Springtime in Berlin

I returned late on Friday night from a most enjoyable six day visit to Berlin. It was my first time in the German capital and I was really impressed with what I found. I was accompanied by my son Matthew, and as this was his first visit to somewhere in Germany apart from Bavaria, I think he was more than a little confused by what he found as well.

Whilst Matthew was primarily there for the beer, I was more interested in the culture and history of a city that has witnessed so many momentous and often tragic events over the years. I will be writing about our experiences in greater depth, later on, but for now I just want to say Berlin is a city that everyone should visit.  For over 40 years, it was a city divided into two, by a crazy ideological, and physical, wall right down the middle, and even now,  nearly a quarter of a century after re-unification it still feels like a city of two halves. With its troubled 20^th Century past well and truly behind it, Berlin is a city which is busily reinventing itself, and today it is a bustling and vibrant place which is proving increasingly popular with tourists.

Beer-wise, with Berlin’s surviving breweries now all merged into one large group (BKS), brewing a variety of mainly Pilsner style beers under the names of their former owners, the city on the surface might appear to have little to offer the drinker in search of variety. However, following re-unification and the restoration of Berlin as Germany’s capital, the city has seen a huge influx of people from other parts of the country; each bringing with them a preference for the beers of their former home states. This means that beers from Bavaria are quite common, as are brews from other nearer states, such as Saxony and Thuringia. In addition, Berlin now boasts nearly 20 brew-pubs, and whilst some of these brew a bog-standard range of Pilsner, Scharzbier and Weissbier, there are several pillars of excellence.
 

Of perhaps greater importance than the beer itself, are the places in which it is served and drunk, and Berlin certainly has some superb pubs and bars where beer is enjoyed in a pleasant and convivial atmosphere. We found some great places to both drink and eat in, and we were aided in this by a guidebook called “Around Berlin in 80 Beers”. Researched and written by Peter Sutcliffe who in his time has studied and worked in Germany, and who now has a second home in Berlin, this excellent book is produced by Cogan & Mater Ltd, a small independent publisher based in Cambridge. The company have also published similar themed guides to Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels and London, so it will not surprise readers to learn that the knowledgeable and highly experienced beer writer Tim Webb, and equally experienced beer tour organiser, Chris Pollard (aka. Podge), are the guiding hands behind this outfit.

During our six days in the city, we visited nearly a quarter of the 80 outlets listed in the guide, and all were good. Amongst them was a sprinkling of brew pubs, café-style bars, basic boozers and unspoilt corner locals; in short something to please all tastes and preferences. Hopefully this short synopsis has whetted your appetites for more, and to this end I will be describing some of these places, along with the beers they served, in greater detail over the next week or so. 

Craft at Wetherspoon

Wetherspoons are certainly going town over “Craft” at the moment. I picked up a 14 page leaflet this morning at our local JDW, extolling the virtues of a number of different “craft drinks”. As well as world beers in both bottles and cans, the leaflet features three of the country’s best known cask ales, and also devotes a section to gins and other classic drinks, such as Pimms and Moet & Chandon Champagne.

A bit of a strange mixture, but with their “International Real-Ale Festival” kicking off in 20 days time, I suppose they’re trying to ensure all bases are covered. Flicking through their House Magazine over breakfast earlier, I noticed there will again be some interesting collaborations with foreign brewers for the festival. There’s also an interesting section on the three canned American “craft beers” from Sixpoint Brewery which they launched on Wednesday.

Whilst on the subject of “international”, I’m off to Berlin in the morning for a short break. This will be my first visit to the German capital, and I’ll be reporting my findings on the beer front on my return. In the meantime why not pop into Spoons and see what you think of the new “craft cans”.

The Bree Louise

The other week I visited one of London’s best known real ale pubs for the first time. Tucked away down a side street alongside Euston station, the Bree Louise offers one of the widest ranges of cask beers and traditional ciders in the capital, but the pub has not been without its share of controversy since opening in its present guise. I have read many reports about the place; the majority of them quite critical in particular with regard to the quality of the beer. Because of this there was no way the Bree Louise was ever going to be a destination pub, as far as I was concerned, but when I found myself in the Euston area in need of a pint and a bite to eat I thought I’d call in to see what all the fuss was about.

