An alternative to GBBF Friday?

I’m still working on my article about last week’s Great British Beer Festival. For now, I can report that I enjoyed it, am glad I went and that I also came away with the feeling that CAMRA have listened to the feedback given over the past few years and taken action.

It’s too early for me to answer the question, will I go again but, as this short post demonstrates, I was not the only person asking this question. I’m also keen to learn CAMRA’s opinion of the event; both publicly and privately especially as the numbers attending seemed down on previous years. So as a prelude to my report, and before any post-mortem, here’s an alternative idea that some friends and I came up with last Friday.

I wasn’t the only person at GBBF on Friday, who was questioning their attendance at future festivals. There were several friends amongst the group I was with who were of the same opinion, all thinking that despite the great day out that the Great British Beer Festival offers, there are only so many new or exotic beers you can sample, without ending up totally legless.

In addition, when you factor in the cost of getting there, along with the not insignificant admission charge, a visit to GBBF can leave you seriously out of pocket, and that’s before you’ve even had your  first beer. An alternative day out, for next year’s event was therefore proposed, and it runs as follows.

As several of the people I was with on Friday use the event to meet up with friends or former work colleagues from other parts of the country, why not use the occasion to meet up somewhere on their home territory. So whilst it has become something of a tradition for this particular group to meet up at GBBF each year (normally on a Friday), why not instead travel somewhere outside of London and join them there?

Several people had travelled up from Hampshire or Dorset, so the idea was floated that instead of everyone spending money travelling to London, followed by extra cash for admittance to the festival, it would be good to travel to somewhere with a more central location; a city like Salisbury or Winchester for example. We could then visit several pubs in these localities and no doubt get to sample a number of different beers. 

A decent pub lunch could also be on the cards, rather than the constant “grazing” which seems to be the pattern at GBBF. This would be a much more relaxed day out, and would also afford the opportunity for a spot of sight-seeing, and other tourist activities as well.

It’s early days yet, but the idea certainly seemed to appeal to those present. The prospect of visiting a new location, or revisiting somewhere different, but not particularly familiar, is definitely one which appeals to me. There’s obviously mileage in it, if you’ll excuse the pun, so we might be witnessing the birth of a new early August tradition, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Underneath the arches

I was in London, last Monday evening, for the British Guild of Beer Writers’ Summer Party. This is an annual event which takes place on the evening before the opening day of the Great British Beer Festival. I haven’t been to every party, since joining the Guild in 2015, but of the three events I have attended, this one was by far and away the best.

This might be because I now know a lot more Guild members, than I did when I was just a “newbie,” but I think this year’s venue, along with the beers and food we all enjoyed, was every bit as important.

The venue was the London Fields Brewery Arches, at Helmsley Place, just a five minute walk from London Fields Overground station. The bar area, which occupies one of the railway arches, was just the right size for the number of Guild members in attendance. There were three London Fields beers on tap, along with an eclectic selection of bottles and cans, all suitably chilled.

The courtyard outside, acted as an over-spill area, and was also where the food was served. The weather too played its part in the evening’s success, remaining dry, but not too hot. The culinary offering was from local restaurant Al-Amin, and consisted of a choice of chicken or vegetable curry, with rice, samosas and onion bhajis.

The food was served roughly halfway through the evening, and was the perfect accompaniment to the various beers. Prior to getting stuck into the curry, there was a short speech from Guild Chairman, Pete Brown. Pete thanked the generosity of our hosts at London Fields, along with all the other brewers who had contributed towards the evening. There was also a special thank-you to Ros Shiel, who is stepping down as Guild Secretary.

Apart from the London Fields beers, a number of both national and international breweries were represented. These included Stiegl from Austria,  Krombach and the recently re-vamped Hofmeister; both from Germany, plus Curious Brew and West Berkshire Brewery from the UK. There was also a sprinkling of cans from Mikkeller – the renowned Danish  “gypsy” brewer, from Copenhagen, along with a separate bar offering a range of beers from the United States, at the rear of the arch – see below. 

I won’t start “name-dropping” by listing the many well-known beer writers and other luminaries who were at the party, although I will make an exception for Peter – better known as Tandleman. It was good to catch up with him as well as fellow blogger Ed Wray, but the surprise of the evening was being tapped on the shoulder by “Beers I have known” Steve from Northern Ireland.

