Time to Ditch the Good Beer Guide?

 I know I’m a month or so behind with this one, but better late than never, as they say. The beginning of last month (October) saw the launch of the 40^th edition of CAMRA’s best selling Good Beer Guide. I haven’t rushed out and bought my copy, and unlike previous years, I’m not sure that I’ll bother. (Actually I didn’t buy the 2012 edition either, but that was due to other reasons).  

Prior to 2012 I have every edition of the guide stretching back to 1974, when the Good Beer Guide first made its appearance as a properly published book. Previously, it had taken the form of a hand-produced, photo-copied list that I believe appeared the year before, and possibly the year prior to that as well. A slice of history, one could argue, and mildly interesting as well as entertaining to look back through occasionally, but apart from that just more books taking up valuable space on the shelf!  At the time though I eagerly awaited the publication of each of these guides, but things change, people change,  pubs have changed and the whole world has moved on. What I am saying, in effect is that for me, at least, the Good Beer Guide has lost its appeal and dare I say I find it an increasing irrelevance in today’s digital world.

And yet, there are still publicans who would give their hind teeth for an entry in the guide. Each year there are CAMRA branches involved in heated debates as to which pubs to put in and which to leave out. Some of these meetings become extremely passionate and feelings can sometimes run very high when certain members’ favourite pubs don’t quite make the grade, even though perhaps on balance it may have been a more worthy, and deserving entry. That is if  branch politics, impassioned debate or just sheer bloody mindedness hadn’t conspired to prevent its selection.

I have been a member of CAMRA since the mid 1970’s and have attended more of these selection meetings than I care to remember. In fact I would rather forget most of them. These days I really can’t be bothered with the whole debacle of such gatherings, and fail to understand why people get so uptight about the whole thing. Come on chaps, lighten up; life's too short to obsess over such issues.(You won't be seeing me at the next branch GBG selection meeting!)

The unique selling point (USP) of the guide when it first launched, was that it was a guide to pubs selling un-pressurised, cask conditioned beer. In the eyes of its originators, and those members of CAMRA and the public at large who bought it (I obviously include myself amongst these), it was a guide to GOOD BEER, and hence it was titled as such. Looking back to those early pioneering days with the wisdom of hindsight, plus the benefit of knowledge about beer gained over the last four decades, one has to question was it really a Good Beer Guide, or just as I suggested earlier, a  guide to REAL ALE, as defined by CAMRA at the time, but now universally adopted as the description for this type of beer? I  feel now it was the latter, but in no way wish to detract from its obvious, and at the time, ground-breaking campaigning role. However, pubs selling real ale (as defined by CAMRA), were few on the ground back in 1974, and many must have been selected on the mere fact that they sold the stuff, rather than the quality of what was coming out of the pumps! As time marched on, and the campaign started to capture the imagination of the public at large and appeal to a wider audience, quality rightly became more important until we have today’s situation where it SHOULD be the over-riding consideration, above all else for an entry in the guide.

The other USP of course, is the Breweries Section at the back of the guide. I used to find  this more useful than the individual pub entries, but now, as the number of breweries has grown exponentially, and the number of different beer styles breweries produce has also increased significantly, there is less and less space in the guide to do each brewery justice. Too often, apart from regular beers, the guide will just say “For seasonal beers, see website”, and that is precisely what I tend to do nowadays! I’m also certain that many others do the same. A website can give far more information than the guide can ever hope to show, and therein lies the rub. The Breweries Section has become less and less relevant; the pub information is only of real interest to me if I am contemplating visiting a different area, or region of the country (I already know what’s worth visiting and what’s best avoided locally). Even then, if it’s a visit of more than a couple of days, I will buy a local guide, especially as these tend to list all real ale outlets and there’s usually sufficient information in the write up for each entry for one to get a feel as to which pubs are worthy of a visit and which aren't.

In short, some online research followed, where deemed necessary,  by the purchase of a local guide and the GBG suddenly becomes both redundant and irrelevant. So why do people continue to buy it each year, why does it regularly make the best sellers list and why do CAMRA branches devote an inordinately large amount of time surveying and selecting entries for it?  Why do publicans sell their own mothers in order to be included in it?

