All change for EBBC

This year’s European beer Bloggers & Writer’s Conference in Amsterdam was the sixth such event, and the third conference I have attended. Sadly, it will also be the last on both counts, as in a shock announcement right at the close of proceedings, and just before the end of conference party, Reno Walsh  coordinator from the event organiser, Zephyr Conferences, informed us that Amsterdam would be the last EBBC in its present form.

He spoke first about the main Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference which takes place in the United States, and told us that this event continues to grow, year on year, before making a contrast with the European event. Here attendance figures have stagnated, and this year even fell, but what he didn’t allude to was the fall in numbers might well be down to Zephyr leaving it until quite late in the year (April) to announce the location.

This wasn’t entirely the organisers’ fault, as Vienna, the original city of choice, fell through, virtually at the last minute, due to problems over sponsorship, but unfortunately the damage appears to have been done and low attendance figures meant this year’s conference either only just broke even or possibly even lost money.

Something had to change, but before telling us what the changes might be, Reno went on to say that the EBBC is the only conference which Zephyr organise which takes place outside North America. It is also their smallest conference, running at about half the size of the North American Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference, which itself is Zephyr’s smallest conference on the other side of the Atlantic.

It is also their only conference which regularly rotates countries, and is therefore the event which attracts the most international mix of attendees. Having said that the bulk of the attendees at EBBC are either from the UK or Ireland and this, coupled with the fact that conference proceedings are conducted solely in English, means that delegates from other European countries are not really represented as well as they might be, or as the organisers would like. In addition, there are a lot fewer active English-language beer blogs in Europe (166 Citizen Bloggers, by their count) than there are in North America (654). And most of those are located in the UK.

 

With these self-evident facts in front of them it is easy to understand Zephyr’s reluctance to continue with the event in its present form, so what they are proposing is returning the conference to the UK. Next year’s event will therefore take place from March 17^th – 19^th in the Beer City of Sheffield, and will be run in partnership with SIBA - the Society of Independent Brewers. The name of the conference will also be changing to Beer Now. The event coincides with SIBA’s annual BeerX conference and Beer Exhibition, and conference attendees will have free access to the latter, as well as the Awards Presentation.

Zephyr have explained the full rationale behind the change on their website, but insist the move is necessary to ensure the continued viability of a blogger-focused conference. The major change beyond the new name is expanded content. They will still be maintaining an emphasis on blogging and writing and will still offer sessions on social media and such blog-related topics as digital marketing and search engine optimisation.

They will also be expanding the scope of the conference to include topics relevant to brewery marketing and communications professionals, such as beer tourism, bar room and events management. Their aim is for Beer Now to be everything past EBBC attendees have appreciated, but with the goal of attracting more participants from within the beer industry. By making this change to Beer Now, Zephyr aim to ensure European beer bloggers and writers still have a conference to attend in 2017, and in years to come.

In summary:

• Beer bloggers and writers in Europe still have their own conference with content applicable to them. They will have access to expanded content to help expand their industry involvement if they so choose, and will have access to more conference sponsors and industry attendees than were available with the EBBC.
• The beer industry (brewery marketing, communications, and tap room managers; brewery associations; tourism promotion agencies; beer tour operators; etc) has a new conference focused on a side of today’s beer industry (marketing, tourism, and communications) that is under-served in terms of industry training. Plus, sponsors and attendees of Beer Now will have access to the extremely influential beer bloggers and writers who attend.
• Zephyr Conferences will gain an expanded base of attendees and sponsors that should make the conference viable into the future.

The announcement left us all a little stunned, and once the realisation had settled in,  many of us were feeling rather sad and a little despondent at the realisation that this would be the last conference in this particular format.  Although I have only attended three conferences, I got to know many bloggers and writers drawn from countries all over Europe; as well as several from North America.

Quite a few attendees have become friends, and as each conference was announced I looked forward to catching up with them, and the excitement of meeting up in a different location each year, only added to the enjoyment of the occasion. Getting together in Sheffield each year will somehow not feel the same. For me the social aspects of the conference were every bit as important, if not more so, than the conference proceedings themselves.

Although I realise such thoughts were probably far from Zephyr Conference’s mind, the conference retreating to the UK sends out the wrong sorts of signals, especially at a time when Britain has very narrowly (and very foolishly), voted to turn its back on Europe. Confining the conference to the UK will only add to this sense of casting the Anglo-Saxon world adrift from the rest of Europe, and will just increase the sense of isolation which many pro-Europeans, like me, have felt since the referendum. 

