Spa Valley Railway Beer & Cider Festival 2017

Well that’s the Spa Valley Railway Beer & Cider Festival over for another year, and no doubt once everything’s been totalled up, the suppliers paid and the accounts all balanced, the branch (West Kent) will be getting a full report on how it all went.

I did a stint behind the bar on Saturday, and apart from a half hour break to grab something to eat, worked pretty much non-stop from 2pm through to 10.30pm. To say it was manic in the engine shed at Tunbridge Wells West, would be an understatement, but it was a great team effort put in by all those present, which ensured everything ran as smoothly as possible and there were no hold-ups or indeed hiccups.

I say this because as well as the obvious front-facing roles of serving the hordes of thirsty customers, there were other equally important jobs, all essential to keep the place running. There was a constant stream of new arrivals at the glasses stand, and the same could be said of the cash desk; where the folding stuff is exchanged for tokens, to enable people to buy their beer or cider.

Then there were the people constantly re-filling and then emptying the glass washer, plus the equally important job of collecting the high denomination tokens from  behind the bar and ensuring there were sufficient low value ones to give in return as “change”. The whole thing was a continuous cycle which, as I said above, worked well.

Despite being extremely busy, I actually enjoyed my time behind the bar and my interaction with the paying public. I didn’t have a single awkward customer, and whilst some did dither by asking for too many tasters, I was able to leave them to deliberate for a short while whilst serving those who knew exactly what they wanted.

I was able to offer recommendations to those unsure exactly what they were after, or those disappointed to find their chosen beer had already sold out, and in the main people were pleased with my suggestions. Beers running out became an increasingly more common occurrence as the afternoon rolled on into the evening, and I was disappointed to have missed Larkin’s Porter and Harvey’s Bonfire Boy.

Both beers were on sale by special dispensation of the brewers; Larkin’s Porter is not normally released until November 5^th and the same applies to Bonfire Boy. The story circulating amongst the organisers was that sanction had to be obtained from Harvey’s MD Miles Jenner, in order for the supply of the latter; and then it ran out before I could enjoy so much as a sip!

It was that busy behind the bar that there was literally just time for a quick glug, before the next thirsty punter appeared waiting to be served. Now I know many CAMRA festivals have a policy of not allowing staff to drink behind the bar., but fortunately West Kent CAMRA have always followed a more relaxed approach, and providing people don’t "take the piss", staff are allowed a beer or three whilst on duty.

I think this is only fair, as we are all volunteers who have given up our time to help but, as I pointed out above, things were that busy there wasn’t time to even re-charge one’s personal glass, let alone drink much of the contents!

I mentioned  being able to assist people in choosing a beer which suited them, and I think this is one of the most important parts of a CAMRA-run beer festival. Of course there were the people who went straight in on the loony juice, but the festival policy of restricting the sale of the few 10% ABV and above beers, to third of a pint measures only, paid off and ensured these casks lasted longer than they might otherwise have done. More importantly, this stopped the loony brigade from becoming inebriated too quickly.

I made a point of wearing the hat I brought back from Oktoberfest behind the bar, and this acted as the perfect ice-breaker and conversation starter with many customers. A number of them, and especially the ladies, confused it with the hats worn by pupils at Hogwarts, so I had  a little bit of explaining to do!

As well as the main bar selling cask-conditioned ales (including Green Hop beers), there was a craft-keg bar opposite, offering domestic and imported key-keg beers. This was operated by local Beer Café proprietors - Fuggles, but as things were so hectic, I never got the chance to visit this bar.

There was also a good selection of traditional ciders and perries, all sourced locally from producers within a 40 mile radius of the festival. Food was provided in the form of a barbecue (burgers, hot dogs and bacon rolls), plus a Thai food stall which served me up a most welcome vegetable chow mien, drizzled with hot chilli-sauce.

Unlike previous years, I didn’t get the chance to journey down the line and try some of the beers on sale at either Groombridge or Eridge stations, but the reports were that both locations were equally busy. There were a couple of live bands playing in the engine shed from late afternoon until 10pm, and these helped to really get the party atmosphere going.

