SIBA South East Beer Festival

I haven't drunk that much English beer since my return from Bavaria the other week; I bought a fair few bottles of local stuff back with me, although it was touch and go as to whether my suitcase would be over the  weight limit for the flight home!  So apart from a few bottles of Ringwood Boon Doggle (which were excellent), that I picked up in Lidl's for the bargain price of £1.19, plus a bottle or three of Fuller's Bengal Lancer that were on promotion in Sainsbury's last week at three for £5.00, my sole sampling of English ale was an excellent pint of Thornbridge Jaipur, on sale over the weekend at our local JDW.

All that will change next weekend though, when Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club play host to the 6th SIBA South East Beer Festival, at their club headquarters overlooking Tonbridge Sports Ground. This is the fourth time that TJ's have staged this prestigious event, which just seems to get better and better each year, and I must say I'm really looking forward to it. The festival acts as a show-case for SIBA members in the South-East Region, allowing them to exhibit their beers, and also to judge them alongside those of fellow members.

According to the festival website, there are 150 different cask beers to choose from, including offerings from companies I've never heard of, let  alone had the pleasure of sampling. As is usual at such events Friday is reserved for the serious side of the festival, namely the judging. This takes place during the day, before the festival opens to the public at 5pm. There are eight categories in the draught section, plus five in the bottled, with separate awards for the best draught and the best bottled beers. That's an awful lot of beers for the judges to get through and to deliver their verdict in an un-biased and objective fashion, but I'm certain they'll manage it somehow!

If you live within travelling distance of Tonbridge, and bear in mind that the town has good rail links with London as well as many other locations in the South East, then do come along. Admission is free, and all beers are £3.00 a pint. As well as the cask ales, there will be a wide variety of bottled beers along with traditional cider. Food wise there will be various barbecued items, plus a hog-roast, and Friday night is billed as "Curry Night". There will also be a variety of  local acts playing live on Saturday.

Hope to see you there!

A Day Out With BOB

On the 4th day of our trip to Munich we had a ride out into the beautiful countryside of Upper Bavaria. Our destination was a place we had been to on our last visit, but as we thought it so picturesque, decided we'd make a return visit. The place in question was the town of Tegernsee, on the lake of the same name in the Bavarian Alps, some 30 miles south of Munich. Tegernsee is home to the Herzogliche Brauerei, and its large Braeustueberl on the shores of the lake,  is an excellent place in which to enjoy beers from this regional brewery.

So where does BOB fit into all this? Well BOB stands for Bayerische Oberlandbahn, which is a private rail company that operates train services between Munich and Tegernsee, along with a number of other destinations. We had used the BOB service before, but only from Holzkirchen, which is at the end of the S5 suburban rail line to the south of Munich. This time we wanted to travel the entire distance using the private rail company, so for the sum of 25 Euros we purchased a return ticket to Tegernsee, which also allowed us to travel anywhere within the inner area on the MVV public transport system.

We caught the 10.10 from Munich Hauptbahnhof,  taking care to travel in the correct portion of the train as it splits twice en route in order to serve two other destinations (Lenggries and Bayisschzell). An hour later we arrived at our destination having left both the city and the flat lands to the immediate south of it behind and climbed up into what are the beginning of the Bavarian Alps. As we approached we could see the lake unfolding below us. The sun was shining and the temperatures rising (it had been quite chilly when we left Munich and we wondered, unnecessarily as it turned out, whether we might have departed under-dressed).

Leaving the station we walked the short distance down into the town and over to the lake, passing the Herzogliche Brauerei on the way. Tegernsee itself is an attractive small town with many buildings constructed in typical Alpine style. With their window boxes exhibiting colourful displays of geraniums, and other flowers, the whole place looked like a picture postcard. Tegernsee is nevertheless a busy working town, as well as a popular tourist destination and its Herzogliche Braeustueberl is undoubtedly one of its most popular attractions so far as visitors are concerned. The  Braeustueberl is housed in former monastery buildings, but the ecclesiastical connection ended in 1803 when the abbey was secularised and taken over by the Bavarian Royal Family, who continued with the brewing business that was formerly conducted by the monks.

