Farewell to Dereham?

My son and I were in the mid-Norfolk town of Dereham last weekend in order to visit  my father, who’s residing in a care-home nearby. Dad has been living there for the past two years; ever since the Alzheimer’s he is suffering from left him unable to continue living on his own.

I hadn’t been to see him since the summer, but fortunately the younger of my two sisters, lives in Dereham so is able to visit on a much more regular basis. However, that is about to change, as she and her new husband are moving to the East Midlands, in order to downsize and take advantage of the cheaper property prices in the area.

Prior to visiting dad, Matt and I met up with her for lunch, so fancying something cheap and cheerful we opted for the Romany Rye; the local Spoons. We seem to end up there on most visits, and I get the feeling I have been in the Romany Rye nearly as often as our own, local Spoon’s outlet back in Tonbridge.

After my recent post about JWD’s charismatic owner, you might be forgiven for thinking I’d never set foot in one again, but you’d be wrong, as I can forgive someone their politics, even when I think they are wrong. So, as on previous occasions, the Romany Rye suited our purpose.

My ham and cheese panini was just right for a lunchtime bite; especially after having driven most of the way from Kent through heavy rain, but unfortunately the same could not be said of the beer, which was one of the “guest ales”. The pint of Little Kahuna 3.9%, from the Little Beer Corporation, that I had with my lunch, was very poor; not vinegary, or off-tasting, but flat, totally devoid of confection and chilled to the bone. I should perhaps have known from the way the pump spurted, on being pulled that the cask was getting low; either that or I was the first person to have ordered it that day.

Unfortunately this guest ale wasn’t the only poor beer of the trip, as I will reveal later. Concerns about the beer aside, we had a nice lunch and it was good to catch up with my sister, particularly as I had not seen her since the summer. I already knew about her planned move, but it seems that things have progressed much quicker than expected. She and her husband aim to complete the move before Christmas, even though this will mean living in temporary accommodation whilst they look for somewhere more permanent.

We dropped her back at her house and then checked into our hotel, before going off to see dad. We’d booked a twin room at the George; an attractive 18^th Century inn, right in the centre of town. We had both enjoyed a drink in the George before, but had never managed to stay there, so when I found the hotel had a room vacant, at a reasonable price, I had no hesitation in booking it.

We spent about an hour with dad. Unfortunately he was suffering from a heavy cold and decidedly under the weather. He didn’t move from his armchair, and kept nodding off. He wasn’t talking a lot of sense, and I’m not sure he even recognised us. The effects of Alzheimer’s are certainly devastating and although he is being well looked after, it is obviously painful to see him like this.

Back at the hotel, we debated as to where to eat for the evening. Neither of us fancied Spoons again, and the George itself looked a little pricey. WhatPub came the rescue, in the form of the nearby Kings Head Hotel. I had been in there, just after Christmas, almost a decade ago, with my American brother-in-law, and it had seemed quite pleasant. The food offering looked both good and excellent value for money, so we decided to give it a go.

The Kings Head describes itself as a “traditional pub and hotel”, and is situated at a cross-roads, about five minutes walk from the centre of Dereham. It is a fine looking old building, with an attractive brick frontage. I wouldn’t like to guess its age, but if pushed would say early 19^th Century.

It is obviously a locals pub; something I remember from that first visit. Most were sat at the bar, which is a real nuisance for people trying to get served, or see what beers are on offer. It was a choice of GK IPA or Cornish Coast; a beer which I later found out was a faux “craft-brand” from Greene King.

I ordered a pint, and the beer looked clear, well-conditioned and nicely presented in the glass. Regrettably, looks can sometimes be deceptive, and on raising the glass to my lips I found it was slightly on the turn. It wasn’t undrinkable, although under different circumstances I might have taken it back. I don’t need to say any more, but the fact that we had just ordered a meal each meant me sticking with it.

