I was carrying out a spot of maintenance on the blog earlier, when I came across a draft post, dating from November 2019. For some reason I didn’t publish it, so I thought I might as well let it see the light of day, now. The post is still relevant, and the only thing that has changed is that West Kent does now have its own micro-pub, in Edenbridge, called the Secret Cask. I haven’t visited, but the reports from friends an acquaintances who have, are favourable. There is no website for readers to refer to, but take a look on What Pub for further details.
One thing which is peculiar to this part of Kent;
certainly when compared to other parts of the county, is the complete absence
of any micro-pubs. Given that the micro-pub “phenomena” originated in Kent,
there is not a single example amongst the four towns (Edenbridge, Sevenoaks,
Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells), which make up this corner of West
Kent.
The nearest micro-pubs are in Gravesend,
Maidstone, and Petts Wood, but none of these
destinations are exactly on the doorstep, so unless inhabitants of this locality,
fancy embarking on a bus or a train journey for their micro-pub fix, they are
well and truly stuffed.
Tonbridge came quite close to getting a micro, a couple of
years ago, but after taking the option of a lease on a vacant small shop at the
north end of the High Street, and obtaining a Premises License, the potential
proprietor got cold feet and aborted the project. The former shop is now an art
gallery, and as far as I am aware is doing OK: not that Tonbridge is known as a
centre for the arts!
Fortunately we now have our own branch of Fuggles;
ironically not too far away from the aborted micro-pub, but Fuggles operates as
a full-blown pub, along the same lines as the highly successful Tunbridge Wells
original, and is therefore not a micro-pub.
Sky-high property prices may be partly to blame for the lack
of micro-pubs, particularly when they manifest themselves in the form of high
rental values. But at the moment there are a lot of empty shops, especially in
Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, and I don’t see the situation improving anytime
soon. Most of these shops are units in shopping centres - such as Royal Victoria Place, in Tunbridge Wells, so the rents are likely to be way beyond what most wanna-be micro-pub owners could afford. They are also on the large side, so the likelihood of a micro-pub opening are pretty slim. The uncertainty surrounding Brexit, which has followed from Cameron’s reckless
referendum gamble, is not helping either.
Something tells me I ought to be disappointed by the lack of
a true micro-pub in the area, but strangely I don’t, and whilst I think the
basic concept is sound, I don’t see it as a panacea for the ills currently
afflicting the pub trade. My micro-pub experiences have largely been confined
to Thanet and Gravesend, and whilst I have visited some
excellent establishments, particularly in East Kent, I
have been in one or two real duds.
I feel that the guidelines set out by the Micro-PubAssociation, are too rigid; even though I accept they are laid out that way in
order to encourage a particular clientele and discourage various other sorts. I
am also not a huge fan of the really tiny ones, where if someone wants to visit
the Gents, everyone has to make way for them; or if you turn round too quickly
you are likely to knock someone’s pint out of their hands.
Also, whilst I am normally quite a gregarious individual,
there are times when I prefer my own company, and to sit quietly and read a
book, or just watch the world go by. You could say, “Don’t go into such places
when you’re feeling grumpy or unsociable,” and of course you would be right, but
as a micro-pub will often provide the best selection and most unusual selection
of beers within a town, there is often nowhere else suitable to go.
Micro-pubs are also known for not doing food; certainly
nothing beyond basic snacks such as filled rolls, pork pies or scotch eggs.
Again, for many people, this is a big plus point, and as someone who frequents
pubs a lot less frequently than I once did, it’s not really incumbent on me to
dictate the food offering; even though I am likely to want something more
substantial to help soak up the beer.
So should the famous “model”
based on the Butcher’s Arms at Herne
remain the gold standard for a true micro, or is here scope for enhancement and
improvement? Personally, whilst I would like the emphasis to remain on locally
sourced, cask-ales, I see no reason why a couple of slightly more adventurous
“key-keg” beers could not be stocked. Also, why not stock a couple of genuine,
continental Pilsners, which would keep lager drinkers happy, without attracting
the Stella, Fosters and Carling “lout” drinkers. I also don’t see a problem
with offering a small range of quality malt whiskies or artisan gins and
vodkas. Then there are the wine drinkers of course, and here something rather
better than Cash & Carry, “bag-in-a-box” plonk, wouldn’t go amiss.
On reflection, I would leave the food offering alone, as not
only would it be impractical, as well as
financially unviable, to employ a
chef, most micro-pubs aren’t large enough (yes I know the clue is in the name) and
besides, the smell of cooking is enough to put many drinkers off.
So perhaps with a bit of tweaking, Paul’s “enhanced”
micro-pub could be the way forward. Or perhaps not!
3 comments:
Secret Cask in Edenbridge is run by Simon who briefly had the Crooked Brook brewery in Copthorne West Sussex. Knows brewing and his beer stuff so the place is certainly worth a visit. Crooked Brooks first beer under Simon appeared at the 11th Redhill Camra beer festival in 2015 and was the second cask to empty, 8 minutes after the GBBF winner from that year, so not too shabby. Regards, Anom.
Thanks for putting me in the picture, Anom. The Secret Cask in Edenbridge, is definitely on my "must visit" list of pubs, given the impressive pedigree you outline, for the proprietor.
A full report will follow, after my visit.
Well I have visited the Secret Cask, Paul, back when we weren't allowed inside pubs so I stood on the pavement with a few other locals drinking a decent enough pint thinking the rules were a bit daft. It looks exactly like you'd expect (actually, it looks like a smaller version of the Ely micro you visited with us a few years back).
The micros up north, particularly in Lancashire, are much closer to your model micro than the originals in Kent, which I find a bit dull and blokey if I'm honest.
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