GBBF 2012 Friday

I attended the Great British Beer Festival, as planned last Friday and was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Fears, aired by some correspondents, over travel difficulties proved groundless from the point of view of my party, with three of us (son Matthew,  friend Don plus myself)  travelling  up from Tonbridge by train, to Waterloo and then catching a train to Clapham Junction. From here we caught a London Overground service involving just three stops, to Olympia. This was a far better option than battling along on the District Line and then having to wait ages on the platform at Earl’s Court for a shuttle, which wasn’t running anyway.

Once inside the venue, we picked up a programme, plus a glass each and then grabbed a quick beer (Worthington E in my case), before heading up onto the new mezzanine floor at the rear of the hall. This proved a good move as we were able to commandeer a table at which we based ourselves for the rest of the day, taking it in turns to issue forth on forays to the various bars or food stands for essential supplies. Our base was more or less adjacent to the Czech and German bar, which pleased Matthew as he is a lager drinker rather than a real ale fan. There were several beers on sale here that he was already familiar with from our past trips to Germany, including Andechs, Augustiner, Kneitinger and Tegernsee. It was also on a trip back from this bar that I bumped into Peter Alexander aka Tandleman, who was waiting to start his stint behind the aforementioned bar. Having been a regular follow of Tandleman’s entertaining and highly readable blog for several years, it was really good to meet up with him in person, and put a face to the name, so to speak. We had a chat about how the festival was going, his recent trip to Berlin and things in general, and after going our separate ways bumped into each other again a bit.later on.

I didn’t say so at the beginning of the post, but walking into Olympia that day was just like old times. The bright and airy feel that the impressive glass-canopied roof gives to the venue was in stark contrast to the gloomy, oppressive feel of Earl’s Court, where there is no natural lighting, and apart from space constraints one can’t help wondering why CAMRA ever moved from here in the first place.

Well, that’s the transport arrangements and the venue dealt with, so what about the most important part of the festival, namely the beer? In the days preceding the event I had made full use of the interactive “list-creating” feature on the GBBF website. Over this time I’d built up a list of some 30 possible beers to try, most of which were well-hopped, pale or golden beers. With one or two exceptions, I had selected beers that were brewed using a proportion of American or New Zealand hops, as I like the crisp, citrus-like aromas imparted by these varieties. I was slightly disappointed that some of the more cutting edge breweries were not represented at the festival, but with a list of nearly 30 beers to choose from I was sure I would find plenty to my liking, which I of course did. I was tempted to include some actual American-brewed beers in my list, but as I would be drinking all day, the high alcoholic strength of most of them  put me off. There was also the thought that it would be rather churlish to be drinking American beers at the Great British Beer Festival!

Looking back I tried just over half the beers on my list. Unfortunately being the penultimate day of the festival quite a few of the more esoteric beers had sold out, and thus I was denied the delights of Black Cherry Mild from Kissingate Brewery, Chocolate Orange Delight from Downton and Chocolate Orange Stout from Amber Ales. What I did manage to catch though was 5X from Greene King. This 12% ABV aged beer is normally only used for blending with another beer to make Suffolk Strong (6% ABV). It undergoes a long maturation in oak vats at the brewery, like a keeping or stock ale of old. As far as I’m aware this is the first occasion that Greene King have allowed it to be served, unblended to the general public. There was a catch though,  because of  the beer's rarity value there was only one firkin per day on sale from 5pm onwards, until it ran out, (which wasn’t long!). In addition, it was only available in third of a pint measures, with each one costing £2.00. (Highly reasonable in view of its high strength and the limited quantity available.)

After queueing up and procuring my sample I set about tasting this legendary beer. It was mid-brown in colour, virtually devoid of condition, but with a complex and varied palate that resembled a fortified wine such as Madeira or Amontillado sherry. It really was like travelling back to the 18^th Century when such strong, vatted keeping ales were much more commonplace, and when large country houses would have had their own brew-house turning out such beers for the landed gentry to enjoy. Whether Greene King could produce enough of this beer on a regular basis, bearing in mind the long maturation period it undergoes is open to question, as is whether there would be sufficient demand for such a strong and unusual beer.