I am undecided, at present, about attending Beer Now. I often go away in March, as with spring in the air, or just around the corner, it is a good time of year for taking a short break. Last March I went to Barcelona, and the year before I went to Berlin. Sorry everyone, but Sheffield somehow doesn’t quite have the same appeal! I will however, be keeping a close eye on the attendance list to see which, if any, familiar faces have signed up, and this may well influence my decision one way or the other. As I said before, the social side of these conferences is something which appeals to me even more than the actual content.

One thing is certain though, I am planning to attend next year’s North American Beer Bloggers & Writers Conference, which takes place during August in Milwaukee. I made this decision some weeks before the Amsterdam event, so the scrapping of the European conference, in its current form, has had no bearing on this.

From my point of view it will be interesting to view the continuously evolving beer scene in North America and experience a small part of it at first hand. From a more personal perspective, the event will also give me the chance of visiting my sister and brother-in-law, once the conference and excursions have finished.

Pig & Porter Brewing Co

Saturday just gone was open day at Pig & Porter Brewing Co.The brewery are based in a small unit on an industrial estate in High Brooms, the intermediate stop on the rail line between Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells. Being so close, it seemed rude not to attend, especially as I am a fan of their beers; so shortly after midday, I walked down to Tonbridge station and made the five minute rail journey to High Brooms.

The estate where the brewery is situated, occupies the site of a former clay pit, associated with the now vanished brick-making industry which was once an important feature of High Brooms. I found the brewery without any trouble, although the people milling around outside drinking, did give a bit of a clue.

Mash-Tun & Brew-Kettle

The unit was considerably smaller than I was expecting, but the brewing plant has been carefully shoe-horned in to take advantage of every available inch of space. As we later discovered, Pig & Porter have acquired a further similar-size unit, at the opposite end of the same block, and this is used primarily for cold storage of finished packaged stock (casks and key-kegs).

Arriving at the brewery I bumped into Jon, a friend from CAMRA, and a little later on several other branch members also put in an appearance. The open day was a pretty low-key affair, and was just a case of turn up, try a few Pig & Porter beers, and have a look around the brewery, (there were two tours; one in the morning and the other in the afternoon).

A bar had been erected in the area under the stairs, with both cask and keg beers on sale and priced at £3.00 a pint; all that is except the rather potent DIPA (Double India Pale Ale 8.6%), which cost £3.00 a half. Next time I will bring my own glass along, as the brewery were, understandably, using disposable plastic ones.

I’m fairly certain I managed to sample all of the beers on sale, and I also managed a chat with Sean Ayling and his wife Jacqui. Sean is one of the two partners behind the brewery; the other being Robin Wright. Robin, who was away on holiday, looks after the administrative side of the brewery, whilst Sean does the brewing, assisted by relative newcomer, George Fisher.

Fermenters

Pig & Porter started life as an "events company", providing catering at village fetes, weddings, barn dances etc; the pig part of their name coming from the hog roasts, which were one of their specialities, and the porter, of course, from the beer. To begin with they used other breweries kit to produce the beer, very much in the tradition of a "gypsy", or "cuckoo brewery".

Even then they discovered that the amount of beer needed for these events was fraction of what even a micro brewery could produce, so they ended brewing a full length of beer and then selling the rest off to pubs. The company’s first beer, under their own name, was Red Spider Rye 4.8%; a red ale brewed with a portion of rye in the grist, which gives the beer a degree of spiciness. The brewing of Red Spider Rye took place at the end of 2012, and it is good to report the beer is still produced today.

Sean Ayling - Head Brewer & Co-founder

Red Spider was a huge success and was lapped up by local pubs, but the duo continued with their event business throughout the spring and summer of the following year, and with catering events taking place most weekends, there was little time in which to brew. At the end of summer 2013, the pair became aware that the former Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewery site was available. RTWB was a short-lived enterprise which had unexpectedly folded a year or so before, and their 10 barrel brewing plant had lain idle since the closure. Sean and Robin struck a deal to share the site and its equipment with the Tumanny Albion Brewing Company; a company which produced various lagers, under contract, for sale in the Baltic States.

After a year or so sharing the site, it was evident that both companies needed to expand. Tumanny Albion moved out, leaving Pig & Porter as the sole occupants. Sean and Robin had already decided to drop the catering side of the business and concentrate on brewing; a decision which was forced on them by Sean having to brew at weekends because, at the time, he was not in a position to quit his day job.

Key-Kegs - the way ahead?

Today, both partners are very much full time, and the appointment of George, as assistant brewer, has helped take some of the strain off Sean on the brewing side. The brewery is now running close to capacity and with the addition of a new, temperature-controlled, stainless-steel 15 barrel fermenter along side the original three 10 barrels fermenters, they are now turning out around 80 casks a week. An increasing amount of the output is now despatched in key-kegs, but as Sean point out, the beer is still unfiltered, unpasteurised and continues to condition in the key-kegs, so to all intents and purposes is “real ale”.

