Tonbridge Crawl

A couple of weeks ago we had one of the best turnouts for a mid-week CAMRA social that most of us can remember. The event was a tour of a few selected Tonbridge pubs; pubs we perhaps might not normally go to. We kicked off at the Ivy House at the top end of the High Street. This 350 year old inn re-opened earlier last year after an extensive refurbishment. It is now somewhat of a foodie’s pub, with links to Michelin Star Chef, John Burton-Race. It certainly wasn’t packed out with diners on a damp Wednesday evening, and only had Harvey's Best on sale. The barman though, must have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of beer he sold in a short space of time. Seventeen of us amounted to over two gallons of ale! I must say that the Harvey's was in good condition, although a tad expensive at £3.20 a pint!

We then moved on to the Wharf, in Lyons Crescent. This converted former wharf building has been through several changes since it first opened as a Beefeater Restaurant back in the mid-1980’s. I have fond memories of its time as a Hogshead Alehouse, when it offered a wide range of real ales direct from casks kept behind the bar. In more recent times it had stopped selling cask beer, changed its name to the Wharf and become something of a young persons haunt. Now it is good to see the Wharf back in the real-ale camp.

That night, there were two cask ales on offer; Adnams Old and London Pride. There was some doubt that the former was Old Ale, as it certainly wasn’t the dark colour this style of beer should have been. The London Pride was quite drinkable though, and just before we left the bar staff put on a third ale – Black Sheep Best. The pub didn’t seem to have changed all that much since its Hogshead days and is definitely a place worth keeping an eye on.

Our third port of call was Mojo’s, at the back of the station. Again this is a pub that has a couple of name changes. For many years it was called the South Eastern, but in more recent times it was known as the Station House and unfortunately acquired a bit of a bad reputation. Now a recent refurbishment and change of name has given the pub a new lease of life. Decorated in a modern, minimalist style, Mojo’s was selling Harvey’s Best alongside Sharp’s Doom Bar on the night of our visit.

Time was getting on so we moved on to the last pub of the evening, the Punch & Judy in St Stephen’s Street. This is yet another pub that has seen several changes of name, being formerly known as the Gardener’s Arms. The Punch hit the headlines just over a year ago, when the then landlord, Mr Colm Powell, went on hunger strike in protest at the high rent being charged by the owning pub-company. He was pictured in several national newspapers lying in a coffin, symbolising the "Death of the English Pub". Since Colm's departure there has been a succession of landlords. When we called in, Young’s Bitter and the ubiquitous Doom Bar were the ales on offer, but unfortunately the former was way past its best and had to be returned. It was replaced, without question by mine host, and several of us got stuck into the Doom Bar whilst a fresh cask of Young’s was brought into service.

So ended a most enjoyable and highly successful tour of Tonbridge, during which we were pleasantly surprised by what these four pubs had to offer.

CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2011

I’ve been somewhat tied up this past couple of days. We’ve got our branch Good Beer Guide selection meeting coming up this weekend, and I’ve been kept busy filling out a load of boring Survey Forms. The joke of it is that these forms haven’t changed much since the early days of CAMRA, and were primarily designed for old-fashioned typesetters.

We all know that the world of printing has moved on since then, but these antiquated forms are laid out in a series of blocks. Entries for each section have to be made within the relevant squares using BLOCK CAPITALS. One is not supposed to break words at the end of a line – very frustrating when you have a word that is just one letter too long to fit at the end of a line! In short, the forms are a proverbial pain in the butt!

The even bigger joke though is that these forms are not now the final format in which the data is submitted to the guide editors. Instead some poor sod (our Branch Chairman and his wife) will have to sit down at a keyboard and input all this data onto the National Online GBG Submissions System. In short local branch members are doing the bulk of the Good Beer Guide editors work for them. So what exactly is Herr Protz being paid for?

Why also have I wasted the last couple of evenings writing out pub descriptions and beer lists in BLOCK CAPITALS, a form of writing I haven’t used since primary school? Come on CAMRA get a grip, stop taking the piiss and stop taking your hard-working members for granted!

Dark at Last!

At long last I have managed to track down a drop of the dark stuff, in fact I managed it two days on the trot! Friday lunchtime saw myself and a work colleague paying a flying visit to the recently re-opened Rock at Chiddingstone Hoath. The purpose of our visit was to inspect the pub ahead of next weekend's West Kent CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2011 selection meeting.

I have written about the Rock before. It is a fine example of an unspoilt rural alehouse, with low-beamed ceilings, a floor of bare and well-worn bricks and in winter a cosy log fire keeping the place warm. For many years it belonged to the local Larkins Brewery - just down the road in Chiddingstone village, but at the end of last October Larkin's owner Bob Dockerty, decided not to renew the lease on the pub and it reverted back to its original owners. After being closed for most of November, the pub re-opened the following month after an extensive re-fit. This involved replacing the rotten floorboards in the saloon bar, scrubbing the brick floor clean in the public bar, re-painting the ceilings, installing new toilets and, most recently, a new kitchen.

