The ideal strength of beer?

Over many years of beer drinking; four decades to be precise, I’ve often pondered the question of “What is the ideal strength for a beer?” Strength, or alcoholic content to be precise, depends of course on the type of beer; but whilst strong ales, barley wines, quadrupels, Doppelbocks and Imperial Stouts all have their place, so do light, low-strength “quaffing beers”, especially on a hot summer’s day.

For the purpose of this discussion I am talking primarily about mid-strength beers; those you would be happy to have a session on in the local pub or bar. When I first started drinking the strength of a beer was treated almost as classified information. Brewers were not obliged by law to disclose the alcohol content of their beers, so therefore chose not to. This might seem unbelievable to today’s drinkers, but it’s a fact. 

Of course seasoned drinkers instinctively knew which beers were stronger than others, and it didn’t take that much gumption to realise that a pale ale was stronger than a light ale, a best or special bitter was stronger than an ordinary bitter. Terms such as Export also indicated a higher or premium strength beer, but in terms of alcohol by volume, no-one had much of a clue. I certainly didn’t, and like most drinkers of the time, as long as the beer tasted OK, that was fine by me.

It took the efforts of organisations such as CAMRA, along with those of the Consumers’ Organisation, to change things. The figures published initially, related to Original Gravity (OG); basically a measure of the amount of fermentable material present in a beer PRIOR to fermentation. The higher the OG, the stronger, in theory, the end product, but this depends on the degree of attenuation (how much of the malt sugars present in the wort, are converted into alcohol during the fermentation process).

Whilst Original Gravity is a useful indicator of strength, a much more accurate and reliable indicator is that of alcohol by volume (ABV); and that is the system in use today across much of the world. Even the Americans appear to have adopted it, after ditching their previous measure of alcohol by weight.

It now seems inconceivable that this information was not available to previous generations of drinkers, and it is good to know that CAMRA played a leading role in bringing this issue to the fore.

So on to the question of the “ideal strength”. The conclusion I have reached after 40 years enjoyment of beer, is an ABV in the region of 4.0 – 5.0%. There are many beers either side of this band which are both good and enjoyable, but when it comes to quaffability, those beers much above 5.5% are more for sipping than for quaffing, whilst those at 3.5% or below, tend to be thin and lacking in body.

I cut my teeth drinking the latter type of beers, in particular the late and much lamented Fremlins Bitter (3.5%) and Shepherd Neame Master Brew (3.7%). I later enjoyed beers such as Boddingtons and Young’s Ordinary; both in the same strength range. This was because, back in the late 1970’s-early 1980’s, there weren’t many beers in the UK (certainly on draught) in the upper 4 percent bracket, and with a few honourable exceptions (Fuller’s ESB, Ruddle’s County, St Austell Hick’s Special Draught), virtually nothing in the mid five percent range.

The strange thing is that most continental beers (especially Pilsner-type ones), are brewed to a strength of around 5.0% ABV; in fact this figure is very much the European norm for your average quaffing beer. It may seem incredible now, but like the non-disclosure of strength, a beer with an ABV of five percent was considered too strong for British tastes; so much so that when, in the late 1960’s, Whitbread began brewing Heineken under licence, a special lower strength version was brewed for the UK market.

The Dutch company took a lot of convincing that a version of their beer, with a strength of around 3.4%, would sell in the UK; especially as the rest of the world took the normal 5.0% beer, and it took the intervention of no lesser person than Colonel Whitbread to convince Freddy Heineken that British drinkers just weren’t used to five percent beers.

Following Whitbread’s success with Heineken, other large UK brewers started producing low strength versions of famous continental brands. Drinkers were therefore treated to three percent “copies” of Carlsberg and Tuborg to go with the home-grown 3.4% Harp – introduced by Guinness in consortium with a number of other UK brewers.

Anyone who remembers these “bastardised” Continental “lagers” will recall they tasted like “gnat’s piss”; small wonder that the habit of adding a shot of lime (Lager and Lime), or a dash of lemonade (Lager Top), was popular with many drinkers. It wasn’t until I embarked on a round Europe train trip; a journey which took in Holland, Denmark and Germany amongst other countries), that I discovered lager could actually be enjoyable!

