nothing short of sacrilege and shows an appalling lack of knowledge, and understanding about beer, on behalf of the pub’s management! I will return to the subject of sparklers in a later post, as I am still incensed by this act of ignorance and barbarity perpetrated on my pint.

"Proper Pie" in close-up

Fortunately, the beef and merlot pie I ordered turned out to be a “proper pie” in as much that the meat and gravy were totally encased in pastry rather than the lazy “modern” interpretation of a pie, which is meat and gravy cooked and presented in an oven-proof dish, with a soggy layer of shop-brought puff-pastry on top. Such abominations are “casseroles with lids” and NOT proper pies!

 

I enjoyed my meal, but my flat, icy pint of ruined Southwold Bitter was not an experience I wished to repeat. I opted instead for a dessert plus a coffee, and at least the pub didn’t manage to cock that drink option up!

As things turned out, that was the only pint I had during my time in the county. The following evening I met up with my sister and her boyfriend for a meal, at the Romany Rye; the local JDW outlet in Dereham, where they live. I have been in this particular Spoons on several occasions and would class it as definitely one of the better ones. Tempted though I was by one of the porters on sale, I decided to play things safe and stick with a soft-drink; especially as I would have to drive back to the hotel later along unfamiliar, poorly-lit and rather icy roads. Besides, I was still feeling bunged up and this, coupled with a mouth which tasted like the bottom of a parrot’s cage, meant my beer appreciation faculties wouldn’t be functioning at all well.

So tonight being New Year’s Eve I‘d better have a pint or three later on. It’s not as though I’m short of beer either, as what with all the pre-Christmas stocking up I did, coupled with the various bottles I received as presents  from both friends and family, I’ve got enough beer to float the proverbial battleship!

So cheers, to one and all, and all the very best for 2015!

Christmas 2014

It was a bit of a subdued start to this year’s Christmas festivities, with both Eileen and I succumbing to the flu-bug which has been going around. I normally manage to avoid catching these things, but this occasion I fell victim to a double-pronged attack. A work colleague had been coughing and spluttering for several days prior to Christmas Eve, but Eileen had also been suffering a day or two before as well. Come Christmas Eve, she was feeling petty poorly, and come the big day was in the full grip of this rather unpleasant bug.

She managed to cook Christmas dinner though; much to our son’s relief, but took to her bed quite early that evening. By this time I too was starting to feel the full effects, but after a rather restless night I have to say I do feel somewhat better.

The down side of all this, of course, was that feeling under the weather severely curtailed my beer drinking. Having accumulated quite a stash of bottles during the months preceding Christmas, it was rather a shame to be unable to enjoy then as much as I’d planned, but they will obviously keep for future days.

Christmas Eve itself began with us knocking off from work at midday and heading down to the village pub, the Little Brown Jug, for a few pre-Christmas  drinks. I had taken the precaution of travelling into work by train that day, but  in the end I only stopped for a couple in the Jug. The pub is tied to Greene King, and whilst it does offer a non-GK beer in the form of Larkin’s Traditional, brewed locally just a few miles up the road, I was after something stronger than this 3.4% ABV session beer.

An alert via Social Media, had informed me that the Humphrey Bean, our local JDW outlet in Tonbridge had both Thornbridge Jaipur and Hog’s Back Advent Ale on tap so, as reporters from the News of the World used to say, I made my excuses and left. Arriving back in Tonbridge on the 13.44 train, I first grabbed a rather tasty sausage roll from our local independent butchers, before heading along to the Humphrey Bean. I had looked at the snack menu at the Jug; the pub has a reputation for being pricey, but I thought that £7 to £8 for a sandwich really was extracting the urine. Where is the justification in charging such prices, just because there’s a handful of crisps and a few sprigs of rocket adorning the plate? Still, the pub is in an affluent area and was busy with both drinkers and diners, so who am I to argue?

Spoons was less busy than I had feared, with minimal waiting time at the bar, and I was soon ensconced at a table in the corner, enjoying my rather splendid pint of Jaipur. My peaceful contemplation was shattered by the appearance of a couple of my near neighbours, who asked if they could join me. I of course said yes, and we had an interesting and pleasant chat about various developments in the road, including the thorny issue of parking. Living quite close to the station does mean commuters parking their cars locally, in order to avoid the fees charged at the railway car park. This would not be a problem if they parked sensibly, but many of them don’t and the road round the corner from us, which is where my neighbours live, suffers particularly badly in this respect.

I was tempted to stay for another beer; either Jaipur again or perhaps the Advent Ale instead, but I had a small amount of last-minute shopping to get, plus I wanted to get home to see how Eileen was. I therefore again made my excuses and left.

