Escaping the heatwave, with a refreshingly cool, pint of porter, at a nicely, chilled-out Fuggles

Last Friday, on one of the hottest days of the year so far – and 2025 has been quite a year when it comes to record breaking temperatures, I took a stroll down into Tonbridge, ostensibly to run a couple of errands. My real objective though was to call in at Fuggles, one of the town’s best beer outlets and sample the cask porter they had on tap. Now you wouldn’t normally associate a rich, dark, and full-bodied beer like porter with a drink to be enjoyed during a heatwave, but you’d be wrong – a fact I soon discovered for myself despite some quite serious, doubts initially.

The beer in question was Running Porter 5.4% abv from The Kernel Brewery. The definite article is important here, which is why it’s shown with an upper case “T”, but it’s an integral part of the beer’s title, and the same thing applies to all beers produced by the brewery. The Kernel was established in 2009 by Evin O'Riordain in the Bermondsey area of London and was one of the capital’s earliest craft brewers. Today it is regarded as one of London's premier craft beer breweries, and whilst much of The Kernel’s output is bottles, plus some keg beer, the company does brew some beers for cask as well.

Since its founding, The Kernel’s success has inspired the growth of numerous micro-breweries in the capital. London remains the company’s main trading area, with around 90 percent of the beer produced, being distributed within the Greater London area. The brewery offers a variety of beer styles, including American-inspired pale ales, IPAs, sours, plus classic London porters and stouts. "Table Beer," a 3% abv pale ale, first introduced in 2012, and now brewed weekly, is now one of the company’s most popular offerings. The beer draws its inspiration from the British cask-conditioned tradition. The Kernel focuses on refining each brew rather than experimenting unnecessarily, evolving each batch intentionally, although the hop varieties used do change regularly, based on crop availability and annual differences.

I’ve known Fuggles since 2013, when it first opened its doors in a former shop, a short hop away from Tunbridge Wells’s main shopping centre. Describing itself as a Beer Café, Fuggles showcases beers from all over the world, and whilst the number of “craft” beer lines it boasts is around three times that of the “cask” the outlet is always a reliable bet for a decent pint of cask. Cask drinkers can also take advantage of the loyalty card that Fuggles offer, which works on the basis of a stamp on your card for every pint of cask purchased, with a free pint for a full house of ten stamps. The Tonbridge outlet commenced serving thirsty punters back in 2017, in an old furniture makers shop at the top end of the High Street, and as well as being the nearest of the two Fuggles pubs, is also my favourite.

Tonbridge Fuggles is air-conditioned, and its cool interior was a welcome contrast to the fierce heat outside. The pub wasn’t particularly busy, although I noticed a large section of the area facing the bar, was cordoned off, with several tables grouped together. “Reserved for a Private Function,” said the sign, for an event that was due to commence in a couple of hours’ time. Founder and owner, Alex Grieg was behind the bar, at the far end, not serving, but catching up on paperwork, by the look of things. We shouted a quick “hello” to one another, but as he was obviously engrossed with the task in hand, I let him be, rather than stroll over and interrupt what he was doing.

There was a nice, and really chilled out atmosphere in the pub, last Friday, and I don’t just mean from the air con.  The barman pulled my pint of Running Porter, and as the jet-black beer, settled in the glass, it took on a really attractive appearance as the tight, creamy head started to form. Well-conditioned, and served chilled, it was the ideal beer for a baking hot day, strange though it seems. 

I didn’t rush my beer, but neither did I gulp it straight down, I was just content to sit there, chilling out, quite literally, whilst remaining in the moment. The spell was broken, and the heat really hit me, when I had to leave the pub and call in at Waitrose, to pick up a few groceries for Mrs PBT’s. I then caught the bus home, as no way was, I going to walk back up the hill, to Bailey Towers.  

 So, a nice midday interlude, made all the better by an excellent pint of beer, in a place that continues to increase in stature, and which seldom disappoints in terms of beer variety, quality, service and general, all-round good time vibes.