"A quick pint"

The Beer Seller -  the latest addition to Tonbridge’s burgeoning pub scene, has been open now for just under three months, but with just the one visit under my belt, I thought it high time to pop my head round the door and pop in to see what’s on offer.

I needed to buy some new shirts for my fast approaching business trip to Cologne, and after persuading Mrs PBT’s that we could leave the weekly food shop until the following day, headed over to Tunbridge Wells, on the train.

Travelling by rail is definitely the best option particularly on a Saturday, as not only does the town get snarled up with traffic, but parking the car is both difficult and expensive. So with a return fare costing juts £2.90, thanks to my “Senior Railcard”, I caught the 10.29am service over to the Wells, and 10 minutes later was walking up the hill to the town’s main shopping centre.

M&S was my destination, as I find their shirts both comfortable and long-wearing, but with the need to look the part whilst on the company’s stand at the International Dental Show (IDS), it was high time I treated myself to some new ones. IDS takes place every two years, and looking back I recall doing exactly the same thing back in 2017!

It didn’t take me long to select five suitable shirts, make my purchases and leave the store, calling in at a couple of charity shops on the way back to the station. With many music lovers switching to digital downloads, I find these outlets an increasingly good source of CD’s, at bargain prices. Some of us still prefer to have a physical item, rather than an electronic “virtual” one.

I struck gold, not with a CD, but with a 4-disc, special extended box set DVD of the "Two Towers"; the second Lord of the Rings film. Nicely packaged in a fold-out box, and priced at just one Pound, this had to be the best bargain of the year so far.

My return train saw me arrive back in Tonbridge at 12.20pm, with a visit to the Beer Seller firmly on my mind. I had heard via one of our West Kent CAMRA “WhatsApp” groups, that Goacher’s Old Ale would be on sale, so after striking lucky the previous weekend with Harvey’s Old, a small glass of Goacher’s finest would be just what I was after following my shopping expedition.

I headed off along the High Street, and that was where what I’d intended as just a quick drink, turned into a much longer one. A dozen or so yards from the Beer Seller I bumped into my old friend, and walking partner, Eric. I hadn’t seen him since before Christmas, and the irony was that particular meeting had also taken place in said drinking establishment.

It was rather inevitable then that we should adjourn to the Beer Seller, for that mythical “quick pint”. Of course there’s no such thing, despite the best of intentions, so after noticing that whilst Goacher’s Old was indeed on sale, its high octane  (6.7% ABV) persuaded me that something a little weaker would be much more suited for lunch-time drinking.

So spying Kent Brewery Porter at a mere 5.5% ABV, I settled for this more moderate dark ale. Eric did likewise, and we stood at the bar, enjoying a bit of banter with Wendy the barmaid and a chap sinking at the bar. Eric knew both these persons, and we were soon chatting merrily away.

The porter was very good, smooth, dark and full of lots of roast flavours. I scored it at 4.0 NBSS, but I knew full well that when two Englishmen “go for a pint”, there’s always more than one beer involved. Throwing caution to the wind, we both decided to risk the Goacher’s Old, but half-pints only!

The halves were dispensed into our empty pint glasses, which meant they were on the generous side. This was one time when I would have preferred an exact measure, but when I tasted the beer it was definitely something special. Like several other smooth, “old” beers of this nature, it didn’t drink to its strength, although it was very full-bodied.

It would have been very easy to have sunk another half, which is exactly what we ended up doing, because although I had every intention of calling it a day, Eric ordered us another half each whilst I was in the gents.

A short digression here, as I know there are quite a few fans of “toilet art” out there, and I wanted to share some of the magazine and newspaper clippings pasted on the wall above the urinals. Not as good as some, but for those of us who grew up in the late 1960’s-early 1970’s, a touch of pure nostalgia. (For something more up to date, check out the mural below, which is from the gents toilets at the Wuppertaler Brauhaus, -a former swimming baths in the conurbation  of  Wuppertal,  North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.)