The bug had started to kick in that evening, and given the beer I’d already had at lunchtime, I restricted my Christmas Eve sampling to just two beers; a bottle of Pilsner Urquell and one which I picked up at Morrison’s at the weekend. Madness Night Boat, a delightfully rich velvet London Porter, brewed by Portobello Brewery. With cappuccino, chocolate, hazelnut and dark fruit aromas, it was certainly a most enjoyable beer.  

 

Christmas Day dawned bright and cold, and we both got up fairly early; Eileen to put the turkey in the oven and me, just because I felt like it. The beer drinking as definitely subdued though, and rather than the extensive beer and food pairings I had planned, I only managed three beers over the course if the entire day.

A nice light, but flavoursome and refreshing beer in the form of Pilsner Urquell again, kicked off proceedings and, as in previous years, Fuller’s 1845 proved the perfect accompaniment  for our Christmas turkey dinner.  So much for my other proposed selections which included St Austell Proper Job, Chimay Blue and Imperial Russian Stout; the latter a 12% ABV monster from Eddie Gadd’s Ramsgate Brewery. The Russian Stout was chosen to accompany the cheese course, but we never got round to cheese. Perhaps we will today? 

In the evening our son, Matthew called round to visit a friend, leaving Eileen and I to doze off in front of the tele and the fire. I wasn’t paying much attention to the usual Christmas offerings of soaps, repeats and yet more “Celebrity Talent Shows” on the box, preferring instead to fire up the new Tablet device I received for Christmas and explore its possibilities.

I did have one final beer before going to bed; the small bottle of Chimay Red proving a good beer to finish the evening on. However, the ultimate irony came in the form of the best drink of the day being a large glass of water which helped to re-hydrate me following Christmas dinner. Whether things will be any different today remains to be seen!

More Bangs For Your Buck?

Earlier today we were Christmas shopping in one of Sainsbury’s larger outlets. Pleased to find that although the store was busy, (media types are describing today as “Panic Saturday”), there was still room to move around without getting pushed and shoved, and virtually no queuing at the checkouts. I was even more pleased to pick up a bargain in the beer section.

For the past couple of weeks, Sainsbury’s have been running a promotion of Fuller’s, and other various other brewers’ beers, whereby on certain lines you can pick up three bottles for £5. I was very surprised to see the 8.5% ABV Golden Pride included in this offer, but of course had to take advantage of it.

Obviously a beer for sipping and savouring, rather than pouring down your neck, this barley-wine strength beer is a good choice for the Festive Season, and the colder months in general. The brewery describes it as a “Premium, superior-strength bottled ale, bursting with flavours of sweet orange oil and toasted grains. At 8.5% ABV, it’s to be savoured like a fine wine.” A very apt description which I wouldn’t disagree with and I look forward to sampling a bottle of this excellent beer over the Christmas period.

With a "Best Before Date" of May 2016, it’s well worth getting a few bottles in for laying down, but I wonder what the anti-drink brigade will make of a promotion for a beer which falls into the high duty band; a tax bracket which was originally introduced to discourage drinkers from high ABV beers such as Carlsberg Special and Tennent’s Super!

Christmas Present - and a Few Ghosts of Christmas Past!

Like many CAMRA branches up and down the country, West Kent CAMRA holds an annual Christmas Dinner. This has become something of a tradition in recent years, and is always something to look forward to.

Christmas 2014 - Royal Oak, Tunbridge Wells

This year’s event took place at the Royal Oak in Tunbridge Wells, where a group of 14 of us were well looked after, both beer and food-wise, by landlady Yvonne and her team. I went for leek and potato soup to start with, followed by the traditional roast turkey option, with all the trimmings. Others went for the equally festive salmon fillet. The photo below, was taken after we had all finished, so doesn’t really do justice to the splendour of the food that was placed in front of us. As well as the mains, the table was positively groaning under the weight from various dishes of seasonal vegetables which formed the accompaniment. Dessert was a choice of Christmas pudding with brandy butter, chocolate mousse or summer pudding.

There was plenty of beer, of course, to help wash the food down, and Yvonne had provided a good selection for us. Alongside pub stalwart Harvey’s Best, there were beers from 1648, Larkins, Pig & Porter plus Rockin Robin. I stuck with the “dark side”, going for Red Spider Rye 5.5% ABV from Pig & Porter, plus my favourite dark ale at this time of year; Larkins Porter 5.2% ABV. There were good reports too for Blizzard of Oz, a 4.5% ABV Winter Warmer from Rockin Robin. We all finished suitably full to the brim, so many thanks to the Royal Oak for hosting the event.

Christmas Fayre at its best!

In the course of writing this article I thought it would be interesting to look back at a few Christmas meals from years past. The criteria for selecting a pub are first and foremost the variety and quality of the ale, closely followed by that of the food. Whether or not the pub can accommodate a party which varies from around 15 to 20 persons, on a busy weekend is another important factor, as is can the pub be easily reached by public transport. There are not that many pubs in the branch area which match these criteria, but here is a list of those pubs which have hosted our Christmas meal, along with a few photographs and comments.