Back home and British beers were slowly increasing in strength. The welcome increase in sales of beers such as Fuller’s ESB and Ruddle’s County, following favourable publicity from CAMRA regarding their strength, spawned a whole range of higher strength beers.  For example, Eldridge Pope introduced the higher strength Royal Oak, whilst Courage brought back the legendary, but virtually extinct, Director’s Bitter. Allied Breweries response was a new beer in the form of Draught Burton Ale; essentially a cask version of bottled Double Diamond.

It is interesting that following the successful marketing of proper strength versions of well-known international brands, such as Carlsberg, Heineken and Stella Artois (re-assuringly expensive!), that 4.0% brands such as Carling and Fosters should prove so popular. Now we have four percent versions of Becks and Stella, proving that perhaps Colonel Whitbread was right after all!

My favourite four percent beer is Harvey’s Sussex Best; undeniably a classic and one of the best quaffing beers available, with a perfect blend of sweet juicy malt and dry earthy hops. Equally my favourite quaffing lager is Pilsner Urquell; a 4.3 % beer with a base of slightly caramelised malt, resulting from the triple decoction mash used in the brewing process, combined with the finest Saaz aroma hops from the Zatec region of the Czech Republic.

As I mentioned earlier, beers much above 5.5% ABV tend to be less for quaffing and more for sipping, and I find there really is a definite dividing line above this strength. For example, the bottled version of Fuller’s ESB, which weighs in at 5.9%, tastes sweet and slightly cloying compared to the draught version which is just 0.4% weaker at 5.5%. Similarly, the 6.0% beers produced by most of the large Munich brewers for Oktoberfest, also taste heavy and sweet (you can also taste the alcohol), especially when compared to the normal 5.0% Helles beers, available for the rest of the year.

The advent of “craft beer” has led to even stronger beers, with the Americans taking things to ridiculous levels with their nine or ten percent Double or even Triple IPA’s, to say nothing of their Imperial Stouts. I might enjoy the odd glass of these super-strength "hop-monsters", but they are not really suited for a session in a pub!

In the end it’s all about horses for courses, but for me, anything between four and five percent is just about right.

Town & country pubs in Munich

Gasthof Hinterbrühl - in summer

I said in my introductory post about Munich that visiting in winter would give us the opportunity of exploring some different places to enjoy a drink in, and despite the relatively short time we spent in the city, we managed to do this.

We didn’t touch down in Munich until some time around 5pm, due to the late departure of our flight. We then took the Lufthansa coach from the airport, and arrived in the city centre about 40 minutes later. Our hotel was just a 10 minute walk from the main station (Hauptbahnhof), but by the time we’d checked in and unpacked, it was probably nearer 7pm.

Altes Hackerhaus

We decided to stay local for the evening and to head for an establishment called the Altes Hackerhaus, which was about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. The pub occupies a corner location and looks rather non-descript from the outside; almost as though it is hiding behind a modern façade. We entered and stepped into a lobby running towards the rear of the pub, with a couple of rooms leading off to the left. There were also steps leading down to a cellar bar.

We chose the front room on the ground floor, as this appeared the least crowded, and waited to be shown to our table by the matronly-looking waitress. The room had a real old world feel to it, characterised by wood-panelled walls and ceilings, and there were plenty of old portraits, photographs and old advertising material adorning the walls. Much of the latter related to either the Hacker or the Pschorr breweries, which is not surprising as the site was the original home of the brewery which was started by the Hacker family in 1738. Following a fire in 1825, which partially destroyed the building, the brewery moved elsewhere. There had been cooperation between the Hacker and Pschorr breweries for a long time, so it was not surprising when the two companies merged in 1972, to form Hacker-Pschorr. Today the company is part of the Paulaner Group.

We ordered a glass of Helles each and also chose the same thing on the menu; namely the roast pork in gravy, accompanied by one of those spherical spongy potato dumplings, so beloved by Bavarians. There was also an accompanying side dish of sauerkraut. It felt good to be back in Munich after a two and a half year absence, and we were in no rush to leave this homely and comfortable pub, so after finishing our meal we stayed for a further beer.

Typical Bavarian fayre

Eventually we paid our tab and then headed along Sendlinger Straße towards Marienplatz. The large square in front of the town hall (Rathaus), seemed strangely quiet and missing the usual throng of tourists. It was then that we first really noticed the difference between summer and wintertime in Munich, and realised we rather liked it. We decided another beer was in order before returning to our hotel, so we headed for the famous Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom; a one hundred year old pub in the shadow of Munich’s Dom or cathedral; the Frauenkirche with its distinctive twin towers and their onion-domed tops, which resemble a pair of massive pepper-pots.