I obviously finished my “unwanted” half of Old, but we definitely decided to call it a day at that point. Whilst not packed, the Beer Seller was doing a reasonable trade for early on Saturday; a time when many people would still be out shopping.

With a good selection of gravity-drawn beers on tap, and all priced at just £3.60 a pint, along with a selection of snacks from the butcher and fishmonger just down the road, you can’t really go wrong. Incidentally, the lagers are also local (Curious Brew and Westerham), and a very reasonable  £4.00 a pint.

Mrs PBT’s wasn’t entirely surprised when I breezed in, with that slight look of silliness about me. She’d guessed I’d bumped into someone and also surmised I’d been to a place where drink was sold. Son Matthew had taken her shopping, so all was right with  the world, but the Beer Seller, strong beer and an old friend I hadn’t seen in ages were probably not the best of combinations.

The Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich - revisited

One of the books I reviewed towards the end of last month, was the “Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich”;  an indispensable guide to the best beer gardens, brew-pubs and beer halls that the Bavarian capital has to offer.

The guide is now in its 7^th edition;  the the new/current one having hit the bookstalls in 2015. Having made full use of the previous (2008) version, I was pleased to notice the new edition on sale, so ordered myself a copy for Christmas, especially as the older one had become a little out of date.

I must admit that when I first flicked through the pages of the new edition, I thought it was a little too similar to its 2008 predecessor. However, having had the opportunity to read it through more thoroughly, I realised that despite obvious comparisons with the 6^th edition, all previous entries have been revisited and, updated, where necessary.

So full marks to guide author Larry Hawthorne and his team, for whom the BDG2M has been a labour of love since the first edition appeared back in 1991. That 6^th edition of the guide I referred to earlier, was purchased prior to our 2009 trip to Munich, and we made full use of it on that, and subsequent visits in 2012 and 2014. 

If we were planning to visit the Bavarian capital this summer, then the new edition would certainly have come into its own, but given the current uncertainty regarding a certain major “own-goal” scheduled to take place at the end of this month, we haven’t finalised any plans for trips to Europe; despite having several ideas floating around.

Don't let this stop you though, as if you are thinking of a trip to the Bavarian capital, then the BDG2M comes into its own especially if, like me, you enjoy drinking outdoors, soaking up the beer and the sun in equal measures.

Larry’s guide will certainly direct you to some of the best beer gardens that Munich has to offer, each entry coming with its own set of instructions of how to get there using public transport S-Bahn or U-Bahn lines and Stops, plus bus numbers and where to get off. Also  included are handy, hand-drawn maps wherever there is some walking involved.. The guide gives details on what beer is on sale, the food offering, general ambience and, where appropriate, a bit of history as well.

What I particularly like about the guide is, as well as directing the thirsty visitor to some of the city’s larger, and  best known beer gardens, such as Hirschgarten, Munich's largest watering hole, situated in a former royal hunting preserve, and the Chinesischer Turm in the Englischer Garten , the BDG2M also lists  some smashing little, tucked-away beer gardens; places one would hardly know existed, were it not for this well-researched publication

Beer gardens such as Insel Mühle, a delightful, secluded establishment situated on the banks of the fast flowing River Würm, and Zum Flaucher, one of Munich’s oldest beer gardens, tucked away in an area of secluded park and woodland. There are plenty more beer gardens to discover, including several in the aforementioned Englischer Garten – Munich’s equivalent of Hyde Park.

An added bonus with each copy of  the guide is the inclusion, at the back, of a number of  "tear-out" vouchers entitling the bearer to a free litre of beer at selected "Five Beer Mug Rated" establishments. (The guide rates each entry on a three-five "Beer Mug" basis, with seven establishments meeting the top ranking).

The idea behind what is essentially  a "BOGOF" offer, is that when you purchase a beer at the regular price, and present your voucher (along with a copy of the guide, you qualify for a free litre, or half litre, if you've only purchased 500 ml, of beer.

