Fuggles celebrates its10th birthday

Last week saw Fuggles Beer Café in Tunbridge Wells celebrating its 10^th birthday, and to mark the occasion a party was held on the 15^th  November. I didn't manage to get along to the birthday bash, and neither was I able to make the social event held there by the local CAMRA branch, two nights later, as that clashed with Matthew’s birthday, but it was good to see both Fuggles and its owner/founder making a splash in the local paper. Fuggles it's the brainchild of beer lover Alex Greig who, after being inspired by the beer cafés he discovered on trips to Belgium, decided to open an establishment of his own, that would showcase the best of British and European beers.

In an interview in the local paper, Alex revealed how after managing a number of pubs and bars since his early 20s, he was determined to open a place of his own. I remember meeting Alex, although I didn't know him by name then, when he managed a now closed bar at the back of the Opera House (Wetherspoons). My memory tells me the place was called the Tunbridge Wells Kitchen and Bar, although despite an extensive online search, I can find no record of the name, or indeed the bar itself.

Moving on, Alex managed to scrape sufficient funds together, and also located suitable premises for his long promised new venture, and in 2013, Fuggles opened its doors to a curious, but enthusiastic public. Housed in a former pound shop outlet on Grosvenor Road, Fuggles has since gone from strength to strength. In 2017, Alex opened another branch of Fuggles in nearby Tonbridge, and most recently a Fuggles Bottle Shop in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells. All outlets follow a formula that celebrates all that is best in beer, wine gin and whiskey from both the UK as well as Europe, and it’s one that has really gone to the hearts of residents of the two towns that share the same name.

Fuggles offers something a little different to what’s available locally, in the form of quality beer from both Europe and the UK. Furthermore, there is nothing pretentious about this pub-cum-café, just good drinks, decent service and with nice people.  All this against the background of a half decent playlist, played at a volume that encourages rather detracts conversation. Alex is pleased at the way the cafés and the shop have developed over the years and is grateful for the support from both customers, and his own team, that helped the business survive the pandemic. 

One way which helped Fuggles through those dark and lonely days of lock-down, was FUGSCLUB – a beer subscription service that delivered each month, a box of 12 different beers to your house, complete with tasting notes and occasional extra goodies.There were five different boxes to choose from, including a Pale/IPA box, containing hop forward beers from the UK & beyond, European styles - a showcase of classic European styles. from Lagers to Wheat beers, Bocks, Blondes, Dubbels, and Saison’s, Dealer’s Choice - a showcase of some of Fuggles' favourite beers, Dark Beers - for all dark beer lovers, encompassing Stouts and Porters, Dunkels, Dubbels and more, and finally, for all cask beer lovers, Bitters/Traditional Beer Styles - a selection of the best bitters, golden, mild, stouts and porters, in bottle or can format. FUGSCLUB was a clever and innovative way of helping Fuggles business survive lock-down, and I was glad to play my own small part, with a monthly delivery of Dark Beers.  

Fortunately, those dark and depressing days are behind us, and Fuggles has subsequently gone from strength to strength. In the piece marking the 10^th anniversary, Alex told the reporter he had developed some fantastic friendships and got to know some wonderful people over the last 10 years, and the business had ended up being much more than just a bar or café for him. During the past decade Fuggles has won multiple awards including West Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year and has featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for nine years running. It has also featured in the Observer’s “Best Places to Drink” guide.

My nearest Fuggles outlet is the Tonbridge beer café situated at the far end of Tonbridge High Street. It's a 30-minute walk from home, but it's well worth the effort, especially as there's a really good atmosphere there and it's somewhere one can go on one's own, flick though a local magazine, check something on your phone or just sit there and enjoy the air much like and in the general ambience. The afore mentioned playlist is often to my taste, especially when it contains some classic rock material from my own era in music and, as an added bonus, I often I bump into someone I know, or someone I haven't seen for a long time. 

It's that sort of place, attracting like-minded souls, people who enjoy good beer, good company in a relaxed overall ambience. Food is limited, so that it doesn't take over from the beer, but the former limited selection of cheeses, charcuterie cold meats and grilled cheese sandwiches, have been augmented by more substantial offerings such as hot dogs, with Bratwursts.

There are normally 4-5 cask ales on tap, including one from Tonbridge Brewery, and these are complemented by a much larger range of craft keg beers including a number of examples from Belgium and Germany. Tap take-overs, and meet the brewer evenings, also feature at Fuggles, as do the occasional longer promotions. One example of this, was shortly before I disappeared on holiday, both Fuggles outlets showcased all six Oktoberfest biers that featured at the main event in Munich. In short, Fuggles offers something for everyone, and as a local resident I feel glad to have such a place in our midst.