So what of the future? In a relatively short space of time Pig & Porter have gained a reputation amongst beer lovers for turning out innovative and interesting beers, which appeal to both craft aficionados and traditionalists. Their range of different beers has expanded considerably from their initial core range, and having heard Sean speak about his passion for brewing, it is easy to envisage further innovation. The brewery has already produced an 8.6% ABV Double IPA – called DoubleThink, and are looking to produce an Imperial Stout with an ABV in double figures!

Fermentation capacity is one restraining factor, but as Sean pointed out the brewery’s current mash tun is on the small side, making it difficult to produce beers of the desired  10% plus ABV. There is talk of looking for a new site. Rents in Tunbridge Wells are not cheap, and with both partners have to commute considerable distances to work, (Sean lives in Whitstable and Robin in Hastings), somewhere more central to both, and where rents are also cheaper, would make sense.

Local drinkers would be sorry to see Pig & Porter up sticks and move away, but I’m certain we would still see their beers; such is the brewery’s reputation. In the meantime I would like to thank Sean, Jacqui and George for giving up their Saturday in order to show us round the brewery, and for making it such an interesting afternoon out.

Here are the beers I enjoyed at the brewery. With the exception of Ashcan Rantings, all are key-keg:

Ashcan Rantings 4%                             - Citra Pale Ale

Pig Cubed Mango Saison 4.8%            - Saison with added Mango Cubes

Signs of Triviality 5.5%                         - A more straight forward Saison

Slow Black 5.1%                                 - An excellent Oatmeal Stout; my joint favourite beer of the day.

California Common 5.5%                     - An American-style IPA, brewed in collaboration with Weird Beard Brew Co, my other joint favourite beer of the day.

DoubleThink DIPA 8.6%                       - A strong, well-balanced Double IPA.

For a much more in-depth write-up on Pig & Porter, please check out this feature by local blogger, James Beeson.

A Quiet Pint?

The Pub Curmudgeon beat me in posting this story, which surface yesterday, but as it’s a topic I feel very strongly about, here’s my take on it.

The story revolves around the vexed question of “background music” in pubs; as according to The Good Pub Guide 2017, which was launched a few days ago, “Pub-goers have said that background music is the thing most likely to spoil a nice quiet pint, closely followed by noisy children running riot.”

Now I’ve no intention of getting embroiled in an argument about the latter; especially as I’ve done my breeding and now have no personal stake in the matter, one way or the other. The prevalence of music in pubs though, is a different matter and one which I find extremely irritating. Unfortunately it is becoming more widespread, but if landlords want to attract me into their pubs, then turn the wretched volume down; or preferably turn the music off altogether!

A decade or so ago the Daily Telegraph published a guide called “The Quiet Pint: A Guide to Pubs with no Piped Music”. I picked up a copy, several years ago, in a second hand book shop. It was a good idea, but coverage was patchy at best, and given the fickle nature of the pub trade, and the time between surveying and publication (something familiar to Good Beer Guide buyers?), the concept was doomed to failure. There have been several half-hearted attempts since to launch an online guide to quiet pubs, but again the same problems have surfaced.

Speaking at The Good Pub Guide launch editor Fiona Stanley, said: “Piped music, canned music, muzak, lift music, airport music - call it what you will, it’s there and our readers loathe it in any shape or form. It enlists bitter complaints, and has done so ever since we started the guide 35 years ago.”

One pub-goer who contributed to the guide, advised: “At best it’s bad manners foisting a random choice of music on you that you have not chosen and do not want to hear, at worst, it interferes with people’s hearing.” 

Now that’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, as I find I have increasing difficulty in hearing what is being said in pubs, and if there’s some “foreground music” blaring away, then it makes matters ten times worse. It’s probably ironic that a mis-spent youth, listening to overly loud rock music at concerts has contributed to the problem, but that was my choice; unlike being forced to listen to what the landlord or the bar staff want to hear.

Of course it is not just pubs where customers are forced to listen to piped music. Supermarkets, shopping malls and railway stations are just some of the places where shoppers and travellers are subjected to music they would probably prefer to do without, and there is a whole science which has grown up around piped music. Studies have shown that certain types of music encourage shoppers to spend more or move through the store faster, but anyone who applies this sort of logic to a pub wants his or her bumps felt.

A pub is a static environment which does not need such unnecessary distractions. Pubs are about conversation and socialising; they are about having a good time. People go to pubs to meet their friends, be sociable, have a drink or a meal and discuss the problems of the world and attempts to artificially induce that most intangible element; namely an atmosphere, are ultimately doomed to failure. Many publicans though appear immune to these criticisms and believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that music plays a positive part in their business. 