All this talk of beer gardens and  summer sun is leaving me both thirsty and slightly envious of these very civilised places in which to enjoy a beer. I sometimes wonder whether the concept would work over here, but beer gardens are really very dependent on warm and dry weather. I also wonder whether they are suitable for the English temperament.

To summarise, if you’re thinking of a trip to Munich, get yourself a copy and Larry, if I ever bump into you in one of the city’s beer gardens, then I definitely owe you a beer!

The Queen's Head, Icklesham for Harvey's Old Ale

So now, without further ado, it’s time to reveal the mystery pub the Bailey family visited last Sunday, which provided me with my only pint of Harvey’s Old, so far this winter. The pub in question was the legendary Queen’s Head, at Icklesham, near Rye; a pub I have wanted to visit for many years.

I’m not sure why I never managed to call in there, as we’ve been regular visitors to Rye for the past 30 years or more and, like I said, the Queen’s Head has long been on my radar, but as I hinted at when I described my visit to that part of Sussex with Retired Martin, the local geography may have played a role in this.

To clarify, the village of Icklesham is situated on high ground, and looks out across the broad flat valley, known as the Brede Levels,  formed by the River Brede to the west of Rye. The Brede is one of three rivers which converge around Rye, the others being the Rother and the Tillingham. Our route to Rye has always been via the A268, which follows a broad ridge between the latter two waterways, which is why the Brede Levels are largely unknown to me.

This was set to change last Sunday, as I was determined to cross the Queen’s Head off my list of “must visit” pubs. Mrs PBT’s had other ideas though, as her mind was fixed firmly on the Pilot Inn at Lydd-on-Sea, for fish and chips. I managed to persuade her to try somewhere different, saying that, “If you never listen to new songs you will only know old music,” but on reflection that didn’t go down quite as well as I intended. Never mind, I would be doing the driving, so I had the final say.

My powers of persuasion obviously hadn’t fully succeeded, as my suggestion, the previous day, that we ought to phone and book a table met with more than a hint of indifference. The lady of the house countered my idea by claiming this would tie us down to a specific time which, given the  relatively isolated setting of the Queen’s Head, might not be such a good move.

Sunday morning then saw us heading down towards Icklesham, armed with map plus sat-nav, to take pot luck at finding a free table for lunch at the Queen’s Head. With the weather bright, sunny and unseasonably warm, things were very much not in our favour, as the high temperatures we were experiencing was bound to draw every Tom, Dick and Harry towards the coast. Many of them would no doubt, have the foresight to book a place for Sunday lunch.

I’d taken the time the time to study the map, so more or less knew the route we needed to take, but I still took the precaution of tapping the final destination into the sat-nav before we set off. The traffic was quite heavy, but it thinned out once we turned off the A21 at Flimwell crossroads. The sat-nav instructed us to turn south at Hawkhurst, rather than further on, at Northiam, as I’d planned, but I was pleased to note that the route took us through Broad Oak, and close to the Three Legs Brewery, which Martin and I had visited at the end of the previous week.

Turning south again, we descended down onto the Brede Levels, and after crossing the river, we turned off along one of the narrowest roads I have been on for along time. It was more like cart track, as it slowly climbed up the other side of the valley, past Doleham station; surely one of the most isolated halts on this part of the rail network.

Fortunately, the only time we met a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction, was just before a junction, where there was sufficient space for us both to pass, but looking in the mirror I noticed we were being shadowed by an Ocado delivery van. There’s obviously a lot of moneyed folk living around Doleham and Guestling!

After turning onto the busy A259, we found the Queen’s Arms, tucked away down a narrow side road at the far end of  Icklesham, close to a number of houses. There were several cars parked at the front of the pub, but fortunately there was a much larger parking area at the rear. Even so we had difficulty finding a space, which didn’t bode well so far as lunch was concerned. 