The food, I am happy to say, was every bit as good as the pub website promised. I had the beef and mince pie (not a proper pie, but  not a casserole with a pastry lid either). Matt had a rather nice-looking Beef Madras Curry.

In view of the beer situation, plus the fact the staff were setting up for a disco, we decided to move on, but not before picking up a leaflet detailing room prices. The Kings Head really is a proper hotel, and the room rates look very reasonable. I therefore marked it as a possibility for a future stay.

We went back to the George for the final pints of the evening, and for the first   time the beer was fine, and I enjoyed both the Adnam’s Ghost Ship and the Broadside (both 3.0 NBSS, but served in those awful stylised Adnam’s glasses). The hotel bar was busy, and we were lucky to find a seat (no sitting on an elevated stool whilst blocking the bar for us!) The George has a real antiquated feel about it, which is genuine rather than contrived, and for me pride of place goes to a large, original Bass mirror.

You get the feeling that little has changed over the past 200 years, and this was evident when we went down for breakfast the following morning. The breakfast room looks out on the town, and it was nice to sit there watching the world go by, whilst enjoying our morning meal. Even nicer was the option of Lowestoft Kipper on the menu, which I naturally jumped at. Mrs PBT’s has never been keen on serving up this divine breakfast dish; ostensibly because of the lingering smell, so it was a rare treat to enjoy a freshly grilled, whole kipper, along with plenty of buttered toast.

After checking out, we drove the short distance over to the care-home. Dad was fast asleep in the armchair again, and we had trouble waking him. Apart from a few mumbled comments about his cold, we got precious little out of him, so after a chat about his welfare with one of the home’s supervisors, we said goodbye.

Fifteen months ago I bid farewell to Swanton Morely – the village where mum and dad retired to, a quarter of a century ago. Now with my sister about to up sticks, there is little in Dereham for me to return to. I will of course continue to visit dad, but with the opportunity of meeting up with my sister as well, soon to be gone, I will be a free agent on future visits; able to stay anywhere within a reasonable radius of dad’s care-home.

This opens up a whole new range of possibilities, ranging from Breckland in the south, the North Norfolk Coast in the other direction, and Norwich and the Broads to the east. There remains plenty of places to explore in Norfolk, plenty of good pubs to visit and plenty of unspoilt countryside to enjoy.

 

Five Points Brewing at Fuggles Tonbridge

Stepping back from the controversy of my last post, and onto safer territory, I spent an enjoyable three and a half hours  on Thursday evening at Tonbridge Fuggles.

The occasion was what used to be called a “tap-takeover”, but which now seems to be referred to simply as a “takeover”, by Five Points Brewing Co. Based in Hackney, Five Points have been brewing “beer that is unfiltered, unpasteurised and full of flavour”, since March 2013.

As well as showcasing five Five Points cask ales, plus four of their keg beers, the brewery chose Tonbridge Fuggles as the place to launch their new Green-Hop beer. This was quite a coup for Fuggles owner, Alex Greig, and for us beer lovers the evening provided the perfect opportunity to enjoy the excellent Five Points beers.

I met up at the bar with a couple of CAMRA friends, who suggested I go straight in on the Green Hop beer, as it was selling like hot cakes. I was glad I did, as it turned out to be one of  the best  Green Hop beers I have tasted this season.

The beer was only 3.7% ABV, but was packed full of flavour, with the resinous bitterness from the Bullion hops, perfectly matched against a background of sweet juicy malt.  The hops are grown locally by Hukins Hops; a fourth generation farm that has been specialising in hops for over 120 years, and the hops used in the Five Points beer were taken straight from the bine to the brew-house.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ross Hukins a couple of weeks ago, when we were both judges at the Spa Valley Railway Green Hop BeerCompetition, so it was good to sample the firms wares in the finished beer.

After the Green Hop, I moved onto the 4.0% Five Points XPA (Extra Pale Ale). This was another excellent beer, pale in colour and with lots of citrus and tropical fruit flavours from the Citra and Galaxy hops used.