I was in London for a concert given by the lovely and multi-talented, singer-songwriter, NerinaPallot; more about Nerina and the concert later. The concert was taking place at Old St Pancras Church, a small, historic working church, just behind St Pancras station. I wanted both some solid and liquid refreshment before the gig and after scanning various websites and pub guides and weeding out the pretentious and the over-priced, I settled on the Bree Louise.

I managed to leave work early, catching a direct train from the small village where I work, to London Bridge. After a short tube journey I arrived at Euston just after 5pm, and had little trouble locating the Bree Louise. There were quite a few people sitting on the covered benches outside the pub, which had me wondering whether or not there would be room inside, but I needn’t have worried, as whilst the pub was quite busy it was in no way bursting at the seams. I spotted a small table, claimed it by dumping my bag and my coat on the chair and made my way to the bar, somewhat perplexed as to which of the 17 or so beers to go for.

I had noticed the majority were on gravity, kept in several racks of casks behind the bar, in the right hand section of the bar. Noticing that several casks were stooped at a fairly steep angle, and thus approaching empty, I decided to give this part of the pub a miss, so instead I moved across to the bar on the left, where the beers are on hand pump. The friendly and helpful barmaid offered me a couple of tasters, and in the end I plumped for a pint of Stod Fold Gold. As its name implies, this was a golden ale, 3.8% in strength, with a nice bitter finish. I later discovered the brewery are based in Halifax, West Yorkshire. It hit the spot, and I retired to my table and had a good look round at my surroundings.

“A bit dated”, would be my summing up of the décor. Covering the walls with umpteen pump clips seems very 80’s, if not even older, but what was worse was the location of my table. Being close to the ladies loo, my nostrils were assaulted by a strong smell of disinfectant every time the door was opened. Not pleasant at all, although it could have been worse I suppose! There was no chance of moving elsewhere, as the pub was starting to fill up quite rapidly. In addition I planned on eating and so needed to remain seated.

Perusing the menu, the pies sounded quite appealing, even though cooked meat and gravy contained in an earthenware dish and topped with a layer of puff-pastry, does NOT constitute a pie in my book! Upon ordering, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that as a CAMRA member I was entitled to a £2.00 discount. This was in addition to the 50p a pint reduction I had already taken advantage of. Before my pie arrived I ordered another pint; this time opting for another Yorkshire beer, the 4.0% Pennine Real Blonde. Imagine my disappointment at seeing it being poured from one of the casks, despite there being a hand pump advertising its presence!

My worst fears were confirmed when it was placed in front of me, totally lifeless and flat as the proverbial witch’s tit! It wasn’t off, but with virtually zero condition, it wasn’t particularly enjoyable either. Without the 50p CAMRA discount, this beer would have cost me £4.10 a pint; a high price to pay for such a lacklustre drink. My chicken, ham and leek pie was OK and although it was rather on the salty side it filled me up and left me ready to face the world and make my way to the concert venue.

As mentioned earlier, the concert was held at St Pancras Old Church; a beautiful old working church behind the vast modern extension to the rear of St Pancras station. With seating for just 120 people, it provided a cosy and intimate setting for Nerina Pallot to entertain and captivate us with her inimitable and faultlessly performed, self-penned compositions. Nerina is probably best known for her 2005 hit, “Everybody’s Gone to War”, and the video which accompanied the song. This featured an overly realistic and slightly disturbing food fight, staged in an American supermarket, but Nerina has received quite a lot of airplay for her more restrained compositions as well. Alone on stage, in front of the altar in the candle-lit church, playing either piano or acoustic guitar, she enthralled us, putting on a performance to remember for a long time to come.

The concert, of course, was my main reason for being in town that night, but the following day I couldn’t help reflecting on the Bree Louise. I can see why it provokes such strong feelings, and I can especially see why fellow bloggers, such as Tandleman have come out against the place. Having been there now, I don’t think I would go back. I’ve always been more than a little suspicious of “beer exhibition” type pubs, as not only is too much choice not always a good thing, but too much choice inevitably means the pub is over-stocked, and the slow moving lines will therefore be way past their best.

