Taking a tinkle at the Thomas Tallis

It’s become something of a tradition amongst West Kent CAMRA members to call in  at one or two local pubs in Canterbury, after a visit to either, or both of the beer festivals held in the city. As well as the recently staged Canterbury Food & Drink Festival, the Kent Beer Festival also takes place in Canterbury, meaning there are two festivals to attend each year, and two opportunities for a post-festival pub crawl.

I gave up on the Kent Beer Festival several years ago, after it moved from its long-standing home at Merton Farm, to Canterbury Rugby Club’s ground on  the other side of the A2 Canterbury by-pass.  For safety reasons, the club operate a strict, “no glass” rule, so not being a fan of plastic drinking receptacles, this was the end of the Kent Festival, as far as I was concerned. I also think that over the years, I became less and less enamoured with the festival itself and more and more in favour of the aforementioned, post-event evening pub visits.

After last weekend’s Canterbury Food & Drink Festival, I was even more in the mood than previous year’s for a few après festival beers. Because of my walk, plus the problems on the rails, I didn’t arrive at the event until 3pm, and was just getting stuck into the beers, when my companions announced they were contemplating a move. Why so soon I asked, but I answered my own question after looking at my watch, and discovering the time was fast approaching 6pm; the time at which the festival closes.

A pub called the Thomas Tallis was mooted as an ideal place to visit. It was described as a micro-pub, but a couple from our party who had been there before, said there was more to it, than just a micro. After coming to terms with the festival closing shortly, and hence no more beer, I was game for checking the place out.

We set off, dividing into two distinct groups, depending on walking speed, as we went. Being a relatively slow walker, and having already walked several miles earlier in the day, I was in the slower of the two groups, although we managed not to lose sight of the quicker mob, up ahead in the distance.

Our route took us past Canterbury’s historic cathedral and the past the entrance to the prestigious King’s School, which allegedly was founded in 597 AD.  We then passed into Northgate, a thoroughfare leading to one of the city’s former medieval gate-houses. On our left, and set at a slightly lower level from the road, was the Thomas Tallis Alehouse; Canterbury's first micro-pub, which opened March 2016.

The pub is housed in an attractive, half-timbered building, which was formerly part of the historic Hospital of St John. It is said to date from the 15th Century, with an interior that certainly seems genuinely old. There are two rooms at the front, which lead off from a narrow passageway. According to WhatPub, there is also a rear snug with chairs and a sofa, but as the pub was rather full when we arrived, I didn’t notice this section.

We looked at sitting outside, given that the pub was rather crowded, but we eventually managed to squeeze around one of the high “posing tables” in the left hand room. Seat or table service is the name of the game at the Thomas Tallis, and it involves queuing up, in front of the chalkboard in the central passageway, choosing your beer and then placing your order from one of the serving staff. They then bring you your drink, and take payment – cards seeming very popular. If you are feeling lazy, they will bring it to your seat, or table.

As you will notice from the beer list, the ratio of key-keg to cask is 4:1, so as the cask range didn’t seem that inspiring (unless you’re into home-brew from a certain Thanet micro-pub), I opted for the key-keg. I tried both Cloud Water offerings, along with the strangely named, Triple Goat Porter, but no NBSS scores, as they were not cask.

Before settling down at a table, or even ordering a beer, there was the problem of the toilets; or rather the lack of them. Having just come from a beer festival, several of us had rather full bladders. This is where we faced the problem which afflicts many micro-pubs, namely the lack of adequate toilet facilities.

A single WC closet, for the use of both sexes, simply isn’t good enough! Customers wishing to use the loo, had to queue along the same passageway where the beer was served from. This was rather chaotic, given the packed nature of the pub, particularly when we arrived. When my turn to use the facility arrived, I took a couple of photos of the many pump-clips adorning the walls, as I know there are some real admirers of pub toilet décor out there.

Leaving aside my grouse about the toilet, (as this applies to rather too many micro-pubs), I enjoyed our visit to the Thomas Tallis. The group of friends and acquaintances I was with were good company, and we had a number of interesting conversations. As some of the early evening crowd started to drift away, we moved into the right hand room, where there was more space. This meant we were nearer to the serving area, and the toilet!

One individual, who obviously likes to live dangerously, tried several of the more “experimental” beers, including the Rhubarb Saison from Leigh-on-Sea Brewery, the Peach Sour from Wild Weather Brewery, before ending with a pint of the 9.1% Peanut Stout from the London-based, Hammerton Brewery. He did share some of the latter amongst the rest of us though.

The cask ales and ciders are served under gravity dispense from a temperature controlled cellar room at the back. Five or six locally produced ciders are also served. According to the pub’s website, the Thomas Tallis offers  up to 30 beers at any one time, as a wide range of  bottles and cans are also stocked, alongside the draught. The pub’s owners state, “The beer selection will constantly change as we seek new and exciting brews from around the world so don’t get too attached to a particular beer!”

So if you fancy taking a walk away from Canterbury’s tourist-thronged centre, and into a quieter part of the city, which is still historic and full of character, then a visit to the Thomas Tallis Alehouse is well worth your while. Make sure to empty your bladder before setting off, though!

Footnote: Thomas Tallis, 1505 - 1585, was an English composer who occupies a prominent place in anthologies of English choral music. He is considered one of England's greatest composers, and is honoured for the original role he played in English musicianship. (Source, Wikipedia).