Fuggles itself was pleasantly busy, but still with enough seats for those who wanted to sit down. My two friends and I held an impromptu, post-event discussion on the SVR Beer Festival, which we were all heavily involved with. The consensus was it had been a success, with both attendance and beer sales well up on last year. There are still areas which need looking at and issues which need addressing, but all in all, we can pat ourselves on the back for pulling off another successful and highly enjoyable festival.

For my third pint of the evening, I went for a further pint of Green Hop, but the cask had already sold out. Instead, I opted for a complete contrast in the form of  Brick Field Brown 5.4% ABV, the brewery’s take on a traditional English Brown Ale. Described as “well balanced, full bodied and packed with earthy aromas and flavours of Demerara and hazelnuts” The beer is brewed with British barley and Golden Naked Oats, and bittered with Willamette hops from the USA.

It certainly was a fine beer to finish on, although rather cheekily, I still had room for a half of the keg Five Points Pale 4.4% ABV, before time was called at the bar, and I made my way home through the fog.

A knight in shining amour?

With the government’s disastrous Brexit strategy disintegrating before their very eyes, who better to come charging to the rescue than mullet-haired Tim Martin; arch Brexiter and chairman of J D Wetherspoon.

Martin, of course, was one of the few British business leaders to back the Leave Campaign, and during the EU referendum campaign distributed hundreds of thousands of pro-Brexit beer mats to the group’s pubs. So today’s announcement, via Twitter, that, “We've placed 500,000 beer mats in our pubs with a hard-hitting message on Brexit to parliament”, hardly comes as a surprise. The mats list three points in what the group describe as “The Wetherspoon Manifesto”.

It states that the UK should unilaterally grant rights of citizenship to legal EU immigrants.

Additionally, it points to the fact that the EU currently charges taxes on food imported from outside the EU, and that from 2019 the government can and should eliminate these import taxes- which will also mean that EU food imports will continue to be tax-free. Wetherspoon argues that this will result in a reduction in food prices in shops and pubs.

The manifesto also says that from March 2019 the government should stop paying the EU £200 million per week, stressing that the money disappears into EU coffers which have not been audited properly since 1994.

The first point makes perfect sense, as it is high time Theresa May’s government stopped using the large number of EU migrants who have, quite legitimately, made their home in Britain, as "bargaining chips" in their increasingly fraught Brexit negotiations with the European Union.  These people have contributed to the UK economy, as well as paying taxes here, and the uncertainty they have faced as a result of “Call me Dave’s” reckless referendum gamble, is unacceptable in a civilised society.

The last point about the EU accounts being un-audited, it blatantly untrue, but continues to be bandied about by increasingly desperate pro-Leave Campaigners.

According to the BBC, “The EU's accounts are scrutinised by the Court of Auditors, which checks whether they correctly reflect the spending of the EU budget. The latest report, published in 2015 for accounts in 2014, explicitly said that the auditors were "signing off the accounts" as they have done every year since 2007”.

The middle point about food prices seems totally at odds with a claim made by the chairman of Sainsbury's, who recently told the Sunday Times that imported food prices could rise by 22% without a 'deal' with the EU. Similar claims have been made by the CBI and other organisations.

Whatever views they might have on Brexit, many have called into question the wisdom of mixing beer with politics, as numerous comments on Twitter have pointed out. The cynics amongst us might also argue that the largest two groups amongst Mr Martin’s customers (pensioners and the work-shy), are also those who voted in large numbers for Brexit.

Tim is, in effect, preaching to the converted, but is no doubt anxious to keep these two groups on board, in spite of the obvious hit the UK economy and living standards have already taken, since last year’s referendum result. It’s difficult to say what his motives are, but like those of the government, they’re probably not altruistic.