On the plus side the place was convivial, with friendly, knowledgeable and attractive barmaids. It was convenient to where I wanted to be, bustling and with a good atmosphere. The food was filling and good value for money, but that’s where the good points start to be out-weighed by the bad ones. I can live with the dated décor, but toilets which open straight into the bar area are a definite no-no, so far as I am concerned. Even more of a no-no is flat, poorly-kept beer which is totally lacking in condition. Insult is added to injury when the beer is sold at a premium (over the top!), price. Gravity dispense beer is fine when it involves storing and dispensing the beer in a temperature controlled room; as is the case with the Halfway House and the Old House, back in my neck of the woods. Having several racks of casks on show behind the bar of a busy city centre pub is not a good idea, even though it might look all rustic and twee.

The pub obviously has its legions of devotees, as witnessed by the number of customers who had crowded in by the time I left, so it must be doing something right. For me though, the place just doesn't click, so no, I won’t be going back!

There's Beer in Them Thar Hills!

The Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is only an hour or so’s drive away from where I live in West Kent and yet, like so many things on one’s own doorstep, it is somewhere I am not at all familiar with. Granted I know a couple of towns which lie in the middle of the area (Dorking and Godalming), but it’s a part of the south-east which I haven’t really spent time getting to know.

My interest in this hitherto (for me) ignored area was re-kindled last Saturday by a coach trip to Tillingbourne Brewery, organised by West Kent CAMRA. The main purpose of our visit was to present Tillingbourne with a certificate which marked their 3.3 % brew, The Source being voted “Beer of the Festival” at last October’s Spa Valley Real Ale and Diesel Gala. The trip was also a way of thanking branch members who gave up their time to man the various bars and generally help out at what was an extremely busy and successful festival.

A party of 22 of us set off to make the relatively short journey to the brewery, which is housed in a converted barn on a farm, high in the hills of the Greensand Ridge, above the village of Shere. Our transport for the day was a comfortable 25-seat mini-coach, belonging to STS Travel of Marden.

We arrived at Tillingbourne at around midday, after our driver had negotiated the narrow and, in places, steep track leading down to the farm. The 1^st of March is officially the first day of spring, and the sun was certainly shining as we disembarked from the coach. We were greeted by Lee, one of the two partners in the brewery, who took us inside and gave us a short tour of the plant.

The Brewery has a 17 barrel capacity (68 firkins). The barn it is housed in belongs to Old Scotland Farm, which is part of the Duke of Northumberland's Albury Estate. The brewery takes its name from the short river (just 11 miles long) which starts as a spring on Leith Hill and meanders through the heart of the Surrey Hills towards the River Wey. The brewing equipment was formerly owned by Surrey Hills Brewery, who also had a lease on the farm premises, but when they upped sticks in July 2011 and moved to larger premises just north of Dorking, the Old Scotland Farm set-up was put up for sale, and was acquired by its current owners, Steve Dodd  and Lee Nicholls. Steve looks after the brewing side, whilst Lee handles the sales and marketing. He also makes all the deliveries!

The two were old school friends and once the purchase had been completed in September 2011, the pair started on the major task of cleaning, decorating and upgrading the Brewery. On the 19th November 2011, the first Tillingbourne brew was finally underway, with their first regular beer, the 4.2% Falls Gold, proving a winner right from the word go.

It was a refreshing glass of Falls Gold that we were offered, as we looked over the brewing plant. Steve was in the process of watching the copper come to the boil, having previously pumped over the sparged wort from the mash-tun. Tillingbourne relies on steam to heat it brewing vessels, and Lee explained that steam gives a much more even, and less fierce heat than that obtained from electric heating elements, or a direct fired gas burner beneath the copper.