Nürnberger Bratwurst Glöckl am Dom - in summer

The Glöckl am Dom reminded me of an old English pub, perhaps one owned by that most traditional of English brewers, Samuel Smiths. The place was fairly quiet, but it was Sunday and with work the following day for many people, this was perhaps not surprising. We had no trouble in finding a seat in the front part of the pub, and then waited for the waiter to bring us a beer each.

The Augustiner Helles, served direct by gravity, from a wooden cask, was a fitting beer to end the night on; but not before we had soaked up some of the atmosphere of this tranquil old pub. There was dark wood everywhere, covering both the walls and the ceilings. The lamps hanging from the latter were not really sufficient to light the room, but the dimness added to the atmosphere, creating the perfect environment in which to relax. There was a further room at the rear, but as the pub’s remaining patrons slowly began making their way home, we and a handful of others virtually had the place to ourselves, as the photograph shows.

Glöckl am Dom - interior

All good things come to an end, and resisting the temptation of one more beer, we headed back to our hotel. The evening had provided a good welcome back to Munich, and had also provided the opportunity of experiencing the city in a different light, at a different time of year. Leaving aside the two beer halls we visited the following two evenings, there was one more chance to experience a traditional Bavarian pub; but this time it was a country one, and it took place during the morning of our last day in the city.

Gasthof Hinterbrühl is a little way out of the city, and overlooks the River Isar. It is quite easy to get there and involves taking the U3 U Bahn line to Thalkirchen (the stop for Munich zoo) and then a bus (No 135) to Hinterbrühl itself. During summer it is nice to get off at Camping Platz (the stop before), and then walk through the woods, along the canalised section of the river to Hinterbrühl. 

Schnitzel and chips - small portion

On this visit though, we took the bus all the way. The pub is an attractive, yellow-painted building, constructed in the style of an Alpine retreat, and was formerly a stopping point for loggers transporting timber by water, from the forests high up in the hills. I noticed the date 1807 on the ornately decorated beer glasses, so whether this is the date the present pub was established, or the date the actual building was constructed, is uncertain. Whatever the answer, a visit here is well worthwhile, as I am about to describe.

Matt and I had been to Hinterbrühl on a couple of previous occasions, but we had always sat out in the beer garden, enjoying the sunshine and the beer in equal measure. During the winter months the beer garden is naturally closed, so our recent visit afforded the opportunity for a look inside. We arrived shortly after midday, and apart from a small wedding party, occupying the end room, the place seemed rather quiet. The interior had obviously had something of a makeover, as the bright contemporary look was rather different from the extensive dark wood-panelling I had seen in photos of the pub. For the history buffs amongst us it is worth recording that this guest house was used, from time to time, as a convenient and tucked-away, out-of-town meeting place by senior Nazi officials during the early days of World War II. The likes of Goering, Goebbels, Himmler and even Hitler himself would gather here on occasion, away from prying eyes and listening ears. I wonder if they bothered  signing the guest book!

Standing guard

We made a beeline for the corner table and the waiter brought the menus over. The beer was from Hacker-Pschorr, and the food offering too was solidly Bavarian. We all opted for Schnitzel with chips, although I went for the smaller-size one. Both sized portions came with mountains of chips though, and even the two boys struggled to finish them. Although we were tempted to stay for another beer, Matt and Will were still feeling the effects of their over-indulgence at the Hofbräuhaus the night before. 

We paid our bill and left, but not before taking a nostalgic peek at the beer garden. Things were under wraps, awaiting the arrival of spring, which surely cannot be too far away now. Standing guard over it all was the old stuffed bear, looking out over the tables below from the balcony above the Schänke; the serving hatch where, in a few months’ time, the beer will once again be flowing freely.

A slippery slope?

I’m a little surprised that other writers haven’t picked up on last week's launch, by Fuller’s of an un-filtered, keg version of their flagship ale, London Pride. Described as the company as “the biggest beer launch in a generation”, Fuller’s have unashamedly pitched the new beer at the burgeoning “Craft Beer” market, and believe the new version of London Pride will open up the brand to younger consumers.