The final words on this matter can be neatly summed up by the man who started this nonsense, and whose memory is commemorated by the Blue Plaque above.

Old Family Brewers of Britain. Part Eleven - Fremlins of Maidstone (& Faversham)

I was prompted to resurrect this article, which I first wrote some time ago. It appeared, in part, in the “Gateway to Kent Pub Guide”, produced by my local West Kent Branch of CAMRA, in conjunction with the neighbouring Maidstone and Gravesend branches. It concerns Fremlins of Maidstone who, in their heyday were the largest of the breweries in Kent.

The story begins in 1861, when Ralph Fremlin acquired an almost derelict brewery, in Earl Street Maidstone, from the executors of Mr John Heathorn. Ralph was a deeply religious man and his beers were produced for the family trade only. This was because his principles ruled out the purchase of public houses. Ralph Fremlin became a pioneer in the supply of beers in bottles and gallon jars, and the brewery's range of products was remarkable. 

Fremlins main product was pale ale which became an increasingly popular drink, as public demand changed away from the dark porter style beer, and in order to facilitate the sale of the company’s beers, branch offices were opened in London and other towns in the South-east of England. By 1881 Fremlins had stores in London, Brighton, Rochester, Hastings and Guilford, and had a workforce stood of over one hundred including eight coopers.

New up-to-date premises were built in 1883 and a few years later Fremlins began supplying pale ale to the Courage brewery in London, becoming one of the largest brewers of pale ale in the country. From the 1890`s the firm were also brewing lager and this became a success in its own right.

In the mid 1920’s the company, which was now known as Fremlin Brothers Ltd, started to acquire its own public houses. This began with the lease of the tied estate of Leney & Company of Dover and Flint & Company of Canterbury. This was followed by the acquisition of their Maidstone neighbours, Isherwood, Foster & Stacey in 1929.

Fremlins then cast their net further afield, taking over Adams' Brewery in Halstead, Essex in 1939 and Harris, Browne's Hadley Brewery at Barnet a year earlier. Their biggest acquisition though occurred in 1949, when they purchased Faversham-based George Beer & Rigden, and adopted the company’s slogan of “Kent’s Best”. The former Rigden brewery in Faversham was closed in 1954, with all brewing taking place in Maidstone, but the plant reopened in 1961 to meet increasing demand.

In 1960,  following a deal with Whitbread, Fremlins started supplying the 189 pubs belonging to Frederick Leney & Sons of Wateringbury, although Whitbread remained in control of  the Wateringbury brewery. 

The Fremlins elephant  lost its freedom seven years later, when Whitbread bought the business with its 800 or so licensed properties. Fremlins, in common with many other regional breweries, had gone in under the “Whitbread Umbrella”; the organisation set up by Whitbread to offer security and protection from takeover. In 1967, Whitbread acquired a controlling role, and the company assumed the title of Whitbread Fremlins.

Whitbread had began a policy of association with local and regional brewers ‑ the so‑called "umbrella" policy, a decade or so earlier. Under this arrangement companies concerned about the possibility of take‑over became associates by offering Whitbread a minority share-holding (usually between 25 and 35 per cent). Whitbread were normally asked to nominate a representative to sit on the company's board, and in return for the protection offered, together with technical and marketing advice, the company agreed to stock certain Whitbread products, notably bottled beers.

 

Having to stock Whitbread bottled beers had an immediate effect on Fremlins own range of bottles which, at the time of the takeover numbered nine bottled beers. The range of draught beers was also cut back (more on that later), although for a while things continued much as they were before. 

The brewery entrance 1980

It therefore came as a bit of a shock when, in 1972 the closure of the Pale Ale Brewery in Maidstone was announced, along with the transfer of all brewing operations to the former George Beer & Rigden Brewery in Faversham. The reasons behind this decision were unclear, but in his autobiographical account of his fifty years at Fremlins, entitled “Under the Elephant”, former brewery worker, Percy Jeffrey writes that the original plan had been to re-build the Maidstone brewery. This was later cancelled in favour of transferring brewing to Faversham.

