A few reflective, mid-week thoughts

These are certainly strange times that we’re living through; unprecedented – certainly in modern times and full of paradoxes.  The situation we’re in at present is also incredibly frustrating and whilst I’ve been saying to people, "be patient," my own patience has worn a little thin.

The news that the nation’s pubs are open at last, is of little use to those, like me, who are still working for a living and the fact that despite orders being down we’re still incredibly busy, is yet another example of a frustrating paradox.

I’ve only managed one pub visit since last weekend, and whilst I intend to make up for this tomorrow, I’m still mighty envious of those whose surfeit of leisure time allows them to go off galivanting around the country once more. So, after all that time spent twiddling my thumbs at the start of lock-down, I now find myself too busy to enjoy all that’s on offer, as the economy slowly opens back up.

Right, that’s enough wining, I’m lucky to still have a job, my health is fairly robust and money I would have spent in pubs and restaurants, or blown on trips abroad, is now safely sitting in the bank. In addition, I will hit state retirement age next April, so perhaps it will then be time to wave goodbye to the world of work – at least on a full-time basis.

There’s no getting away though that, like many others the world over, the current pandemic has knocked my travel plans for six this year, but there will still be time enough once all this is over. For tens of thousands of others, Corona has done far worse than disrupt holiday plans, and it’s important to remember all those who sadly, didn’t make it.

I’m certain that the pandemic and ensuing lock-down, has also caused large numbers of people to reflect upon what they’re doing with their lives, the type of lifestyle they are living and what plans they might have for the future.  The shutdown has also been good for the environment as well, and it’s been good to reconnect with nature, during this time.

That’s all I’ve got to say for the time being. If all goes to plan I’ll have another reopened pub to report on tomorrow, but until then, bye for now!

Ploughing the right socially-distanced furrow

I didn’t make it to the pub on Saturday, for the first day of opening since mid March, so I was determined to do so today. There aren’t many pubs in Tonbridge that have reopened yet; in fact, there aren’t that many pubs left in the town full stop. This left me slightly stumped as to where I ought to go.

The Nelson Arms, tucked away in the backstreets behind the station, seemed the obvious candidate. The Nelson picked up the prestigious Branch Pub of the Year award, from West Kent CAMRA, just a week or so prior to the start of lockdown, so that was a good enough reason on its own for a visit.

I’d been calling in at the Nelson these past three months, in order to collect containers of cask ale to drink at home, so had been taking a keen interest on how their plans for reopening were progressing. A visit there was high on my list, and it still is, but given the fine weather we’ve enjoyed today, I fancied something a little more taxing. A pub visit that included a walk fitted the bill, which is where the Plough at Leigh Powder Mills came in.

I’d already checked their website and liked what I saw regarding their Covid-19 response. To me it seemed sensible without being over the top. The fact that I fancied a pint in a pub garden, was another reason for choosing the Plough as it has one of the largest gardens in the area.

The Plough is surprisingly easy to get to from Tonbridge, as the footpath which leads across the Sportsground provides a far more direct route than going by road. It also proved much quicker than what I remembered. It must be five or six years since I last walked that way, but the route still seems just as popular with walkers and cyclists as it did back then.

The walk wasn’t quite as far as I thought. I clocked it at three miles, door to door, and the outward journey took just over an hour. Tonbridge Sportsground seemed as popular as ever, with people of all ages out enjoying the sunshine plus taking the opportunity to spread themselves out. I took a diagonal route across this large, flat grassy area towards the underpass beneath the main rail line to London. The path then continues through a wooded area, following the course of the River Medway.

It then splits, with the route to the left leading to Haysden Country Park, whilst the right-hand path heads off towards Leigh Power Mills. The suffix, "Powder Mills" refers to the manufacture of gun-powder, which was carried out there, on a substantial site, until the mid 1930’s. The site was chosen because of its proximity to the River Medway, plus the presence of several small streams. These were used to power the mills which processed the gun-powder, until the advent of steam power. 

In recent times, part of the Powder Mills site was home to pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline. Around 300 people were employed there until the plant closed in 2010.  A development of mixed housing stock now occupies the site, but I’m pleased to report that the area of woodland to the right of the former works, has been retained, and the footpath running alongside it has been upgraded.

