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.

Saturday's Bus Trip

Saturday's tour of some of the more remote pubs of West Kent and East Surrey was a great success. Despite the rain, our vintage coach turned up on time, and we were transported through the leafy lanes around Edenbridge and Lingfied to some splendid rural hostelries.

We started at the Rock, an unspoilt rural gem on high ground to the west of Penshurst. "Bandit country", was one comment heard on the coach as we climbed up through the woods, and then down through a cutting made in one of the sandstone outcrops that makes up this part of the High Weald. The tiny hamlet of Chiddingstone Hoath, where the Rock is situated, certainly is in the middle of nowhere, although the only "bandits" are the super-rich who inhabit many of the very attractive, upmarket, converted cottages and farmhouses in the vicinity.

I have written about the Rock before, with its floor of well-worn bare-bricks, and its unusual hexagonal wooden hand pulls on the bar, but it seems changes are afoot. For many years the pub has been tied to Larkins Brewery, but at the end of the month, the lease runs out and Larkins will not be re-newing it. We have been told that the pub will be closing for a while to allow renovation work to be carried out. These works include installing a new kitchen and upgrading the toilets (whatever that means!). It will the re-open as a free house. Hopefully not too much else will be altered, otherwise the Rock could lose its essential character.

We all managed to squeeze into the Rock, and sample both the Larkins Traditional and the stronger Best Bitter, before re-boarding the coach and heading off to our next destination. The Royal Oak, at Staffhurst Wood was a new pub for most of us. It is situated on the other side of Edenbridge, just over the border into Surrey. Although the rear of the pub is given over to dining, the Royal Oak is still very much a traditional country pub. The bar is sited at the front of the building, and alongside the regular beers of Harveys, Larkins and Westerham, perched up on the bar were three casks containing dark ales. These were Kings Old Ale, O' Hanlon's Port Stout and Dark Star Espresso. What made these beers even more attractive was their price of just £2.00 a pint. The landlord later revealed the strategy behind this promotion, the idea being to give his regulars something a bit different to try, at a price well below what he would normally charge. As he said to me, "at this price I know I will sell the cask(s)", (normally he has just one on). "If I sold them at the same price of my other beers, the danger is that I would end up having to pour half of the cask away". This "loss leader" is an excellent idea - other landlords please follow suite!

Most of us had pre-ordered a meal, and my Suffolk Pie (bacon, leeks, cheese, potatoes and mustard) was both filling and tasty. The rain had given over by the time we left the Royal Oak, and whilst the next pub was not that far as the crow flies, by road it took the best part of 30 minutes. The pub in question was the Wheatsheaf at Marsh Green, an old favourite of the branch and a perennial Good Beer Guide entry. Landord Neil, had laid on a good selection of beers for us, including Tripple fff Alton's Pride , O ' Hanlon's Firefly and two seasonals from Harveys - Old Ale and Star of Eastboune.

Continuing the dark theme, I was straight in on the Harveys Old - one of my all time favourite dark beers, and the first of the season so far as I was concerned. We didn't seem to have much time in the Wheatsheaf; either that or I was talking too much! I was just about to order myself a half of Star of Eastbourne, when our tour leader announced it was time to get back on the coach and head off for the final pub of the trip. There was just enough time to thank Neil for the excellent range of beers he had provided for us before we were off.

It wasn't far to Cowden Pound and the Queens Arms, aka "Elsies"; our last port of call that day. We just about managed to fit inside this unspoilt, CAMRA National Inventory-listed, time warp pub. Fortunately Elsie's helpers had opened the other, larger, but rarely used left-hand bar. For many of our MMK colleagues, this was their first experience of the Queen's Arms and they weren't disappointed. Elsie only sells the one draught beer, namely Adnams Bitter and of course no lager at all! She put in an appearance, sitting behind the bar whilst her two lady helpers coped admirably with keeping our glasses re-charged.

We finally arrived back in Tonbridge around 7pm. After saying farewell to our Maidstone colleagues, a few of us adjourned to the nearby Punch & Judy, which is fast becoming south Tonbridges's best watering hole. Harveys Best and Hobgoblin were the beers on offer. I only stayed for one, as it had been a rather long, but very enjoyable day out.

Vintage Bus Trip

I'm really looking forward to Saturday. West Kent CAMRA members have been invited along on a Vintage Bus Trip organised by our neighbours in Maidstone & Mid-Kent CAMRA. The bus will be calling at four pubs, three of which are in our branch area.

The Rock, at Chiddingstone Hoath will be our first port of call. This tucked-away rural gem is the only pub belonging to Larkins Brewery, but not for much longer it seems. We will then make our way across the border onto Surrey, to the Royal Oak at Staffhurst Wood for a lunchtime stop. This is the only pub not in our branch area. The Royal Oak has a good write-up in the current Good Beer Guide, so I am looking forward to visiting it.

Our third pub is an old favourite of the branch; the Wheatsheaf at Marsh Green. This excellent free house has been a consistent GBG entry for many years, and landlord Neil is bound to have an interesting selection of beers waiting for us.

The last pub is the legendary Queens Arms at Cowden Pound. Known locally as "Elsie's", after its octogenarian landlady, the Queens Arms really is like stepping back in time. Adnams Bitter is the only draught beer on sale, and Elsie even has a notice outside advertising the fact that "Lager is not Sold Here". I have written about the Queen's Arms in a previous posting, and it will be good to re-visit this CAMRA National Inventory-listed pub again. It will also be good to catch up with old friends from our neighbouring branch.

Sennockian 10th Birthday

One of the three local Wetherspoons in our CAMRA branch area celebrated the 10th anniversary of its opening last weekend. The outlet in question was the Sennockian in Sevenoaks (Sennockian meaning someone who comes from, or lives in Sevenoaks). Yesterday (Monday), we were invited to a "meet the brewer" evening at the Sennockian, only the person in question wasn't a brewer, but the free-trade rep from Hogs Back Brewery. (Hogs Back employ a female brewer, so the evening would have had to be called "meet the brewster" had she turned up).

Anyway, the Sennockian was showcasing Hogs Back's products , with four of the company's beers on tap. These were TEA (re-badged for the evening), Hop, the seasonal Autumn Ale and OTT. They were on sale at the special promotional price of £1.79 a pint. and very good they were too. There was a free buffet, including birthday cake, and a raffle in aid of Clic Sargeant, Wetherspoon's own special charity.

The local press turned up for a photo-shoot, as did Wetherspoons own photographer. It was an excellent evening, with a good turnout from local CAMRA members. Our thanks to Sennockian manager Jo and her staff for organising the whole event.