Before calling in to slake our thirst, we had a short walk down to the lake shore, pausing to some photo's of the picture-book scenery. That done we returned to the Braeustueberl which houses a centuries old vaulted beer hall. Last time we visited we sat inside, but as the weather  this time was so good, we sat outside on benches shaded by some large vaulted umbrellas. Having arrived quite early we had no difficulty in obtaining a seat, but as the morning turned into afternoon more and more of the benches and tables became occupied, as an increasing number of  visitors started to arrive. Many seemed to have either cycled (not much fun in such hilly countryside), or walked. One groups of walkers told us they had been walking in the woods overlooking the lake for the past few hours and were now looking forward to a drink and something to eat.

Speaking of drink and food we ordered ourselves a half litre glass each of  the 4.8% Tegernsee Helles to begin with, before moving on to the much fuller bodied Spezial, which weighs in at 5.6%. To eat I treated myself to a Bavarian delicacy that I had been meaning to try for a long time, namely Weisswurst. These white, anaemic-looking veal sausages arrived swimming in hot water in a covered metal dish. They certainly tasted much better than they looked, and went down well with some sweet Bavarian mustard and a Brezn or two. Once we'd finished we had a quick look around the brewery shop, and I wish now that I'd bought a few bottles of the two Bock beers produced by the company.

We re-traced our footsteps up to the station and caught the 14.57 train back towards Munich. We didn't go the whole way to begin with choosing instead to break our journey at Holzkirchen, where we alighted and walked into the centre of this small town to undertake something we had failed to achieve back in 2009. The object then had been to try the beers from the Holzkirchener Oberbraeu brewery, but unfortunately we picked a day when the principle pub inn the town, and the former brewer tap, was closed for a rest day (Ruhetag). This time around Zum Oberbraeu was well and truly open, but was understandably quite quiet mid-afternoon. We sat outside in the courtyard at the rear and ordered a Helles each. I had noted that Holzkirchener Oberbraeu were acquired a few years ago by Koenig Ludwig Brauerei (the one owned by Crown Prince Luitpold of Bavaria), but according to the company's website the Holzkirchen plant continues to operate and still produces the Oberbraeu range of beers. I was therefore slightly puzzled when our beers arrived in glasses carrying the Koenig Ludwig Brauerei logo. I asked the waiter whether the beer was the locally brewed version and he assured me that it was, but this is one of the frustrating things about drinking in Germany as there is often no indication at point of sale as to what the beer is! Most of the time the beer is just dispensed from a series of anonymous looking taps.

I found the beer rather thin tasting, so we decided just to have the one and to make our way back to the station. On the way up to Zum Oberbraeu we had noticed a pub selling beers from Klosterbrauerei Reutberg, another former monastic brewery situated some 11 km from Holzkirchen. This was another brewery who's products I was particularly keen to try, so we stopped off at Gasthof Oberland in Muenchner Strasse and were very glad that we did. The pub had a covered veranda type area, overlooking the street at the front of the building, so we parked ourselves at a table there and waited for the waitress to come and serve us. When the beer arrived, the Reutberger Export Hell (5.1%) proved to be one of the best beers of the trip, coming only second to those we sampled at Forschungsbrauerei. Despite its relatively modest strength this Helles was a full-bodied and extremely malty tasting beer, and we were left wishing we had called in there first and given Zum Oberbraeu a miss!

It was very pleasant sitting out on the veranda watching the world go by; people were starting to make their way home after finishing work with the weekend about to unfold. Tempting though it was to stay and have another glass of this excellent beer we decided we had better head back into the city, particularly as the BOB trains only operate on an hourly basis. We walked the short distance back to the station and caught the train back to the Hauptbahnhof after what had been a most enjoyable day out in the Bavarian countryside.

Munich 2012

As I said in my previous post, our recent trip to Munich was not about tracking down rare or unusual beers, but more about having a good time, chilling out and putting the last 15 months well and truely behind us. Many people will know that Munich isn't the place to go to sample world-classic beers, and the products of the city's six large scale, industrial brewers are pretty indistinguishable from one another anyway, (certainly to my taste buds). However, they are still perfectly drinkable, and what's more Munich has some great places in which to enjoy them; none more so than the city's numerous beer gardens.