As well as the aforementioned, golden, hoppy American style pale ales, there were a couple of other beers that really caught my fancy. First Old Dairy Silver Top, a very drinkable recreation of the now rare Cream Stout style of beer, with toffee, chocolate and coffee flavours from the roasted malts used,  and Worthington White Shield, a beer that needs no introduction in bottled form, but which on draught tasted even better.  Molson Coors, please take note and make this excellent beer more widely available on draught! I had one foreign beer, Schumacher Alt – a copper-coloured alt-style beer from Dusseldorf, with a strong malty flavour.  I wanted to end with another foreign beer; an old favourite and one of the most unusual and highly flavoured beers available. Unfortunately draught stocks of  the legendary Schlenkerla Rauchbier from Bamberg had been exhausted for the day, and whilst it was still available in bottled form, a half litre at this late stage of the proceedings would not have been advisable. 

Having dealt with the beer, mention should be made of the food. We had bought a packed lunch with us, but as late afternoon turned into early evening we became peckish again. There had been snacks such as pork scratchings and pies to help soak up the beer, but by about 6pm both Matt and I were hungry enough to be attracted to the Thai food stall.  I had a very good Thai green curry, whilst Matt had Thai noodles. There were also plenty of other food stands to chose from, ranging from fish and chops to Cornish Pasties and Bratwurst. 

We  eventually left the festival shortly before 9pm. It had become increasingly more crowded by this time with the arrival of  the after work crowd, and people were three or four deep at the bar waiting to get served. When one has to fight one's way to the bar, then it ceases to be a pleasant experience. All power to CAMRA's elbow though, as once again the festival was obviously a rip-roaring success. It's early days yet, but with talk of Earl's Court being demolished, plus the West Hall being available next year at Olympia, then the latter seems the logical venue at which to hold GBBF. I for one certainly hope so.

Lost in Hyperspace

This post is primarily intended for fellow bloggers, although casual readers and visitors to this site might also be interested, and may even be able to offer some advice.

A most annoying thing happened yesterday evening, in fact it's something that has never occurred before in four years of blogging, and I hope  won't happen again. I was putting the finishing touches to the post about my recent visit to the Great British Beer Festival, when the whole, quite lengthy post just vanished. I say "just vanished",  there was some input from me in the form of  clicking on the "undo" button on the toolbar, in order to re-instate a photo that had decided to delete itself after I'd re-positioned some text. The next thing I knew I was left with a completely blank dashboard, and before I could exit the post, without saving - so as to return to what had been there a few moments before, the auto-save function kicked in thereby saving a totally blank post!

I tried all sorts of options to try and recover my work, including looking back via the history function, but every time I tried  it just re-hashed the latest (ie. blank) version of my post. I wasted even more time by carrying out various on-line searches along the lines of "how to re-instate posts that had been accidentally deleted", but all to no avail. It appears that if the post has been published, then there would be every chance of recovering it by searching for it, and then accessing it that way. However, if, as in my case, the post was only in draft form, then that's it, it's gone for good! Several people had pointed out that Blogger does not have a very good recovery option when it comes to dealing with situations like this, but what I want to know is why the wretched thing deleted itself in the first place?

I have used the "undo" option many times in the past without any problem, so why did my carefully constructed article just disappear into hyper-space? I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has had similar problems, and would be even more grateful if someone could tell me if there is a way to recover my post.

In the meantime I am re-writing my post on GBBF 2012.

GBBF 2012

Well I've purchased my advanced tickets for Friday, printed them off, and have just about finished sorting out my beer list using the interactive feature on the GBBF website. Having missed last year's event, I am really  looking forward to this year's, especially as the festival is returning to Olympia. I much prefer this venue to Earl's Court, which always seemed like an underground car park to me; gloomy, all concrete pillars and roof, with no natural lighting! My son is accompanying me for the first time, and although he's a lager drinker, I am sure there will be plenty of beers that will interest him at GBBF.

Whilst on the subject of beers, I have to say there seem to be a number of glaring omissions with regard to those breweries chosen for the festival. Whilst one might not have expected  Brew Dog to feature, given their somewhat rocky relationship with CAMRA, I am surprised, and somewhat disappointed that the likes of Camden Town, Dark Star, Hawkshead, Kernel, Meantime etc are not featured. I am also disappointed that only four Kentish breweries have been selected (and one of those is Shepherd Neame!). The Garden of England now boasts twenty-five breweries for heaven's sake, so come on organisers, what are you playing at? Also, there appears to be no Czech beers amongst the foreign beers selected. Surely one of the world's greatest brewing nations deserves better than this?