There is a very pleasant young couple running the pub now; those who remember the previous incumbent will breath a huge sigh of relief on that score. Larkins beers are still on sale, alongside Sharp's Doom Bar - a beer that seems to be everywhere at the moment. We were pleased to see Larkins Porter on sale, and can report that this 5.2% dark beer, full of rich roasted and bitter chocolate flavours, was in fine form.

Today, I nipped in to our local Wetherspoons in Tonbridge, and was pleased to see S.O.D (Shefford Old Dark) from B&T Brewery on sale. Like the porter the previous day it too was in excellent condition, and was just the ticket on a damp January afternoon.

Last night I enjoyed a bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra (I bought several last weekend at ASDA for just £1 each!). I had forgotten just how good this high strength version of Guinness could be. I won't have one tonight; I've got a bottle of Marstons Oyster Stout to enjoy instead. I've also got a couple of bottles of Innis & Gunn left over from Christmas to sample, including one that has been matured in a rum cask. Should be an interesting evening!

Bad Day at Black Rock

I know it's got nothing to do with beer, but this morning's news that American processed cheese manufacturers, Kraft have finally won their battle to buy Cadbury's must come as a blow, not only to all chocolate lovers, but to anyone who holds this much-loved, iconic British company in their affection.

To hear Cadbury's chairman declaring on the six o'clock news that the £12 billion deal will be good for shareholders just about sums up all that is wrong with British business today. His comment that the deal will be less good for Cadbury's employees, whilst brutally honest, just shows how the interests of shareholders (often large, faceless city institutions), seems to override those of both workers and consumers alike.

The whole affair has a sadly familiar ring to it, looking back to the takeover of Rowntrees, by Swiss giant Nestle, but at least Nestle had a background in chocolate and confectionery. All Kraft manufacture is plastic, processed American cheese, packed full of salt, artificial colours and other nasties. Just where Cadbury's fit into Kraft's scheme of things remains to be seen, but as is inevitable following any such takeover, the victor will seek to recuperate some of their costs by closing plants, slashing jobs and cutting back on investment.

Cadbury's R.I.P.

Burn's Night Celebrations at Wetherspoons

Popping into my local Wetherspons for a quick breakfast this morning, I noticed a promotion for Burn's Night. However, the company seem to have turned the occasion into "Burn's Week" as the celebration runs from 20th-25th January.

Now at the risk of upsetting my friends from north of the border, I have to say I am not a great fan of this particular poet, who's verses, to my mind at least, seem virtually un-intelligible. This aside, I am all for pubs trying to promote trade, and where this involves the celebration of a national hero, then so much the better. The promotion for "Burn's Week" is offering a traditional Burn's Night Supper dish of haggis, neeps and tatties, all for the princely sum of £3.99. This also includes a drink, and more importantly the company's outlets will be showcasing cask-ales from Scotland's craft brewers.

I therefore take my hat off to JDW, and will be heading down to my local "Spoons" to enjoy some of the above. (Just as long as I don't have to listen to any of the man's poetry!).

Puting a Price on Things

One thing I have noticed on my trips abroad, and something I have been meaning to comment on for some time now, is the practice of many restaurants and bars of displaying their prices on a notice or small display board outside the premises. This is an excellent idea especially when visiting a new country or strange city, as it gives an indication of the prices charged. This is particularly important with regard to food prices. I am not tight, but believe in value for money, and knowing the prices beforehand helps in the decision making process and can help save any embarrassment.

The question I have to ask then is why are there so few pubs and restaurants over here following this practice? Have they got something to hide or indeed to be ashamed of? or is it just not considered a "British" thing to do? There must be dozens of visitors to these shores totally puzzled by the lack of information displayed outside licensed premises here, and all asking the same question. How about it landlords and restaurateurs?

Closer to Home

Whilst there's something both highly satisfying and immensely enjoyable in flying off to foreign parts in order to sample different beers, sometimes it makes sense to pay a bit more attention to what is going on a bit closer to home.

Today, being the last day of the long Christmas break, I was determined not to waste it by sitting indoors. I was up quite early, we had taken the last of the Christmas decorations down, and now it was time to get out in the fresh air and enjoy a long walk in the countryside. My destination was the Hare & Hounds, in the small village of Bidborough, a pub which although virtually on my doorstep, was somewhere I hadn't been in a long time.