Things had quietened down by the time the band stopped playing and I was finally able to enjoy a few beers. The photos, scattered throughout this post, illustrate those beers I was able to sample. The ones which really stood out, included Burning Sky Plateau 3.5%,  Elland White Prussian 3.9%, Black Edge India Pale 4.7%, and Brentwood Chockwork Orange 6.5%.

By close of play on Saturday, I estimated that three-quarters of the beers had been sold, and many other casks were close to running dry. I understand that the Friday had been nearly as busy, although Sunday was reported as quiet.

From the point of those who attended, as well as those working at the festival, it’s safe to say the event was a success. We will find out at the so-called “wash-up” meeting, which will take place later next month.

Green Hop Judgement

On Thursday night I acted as one of the judges in the Green Hop Beer Competition, the contest which acts as the prelude to the Spa Valley Railway Beer & Cider Festival. I was sort of press-ganged into it, but reluctantly agreed, primarily because I didn’t want to let my CAMRA colleagues down.

Now I’d far rather be drinking beer than judging it, and this is borne out by the fact that despite having completed a “Beer Tasting Course”, last night’s event was only the second official tasting I have participated in. Despite this, I was determined to give the contest my best shot, so I left work early, and made my way over to Tunbridge Wells,.

Green Hop Bar

I  arrived at the restored Victorian engine shed at the former West Station, which acts as SVR’s headquarters, shortly before 6pm. The shed is where the bulk of the festival’s beers and ciders can be found, and the sight of row after row of casks, all stillaged, tapped and spiled in readiness for the weekend’s event, was quite awe-inspiring.

Several local CAMRA members were behind the bar, affixing the cask labels to the barrel ends. After months of planning, it was good to witness everything coming together for what is now one of the largest beer festivals in Kent and neighbouring Sussex.

The judging took place in a covered area just in from the railway’s booking office.  Four tables had been laid out in readiness for the competition; each with seating for six people. With 24 Green Hop Ales in the competition there were 24 judges to start with, although as the contest progressed, this was whittled down to 12, and then finally just six judges.

Roger giving his talk

My fellow judges included the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, plus two other distinguished guests. The first was Sophie Atherton, who is a journalist and beer writer; and was the first female to qualify as a Beer Sommelier. The second guest judge was the veteran beer writer, Roger Protz who has just stepped down as editor of CAMRA’s award-winning Good Beer Guide, after editing 24 editions of the publication.

Before the completion started, Sophie talked us through the basics of beer judging, telling us what to look for with regard to appearance, condition, aroma and taste. This was a welcome refresher, even to those of us who thought we knew all about beer judging.

Getting serious

Roger gave a short talk afterwards reminding us that back in the days of the first Good Beer Guide, when CAMRA was in is infancy, there were only around 150 brewers in the country, and the choice of beers from these companies, was almost exclusively mild or bitter, with sometimes a best bitter plus the occasional winter offering around Christmas time.

The beers were judged in a series of “blind” tastings, with each judge tasting six different beers in each session. We were asked to score each beer out of 10 points, on appearance/condition, aroma, taste, after-taste and finally our overall opinion. The latter criterion was worth up to 20 points. This was much more difficult than it sounds, and whilst we were allowed to confer, we weren’t supposed to see the scores our fellow judges had awarded. I was in good company on my table, as I shared it with Sophie, Robin from Pig & Porter Brewery, John from the recently established Engineer Brewery, the head-brewer from Cellar Head and Russ whose family farm and grow hops at St Michael's, just outside Tenterden.

A short interval then followed, during which the tables were cleared, the glasses were washed, and new scoring sheets issued. The process was then repeated. As mentioned above, the number of judges was then halved. I was one of three people who stepped down on my table; leaving Sophie, Russ and the gentleman from Cellar Head, whose name escapes me, to tackle the semi-final.

This process trimmed the remaining 12 beers to just six finalists, and the winner was then selected from this half-dozen, by a panel of six “senior “ judges. These included Sophie and Roger, plus local pub landlord and restaurant proprietor, Matthew Sankey.

Vanessa from Dark Star receiving the top award

Once the scores were all in and everything had been double-checked, Dark Star Green Hop IPA was declared the worthy winner, with Downlands Green Hopped Root Thirteen in second place and Cellar Head Poledancer in third.