Despite these gripes, I'm managing to wade my way through the assortment of boring brown beers with silly names, and come up with a selection that I look forward to trying on the day. I am also looking forward to visiting the various stands. especially the CAMRA bookshop and food stalls, scattered throughout the hall, and hopefully meeting up with friends both old and new.

One final gripe: as mentioned above,  I bought my tickets in advance, using the on-line booking facility on the website. This offers a £2 reduction off the "on the door" price. However, CAMRA then spoil things by charging a transaction fee of £1.06, so this is not quite the bargain offer it first appears.Admittedly this fee is charged per order and NOT per ticket, but it is still over the top, especially when one is using one's own paper and ink to print the tickets out! One might expect this  from Ryan Air, but surely not from the Campaign for Real Ale?

Moan over. I know a huge amount of work goes into organising, running and staffing the Great British Beer Festival; the vast majority of it carried out by an army of unsung volunteers who give up their spare time, and in many cases part of their annual leave, to ensure the festival is a resounding success. I take my hat off to them all, and look forward to enjoying the fruits of all their hard work when I visit Olympia on Friday.

Footnote: I see that  Coniston No 9 Barley Wine, has won the Champion Beer of Britain, Congratulations to the brewery,  but whilst it's good to see this style of beer wining the top award, I can see them running into all sorts of problems in trying to meet the inevitable demand there will now be for this ale. Winning the CBOB award can sometimes be a poisoned chalice, as several previous winners have found to their cost!

Three More Classic Pubs

Regular readers of this blog will know how fortunate those of us who live in West Kent are to have so many picturesque,  unspoilt pubs on our doorstep. The only drawback is that many of these gems  are sited in rural areas, well off the beaten track and well away from public transport links. Of course one could always drive out to them, but that defeats the object. However, with a bit of forward planning it is possible to visit even the remotest of these outlets by combining public transport with a bit of physical exercise.

And so it transpired that after last week's successful day out on the Spa Valley Railway, a group of us arranged an impromptu visit on Saturday, to a few of the more remote rural pubs, that we don't often get the chance to visit. Our main goal was the CAMRA National Inventory listed, Old House at Ightham Common. The Old House is a real time-warp pub which, following a period of uncertainty, has recently been brought into the 21st Century. The Old House has limited opening hours,  and is not open weekday lunchtimes. The reason behind this is that owner and licensee, Nick Boulter has a full time job in the city, which means opening has to be restricted to weekday evenings and weekends. Nick's brother Richard, ran the pub for 20 years prior to Nick taking over and it was the uncertainty over the succession that had called the pub's future into doubt. Fortunately, things turned out  fine in the end, and following some much needed renovation work, the Old  House is well and truly back open again for business.

 

The Old House is situated to the south of Ightham village in Redwell lane, and whilst an attractive, part 17th Century tile-hung building, there are few clues externally that it is actually a pub! There is no pub sign and the signboard on the right gable has faded beyond recognition!  All doubts as to the building's purpose vanish once one steps inside where there are two bars. The main one is to the left, whilst to the right is a smaller bar that looks more like someones front room, complete with armchairs, chaise long etc. The main bar has a plank and beam ceiling, and bare wooden parquet floors. During the winter months it is heated by a large brick inglenook fireplace, which was unveiled by the present owners - previously there was a Victorian tiled fireplace in front of it.  All the beer is served by gravity and is fetched from the cellar room behind the bar. The pub also boasts a selection of 200  different whiskies, many of which are quite rare.
 
It was a good ten or so years since I last visited the Old House, and as that occasion was  part  of a mini-bus tour of "hard to get to" rural pubs, organised by the branch, it was a bit of a whirlwind visit. I was therefore looking forward to returning to the pub, and to spending a more relaxing time there. So  last Saturday morning a group of eight of us boarded the 222 bus  in order to fulfil this quest. The Old House, however, was not to be our first port of call; instead we alighted  in the village of Plaxtol, and walked the short distance along to another wonderfully unspoilt pub: the Golding Hop. The reason for this deviation was to enable those of us that wished to eat, to take advantage of the Golding Hop's basic, but generously portioned cheap pub-grub selection, before moving  on to the Old House where, apart from crisps and nuts, food is not available.