I set off following the scenic route up towards Bidborough Ridge. Although there was still frost on the ground in places, it was very pleasant being out in the bright January sunshine. I wasn't hurrying, and it took me an hour and a half to reach the pub, (I could have driven there in 15 minutes!). On the way I stopped to take in the spectacular views from the top of the ridge, right across the Medway Valley towards the Greensand Ridge.

The Hare & Hounds is a Victorian building on a cross-roads in the centre of Bidborough. Internally there are four separate drinking/eating areas ranging from a basic public bar (complete with darts and pool), a saloon with comfortable sofas, a large main bar with tables for bar food, plus a restaurant to the rear. There were four cask beers on sale: Harveys Best, Youngs Bitter, Sharps Doom Bar (a beer that seems to spring up everywhere round here!), and my choice of the day O'Hanlon's Firefly. This was a cracking beer; at just 3.7% it proved the perfect session bitter. I sat in the corner, close to the fire pleased to see that this particular village pub was thriving with a good mix of different customers.

After a couple of pints it was time to leave. I chose a different route back, following the Weald Way footpath down off the ridge. I was keen to follow this route as this is the next long-distance footpath that my friend Eric and I are planning to walk later in the year. The path was quite muddy in places, and I was glad to get back onto more solid ground.

I popped into our local Wetherspoons when I got back to Tonbridge. The pump clip for the Thornbridge Pioneer said "Available Soon" (how many times does that happen in JDW?), so I settled for a warming cup of coffee instead. After that it was time to meet my son from work and head for home for a most welcome dinner.

Christmas Beers

Unlike many fellow beer bloggers, my sampling of the juice of the barley was somewhat limited over the first couple of days of the Festive Season, and didn't really pick up until I went to Prague. Eileen's brother David came to us for Christmas and whilst he enjoys a drop or two of beer, for our Christmas meal we ended up drinking wine. We did have a largish container of Harveys Best to polish off beforehand, that had been given to me as an early Christmas present by one of the lads that works for me. Being "bright beer" I knew it wouldn't keep more than a couple of days, so after having made a sizable dent in it on Christmas Eve, it needed finishing up on the day itself.

In addition, as I was due to fly off to the Czech capital for a few days, I hadn't got too many speciality beers in for the Christmas season. I am looking at a couple of bottles of Rochefort (an 8 and a 10 degree) as I write. It would have been nice to have moved onto these with the cheese course, along with perhaps the Chimay Bleu that is also staring at me, but both David, and my son Matt were keen to get started on the port. It seemed rude not to join them, and I must confess I'm quite partial to a drop of Oporto's finest, so that was the end of the Trappist idea.

The several pints of Harveys, followed by a decent bottle of Merlot to help wash down a rather large turkey dinner would have been quite sufficient for me normally. The best part of a bottle of port between the three of us (Eileen doesn't drink!) was therefore more than enough to ensure that after the washing up was done I ended up falling asleep, and missed most of the first installment of Dr Who.

Later on in the evening, (quite a bit later on), and wanting something light and refreshing, I cracked open a bottle of Tesco's own premium Czech lager, Boheme 1795. This 4.7% beer is brewed by Ceske Budejovice's other brewery, Budejovicky Mestansty Pivovar - otherwise known as Samson. Somewhat confusingly the word "Pilsen" appears prominently on the label; surely "Budweiser" would be more appropriate? This aside, the beer itself has a good maltiness which nicely balances the fragrance and bitterness of the Saaz hops, and was just the thing to revitalise my jaded palate.

Boxing Day was a very sober affair. I had a 7.15 am flight to catch from Stansted the following morning, which would mean leaving home at around 2.45 am. For obvious reasons I wanted to be in a fit state to drive, so decided to leave my body to metabolise the remaining alcohol in my system and apart from a small glass of Boheme 1795 with my cold turkey and bubble and squeak, stuck to tea and coffee for Boxing Day.

I of course more than made up for this lack of beer when I got to Prague, but that's another story.

First Reflections of Prague

I arrived home from Prague yesterday afternoon, having enjoyed a fantastic four days of sight-seeing, and of course beer sampling in the Czech capital. Much of course has changed over the past 25 years since my first, and only, visit back in 1984 and back then it would have been almost impossible to believe that such changes could occur.

I intend to write a full description of my time in Prague on my other blog, Paul's Beer Travels, but for now here's a brief summing up of some of the best, and not so best things I found.

Best Dark Beer: Bernard Specialni cerny lezac, 5.1% - an absolutely stunning, chocolately dark lager, that I enjoyed on a couple of occasions in the Kyvadlo (Pendulum) restaurant in Prague's New Town.

Best Pale Beer: Pivovarsky dum Svetly lezak 4.0% - a stunning, unfiltered pale lager, enjoyed in the brew-pub of the same name, again in Prague's New Town.