I’m not sure I can answer those questions. Presumably the guide is doing something right or are all those purchasers just buying it annually because, like me, they have a set going back to when it first started out?  Alternatively, is it just something wives and girlfriends buy for their significant others as a stocking filler at Christmas?, or is that me being overtly sexist and patronising?

Despite the annual boost to CAMRA’s coffers, is it now time to ditch the Good Beer Guide? or are we going to let it carry on for another 40 years, during which time it will undoubtedly wither on the vine before dying a slow and lingering death.Should it keep going for another decade until it celebrates its half-century and then be killed off?

The comments and thoughts of fellow bloggers and other correspondents on these questions, would be gratefully appreciated.

Some Old Ale at Last!

I finally managed to track down the elusive Harvey's Old last night, and am pleased to report it was in fine fettle. In fact it was so good and slipped down so well, that I had four pints of it! The outlet at which I enjoyed this excellent winter drink was the Brecknock Arms, a small, unspoilt Harvey's pub situated in the tiny village of Bells Yew Green. This settlement is just five minutes walk away from Frant railway station, itself only one stop away from Tunbridge Wells.

My son Matthew and I caught the 18.32 service from Tonbridge, and although we had to change at Tunbridge Wells were at the Brecknock just before 7pm, where we met up with our friend Eric who had caught an earlier train over. It is the best part of two years since I last set foot in the place, and the pub has changed hands since then. Now, following a period of uncertainty over its future, I am glad to say the pub is thriving once more. There was a good mix of regulars when we walked in some, like ourselves just off the London train, and although the place gradually emptied as the night wore on, it was good to see it busy.

As well as the Old Ale, there were three other Harvey's beers on sale; Hadlow Bitter, Best Bitter, plus the seasonal Bonfire Boy. The latter makes an appearance every year, around this time, and  is a full-bodied Amber Ale brewed to a strength of 5.8 % abv. Roasted malts are used  in the recipe to give a slightly burnt taste with a hint of smoke.  We had some food to go with our beer; nothing fancy but good solid, value for money pub-grub. It was a good evening, but finishing with a half of Bonfire Boy probably proved my downfall. as I had somewhat of a thick head this morning!.

We will definitely be making a return visit in the not too distant future.

The Pubs of Tonbridge Part 3

I had hoped to conclude my mini-series on the pubs of Tonbridge with this article, but after having written about the remaining pubs in the town, I realised the piece was too long; (we don't want people getting bored, or worse still falling asleep!). The sensible thing therefore was to split it in two. This first section deals with the pubs south of the main railway line and along the High Street, up as far as the River Medway. The second, and still to be published section, continues in a northerly direction along the High Street, petering out in the beer desert that is now north Tonbridge.

 We finished last time at the Forester's Arms which effectively is the last pub in the southern half of the town. Continuing back down Quarry Hill towards the town centre and over the bridge in front of the station,  one comes to Mojo's, an imposing pub set back slightly from the road that forms the station approach. Mojo's started life as the South Eastern, which took its name from the railway company that originally built the line from London to the coast. Back then the line ran through to Tonbridge, via Redhill, and whilst this line is still an important secondary route, the main line today is the more direct route via Sevenoaks, which opened later on during the 19th Century. That's enough about railways for now, suffice to day that up until comparatively recent times, the South Eastern was a basic, down to earth,  two-bar town boozer.

All that changed in the late 1980's, when the pub was acquired by Colm Powell, the characterful Irishman whom we met in the previous series. Colm knocked the bars through into one, re-sited the bar counter and re-named the pub, the Station House. It carried on in this vein until Colm's unfortunate falling out with Enterprise Inns. Then after a period of closure, followed by further alterations, the pub re-opened as Mojo's, with large french-style windows at the front that open up and fold back in summer, creating a continental, cafe-style effect. Like the Station House before, Mojo's is popular with younger people, but nevertheless serves some acceptable pints of Harvey's Best and Sharps Doombar. It also has some high tables towards the rear of the pub, which are good to sit up at with friends,whilst enjoying ones pint.