In order to make the most of  these establishments, we made full use of Larry Hawthorne's excellent Beer Drinkers Guide to Munich, just as we did on our last visit to the Bavarian capital, back in 2009.  Using this guide we were able to visit some smashing beer gardens; places one would hardly know existed, were it not for this well-researched publication. Beer gardens that really stood out were as follows:

Insel Muehle. S-Bahn to Allach followed by a short bus ride brought us to this delightful, secluded beer garden situated on the banks of the fast flowing River Wuerm. Augustiner beers, a light snack of Obatza cheese with a Brezn, combined with the sound of the rushing water  of the river in the background, made the perfect start to our time in Munich.

Alter Wirt. S-Bahn to Planneg, followed again by a short bus ride, took us to the Alter Wirt. This is an up-market pub-cum-restaurant, with a small, but pleasant beer garden, again overlooking the River Wuerm, to the rear. Augustiner beers were again the order of the day, but as the self-service stand was not open at the time of our visit (early lunchtime), we decided not to eat there but instead caught the bus two additional stops to:

Kraillinger Brauerei, which isn't a brewery anymore, but a large beer garden attached to a restaurant ,which now serves beers from Herrnbraeu in Ingolstadt, to the north of Munich. It was worth the short trip there to sample Herrnbraeu beers, in particular the full-bodied and malty Dunkles.

 Hirschgarten. Munich's largest beer garden needs little introduction and, as on our previous visit, didn't disappoint. For the un-initiated the garden is situated in a former royal hunting preserve, close to the opulent Schloss Nymphenburg, and can accommodate up to 8,000 drinkers. Part of the experience of a visit here is choosing one's Mass litre glass from a rack at the side of one of the self-service food stands, rinsing it in cold water in the basin provided, and then walking round the corner to fill it up at the Ausschank with fresh, cool Augustiner Edelstoff drawn straight from a large wooden cask.
 
It seemed like half of Munich was there during our early evening visit, but we still managed to find a table and enjoy a couple of litres of beer to accompany our halfroast chicken and chips. Beers from Hofbraeu Tegernsee and Kaltenberg are also available, but as we were planning to visit Tegernsee the following day, we stuck with the Augustiner.

Kugler Alm. We've wanted to visit this beer garden for a long time, and finally managed it last Sunday evening. After getting the orientation of Larry's map right, the 20 minute walk from Furth S-Bahn station, through open countryside, proved well worth while. Given it was the end of a hot weekend, the place was quiet, but this large, rural beer garden, situated on the edge of a forest really ticked all the right boxes; it even had a widescreen TV showing the ill-fated England v Italy Euro 2012 quarter final match for those masochistic enough to want to watch it!  Named after its original proprietor, Franz Xaver Kugler, the man who is also credited with the "discovery" of "Radler", (lemonade shandy to you and I), Kugler Alm afforded us the only opportunity of our trip of enjoying a Mass or two of Spaten Bier.

Forschungsbrauerei. S- Bahn to Perlach. Not really a beer garden, but a brewery with a pub and small beer garden attached. We visited Forschungsbrauerei on our previous visit to Munich, on a cool and rainy Saturday afternoon, when we discovered that after 4pm the establishment only sold its beers by the litre mug. This was fine for the normal (5.2%) Pilsissimus Export, but not so good for the 7.5% St Jakobus Blonder Bock!

Both beers were excellent, and without doubt the best we sampled on the entire trip. The same was true of our recent visit, despite the fact that the Jakob family, who founded the brewery in 1930, no longer control the business. This time the sun was shining, and the temperatures were in the upper 20's. We sat outside, under a sun-shade, in the small, but neat beer garden at the front of the brewery. Forschungs have a new, lower strength Sommer Helles available, and my son gave this beer a try. I went for the Pilsissimus Export, and am pleased to report is was as good as I remember, full-bodied and well-hopped, as was, in even greater measures, its stronger stablemate St Jakobus Blonder Bock. Fortunately the latter was available this time, in half litre measures, as were the other two beers, but all were served in traditional ceramic mugs. I have mixed feelings about these vessels as whilst undoubtedly they help the beer to stay cool for longer, they don't allow the drinker to appreciate the appearance or colour of the beer. We had some homemade potato soup, complete with chunks of Wiener sausages, for lunch, and this went down very well with the beer. All in all this was an excellent way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon, as the many other visitors to Forschungs demonstrated.