Best Pub: U Cerneho Vola (The Black Bull) - a real basic, stand-up-to-drink, unspoilt local's pub in the shadow of Prague Castle, complete with bare-brick floors, a high, heavily beamed oak ceiling, and two noisy, smoke-filled rooms packed wih people sat on simple wooden benches, all enjoying each other's company plus the pub's excellent beer (Kozel), dispensed from a font on a free-standing bar-counter by a surly, apron-clad barman. I couldn't understand a word of what was being said, but loved every minute of it, and to think I nearly gave up on trying to find this classic pub having walked straight past it twice! Pure heaven on earth, and sited in one of the loveliest, and possibly most desiable parts of Prague in which to live.

Cheapest Beer: - the 12 degree pale and the 10 degree dark beer from Kozel, in the U Cerneho Vola pub above. At just Kc 26.5 per half litre, less than a pound a pint, I was thinking life doesn't get much better than this, given the classic, unspoilt Czech pub I was drinking it in!

Dearest Beer: St Thomas 14 degree dark lager from the Matuska Broumy micro-brewery housed in the former U Svateho Tomase beer hall, just across from the Charles Bridge. This legendary drinking establishment is now part of a very plush and upmarket hotel complex called The Augustinian. All very nice, but a real shame as I had fond memories of drinking in this beer hall on my previous visit to Prague. As for the beer, nice enough, but at Kc 55 for a 33cl glass, it is not somewhere the locals go to drink!

Most Nostalgic Moment: Drinking in the legendary U Fleku brewpub where I'd enjoyed a good evening's eating and drinking on the CAMRA Travel/Cedock organised trip to Pilsen and Prague, back in 1984. Although the beer is now on the dear side at Kc 59 for a 40cl glass, it is still a world-classic dark lager. On top of this you never quite know who you'll be sitting next to in this rambling old pub.

Best View of Prague: Forget the classic views of the Charles Bridge and up towards the Castle. After walking up Petrin Hill (which felt like the north face of the Eiger!), and then along to the small micro-brewery at Strahov Monastery - Klasterni pivovar Strahov, I was rewarded with a spectacular view of the Castle District, crowned by the Gothic towers of St Vitus's cathedral, with the Vltava River shimmering far below. This vista was worth every step of the steep ascent up from Mala Strana, as was the St Norbert beer in the aforementioned micro-brewery!

Strangest/Most Surreal Sight: Seen in an Old Town bookshop window; a book about Neville Chamberlain, the hapless British Prime Minister who disgracefully sold the Czechs out to Hitler in 1938 by allowing him to annexe the so-called Sudetenland instead of having the balls to stand up to the Nazi dictator's bullying tactics. Chamberlain even had the cheek to dismiss the whole shameful episode as "A quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing". An incredibly crass and stupid statement from someone who was responsible for the largest, and most far-flung empire the world had ever known!

First Beer in Prague: Arriving on a freezing cold Sunday, just after Christmas and being too early to check into my hotel, I took refuge in Bredovsky Dvur, a modernish pub not far from Wenclesas Square, serving excellent, unpasteurised Pilsner Urquell from cellar tanks. The roast pork lunch I enjoyed there was also very good too.

Last Beer in Prague: On my final evening, on a day when I'd probably drank more than enough, I made my way through the rain to U Medvidku (At the Little Bears), where I enjoyed a glass of Oldgott Barrique 5.2%, a half-dark amber lager, brewed on a small plant somewhere in this rambling, 500 year old pub, famed for its Budvar beer. The perfect end to a perfect winter's break.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Although the snow is slowly disappearing, and I have now reached the stage where I am glad to see the back of it, whilst it was here it did seem to bring out the best in people. We live on quite a steep hill and, as the gritters never seem to include our road on their rounds, it was impossible to get the car off the drive. No matter it was quite fun for a while going down the town on foot, and bringing as much shopping back as on can carry. What struck me on my wanderings was the number of friends and neighbours I kept bumping into; often people I hadn't seen for ages. Everyone was in the same boat, but was making the best of it, and in most cases enjoying it.

The shops seemed to be doing a roaring trade, and so did many of the pubs. The snow added an appropriate festive touch; all that was missing were the stalls selling sugared almonds and Gluehwein!

Last night I managed to get the car out, and we went down to Sainsburys and bought our turkey, plus various other bits and pieces. I also managed to drive into work this morning; even though the roads were like skating rinks! I was glad to get behind the wheel again, as after two days of travelling in by train, during which the service provided was at best erratic, I'd had quite enough of public transport.

Tomorrow being Christmas Eve, we finish work early, and adjourn to the pub - in our case the Little Brown Jug in Chiddingstone Causeway. I'll be sticking to soft drinks, as apart from not wanting to train it in again I've promised to collect Eileen from the supermarket with the last of the shopping and the all important veg.