Upon reaching the road which runs along to Leigh village, I turned right and headed down a slight hill. The Plough is just a short distance ahead, but he first thing one notices is the substantial barn, next to the pub, which is used for weddings and other similar functions. I made my way towards the pub, approaching with more than a little trepidation.

I needn’t have been concerned, as I noticed, whilst passing the garden, that there were plenty of free tables. I stopped, as instructed, at the sign adjacent to the entrance and waited, again as instructed. A member of staff came out to greet me, and after taking a couple of contact details – name, plus mobile phone number, I was allowed inside.

It was explained to me that a one-way system operated inside the pub and that all food and drink could be ordered from the outside bar; apart from the real ale. Seeing as a pint of cask was what I wanted, I was informed I should order my drink from the bar, as normal and then either find a seat inside – there were quite a few vacant tables, or make my way through to the garden.  There was a large Perspex screen isolating staff behind the bar, apart from a cut-out to enable payment and receipt of one’s drink.

The cask choice was three offerings from Tonbridge Brewery, so I opted for the Golden Rule, a 3.5% light and refreshing, golden ale. I carefully carried my pint through the length of the pub and then down the steps into the substantial garden. I found a vacant table and sat down to enjoy my first pint of cask ale since the visit I made on 6^th March to Burton-on-Trent, with members of the Beer & Pub’s Forum.

Boy did it taste good, being cool, clear and well-conditioned. Had I been scoring I would have rated it as at least 3.5 NBSS. The beer was so good that I was tempted to have another; the only thing preventing me was my promise to pick up some food items from Waitrose on the way back. The store’s 4pm closing time would have meant a fast walk back, whereas I am someone who prefers strolling along at a much more leisurely pace.

The pub garden had a good sprinkling of customers without being packed. It was good to see families and groups of friends enjoying a few drinks along with each other’s company, after these long months of confinement. What’s more, it was being done in a safe and dare I use the term, socially distanced way. There was hand-sanitiser available at the entrance and also at the exit – which is now down the steps, next to the garden.

The Plough’s management team had obviously worked hard to achieve this, and I applaud their efforts. I felt relaxed and totally at ease, and I know I would have felt the same had I decided to enjoy my beer inside the pub instead. Upon my return, Mrs PBT’s was relieved when I described the set-up. Being familiar with the pub she should have known better, but she had been a little bit concerned when I set off on my visit.

I would like to send the same message to all the naysayers, doom-mongers and anyone else who predicted that pubs re-opening would mean the end of civilisation as we know it whilst the world is engulfed in a plague of biblical proportions.

Pub owners, licensees and their staff have pulled out all the stops to make this work. The least we can do is show them our appreciation by turning up and supporting their efforts. There is quite lot more I could write on this subject, but bloggers such as Pub Curmudgeon, Tandleman, retiredmartin and Beer Viking have already covered the seeming reluctance of many punters to return to the pub. Check out what they have to say on the subject, by clicking their links in the left-hand side bar.

This article is intended to make up for the shortcomings of the previous one, which was posted, in my excitement, from the pub garden, after having been hastily composed on my Smart Phone.

First post-lockdown pub pint

Well it's been a long time coming, as CSNY once sang, but it was worth the wait. A nice, cool superb pint of  Golden Rule from Tonbridge Brewery, enjoyed in the large garden of the Plough at Leigh.

Definitely worth the three mile walk each way, via Tonbridge Sportsground. Plenty of room inside the pub and even more in the large garden, at the back.

No problems with social distancing, and the pub management team have done an excellent job in getting everything ready to welcome customers back.

More to follow when I get home! 🙂

Which way now for cask?

On the day that pubs in England are finally allowed to reopen their doors (drinkers in Scotland and Wales will have to wait a little longer), it’s perhaps prudent to ask what future is there for cask ale and what future is there for CAMRA? 

The two are interlinked of course, as well as being closely tied to what happens to the nation’s pub stock in general. The future of cask itself is almost uniquely tied into what happens to pubs, as unlike other forms of packaging (bottles and cans), cask ale is dependent on the skills of the licensee or cellar man looking after it, but also requires a fast turnover.

The question is then, will those former cask drinkers who’ve been subsisting on a supply of “craft” bottles and “tinnies” throughout lock-down, return to the fold now that the pubs have reopened?

