Larkin's Porter at last, but there's a slight sting in the tail

I’m feeling rather pleased with myself, because exactly a week after the release by Larkin’s Brewery, of their iconic Porter, I managed to track some down, and at the first attempt as well. Larkin’s Porter is a winter seasonal, classic, brewed to a respectable strength of 5.2%, and packed full of roasted coffee and chocolate flavours. It is a beer that is eagerly sought out by its many devotees, of which I am one, but to add a hint of rarity, and increase the sense of anticipation, brewery owner and Larkin’s founder Bob Dockerty, waits until Bonfire Night before releasing it to an appreciative audience.

So, for me to have stumbled across it, within a week, was something of a scoop, especially as I knew others had failed. I know this, because on my rail journey back from Oxted, the previous weekend, I had bumped into a group of CAMRA friends. They too had been out walking and had joined the train I was travelling on at Penshurst. They had hiked up to the Rock at Chiddingstone Hoath, ostensibly in search of some Larkin’s Porter, but after drawing a blank, headed down to the Castle, in Chiddingstone village. This was despite some rather good Green Hop Ale, also from Larkin’s being on sale at the Rock.

They were out of luck at the Castle as well, but such is the pull of Bob Dockerty’s porter, that I fancied a go at tracking it down myself. My friends and I were rather surprised by its non-appearance at the Castle, given the pub’s proximity to Larkin’s Brewery, and in previous years (2020 doesn’t count), the beer was regularly on sale there. Fortunately, an opportunity came up on Friday, for me to visit the Rock, so I decided to see if I would have better luck than my friends.

The opportunity involved calling in briefly to my workplace, to borrow a sack-barrow. We had an old washing machine, that had been gathering dust under one of the work-surfaces and wanted to get rid of it. The idea was to leave it on drive and wait for the local “travelers” to pick it up on their next scrap metal, scavenging run, but it was rather heavy to maneuver out on my own. This is where the sack-barrow came in.

Knowing that the Rock is open all day on Fridays, the thought struck that I could call in at the pub, on my way home, so after collecting the barrow and loading it into the back of the car, I drove up to the Rock. It never ceases to surprise me just how far away the pub is from Chiddingstone village. Heading in a roughly southerly direction, the road climbs steadily up into what is known as the High Weald. The journey is not a problem when traveling by car, but I recall several walks to the Rock, when the road seemed to go on forever. After cresting a hill, and thinking you were nearly there, a long straight stretch of road would open up, followed by yet another climb.

I arrived at the Rock, shortly after 3pm. There were several cars in the car park, but I managed to find room for my vehicle, without any problem. I was a little apprehensive, not so much by the thought that the porter might not be available, but by the news my friends had told me a few days before.

The unwelcome story is the Rock is operating on limited opening hours. These are, open all day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but the pub is then closed for the rest of the week (Monday-Thursday). I didn’t quite grasp the reason for this, but as my friends pointed out, and I couldn’t help noticing either, the landlady is heavily pregnant.

There was a rumour that she was looking for someone else to take on the pub, but in the meantime, understandably wanted to take things a little easier. A notice on the front door leaves little doubt as to the revised opening hours, but leaving the landlady’s situation aside, my friends and I are quite concerned over the Rock’s limited opening hours, as it always seemed to do a good trade at lunchtimes, no matter what day of the week.

Stepping inside, it was encouraging to see a couple of groups of people sat around the bar, there was a couple relaxing in front of the fire, and shortly after I arrived, two more ladies popped in. The good news of course, was Larkin’s Porter was on tap, and very good it was too. Priced at £4.60 a pint, it was, as I posted on Untappd, “Pure silk in a glass.”

Given its 5.2% ABV I could only have the one, but as it is a beer for careful and contemplative consumption, rather than swilling, this was not a problem. I was content to just sit there and take in the atmosphere of this lovely old, and most traditional of country inns, whilst banking on its current trading situation being only temporary.

With its floor of well-worn bricks, its various nooks, and crannies, plus the stove blazing away in the hearth, a visit to the Rock really is like stepping back in time, the only concession to modernity being the installation of a large and rather imposing wood burner, to take the place of the previous open fire.

Dogs, as well as people, have always been a feature of the Rock, and Friday’s visit proved no exception, with several large canines wandering off occasionally, from their owners sat at the bar. As I have said before, it is a pub used by country folk, many of whom spend all day working outdoors. I wonder what they will do, or where they will go during the four days in which it is closed?