If I go out for a drink with friends, or take the family out for a meal, the last thing I want is to have to shout in order to make myself heard above the amplified music wafting out from every corner of the room. Equally I don’t want to keep leaning over so my companions can speak almost directly in my ear. So what are these crazy people thinking when they inflict their own, often dubious tastes in music on me and their other hapless customers. Surely a case of big egos and small brains!

Let’s give the final words on the subject to The Good Pub Guide editor, who quite clearly states, “Of all the thousands of pubs we have visited over the many years of producing the Guide, it’s pretty rare for us to feel our pub experience has been heightened by what is being played through the speakers above our heads.”

She concludes, “It’s clear our readers agree so surely it’s time for all publicans to take note and turn off the music, as it’s driving customers mad”. 

Hear, hear!

A New Look

Welcome to my new look blog, and to its new title which reflects my passion for travel; especially when it involves exploring new places and indulging my passion for beer.

Some of you will be aware that I also have a second blog, called Paul’s Beer Travels, which has been running for nearly as many years as this one. My posting on the secondary blog was always rather erratic, and looking back I see that my last article appeared over a year ago. The total number of posts between 2009 and 2015 was just 32, and 19 of those were made in 2010.

It therefore seemed a little superfluous to be running two interrelated blogs so last night, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to combine the two. Whilst this is reflected in the new name, rest assured the subject matter will remain pretty much the same, ranging from the topical to the downright quirky and from purely local news to international or even global events.

Beer will still be the underlying theme, along with brewery visits, developments in the brewing industry plus my own personal selection of the best pubs and bars in which to enjoy good beer.

From time to time I may re-run a few of the posts from the old “Beer Travel Blog”, just to give them an airing and a little more exposure; especially if I feel they would be of interest to readers, but before I end, here are a few more reasons for the change in style and the slight change of emphasis which is integral to this “new look” blog:

Paul’s Beer & Travel Blog combines two of my main passions; namely beer and travel. Both passions complement each other; finding a nice place to enjoy a local beer, whilst visiting a new or interesting location, is the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned.

Travelling to a new or interesting location, in search of, or specifically to find good beer, and the sense of anticipation associated with this, is something which still excites me today. Alternatively, re-visiting somewhere familiar, in order to renew my acquaintance with a good pub or an interesting local beer is an activity I find equally enjoyable.

 

I enjoy writing about these beer and travel experiences in order to remind myself of some great times. I also write to share these experiences with others; like minded people, of course, but also those not as passionate about beer as me, with a view to kindling an interest in what is often described as "the best long drink in the world."

Well that’s probably more than enough for the time being, and we shall have to see how this pans out. In the meantime I sincerely trust you will enjoy this new look blog, and look forward to receiving any comments, suggestions or even criticisms you may have.

Brouwerij de Molen

First sight of De Molen

Like beer lovers the world over, I was aware of the legendary Dutch brewery, De Molen, but I had never tried their beers. This was primarily because I never saw them on sale, anywhere in the UK, although I suspect had I visited a specialist bottle shop, or tried an on-line retailer, then things would have been different.

I first heard of De Molen back in 2013, when visiting the Kent Green Hop Beer Festival in Canterbury. This was because there was a note in the beer tent, explaining the absence of legendary Ramsgate brewer, Eddie Gadd from the festival, as he was over in the Netherlands, attending the annual Borefts Beer Festival. The festival is hosted by De Molen in their home town of Bodegraven, which lies to the south-west of Amsterdam.

The modern brewery

That at least registered De Molen on my radar, so earlier this year, when I saw an excursion to Bodegraven for a visit to the De Molen Brewery, advertised as the post-European Beer Bloggers Conference excursion, I jumped at the chance and booked my place.

The trip took place on the Sunday, which was the day after the conference ended, and involved making a journey by train from Amsterdam, to this small Dutch town. It had been pouring down with rain for most of the morning, but thankfully eased off a bit as we arrived at Bodegraven.

Our party of 19 made the short walk from the station to the outskirts of the town where we could clearly see the imposing windmill which gives the brewery its name (De Molen literally means “the mill” in Dutch). The windmill, which dates back to 1697, is called De Arkduif, and whilst it now houses the brewery’s taproom, restaurant and shop, it was the original home of  the brewery when it was started by Menno Olivier, back in 2004.

The original brew-kit

We were met at the windmill by our guide. I never did catch his name, which was a shame as he was very knowledgeable and a good spokesman for the brewery He was also an excellent host, as we were to discover after our guide had shown us around the brewery and told us some of the history of De Molen and its eclectic range of beers.