Certificates for third and first place were then presented to the respective brewers by West Kent CAMRA Chairman, Craig Beeson. There was no-one present from Downlands Brewery to collect the runner-up award, but I'm sure we'll be visiting the brewery in due course.

The competition for top Green Hop Beer of the Festival, has been named in memory of Iain Dalgleish; West Kent CAMRA's former long-serving chairman, who sadly passed away in August, after a long battle with cancer. I am sure Iain would have approved of this move, and also of the winner.

Despite my initial reservations, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it was good to listen to the thoughts and opinions of my fellow judges. One thing which did come out, and this is an observation which has been made by friends and other CAMRA members over the past fortnight, is that none of the beers had a particularly hoppy aroma. This is rather surprising considering the use of freshly harvested hops in the brewing of them.

My own experience, and again this is something I share with fellow branch members, is that Green Hop beers tend to leave a coating of resinous oils on both the tongue and the roof of the mouth, and this may actually act as a barrier to both taste and smell. I consequently found it refreshing to go for a few “normal” beers afterwards.

I was able to do this because the organisers (SVR & CAMRA), had opened the bar, although payment was taken for beers consumed. I chose a few beers which I thought might disappear quite quickly, once the festival opened to the public, and these included, Imperial IPA 7.4% from Outstanding Brewery and Baltic Trader 10% from Green Jack Brewery. I also enjoyed California Common, a 4.6% “Steam Beer” from Knops Brewery.

I departed just before 10pm, and walked up through the pouring rain to Tunbridge Wells mainline station. I got equally wet at the other end, and arrived home looking like a drowned rat!

It's late on Friday evening, and as I finish writing this piece, the festival will have just called time after the first full session of the event. Judging by the messages floating around on WhatsApp, it has been a reasonably successful day, although some concern has been expressed about the number of strong beers which make up this year’s order.

Unfortunately I had had to go into work, as two members of my department were away on business, but I shall be over at Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, to do a stint behind the bar and see how things are going. A report will follow in due course.

Going loco down in Tunbridge Wells

Well after the excitement of Oktoberfest, which was followed by a relaxing few days in Regensburg, it was back  to earth with a bang. I’ve been back at work two and a half weeks now, and have been catching up on  both the work and domestic fronts.

I have spent the past two weekends tidying up the garden, and getting things put away ready for winter, and Mrs PBT’s and I have had the unenviable task of selecting tiles (far too many to chose from), and a new bathroom suite, for our latest home-improvement project.

This coming weekend is a little different though as I will be involved with the 7th West Kent CAMRA Real Ale & Cider Festival, held in conjunction with the Spa Valley Railway (SVR). The event runs from Friday 20^th to Sunday 22^nd October, and   takes in the preserved Victorian Engine Shed, at the Heritage Railway’s Tunbridge Wells West Station headquarters.

This year’s event will feature 160+ Real Ales, 25+ Green Hop Beers, various Key-Keg/Cask Beers, a selection of Belgian Beers and 30+ Ciders. As in previous years, the beers and ciders will be spread out between the three stations at Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge & Eridge; although the majority will found at Tunbridge Wells.

There will also be bars on two of the SVR’s train sets. To reach all the locations the organisers recommend a day rover ticket, which allows unlimited travel all day, up and down the line between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge. Tickets are just £20 per adult or £10 per child. For CAMRA members there is a special CAMRA Day Rover ticket available for just £15!

I haven’t been involved with the organisation of this year’s festival, but I will be there on Saturday, at one or more of the locations, serving behind the bar. So why not come along and treat yourself to a ride through the beautiful Kent and Sussex countryside, and stop and say hello.

I will also be at Tunbridge Wells West tomorrow, as I’ve been asked to help judge the Green Hop beers which will be on sale at the festival. I’ll be keeping illustrious company, as we will be joined tomorrow, by two luminaries from the world of journalism and beer writing. I can’t reveal much more, at present, but I promise a full report in due course.

The Spa Valley Festival has become one of the largest events of its kind in both Kent and Sussex, and is well worth a visit. It has good public transport links, and can be reached by trains to Tunbridge Wells Mainline, followed by a 15 minute walk along to the West station, via the town’s  world famous Pantiles area. Alternatively, SVR trains depart from Platform 2 at Eridge station, which is served by mainline trains to and from London Bridge. Please check National Rail Enquiries before travelling.