Christmas 2008 - Rose & Crown, Halstead

Rose & Crown, Halstead.This two-bar free house hosted our meals for several years on the trot. The last one I recall was in 2009, and I think the first one was back in 2004. The 402 bus which runs between Tunbridge Wells and Bromley carried us to and from Halstead, which lies on the top of the North Downs. A 20 minute walk up from Knockholt station also provides an alternative means of reaching the pub. In many ways the Rose & Crown was the ideal venue, as it boasted a separate saloon bar-cum-dining room, but when Bob the popular and affable landlord left, the pub seemed to go downhill. This provided an excuse for the branch to look elsewhere, and a pub right on the southern fringe of the area was selected.  

Brecknock Arms, Bells Yew Green. So far as I recall we held just one Christmas meal at this small, attractive Harvey’s pub, which is conveniently situated just 5 minutes walk away from Frant station. Two events slightly marred the occasion; the first was licensees Joe and Charlotte were due to leave the trade in the New Year, so there was a tinge of sadness in the air. The second concerned the pub’s heating, which had come out in sympathy with the departing tenants by packing up! We therefore arrived on a bitterly cold

Christmas Ale 2010 - Brecknock Arms

December day to discover an equally cold pub. The open fire did its best to provide some heat; especially for those sitting down that end of the room, and the excellent Harvey’s Old and draught Christmas Ale also helped to keep the rest of us warm, but it was a meal that was memorable for all the wrong reasons.



 
I’m not certain what happened the following Christmas, as I was indisposed at the time. I’ve a feeling an informal gathering may have taken place at the Royal Oak, Tunbridge Wells; but would be grateful if someone could verify this. There was no meal for Christmas 2012, mainly due to a failure to decide on a suitable venue in time, but come 2013 a rising star came on the local pub scene in the form of the Windmill at Sevenoaks Weald. Licensees Matthew and Emma had succeeded in reviving the fortunes of what had become a failing village pub. Owners, Greene King had been keen to dispose of it, and rumours abounded that the pub was to be sold a private dwelling.

Dining Room - Windmill, Sevenoaks Weald

Fortunately this turned out not to be the case, and in a relatively short space of time the Windmill became a “destination pub”, offering a wide range of mainly local beer, good food, served in convivial and attractive surroundings. It therefore became the obvious choice for Christmas 2013. Like the Rose & Crown before, the Windmill is easily reached by bus, with services from both Tonbridge and Sevenoaks converging on the pub within about half hour of each other. Also, for some reason best known to the bus company, there is a better service to Weald on Sunday, rather than on Saturday – bizarre!

Last year then saw a return to form for the branch Christmas meal; something which continued this year at the Royal Oak. There is though one much earlier meal which I want to look back on. This, like that at the Brecknock, is also tinged with sadness, but this was not evident at the time. The Wheatsheaf at Marsh Green was a former branch pub of the year; in fact I believe it won this award several times. A multi-roomed pub, heated by welcoming open fires during winter, serving a wide selection of interesting and often hard to obtain cask beers, topped by a menu of appetising and well-presented dishes, the Wheatsheaf had everything going for it. Everything that is apart from its remoteness. Situated in a tiny village to the south-west of Edenbridge, at the far west of the county and close to the border with Surrey, the Wheatsheaf was virtually impossible to reach by public transport..

Christmas 2002 - Wheatsheaf, Marsh Green

This unfortunately was the pub’s Achilles ’ heel and ultimately its downfall, for alas the Wheatsheaf ceased trading about 18 months ago and has now become a private dwelling. The last photo in the series shows some much younger looking West Kent CAMRA branch members, including yours truly. The photo was taken in 2002, and shows a group of us relaxing in the pub’s conservatory restaurant after an excellent Christmas meal. From memory, we travelled to Edenbridge by train, and then by a couple of pre-booked taxis to Marsh Green. It was therefore not a horrendously difficult journey, but one which did require a certain amount of forward planning. During daylight hours it was possible to walk to Marsh Green, either along the roads (not recommended), or in dry weather across country – provided one kept an eye out for the bull which a local farmer insisted on keeping in the same field crossed by the public footpath!

This is not the time or the place to discuss the reasons for the Wheatsheaf’s sad demise, but like at least one other pub in the area the attitude of the local plod with regard to targeting drivers on the way home didn’t help. Even if one is safely under the drink-drive limit it is still an unnerving experience being pulled over and asked to provide a sample of breath. I remember being a passenger in a friend’s car one night, when we were stopped in Edenbridge High Street on the way back from Marsh Green. Plod had certainly pulled out all the stops that night, as they had the High Street coned off on both directions, and were pulling over everything on four wheels! Fortunately my friend passed the breathalyser, but I wonder how many other law-abiding, pub-going drivers have been scared off by these “bully-boy” police tactics?