We started of at De Arkduif, where we saw the original brewing kit. I must admit it looked very Heath-Robinson, with a strange double copper arrangement. The whole thing was encased in brick, which gave it a real rustic look. I wasn’t making notes, but I did manage to keep track of the beers we sampled. These were Kaapse Karel – a 4.8% pale ale; Hammer & Sikkel – a 5.8% porter and Vuur & Vlam (Fire & Flame) – a 6.2% IPA.

Part of the current ultra-modern brewery

We had a few more beers when we returned to the windmill-restaurant after the main brewery tour, but it is well worth me spending time describing the impressive set-up De Molen have now, which is in total contrast to the tiny home-made kit they started off with.

The brewery is housed in a number of inter-linked industrial units on a small estate within shouting distance if the brewery. I’m not sure of the size of the plant or the brew length, but the brewing equipment occupied virtually the whole of the first unit. We didn’t realise it at first, but there were three more units to come. One was home to a newly installed hi-tech bottling plant, whilst the last unit, which was still being worked on, had rack after rack of large wooden casks, which are used for De Molen’s

Bottling plant

barrel-aged beers. There were whisky casks, as well as wine barrels, and there were masses of them. There was also a bar and kitchen area, still under construction.

In between the second and fourth unit was the brewery’s raw material and packaging store. With umpteen bulk bags of malt, stored in the cool and dark warehouse, alongside a staggering number of bottles (both empty and full), plus the largest number of key-kegs I have ever seen, there was some serious money tied up here in ingredients and packaging items alone! (Some of the financial backing has come from Bavaria Holland - see Brouwerij de Molen's statement about this).

Barrels everywhere

After the tour, we had to leg it back quick to the windmill in order to avoid a sharp shower, but once inside we were ushered over to three reserved tables, and treated to an excellent lunch of homemade tomato soup, followed by a selection of locally cured cold meats and cheeses, with some nice thick chunks of artisan bread. As a special treat, a big steaming hot bowl of freshly cooked mussels was placed on each table.

We were given a glass of Tsarina Esra Imperial Porter 10.1% to go with our lunch, then after that we were on our own. The food was excellent, as was the beer, but after all the heavy stuff I decided I wanted something lighter. One of the guest beers on the restaurant’s list fitted the bill in the form of Gänstaller Zoigl 5.8%. This fine refreshing, roughly filtered beer is brewed by Gänstaller Bräu of Hallerndorf in Franconia, Germany.

Lunch Dutch-style

Sometimes a nice, palate-cleansing beer is all you want after a succession of “full-on, in-your face” beers, so I make no apologies to De Molen to not sticking with their beers with my lunch. I did, however finish up sharing part of a bottle of barrel-aged Rasputin 11.2%, with a fellow blogger.

After lunch, most of us drifted off; some by car and some heading direct to the airport. The rest of us walked back to the station for the journey back to Amsterdam. It was sad to be saying goodbye, especially as this was the last European Beer Bloggers Conference in its present form. I won’t say anything further at this stage, although I will be revealing all fairly soon, in a separate post.

As far as the trip to De Molen went, it was a most enjoyable and educational experience, which gave a fascinating insight into this most esoteric of new wave breweries. I am extremely glad I booked my place on the trip and will now keep an eye out for the company’s beers.

Disclaimer: For those concerned about such things, we all paid for this brewery tour with lunch; as well as for the beers we drank with our meal. We also paid for our return rail travel to Bodegraven.

Larkins rescue Greyhound

There’s been quite a lot happening recently with regard to the local beer scene. Several projects are still very much in the pipeline, so I won’t spoil things by releasing any details yet, but news of one very welcome development only reached me on Thursday, and on Friday lunchtime, I went along to see things for myself.

A few months ago I posted the first of a series of articles about Chiddingstone Causeway; the village where I work; and the two other nearby villages which share the name “Chiddingstone” in their title. In that article I mentioned the tiny hamlet of Charcott, which is just a 10 minute walk from my workplace, and its tucked away pub the Greyhound .

What I didn’t say in my post was the Greyhound has been up for sale for the past two years, and the people responsible are our old friends Enterprise Inns. I was aware that the landlord wished to move to pastures new, and sell on his lease, but it was only a couple of months ago that I discovered Enterprise were trying to divest themselves of the pub altogether.

It was around this time that a notice appeared affixed to the pub sign at the entrance to Charcott. The notice was on behalf of the landlord and landlady and it informed passers by that the Greyhound was still open, and that it was very much business as normal. I must admit I didn’t take a great deal of notice about this, but one thing I did pick up on was the pub didn’t always appear open at lunchtimes.

Now whilst I go for a walk most lunchtimes, I tend to vary my route, so don’t always include Charcott on my daily constitutional. A friend and work colleague of mine who does walk this route on a much more regular basis, noticed the same thing, but I don’t think that either of us were aware that the pub had closed.