London Pride Unfiltered is brewed to the same recipe as cask London Pride, and maintains its current 4.1% ABV. It is then dry-hopped with Target hops for “added character and flavour”, before being centrifuged. The beer is not filtered or pasteurised, and Fuller’s claim this will maintain the taste, complexity and character of the beer, and will leave it as “natural as possible.”

This new variant on a classic beer, will be delivered in 30 litre kegs, and will be served at a teeth-numbing 4 - 6 degrees centigrade (ouch!). The result is a hazy, hoppy, tasty beer in a keg which, according to the company, “Will deliver the quality and flavour consumers expect from a Fuller’s beer.”

London Pride Unfiltered was launched at Craft Beer Rising, in the former Truman Brewery in London’s East End. It marks the first time, since its launch in 1959, that the London Pride name and recipe has been used to diversify the range, and offer a markedly different interpretation to Fuller’s best-selling cask ale.

Using typical marketing speak, a spokesman for the brewery said, “London Pride in cask is a truly great beer and cask ale is and always will be the backbone of Fuller’s beer range. Our excellent brewing team has taken the same great recipe and, by dry hopping the beer at the end, created a beer, in keg, that has balance, flavour and is true to the character of any Fuller’s beer.”

Fuller’s head brewer, Georgina Young, added: “Like London Pride, it still tastes great when you are on your third pint and it’s creating this balance that takes real skill. By only using a centrifuge, we get a hazy beer but retain additional flavour, to give London Pride Unfiltered more of the traditional character that you have in the cask beer than in the conventional London Pride keg version. I’m sure that even those with the hoppiest of taste buds will appreciate such a beautifully smooth and tasty addition to their repertoire.”

I’m not sure what’s meant by that last sentence, and I’m not sure about the whole idea. For starters, it seems strange to leave the beer looking hazy, as surely centrifuging should remove suspended yeast and proteins? I suspect the haziness is a deliberate ploy, to appeal to craft aficionados, used to cloudy pints, and I do question the science behind this.

Before condemning the new beer out of hand, I will at least try a few pints; even though 4 - 6° C is rather on the chilly side for English ale! So if Fuller’s want to invite me for a comparative tasting, they know where to find me!

In search of the unusual in Munich

As anyone who has been to Munich will testify, the products of the city’s six large breweries are widely available throughout the town. For the record, Munich’s major breweries are Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten, and these six concerns have sole rights to supply the world-famous Oktoberfest with beer.

All is not quite as it seems with these companies as, like in the UK, mergers and takeovers have affected the German brewing industry. We now have a situation where Hacker-Pschorr beers are produced by Paulaner, whilst Spaten beers are brewed by Löwenbräu. Fortunately Augustiner remains privately owned and Hofbräu is owned by the state of Bavaria, and it perhaps no coincidence that beers from the latter two companies are regarded more highly than those from the others.

When I first visited Munich, just under twelve years ago, the chances of finding beers from other breweries were pretty slim; certainly within the city centre, but over the years I have noticed a slow, but steady creeping in of products from the surrounding regions. For example there are now several outlets in the city centre serving beers from, amongst others, Ayinger Bräu, Herzogliches Bräustüberl Tegernsee and Kloster Andechs.

Bräustüberl Tegernsee

On some of our latter visits to Munich, my son and I have enjoyed beers from these three breweries, and have travelled out to the village of Aying, reached by taking the S7 suburban rail line in a south-easterly direction from the city centre; the Alpine town of Tegernsee, with its setting overlooking the lake of the same name, and reached by means of the BOB (Bayerische Oberlandbahn) train from central Munich, and the picturesque setting of Kloster Andechs, on the Holy Mountain, overlooking the Amersee lake. At all three locations we have been able to enjoy Ayinger, Tegernsee or Andechs beers brewed at source; and in picturesque locations as well. An early evening return trip to Aying is quite feasible, but visits to both Tegernsee and Kloster Andechs are really all day affairs, and with time at a premium on our most recent trip, we weren’t able to do any of these trips. I was however, able to track down Ayinger Bräu’s excellent beer, in a couple of unexpected locations.