I hadn’t seen him since 2015, when we both attended the European Beer Writers Conference in Brussels. Steve said he would be looking after one of the American bars at GBBF, so I said would pop over and say hello on Friday. He also mentioned he was instrumental in obtaining some of the beers on offer at the party.

So what about the beers? There were three offerings from hosts, London Fields – Pilsner (Broadway Boss), Pale Ale (Hackney Hopster) and a White IPA (3 Weiss Monkeys). They were keg, rather than cask, but were well brewed and quite drinkable, but of the three, I much preferred the Pale Ale.

The Mikkeller offering - Hair in the Mailbox, was an interesting IPA and, believe it or not, my first ever Mikkeller beer! I missed out on their Double Sour Cherry Organic Berliner – see the cans in the photo, but  managed to sample Curious Session IPA: a triple hopped and rather distinctive IPA, plus son Matthew’s favourite - Hofmeister Lager.

I had a chat with representatives from both Curious Brew and Hofmeister, who were manning their respective stands. My discussion with the lady from Curious Brew, centred on the company’s recently opened, state of the art brewery at Ashford; the town where I grew up in and spent my formative years. I also enquired about the possibility of a brewery visit.

Some of you might remember me writing about Curious Brewing’s expansion plans, and it seems they are already coming to fruition. Look around and you will see the increased availability of Curious brand beers, and only today I noticed Tesco running a promotion on cans of Curious Brew lager.

Distribution and availability was a topic I discussed and with the two lads from Hofmeister. The company seem to be taking a more cautious, step-by-step approach with their Hofmeister Helles, primarily because they want to get things right. They are carefully vetting all new accounts to ensure the beer will work in these outlets.

Hofmeister are doing this by focussing the bulk of their marketing activity on experiential, face-to-face opportunities, where drinkers get to taste in prospective pubs and bars. You can read more about this strategy here, and also learn where exactly in Bavaria the re-vamped brand is being brewed.

I left shortly after the official 9.30pm end of the party, but not before being invited by a couple of Scottish members, to share part of a bottle of Heretic Evil Cousin. This was a strong (8%), American Double IPA. It was a dangerous one to finish on, as it didn’t drink like a beer of this strength.

I made my way back to London Fields station and whilst on the platform got chatting to one of the most knowledgeable writers on Belgian beer, and the author behind the current, and all previous editions of Good Beer Guide Belgium. I said I wasn’t going to name-drop, but I’m sure many of you will know who I am talking about.

We parted company at Liverpool Street, from where I took the underground to Charing Cross. Tuesday morning was a bit of a struggle, both getting up and at work, but by lunchtime I felt sufficiently recovered. My colleagues knew I’d been partying up in London the night before, but cut me some slack, especially in view of my help with the previous day’s audit. I still had a pile of work to catch up on, though!

A hectic week

It’s been a rather hectic week, with two trips up to London, a surveillance audit at work, plus the usual run of the mill stuff that constitutes a busy working life in 21^st Century Britain.

The visits to London were at the start and then the finish of the working week, and both were connected with CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival, but as I’m intending to write about them both separately, all you need to know for now is that Monday evening’s trip was for the British Guild of Beer Writer’s Summer Party, whilst Friday was an all day, so that I could attend GBBF.

The connection between the former and the latter is that every year the Beer Writer’s Guild hold a party which, by tradition, takes place on the evening before the opening day of the Great British Beer Festival.

Both events were good in their own right, and there’s lots to tell about each one, but this week Southeastern Trains have certainly had their money’s worth out of me, and that’s with the one-third discount which my Senior Railcard qualifies me for.

More importantly, I have drank some excellent beers, met lots of interesting people, some of whom I know, whist others I didn’t, but this weekend I think both liver and wallet deserve a rest!

So it’s a case of knuckling down and bashing away on the keyboard to bring you all the latest news and gossip about these two linked and GBBF-inspired events.

Good beer and good cheer at the Nelson Arms

I caught up with an old friend, over a few drinks, last Thursday evening. We’d only seen each other briefly over the course of the past few months, so a get-together was long overdue.

As we wanted somewhere quiet, where we could chat without disturbance from television or recorded music, we opted for the Nelson Arms, a backstreet local, tucked away behind Tonbridge railway station.

It’s just over a mile from my house to the pub and being quite a sultry evening, I was rather hot and sticky when I arrived. My friend had turned up a few minutes beforehand, and was standing at the bar when I walked through the door.