Turning right out of Mojo's, and then following Barden Road back along its course parallel with the railway, one eventually comes to Cromer Street. Turn left here and then on the corner of the junction with Nelson Avenue, one reaches the Nelson Arms, a now rare example of a back-street local. Formerly a Courage house, the Nelson is now owned by Shepherd Neame. It is very much a locals' pub, but the clientele seem friendly enough, as do the staff behind the bar. Shep's Spitfire, plus seasonal beer are the offerings here.

Re-tracing ones footsteps back towards the High Street leads one to the Humphrey Bean, Tonbridge's JD Wetherspoon outlet. Transformed into a pub from the former town Crown Post Office, the "Bean" is not one of  the company's better or most imaginative conversions. The smaller section at the front is where the post office counters once were, but the much larger section to the rear was formerly the sorting office, and still maintains its shed-like appearance. To be fair, it is bright and airy, with plenty of tables, and includes a raised area on the left-hand side. This section leads through to an attractive land well laid out garden, which looks out across the River Medway to Tonbridge's imposing 13th Century castle. It is certainly large enough to easily avoid the depressing, and at times rather objectionable, groups of drinkers who seem to spend all day in the place, courtesy of the taxpayer!

Beer-wise, the Bean offers the usual JWD selection of Ruddles Bitter, Oakham JHB and Greene King Abbot, together with a varying range of guest ales. Quite often these are from local breweries such as Westerham, Weltons and Hog's Back, although some of Adnams less well-known beers such as Ghost Ship, Lighthouse and Gun Hill quite often  feature as well. The downside is the usual JDW thing: never enough staff behind the bar; pump clips showing beers that aren't yet available and, as mentioned above, some of the clientele. The pub does seem to have improved quite dramatically over the past year or so. It has been spruced up with new furniture and a long overdue total refurbishment of the toilets. Let's hope the local intelligentsia will keep it that way!

Across the road and virtually opposite the Humphrey Bean, is the Castle Gold Bar. Formerly owned by Courage and known as the Castle Hotel, this imposing red-brick building overlooks the river, but unfortunately is on the wrong bank for the outside terrace area to catch the sun. The Castle has definitely seen better times, having undergone a number of re-fits over the last twenty years. After a period as a  J and D Bernard  Alehouse which, to my mind, worked well, the pub was given a much more contemporary feel with leather sofa's and a rather minimalist look. This seemed rather incongruous for a  late-Victorian building and certainly was never in keeping with the heritage and history of the pub.

I was obviously not the only person who felt this way and consequently, despite the best efforts of a succession of owners, the Gold Bar has always seemed to struggle; certainly it lives permanently in the shadow of the Humphrey Bean just across the road, and is often virtually empty. Harvey's Best, served from an anonymous hand pump, is the solitary cask ale offering. Apart from that, there's not a lot more I can say about the Castle, except that it deserves a better fate than its current one, and that it's somewhere with a lot of potential. Given a sympathetic owner (not a greedy, grasping, penny-pinching pub company!) there's plenty of scope for a go-ahead entrepreneur to capitalise on its river frontage, central location and attractive  facade.

Crossing the river, and turning first right into Lyons Crescent, brings one to the Wharf. Again this is another establishment that has definitely seen better days. It started life as a Beefeater Restaurant, (remember them?), having been converted from a former riverside wharf building. A period as a Hogshead Alehouse then followed, and before the opening of the Humphrey Bean, this establishment was definitely the best bet in Tonbridge for a pint of something out of the ordinary. As well as a number of ales on hand pump, the Hogshead served several more from cooled, jacketed casks kept behind the bar.