We also visited several of Munich's better known watering holes, including the famous Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten where, along with much of Munich, we spent a welcome few hours as a break from Saturday afternoon shopping. Augustiner Grossgaststaette in the city centre, provided us with a good meal on our last evening in the city, and no article about Munich would be complete without a reference to the world famous Hofbraehaus. Love it or loath it, (and we love it!) the Hofbraehaus with its hordes of visitors from all over the world has a terrific and infectious atmosphere. I will even venture to say that despite its location and reputation it is not too pricey; all things considered.

Also worthy of a mention is Unionsbraeu, situated in the Haidhausen district on the other side of the Isar River/ This establishment is housed in the premises of  a former brewery that was acquired by Loewenbraeu back in 1922. In 1991 the place re-opened as a brew-pub, and today brews an interesting range of beers, first of which is the unfiltered Helles. We enjoyed several glasses of this exellent beer, along with our meal in one of the pub's many rooms.

We had a cople of disappointments. First Augustiner Braeustuben; not a disappointment itself, but disappointing that we chose to visit.on an evening that followed an hour or so of torrential rain.  It seemed that with many beer gardens closed, due to the inclement weather, half of the city had the same idea. The place was absolutely heaving, and the few tables that appeared free had "reserved" notices on them, A great pity really as this place looked really good. We have nade a note to re-visit at a quieter time, (if there is one!).

Secondly, Donisl, just off Marienplatz. I ate here on my first visit to Munich, back in 2005, and we have always used the place on subsequent trips. It offered good value for money, in characterful surroundings, with the added bonus of being able to sit outside during fine weather and watch the world go by. Sadly Donisl seems to have slipped a little. It's beer, Hacker-Pschorr was the dearest we encountered during our stay, at 4.3 Euros per half litre. In contrast the Hofbraehaus was charging a mere 7.30 Euros for a full litre! The food prices have also crept up. Nevertheless, we ate at Donisl on a couple of occasions, but the second time just had the one beer there before adjourning to the Hofbraehaus for the rest of the evening.

So there we have it, a short summary of our experiences amongst the beer gardens and beer halls of Munich. In addition to this, we had a couple of  trips out; one to Tegernsee and the other to Kloster Andechs. Both are venues worthy of a separate write-up, and I'll be doing that shortly.

ps. Please excuse any spelling mistakes. For the third day in a row, Blogger's spell checker does not appear to be working.

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Soon.

My son and I returned yesterday from a much needed, and long desired break in Munich. This wasn't a trip about tracking down obscure beers, or world classics, although we did come up with a couple of winners. It was more a case of enjoying the Bavarian capital, visiting some fantastic Biergartens and just generally chilling out.

The weather was glorious (sunny and warm), the food was hearty and high in calories, and although most of the beer we drunk came from the city's industrial size brewers, it still slipped down a little too easily! Above all we enjoyed that hard to defne mood/state/atmosphere that the Irish call Craic, the Danes Hygge and the Germans Gemuetlichkeit. There was certainly plenty of the latter in the Hofbraeuhaus; and yes we did manage to get served in less than five minutes on both visits!

There's much to report; mainly good, and I'll be elaborating further over the next week or two. In the meantime, I've a lot of catcing up to do and it's also back to work in the morning. An early night is therefore in order. Bye for now.

A Bus Trip to Lewes

It's Friday and the first day of my holiday, so what better way to spend it than in the company of friends visiting an historic town and taking in some unspoilt pubs? We were supposed to be attending the South Downs Festival in Lewes; in fact one of our party had been down to the county town a couple of weeks previously specifically to buy tickets for this "ticket only"event. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful in his quest, as all outlets had sold out. He even tried to purchase some in nearby Brighton. Undaunted we decided to travel down to Lewes anyway, but instead of visiting the beer festival we decided to have a tour around some of the town's pubs.

We stuck to our original plan which was to travel down to Lewes by bus. Brighton & Hove Buses operate an hourly service from Tunbridge Wells to Brighton, calling of course at Lewes en route. What's more the return fare is an unbeatable £3.70. Most of our group though, including myself, were starting from Tonbridge, so we had to buy an Explorer Day Ticket allowing us to use both the local Arriva services as well as those of the aforementioned Brighton & Hove Buses. This cost £6.80; still very reasonable given the distance involved.