Full details of the festival, including a list of all the beers and ciders, can be found by clicking the link here.

ps. Apologies to Retired Martin for the tenuous link in the title, to a well-known music track.

Three go to Oktoberfest - Part Two

Continuing the narrative from where we left off last time, we were now  inside  Oktoberfest, and it was still only 11.30 am. The grounds were relatively quiet, and visitors were just trickling in slowly, so what to do next?  Well a beer wasn’t the first thing on any of our minds. Coffee plus something to eat seemed a far better idea, especially as breakfast wasn’t included in our hotel booking.

Salvation came in the form of Bodo’s Backstube, a “tent” decked out in the style of an Alpine chalet, serving coffee and various cakes. Eileen went for a large slice of Apfel Strudel, whilst the lad and I chose a Kirschwasser (Cherry Schnapps) Donut. Not exactly the healthiest of breakfasts, but something at least to line the stomach with.

Inside Bodo's

We sat inside Bodo’s for twenty minutes or so, polishing off our cake and finishing our coffee. When we emerged, the festival grounds were starting to fill up. We had a good wander around, taking in the Augustiner “tent”, the Ochsenbraterei; a large “tent”, specialising in roast oxen, along with Spaten beer. The outside Biergarten area of the latter looked pretty full, so we thought we perhaps ought to head for a “tent” ourselves, before all the seats were taken.

A bit more information, plus some handy tips here. The “tents", referred to in parentheses are not really tents at all; certainly not in the traditional meaning of the word. They are large and spacious, semi-permanent structures, constructed mainly from wood, along with various other materials. They are erected each year, specially for Oktoberfest, and then at the end of the event, are dismantled, removed from the site and stored in various warehouses, ready for the following year.

The festival site - before the tents are erected

The word “Zelt” means a tent in German, and the one we were heading for was the Hacker-Festzelt. This “tent” has been at Oktoberfest since 1907, and is particularly popular with young Bavarian drinkers. Nearly all of them are decked out in traditional costume, or “Tracht”.  This means Lederhosen, checked shirt and white or beige socks for the men, and Dirndls for the women. With the latter, the skirt should come down to just below the knee, rather than above it, and there is a whole etiquette, mainly relating to marital status, surrounding which side the bow should be tied.

Now some important information, so please pay attention. Unless you have a seat; either inside or outside one of the tents, you will not be served. There is none of the vertical drinking common at UK beer festivals, and you will not be allowed to wander around carrying your mug of beer. By “seat” I mean a long bench, in front of an equally long wooden table. Typically there will be room for 10 average sized people, on each table (five along each bench.).

If, like us, you visit mid-week and arrive early, you will not have a problem finding a seat. If your visit is planned for the evening, or at the weekend, then it is almost essential to reserve a seat in advance. This is particularly important if you are part of a large group, as with a bit of patience, “couples" can normally be squeezed in somewhere – especially if  you ask nicely.

Reservations normally open in April for the upcoming Oktoberfest, and must be made to the individual tents. Full details can be found online, here. The reservation itself is free of charge., but it is usual for each person to buy vouchers for a certain amount of beverages and food (in most cases two litres of beer and one roast chicken). These are valid only for the current Oktoberfest and have to be paid in advance. The vouchers can be redeemed inside the tent.

Of course, visitors are free to eat and drink more than the amount that has been paid in advance. It should be noted that reservations are not for a complete day but for a specific time-slot, which will be confirmed with the reservation. This is to allow more groups of people to celebrate inside the beer tent.

Back to the Hacker-Festzelt, and I am sorry to report that we were refused entry. This wasn’t because the tent was full, or that the seats were all reserved; the reason we were unable to gain access was we were all carrying bottles of water! To us, the water was a sensible precaution. We were going to be drinking some quite strong beer. The sun was shining and temperatures were forecast to hit the mid 20’s. Drinking lots of water seemed the sensible thing to do, but because water is available INSIDE the "tent" (at inflated coast, no doubt), the management weren’t keen for people to be bringing their own in.