I haven't bought too much beer this Christmas as I'm off to Prague on Sunday. I was however, given a gallon jug of Harveys by a colleague today as an early Christmas present, and seeing as it's bright beer it will only keep for a few days. No matter, I'm enjoying a couple of pints of it now.

Have a good Christmas everyone.

It's a Small World!

I had one of those really surreal moments today; something totally unexpected happened, but at the same time it was something that was perhaps bound to happen sooner or later, as I will shortly reveal..

The expected, and accurately forecast snow arrived last night. Almost right on cue it started snowing heavily around ten o'clock. By the time I went to bed there were a good couple of inches or more covering the ground. I set the alarm earlier than normal, prepared for a slightly longer journey into work, but when I looked out the window, just after six this morning, it was pretty obvious that I wouldn't be driving in. On top of that it was still snowing heavily. I turned on the radio and tuned in to BBC Radio Kent for an update on the travel situation. I was surprised to learn that South Eastern were planning to run trains into London, so I listened for further details, only to find my plans to let the train take the strain were thwarted by a broken down train blocking services between Tonbridge and Redhill. What made it worse was the stranded train had actually broken down at Penshurst - the exact same station I wished to journey to! I phoned a colleague who regularly travels into work by train. He had just returned from the station and related the same story. In fact he had been told that it could take several hours before the stranded train could be shifted.

After some toast I donned my winter attire (the same attire I am planing to take to Prague with me at the end of next week), and stepped outside to see what, if anything , was occurring. It was abundantly clear that I wouldn't be able to move the car off the drive. We live on a hill and so far as I could make out no motorised traffic had been either up, or down the road that morning. For want of a better plan I decided to walk down to the station and see for myself what was occurring.

Some traffic was moving out on the main road, but at a snail's pace, with most people choosing to make the journey on foot. En route to the station I made and received various phone calls to work colleagues, including my boss. It transpired that only those people living in the immediate vicinity had made it into work, which meant I would not be in the minority by failing to make it in. Conscience cleared, I did a bit of shopping (I don't think I have ever seen Sainsbury's so quiet on a Friday morning - certainly no the last one before Christmas). Having picked up suitable supplies I made my way home, in time to catch the last 5 minutes of Sir Terry Wogan's final breakfast show - a poignant moment if ever there was one.

Later on, after I had got a few bits down from the loft for my wife, I decided to go out again. The snow clouds had cleared leaving a beautiful bright and crisp sunny morning. so off I went with no clear cut plan, apart from picking up some Czech currency for my forthcoming trip. This accomplished, I made my way to Tonbridge's only independent book shop, MR Books, for a chat with owner Mark Richardson, and also to see if I could pick up a copy of Jaroslav Hasek's, satirical classic, The Good Soldier Svejk, ahead of my visit to Prague.

"You're not the first beer blogger in today", Mark informed me. "Oh", I replied, "who was the other?" "The Pencil & Spoon" blogger, I was told and he said he wants to meet you. "Mark Dredge" I said, slightly surprised, "in here? "Why not" said MR Books' proprietor, "he only lives across the road in one of the new flats". I responded that I too would like to meet Mark, so following a quick phone, call the winner of the British Guild of Beer Writers New Media Writer of the Year 2009 duly appeared in the shop.

I hadn't realised that Marl lived in Tonbridge; for some reason I assumed he lived in North Kent. It turned out that him and his girlfriend Lauren had recently moved into one of the newly-built flats that occupy the old market site, opposite MR Books shop. Of course, had I begun following Mark's blog earlier in the year, I would have known this, but there's nothing like the benefit of hindsight!

Mark couldn't stay long, as he was in the middle of preparing dinner, but we had a pleasant chat nonetheless. We both griped about the lack of a decent boozer in Tonbridge, and certainly the lack of anywhere selling the darker ales which ought to be about this time of year. MR Books suggested that I open a pub, but having run the Cask & Glass off-licence for five and a half years, I'd had more than enough of the licensed trade!

We parted company, promising to meet up soon for a drink. Before leaving the bookshop I had a strike of luck in finding a copy of the "Guide to the Wealdway". My friend Eric and I are considering this long distance footpath as our next venture, following the successful completion of the South Downs Way earlier this year. Guide books to the Wealdway are hard to come by; most being out of print, so picking up a copy of this hard-backed, Constable Guide was a further bonus for popping into MR Books.

On the way home I called into Wetherspoons. Mark had told me that he'd spotted a clip for Thornbridge Pioneer on the pumps, with one of JDW's "Available Soon" tags attached. My hopes that it might have been on were dashed, but were soon compensated by the sight of Hook Norton's Twelve Days. Now this is what I call a true Christmas beer, rich and dark with a reasonable strength of 5.5%. The first pint slipped down a treat, and I managed a couple more after being joined my son Matt, who'd just finished work, and by the aforementioned Eric.