Three of us set off from Tonbridge, alighting outside the BBC building in Tunbridge Wells where we were joined by Clive, the fourth member of our party, and the volunteer who had earlier attempted to obtain our tickets for the beer festival. The weather was chilly for the time of year, but dry, and after crossing the border into foreign parts (Sussex) we enjoyed a pleasant journey through the rolling wealden countryside. A little over an hour later we had arrived in the county town of East Sussex.

Our first port of call was the Harveys Brewery Shop, primarily to browse what was on offer in this well-stocked emporium, so that we could pick up heavy purchases, such as bottles of beer, glassware etc, later. Then, after Clive has led us to an independent record shop in the backstreets near the station, we climbed up to what is effectively the town centre, close to the law courts and the town's imposing castle.

A bit more browsing and it was time for our first pub and first pint of the day. Passing the long-closed Star Brewery (now converted into various craft workshops), that formerly belonged to Beard & Co, we made our way to one of the latter's former pubs, the unspoilt Lewes Arms. This solidly traditional back street local made national headlines a few years ago when it took on the might of Greene King. The Suffolk company had begun removing Harveys Best from all the former Beards pubs it acquired following the takeover of the company in 1998. However, regulars at the Lewes Arms were not prepared to give up their favourite tipple without a fight, and begun a boycott of Greene King products, and the pub itself. After adverse publicity, first in the local press, but then later nationally, Greene King relented and Harveys was restored to the Lewes Arms. A few years ago the pub had yet another new owner; this time Fullers. The Chiswick brewers though knew better than to try and remove the locals' favourite beer and today Harveys Best is on sale alongside a range of  Fullers and Gales beers.

Being the first pint of the day, two of us opted for the 3.9% Summer Ale; but Kevin couldn't resist the temptation of his favourite tipple and went straight in on the HSB! What is nice about the Lewes Arms is that it is a real community pub. It has three separate rooms, which are used by a variety of customers who comprise both local as well as visitors like ourselves. There is also a collection of traditional pub games, including the rare Sussex game of Toad in the Hole. 

We had a long day ahead so just had the one there, before departing for a further look around. The pub is built beneath the castle ramparts so we climbed up towards the summit on which stands the castle itself. From here we had an uninterrupted view north, across the town, towards the downs, and from the viewing platform could see the site of the Battle of Lewes which took place in 1264, and which saw the defeat of King Henry III and his army by forces led by Simon de Monfort, Earl of Leicester.

We were getting peckish by now, so making our way past the base of the impressive and commanding castle keep,  found our way to the second pub on our itinerary, the Brewers Arms. This family run free-house  occupies an attractive brick and part half-timbered building in the High Street and, as a terracotta plaque on the wall indicates, was once owned by Page & Overton, who brewed at Shirley, near Croydon. The Brewers is another pub with more than one bar; the front one, which is the more comfortable of the two, is for eating as well as drinking, whilst the larger bar at the rear, is more for pub games and stand-up drinking.

There was a good selection of beers available, but most of us opted for Hop Twister from Salopian Brewery, a pale, intensely-hopped 4.5% abv beer, that was both thirst quenching and satisfying. I also enjoyed an excellent steak and kidney pie, complete with new potatoes and a selection of vegetables, all for the princely sum of £7.00; real value indeed! Afterwards I risked a half of Dark Star Victorian Ruby Mild; a fine beer, but brewed to a typical Victorian strength of 6.0% abv! As well as the aforementioned beers, the Brewers Arms had a cask ale from Cotswold Brewery on sale, alongside the ubiquitous, and almost compulsory for Lewes, Harveys Best. I didn't take a lot of notice as to what the beer was called, but looking at Cotswold's website they seem to concentrate solely on lagers and wheat beers, rather than  English-style ales. All in all I was very impressed with the Brewers Arms, as I had been some four years previously on a similarly cold June day, when my friend Eric and I walked the South Downs Way.

It was a bit of a hike to the third pub on our itinerary, but the first part at least was all downhill. We called in at another record shop en route, but Clive was still unable to procure the obscure bluegrass cd he was looking for, and then continued down towards the Cliffe area of the town. Crossing the River Ouse by Harneys Brewery, we also passed the legendary Gardener's Arms, which we would be visiting later. We continued to the end of Cliffe High Street and turned left into South Street. At the far end we eventually reached our destination, the quirky Snowdrop Inn.  Rather than being named after winter flower the Snowdrop commemorates the Lewes Avalanche, which occurred on 27 December 1836, when a huge build-up of snow on a chalk cliff overlooking the town collapsed into the settlement 100 metres below, destroying a row of cottages and killing eight people. It remains the deadliest avalanche on record in the United Kingdom. The present pub was built on the site of the destroyed cottages, and named the Snowdrop in memory of this tragic event.