BMW Head Quarters

On a wet and windy Tuesday, we visited BMW Welt (World); as Matt’s friend Will is not only a car geek, but a BMW fanatic. We enquired about a tour around the factory, and after opting for the only one available – which began at 4 pm, had a bit of time to kill. There are only so many shiny new, ultra-expensive cars you can look out without feeling slightly overwhelmed; although Will would beg to differ, but in the end, even the two boys became restless, so with lunchtime approaching, the two youngsters decided to take the U-Bahn, and head back into central Munich.

Olympia Park

I, on the other hand, decided to stay local and to go for a walk around the nearby Olympia Park. I had read about Olympia-Alm; a small kiosk which originally opened at the time of the 1972 Munich Olympics. Today Olympia-Alm has been transformed into a small beer garden, and at 564 metres above sea level, it is the highest beer garden in Munich. I set off to find it, battling the elements as I walked through the rather windswept landscape of the Olympia Park. After walking the wrong way around the Olympia Stadion, I ended up approaching the artificial hill, where Olympia-Alm is situated, from the rear. Small matter as I was glad of the exercise, and with only dog walkers, plus the occasional runner for company, I was quite happy with my own company.

A wet and windswept Olympia Alm

I eventually found what I was looking for, and discovered that whilst the kiosk was open, there was no indoor shelter and no food available. There was beer though, and it was Ayinger Bräu as well! I already knew this, but good as the beer was, I was glad I hadn’t brought two exercise-averse, twenty some-things with me, or I would never have heard the end of how I made them climb half way up a mountain, just for a beer! The benches and tables looked wet and windswept, but there was a small amount of shelter underneath the awning in front of the kiosk. I shared this space with one intrepid hiker, plus a couple with their two dogs. The latter were drinking coffee, laced with “Bailey’s”, whilst the walker was enjoying a glass of Ayiner Weisse Bier. I went for the Helles, which was an excellent tasting beer with malt very much to the fore.

I only stayed for the one though, as I wanted something more solid inside me. I asked the man in the kiosk, for the quickest route back down to BMW Welt. He pointed me in the right direction and said it was only a 10 minute walk; rather annoying, seeing that it had taken me the best part of an hour to arrive! As I began to descend the artificial hill, I was rewarded with views across the Olympia Park and also across to the complex of buildings which make up BMW’s head office and motor works.

A warming and welcoming lunch

Before meeting back up with Matt and Will, I treated myself to a spot of lunch back at BMW World. A warming bowl of potato, vegetable and sausage soup was just what I needed after my exertions, and by the time I’d finished there wasn’t too long to wait before the factory tour commenced. The € 9.00 price was well worth it for a tour which lasted two hours, and which took in every part of the production process. This included the pressing, welding, painting and engine assembly workshops, followed by final assembly and testing. It also involved a fair amount of walking; 3.5 kilometres as our guide informed us, before we set off. I must have already walked that sort of distance around the Olympia Park before hand!

Hofbräuhaus in full swing

We did attempt to sample some more Ayinger Bräu beer later that evening. Ayinger am Platzl Speisen und Trank, opposite Munich’s world famous Hofbräuhaus, seemed a good bet. Matt and I had enjoyed a few beers there on a previous visit to Munich, but when we arrive the place was heaving. Instead we did the tourist thing and managed to find space for the three of us in the Hofbräuhaus, where the meal was actually very good, and quite reasonably priced, as were the two Maß Krugs of Hofbräu Helles I enjoyed. (The boys foolishly had three each, and were rather silly on the way back to the hotel, but you’re only young once, and sometimes it doesn’t hurt to learn the hard way!).

Wirtshaus Rechthaler hof

I had sort of given up on being able to sample any more Ayinger Bräu, until we spotted the Wirtshaus Rechthaler hof on our final afternoon in the city. I noticed the Ayinger Bräu signs on the yellow-painted walls of this establishment, opposite the Hauptbahnhof in Arnulf Straße, when we got off the bus; so after a spot of last minute shopping, we decided to pop in for a couple of final beers, before taking the coach to the airport. We were glad that we did, as the place was spotlessly clean and welcoming, with an interior decorated in a traditional Bavarian-style, with wooden barrel ends mounted on the wall, animal trophies and historical pictures. We chose one of the high tables close to the window, so we could sit and watch the world go by, whilst enjoying our beers. I sampled the Helles, plus the Altbairisch Dunkles; both were good, with the former being probably the best beer of the trip. Judging by the newness of the décor, I was wondering whether Ayiner Bräu have only recently taken over here. Given the central location of Wirtshaus Rechthaler hof, and the excellent quality of its beer, I would definitely recommend a visit.