It was getting dark by the time we left the pub, and the pavements had become treacherously icy. Still we made it home in one piece where a welcoming stew awaited us. All in all it was a most productive day, and certainly one worth missing work for.

Some Pre-Christmas Thoughts

Not much to report at present, apart from frantically doing the rounds of Christmas shopping, card writing and other preparations ahead of the rapidly approaching deadline that is December 25th! Personally I hate all this running about, and will be glad when it's all over. What made things worse this year was over-running by several weeks on the decorating front. Time that could have been spent in a more relaxing build up to the festive season was instead spent sanding down woodwork, wall-papering, painting etc. Still it's done now, but every year I promise that next year will be different and I will be more organised. I would also like for us all to go away over Christmas, but both wife Eileen and son Matt normally have to work over this period, so unfortunately this rules out spending Christmas away from home.

I'll be glad then that come Christmas Eve it will be time to settle down and enjoy the company of friends and family, some good festive food and some equally good beers to wash it all down with. I'll be even happier when it's all over, as each year what is supposed to be a religious festival becomes more and more commercialised. Unfortunately, Christmas lost its true meaning for most people many years ago, and I don't think that's just me being cynical in my old age.

Oh well; I'd better get back to the card writing!

Shep's Again

I had some more Shepherd Neame Monday night. Four pints of it to be precise! The occasion was our local CAMRA branch committee meeting, held this time at the Nelson Arms, a back-street local in Tonbridge.

Those of you who know me will appreciate Shep's is NOT my favourite beer, and that's an understatement. Still, needs must and as it's sometimes quite difficult finding a pub that is suitable for our meetings (for obvious reasons we don't want a place with a noisy sound-system or, worse, karaoke!), I just had to bite the bullet.

The Nelson had the seasonal Late Red on alongside the regular Master Brew, and I have to say it was in excellent nick. It's never going to be my favourite, but to give credit where it's due, this was a really tasty beer. The pub itself was nice and comfortable, with a welcoming open fire, and a section of the pub ideal for our meeting. The landlord too was pleased to see us, as the ten of us probably gave a most welcome boost to his takings on what would otherwise have been a quiet Monday night!

Wetherspons Vouchers

Has anyone else been caught out like a friend and I were at the weekend? En route home from our CAMRA Christmas Dinner, we made a brief detour into the Sennockian, JDW's Sevenoaks outlet. We both had some vouchers in our pockets, but on presenting them were told they were out of date. Looking on the rear of the vouchers showed this to be the case, as the ones for the final quarter of the year are valid from 1st October to the 4th December only!

We both felt slightly foolish, but we had both automatically assumed that the vouchers were valid until the end of the year. Wetherspoons staff are probably going to be too busy to accept the discount vouchers in the run up to Christmas, which is fair enough. It could also be said more fool the pair of us for not checking the dates more carefully. However, I don't recall the short-dated last quarter for the vouchers being widely publicised either.

I'm not really complaining, as I've more than had my money's worth from these vouchers; I just felt a bit of a fool really, and would like to know if other people have also made the same mistake??

West Kent CAMRA Christmas Meal

This year's West Kent CAMRA Christmas meal, held as in previous years at the award-winning Rose & Crown, Halstead was as good as ever, despite a slightly lower turnout than usual. This may have had something to do with a certain South-East London football team playing at home, (attendance was probably in double figures at the Valley!), but those of us who made the journey to Halstead enjoyed a huge turkey dinner, washed down with some fine local beers.

Representing local Kentish breweries were Larkins Traditional, Westerham British Bulldog and Whitstable East India Pale Ale. From further afield there was Moorhouse's excellent Black Cat mild, plus a seasonal offering from Lees, Christmas Cracker. The latter was the only beer I wasn't keen on, but then you can't win them all. Thanks once again to Bob and his team for looking after us so well.

ps. Having arrived in Hatstead by bus, we decided to call in at the village's other pub first. This was my first visit to the Cock, and I have to say I was quite impressed. There are two bars, with a collection of old jugs hanging from the beamed ceiling in the main one. The furthermost bar was hosting a group of cyclists (despite the steep hills, or perhaps because of them, this part of Kent seems popular with cycling clubs), but the main attraction (apart from the attractive barmaid), was the guest beer. Camerons Fireside was an unusual beer to find alongside the ubiquitous London Pride, and my only complaint was it was served a trifle too cold. Still, we only had time for the one pint, as there was a dinner waiting for us at the Rose & Crown.

All in all, another excellent day out, and a good start to the festive season.