This was my first visit to the pub in nearly 20 years. When I worked in the town it was the nearest pub to the factory where I was employed, and was therefore a natural choice for a lunchtime drink Even back then it was a quirky sort of place, but I gather it had become rather run-down during the years in between before it was rescued by its current owners, in 2009. To me though, not a lot appeared to have changed, although the attractive, narrow-boat style paintings and decorations on the walls are a new and welcome addition.

The pub was pleasantly empty when we arrived, although that was soon to change when the beer festival closed  for the afternoon break. I noticed the pub had Budvar Light and Dark on tap, alongside Brooklyn Lager, but tempted though I was by the last two named beers, decided to stick to the more traditional offerings the pub had on sale, and was drawn to the two beers from Dark Star: American Pale Ale and Saison. The first beer was excellent, the second not so good, but still drinkable. It reminded me of a wheat beer; a style I have never been particularly keen on.

Time was moving on, and as a couple of our party were keen to get back in time for the England v. Sweden game, we had made a provisional decision to travel back by the 17.45 service. We re-traced our foot steps and made our way to the aforementioned Gardener's Arms. As expected, it was heaving and, regrettably, the Kissing Gate Smelter's Stout that I'd noticed on sale when we'd walked past earlier,  had all gone, (no doubt the refugees from the Beer Festival were partly to blame!). We still managed to find some space in the room at the rear, and I grabbed a couple of halves of Pot Belly Ambrosia Mild (pleasant, but nothing special) and Green Jack Mahseer IPA, (excellent).

I have known the Gardener's on and off over many years; it is a narrow pub with rooms to the front and rear of the central servery. Basic, probably sums it up, but it has always majored on serving an eclectic selection of beers, from some of the lesser known micro-breweries, although it has also in the past stocked "badged beers" from the likes of Archers and Cottage. The Archers connection is perhaps understandable, as I gather the guvnor is a Swindon Town FC fan; why else would there be a  photo of the team in the gents? Having said that it's a cracking pub, with an interesting mix of both regulars and visitors alike.

There was time for just one more pint before  catching the bus home. Just round the corner of the next block lies the John Harvey Tavern; the closest pub to Harvey's Brewery, and one that stocks a wide range of the company's beers. So far as I remember, the John Harvey has only been a pub for around 15 years, but the building itself is much older, and is constructed from local flints. .As mentioned earlier, the pub stocks a good selection of Harvey's beers, some of which are dispensed by gravity from casks kept behind the bar. My pint of  Armada was certainly in tip-top condition.

We stood outside, enjoying the sunshine, but all too soon it was time to go. The bus we had selected was the express service with  fewer stops and hence a much faster journey time home. It had been an excellent day out; much better than being stuck inside a beer festival. The visit  reminded me just what a charming town Lewes is; charming yet at the same time slightly Bohemian in character and possessed by an independent spirit coupled with a strong sense of local pride. It's a town I will keep going back to, as it has the right mixture of drive, quirkiness and sense of its own past to want to draw people back. Also there are several more interesting pubs just waiting to be explored!
 

As you may have gathered, I have something of a soft spot for Lewes. This historic old town nestles in a fold in the South Downs, and with its narrow twisting streets, and  attractive ancient buildings, occupies a fitting role as the county town of East Sussex. Lewes has some deep-rooted traditions, the best known of which are the famous bonfire-night celebrations that take place every year  on November 5th. Then the whole town comes to a standstill, as various local bonfire-societies parade through the town in a  variety of colourful costumes.

Probably the main reason though why Lewes rate so highly in my affections, is that it is home to my favourite brewery - Harvey & Son Ltd. In addition, but of secondary importance, is the fact that I spent  three and a half years working just outside the town. Although I disliked the job I was doing (as well as the long journey each way), I did leave a number of good friends there when I left.

You can see Lewes lying like a box of toys under a great amphitheatre of chalk hills ... on the whole it is set down better than any town I have seen in England.

— William Morris (1834-1896)

A Curious Brew?