Fast forward to Thursday just gone and a post on the West Kent CAMRA Facebook page shared from Larkins Brewery’s own page that Larkins would be taking over the Greyhound. I have reproduced the post below:

“We are pleased to announce that Larkins Brewery has taken over the lease on The Greyhound at Charcott. The pub will offer a range of Larkins ales as well as the usual cider, lager, wine and spirits. The opening night is this Friday (2nd Sept), so Bob and the team would love to see all our friends and neighbours for a drink. Here's to a proper local pub saved from closure! Let's keep it open! If everyone would be kind enough to share this post and spread the word we would be most grateful. Cheers!”

Given the power of social media, news of the pub’s change of ownership spread like wildfire, and yesterday (Friday) lunchtime, I just had to go along and see for myself. I arrived at around 1.15pm to find the Greyhound open. There were several people inside, and one or two outside, and next to the door was a blackboard notice outside informing people of the change in ownership, but stating that, for the time being at least, the pub would not be serving food.

I stepped inside and bumped into Jon, a friend and fellow CAMRA member who lives in Chiddingstone Causeway. He had been there a while and was on his second pint. I ordered one for myself and walked over to join him. There were two Larkins beers on tap; the well known 3.4% session beer – Traditional, plus relative newcomer to the Larkins stable, the 4.2% Pale. I opted for the latter and found it in fine form. At £3.60 a pint it was good value as well, and as I later found out the Traditional sells for just £3.20!

Jon and I had a brief chat with the landlord who incidentally was not person who had run the pub for the past seven or eight years. I also had a longer, and more in depth conversation with Guy Beckett who manages the sales at Larkins, and who was sitting outside. The bad news is Larkins only have the Greyhound on a temporary basis, until a buyer is found for the pub’s freehold.

The good news is that during the past two years that the pub has been up for sale, there has been little interest in anyone buying it. The other good news is that Larkins temporary lease with Enterprise, is “free of tie”, meaning they are free to stock and sell their beers at the Greyhound.

The walk across the old airfield to the Greyhound - see below

Guy also told me that if Larkins hadn’t stepped in, then the pub would have been boarded up until either a new tenant or owner could be found. This would have been a disaster for a pretty little place like Charcott, so hats of to Larkins for coming to the rescue.

Friday evening saw the Greyhound’s official opening night under its new (temporary) owners. Judging by the photos on Larkin’s Facebookpage the night was a roaring success. I will be calling in from time to time, just for a quick pint, to see how things are going. After all, if I am walking right past the Greyhound, it would be rude not to!

Footnote:
The Greyhound is a pleasant bright and breezy local, with views across the fields towards the hills that form the start of the High Weald. There still seems to be three distinct areas in the main part of the pub, although the divisions that marked the former bars are long gone. During the winter months, open fires supplement the central heating.

The pub is quite easy to reach using public transport, followed by a short walk; although a little forward planning is necessary. Southern Trains run operate an hourly service on the Tonbridge to Redhill line, and Penshurst station, just two stops from Tonbridge, is actually situated in Chiddingstone Causeway.

Exit the station opposite the Little Brown Jug pub (if arriving from Tonbridge you will need to cross the tracks via the footbridge). Cross the B2027  (take care as this road can be surprisingly busy!), then head off up the hill towards St Luke’s Church. Opposite the church, you will find a tarmac path with takes you across what was once an airfield, towards Charcott. At the end of the path, turn right onto the side road and then first left. There is a sign here for the pub. The road leads round to the right and there you will see the Greyhound on your left. Enjoy!

Amsterdam 2016

Nautical view of Amsterdam Central Station

Considering that the European Beer Bloggers Conference was held in Amsterdam, I didn’t actually see that much of the Dutch capital itself. I was staying at the Mercure City Hotel, where the conference took place, but as the hotel was situated in a green area, to the south west of the city, approximately six metro stops away from central Amsterdam, it might well have been in the middle of the countryside, such were the lack of amenities in the surrounding area.

This only really impacted in the mornings, when I went looking for somewhere offering a spot of breakfast; or even a decent cup of coffee, as with the hotel charging €22 for a few rolls, plus the odd croissant, there was no way I was going to start my day there. Unfortunately, with nothing in the vicinity in the way of shops, I was left with little choice but to pick up a couple of croissants from the outlet in the hotel foyer, and resort to using the coffee making machine in my room.

Mercure City Hotel - from the waterfront

Obviously the hotel was sited to primarily cater for business people; especially as there were good connections to the motorway network close by. As a venue for the actual conference proceedings though, it was ideal, although rather more pricy than I would normally pay whilst away from home. It is also worth noting that the hotel backed onto one of the many canals, which are so much a feature of Amsterdam, and that during the week a waterborne commuter service into the city centre was available.