This set-up seemed to work well, so it came as something of a shock when, like the aforementioned Castle, the pub was given a contemporary make-over which never seemed to work, and was totally out of keeping with the character of the building. It really makes me wonder where thee so-called interior designers are coming from. Andy Warhol meets Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen! These days the Wharf, as the pub is now called, is struggling to find its identity. It serves a strange range of cask ales, including Hancocks - a former Bass-Welsh brand, that has no connection or empathy with Kent; its one saving grace being it is cheap! It advertises cut-price lunches which look good value, although not having eaten there (I don't work in the town),  I cannot comment on them personally.

We will conclude this section on the town centre for now, and will conclude at a later, and not too distant date.

Just the one Mrs Wembley?

Well it might have been a case of  a few more than "Just the one"  for the character played by Joan Sims when she starred alongside Dennis Waterman in the 80's sitcom, "On the Up", but lunchtime today it really was "Just the one" for me.

I called into our local Wetherspoons to check out their beer festival, and all seemed  to be going well. I was down the town on my bike, so didn't want anything too heavy plus I knew that later on in the day I would be driving. Ok, I probably would have been alright on two pints, given the quite lengthy time interval between imbibing and getting behind the wheel, but I also had a lot of tidying up to do in the garden. This combined with the changing of the clocks back to GMT meant that time was of the essence; particularly as it would start getting dark at around 4.30pm. That decided it, this was definitely to be a quick visit to the pub with just the one beer!

Walking into Spoons my eye was caught by the Dutch offering Brouwerij't IJ IJBok. However at 6.0% that one was definitely out. Instead my attention was drawn to two offerings from Surrey Hills Brewery - Shere Drop and Greensand IPA. Now Surrey Hills aren't taking part in the festival, but their beers have featured  at our local Spoons a few times recently A week or so ago I enjoyed a pint of the 4.2% Shere Drop, which is the brewery's flagship beer, and  it  really was good. Knowing Surrey Hills excellent reputation, I therefore had no hesitation in plumping for the 4.6% Greensand IPA.

It was a wise choice, and I was rewarded with a stunning glass of beer. Despite the relatively modest strength for an IPA, this beer turned out to be a real hop monster delivering  an explosion of citrussy and resiny hops. It is certainly a beer well worth seeking out.The brewery's website reveals it to be a seasonal beer, but as it doesn't state which season, one can only presume autumn.

I stuck with my intention just to have the one; anything else after such a fantastic beer wouldn't have been half as good. After leaving the pub I had a ride around our local country park, before cycling home for an afternoon's labouring in the garden. I will, of course, be popping into Wetherspoons from time to time over the next fortnight just to see what else is on offer.

In search of the Dark SIde

I have this moan every year round about this sort of time. Late Autumn is traditionally the season when many old ales make their appearance, and first and foremost amongst these, so far as I am concerned, is Harvey's delectable Old Ale. This delicious, dark 4.3% abv beer is one of my all time favourites, and I look forward to its reappearance every year.

Harvey's launch their Old Ale at the beginning of October, with a "Dancing in the Old Ceremony", in Lewes. The event starts with a service of Thanksgiving at a local church, before moving on to the brewery yard, where the beer is literally "danced in" by a troupe of local Morris men. The townsfolk, together with any visitors that happen to be around at the time, are then invited into the yard and regaled with plentiful samples of the first of the season's Old. Sounds great, and were that I were there, but unfortunately, as has seemed to be the case in previous years, I was unable to go owing to other commitments

Surely one wonders, I should have tracked down some Old by now?  Unfortunately not; despite the beer now being out for almost  a month,  I've still not managed to sample a drop!  Disappointed or what? The trouble is that whilst virtually all our local pubs serve Harvey's excellent Best Bitter (a beer that is definitely a "must stock" item in this part of the country), very few stock the brewery's seasonal ales. Part of this is due to the ties imposed by the likes of Punch and Enterprise on their tenants which, whilst allowing them to stock Harvey's Best, doesn't allow for the stocking of any other of the company's beers. A large part of it though is due to the conservatism of  many pub landlords, who just want to play it safe, and not look for any variety, or be so adventurous as to stock something slightly out of the ordinary. Old Ale is available in Harvey's own pubs and that's about it!