The Golding Hop needs little introduction; I have written about it on a number of occasions, and it is another time-warp pub. Located in an unbelievably idyllic rural setting to the north of Plaxtol, the pub offers gravity dispensed beers and ciders (including a home-made "house rough"), simple and good value for money food, in surroundings that have not changed for many a year. Long serving licensees, Eddie and Sonia provide the welcome and whilst dogs are allowed in the pub, children are not, although there is a large garden opposite, with facilities such as swings, climbing frame etc. to keep families occupied.

On Saturday, Adnams Southwold,  Wadworth Henry's IPA and Fullers Seafarer's were the beers available; whilst I didn't try the Seafarer's I have to report the Henry's IPA was very good, but the Adnams much less so. Unfortunately variable quality beer has been a feature of the Golding Hop over the years, in my experience at least, and on this occasion those CAMRA colleagues who previously wouldn't hear any criticism of the pub's beer, had to agree that the Adnams, and also the Seafarer's, really wasn't up to scratch. Beer quality aside, the pub is still an excellent place to visit, and I enjoyed my Henry's IPA, priced at just £2.60 a pint, along with my quarter pound beefburger in a bap, for a mere £2.80!

Suitably fed and watered, we departed the Golding Hop, and set off to walk to the Old House. Our route took us through several orchards, all laden with apples and pouring cold water on fruit growers' fears about the cold, wet summer leading to a  poor harvest! We climbed steadily upwards, away from the Bourne Valley, towards the higher ground of the Greensand Ridge. Thirty minutes or so later, we had crossed the busy A227 and were descending down into Ightham Common and the Old House.

The exterior of the pub was as described above, although there was a large Union flag draped below the anonymous signboard. Internally nothing much appeared to have changed, although a closer inspection revealed it had undergone a thorough spruce-up, which included a complete renovation of the toilets and a  new coat of paint for both the bars. We arrived shortly after one o'clock and there were only a handful of people in the pub, including one slightly larger than life character who we knew quite well! There was a good selection of beers, including Wadworth 6X, Young's Ordinary and Special Bitters, plus two offering from Dark Star Brewery. I opted for the latter, starting with a pint of Hophead before moving on to the American Pale Ale. Both beers were excellent, but the latter had the edge over the Hophead and I just had to have another pint before we departed the pub, round about three-thirty in the afternoon.

During the time we were there the Old House filled up nicely, with a good number, and good mix, of regulars. I couldn't help noticing  though, that we were the only customers to arrive by foot; all the others had driven there! That aside, the Old House remains a timeless classic which seems to be enjoying something of a renaissance under its new owner. The beer quality was excellent and so far as I was concerned, knocked that of the Golding Hop for six! Both pubs use gravity dispense, and both pubs keep their beers in a room out the back. The difference being that the Old House uses a cooling system, that was clearly evident in the temperature of the beer and its subsequent high quality; the Golding Hop on the other hand. employs no such cooling, and unfortunately this has a negative effect on beer quality, particularly in summer!  Surely there is a moral here somewhere?

As mentioned above, we reluctantly left the Old House after a most enjoyable session, as it doesn't stay open all afternoon. Before heading back to Tonbridge though, we had one other pub on our itinerary. The Plough at Basted, is another isolated rural pub, situated on the other side of the Bourne Valley from the Golding Hop. It is also a pub that I thought had closed long ago, especially as it was some thirty years or do since I had last visited it! We re-traced our footsteps, passing through the same orchards, but this time we kept straight on until we reached the bottom of the valley. Here we turned left (due north) and followed the course of the River Bourne up towards its source. River is a bit of a misnomer, as the Bourne is nothing more than a stream. In times past though it must have been a much larger and more powerful watercourse to have cut such a valley through the surrounding line of hills.

Eventually we reached our destination and turned right up a steep, narrow lane to the Plough. The pub is sited right next to a large, industrial looking farm, but apart from that it's situation is pleasantly rural. Thirty years is a long time, but with the exception of an internal coat of blue-coloured paint, the Plough didn't seem to have altered much. Adnams Bitter was on sale, alongside a couple of other beers, but it was the Southwold beer that caught my fancy. After the disappointment  earlier in the day, this time round the beer was just right. Being a warm and sunny afternoon, we sat outside on the raised decking at the front of the pub. There were one or two other people there, but it was that strange time, similar to what we had experienced the previous week at the Crown in Groombridge, between the afternoon and evening sessions when most pubs are on the quiet side.