There were a couple of occasions where I could have ventured into the city centre; the first one being on the Friday evening when the vintage buses, hired to transport us to Haarlem for our visit to Jopen Brewery, were dropping people off in Central Amsterdam on the way back to the hotel, whilst the second was a farewell drink in a couple of city centre pubs late on Saturday evening, after the end of conference dinner.

Obligatory windmill - De Molen Beer Cafe

I forewent both these opportunities, as there had been outbreaks of torrential rain on the first evening, so a comfortable ride in the dry, straight back to the hotel, was far more appealing. On the second (Saturday) evening, there was still plenty of un-pasteurised Pilsner Urquell sitting downstairs in the special Tankovar mobile bar which the brewery had brought with them. Not only that, but it seemed rather rude to desert the people from the brewery who were there looking after us, by clearing off into the city centre.

I escaped from the hotel on Sunday morning; the day of the post-conference excursion to De Molen Brewery at Bodegraven. I intend writing a separate post about our visit to this iconic brewery, but suffice to say the trip involved a train journey and rather than travelling into central Amsterdam and then out again, a twenty minute walk along the river to Amstel station enabled us to make the hour or so rail journey south-west from Amsterdam to the town of Bodegraven.

It would have been a pleasant walk, were it not for the heavy rain which was falling, but by the time I made the return journey, during mid-afternoon, the sun was shining and I was able to appreciate the canal and riverside scenery as I walked back along the banks of the Amstel; the river which flows into the city centre, and after which the Dutch capital is named. It was a lovely walk back to the hotel, and amongst other sights, I saw some rather luxurious looking houseboats along the way.

River Amstel

That evening I arranged to meet up with a couple of fellow bloggers at a city centre pub, so some time after 7.30pm, I walked the short distance along to the Metro station and took the train to Amsterdam Central. It was my first time in the centre of the Dutch capital since 1975, and after I had got my bearings, the place seemed pretty much as I remembered it. The sun was shining and the city was bustling; mainly with tourists, it has to be said, but seemed just as vibrant as it was 40 years previously.

We had arranged to meet up in a pub called t’Arendsnest (Eagles Nest) which was slightly south-west of the Central Station. I started walking in the general direction of the pub, stopping several times to take photos of the picturesque bridges across some of the canals. t’Arendsnest had been recommended to me by Stanley Blenkinsop; an occasional contributor to this blog, but Italian blogger Jacopo, who I was due to meet shortly, had been the person who suggested meeting there. 

Canal-side beer at t'Arendsnest

I found the pub, in its canal-side setting, without any difficulty and having arrived slightly ahead of time decided to drink my beer at one of the outside tables, next to the canal. That way I could sit there and watch the world go by, both on land and on the water, whilst keeping an eye out for my friends’ arrival.

Jacopo was the first to arrive, and once he had grabbed himself a beer and settled down opposite me, he said that EBBC attendees, Sarah and Brett were also planning to join us, but he wasn’t sure about his compatriot, Arianna. Sure enough, Sarah and Brett appeared shortly after, having arrived by car following a meandering tour back from Bodegraven. They had also dropped Irish Beer Snob bloggers, Wayne and Janice off at the airport, en route. 

Royal Palace - Amsterdam

For a while we had quite a merry little gathering, but Brett said he could only stay for one beer before having to drive back to his home in the south of the Netherlands. Shortly after his departure, it began to rain, only lightly, but sufficient to drive the three of us remaining inside. There was a good vibrant crowd at t’Arendsnest that evening, but we managed to find a table towards the rear of the pub. The pub prides itself on only serving Dutch beers, and I am pleased to report that all the beers I drank were good. Unfortunately I have mislaid the list I made at the time, but I expect it will surface at some time.

Our conversation centred on the sometimes vexed subject of should bloggers and writers get paid for the work they do, and why do many companies (breweries and PR organisations), seem to expect bloggers will give their service for free? The discussion got a little heated at times, especially around the area of remaining impartial and losing one’s integrity when being paid to write a piece,  but the general consensus was people like us who write about beer, should be rewarded, where appropriate, either financially or with “goods in kind”.

In de Wildeman

We left t’Arendsnest some time after 11pm. Jacopo went off in search of another bar (Brouwerij de Prael), whilst Sarah and I walked back to Central station. We were unsuccessful in our quest for some chips though, and by the time I arrived back at my hotel I was feeling rather hungry. I ended up eating one half of the sandwich I’d bought for the following morning’s breakfast.

The next day I checked out of the hotel shortly after 10am, and made my way up to the Metro station. Despite having caught a train there the previous evening, I ended up on one going in the wrong direction. Mistake rectified, I ended up again at Central Station, where the plan was to deposit my suitcase in one of the left luggage lockers.

