Outposts, rarities plus the occasional, unexpected delight

Back in the early days of CAMRA ale lovers often knew exactly where they were in the country, just from a quick glance at the name of the owning brewery on the signs, or on the side of the pub, was sufficient to inform drinkers, what they might expect. Back then, the majority of the surviving local independent breweries, had a clearly defined and often quite rigid trading area. So, for example, if you were in the West Sussex town of Horsham, or thereabouts, it would be no surprise to see the name King & Barnes featuring on many of the local pubs. Similarly, if you were in Dorset, and close to the county town of Dorchester, local brewers, Eldridge Pope, would be most prominent name appearing on local pubs.

There were numerous other examples, some perhaps covering a wider area, due to the brewery in question, being a larger concern. Examples such as Brain’s of Cardiff, Robinson’s of Stockport and Thwaites of Blackburn, spring to mind. The thing was, drinkers and beer connoisseurs, knew what to expect, and fully expected the necessity of travelling to different areas, and sometimes even just different towns, in order to track down and ample the wares of a particular brewer.

This was one of the joys of being a beer lover during the late 1970’s to early 80’s, and also part of the fun. Things started to change with the advent of beer agencies, who sourced and then offered cask ales drawn from a much wider area of the country. Later on, the gradual appearance of a growing number of new, start-up, independent small brewers, added another complication to the mix, even if it did improve the choice available to the drinker.

For the purpose of this article, I want to go back to those early, pre-internet, and pre-Smartphone, days when, printed guides, maps, and good old-fashioned paper and pen were essential tools for those in search of a good, or indeed unfamiliar beer. CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide proved indispensable in this respect, as did a pioneering book published in 1973, called “The Beer Drinker’s Companion.”  Assiduously written and researched by Frank Baillie – a beer connoisseur if ever there was one, the book listed each one of the draught (cask), keg and bottled beers produced by the individual breweries.

Frank also told drinkers where they could find pubs belonging these breweries.  A statement, such as," within a 30-mile radius of Little Topping," might suffice, but often he would add a statement saying where “outposts” of the brewery, might be found outside of that radius. For example, the late, lamented Horsham brewers, King & Barnes owned 58 pubs, that were easy to find in Horsham and the surrounding villages. Further out, a little more detective work was needed. Outposts were listed in towns such as Reigate, and villages such as Blackbrook near Dorking, and Eridge, near Tunbridge Wells.

The Huntsman still provides refreshment to rail travellers, arriving at Eridge station, although today the pub is owned by Dorset brewers, Hall & Woodhouse aka Badger Ales. It now represents something of lone outpost for the Blandford Forum based company. When I moved to west Kent, King & Barnes actually owned a pub in the county, namely the Hopbine, at Petteridge, near Paddock Wood. Today, the pub is a free house, but back in the day, landlord Mike Winser, served a very good pint of K&B Sussex Bitter, alongside a selection of the brewery’s seasonal beers.

The Huntsman isn’t the only anomaly in the west Kent area, as the village of Riverhead, which today is a district of Sevenoaks, is where Hertford brewers, McMullen & Sons Ltd, have a lone outpost to the south of the River Thames, in the form of the Bullfinch. This attractive looking pub is just a stone’s throw from the massive Tesco superstore, just off the London Road, but strangely enough the presence of this Mac’s pub, is rarely acknowledged by the local CAMRA branch.

This might have something to do with the branch’s late chairman, Scottish Iain, a man who, shall we say, wasn’t over enamoured with McMullen’s beers. We suspect this antipathy dated back to when Iain lived in Hertfordshire, but strangely enough he wasn’t the only person I’ve known who wasn’t keen on the company’s beers. I, on the other hand, don’t mind Mac’s beers, although I don’t pretend to be a massive fan. Back in my student days, a friend and I cycled from Barking to Waltham Abbey, a distance of around 16 miles - although it seemed much longer at the time, in order to sample McMullen’s for the first time. 

Mac’s had a pub in the town, and this represented their nearest tied house to Barking, where my university friend lived with his father during the summer vacation. Checking back in the 1974 Good Beer Guide – the only guide available to point us towards the nearest McMullen’s outlet, the pub in question was the Angel, in Sun Street. Furthermore, according to What Pub, the Angel is still a McMullen’s pub, nearly half a century later. So, what exactly is Kent’s lone McMullen’s outlet like? 

Surprisingly spacious, is the answer, and judging by the number of vehicles in the car park, popular too. It also offers a warm welcome as I discovered the other Saturday, when I left Mrs PBT’s to do the shopping, and called in at the Bullfinch for a flat white, plus a quick look around. The coffee was needed as the visit was the day after the previous day’s Birmingham pub walkabout!

It was quite a few years since I’d last set foot in the pub, and that occasion had been for a poorly attended, CAMRA social.  Public transport to Riverhead is non-existent in the evening, and the few of us who did turn up, faced a 30-minute walk from Sevenoaks station. This time around, the Bullfinch appeared far more spacious, and despite the diners, plus the odd casual drinker, there were plenty of spare chairs and tables. McMullen’s IPA and Country Best Bitter were the cask ales available, along with a beer called Harlequin, from the company’s Rivertown Brewing subsidiary. 

I had a brief chat with the landlord, whilst waiting for my flat white to be poured. The discussion centred on the pub’s Gavin & Stacey themed, quiz evening. Mrs PBT’s is a big fan of this sit-com; I’m rather less keen, but it seemed a good reason to tempt her out for a drink. If not, the Bullfinch looks a reasonable bet for a meal, with a varied and interesting food offering to go with the McMullen’s beer. 

I’d be interested to learn of other “outpost” pubs, that people know of, because even in these times of mega-choice, it’s good to hear of the odd “lone wolf”, flying the flag for a family-owned, independent brewer.