The same applies to other brewer's dark beer. The end of next week should also see the launch of another favourite dark ale of mine, namely Larkins Porter, which unfortunately is another beer that is hard to find. Full marks though to the excellent Royal Oak in Tunbridge Wells for being one of the few pubs I know that stock the beer on a regular basis. (I'll be along there soon, especially as they've got a beer festival coming up!).

 Hopefully the situation will change next Friday, when I'm due to visit the Brecknock Arms, just along from Frant station, which is our nearest Harvey's pub these days. With Bonfire Night drawing near, who knows they might have Harvey's Bonfire Boy on as well. meaning I'll strike it double lucky.

I had a glass of Old Man, from Longman Brewery at the Spa Valley Railway Festival last week, plus a pint of Devils Dyke Porter, brewed by the Southdowns Brewery, in the Beford, Tunbridge Wells, so it's not been a complete dark ale drought!

Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival 2012

The Spa Valley Railway's second beer festival was a resounding success, with virtually all the beer sold during the three day event. Held at the heritage railway's Tunbridge Wells West base, with additional beers available at Groombridge and Eridge stations, and also on the trains, members of West Kent CAMRA at times were struggling to serve the thirsty punters quick enough, especially during the Saturday afternoon session. We coped admirably though, but by the time the bars closed at 9pm we'd hat to send out for more beer. Thankfully, Tonbridge Brewery, plus Tunbridge Well's Bitter End Off-Licence, came to our assistance, and we were able to obtain fresh supplies and get the beer tapped, spiled and conditioned ready for the following day.

Sunday was slightly less hectic, and I was able to take a train down the line to Groombridge and help out with at the bar there. Spa Valley hosted a Diesel Gala Day on the Saturday, which obviously proved a hit with railway enthusiasts, whilst on the Sunday their normal steam and diesel haulage applied. Food in the form of curry, lasagne and macaroni cheese was available at Groombridge, with an all-day barbecue in the large engine shed at Tunbridge Wells West station, where the majority of the beers were stillaged.

So what about the beers themselves I hear you ask? Well we stayed local with Kentish beers from Larkins, Kent Brewery, Old Dairy, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Westerham, plus Sussex beers from Dark Star, FILO, Hastings, Kissingate, Hepworths, Longman and WJ King. Included in amongst this lot  were some excellent "Green Hop" ales, an Old Ale (Longmans), a Smoked Ale (WJ King) plus a strong Audit Ale (Westerham). I don't think the results of the "Beer of the Festival" are in yet, but my three favourites were Dark Star Green-Hopped IPA - a stunning 6.5% beer, light in colour, but anything but light in taste and character; Westerham Audit Ale - a rich amber 6.2% ale, warming and just the thing to keep the cold and damp out on a grey October day; Old Dairy Fresh Top - the Rolvenden based brewery's take on a green-hopped ale, refreshing and not too strong at 4.0%, but dangerously drinkable, and one of the first beers to run out. (Incidentally, the same brewery's Silver Top Cream stout was also very good and proved a great hit with many of the punters.

None beery highlights were the band Rumours, who provided the entertainment on Saturday afternoon and evening, playing some excellent cover versions of late 60's and early 70's rock classics, including numbers by the Small Faces, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Guns and Roses, plus the Goth Morris Men (and Women), who put a whole new twist on this traditional form of Old English Entertainment.

Will there be another festival next year? Well, I'll be very surprised if there isn't, but we'll need to up the beer order again. In the meantime, like all the other volunteers and organisers from both West Kent CAMRA and the Spa Valley Railway, I'm taking a well earned rest and waiting for the final figures and  competition results to be announced.

A special thanks to Simon for the photo's.

Prague Beer Gardens

I wasn’t aware that Prague had any beer gardens; certainly not in the accepted view of such establishments. However, having made my previous visit during a particularly cold December, there was certainly no reason for me trying to track any down beer. My original visit to the Czech capital took place in 1984, and was arranged under the auspices of the then state-owned, Czechoslovak Travel Agency, Cedok.  I wouldn’t go so far as to say we were that strictly supervised, under the care of the latter organisation, but our itinerary allowed precious free time in which to go off exploring on one’s own. Furthermore, back then I had never been to a European beer garden, Cxezh, German or otherwise so wasn't really on the lookout for such places.
 