Bargain Brakspears

I was in Iceland earlier this evening, picking up some frozen pizzas for a quick meal tomorrow. It's not a place I shop in often, but as well as pizzas for just £1 each, I noticed on the way to the checkout that they were selling bottles of Brakspears Bitter, also priced at £1. I bought a couple, stuck them in the fridge for about 45 minutes, and am just enjoying the first one as I write.

It's only a 3.4% brew, but it certainly packs in a lot of flavour for its strength. It's a real bitter beer, but without the harshness of say Shepherd Neame. There's also an underlying malty complexity, that perfectly compliments the hoppiness. In short, it's an excellent beer, with that distinct Brakspear's taste that I remember from visits to the Thames Valley many years ago. At only a pound a bottle, the beer is even better value, and I may just have to polish off the second one before the evening is out!

Almost Perfect

"Almost Perfect" is the title of an interesting article which features in the Winter edition of CAMRA's Beer Magazine. Written by renowned lens man, Mick Slaughter, the article attempts to explain why a number of what most people would regard as classic, unspoilt pubs, have just failed to make it into CAMRA's National Inventory of Heritage Pubs. The article describes 17 pubs which didn't quite make the grade, for reasons that most reasonable observers would describe as "nit-picking", but which Mr Slaughter and his friends in English Heritage have decided to rule out for a number of very dubious decisions.

For some strange reason the national criterion for inclusion is that the pub must have remained largely unaltered since 1939. Why this arbitrary date was chosen is not explained, but Mr Slaughter admits that there are some pubs "where there have been minor or few changes that, had they occurred prior to 1939, would have resulted in the pub being included." What sort of perverse logic is that?

Amongst the pubs excluded from the National Inventory are such well-known gems as the Coopers Tavern in Burton-on-Trent, the Case is Altered at Fiveways in Warwickshire and,closer to where I live, the Lewes Arms, in the town of the same name, and the Bear in Shepherd Neame's home town of Faversham. I know both these pubs quite well, and would certainly include them in any inventory of unspoilt, classic pubs.

CAMRA, yet again, is in danger of taking itself far too seriously. What the compilers of the National Inventory fail to recognise is that pubs change over the years, not always for the better I grant you, but pubs are living entities and NOT museum pieces! Whilst I agree that there is something special about these inventory pubs, we must not forget that they need to be run as viable businesses, and if it is necessary to extend them, or improve their facilities in a way that is sympathetic to the original, then so be it. The alternative of the pub closing, for want of a few basic improvements, is far worse, but perhaps our friends in CAMRA and English Heritage don't quite see it the same way!

Bah Humbug!

The inside back page of the latest edition of Beer Magazine (CAMRA's quarterly publication that is attempting to try and reach out to a new audience), carries a full page advertisement from JDW. The advert depicts pump clips for what it describes as the company's Christmas Ales. These will feature in Wetherspoons outlets throughout the Festive Season.

So far so good, except few to my mind qualify as genuine Christmas Ales. For a start only four of the 23 beers featured are above 5% abv, although I will grant you that both Batemans Rosey Nosey and Mauldon's offering, Bah Humbug are both just under at 4.9%. Back in the days when I had my Ale Shop, I received countless fliers (and phone calls), around this time of year from both regional indpendents and micro's promoting their seasonal offering. Inevitably the beer would be named with an awful pun - you know the sort of thing "Good 'Elf", "Sleighbells", "Christmas Cracker", ad nauseum, but most would fail to deliver in terms of taste. Very few were dark in colour, but instead were just some bog standard brown brewery bitter done up with a fancy name.

So far as I can make out, the selection that Wetherspoons are offering this year is very similar to what I have just described. The awful puns continue, including Elgoods "Snickalmas", Caledonian's "Escape Claus" and Nethergate's "Frank Incensed" - the pump clip for which features an angry looking bloke, with his sleeves rolled up chasing after Father Christmas. This really is scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel! Smiles "Turkey's Delight", which weighs in at a feeble 3.8%, is also taking the biscuit!


The list does feature Hook Norton's excellent Twelve Days, and also Greene King's Abbot Reserve. The latter though, whilst delivering in terms of both strength and taste, is not a true Christmas Ale, although we should perhaps be thankful it too has not been given some fake festive name.

The one genuine Christmas Ale that really does it for me is the seasonal offering from Harveys. Simply titled Christmas Ale, this rich, warming, yet well-hopped beer certainly packs a punch at 8.2%. Furthermore it is brewed well in advance of Christmas, with real care and devotion. Proof of this is the beer is allowed to mature in a vat, over a bed of fresh Golding Hops. The final result is absolutely stunning and knocks spots off most of the fake, gimmicky, so-called Christmas Ales described above. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in a pub selling this stunning beer, treat yourself to a half and you will know what I mean.