We passed the garden on the way to the entrance, and even there the majority of the table were occupied. Undeterred, we stepped inside to find the place packed; as feared. The only unoccupied tables were displaying “Reserved” signs – quelle surprise! We managed to find some space close to the bar and it was then that I spotted the Harvey’s Old. As I reported in the previous post, the beer was on top form; a situation which often arises when you’re limited to just one pint!

It was obvious that we weren’t going to get a table, and as Mrs PBT’s didn’t fancy sitting outside (there was still quite a chill in the air, despite the sunshine), we decided on  the good old British compromise. As we were there, we would have a quick drink at the Queen’s Head, and then head off towards Rye, Dungeness and Lydd-on-Sea.

The family settled on this, so I got to enjoy my first and, so far, only pint of Old of the season, and my good lady wife got her wish of fish and chips at the Pilot. In the meantime we were able to enjoy the atmosphere of  a classic and unspoilt country pub that has been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for over 30 years.

Being so full of people, it was difficult to get a proper handle on the place, but according to WhatPub the Queen’s Head was built in 1632 as two dwellings, and has been a pub since 1831. On Sunday it was serving Old Dairy Über Brew and GK IPA, alongside the Harvey’s XXXX Old Ale. The Queen’s Head also has a reputation for serving good-value and high-quality, home-made food on a daily basis – hence it being packed.

I noticed two or possibly three inter-connected rooms, plus another section set at a slightly lower level, and close to where we were standing was a large wood-burning stove. The pub’s crowing glory is its beer garden with its far-reaching views over the Brede Valley, and beyond to the massive wind-farm on Walland Marsh, to the east of Rye.

It was here that it all went a little wrong, as after convincing myself that the view from the pub garden was to the south (it actually looks north), I turned the wrong way onto the A259, and instead of skirting Winchelsea, we found ourselves heading into Hastings. It wasn’t until I looked at the map again, later that evening, that I discovered how this elementary error had occurred.

 

Hastings afforded the opportunity to fill up with diesel, as a price significantly lower than in Tonbridge. We  then re-traced our route along other side of Brede Levels to Rye and then onto the Pilot, via Camber. Fortunately, there were several spare tables at the Pilot Inn, resulting in one happy wife and, after treating the family to lunch, one slightly poorer husband.

I thought it wise not to partake of any more beer, which was a shame as the house beer from New Romney Brewery, had been good on previous occasions, and I am pleased to report that the cod and chips  were  in fine condition this time around. As for the Queen’s Head, I will definitely be making a return visit, especially as a cross country walk from either Doleham, or Three Oaks stations, looks eminently doable.

Some Harvey's XXXX Old Ale at last

Just a quick post, but a prelude to a much longer one which will follow this short effort. The good news is that at long last, and towards the end of the particular “season”, I finally managed to track down some Harvey’s Old Ale, and mighty fine it was too.

The location was somewhere totally unexpected, and a new one for me as well, but I’ll keep you guessing a little longer, just to keep the suspense going. The beer was in peak condition, served cool and looking attractive in the glass, the dark, slightly sweet ale being topped with a thick, creamy head. I scored it at 4.0 NBSS.

It was rather ironic to come across this classic example of a southern, "old ale", on what was the warmest February day since records began, but the exposed location of the pub where I enjoyed the beer, meant there was still a bit of a chill in the air.

I was a happy man, even though wife and son couldn’t see what all the fuss was about, and like the beer, the pub too was a real classic and one I had wanted to visit for a long time. My only regret was that, as I was driving, I had to limit myself to just the one pint.

All will be revealed next time, but what I will say is that unfortunately, the pub wasn’t exactly on my doorstep!

Eight days a week

It’s been a rather strange fortnight, one of swiftly moving events and rapidly changing plans. The weather has also been extremely strange and after a morning walking round Tonbridge in my shirt-sleeves and the afternoon in the garden with just a rugby shirt to keep my top half warm, it’s hard to believe that a year ago, the country was being blasted by freezing cold air from Siberia – the so-called “Beast from the east”.