The choice of beers was split between Kent Brewery and Young’s. I was especially pleased to see both Ordinary and Special on sale from the latter brewery, and over the course of the evening was determined to try both of them.

The Nelson was reasonably busy, with a handful of darts players in the former public bar area, plus a few small number of individuals, like us, in the plusher, right hand section of the pub. We found a spare table and sat down, both eager to recount and listen to each other’s traveller’s tales.

My friend had spent time travelling through France and into western Germany, with his Australian girlfriend, whilst I’d been on a business trip to China and had also walked an additional section of the North Downs Way. We compared notes and looked at each other’s photos – digital ones, of course, but I came away having added Heidelberg to my list of places to visit, along with the Alsace region of eastern France.

I was also able to catch up with some of the developments taking place locally, on the CAMRA front as, unlike me, my friend is still active as a committee member of West Kent CAMRA.  The branch had recently held presentations for three local pubs, which were either deemed “much improved” or runner-up in the branch pub of the year award (please don’t call it POTY!). For a variety of reasons, I missed these events, but my friend confirmed they had all been successful and were well attended.

I was true to my aim of trying both the Young’s beers, preferring the Ordinary to the Special. The latter seemed darker than I remember it, with a slight reddish tint which certainly wasn’t present in the Special I drank in my twenties and early thirties. I still scored it at 3.0 NBSS, against a 3.5 for the Ordinary.

By contrast, the 4.9% Tropic Ale, from Kent Brewery, wasn’t as good, and with hindsight I should have gone with the brewery’s weaker 3.7% Session Pale. With work the following morning, three pints was sufficient for me, but even so it was getting on for 11pm when we left the pub.

Before ending, special mention should be made of the young and very knowledgeable barmaid, who changed my first pint (a very cloudy seasonal from Kent Brewery), without question, and who also told me about her attempts to promote the “craft” cans, stored in a glass fronted fridge, behind the bar. Full marks to her, and full marks to landlord Matt Rudd for teaching his staff about beer.

So a good evening all round with good company, good beer and an excellent pub, which is also a great place to visit for a quiet drink.

A little refreshment along the way

I’m sure some of you won’t be overjoyed to learn that I haven’t finished my ramblings about the North Downs Way. The paucity of comments so far, does point to a lack of interest in my endeavours to complete the “Canterbury loop” of this 153 mile long distance trail, so perhaps a post describing the two rather good pubs I called in at on my three day walk, will bring things back on track.

Both of these rather different, but very welcome pubs were new to me, although ironically the first one was only a short hop from the small village where I spent my teenage years. Situated in the hamlet of Stowting, at the foot of the North Downs, and nestling in some beautiful countryside, the Tiger Inndates back in part to the 16th century. It acquired its current name in 1985, having previously been known as the Anchor.

The Anchor was the name the pub traded under when I lived with my parents, in the village of Brook, some six miles to the west of Stowting. Brook is also situated below the North Downs escarpment, but is a much larger village. Despite the proximity of the two, I don’t recall ever visiting Stowting. Dad was never keen on driving along the narrow roads at the foot of the downs, especially after suffering a rear-end shunt when pulling over one day to allow a car travelling in the opposite direction, to pass.

Later, when I acquired my own transport, in the form of a motorbike, I did head out in the direction of Stowting, but only ever got as far as the Five Bells at Brabourne. This large pub is still trading, although it has received a serious “makeover,” but at the time, its main attraction was the two hard-to-come by Scottish & Newcastle beers – Younger’s Tartan and Mc Ewan’s Export. Both keg beers of course, but something of a rarity in East Kent at the time.

I could see the Five Bells from the top of the escarpment, when I stopped to eat my packed lunch, but 47 years on it was  Stowting and the Tiger Inn that I was making for, a place I was sure I would be able to sit down and enjoy a well-earned pint. The Tiger is a solid-looking, square-shaped building, with a couple of extensions at the rear. The pub still displays the legend, “Mackeson of Hythe Ales" moulded into its frontage, although much of the lettering is obscured by the rather luxuriant growth of creeper which covers much of the building.

It is claimed that the Anchor was one of the first pubs purchased by the Mackeson Brothers back in the day, but the Hythe based brewery also once owned the Honest Miller; the sole pub in Brook. It is also claimed that the Tiger was one of the first pubs to have been purchased by a consortium of villagers to save it being closed or converted to some other use. This occurred in the 1990’s, and I’m happy to report the pub is still trading successfully today.