This concludes my look back on a few past Christmas meals, but in the meantime I hope there are many more such feasts to come.

No More "Disgusted - Tunbridge Wells". Pt.One

In my last post I put the blame for my, at times, hermit-like existence on the paucity of decent pubs in my home town of Tonbridge. As I described, there is little, pub-wise, to tempt me out in the evening, so most nights I am at home, stuck in front of the computer with just the odd bottle of beer (decent beer though!), to keep me company. I did say that if I lived in Tunbridge Wells, things would undoubtedly be different, and it is this noticeable difference that I want to explore in this article. With just over four miles separating the two towns, they might just as well be on separate worlds!

Summer evening crowds in Tunbridge Wells

Unlike its near neighbour and the town which it was named after, Tunbridge Wells has an abundance of excellent pubs and bars. Places which will delight the beer drinker and pub lover at every turn. If I lived in the town I certainly would be going out a lot more. I might end up poorer in pocket, but my pub-going and beer drinking experiences would be that much richer; certainly a lot more than they are now!

I’m not sure how this dichotomy came about, but for those readers who are unfamiliar with the town, it’s worth taking a look at Tunbridge Wells and its excellent drinking scene. Royal Tunbridge Wells, to give the town its official title, has a rather snooty, upmarket image; at least in popular folklore. However, the glory days of its late Victorian and Edwardian heyday have long faded, and whilst it remains a pleasant and thriving place, like many towns in the 21^st Century, Tunbridge Wells is not without its share of problems. Being slowly choked to death by relentlessly increasing traffic is amongst the foremost of these, and unfortunately there is no easy or quick fix to the curse of the motor car, but leaving this aside let us examine what the town has to offer in the way of decent places to drink.

We’ll assume that the visitor is arriving in the town by train, as this is by far the most sensible, and obviously the only safe and lawful option for anyone intending to enjoy a few beers there. The town’s main station, and indeed now the only mainline option, is the former South Eastern station on Mount Pleasant. Originally known as Tunbridge Wells Central, in order to distinguish it from the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway’s West station, (now home to the Spa Valley Railway Heritage Line), this stop on the London to Hastings line is conveniently situated right in the town centre. The new arrival will therefore have choicer as to which direction to head off in.

Sankey's

I recommend turning left out of the station and ascending the steep and aptly named Mount Pleasant. At the top of the hill continue across the traffic lights in the same direction, until you come to a pedestrianised area known as Fiveways. This is opposite the town’s main shopping centre (Royal Victoria Place) and the pedestrianised precinct in front of it. From here head up via Mount Ephraim Road to the top of London Road, on the edge of the Common, from where you will be rewarded with a view over the town below. You will also have worked up a king-sized thirst, which can be slaked at the excellent and slightly off-beat Sankey's; virtually opposite the defunct former Kent & Sussex hospital, which is now the site of a major new housing development.

Although best known for its highly regarded fish restaurant, the upstairs section of  Sankey's (the one at street level), is actually a thriving and very popular pub. The Sankey family have been in the pub game a long time, and whilst Guy Sankey has now handed over the reins to his son Matthew, he still takes an active interest in the business. Back in the 1960’s, Guy’s father, Dick ran the historic and unspoilt George & Dragon at nearby Speldhurst; a fascinating old building which dates back to the 13^th Century. Today, Matthew has expanded the seafood side of the business, with the establishment of a traditional fishmonger, close to the station, and the opening of a champagne and oyster bar in the historic Pantiles area of the town. (More about that later).

Interior Sankey's

To return to Sankey's, the pub boasts one of the best and most extensive collections of old original enamel advertising signs I know of. Several of these were rescued, by Guy, from the late lamented Hole in the Wall; a unique tobacconist-cum-gentleman’s smoking salon which boasted a separate bar hidden behind a curtain at the back of the shop. The pub sadly closed back in the 1980’s, but along with the metal signs, Guy also managed to retrieve a couple of magnificent cut-glass, pub mirrors. These feature downstairs in the restaurant. 

Sankey’s has always has a reputation for good beer, and was almost certainly the first pub in the area to stock a range of imported Belgian and German beers. It also serves cask beers from Goachers and Tonbridge breweries, plus craft keg from Brew Dog, along with various fruit and other speciality beers from Belgium. With open fires in winter, and a south-facing terraced beer garden in summer, Sankey's is deservedly popular amongst discerning drinkers in the town.