It was some of the coldest weather I can remember experiencing, and one morning driving into work, my dashboard display was indicating an outside temperatures of  minus 11ºC. I didn’t check the mercury today, but temperatures must have been in the high teens. Visitors from overseas sometimes wonder why the weather is so often the topic of conversation in the UK; with contrasts such as this, it’s hardly surprising.

Back to the main topic, which wasn’t actually climate-related, but instead was about beer, and an event I was supposed to be attending. Just over a fortnight ago, I received an email asking me if I would be attending the Craft Beer Rising Festival in London. The request came from a young (presumably) lady representing a PR company who were promoting a particular brewer’s beer.

Now I can’t be bothered to trawl back through an in-box which is stuffed full of unread or unopened emails, but the request caught my attention and, as I’ve never been to CBR, I turned the whole thing on its head. My reply was along the lines of what I’ve just written, and because I’ve never been to said event, I somewhat cheekily said that if the young lady could forward me a ticket, I would go along, sample her client’s beer (amongst several others), and then post a write-up of my impressions of the beer and CBR, on the blog.

No problem said the nice (young?) lady, she would sort out admission for me on the Friday (22^nd).  Well, until that Friday, that was the last I heard from the PR lady; more about that shortly. In the meantime I discovered that our directors were coming over from Japan, for board meeting, postponed by the delay in appointing a replacement General Manager to run our company.

In accordance with usual practice, they were inviting management out for a meal, ostensibly on the Friday evening. There was also a personal request for me to pick them up from their hotel in Tonbridge, on both Thursday and Friday mornings, and then drop them back after work. I am quite used to these chauffeuring duties, because I am the only member of management who lives in Tonbridge, and whilst I could have declined, the opportunity of a meal, plus a few drinks, was not one to be missed.

I put off booking a day’s leave for the end of the week until later; especially as hadn’t heard from the PR lady. It was then that events moved quickly. I’d taken the previous Friday off, to accompany Retired Martin on his drive down to Rye and Crowhurst, but when I returned to work on the Monday, I discovered the meal had been brought forward a day. This was because we were due to be audited by our potential new, Notified Body (NB).

Now I won’t go into too much detail here, as I don’t want to bore you, but because of an event which may, or perhaps may not take place on 29^th March, my company needs to be registered with a European based NB in order to ensure the continuation of our CE certificate. We also have to find an “EC Representative”, who is  based in the European Union.

We obviously have to continue demonstrating the same sort of compliance with the international standard for the type of products we manufacture and sell, so in our case this is ISO 13485 – Medical Devices. Now I don’t know yet know the end result of the audit, as it was still going on when I left at 6pm on Friday, but irrespective of whether we pass first time, or require a further visit from the auditor, we will need to amend all our packaging to indicate our revised CE Number, and to show the name and address of our “EC Representative”.

This will affect all packaging items, such as labels, cartons and Instructions For Use (IFU’s). So lots of changes to work through by our artwork people, and lots of business going the way of our printers. There will be lots of stock write-offs too, as whilst in the event of a managed exit from the EU, we have a period of grace to see these changes through, thereby using up as much old stock as possible, in the event of the UK crashing out with a “no-deal” Brexit, no such period exists.

Perhaps you can understand now why I am so angry at the behaviour of people like Tim Martin and members of the Conservative European Research Group, who are advocating such a damaging scenario. These reckless individuals cannot see beyond the end of their own noses, because they are so obsessed by achieving the end result and being carried along by their own arrogance, they are totally oblivious of the very real consequences that “no-deal” would mean for many businesses. "Dim Tim's", role in this is perhaps little more than that of a useful idiot,as it is the ERG, who are driving this and dictating government policy, but his magazine articles and beer mats, haven't exactly been helpful either.