Interior - In de Wildeman

I wasn’t feeling over-confident about this, as the previous day Beer Historian, Martyn Cornell, who was on the visit to De Molen, expressed his concern that he might never see his luggage again. He had deposited his suitcase there, in order to collect it on his way back to the airport following the trip to Bodegraven, but as he explained, the automated system at Amsterdam Central seemed fiendishly complicated and he couldn’t see how the code on his electronic receipt could be used to re-open the locker.

I too was totally baffled by the system, so after standing reading the instructions and seeing other tourists looking as bemused as I was, I gave up on the idea and decided to lug my baggage around with me. First stop though was something to eat, and a Big Mac Meal from McDonalds, by way of a distress purchase, seemed the best way to ward off the hunger.

By the time I left the fast food outlet it had started to rain; not heavily but enough to be a nuisance. Plans for sight-seeing ended up on hold (the heavy suitcase I was towing behind me didn’t help in that respect). Instead I ended up heading for one of Amsterdam’s classic pubs in the form of In de Wildeman, which I found more by luck than judgement.

The door to the pub was wedged open, so I was able to ease in with my suitcase without any trouble. I chose the larger of the pub’s two rooms, which was on the left hand side. There were two couples sitting there, and after a few minutes conversation I ascertained that one of them was from Essex. Like me they were at In de Wildeman in search of good beer. They also recommended a couple more pubs for me to try.

Simon - manager of In de Wildeman

The couple had obviously been to the pub earlier in their visit, as during the course of our beer-related conversation I was introduced to Simon behind the bar, who is one of In de Wildeman managers. I spent a pleasant couple of hours there, chatting to my new found friends and enjoying several different beers; namely Witte Trappist 5.5% from La Trappe, Zomer 5.9% from De Eem and Cloudwater Clausensil Red Wine Barrel-aged Stout 7.4%, an import from the UK, which Simon insisted I try.

I left some time around 2pm determined at least to see Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, where I had been photographed standing opposite, back in 1975. I found the palace without too much trouble, but I was rather disappointed to see two tacky-looking hot-dog vans, parked in front. Somehow I can’t see Buckingham Palace allowing that sort of thing in front of the Queen’s official London residence.,

I then skirted the edge of the Red Light District to make my way to Brouwerij de Prael, which had been recommended by the couple in de Wildeman. It was also the bar Jacopo had been making for when we parted company the previous evening.

Brouwerij de Prael is a modern multi-level bar housed in a much older building. It is tucked away down a very narrow side street which borders on an alley. As might be guessed by the name, there is an on-site brewery which, as I soon discovered, turns out some amazing beers. Apart from a party of young male beer-tourists, sitting at a high table enjoying a series of “tasting bats”, it wasn’t overly busy when I arrived. I found a vacant stool at the bar, and parked myself down. 

Beer list - Brouwerij de Prael

There were a number of different beers on tap, but to start with I went for the 5.7% Bitterblond, a clean-tasting German-style beer brewed using plenty of hops. Later on I switched to De Prael’s IPA, which had been recommended to me by several different people. At 6.5% ABV, this was a true to style India Pale Ale, with plenty of bitterness to balance the sweet juicy malt. Without doubt it was the best beer of the entire visit to the Netherlands, so it was rather ironic it was the last one I had on Dutch soil. 

I was feeling rather peckish by that time, so I ordered a rather large cheese and tomato sandwich, which arrived on dark and filling, rye bread. There was plenty of salad to go with it, so I like to tell myself it was the healthy option! It certainly filled me up and helped soak up some of the beer as well. By the time I Ieft for the short walk back to Central Station, and the train back to the airport I was more than able to resist those big cardboard cones of chips, covered with mayonnaise; the very food item I had been unable to find the night before!

Best beer of the trip!

So ended my all too brief return visit to central Amsterdam. I will definitely return, but next time I will take my wife with me. Simon at In de Wildeman gave me the address of an inexpensive B&B, run by a friend of his, so we will have somewhere nice and central to stay next time.
 

Footnote:

A quick shout out to my fellow bloggers, writers and broadcasters who were mentioned in the post. They all have their individual stories to tell about the EBBC and their own particular takes on the world of beer and brewing. You can discover a bit more about them by clicking on the links below:

 Arianna Pellegrini:         La Ragazza con la Valigia www.laragazzaconlavaligia.com

Brett Domue:                Our Tasty Travels http://ourtastytravels.com

Jacopo Mazzeo:           Beer Without Frontiers http://www.beerwithoutfrontiers.com/

Janice & Wayne Dunne: Irish Beer Snob www.irishbeersnob.com

Martyn Cornell:            Zythophile http://zythophile.co.uk

Sarah Finney:                5MinutesOfFinney http://www.5minfinney.com/