I don’t know whether this applies to all the tents, or just certain ones, but all was not lost as, just in front of the tent was an outdoor beer-garden area, and there were some spaces available. We grabbed space on the end of a table, stuck our water bottles on the ground, by our feet and waited for the waitress to come and take our order.

This didn’t take long, but the lady, who came to our table was slightly more advanced in years than the young Frauleins I alluded to earlier. She was quick and efficient though, and I have to say that the staff who work the tables at Oktoberfest deserve every Euro they are paid. Treat them politely, tip them well – but not too generously, and they will see you alright. Our waitress brought two foaming Maβ Krugs of Hacker-Pschorr Festbier for Matt and I, plus an equal measure (and an equal price), of alcohol-free beer for Mrs PBT’s.

According to one survey at least, Hacker-Pschorr came out top of the Festbiers, but that’s just one survey. All the Oktoberfest beers will be good, full-bodied, well-rounded and with the right balance between malt and hops. Matt and I certainly enjoyed our Maβ Krugs, and Eileen enjoyed hers; even though I had to finish it, mixing what was left in her glass with what was left in mine.

It was very pleasant sitting out in the warm, late-September sunshine, taking in  the atmosphere and enjoying the general ambience. Our waitress returned and asked if we wanted anything to eat? Something solid inside, apart from a Cherry Schnapps Donut, seemed a good idea. Eileen and I both had a plate of local (Fränkische), sausages, with potato salad; Matt had roast pork in gravy, with one of those spongy potato dumplings (Kartoffel-Knödel).

It’s worth mentioning here that at Oktoberfest, you pay for your food and drink when they are brought to your table; unlike the practise in most German pubs and restaurants, where you pay before you leave. This makes perfect sense, given the high numbers of people coming and going, and I prefer this anyway, as it saves hanging around waiting for the final bill to appear.

One thing I did do before leaving, was nip inside the tent. With no water bottle in hand, and no bag either, I was not challenged and was able to wander around taking as many photographs as I wished. It was pretty hectic inside and was full of mainly young locals, the majority wearing "Trachten".

The Hacker-Festzelt can accommodate up to 9,300 people, which is a similar number to the other large “tents”. There are fourteen of these; seven of which are operated by the breweries, and the rest by independent landlords. There are also around 10 smaller “tents”.

We had a wander around afterwards, but didn’t have any more beer. I calculated that finding a “tent” with a free table, and then ordering  and consuming another litre of beer would take at least an hour, and as we were due to head for Regensburg, for the main part of the holiday, I also had the responsibility of guiding the family to the station, buying the tickets and making sure we boarded the right train.

We did a rough circuit of the site before making our way towards the exit, taking in such traditional fairground attractions as the “Haunted House”, the motor-cycle “Wall of Death” and one of those “try your strength” machines, where you have to bring a large wooden mallet crashing down on a “puck” in an attempt to ring the bell at the top of a tower. We also all bought ourselves an Oktoberfest hat, and I shall be wearing mine whilst working at next weekend’s Spa Valley Beer Festival.

The main thing we discovered about  Oktoberfest was just how accessible the whole thing is and,  having now “learned the ropes”, I would definitely go again but this time spend a bit longer there.  

Three go to Oktoberfest - Part One

In my last post I wrote about the series of events which led to us attending our first Oktoberfest; serendipity; if you like! Here, I want to offer some tips and advice for “first timers”; small things which we picked up on which would make future visits that little bit more enjoyable, and as stress free as possible.

This is going to be quite a lengthy article, so for those with short attention spans, or just better things to do with their time, I have divided it into two. Here is Part One.

Let’s kick off with Oktoberfest itself. The story of how the event came into being is well-documented, and can easily be found both online, and in various books. Moses Wolff’s excellent “Meet me in Munich”, which I referred to in the previous article, is a must for anyone seriously contemplating a visit to Oktoberfest.

This particularly applies to those contemplating a visit either with a small group of friends or, as we did, as a family. There are various travel companies who organise trips for larger groups, and these will normally offer the complete package of flights, accommodation and meals. If, like me, you prefer to do your own thing, then the process is quite straight forward, particularly with a little planning and the sort of advice I am about to reveal.