I have to say, the Falls Gold was absolutely superb; well-conditioned, crystal clear and burnished gold in colour, with a thirst quenching hoppy bite, it really hit the spot after our journey over, and I had no hesitation in accepting a refill when it was offered. After our tour, we moved out to the yard to enjoy our ale in the sunshine, and chat to Lee whilst Steve got on with the brewing. We sampled two other beers that lunchtime; the darker Bouncing Bomb, named in honour of inventor Sir Barnes Wallis who lived nearby, and then to finish up on, the 4.8% Hop Troll, which is a mega-hopped India Pale Ale. Lee told us all sorts of statistics regarding the number of outlets supplies, amounts brewed etc, but I wasn’t paying enough attention to recall exactly what he said. What I do remember though, is with just the two of them involved, and Steve working on a part-time basis at present (he still has a regular day job), they are trying to keep distribution as local as possible. They do have plans though to extend the barn, to house some additional fermenters, which should keep the pressure off and allow for some controlled expansion.

We left the brewery just after 2pm, but not before our branch chairman Iain had presented Steve and Lee with their well-deserved certificate. Ironically I still haven’t tasted The Source, as the cask ran out on the first night of our festival and there was none left in stock at the brewery. Before descending towards the A246 on our return journey, we were rewarded with a spectacular view right across the Surrey countryside, towards London. We could see the tower blocks of the city sparkling in the sunshine on the distant horizon, and could even see the arch of Wembley stadium!

We stopped for a late, but pre-booked lunch at the King William IV at West Horsley. This rather upmarket pub is a former stomping ground of our chairman, and it proved a good place to stop for some more solid refreshment as well. We were ushered into the dining room at the rear of the pub, and sat down at two long tables, but not before partaking of some beer. Surrey Hills Shere Drop was my choice, although several others gave the Courage Directors a try. The beer went well with my steak and kidney pudding, so much so that I grabbed a further pint before we left.

There was one further stop before arriving back in Tonbridge; namely the Carpenters Arms at Limpsfield Chart. This large village pub is one of two outlets belonging to the nearby Westerham Brewery, and not surprisingly there were five Westerham beers on tap. I opted for the Hop Rocket IPA, which as its name suggests is a well-hopped,  mid-gravity IPA.

We only stayed for the one, as our driver was keen to get back, and several members also had evening engagements to attend. It was an excellent day out, with good beer, good pubs and the chance to appreciate some stunning scenery in a part of the country many of us don’t often get the chance to visit.

BEER52.com

It’s not often that I get sent free stuff, but when I do it’s always gratefully received. Several years ago I received a mixed case of beers from Woodforde's for me to review, and just recently I received a mixed case of “craft beers” from the good folks at BEER52. The latter are a newly established beer agency  who are based in Scotland. Each month they offer a case of eight different  hand-picked craft doors, which  they will deliver to your door. The beers work out at around £3.00 a bottle, and each case is accompanied by detailed, and well laid-out, tasting notes. There is no delivery charge.

In exchange for these beers I offered to review them on behalf of BEER52, and like other bloggers in similar situations, I wish to record that my thoughts, opinions and comments on the beers will be as honest and objective as possible, and will not be influenced by the fact I received these items foc.

There are eight beers in total, six of which are from breweries I have never heard of. The two breweries I am familiar with are Grain and Oakham; both of which are quite well known, having been established for some time now. Anyway, here’s the beers listed in the order I drank them, together with what I thought of them:

Oakham Ales Citra 4.6% - Pale gold in colour and topped with a thick foamy head, this classic new wave beer has a stunning citrus-like, grapefruit aroma, from the renowned Citra hop. Oakham claim they were the first UK brewery to use Citra, back in 2009, and such were its unique qualities it quickly became a permanent fixture. The brewery also claims lychee and gooseberry aromas in the beer, and they are certainly correct about the dry bitter finish. A really good and very drinkable, all round beer.

Church Farm Brewery Harry’s Heifer 4.2% - A pale amber best bitter. Poured without a head, but still with a reasonable amount of condition. A slight floral nose, but not much else in the way of aroma. Quite sweet tasting, with some citrus flavours present in the background. Not a huge amount of bitterness, (certainly not a hop monster!), but still a pleasant and refreshing drink. Half-way through the bottle now, and I’m of the opinion the beer is too sweet, and too floral for my taste. Perhaps more suited to a summer afternoon, than a damp, cold, evening in mid-February.