New Blog

I've started a New Blog, for anyone that's interested. Entitled Paul's Beer Travels, as its name suggests it's primarily about two of my passions; Beer and Travelling. It's early days yet, and I could have just re-cycled some of my earlier postings on the South Downs Way, or my visits this year to Tallinn, Cologne and Munich. That would be cheating, of course, so instead here's a couple of posts relating to beer and travelling, (plus a brief introduction). Check them out and let me know what you think.

Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale

Couldn't resist picking up a bottle of Shep's 2009 Christmas Ale whilst shopping in Lidl's this morning. What's even better about this 7% abv offering is that Lidl's are selling them at just £1.49 each, or four for £5; a fact I didn't realise at the time. (I'll be waiting outside for them to open tomorrow morning!)

As for the beer itself, the label describes it as "A glowing amber ale with a heady fruity nose. Crystallised winter fruits combine with festive spicy hops on a platform of smooth warming alcoholic notes, leaving a refreshing cleansing hop finish." Roger Protz couldn't have put it better himself!

The above is as good a description as it gets, and I'm certainly not going to try to better it. I would just describe it as a bloody good beer, which perhaps belies its 7% strength. It's certainly very moreish, and at four for £5, I'm definitely heading back down to Lidl's tomorrow morning!

Matt's 18th

I haven't posted for a while as I've been busy and somewhat pre-occupied with other things of late. I haven't really been drinking that much beer or even been to the pub recently. Last night was different though. It was Matt's 18th birthday yesterday so I took him out for a pint. We strolled down the road to the Vauxhall, a large Chef & Brewer outlet that sometimes has an interesting beer on.

We were in luck last night, as the pub had Adnams Broadside on tap at £2.90 a pint; quite a bargain for Tonbridge. Matt let the side down rather by choosing first Strongbow and then Fosters. Still, it was his birthday and these were his first legal pints. He was a bit disappointed that the bar-staff didn't ask for ID (he had his passport with him, just in case).

We had a good chat, and my three pints of Broadside were most enjoyable. We have drunk beer together before, most noticeably in Germany, where the legal age for beer drinking is 16, but it still feels strange that he is now legally old enough to walk into a pub in this country and buy himself a beer! As for the Strongbow and Fosters, he'll no doubt come round to drinking the proper stuff in due course; otherwise I might just have to dis-own him!

ps. This post originally featured a photo of Matt enjoying a beer (legally) in Munich. However, like many of his age group he is not over-keen on having his photo taken, let alone it being posted online! To save him further embarrassment I have decided to remove it.

Fireworks at the Beacon

I spent an excellent evening last night, enjoying the fireworks display at the Beacon, in Rusthall - a village that adjoins Tunbridge Wells. Situated at the end of the quaintly named, Tea Garden Lane, the Beacon looks out across an area known as "Happy Valley". During the summer, one can sit out on the terrace and admire the spectacular views towards Ashdown Forest, whilst during the winter one can sit in the large, comfortable bar of this hotel-cum-restaurant-cum-excellent watering hole. Harveys Best, Larkins Traditional and Taylors Landlord are the beers on offer, in this regular CAMRA Good Beer Guide entry, as well as some excellent food, cooked wherever possible from locally sourced ingredients.

Last night the place was absolutely heaving, owing to the spectacular fireworks display the Beacon was putting on. A number of us from West Kent CAMRA had decided that an evening sampling the Beacon's beers whilst watching the fireworks, would be a good idea. I got a lift over from Tonbridge with a friend of a friend. Fortunately our driver had the presence of mind to park on the edge of the village, as it was impossible to get near the place by car. We walked down the unlit lane, none of us having remembered to bring a torch, and then joined the throngs at the bar. We just managed to get served before the display began, rushing out onto the terrace to watch a really excellent pyrotechnic display.

Once the display was over, there was a predictable rush for the bar. However, quite a few people did start to drift away; especially those who had brought young children with them. After standing outside for a while to allow the queues to subside, we managed to grab some chairs and a table, and settled down to enjoy the excellent Taylors Landlord. All in all it was an excellent evening. The outside temperature was mild for the time of year and, more importantly, it stayed dry - ideal for watching the fireworks. Despite the hordes we managed to get served, and after the display had finished we spent an enjoyable couple of hours chatting amongst friends. Nights at the pub don't get much better than this, so it really was a case of Remember, remember the 5th of November!

Remember the 5th of November

Nothing much to write about at the moment, as have been busy at home, getting ready to decorate the spare room in time for Christmas. I've acquired a few interesting Belgian beers via a work colleague, but apart from one I haven't started sampling then yet. Tomorrow night I'm off to the Beacon at Rusthall, to watch their firework display, and also enjoy a few pints of Landlord. Hopefully I'll make it down to our local Wetherspoons at the weekend to check out what's left at the beer festival.