First, the event is free. Obviously you will have to buy your beer and food, but unlike most British beer festivals, there is no admission charge. The costs involved in providing the “temporary” infra-structure”, paying the staff and the all the other ancillary charges involved in putting on this mammoth festival, are recouped  by the price of the beer (and to a lesser extent the food).

This year a litre, or Maβ of beer cost €10.80. This equates, at current exchange rates, to just over £5.40 a pint. Expensive you might think, but you are getting a specially-brewed Festbier which is around 6% ABV, waitress service – all those good-looking Frauleins in their traditional Dirndls, bringing armfuls of beer to your table are definitely worth the additional cost, plus the atmosphere, camaraderie and general ambience of the whole event.

Second, there is a lot more to the event than the drinking of copious amounts of beer. We enjoyed just walking around, looking at the stalls selling snacks and souvenirs, the various side-shows, shooting galleries plus other fairground attractions.

We personally steered away from the latter, as none of us enjoy being spun round at high speed, turned upside down or dropped from a great height, but if this sort of thing floats your boat, then do give the rides a try – preferably before you’ve had a skinful of beer and a roast pork knuckle!

Don’t turn up expecting a CAMRA-style beer festival, with dozens, if not hundreds of different beers on sale. The only brewers allowed to serve their beers at Oktoberfest are those within the city limits. This effectively means just six brewers are represented, and these are Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner and Spaten.

Even here there are tie ups as Hacker-Pschorr are part of the same group as Paulaner, and the same applies to Löwenbräu and Spaten. Augustiner are still family owned, whilst Hofbräu are owned by the state of Bavaria. Other brewers have tried to get round these limitations by opening breweries within Munich, but the city council moved the goal posts by stating only those established before 1970 could supply beer to Oktoberfest.

There is also none of the samplings in half, or even third of a pint glasses, which are common place at UK beer festivals. At Oktoberfest it is litres only – as my wife found out! On the plus side there is no deposit on the glasses, so no queuing for glasses and no waiting for a refund at the end.

Some more practical tips now. Security has been ramped up in recent years; for obvious reasons. We were aware that rucksacks are not allowed, so we left ours back at the hotel. Large bags are also banned, but there is some obvious confusion as to what constitutes a “large bag”. Eileen certainly didn’t think her Cath Kidston handbag fell into this category, but one of the security people checking all visitors at the entrance (there are several entrances, dotted right round the site), had other ideas. This necessitated a trip to one of the baggage depositories, a €4 charge for leaving the bag and a very disgruntled wife.

"How am I supposed to carry my purse, passport, cigarette lighter etc?" Was her earnest plea. I placated her, once we were inside by purchasing a small bag, capable of accommodating all the accoutrements and other paraphernalia the female of the species normally carries around with her! The result, a happy Mrs PBT’s and a happy me!

Part Two, follows shortly.

We didn't mean to go to Oktoberfest!

We didn’t originally plan to go to Oktoberfest, in fact it happened virtually by accident; not that many people actually believe this statement! Both family and work colleagues thought I had arranged our holiday deliberately to coincide with the "grand-daddy" of all beer festivals, and the best known and most famous event of its kind in the world. This was not the case, as I am about to point out.

When choosing our holiday, and planning the travel arrangements, I originally wanted to visit somewhere else in Germany, for what would be my fourth trip to the Federal Republic in a year. I settled on Heidelberg; a city which had all the attributes I was looking for – historic buildings, attractive setting, a good general ambience, plus some good places in which to enjoy a few beers.

The last attribute could apply to almost anywhere in Germany, but Heidelberg seemed both desirable and relatively easy to get to. My wife however, had other ideas, and expressed a strong desire to return to Regensburg; the attractive medieval city, on the banks of the River Danube, which we had visited last year. I was not averse to the idea, so being the dutiful and at times compliant husband, I agreed and set about making the travel arrangements and booking the accommodation.

Last year we flew to Nuremberg from Stansted, using Ryan Air, and then took the train to Regensburg. There is only one flight a day in each direction and whilst this worked out well in 2016, the timings this year necessitated either a very early start, or an overnight stop. The family also expressed a wish not to fly back on a Sunday, as they wanted a day to recuperate from the holiday, before returning to work (light-weights!).