Top Out Brewery Staple Pale Ale 4.0% – Pale amber in colour, this bottle-conditioned beer pours well giving an inviting head of loose white foam. With a lovely zesty aroma from the American hops, the citrus theme extends through into the taste, enhanced by a touch of wheat in the grist. Top Out are based on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and have only been brewing since July 2013. If they can keep coming out with brews like this then they are on to a winner!

Grain 316 Extra Pale Ale 3.9% - I visited Grain Brewery’s central Norwich pub, the Plough, last April, whilst in the city for the CAMRA National AGM. Being fairly late on a Saturday night the place was heaving, but heaving in a good way with mainly young people, all enjoying the extensive range of Grain beers on sale in the pub. The bar maids were young and attractive too and, more importantly, they were very knowledgeable about the beers as well!.

What I am trying to say is that Grain seem a young and go-ahead brewery, and this is reflected in this bottled beer. Brewed using lager malt, which gives an extremely pale colour to the beer, 316 has a delicate malt body with a pronounced citrus hop aroma and flavour. The tasting notes from the brewery suggest necking it straight from the bottle, but to me that would be sacrilege, as it would with any bottled beer. Perhaps I’m not so young and go-ahead after all?

Stevens Point Brewery Belgian White 5.4% - A confession, I’ve never been much of a fan of what beers, so how did I fare with this craft wheat beer from Wisconsin? Surprisingly well, the beer poured pale with a colour approaching that of white wine. There was surprisingly little of the fruity, bubble-gum ester flavours associated with Bavarian Weiss Biers; instead there was a pleasant graininess, with a hint of coriander.

It is interesting to see from the tasting notes that as well as wheat, the beer contains rolled oats and is flavoured with a touch of Curacao orange peel and coriander, alongside the Hallertau and Saaz hops.

Stevens Point Brewery Black Ale 5.2% - Like its name suggests, jet black in colour. Poured completely flat, with no head present at all. A smooth tasting dark beer, with plenty of roast and caramel notes Bittered with choice Cluster, Saaz and Cascade hops for a smooth, bitter finish.I’m not really certain which style“black ale” fits into, although stout might be the most appropriate.

The Tickety Brew Company Dubbel 6.5% - Black in colour with just a hint of red when held to the light. Inspired by the famous Belgian Abbey/Trappist style the tasting notes state that the beer contains no roasted malts. Instead the “deep burnt red appearance” is achieved by adding dark sugar syrup. There is certainly a background taste from this syrup which reminds me of molasses; something I am not a huge fan of. However, this taste is not over-powering and the overall impression is that of a sweet beer, with a touch of spice and gentle bitterness. Definitely a beer which grows on you and a good take on a Belgian classic by an up and coming British brewery.

Summerhall Brewery Barney’s Beer 3.8% - This bottle-conditioned beer describes itself as a “Good Ordinary Pale Ale”, so does it live up to expectations? Well it pours nice and clear, is amber in colour and has a thick, but fairly loose head. There’s some hop, citrus and peppery notes in the aroma, but to me the beer is a little thin, but although it lacks somewhat in body, the hoppiness compensates with its thirst quenching properties.

Like the Church Farm Brewery beer, this pale ale is far more suited to a warm summer’s day, than a damp, cold, evening in late February. It would be interesting to see what some of the brewery’s other beers are like.

If you fancy trying some of these beers yourself, then why not place a trial order from BEER52?  The company are kindly offering a £10 per case discount to readers of this blog. To qualify for this, all you need do is type in Coupon: BAILEYS10 when placing your order. Happy drinking!

Footnote: this post originally attracted a small number of negative comments relating to the service provided by Beer52.com and, more importantly, to difficulties experienced by some people when attempting to cancel their subscriptions.

Following assurances received from Beer52.com’s founder, James Brown and his team, that the situation has now been improved, and that issues associated with cancellation have been resolved, I have decided to take down the comments.

This is not a decision I have taken lightly, but having run my own business in the past I know how hard it is getting everything right, especially first time around. As Beer52.com have introduced “super easy online cancellation”, I have given them the benefit of the doubt.

Final point; there has been no financial inducement, or “goods in kind” received on my part, as a result of this action, and I remain, as always, an impartial observer.