If our last afternoon in Munich enabled us to enjoy an old favourite, our first afternoon afforded the opportunity to track down and enjoy a few beers from one of the city’s new breweries. Giesinger Bräu began production, on a small scale, back in 2007, and gradually increased production. We paid the brewery a visit in 2014, when we were last in the city, but this was only to pick up a few bottles. A few years ago, the company stepped up several notches, with a move to a new location and the opening of a new brewery, with a much increased capacity. The latter is combined with a restaurant or Bräustüberl, where it is possible to sample the beers, and have a bite to eat.

The wonder of "Woolies"

We took the U2 U Bahn line south of Munich, to Silberhorn Straße, from where it is a short walk to the Bräustüberl. I needed to withdraw some cash first, and opposite the bank we noticed a Woolworth’s store. Out of curiosity we popped in for a look, surprised to see that this once iconic brand is still trading in Germany. There wasn’t much of interest and, if anything, the range of mainly stationery, household items and cheap clothes, was even more “bargain basement” than I remember the company’s UK stores as being. It was worth a visit though, from a pure nostalgic point of view.

It didn’t take us long to find the Giesinger Bräu complex, which occupies two levels of a building, overlooking a yard, virtually opposite the impressive brick-built church which acts as the brewery logo. We sat in the bright and modern upstairs restaurant, even though we had decided not to eat, due to the fact we would be meeting up for a meal with Will later in the evening. The food looked good though, and because of this, and the excellent beer, it didn’t take long for the place to start filling up.

Beer list - Giesinger Bräu

There were around a dozen beers advertised on the board behind us, although as we discovered, not all of them were available; including unfortunately the Smoky Fox. I started with that rarest of German beer styles, a Märzen which was amber in colour and malt-driven. Matt went for the Feines Pilschen; an unfiltered Pilsner. I went for the Dunkles next, and had it been later in the day, I would probably have tried the bottled Baltic Rye Porter as well. We had a quick look at the brewery on the way out. This is housed on the ground floor, where there is also a facility for the sale of brewery merchandise, and beer for home consumption.

Brewing kit - Giesinger Bräu

That really sums up the interesting, quirky, or out of town beers available in Munich, although with effort it is possible to find others such as Brauerei Erharting, Maisaicherbräu, König Ludwig Schlossbrauerei Kaltenberg and Weihenstephan. If American-style craft- beers, or indeed American imports, are your thing, then a visit to Tap-House Munich, at Rosenheimer Str. 108, should be on your itinerary. I will have to leave my own visit to this establishment for a future trip; one which is more leisurely and one where I have more time.

“Unexpectedly re-available”.

A quick update on the Greyhound at Charcott, which is now unexpectedly back on the market. Last week, owners, Enterprise Inns, put the pub up for sale again, stating it was “unexpectedly re-available”.

The asking price of £360,000 seems a little steep; given the pub has no garden and no car-park of its own. Full details can be found on licensed property specialists Fleurets’ website.

The granting of ACV status to the Greyhound, by Sevenoaks Council, which also occurred last week, has of course, nothing to do with the pub’s “unexpected re-availability”!

Watch this space for further details.

Just back from Munich

Munich is on my list of favourite cities, not just because of its well-known beery delights, but because of its setting in southern Germany, its obvious cultural and artistic attractions, plus, of course, the friendliness of its people characterised by that most German of feelings – "Gemütlichkeit"; described as a space or state of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer, but also a sense of cosiness, peace of mind, belonging, well being, and social acceptance.

I have been to Munich on five previous occasions, but always during the summer months; and for good reason. It is first and foremost a summer city, and I have many happy memories of sitting out and enjoying a few beers, under the shade of the spreading chestnut trees in its many and varied beer gardens. The whole city seems to come alive during the summer months, and there is a vibrancy and air of expectation about the place which is hard to put into words.

It was therefore with some trepidation that I accepted my son’s suggestion to accompany him to Munich, during part of his week off during February. The thought that the city’s obvious summer attractions would be replaced by the cold and grey drabness of late February really didn’t appeal, but I knew that Matt had been pushing himself rather hard at work, and would appreciate the chance to unwind, persuaded me; that and the thought that he would be very unlikely to head off there on his own.