In 1977, the brew-house and much of the infrastructure connecting the Pale Ale Brewery to the River Medway, was demolished, in order to construct the A229 diversion around Maidstone town centre, along with the new St Peter's Bridge. Then in 1981, the fermenting block; the remaining sizeable building, was demolished.

Fremlins Maidstone Brewery - in its heyday

I was living in the town at the time, and was saddened to witness the demolition work in progress, as the Pale Ale Brewery was, to my mind at least, an attractive late Victorian building. A modern distribution warehouse occupied the site for a while, but his too was pulled down to make way for a shopping mall known, somewhat ironically, as Fremlin Walk.

At the same time as the transfer of brewing to Faversham the range of Fremlins beers was drastically cut back. Most of the bottled beers disappeared, as did virtually all the draught beers. The latter were replaced by Whitbread Trophy. The idea behind Trophy was that it was varied from region to region, supposedly being brewed to suit local tastes and palates. The Trophy produced at Faversham, for example, was loosely based on the former Fremlins Three Star Bitter.

In its heyday though, Faversham-brewed Trophy was an excellent beer; the phrase “well-balanced” springs to mind, but would not really have done the beer justice. On form it was one of the finest session beers around. I remember knocking back eight pints of it in the village local one night, and feeling as right as rain the next day!

I spent the years 1974-1979 living away from Kent; initially as a student in Greater Manchester, and after that living and working in London. When I returned to the county I was pleased to discover that Whitbread had re-styled their Faversham-brewed Trophy as Fremlins Bitter, in an effort to promote a more local image. Pubs were re-painted in Fremlins livery, and the famous Elephant trademark was brought back. Finally a new stronger beer called Fremlins Tusker (named after the elephant) was introduced to compliment the bitter.

Tusker was a superb beer, being full-bodied and malty, yet well-hopped at the same time.  Unfortunately sales did not live up to expectations. A combination of high-pricing, a recession, plus resistance to strong beers from consumers, especially in rural areas where it was often necessary to drive to the pub, led to slow turnover of the beer in many outlets. This in turn led to poor quality beer and hence even slower turnover. Tusker became increasingly more difficult to find, especially in good condition. Eventually the beer was discontinued, barely five years after its launch.

A few years later, Fremlins Bitter also went through a bad patch. The brewery blamed the brewing water, but eventually the problem turned out to be one of yeast infection. By the time the problem had been sorted out, the beer had become a shadow of its former self. Things got so bad that at one stage most Kent drinkers, myself included, refused to touch it.

In 1991 the closure of the Faversham Brewery was announced. The reasons trotted out, by Whitbread, at the time were the usual big-brewery double-speak, and probably had more to do with the property value of the quite substantial town-centre site, than anything else. Once again I felt extremely saddened by this act of corporate vandalism, especially as I had been privileged to have toured the brewery twice. On both occasions I had seen for myself what an interesting place it was, with some very traditional brewing plant and equipment.

The closure of the Faversham Brewery not only deprived Kentish drinkers of a favourite local brew, but also brought to an end Whitbread’s own direct involvement with the county’s brewing industry. For Fremlins, the closure marked the final chapter in a history that began during the latter half of the nineteenth Century and which at one time, saw them achieve the distinction of being Kent’s Premier Brewers.

The brewing of Fremlins Bitter was initially transferred to Cheltenham, and then to the former Nimmo’s brewery at Castle Eden, County Durham. During the latter half of 1997, the brand was dropped altogether, along with a number of other “local” Whitbread beers. The beer that was promoted as “A part of Kent life” was thus no more.

It is one of my biggest regrets that I never managed to sample the original Maidstone-brewed Fremlins beers. The 1972 closure of the brewery took place at a time when although I was becoming more appreciative of what constituted a decent pint, I still had much to learn about beer and brewing. I have talked to several older drinkers, all of whom remember Fremlins. Some even remember County Ale.