Son Matthew had left it late to book his leave, meaning we were looking at the last week in September, rather than my preferred option of the first week. This was the same week as last year, and also happened to coincide with the last week of Oktoberfest. Because of this clash I at first, deliberately steered clear of Munich as our point of entry because I thought (wrongly as it turned out) that flights and accommodation would be expensive.

Something happened to make me change my mind, and that was Eileen having to go into work on the Monday to sort out the men’s wages and pay various contractors. She works, on a self-employed basis, for a firm of scaffolders, and is responsible for the admin and office side of the operation. She has no deputy, and although I’d suggested her sorting out these financial matters the day before, this was not practical.  

Not paying the workforce was obviously out of the question, but what was possible was her going in for the morning and us to then take a flight later in the day. As it happened, there was a suitable, early-evening flight from Gatwick with Easy Jet, and what’s more it was dirt cheap. All that was needed was somewhere to stay for the night in the city. I found a decent hotel, offering rooms at a fairly reasonable rate, close to the main station. Matt’s friend had stayed there a couple of times, and we had met up with him there on our last visit to Munich,  back in February.

I booked us in for the night, and then booked a four night stay in Regensburg, at the same well-appointed hotel, right in the heart of the old town, where we had stayed the previous year. With a late evening flight back booked for the Saturday evening, the stage as set for three and a half days in Regensburg, sandwiched between two half days in the Bavarian capital. All that was left then was to think of something to do in Munich for late Tuesday morning/early afternoon.

I thought of a bit of sight-seeing, followed by some shopping, before rounding things off with lunch (plus a few beers at one of the city’s excellent beer-gardens). I was looking at a tram-ride out to the Englischer Garten when the brainwave struck; why not call in at Oktoberfest instead?

The festival site, or Theresienwiese (Wiesn), was only about 15 minutes walk from the hotel, and a similar distance from the station. We could leave our bags at the hotel and then nip along to Oktoberfest. We were in town, we were close by, it was the perfect opportunity and, as the saying goes, “It would be rude not to!”.

I spent a few weeks genning up on all things Oktoberfest, and in this I was ably assisted by the excellent “Meet me in Munich” – “A Beer Lover’s Guide to Oktoberfest”, by Moses Wolff. I cannot recommend this book highly enough for anyone contemplating a visit to Oktoberfest, as not only is it packed with just about everything you need to know, it is written with care, devotion plus just the right amount of humour, by a native of Munich, who still lives in the city and is a regular (and frequent), visitor to Oktoberfest.

The book changed my perception of the event from something I thought of as just a glorified “piss-up”, to what it really is, namely the world’s largest folk festival, travelling fun-fair and a celebration of all things Bavarian. Of course beer features highly on the agenda,  and the event wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without it, but I soon discovered there are plenty of other things to see and do, besides necking back Maβ Krug’s of high-octane beer, and it was this which helped me sell our proposed visit to the family.

Matt  didn’t need much persuasion, although as he later confided he was pleasantly surprised to discover it was not just a crowd of mainly blokes, sitting in an enormous beer hall, swilling litre-sized mugs of beer. Eileen too enjoyed the experience and was quite taken aback to learn I hadn’t been before. “I didn’t realise you were an Oktoberfest virgin”, she told me as we wandered down to the Wiesn, “We’d better get along there quick, and lose our virginity before anyone catches on.”

 

And that’s where, for the time being at least, we will leave this narrative about the world’s biggest beer festival. Next time I describe our experience of this slightly crazy, but fun-filled event, along with some useful tips and practical information for other would be first time visitors, keen to lose their “Oktoberfest virginity”.

Longevity awards

The Dovecote - 25 years in the GBG

Last month I posted an article about the five pubs which have appeared in every edition of CAMRA’s best-selling Good Beer Guide. That’s 45 editions and 45 years continuous entry.

Now that takes some doing, and is one hell of an achievement, but here in West Kent we have a few longstanding entries of our own, and earlier in the week, the local branch awarded certificates to two of them. I was amongst those present when the awards were handed over, and here is my report.