Beer selection at Fuggles

Sankey’s is the farthest point north on our crawl, so the visitor now needs to partially re-trace his or her steps and head toward Grosvenor Road. A short cut via Mount Ephraim and Hanover Roads leads in the right direction, towards Fuggles Beer Café, the next stop on the tour. Despite only being open just over a year, Fuggles has quickly established a reputation for offering one of the finest selections of beer in town. Decorated in a minimalist style, with exposed ductwork and RSJ’s in the ceiling, this former shop has up to six cask ales on sale, plus around a dozen craft-keg beers. Tonbridge Copper Nob appears to be the regular “house cask”, with Cristal Pilsner the "house lager". Regular craft offerings include beers from the likes of Beavertown, Burning Sky and Kernel together with a smattering of Belgian beers. At the time of writing Larkins Porter takes pride of place amongst the cask ales. As if the draught beers were not enough, Fuggles boasts around 75 different bottled beers in its fridges, and a draught cider, which varies from time to time, is also available.

Tasting Rack at Fuggles

The discerning spirit drinker is not forgotten either with a range of around 15 gins and 20 whiskies and bourbons; all chosen for their taste, quality and provenance. The food offerings centre around items such as pork pies, scotch eggs, various cured meats (Charcuterie), plus a small, but unrivalled selection of British and Irish cheeses. A selection of sandwiches, supplied fresh daily from Kett’s Kitchen are also available, as are various combinations of cheese, pork products and cured meats. Speaking of combinations, Fuggles offers tasting racks consisting of 3 x 1/3 pt tasters. Owner/manager Alex Greig and his team deserve to be congratulated for opening one of the best beer outlets around, and their boast that “We work with some of the best breweries and brewers our mighty fine Island has to offer along with some of the best Belgian beers we can get our hands on!” is no idle one. Fuggles Beer Café therefore is a definite “must visit” on any beer lover’s list.

 

JDW's Opera House Tunbridge Wells

Turn left out of Fuggles and head back down towards the station. On your left, before you reach the 1930’s art deco Town Hall, you will hardly fail to notice the ornate exterior of the former Tunbridge Wells Opera House. Now a JDW outlet, still called by its former name, the Opera House is well worth stepping inside for a closer look. Carefully restored to bring out its best and most interesting features, the drinker is given the choice of two bars; one facing the stage and the other, actually on the boards themselves. Standing here and looking back and up at the ornate circle and dress-circle, with their ornate and rather opulent fittings; it is easy to be transported back to the Opera House’s Edwardian heyday, when the stars of the day would perform in front of a packed house. Definitely worth a look in; even if you are not a Wetherspoons fan!

Interior - Opera House

After leaving the Opera House, continue back down Mount Pleasant and past the station towards the High Street and the lower and most historic part of the town. We will break here for the time being, and continue this tour at a later date. 

 

Footnote: Royal Tunbridge Wells (often shortened to Tunbridge Wells) is a large town in the west of Kent, about 40 miles (64 km) south-east of central London by road, 34.5 miles (55.5 km) by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex. It is situated at the northern edge of the High Weald, the sandstone geology of which is exemplified by the rock formations at the Wellington Rocks and High Rocks.

The town came into being as a spa in the Restoration period and had its heyday as a tourist resort under Beau Nash when the Pantiles and its chalybeate spring attracted visitors who wished to take the waters. The town has a population of around 56,500 and is the administrative centre of Tunbridge Wells Borough.

In the United Kingdom Royal Tunbridge Wells has a reputation as being the archetypal conservative "Middle England" town, a stereotype that is typified by the fictional letter-writer "Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells". Source- Wikipedia.

I Need To Get Out More??

“I need to get out more.” I reached that conclusion a few Thursday’s ago, when I attended the “Meet the Brewer” evening at a local pub. I also came to the same conclusion after going along to my local CAMRA Branch’s AGM.

OK, Tunbridge Wells Constitutional Club isn’t really my cup of tea, but meeting up for a drink with friends is and afterwards,  as we sat in the cellar bar at the newly opened Pantiles Tap, I realised this was something I miss, and that I really do need to get out more.

If I lived in Tunbridge Wells, I undoubtedly would, as drinkers in the town really are spoiled for choice in terms of decent beer and equally decent places in which to drink it. Tonbridge is the complete opposite, with an almost complete dearth of decent pubs, and an with most offering a choice between either Harvey’s or  Doombar, there's nothing much to tempt me out.

Alright, that isn’t strictly the case; there are a number of outlets selling Tonbridge Brewery beers now, plus the odd oasis offering something different. I hasten to add that there is nothing wrong with Harvey’s; a beer that has always counted amongst my favourites, but whilst it is easy to handle, with a propensity to drop bright quickly, it is a beer which benefits from a bit of judicious looking after, especially in the cellar department.

Unfortunately, the proposed micro-pub for Tonbridge, seems to have fallen through, thereby dashing hopes there would be somewhere to enjoy a decent pint in the company of sensible and mature adults, away from the Sky Sports, karaoke and other noisy and unwanted distractions which mar so many of the town’s pubs.