According to a guide to Kent Pubs, published in 1966, as well as Three Star Bitter, Fremlins produced an ordinary bitter, a mild, a Four Star Bitter, plus the revered County Ale. This was a strong beer which surely would have given its namesake from Ruddles a good run for its money!

Fremlins County Ale did continue as a bottled beer for some years after the closure of Maidstone, but according to one local report was produced in Portsmouth. This hardly made it worthy of the title “Kent’s Best” - the advertising slogan  Fremlins inherited, along with the brand, from George Beer & Rigden, the former owners of the Faversham brewery.

Something to whet the appetite

You come across all sorts of interesting things on blogs, and quite often the most fascinating can come from a single paragraph, or even just a couple of sentences.

Take this snippet which I came across on Pub Curmudgeon’s blog, “I’m a regular buyer of the Good Beer Guide, and the main purpose for which I use it is to find interesting pubs to visit when I’m away on holiday or out on day trips. One of the key things I’m looking for is pubs to have lunch when out and about. It can be very valuable in taking me to pubs that I wouldn’t otherwise have found.”

Now the main article was a mild ticking off for those CAMRA branches who select pubs for the Guide, based on their own personal preferences, or are sometimes influenced by internal branch politics, rather than choosing pubs which are of benefit to those who buy and use the GBG It was also a rallying cry for branches to remain focussed on what the Guide is all about.

My main point of interest though is the fact Mudgie obviously likes his pub-grub, especially at midday; and so do I. The daytime trips which my own local West Kent CAMRA branch arranges from time to time, will inevitably include a suitable pit-stop, so that members can get a decent bite to eat, and it goes without saying that careful thought will be put into making sure the lunchtime stop is at a pub which offers good food, alongside equally good beer.

This is well in tune with my own thinking, as when I am drinking, I like also to have something more solid to soak up the beer. In short, I don’t like drinking on an empty stomach. Evenings are a little different, in that I will normally have my dinner when I arrive home from work, and then ideally will allow a couple of hours to pass before heading off to the pub.

Holidays are again different as the evening meal will invariably be in a local bar or restaurant, where I can enjoy a few pints with my meal. I have written previously about how, during the week I normally shy away from a pint at lunchtime, particularly during the working week. This is largely due to the soporific effect which even a single pint can have on me when I return to the office, but at weekends, and especially whilst on holiday, I still prefer something solid inside, even if it is just a couple of rolls or a pie.

I’m not sure where this habit came from, as neither of my parents were drinkers, and both were certainly not pub-goers, but being despite being the “black sheep of the family” something must have clicked, relatively early on in my drinking career, which brought on the hunger pangs if I was to sit down in a pub at lunchtime, for anything more than a pint.

Some might argue that beer stimulates the appetite, whilst others would say that the distending of the stomach, by all that liquid, is the stimulus responsible for the feelings of hunger.

Not everyone feels the same of course, and I know some drinkers who remain content to enjoy lunch in a purely liquid form. The two people I am thinking of in particular, are both heavy drinkers, and I get the feeling that stopping to eat some how interferes with their drinking.

This may be true, and each to their own of course, but for me, especially when I am off on a CAMRA outing, or have spent the morning walking around a picturesque or historic town, there is nothing finer than stopping for a few pints, along with a bit to eat. The same applies when out for a ramble, and probably more so, as the combination of exercise and all that fresh air, are guaranteed to have worked up an appetite as well as a thirst.

I am certain I am not alone in thinking this, and would be interested to hear what other people’s thoughts are, on this matter.

ps. Having met Pub Curmudgeon in person, I can vouch for him being a far more amiable and affable soul than the persona he sometimes projects on his blog. I am particularly pleased to learn that, like me, he enjoys a bite to eat with his lunchtime pint.

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.