Rant over, but since returning to work in January, my colleagues and I have been involved in little else apart from attempting to manage these changes and mitigate their effects on our business. Basically we are doing all this work, just to stand still. The next time a politician decides to call a plebiscite on such an important constitutional issue, perhaps they will do their homework first, because trying to unravel over 40 years of trading agreements, when you haven't the first clue what you are doing, was never going to end well.

Back to Friday morning, which was already starting out busy, when I received an email from the (young) PR lady. She had passed my details to the people on the door at CBR, so I would be admitted foc. She would be at the stand of whichever brewery she was representing, so come over and say hello.

That's one rant over, but there is something about PR people in general which means they operate on a totally different timescale, and in a completely different world to the rest of us. Getting back in touch on the morning of the event, after no communication, is demonstration of this.

Did she imagine I would be just waiting around for her invitation? Did she not think I might have other commitments or other plans? I sent her a quick reply, and to be fair she did offer me admission for Saturday, but again this was too late, as whilst Mrs PBT’s is quite understanding and pretty flexible, we’d already made other plans. This is not the first time I’ve come across this sort of last minute invite either.

The long and the short of it is that I still haven’t been to Craft Beer Rising or any of the other similar beer-related events in the capital.  Fortunately, last Friday’s trip with Martin, to East Sussex, broke the fortnight up nicely and helped restore my sanity

I’ve promised Mrs PBT’s a trip to the coast on Sunday, so earlier today we headed off in the same direction as last week's jolly. We even drove passed one of the places where Martin and I stopped, but you'll have to wait until my next post to discover which one.

A few books I have read recently

I acquired several books over the Christmas period, and I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn they were all beer-related. The books included the latest (8^th Edition) of “Good Beer Belgium” and the 7^th Edition of the “Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich (BDG2M)”.

The former is excellent, and carries on where previous editions left off. If you are after the definitive guide to Belgian beer and the best places in which to drink it, then this informative, nicely illustrated and well laid out publication from CAMRA Books should definitely be on your shelf.

We then move on to the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich, published in 2015 and now on its 7^th edition. For the uninitiated the book is a well-illustrated, and easy to follow guide to some of the best beer gardens, brew-pubs and beer halls which Munich has to offer.

It is unashamedly a book for the warmer months, concentrating primarily on beer gardens plus those brew-pubs which offer outdoor drinking (virtually all of them), but this is no bad thing. as a few glasses of cool, refreshing beer, enjoyed in an outdoor setting is definitely one of the best ways to enjoy the charms of the Bavarian capital. I for one am a huge fan of the whole beer-garden experience, which is why I made full use of the previous edition of the guide, which was published in 2008, on previous visits to Munich.

An update was long overdue, which is why I was pleased to see the  7^th edition appear in print. Whilst the new edition contains many previous entries, these have been revised and updated where necessary. From the perspective of someone who has been a regular visitor to  the Bavarian capital, it is good to see the "retained" entries still offering the same high standards, and it is also encouraging to see some new outlets creeping in. I look forward to trying some of them on my next trip to Munich.

This brings me on to the final book, and the one I have enjoyed most. “20^th Century Pub”, by seasoned beer bloggers Jessica Boak & Ray Bailey, is a real labour of love, and a must read for anyone interested in how the English pub has developed over the course of the last 100 years.

The authors take us on a whirlwind ride of how our pubs have changed since the start of the last century, adapting and evolving in response to changes in society, people, culture, morality and cataclysmic events such as two world wars, emerging into the very mixed bag of drinking establishments which constitute the nation’s pub stock today.

The couple must have spent countless hours carrying out their meticulous research to unearth many of the facts, stories and anecdotes which make 20^th Century Pub such an interesting and informative read. As someone who thought I knew a lot about pubs, the duo’s book provided a real eye-opener, sometimes on a long vanished, lost world – even though we are talking about relatively recent events.