I went ahead and booked a few days off work, booked the flights- cheap at this time of year and working out at just £84.00 return on Easy Jet, when travelling with just a cabin bag. I also selected the same hotel that we stayed in back in 2012 and 2014. Job done and with only the airport parking to sort out, everything seemed on track, until Matt’s best friend asked if he could join us.

I had mixed thoughts on this, but Matt was keen, so I said yes, and it was arranged that whilst we would be flying out on the Sunday afternoon, Will would join us the following day. We would all stay until the Wednesday evening before flying back home together. Whilst this wouldn’t quite be the father and son trip I had first envisaged, I still though there was plenty of mileage in it, so whilst waiting for our departure date to arrive, I gave some thought as to the types of places we would want to visit.

Munich’s beer gardens, of course, would be off the list. Those which function as stand-alone establishments would be closed, and whilst there was the possibility that places which are first and foremost pubs, of guest houses, with beer gardens attached, could still be good, I wanted to give a few other places a chance; places which we might not have even entertained during the summer months.

We didn’t stick to a rigid plan; preferring to go with the flow, but what we did find was a city which was far less crowded with tourists than it would have been during the summer months, and a city where we were able to discover a hitherto hidden side. Even establishments like the world famous Hofbräuhaus were far less busy than

we have experienced during previous visits, and we found that the city’s parks and public had a wintertime charm, all of their own.

We didn’t arrive home until very late last night, and with work first thing this morning, there hasn’t been much time to sort out photos or write detailed articles, but in the next post or two, I plan to convey something of the quality and charm we found in Munich, during what is normally one of the dreariest of months.

A visit to Old Dairy Brewery

West Kent CAMRA had a trip out into the Weald of Kent yesterday, to the lovely town of Tenterden; home of the Kent & East Sussex Heritage Railway and also the Old Dairy Brewery. The latter attraction was the purpose of our visit to Tenterden, and we were there to present the brewery with the award for Best Green Hop Beer of the Festival.

Old Dairy Bullion Green Hop Ale won the award at our own Spa Valley Railway Festival, which took place last October, and as well as presenting the brewery with a certificate, the idea behind the trip was to say thank-you to all the volunteers who helped at the festival.

We didn’t hire a coach, as this means of travel seems to have become prohibitively expensive of late. Instead we made use of the regular 297 bus, which runs between Tunbridge Wells and Tenterden, several times a day. The only drawback is the length of the journey; around an hour and a half, depending on traffic.

Tenterden High Street

It was a perfect day for our trip though, and with the sun breaking through after some early morning mist we were treated to a real scenic journey as we travelled through the part-wooded, part farmland of  the rolling Wealden countryside. We passed through numerous picture-postcard villages; many ending with suffix “den” (Benenden, Horsmonden, Rolvenden etc), plus the odd small town – Cranbrook, before arriving in Tenterden shortly before 12.30pm.

Tenterden is known as the “Jewel of the Weald”; and deservedly so, as with its wide main street, and attractive tile-hung or weather boarded houses, it is one of the most pleasant small towns in this part of the south-east. A preponderance of independently owned shops, combined with an absence of many of the major retail chains, only adds to its charm.

We weren’t due at the Old Dairy until 1pm, so feeling a bumped around after our lengthy bus-ride, plus a little thirsty we headed towards the nearest decent pub. This we found in the form of the Woolpack Hotel; an attractive, part tile hung 15^th Century inn, situated between the imposing parish church and its Town Hall. We only had time for one beer, but we liked what we found inside the pub, with uneven bare wooden floors, low ceilings and several different rooms, it was the pub I could quite have got comfortable in. Beer-wise there was Harvey’s Sussex Best, Timothy Taylor Golden Best, Old Dairy Up and Udder (brewed specially for the Six Nations Rugby), plus Sharps Atlantic Pale Ale. I went for the latter, as I only knew it as a bottled beer, and had not come across it in draught form before. It was very good, and certainly knocked spots off Sharp’s normal offering of Doom Bar.