We only stayed for one beer at the Plough. Ian and Don, who were acting as our guides, were keen to press on, particularly as the last bus back was due at around 6.30pm. Their plan was to continue along the course of the Bourne before striking north and heading into Borough Green. Here not only would we be able to catch the bus home, but would also be able to enjoy one final pint in the Black Horse, a pub I am not familiar with. Leaving the Plough, and turning right at the bottom of the lane, led us into a rather strange development of modern, and very upmarket houses, that seemed totally incongruous with the surrounding rural setting. I had a vague recollection that there once was an industrial operation carried on in this location, but a look at the map revealed no real clues as to what had once been carried out here. I remembered that a large publishing firm were once based to the south of Borough Green, and when I arrived home a bit of Internet research proved that my memory had not been playing tricks on me!

My researches revealed that back in the early 18th century Basted was the location of a water-powered paper mill; one of a series along the River Bourne.  The mill was later converted to steam power and finally closed after flooding in 1968. The site was then taken over by the legal and accountancy specialist publishers Butterworths, and this is how I remember it. Butterworths departed in 1997 and the mill has been redeveloped as housing, which takes advantage of the attractive waterside setting and surrounding green space. Some of the water features have been preserved or reconstructed, such as the mill pond and a waterfall, and these, along with the concrete channelling of the watercourse, were noticed as we followed  the footpath through the new development.
 
Unfortunately the best laid plans can go astray, and we somehow took a wrong turning in the woods. Despite following the stream for some distance, we eventually emerged into a field that was not part of a dedicated right of way. We had to clamber over a fence in order to get out of the field and reach a housing estate that led us in to Borough Green. By this time though  there was insufficient time to visit the Black Horse and make our bus. This was probably just as well as I, for one, had had a surfeit of ale by this stage and was keen to get back home.

We walked down to the railway station, which acts as a turn around for the bus. This turned up, after a short wait, and even had the same driver from our outward journey in charge. Twenty minutes or so later, we were dropped off back in Tonbridge after yet another excellent day out in the Kent countryside.

For more information about the Old House,  plus some excellent photographs of the pub's interior. by Michael Slaughter, please click on the link here.

Spa Valley Railway Re-visited

Back in July 2010 West Kent CAMRA enjoyed a run on the Spa Valley Railway's "Fish and Chips Special". Travelling through the delightful Kent countryside, seated in comfortable old rolling stock and hauled by a vintage steam engine, we travelled down to Groombridge, on the Kent-Sussex border where, after enjoying our fish and chip supper on the train, we walked the short distance up the hill, to the historic and unspoilt, Crown Inn. Here we enjoyed a few pints of locally brewed Sussex ales. (Harveys and Hepworths), before catching the train back to Tunbridge Wells.

Two years on and the Spa Valley Railway has been extended, and now operates right down to Eridge, where it connects with Southern mainline services on the Uckfield to London Bridge line. The new extension has opened up additional possibilities for pub visits by train, so to take full advantage of this, the branch arranged a further trip on the railway. The idea was to visit the Huntsman pub, just outside the station, stay for a few pints and possibly some lunch, and then catch the train back to Groombridge, in order to re-visit the Crown. For those keen to get a bit of exercise, and also to enjoy the unspoilt scenery of this part of East Sussex, there was an option to walk from Eridge back to Groombridge whilst the remainder of the party travelled back by train.

For me this was a good opportunity to re-visit the Huntsman; a pub I had last visited back in 1985. This was shortly before the former Eridge line closed. Back then it was possible to catch a direct train from Tonbridge down to Eridge; a situation taken full advantage of by what was then Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells CAMRA Branch in order to visit the aforementioned pub. In those days the Huntsman was owned by the late lamented King and Barnes, and afforded a rare, local opportunity to enjoy their fine Horsham-brewed ales. Following the acquisition of the King & Barnes by Hall and Woodhouse, and the brewery's subsequent closure, the Huntsman now sells Badger beers. Like King and Barnes before them, Badger beers are not that widely available in West Kent either, so I was looking forward to a pint or two of Blandford's finest. I was also looking forward to seeing whether the pub had altered much in the intervening quarter century, and also to travelling there by train once again.