First up, and celebrating 20 consecutive years in the Guide, was the Dovecote at Capel. Now Capel is little more than a row of houses, the odd farm plus a 13^th Century church, close to the village of Five Oak Green, three miles to the east of Tonbridge. The Dovecote forms part of the aforementioned row of houses and, whilst little is know about its history, is a fine country pub.

 

With very few chimney pots in the immediate vicinity, the Dovecote has to offer something special to attract custom, and it does this by stocking a range of up to six cask ales, alongside what it describes as “good traditional, locally-sourced homely food, in a cosy atmosphere”.

I have known the pub for the past 30 years, and little has changed apart from the installation of an ingenious system for serving cask-beer by gravity. This was devised by a former landlord, and it involves the casks being kept in a temperature-controlled room, immediately behind the bar. Extra-long cask taps protrude through the dividing wall, and out through false barrel ends, made out of wood, set into the wall. The result, beer kept at just the right temperature, and served in the most natural way possible – straight from the cask.

 

Harvey’s Sussex Best and Gales HSB (now brewed by Fuller’s, of course), are the two regular beers, alongside something from Tonbridge Brewery. When we called in on Tuesday evening, Old Dairy Copper Top and Fuller’s Oliver’s Island were also on sale. I opted for the latter, and can report it was in excellent condition (3.5 NBSS). This was my first taste of this beer on cask; although I am pretty certain I have tried it in bottled-form.

For those of us still working, (not many amongst a branch of mainly retirees), it was rather a rush getting to the Dovecote for the 7pm presentation, but a non-working friend, very kindly gave me a lift. We joined half dozen or so other members who’d arrived ahead of us, also by car.

Charlie, the landlord had been tipped off about our visit, but I think that even he was unsure that the pub had clocked up that many years in the guide. The bar was still fairly quiet, so branch chairman Craig, went ahead with the presentation, along with the usual congratulatory speech. Charlie was thrilled with the award, and thanked us for coming. We would have liked to have stayed longer, but we had another presentation to make that evening; this time to a back-street local in Tunbridge Wells.

We set off, in two cars, and made our way to Mount Sion; a short distance up from the town’s High Street. This is an area of narrow and in places part cobbled streets, with a mix of substantial early Victorian houses and charming, cosy cottages, which is often referred to as the “Village” area of Tunbridge Wells. Despite the obvious parking problems, it is a very desirable, but rather expensive, part of the town in which to live.

We made our way to the Grove Tavern, in Little Mount Sion; a tiny and cosy “L”-shaped pub which is a contender for the title of the oldest pub in Tunbridge Wells. The Grove is a drinkers and a sports enthusiast’s pub, which  attracts its own loyal crowd of regulars, but with an open fire in winter, and some lively conversation at the bar, visitors are soon made to feel at home here.

Grove Tavern - 15 years in the GBG

The pub is ably run by landlord Steve Baxter, with help from wife Jane and sometimes their daughter as well. The Grove is celebrating its 15^th year in the Good Beer Guide, and once again it fell to chairman Craig to make the presentation. There was a much larger CAMRA contingent present, than there had been at the Dovecote; unsurprisingly really given the pub’s central location. There was also a good crowd of regulars in the bar as well.

The Grove stocks Harvey’s Sussex Best and Taylor’s Landlord as its regular beers, with a couple of guest ales normally on sale alongside. On Tuesday these were Templar, from Pilgrim Brewery, plus a 4.2% Green Hop Ale from Wantsum Brewery. I made the mistake of choosing the latter, which was foolish, given that I have never been a fan of Wantsum beers.

My instincts were correct, and the beer had a peculiar “woody” taste which at first I put down to the green hops, before recognising this undesirable, off-tasting characteristic. I wasn’t the only person who was unimpressed with this beer, but the excellent pint of Landlord I had after, made up for it.

As mentioned it was a good turn-out and Steve was obviously pleased with his well-deserved award. I didn’t stay too much longer, as I took advantage of my friend’s offer of a lift back to Tonbridge. It was a “school-night” after all, so I was quite pleased to be home, shortly before 10.30 pm.

It had been an enjoyable evening though, and it was particularly good to see two quite diverse pubs, which are almost polar opposites, doing so well.