After drinking up, we headed back off along Tenterden’s wide High Street, and then turned into Station Road. The road leads downhill towards Tenterden station, home of the preserved Kent& East Sussex Railway. The latter forms part of the original line, of the same name, which once ran from Headcorn down to Robertsbridge. Although the original line was closed to passenger traffic in 1954,  over the years, parts of the railway have been brought back into use by a dedicated group of volunteers, and it is now possible to travel from Tenterden, down to Bodiam. Work is progressing to restore the section down to Robertsbridge, thereby re-connecting the preserved railway with mainline services. The K&ESR were certainly busy when we walked past, as they were running one of their “Days out with Thomas” events, to coincide with the end of the school half term break.

Old Dairy Brewery occupies a couple of converted World War II Nissen huts, over-looking a yard on the other side of the railway. The brewery moved here in 2014, from their original former milking parlour home at nearby Rolvenden, where they had begun production in 2010. The move included switching from a 5 barrel to a 30 barrel plant, with all the scale-up problems this entailed. We were welcomed to the brewery by Sean Calnan, who is one of Old Dairy’s directors, and by the company's Head Brewer, Glenn Whatman.

Glenn gave us an informative and interesting talk about the brewery and its beers, as well as providing answers to some of the technical questions we asked him. For example, the brewery do not culture and reuse their own yeast; instead they use bought in, freeze dried yeasts, tailored to meet the characteristics of the style of beer they happen to be brewing. Most of the bottling is done off-site, at Eddy Gadd’s Ramsgate set-up; although Old Dairy have the capacity to handle bottle-conditioned beers, as these are produced in limited quantities. Glenn also told us about how he became interested in brewing and spoke with real admiration about Ed Wray, who was Old Dairy’s former Head Brewer, and said that many of their beers had been formulated by Ed during his spell with the company.

No brewery visit is complete without a tasting, or three, of the finished product. The bar, in the reception area, had Red Top and Dark Snow on hand-pump, plus Gold Top and a new brew, produced with New Zealand hops on key-keg dispense. Dark Snow btw, is a blend of Snow Top and Dark Side of the Moo. It came out at 6.5% and worked really well as a blend. The company had also laid on a buffet, for which there was a small charge, but the spread they put on was more than plentiful and certainly helped soak up the beer.

Old Dairy have won numerous awards for their beers, as evidenced by the number of certificates adorning the walls, and we were pleased for them to be adding ours to the collection. We had the obligatory photo opportunity outside, whereby branch chairman, Craig presented Glenn with the Certificate for Green Hop Beer of the Festival.

Glenn (left) recieving Old Dairy's award

Afterwards there was time for a look around the brewery shop, and I think it’s safe to say that most of us bought a few bottles to take home with us. After that it was time to thank Sean, Glenn and the other members of the team who had looked after us, and make our way back up to the High Street in time for the bus back to Tunbridge Wells.

Most of the party alighted outside the Halfway House at Brenchley, for both a comfort stop and a top-up. They were then planning to catch the last bus at around 6.20 pm. I would have joined them, were it not for the fact that later today I am flying out to Munich with my son and his friend to spend a few days unwinding in the Bavarian capital. Apologies therefore, if this post seems somewhat rushed, but I wanted to get it up on the blog before we dash off to the airport.

The message is getting through

Just a quick post to say I was really impressed with the pie I had in my local Wetherspoon’s last night. My son and I had popped in for a bite to eat, following a bit of late night shopping.

Although Thursday is Curry Night at JDW, we’d had a ruby the night before. Neither of us fancied the idea of another one, so Matt opted for a gourmet burger, whilst I went for the beef and ale pie which I’d spotted on the menu.

I was fairly certain that the pie would turn out to be a “proper” one, with the meat filling completely encased in pastry, rather than a casserole in a dish with a slice of puff-pastry on top. Fortunately my hunch was right, and my pastry-encased pie arrived, piping-hot, and complete with mash, peas, plus a small jug of gravy. The beef filling was plentiful, and the meat was nice and tender, and at just £6.29, it was a real bargain.

The Humphrey Bean (Tonbridge Spoons), was pretty full last night, but we still managed a seat in our favourite spot on the elevated section. The beer was good, with Tonbridge Brewery Old Chestnut as my beer of choice. I only had the one, as I was driving, but the beer was in good form and went well with my meal.

I’m pleased to see that the message about “proper pies”  is starting to get through, as this is the third establishment recently, where I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the “real thing”. With luck, the days of casseroles with a lid, are numbered!