Before boarding the train, a bit of history, lifted direct from the Spa Valley Railway's website: The line from Tunbridge Wells West station, through Groombridge, once offered a variety of destinations: Direct to London via Oxted, Brighton via Lewes, Eastbourne via Polegate, Three Bridges via East Grinstead, Tonbridge and all the stations in between. However, by the late 1960's, many crucial lines had closed, such as the: Cuckoo Line between Eridge and Polegate, Uckfield to Lewes line, route between Groombridge, East Grinstead and Three Bridges. Your choices were by now reduced to a shuttle between Tonbridge and Eridge, with some carrying on to Uckfield.

By the early 1980's under-investment had left the five miles of line between Grove Junction (Tunbridge Wells) and Birchden Junction (north of Eridge) in need of track and signalling replacement. The track and signalling upgrade for the Tonbridge - Hastings line electrification was being planned and the removal of Grove Junction would obviously save money. Tunbridge Wells West and Groombridge station sites were obvious assets for development (as long as they did not have a railway running through them). 
 

Not surprisingly, British Rail decided that the line was surplus to requirements and announced its closure on 10th September 1982, with the intention of withdrawing services on 16th May 1983. Following various objections and legal proceedings, closure was postponned until 6^th July 1985, when Tunbridge Wells West station was decked in black bunting, a black flag flew above the entrance and a coffin stood in the gas lit booking hall. Many people visited the line to pay their last respects. Two "Oxted" diesel units were used, to provide the shuttle service between Tunbridge Wells Central and Eridge.

However, shortly after closure, the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society was formed with the intention of bringing the line back from the grave. Many said it couldn't be done, but events have proved them wrong! A brief history of the Society is on the history page. Twenty six later Tunbridge Wells West is again a busy railway depot, this time for the Spa Valley Railway. Passenger services run between Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge and Eridge.

It was therefore with considerable excitement that along with son Matthew, who wasn't even born the last time I travelled to Eridge by train, plus 10 other CAMRA members and friends, I boarded the 11.55 am train from Tunbridge Wells West to Eridge. Comprising just a couple of restored ex-Southern Region coaches, and hauled by a vintage British Rail tank locomotive (don't ask me what type or class, as I haven't got a clue regarding things of  that nature), we pulled away slowly down the line towards Eridge; our journey taking just 25 minutes. En-route we called at High Rocks Halt and Groombridge stations, but once we'd reached Birchden Junction we were running on rails that were parallel to Network Rail tracks. A short while later, we were pulling into Eridge station, which has been lovingly  restored by the Spa Vally Railway's many dedicated volunteers staff.

From the station it is just a couple of minutes walk to the Huntsman, and entering the pub through the front door was like stepping back in time. With bare wooden floors, and wood-panelled walls, painted in colours to match those of Eridge station's Southern Region white and green, the overall effect was bright  breezy and welcoming. There were three Hall and Woodhouse beers on hand pump; Hopping Hare, Tanglefoot and their version of K & B's Sussex Bitter (how can you have a Sussex bitter that's brewed in Dorset?). I opted for the Hopping Hare, which was a very pleasant and dangerously drinkable 4.5% golden ale. Matthew went for the Blandford-brewed Hofbraeu; a watered down 4.0% version of Munich's Royal Court Brewery's Original.

Being a warm day we opted to sit outside on the terrace in front of the pub. There is also a much larger garden to the side. The Huntsman formerly bordered onto the busy A26, but since the early 1990's, this former notorious stretch of road has been re-routed, and the pub is now a haven of peace and tranquillity. With no juke-box, piped muzak, TV or other electronic intrusions on ones' eardrums, the same applies to the inside of the pub as well. Apart from the removal of a former internal dividing wall, the place was pretty much as I remembered it from back in 1985. The nice weather seemed to have attracted a good sprinkling of customers, including a large party of walkers, but most of us had ordered our food early on in the proceedings, and therefore did not have to wait long for it to arrive. My minted-lamb wrap, with creme fraiche went down particularly well in view of the warm weather, although the pint of Tanglefoot I chose to accompany it was not quite as quaffable as the Hopping Hare.