A Night on the Tiles

Actually, rather than a “night on the tiles”, it was a night on the Pantiles. This famous and historic part of Tunbridge Wells is a Georgian colonnade leading from the well that gave the town its name. The area was created following the discovery of a chalybeate spring in the early 17th century and is now a popular tourist attraction.  The Pantiles today includes a variety of specialist shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants and bars, and is the area of Tunbridge Wells that is best known to visitors to the town.

As well as the shops, galleries and cafés, there are also several interesting pubs, and in order to visit a few of these, our local CAMRA branch held a social on Wednesday night. Eight members attended, which for a damp evening in mid-February wasn’t bad. We met at the Ragged Trousers, which is the newest of the three pubs we visited. I say “newest” because the pub only opened in 2006. However, the building itself is the same age as the rest of the Pantiles Colonnade, although I do not remember what it was prior to becoming a pub.

The Ragged Trousers is a long narrow cafe-style pub straddling from London Road to the famous Georgian Pantiles area of the town. During periods of good weather the front seating provides an excellent position to observe passers by and activity of the local traders’ market. Inside the candle lit scrubbed wooden tables and low lighting create a cosy feel which contrasts with the vibrant atmosphere. Three hand pumps dispense the local Larkins and Long Man ales and a guest which on Wednesday evening was Coppernob from Tonbridge Brewery.

I stuck with the Long Blonde, from Long Man, an excellent and well-hopped ale, pale in colour and strong on taste. We stayed for around an hour, during which time we were joined by another member. The Trousers was pleasantly quiet, with just a handful of other drinkers, apart from our selves. I say pleasantly quiet because at weekends, particularly in summer, the place can be absolutely rammed, so much so that it is sometimes difficult to get served.

Round about 9pm we moved on to the next pub on the agenda, the nearby Duke of York; situated on the Lower Walk and within shouting distance of the Ragged Trousers. The Duke of York is an historic Pantiles pub which dates back to the 18^th Century. Described as the ‘country pub in a town setting,’ the pub has thankfully reverted to its proper name after a spell as Chaplin s. The pub is now owned by Fullers of Chiswick, and features a range of the company’s beers who have recently taken direct control of the Duke of York, from its former management company – Pantiles Pubs; the people who run the Ragged Trousers and the Sussex Arms, (see below).

There was a reasonable sprinkling of drinkers in the pub when we arrived. We were greeted by a bank of five hand pumps offering four different cask ales; two beers from Fullers and two Gales brands. Most of our group opted for the Gales HSB, but a colleague and I spotted pump clip advertising one of my favourite Fuller’s beers, namely Bengal Lancer. Now I believe I have only ever drunk this beer in bottled form and as far as my colleague was concerned, this was definitely the case. Imagine our disappointment then when the barman attempted to pull a pint, only to find the cask had run out!

My choice as an alternative, Gales Seafarer, proved a bad one. The beer had a distinct “meatiness” about it and was lacking in condition. It wasn’t quite bad enough to return, but was definitely past its best. The others who had gone for the HSB fared somewhat better, proving that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The Duke of York is a pleasant pub though, and as the company was also very convivial, I wasn’t too bothered about my slightly “tired” pint.

From where I was sitting I could see across through the clear glass windows to the former Tourist Information Office, which has undergone quite a transformation over the past six months. It is now Tunbridge Wells’s first and only Champagne Bar. Now apart from a similar establishment in Whitstable I’ve only ever seen these sorts of places in airport departure lounges. I have sometimes wondered at the wisdom of tipping un-cooked shellfish down ones gullet before jetting off to exotic climes, thereby risking spending the first half at least of one’s hard earned holiday sitting on the toilet! However, that’s just me, and I’m sure that modern hygienic practices relating to the handling and serving of oysters, mean that any such risks are pretty minimal.

The people behind Tunbridge Wells’s Champagne Bar certainly know what they are doing, as they are none other than Sankey’s; a family of well-known and long established publicans, restaurateurs and fishmongers. Check out Sankey’s Bar and Fishmongers. This establishment of tiles, piles of crushed ice and beautiful people sitting at the bar, sipping champagne certainly looked busy for a damp mid week in February, and is a welcome addition to the food and drink scene in Tunbridge Wells.