With little in the immediate vicinity to tempt me out, most evenings I’m happy to sit in front of my computer, tapping away at the keyboard, composing my latest blog post. I find it relaxing, and with the added bonus of a glass or two of something decent to drink, it’s not a bad way to spend an evening. However, I do miss human company, and whilst I’m engaging with colleagues all day at work, it’s nice at times to relax in the company of like-minded individuals.

So what about the family, I hear you ask? Well, we all like our own space, with my lovely wife Eileen watching the latest celebrity nonsense on TV downstairs, and son Matthew tapping away on his own computer. With all three of us tied to busy and demanding jobs, and with Matthew not getting home until 7pm, there isn’t a huge amount of the evening left by the time we’ve finished eating and washed up.

Matt and I did venture down to the Punch & Judy with my friend Eric, last Friday; a pub I have written about before. The Punch has changed hands yet again; it’s a popular enough pub, but in recent years it has had a succession of different landlords. I’m not sure whether this is due to high rents, or if the beer tie is too restrictive, but I hope the new incumbents manage to make a go of things and stay a bit longer.

It was busy when we arrived and we had trouble finding a seat, but once settled there was no escaping the overly-loud music blaring from the speakers strategically sited around the pub. Now  much as I like Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones, I don’t want them blasted in my ear at a volume which forces me to stick my head so close to my companions that I'm practically in their faces in order to hear what they’re saying. Equally I don’t want to shout in order to make myself heard!

To be fair, the barman did honour my request to turn the volume down, but it wasn’t by much, and I do question exactly for whose benefit the music was playing? It certainly wasn’t for my benefit or that of my companions, and I expect there were quite a few others in the pub who felt the same. I will go back, but if I find music blasting out like that again I will make a point of walking out.

I do think sometimes that people go into the pub trade with a blinkered idea of what their customers actually want – well I’ve got news for them this customer wants to talk and engage with people and not be subjected to ear-splitting music, karaoke, or having to watch over-paid and under-talented prima donnas kicking a football around, as dished up by Sky Sports!

I seem to have answered my own question, as to why I don’t get out more!!

A Short Break in Barcelona

After a frenetic spell of blogging towards the end of last month, I’ve gone a bit quiet. There are several reasons for this; the first being I’ve been extremely busy at work, trying to recruit a replacement for a valued member of my staff who has moved on to pastures new. It’s amazing just how time-consuming this process is. The second, of course, is the start of the build up to Christmas; a process which seems to creep up and catch me out every year. Third, and undoubtedly the most important, has been the four day trip to Barcelona which the family and I made just over a week ago.

It was the first time that any of us have visited the Catalan capital, although I did change trains there, as a student late one evening, back in 1975 whilst Inter-Railing around Europe. Like last years pre-Christmas trip to Prague, our travel times were dictated by son Matthew’s work timetable, where the demands of the busiest period in the retailing calendar demand that no personal leave can be taken during December. Consequently a week ago last Thursday saw us boarding an Easy Jet flight from Gatwick in search of some rest and relaxation, and hopefully some sun, in Spain’s second largest city.

We were to be disappointed on the sun front; in fact we had two days of heavy rain, but at least the temperatures remained in the high teens, and on the tourist front we managed to see a fair bit of the city. We also enjoyed some good local food and were able to sample a bit of Catalan life. Being a family trip, beer not surprisingly didn’t figure too high on the agenda, but nevertheless I still managed to track down and sample some good examples of local beer.

BierCab on a rainy Saturday

Just over a year ago, Pencil and Spoon blogger, Mark Dredge, wrote an excellent piece on the craft beer scene in Barcelona, but during the rather hectic build-up to our departure, I forgot to print off a copy to take with me. Just a day before we left for Spain, whilst doing some online checking, I chanced upon a bar called Bier Cab, which is listed as Number 4 in the world of the top 100 beer bars in the world. The best part though was BierCab was in the same street as out hotel! Fortunately my wife didn’t realise at the time, the pure coincidence of this, otherwise I could have been accused of selecting the hotel purely on its proximity to this bar. After the subject came up earlier today, at our local CAMRA branch Christmas dinner, she has since changed her mind!

Since my return I’ve found that Mark Dredge had included BierCab in his Barcelona Craft Beer Guide, and having now visited the bar I can well understand why. My opportunity to spend a bit of time there came just over a week ago, on a very rainy Barcelona Saturday afternoon. We had spent much of the morning shopping, followed by a brief spot of lunch. We returned to the hotel to dump our respective purchases, and after several hours traipsing around the shops, both Eileen and Matthew were flagging. I informed them of my desire for a stroll up the road in order to pick up a few bottles of Spanish beer, and asked would they miss me dreadfully if I was to do so?  Of course they wouldn’t, so off I went through the steady, but not too heavy rain. There is something about a wet Saturday afternoon, and it doesn’t seem to matter where in the world one experiences it. I was thinking this as I strode the few blocks up to BierCab, a modern-looking bar housed in an equally modern block.