Those of us who were walking to Groombridge, reluctantly departed, (I will not leave it so long next time before making a return visit), leaving the remainder, (roughly half of the party) to enjoy a further pint before catching their train. Our route followed the line of the railway for quite a long way, until we eventually crossed it at Forge Farm level crossing. Then with the track on our left, and the high ground of Harrison's Rocks on our right we continued our walk towards Groombridge. It was around this juncture in time that we were passed by the train carrying our friends, as it laboured up the gradient towards Groombridge. Eventually we too reached the village, arriving at the Crown Inn some 90 minutes or so after departing from the Huntsman.

I was feeling pretty thirsty by now, especially after the climb up the hill to the Crown. The pint of Harveys Best I ordered therefore slipped down a treat and, having obtained our drinks, us walkers joined the rest of the party who were ensconced at the benches and tables, outside the flower-bedecked pub, overlooking the village green. I had two pints at the Crown; they also had Young's Ordinary on sale, but the Harvey's was so good I stayed with it. The pub itself is an attractive old tile-hung building dating back to 1585. Inside there is everything one would expect from a building of this age, including low-beamed ceilings, bare-wooden floors and the obligatory inglenook fireplace to the side of the bar. Apart from our group, the pub was quite quiet, but it was mid-afternoon and I'm certain that trade would have picked up again come the evening. We did however, learn that the Crown is on the market, for reasons unknown.

We left the Crown in good time to catch what was the last Spa Valley train of the day back to Tunbridge Wells. En route to the station we passed Groombridge's other pub,  the Junction Inn. The plan had been to call in there as well, but we had dallied a bit too long at the Crown! Oh well, there's always another day I suppose. We boarded the 17.35 train, and some fifteen or so minutes later were steaming into the Tunbridge Wells's West station. For most of us the day was not quite yet over. We walked the short distance up to the Town's historic Pantiles area, and stopped off at the Ragged Trousers. As all the al fresco seating at the front of the pub was taken, we found a couple of unoccupied tables inside and made ourselves comfortable. Beer-wise there was a pleasant surprise at the bar in the form of Long Blonde: a light yet powerfully hopped,3.8%  golden ale from new Sussex brewers Long Man Brewery.

Despite the temptation to stay for more beer, Matthew and I decided to call it a day, especially as we knew there was some food waiting for us back home. We therefore said farewell to the others, some of whom looked as though they were getting settled for the evening, and made our way back to Tonbridge. This stage of our journey however, was by modern, electric train. All in all though it had been another most enjoyable day out, combining vintage steam trains, unspoilt country pubs, good beer, some attractive scenery, some gentle exercise and above all the good company of friends and fellow beer lovers.

Kent Beer Festival 2012

As mentioned in my previous post, I attended the Kent Beer Festival last Friday as planned, and am pleased to report it was a most enjoyable event. Before I go any further though I have to correct an error in that post, where I described this year's event as the 35th such festival. In actual fact it was the 38th, which is quite a record. Kent is officially the second oldest CAMRA beer festival in the country; the oldest is Cambridge by just one year! According to the programme, Kent's first beer festival  was held in a marquee in Canterbury's Dane John Gardens, back in 1975. It lasted for one day and sold out of beer early. Nowadays it takes place over a three day period, and is held in a huge cow shed at Merton Farm, on the outskirts of the city.

A free shuttle bus operates between the farm and Canterbury Bus Station, ferrying thirsty punters to the festival, and then taking them safely back into the city at the close of each session, and it was the first of the day's shuttle buses that my four friends and I boarded last Friday. We has travelled up by train from Tonbridge, and after a short walk through Canterbury's ancient streets. were eager to get to the festival and get down to some serious sampling.

After the bus had deposited us at the farm we joined the queue for glasses, tokens plus a Festival Programme listing the beers on offer. The programme reminded us that at the time of the first event in 1975, there were only two surviving breweries in Kent: Shepherd Neame and Whitbread Fremlins. Today, the county is home to over twenty-five breweries, all of which were represented at the festival, with the exception of Moodleys, which brews exclusively bottled beers. All the Kent breweries were grouped together, which made my decision to restrict my sampling solely to Kentish ales, all the more easier.