When I arrived, most of the custom seemed to be sitting outside, so after purchasing my rather excellent pint of Young’s Ordinary – see previous post, I went out and joined them; although I did make sure to find a shady spot to sit in. The pub’s interior has quite a rustic feel to it, with bare wooden floors, exposed brick walls and plenty of old wooden beams.

Despite changes to the interior over the years, the Tiger has lost none of its character and is still a warm local pub with a friendly & welcoming atmosphere. The bar area is located to the front of the building, with the restaurant to the right and rear. It includes a separate area that can be used for private dining or functions.

The pub is popular with walkers, horse riders and locals alike, and is well worth seeking out for quiet pint or a meal. Given the excellence of the beer, I was tempted to stay for another, but given what I wrote previously about the perils of stopping for a pint, halfway through a lengthy walk, I was glad I followed my own advice.

I was too knackered to manage a pub visit that evening, so missed out on the intriguingly named Cat & Custard Pot at Paddlesworth. My plans for a lunchtime drink the following day were also scuppered when I discovered to my horror, that my intended port of call, the Lighthouse Inn at Capel-le-Ferne,  had closed suddenly, and unexpectedly, at the beginning of July.

I only discovered this the previous evening, so with no suitable lunchtime pub to break my journey, I had to make do instead with the nearby Cliff Top Café. I sat down with a cup of coffee and a rather filling cheese and tomato sandwich, but it was a shame that low cloud and drizzle blowing in off the sea, spoiled the view of the English Channel, as on a clear day it is possible to see right across to the coast of France.

Later that evening, having reached Dover and then taken the train to Shepherdswell, I found myself at the comfortable and well-appointed “Brambles” bed & breakfast establishment in nearby Eythorne. My hosts told me that the Crown, the village’s sole remaining pub was just a short walk away, and that I could get a cooked meal there. Google maps confirmed this, and despite my aching feet I managed the short half a mile distance with relative ease.

The Crown is a solidly built, brick building, with a white-painted frontage. It looks out on to the road which leads out of the village, towards Dover. According to local reports, the pub has been given a new lease of life, since new owners took over its running in February. It was busy with a good mix of drinkers and diners when I called in. Fortunately I had arrived well ahead of the 9pm cut-off point for ordering food.

I was asked if I wanted to sit inside, or outside: either on the  terrace at the side of the pub, or in the garden.
I opted for inside, but then regretted it when I was placed adjacent to a group of diners who were celebrating some sort of event or other. The party consisted mainly of middle-aged women - nothing wrong with that of course, but the group included a rather dominant male whose loud voice, and tedious view points tended to drown out those of his companions. I wondered if the women were as pissed off as I was by "shouty man," who obviously liked the sound of his own voice rather too much.

Fortunately the meal was drawing to a close when I sat down so I didn't have to suffer this individual for too long, but what is it with these people who feel the need to show off  like this and bore everyone else to death? My meal of pan-fried salmon with salad and new potatoes, certainly helped restore my good spirits, as did a couple of pints of some rather good beer – St Austell Proper Job; not a beer I come across on draught that often, but very welcome on that particular evening.

There were no easily accessible pubs the following morning, on the final day of my walk. I stopped to eat my 
packed lunch at Patrixbourne; a picturesque village in a fold in the downs. Unfortunately it is a dry
village without a public house, and also, despite the numerous attractive buildings, gave the impression of being little more than a collection of rather desirable properties, for wealthy people from Canterbury.

There wasn't even a bench for the weary traveller to rest on, so I sat on a grassy bank, next to the road leading out of the village. Suitably fortified, I commenced the long climb out of the village and then joined the relatively straight track which led me all the way to Canterbury, and the conclusion of my walk.

A bed for the night

On my recent North Downs Way walk I stayed in a couple of really nice bed & breakfast places. Quiet and tucked out of the way, they weren’t cheap, costing more than I’d pay on a nightly basis for a hotel room on a city break in Europe. However, for the relaxing experience they offered – something much needed after a hard day’s walking, they were worth every penny.

I promised the proprietors of both establishments that I would give them a good write-up, not on Trip Advisor, but on this blog, which of course is free from the bias and other constraints that affect the former. So what you are about to read are my own observations and comments, about two quite different, but equally pleasant bed and breakfast places. It goes without saying that I received no inducements, financial or other wise, to write these two reviews.