My only criticism is the paucity of illustrations as, whilst I accept this is a serious work, I am a great believer in a picture telling a thousand words. Given that the authors are looking back over the course of the entire 20^th Century, I wouldn’t expect the guide to be crammed full of colour photo’s, but the b&w ones which are included, are printed on standard book paper, rather than the more normal coated gloss substrate. Consequently they do not look their best, and many have rather washed-out appearance. 

It is the content though, which lies at  the heart of the book, and as I said earlier, this really stands out. I’m certain that he coupe have unearthed much information which has lain uncovered for half century or more.

Finally, I couldn’t help but notice that the cover of 20^th Century Pub bears more than a passing resemblance to a book published 44 years previously. Whether this was intentional, along the lines of imitation being the finest form of flattery, or just pure coincidence, but the bold 3D shadow effect, upper-case typeface, used on the front cover is identical to that of Frank Baillie’s classic, “Beer Drinker’s Companion” which appeared in print back in 1973.

Frank’s book was a similar ground-breaking publication, so in my obtuse way of thinking, I couldn’t help wondering whether this similarity was intentional or not. Whatever the case though, I thoroughly recommend you getting hold of a copy of Jessica and Ray’s labour of love, especially if, like me, you care and enjoy reading about one of England’s greatest contributions to the world.

Disclaimer: Whilst I am not averse to accepting the occasional freebie, I paid in full for all the books reviewed here. My copy of 20^th Century Pub was signed by the authors, after I responded to an offer on the couple's website, and yes Ray and Jessica, we must definitely “Share a pint, sometime!”

A pocket full of Rye

You’d have to be a real Philistine to not have a soft spot for a lovely old town like Rye. With its cobbled streets and narrow passages, the town is a treasure trove of  Medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings, some of which are real architectural treasures, and beautifully preserved.

Often referred to as the “Ancient town of Rye”, this gem of a place is set on a hill overlooking the River Rother; a situation which meant it was an important member of the Cinque Ports confederation, during medieval times. Rye is no longer the port it once was, as the sea retreated from the town centuries ago, leaving it stranded, a couple of miles inland.

Today, Rye relies on its appeal as a tourist attraction and attracts visitors from all over the world The old part of the town, which is contained within the former town walls has numerous shops, art galleries, pubs and restaurants. Apart from its tourist base, Rye continues to operate as a port; albeit on a much reduced scale, with a small fishing fleet berthed at the Strand Quay at the edge of the town, and a larger one at nearby Rye Harbour.

Mrs PBT’s and I spent part of our honeymoon in the town, staying at the historic Mermaid Inn, an historic old inn with a long, turbulent history. The current building dates from 1420 and has 16th-century Tudor style additions. The cellars pre-date this, having been dug out in 1156. The Mermaid was a stronghold of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers, who used it in the 1730s and 1740s. 

Although Mrs PBT’s and I had stopped off in Rye, for fish and chips, back in December, it had been sometime since I had wandered along its ancient streets, so when Retired Martin came up with a plan to visit the town last Friday, I jumped at the chance. Earlier last week, I booked a well deserved and much needed day off from work and eagerly waited for Friday to arrive.

Several months ago, the pair of us had loosely discussed a visit to the Ypres Castle in Rye; a lovely old pub now run by the legendary Jeff Bell. This followed the Ypres being selected for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. I’d reminded Martin of this plan, only to discover that he’d subsequently visited the pub and “ticked” it, but as he was travelling down to Sussex anyway, to tick off a further two pubs (see previous post), he was happy to re-visit Jeff’s pub before completing the aforementioned GBG ticks.

As RM’s route passed close to my house, he kindly picked me up on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, once we had left the thick fog which had enveloped Tonbridge, behind us. We arrived at Rye at around 11.30am , and after Martin had parked the car in a quiet side-street, we walked up into the town, entering through the historic Land Gate. We then made our way along to Gun Gardens, below the landmark Ypres Tower, but as we were running early, and the Ypres Castle didn’t open until midday, we took the opportunity to ascend the church tower.