I didn't try them all of course, but instead used the festival as a chance to try those new breweries who's products I hadn't sampled before, plus a few others who were showcasing new beers. Those breweries I did try were Abigail, Black Cat, Goody Ales, Hop Fuzz, Kent Brewery, Old Dairy, Ripple Steam Brewery, Rockin' Robin, Royal TunbridgeWells and Wantsum. Beer of the festival, so far as I was concerned, but also in the opinion of the majority of the West Kent CAMRA contingent, was Black Cat Hopsmack, described in the programme as a "Golden citrus-style beer with Amarillo and Cascade hops."  That was a wholly accurate description of this excellent beer, brewed by a new brewery, based at Groombridge in our branch area. Well done to owner and brewer Marcus Howes for coming up with this real winner. Other beers that impressed included Good Heavens from Goody Ales of Herne, Black Gold (a black IPA) from Kent Brewery of Birling and 1381 from Wantsum of Hersden.

As well as Kentish beers, the festival featured ciders and perries from exclusively Kentish producers. There were, of course beers brewed by breweries from outside the county, and these included offering from such old favourites as Acorn, Batemans, Cotleigh, Dark Star, Fullers, Fyne, Marble, Surrey Hills and Triple fff to name but a few. There was also a selection of foreign beers; mainly bottled, but including a couple of draught Belgian ales that were dispensed by hand pump. To mop up the beer there was a good selection of food available, including a stall selling curry, but it was especially good to see old favourites, Melbourne Catering Co there once again, with their selection of German sausages (Bratwurst, Grillwurst and Bockwurst), plus French crepes.

The session we attended was timed between 12 noon and 4pm, but about an hour before closing time the heavens opened.and torrential rain poured down onto the festival site. Although there were one or two leaks in the roof, in the main we remained dry inside, although when it came to queueing up for the bus to take us back into Canterbury we did get a trifle wet. Fortunately I'd had the sense to wear my walking boots, and my feet at least remained dry.

Arriving back in the city we headed for Canterbury's new brew-pub, the Foundry, just off the High Street in White Horse Lane. This pleasant, open-plan pub had some four ales on hand pump, plus a number of craft-keg beers. These included a Helles, a Red Rye Beer and a Belgian-style ale. I stuck to the cask-conditioned offerings and enjoyed Foundryman's Gold and Foundry Torpedo; the latter being an extremely well-hopped amber coloured ale.

After a few beers here we all decided that we'd had enough and, seeing as we were travelling on a joint ticket, made our way back to Canterbury West station. Unfortunately there wasn't sufficient time to call in at the excellent Bottle Shop, housed in a former goods shed next to the station, but there's always another time. My visit to the Kent Festival had been a long overdue one, but from now on I'll definitely be including it in my itinerary of "must do" events.

A Busy Weekend Ahead

I've a busy weekend ahead with a varied programme of events to keep me amused. Early tomorrow morning (Friday), I'm off to Canterbury, on the train, with a group of fellow CAMRA members. We'll be visiting the Kent Beer Festival , for the lunchtime session and then heading back into Canterbury, to enjoy a few of the city's pubs in the evening. It must be over 10 years or so since I last attended this long-running (now in its 35th year) festival, held in the rural surroundings of Merton Farm, and I'm really looking forward to it. As well as beers from just about every brewery in Kent, there will also be a good selection from outside the county, plus a variety of foreign beers. For lovers of fermented apple juice, a range of traditional ciders will also be on sale, along with stalls selling hot snacks, curry and local cheeses.

The evening in Canterbury also promises to be good, as there's some excellent pubs in the city, and a return visit there on my part, is long overdue. I'm particularly keen to visit the City Arms, scene of the first ever CAMRA meeting I attended back in 1974. The pub is now owned by Canterbury Brewers, who also own the Foundry Brewpub in nearby White Horse Lane. (We may also call in there as well). Finally, as we make our way back to the station, there will be a chance to call in at the Bottle Shop, which stocks an incredible variety of bottled beers (both British and foreign) to take away, or enjoy in the historic surroundings of the adjacent Goods Shed.

Saturday sees a complete contrast, as my son Matthew will be dragging me over to the Hop Farm at Paddock Wood for the War & Peace Show; an event billed as The Largest Military Vehicle Spectacular in the World, and a show we have attended on several occasions in the past. There'll be no decent ale, of course, but I'll probably have had enough the day before, and I'll also be driving. I'll be driving later in the day as well, when Eileen and I attend a party hosted by one of her former work colleagues, over at her family's farm near East Peckham.

Hopefully, Sunday will be a day of rest and relaxation, although the hedges need cutting, and all this rain has made the weeds grow even taller!