Sitting at the bar

The place has only been open just over a year, but it has quickly established a reputation for itself which has spread far beyond Barcelona itself. Stepping inside, there was a long room with the bar to the left, and a series of tables opposite. These extended to the rear of the room. As I’d read, BierCab boast 30 taps, with an impressive electronic display on the wall behind to inform punters of the choices available, their strength, colour and cost. I joined the handful of other customers sitting at the bar in true Spanish style, and pondered which of the 30 or so beers to order first. Now, I’m a great believer in keeping things local, so whilst there were offerings from the United States, Belgium, Denmark and the UK I looked for the Spanish offerings amongst this impressive selection.

BierCab Bar & Shop

I started with La Pirata Viakrucis; a 5.6% American Pale Ale, which is contract-brewed at Ca l’Arenys - Cervezas Guineu Micro-brewery, in the mountains to the north-west of Barcelona.  This was followed by a glass of Farmer’s Choice; a 7.6% Strong Golden Ale from Naparbier of Pamplona. My final beer was another American-style pale Ale called Mango, which weighed in at 6.0%. This turned out to be the most local beer on sale at BierCab, coming from the Piris Brewery who are based in central Barcelona. 

Whilst sitting at the bar, enjoying these beers, I indulged myself with a plate of nachos, covered in melted Mexican cheese, to help soak up the rather strong beer. One of the barmen at BierCab was from Nigeria; and hence spoke pretty good English. When he found out I was from England he asked me why I wasn’t drinking the beers from Buxton, Magic Rock and Siren which were on offer. I explained my preference for local beers whilst visiting new places, and I think he sort of got it. Sure, I would have liked to try some of the Mikkeller beers for example, but I know that one day I will visit Copenhagen and get to sample them on their home turf.

Adjoining the BierCab bar is the BierCab Shop. It wasn’t open when I arrived, but I expressed my interest to the manager, and was told it would be opening shortly. The shop looked so new, that I took his words as meaning "it would be opening in a few weeks’ time", but as I turned to leave the manager made a point of coming over and telling me that the shop was now open. It would therefore have been rude not to pop in and check out what was on offer. As in all such places I was spoilt for choice, but I ended up buying a couple of bottles, plus one of the coolest T-shirts I have seen for a long time. The latter was a Naparbier garment, and having now checked out the brewery’s website, I have to say their bottle labels also rank as some of the most stunning and coolest I have come across.

Old Brew-Kettle

To have a top-rated beer bar at one end of the street, could be viewed as coincidence, but to have a brew-pub just five minutes walk in the other direction from our hotel should surely be seen as deliberate influencing our base for the weekend. Again I swear I picked the hotel purely for its central location, its price and its positive reviews and indeed knew nothing about the La Fabrica Moritz just around the corner. The “Moritz Factory” is a brew pub on the Ronda Sant Antoni that occupies the site of the original Moritz Brewery.

Enjoying the atmosphere at La Fabrica Moritz

The Moritz Brewery was founded in 1856 when Louis Moritz Trautmann, who came from the Alsace region of France, brewed his first beer. Just eight years later, in 1864, Moritz constructed a large modern brewery, which became known as the La Fabrica Moritz. Despite winning numerous awards and surviving the Spanish Civil War, the company hit hard times, closing the factory in 1966 and moving production outside Barcelona to Parets del Vallès.  In 1978 Moritz closed completely, but the beer re-emerged in 2004 when descendants of the Moritz family resurrected the brand, which is now brewed under license in Zaragoza. By re-launching the beer they first brewed back in 1856, Moritz have succeeded in making a dent in Estrella's market dominance, and remain a very visible emblem of the "Catalan Cause".
 

Brewery Shop - La Fabrica Moritz

The old factory building had remained in family hands, and in 2011 underwent a 30 million euro renovation by celebrated French architect Jean Nouvel. Today it houses the company offices, the Moritz Beer Museum, plus a hugely popular restaurant, complete with its own 20 hL micro-brewery. La Fabrica Moritz occupies three floors and covers 4500 m2 in total. In addition to the bar and restaurant there is an attractive Moritz merchandise shop plus a wine bar called "Bar à Vins", where guests have the chance to taste over 400 Calatan and French wines. A bakery has also been opened recently. 


Two types of un-pasteurized, fresh Moritz beer are produced on site. The standard brew is a 5.4% pale lager; whilst the second, called Epidor, is a 7.2% amber-coloured lager and, of course, I just had to sample them both! Being un-pasteurised and straight from the tanks, both beers were fresh tasting and enjoyable. The Epidor in particular was full-bodied and very moreish. In what I thought an innovative and novel idea, the restaurant sells draught beer by the litre, but it comes to you table in a flip-top, re-sealable bottle, making it ideal for sharing. This is surely something that other brew-pubs and bars could follow. 