It therefore came as something of a surprise that whilst researching places to visit for the trip we have recently returned from, I came across a site giving details of around half a dozen beer gardens within the city. As it happened, we only managed to visit two of them and certainly when compared to our experiences of beer gardens in Munich, we were less than impressed.  I don't know what tradition of out door drinking, if any, exists in what is now modern day Bohemia, compared to neighbouring Bavaria, where the tradition of going to the beer garden dates back a couple of hundred years. Certainly the two gardens we visited in Prague were, apart from the benches and tables laid out beneath the chestnut trees, nothing like their counterparts in Munich and Bavaria.  For a start the serving area in each of them was nothing more than a small kiosk, compared to the elaborate Ausschänke typical of Bavarian beer gardens. For the record, though here’s what we found. 

Letna Beer Garden - Located inside Letna Park, a popular and attractive city park above the west bank oo the Vltava River, overlooking Stare Mesto. Letna Beer Garden is a large shady area with lots of picnic tables, directly across from Letensky Zamecek, (Letna Chateau), with arguably the best view of Prague. The beer is Gambrinus 10, served in a plastic glass from a kiosk. There is also a restaurant to the rear of the beer garden.

We visited his particular beer garden during our first afternoon in Prague. Hungry and thirsty, in equal measure, after an early morning flight, we headed for Letna after checking into our hotel, dumping of our baggage and then catching the tram back into the centre of Prague. It was a lovely, late-September day, (having left a wet and windy England far behind us), and we were determined to make the most of the good weather. The beer garden took a bit more tacking down than we’d anticipated, but whilst the Gambrinus beer was cool, refreshing and very welcome, (despite being served in a plastic glass), there appeared to be nothing available in the way of food.

Undeterred, we grabbed a seat at one of the many tables on the edge of the terrace, over-looking Prague, where we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the city. Considering the warm sunny weather there weren’t that many people sitting out, but at least the place was mercifully free from tourists! After one beer though,our hunger was starting to get the better of us. We had eaten nothing since 5.30am, and only then had a quick sandwich prior to our flight. I had noticed quite a posh looking restaurant, with an outside terrace, towards the rear of the beer garden. We decided to investigate further, and found to our delight that the prices were quite reasonable. We grabbed a table, ordered a beer from the attractive Czech waitress - Pilsner Urquell, this time in a proper glass, and were soon tucking into a plate each of Czech-style sliced beef in goulash sauce, with bread dumplings as an accompaniment.

Lentni Zahradka Prazan - Situated close to the entrance to Stromovka Park. On tap are Unetice filtered 10 and unfiltered 12, traditional Pilsner-style beers from a well-regarded new brewery in Unetice, a small town just outside Prague. Plastic glasses again, unfortunately. Quite small and squeezed into a corner, opposite the exhibition centre.

At 6.30pm on a late September evening, we didn't really pick the ideal time to visit this one, but unfortunately our itinerary, plus the need for some last minute shopping,  precluded a daytime visit. Consequently it was starting to get dark. There were still quite a few people around, and the beer garden was situated quite close to the entrance to the park, so we weren't particularly worried about our safety. What was more off-putting was the sharp drop in temperature. We ordered ourselves a beer each from the small kiosk, but unfortunately, once again it was served in plastic glasses. The unfiltered Unetice 12 was certainly well-hopped, but the place had all the atmosphere as a seafront shelter on a wet Bank Holiday weekend, so after just the one beer we left for somewhere warmer and somewhere that served food.

Obviously our two brief visits only scratched the surface of Prague's beer garden scene, and given the time of year we didn't exactly see them in their best light. I'm sure that earlier in the year they are packed with people escaping the heat of the city, enjoying each others company, plus a beer or two. Not sure about the plastic glasses though!

I would, however be interested to learn of other people's experiences of beer gardens in the Czech Republic.