In my last post I mentioned how the number of breweries in Kent had now reached the magic figure of 25, and wondered if this number could survive in what is a very competitive and, at times, cut-throat market. However, reading reports submitted by  the various CAMRA Brewery Liaison Officers, it seems they are all reporting buoyant and, often increasing, sales which is good news indeed. One way they can continue to grow is by specialising in certain areas and, perhaps offering something unique that will appeal to certain small, but growing niche markets. The latter course can quite often be financially rewarding for a company, particular when it is one of the first on the scene

I was prompted to write this post after picking up a couple of what I would call "boutique-style" beers in our local Waitrose the other day, and having tried them I have to say they are rather good. The beers in question are Curious Porter and Curious IPA. Both come packaged in attractively labelled 33cl bottles and, what's more, they appear to be brewed in Kent.  According to the back label on the bottle, the beers are produced by English Wines Group plc., at the Chapel Down Winery, just outside Tenterden. This company does NOT feature on the list I alluded to in my last post, so if they are actually brewed at Tenterden, this brings the number if breweries in the county to 26!




Curious Porter is described as a "Bottle-conditioned, English Porter, matured with oak". It has an abv of 5.0% and according to the producers has been brewed from a mixture of crystal, chocolate, black and amber malts, all made from floor malted Sussex barley. The "bittering hop" is Sussex grown Admiral with a small amount of Goldings added as late hops. The notes then go on to say: "Matured with oak to give a delicate balance of sweetness and bitterness, this beer is bottle-conditioned and un-pasteurised to preserve the extraordinary flavours."

Curious IPA is described as an "Intensely hopped India Pale Ale". It has an abv of 5.6% and is brewed using the finest pale ale malt and three complimentary hops; Goldings, Bramling Cross and Citra. The producers claim that in balancing these three hops they have created "a beer of great power yet drinkable harmony." Whilst I wouldn't quite put it that way myself, I have to agree they have created an excellent beer, and one I will certainly be trying again.

The porter is equally good, and looking on the company's website, I notice they also produce a similarly packaged, 4.7% abv lager, called simply Curious Brew, which is cold-filtered and un-pasteurised. Although one might expect a corporate website to say this, there appears to be a good ethos about the company, and they certainly seem committed to producing top quality wines and beers. They state "We have assembled a team of highly professional, talented people who share an ambition to create truly World Class, interesting, distinctive and award-winning wines that will surprise and delight the most discerning consumers." 


It appears that renowned brewer Andy Hepworth, has been involved with the brewing, so whether the beers are produced at his Horsham brewery rather than Tenterden, remains to be seen. Whatever the case they are very good and well worth a try if you spot them on the shelf of your local supermarket.

"Curious Brew is a range of three beers that are a fusion of brewing and wine-making techniques.
Drawing on both beer know how from Andy Hepworth multi-award winning brewer from Sussex and wine-making expertise from Chapel Down, we believe this range of beer offers the discerning beer drinker a unique experience.
Well balanced, carefully considered and patiently brewed. Curious Brew represents the best of English brewing."

Kent's Quarter Century

Well it's official, as I've just received confirmation via CAMRA's Regional Brewery Report, that the number of breweries operating in Kent has  reached 25. Not bad for a county the size of ours, and whilst I have reservations as to whether all these companies can survive, it is still an achievement to be proud of.

The breweries range in size from brew-pubs (we have two in the county; one in the east and one in the west), through to Kent's largest, and the country's oldest, brewery - Shepherd Neame of Faversham. In between are the likes of some of the longer established concerns such as Gadds, Goachers, Hodaemon, Larkins, Millis, Nelson, Westerham and Whitstable,  plus more recent arrivals such as Black Cat, Kent Brewery, Moodleys, Old Dairy, Royal Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge Brewery.

Now with the establishment of brand new breweries in Ashford, Canterbury, Dover, Hythe and Maidstone the magic figure of 25 has been reached. As I said at the beginning, I just hope there is sufficient trade in the county for them all to survive as, in common with other parts of the country, we have had casualties in the past; Ales of Kent, Kent Garden Brewery and Swale Brewery spring to mind.

In the meantime though, I haven't managed to sample the wares of all of Kent's breweries yet; in fact I still have a fair way to go with the products of 10 enterprises yet to try! For a list of all the county's breweries please click on the following link. Kent Breweries.