Fresh from the tap

With its location in the heart of the city’s university district La Fabrica Moritz is especially popular with students and young people. We visited it three times during the course of our stay; once, in the morning, for breakfast and also on two occasions in the evening. The second of these visits was on our final night in Barcelona, and we had to wait in a queue for a vacant table, such is the bars popularity!

So quite by chance I managed to visit two of Barcelona’s most memorable bars and enjoy some excellent beer and food in both. If you find yourselves in the city, then do give these establishments a try;  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Tesco Single Hopped Kentish Ale

It’s rather ironic that just weeks after blogging, and moaning, about single-hopped beers, I should receive an email from Tesco’s PR people asking if I would like a bottle of their new Single Hopped Kentish Ale to try. Naturally I said yes, but then promptly forgot all about it, until Tuesday, when I arrived back at work after a short, pre-Christmas break in Barcelona; more on that later. Waiting on my desk was a package; oh no, not a customer complaint I thought. (Part of my job involves investigating consumer complaints, and whilst thankfully we don’t get that many, their appearance is never welcome, and certainly not when returning to a full desk load after being away.)

I didn’t have to open the package to realise that, fortunately, it wasn’t a complaint but the bottle of beer I had been promised a week or so previously. So what is Tesco’s Single Hopped Kentish Ale about, and what is the story behind it? Well being lazy, and to save having to type it all out, I will reproduce the press release which accompanied the bottle.

“Tesco has launched a new own-label beer supporting the British Hop Association (BHA). Tesco is the first supermarket to carry the BHA’s logo on its new own-label beer - Single Hopped Kentish Ale – which has been produced in collaboration with UK brewer Shepherd Neame. Following a surge in popularity for US styled craft beers; there has been an increasing reliance on imported hops to the detriment of British produced hops.  The decline has prompted the BHA to contact UK brewers and encourage them to support regional hop growers.”

Ali Capper of the British Hop Association, who is also a hop grower, commented: “The American trend that has led to a worldwide resurgence of interest in craft brewing has been a double-edged sword at home in the UK. The interest in brewing with high quality raw ingredients has helped create jobs in the industry but unfortunately brewers don’t always choose British grown hops. In copying the trend, many British brewers have sought to emulate not only the trend but also the exact beer style. Imports in New World hops have substantially increased in recent years.”

Danielle Jack, Product Development Manager for Beers at Tesco added “Tesco is very proud to be the first major retailer to use the BHA logo on one of our products, helping to raise awareness as well as show support for British hop growers.  It is important that we maintain our British heritage in beer and hop production, highlighting the quality and flavour attributes of home grown hops wherever possible.”

It is brewed using one of the UK’s most famous hops, East Kent Golding and has a “distinct smooth taste with malty undertones, enhanced by uplifting botanical hop notes, a touch of spice and delicate herbal aromas.”

Even before I received this beer I had it in the back of my head that Shepherd Neame were involved in its production. Opening the package and finding the distinctively shaped, clear-glass bottle confirmed my worst fears. Regular readers will be aware that Shep’s are not my favourite brewery, so this was not a good start. However, I was determined to be as objective as possible and give the beer a fair and un-biased review, so here goes.

Amber-red in colour the beer poured without any head. Further more I was unable to detect the “uplifting botanical hop notes, a touch of spice and delicate herbal aromas.” described in the PR release. With a reasonable strength of 4.5%and a pleasant bitter “bite”, I did perhaps feel the beer suffered from the known tendency of Shepherd Neame’s house-yeast to over-attenuate the beer, leaving it rather thin-tasting and lacking in body. Having been brewed by Shep’s the beer is packaged in the inevitable clear-glass bottle. Both Tesco and the British Hop Association need to take this faux-pas up with the brewery, as clear glass is renowned for creating the infamous “skunked” effect, by allowing the unimpeded passage of UV radiation. Shepherd Neame’s Heritage range of beers brewed to old recipes from the brewery archives IS packaged in traditional brown-glass bottles, so there is no reason why the same cannot apply with this new beer. The British Hop Association should also know better; after all the deleterious effects of UV light on hop flavours is well documented.

I don’t wish to sound churlish, but I think it a pity that the people behind this beer didn’t choose a more sympathetic brewer than Shep’s to produce it, but like Marstons, the company are well-known contract brewers, so perhaps the choice of brewers is not entirely surprising. Sorry Tesco, for me, at least, this beer disappoints and fails to deliver on all counts. It will be interesting to see how other beer drinkers react to it, so if you want to give it a try this Single Hopped Kentish Ale is available in Tesco stores priced at £1.89 a bottle.