The first establishment was the intriguingly named, Pigeonwood House; an old farmhouse dating back to 1769. The house is situated on the edge of the tiny hamlet of Arpinge, high on the North Downs, above Folkestone, in a tranquil and very rural setting. Being only 300 yards from the NDW, it was ideal from my point of view, although the advertised “spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, then across the sea to France,” failed to materialise due to a combination of low cloud and light rain the following morning.

Pigeonwood House is under ten minutes from the Channel Tunnel Terminal; the vast marshalling yards for both freight traffic and cars, at the foot of the escarpment, are visible from the end of the road, Dover is only another ten minutes further. Many guests at Pigeonwood House take advantage of this proximity when traveling to and from the continent, enjoying the homely and peaceful atmosphere, before hitting the road, so to speak.

Despite the closeness of the terminal, I couldn’t hear any noise from all this activity taking place, just below the downs, and slept like the proverbial log. I had the impression that Mary the landlady was shocked not only at how tired I looked when I turned up an hour and a half after my estimated time of arrival, but also how refreshed and revived I appeared the following morning, after eight hours sleep and a rather satisfying full-English breakfast.

I wolfed the breakfast down, complementing it with cereal to start and plenty of toast and marmalade, mindful of the fact that apart from scoffing most of the complimentary biscuits in my room, I hadn’t eaten since the previous lunchtime. I had planned an evening visit to the curiously named Cat & Custard Pot pub, at the equally strange-sounding hamlet of Paddlesworth.

The pub is slightly under a mile and a half from Pigeonwood House, and under normal circumstances I would quite happily have walked there. But having just covered over fourteen miles, with a heavy pack on my back, I thought better of it. Mary did offer to drive me there, when I arrived, but all I wanted was to get my boots off and dive under a nice refreshing shower.

I was also working on the assumption that the offer of a lift didn’t extend to collecting me, later in the evening, so I politely declined her offer, as in all seriousness I didn’t feel up to walking even that short distance. After reading a review on Booking.com, I later discovered that it did, but given the fact I enjoyed an early night and eight hours unbroken sleep - a real rarity for me, I'm convinced I made the right decision.

There were no such problems with walking to the pub from the second B&B; a modern and contemporary AA 4-star-rated establishment called, “Brambles,” situated in the village of Eythorne. Here, hosts Mike and Claire offer luxurious bed and breakfast accommodation, with everything you need to lean back, relax and enjoy your stay, with a comfortable bed and modern, en-suite bathroom.

The chilled water and fresh milk in waiting in the room’s silent fridge, (an important consideration if you're a light sleeper), along with a rather scrumptious homemade cake, courtesy of the hosts, were a nice touch although, despite my best efforts, there was rather too much lemon-drizzle cake for me to manage on my own. The following morning, Claire wrapped up what was left for me, to see me on my way, along with a pre-ordered packed lunch.

Eythorne is a couple of miles away from the NDW trail, which passes through the neighbouring village of Sheperherdswell. I’d arrived at the local station, after travelling from Dover by train, (I’d walked the Sheperherdswell – Dover section a couple of years previously.) After a phone call, host Mike very kindly collected me from the station and also dropped me off at the start of the NDW, the following morning.

The evening of my arrival, saw me up for a walk to the local pub. Following the closure of the White Horse, just a couple of minutes walk from Brambles, this meant a half-mile walk to the Crown, at the other end of the village. My route took me down the hill to Eythorne station, a reconstructed platform and signal box, on the heritage East Kent Railway, which runs between the village and Sheperdswell.

The line was constructed between 1911 and 1917, to light railway standards, by the legendary engineer, Colonel H .F. Stephens. It ran between Shepherdswell and the Kent Coalfields, its primary purpose being to carry coal. It remained operational as far as Tilmanstone Colliery, until the 1984-85 Miners Strike. Following the closure, a year later, of Tilmanstone, services on the line ceased in 1987.

I then followed the road up the hill, past the rather large Baptist Church, to the village shop and post office. The attractive looking Crown was a little further on, along the road which leads out of the village, towards Dover.

I had a good meal a the pub, and some equally good beer – St Austell Proper Job, before returning to Brambles for the night. After a good night’s sleep and a substantial full English breakfast the following morning, I was dropped off, where the NDW crossed the road into Shepherdswell, as mentioned above.

Like Pigeonwood House, Brambles accommodates quite a few visitors from overseas, as well as hikers like me, who appreciate a little luxury after a long and hard day’s walk. I can recommend them both, if you are ever in that part of East Kent.