It was time to move on to the last stop on our mini-pub crawl, the Sussex Arms. Tucked away from the main Pantiles area, but now surrounded by new development, the "Sussex Shades" as it was known locally is no longer the pub of legend. I have written extensively about its heyday here, so won’t repeat what I said apart from adding that following the 1987 redevelopment of the area, the Sussex ended up being changed from a pub full of character, run by and used by “characters”, into a trendy pub aimed at the youth market.

Because of these alterations I am always going to be biased against the Sussex in its current guise, although to be fair the new owners have tried their best, and the transformation has certainly mellowed over the past 27 years. Today it is a pleasant place for a quiet drink, although I believe it does host live music events from time to time. It was pretty quiet when we called in, shortly after 10pm. On the bar were Black Sheep Best, a red ale from Milestone Brewing Company called Rich, and what appears to be a limited edition 4.2% brew from Elgoods called CXXX. Not being a fan of red ales, I plumped for the Elgoods and was glad I did. Not only was my beer a well-balanced hoppy brew, it turned out a lot better than the offering from Milestone. I won that one then!

With work the following morning, I just had the one beer in the Sussex. This meant I was able to catch the 22:59 train home. There are two other pubs on the Pantiles in addition to the three pubs mentioned. These are the Swan Hotel and the Grey Lady. I can’t really say much about either. The Swan has recently been extensively furnished under its new owners, and I haven’t been in yet to see what it is like. The Grey Lady describes itself as a “music lounge”, and specialises in jazz and blues as well as other music genres. It sounds like a nice place to impress your significant other with a nice romantic meal and some live music, but never having been there myself, I can’t really comment. Do check these places out though if you are in the area; along with the Champagne Bar and the other three pubs, of course!

The Beer Drinker's Companion

I was prompted to write this piece after learning via Boake & Bailey’s Blog, of the passing of the pioneering beer explorer and writer, Frank Baillie. Frank passed away last week at the grand old age of 92, and a touching, and very apt tribute to him appeared on the CAMRA website. Appropriately for a man who did so much in the early days to spark an interest in good beer, and who provided much in the way of information about the UK brewing industry for the fledgling Campaign for Real Ale, the tribute was written by Graham Lees;one of the original four founders of CAMRA. You can read it in its entirety here.

Frank Baillie’s major contribution, back in the early 1970’s, was the publication of the ground-breaking piece of work which he had written following  several years  of assiduous research. Titled "The Beer Drinker's Companion", the book appeared in 1973 as a hard-back edition only, priced at £2.95. I was a student at the time, and the cover price represented quite a sum to me, so much so that I had to wait until the summer vacation before I could afford to purchase a copy! It was however, worth every penny.

The dust jacket hinted at the delights to come, by describing how Britain was still fortunate in having over 1,000 home-produced brands of beer. This was qualified by the statement that whilst many of them were beers of great character, the majority of them were little known and hard to find. It ended by informing readers that Frank Baillie "assiduously researches the practical aspects of beer as a hobby", that he has "drunk beer in thirty-six countries" and that he had "drunk all the draught beers at present available, as well as a great many bottled and keg beers".

"The Beer Drinker's Companion" was a pioneering work; never before had any publication attempted to list every brewery company still operating in Britain, let alone go on to describe the different beers produced by these breweries. The book was definitely a labour of love, being well researched and written in an entertaining and often witty style. It included sections on: 

What Is Beer?

Beer Types Defined

Dispensing Systems

The Flavour of Beer

Gravity and Strength

The Brewer’s Art

Home-Brewed Houses

Changes and Trends in the Brewing Industry

The main part of the book listed, in alphabetical order, all the regional breweries of Great Britain and the Channel Islands. Under each entry, the address of the brewery concerned was given, together with a short description of the town (or village), in order to set the scene. This was followed by instructions of how to recognise pubs belonging to the brewery and, more importantly, where to find them. Outposts, where a particular brewery's beers could be obtained, were also listed, and in some cases the actual pubs were named.