My last ascent was when son Matthew was still at primary school, and before that I recall climbing up the tower with my father, when I was still school boy. This was a first for Martin, although I discovered that he’s the veteran of several arduous church tower ascents, including Cologne cathedral, and Ulm Minster - the tallest church in the world.

Now I too have climbed to the top of Cologne’s massive cathedral, but that was over 40 years ago and today, the church of St Mary the Virgin is quite enough for me. The climb is well worth the £4 fee as the church is situated at the highest point in Rye and the 360 degree view over the ancient rooftops, and out to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, Camber Sands and Winchelsea, is not to be missed. Although it was still somewhat hazy, with the sun shining brightly above us, we were rewarded with a real picture-postcard view of the town and the surrounding area.

After leaving the church, we made our way along to the Ypres Castle, which is built on the side of the town ramparts, and is reached by descending a series of steep stone steps. It is an attractive, white-painted building, decked out in places with the weatherboarding which is traditional in this part of south-east England.

The pub dates back to the 17^th Century, and I have known it on and off over the years, from visits to Rye. It has everything you would expect from such a venerable old inn - roaring fires in winter, and plenty of old beams and standing timbers. I’ve always regarded the Ypres Castle as a special sort of pub, given its tucked away location, so last year I was pleased to learn that  it had been bought by Jeffrey Bell, a lawyer turned pub landlord, who established a legendary reputation for running a good pub, during his tenure of the Gunmaker’s in London’s Clerkenwell area.

Jeff also writes his own  blog, under the name of Stonch’s Beer Blog, and that along with the Gunmaker’s and his subsequent pub, the Finborough Arms in West Brompton, is what most people know him for. Given Jeff’s reputation for looking after beer, and running a good pub, it was no surprise to see the Ypres selected for this year’s Good Beer Guide.

The pub was quite quiet at 12.15pm when Martin and I walked through the door, with just a handful of customers, but it didn’t take long for the place to fill up. We did a quick scan of the  pump-clips, both opting for the Über Brew from Old Dairy Brewery – a pale coloured 3.8% hoppy pale ale. Also on tap was Level Best from Rother Valley, Dark from Three Legs Brewery (Martin’s next GBG tick) and from a little further afield, Greensand IPA from Surrey Hills.

As the very pleasant barmaid pulled our pints we enquired after Jeff. She told us that he would be along in about 20 minutes. We sat down, opposite the bar to enjoy our beer, which was full of condition, refreshing to the palate and served  nicely chilled, at perfect cellar temperature.

As we sat there chatting we noticed the influx of customers, and how the barmaid dealt with them all in a pleasant and professional manner. Shortly afterwards, the man himself walked through the door, looking and sounding larger than life. Although neither of us know Jeff that well, he recognised us both and welcomed us to the Ypres.

He was soon flitting between the bar and the kitchen, serving customers and bringing out people’s food orders. The latter looked good, and a look at the menu showed the food offering to be good value. As well as stocking four cask ales, the Ypres offers a traditional cider and a perry from Nightingale, who are based in nearby Tenterden. Lovers of proper lager will not be disappointed either as on tap Jeff offers Röthaus Pils from the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg and Oechsner Vier from Bavaria.

As I wasn’t driving, I squeezed in a quick half of Greensand IPA. This was a much more malt-driven beer than the Old Dairy offering. The pub was positively buzzing by now, which delighted experienced pub-man, Martin, and for a weekday lunchtime, in the run up to half term, it was a sight to gladden the heart of anyone who cares about pubs.

Jeff came over to say goodbye, as we were making to leave, and said he looked forward to seeing us again. Given the proximity of this lovely old pub to where I live, and the fact Rye can be reached fairly easily by train, I don’t think it will be too long before my next visit.

Footnote: for a more detailed write-up on the Ypres Castle and Jeffrey Bell, please click on this link to Roger Protz’s website.