During the hiatus, I’ve been enjoying a mixture of craft and cask at home, with supplies of the latter brought home in milk containers from an enterprising local pub.  One of our longest established local breweries, Larkin’s of Chiddingstone, has also been selling their cask beers in those 5 five litre mini kegs.

Particularly welcome has been the availability of their excellent Best Bitter; a full-bodied 4.4% and well-hopped, Kentish bitter. The Best is not normally seen in these parts, as most local pubs only stock Larkin’s Traditional, a session bitter, brewed to a strength of just 3.4%. The lower gravity makes it especially suitable for rural pubs where driving is often the only option for customers to reach some of these isolated outlets.

I’m digressing as usual, but I’m sure you get the gist;  the point I wish to make is that whilst there were cask devotees prepared to go to some lengths to source their favourite tipple, there would have been plenty of others happy to stick with the bottles and cans. Some may even find they preferred the latter, especially as “craft” and other small brewery beers are often served cooler than cask.

Another factor to consider, is the degree of carbonation. Beers sold in bottles and cans tend to be more carbonated than cask ale. This is not necessarily a good thing, but unfortunately it can serve to highlight the lack of condition in a pint of cask ale that has been badly kept or has been on sale for too long.

Over the years, CAMRA has placed much emphasis on its belief that cask-conditioned ale represents the pinnacle of the brewer’s art. This intrinsically is nonsense, as there are hundreds of fantastic beers available, across the globe, that are conditioned at the brewery, rather than in a cask in the pub cellar. This pretentious claim does the campaign no favours and plays into the hands of those who say CAMRA is elitist. 

The claim may have had a grain of truth when the organisation started, as compared against the lacklustre keg beers that were threatening to sweep away cask ale, the latter would normally win hands down, but by concentrating on storage and dispense methods, rather than quality of ingredients and the brewer’s devotional skills used to brew the beer, CAMRA painted itself into a corner from which it has been unable to escape.

Things have moved on a long way since the dark days of the 1970’s and there are some stunning beers available that are NOT cask-conditioned. They don’t meet CAMRA’s definition of real ale, so the campaign chooses to ignore them.  Any beer that leaves the brewery in a cask, even with the minimal quantity of yeast remaining in it, is classed as real ale, and therefore gets CAMRA’s seal of approval, regardless of taste, balance or condition.

Given this fixation on cask, CAMRA's role should be to make sure that real ale really is the best type of draught beer you can get, whereas the contrary can often be the case. Part of the problem is very little conditioning actually takes place in the cask these days. Instead most of the conditioning (secondary fermentation), takes place at the brewery, and the beer is dispatched with a minimal yeast count.

I had experience of this fifteen years ago, when I was selling cask ale to take away by the pint, at the off-licence I ran with Mrs PBT’s. Many beers didn’t require soft-spilling and would drop bright within an hour or two. There was certainly no evidence that much conditioning had taken place, and many of these beers would quickly lose any condition they once had.

This might make sense from the brewers’ perspective, as the last thing they want are customers being served cloudy beer and licensees returning casks because they are “off.” The lack of properly trained cellar staff has compounded the problem, so brewers play safe by dispatching brewery-conditioned beer with low or minimal low yeast counts. CAMRA has ignored this issue over the years, but it is not going to go away. It calls into question the dubious claim that cask-conditioned beers represent the pinnacle of the brewer’s art.

So as drinkers slowly return to our pubs, will they go straight back in on the cask, or will their tastes and preferences have been altered by months of drinking “craft” and other types of beer. During the initial stages of the lock-down, members of the beer socials WhatsApp group I belong to were posting all sorts of photos and reviews of beers they were drinking.

The vast majority were definitely NOT real ale, and yet most of the reviews were glowing. Will these die-hard CAMRA members revert to the real thing once they get inside a pub, or will they continue to be more adventurous? I know these drinkers, and most were already prepared to drink outside the box, if you’ll pardon the pun, so whilst I don’t think CAMRA has anything to worry about in the short term. Looking further ahead though, if the campaign insists on promoting cask ale above all other styles, it will become increasingly irrelevant in an age where people drink according to taste, mood and the occasion, rather than being bound by dogmatic stricture.