All the beers, produced by the brewery, were then listed and described, starting with the draught beers, before moving on to the keg and bottled ales. The dispense method, such as traditional hand pumps, top-pressure, or keg and tank systems, favoured by each brewery company were also mentioned. In all 88 different independent breweries and their products were described, but unfortunately over half of them are no longer brewing.

There was also a section on the National Brewers, but the book did not list all their individual; breweries, or indeed describe all the beers they produced. However, when one considers that Whitbread at the time operated some 16 breweries and Bass 11 plants, this omission is perhaps not surprising. In addition, Whitbread and Bass were in the process of rationalising these plants (closing many of them), so their inclusion would have been a futile exercise anyway.

Frank Baillie stated in the introduction to his book that "the shelves of practically any book store are overflowing with books about wine, but apart from a few books about home brewing, books on beer are very few and far between". He then went on to say (rightly in my view), "that beer with its infinite variety of palate and even bouquet is man's most popular drink. There are still over a thousand brands of beer to be found in Britain (not including imported beers), and the philosophy that "beer is beer", implying that all beer tastes alike could not be more misguided".

He called for a little more customer orientation on the part of both brewers and pub landlords alike, so that a new customer in a pub belonging to an unfamiliar brewer would know what to order, how strong the beers were and a rough indication of what they taste like.

He concludes by stating "As these ideal are not likely to be realised, this book has been compiled, and it is dedicated to the many beer drinkers who would like to find, know about and drink some of the wonderful beers still left before it is too late." I count myself as one of those beer drinkers and remain hugely indebted to Mr Baillie for compiling "The Beer Drinkers Companion".

Things of course, have moved on since the early 1970's, when traditional beer really was in danger of disappearing. Fortunately, thanks to the sterling work carried out by CAMRA, not only is traditional beer widely available, but the choice of beer available to today's drinkers is far in excess of that which existed forty years ago. In addition to the surviving established independent brewers, there are now hundreds of new micro-breweries that have started up in the intervening years.

Extinct styles such as porter and cask-conditioned stout have made a comeback. Seasonal ales are now widely produced, and even the large breweries have significantly increased the range of beers sold in their pubs. On top of that, the author's plea for more customer orientation has been largely recognised. The strength of beer, in terms of alcohol by volume (ABV), is now listed by law either at the point of dispense, or on the bottle or can, and CAMRA's best selling Good Beer Guide gives details of all the cask conditioned ales produced in the UK, as well as tasting notes for the vast majority of them. Interest in beer, breweries and brewing has also increased dramatically, not just here in the UK, but on a truly global scale. In short we beer drinkers have never had it so good.

In the latter part of 1996 an article concerning Frank Baillie appeared in "What's Brewing". As well as informing younger readers about "The Beer Drinkers Companion", it interviewed Frank some twenty-five years on. The article described how he was still enjoying beer at the ripe old age of 73 and that, whilst he had no plans to update his work, he was glad that it had sparked the amount of interest that it did.

Eighteen years after that interview, Frank Baillie is sadly no longer with us.I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I remember hearing the tale of a memorable encounter a former Maidstone & Mid-Kent CAMRA branch chairman had with the man, back in the late 1970’s. I won’t name the person concerned, but him and another former branch member were in Blackpool, for an early CAMRA National AGM. Frank Baillie happened to be staying at the same boarding house as the two Maidstone members, and my friend recounted that on the first morning of their stay Frank arrived down for breakfast and when the landlady asked what he would like for breakfast, he requested kippers. “I’m afraid kippers aren’t on the menu, sir,” was the landlady’s reply. Frank looked a bit disappointed, but accepted the news with good grace. At breakfast the following morning, when asked the same question, Mr Baillie produced from under the table, a couple of kippers, wrapped in newspaper, which he had procured earlier that morning from the local fish market! The landlady was taken aback, but nevertheless agreed to cook them for him.

I don’t know whether this arrangement continued for the rest of the weekend, but my two CAMRA colleagues found the whole thing highly amusing, and very apt and true-to-form behaviour from someone who was known to be quite a character. CAMRA was full of them in the early days!