The Ides of March

As I gazed out over the rain-soaked landscape, last Tuesday, I was left wondering whether it’ would ever stop raining. As we move from winter into early spring, it’s hard to recall a wetter period of weather, even though prolonged spells of wet weather probably aren’t that unusual at this time of year. What’s perhaps more disconcerting, has been the almost total absence of frosts this winter, and whilst some might welcome the relatively mild conditions, give me any day a bright, crisp, and dry morning, even if it does mean having to scrape the car, before leaving for work.

Fruit trees, so I’ve been told, require periods of frost during winter, in order the bear a reasonable crop of fruit - something to do with the tree going into a deep hibernation (if that's possible), before springing back with a flourish with the arrival of spring.  In addition, sub-zero conditions are also the gardener’s friend, as they help break up lumpy soil, as well as killing off numerous garden pests, but this year cold snaps have been few and far between.

For those of us itching to get our hiking boots on and head out into the great outdoors, the current damp conditions are doubly frustrating as because even with
the right footwear and assorted protective rainwear, there’s nothing more soul-destroying than walking through a rain-soaked landscape. I’ve still got a stage and a half of the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk to complete - Eridge to Groombridge and Groombridge to Southborough, so what ought to be a relatively easy walk to complete, is turning out to be anything but.

What walk next though, the Greensand Ridge, perhaps? It is quite remote in places but passes through some stunning countryside. Unfortunately, it lacks some of the convenient public transport links which characterise the North Downs Way, so there is potential for a few overnight stops, preferably at a location or two where there’s a decent pub. Meanwhile, back to the weather.

Too much persistent rain can also lead to flooding, a situation that none of us wish to see, but one that has become all too common in recent years. It’s noticeable on my commute to and from work when the drive can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare. Whichever route I take involves crossing the river Medway, which is the main channel into which the local streams and ditches discharge their surplus of water. With little respite between weather systems and the ground already saturated from previous heavy rain, it isn’t long before water running of from the fields, starts washing across the roads, and before you know it, they are axle deep in flood water and virtually impassable.

So, what has all this got to do with pubs, beer, and the enjoyment of both? Well, more than you might think. Shops and other retail outlets often report a reduction in footfall during spells of persistent wet weather. The hardware store where son Matthew works certainly does, and I’m sure that pubs are affected in a similar fashion. After all, when the rain is lashing down outside, who wants to step outside and leave the comfort and warmth of their own home?

As the week wore on, there was a gradual improvement in the weather, and by the time Thursday arrived it was quite pleasant. Time for a few cheeky beers you might think, but unfortunately, I’d agreed to sort some stuff out at home, for Mrs PBT’s. We’ve embarked on a joint, sort out- de-cluttering operation that’s been long overdue. She might not thank me for saying so, but my good lady wife is an inveterate hoarder, and now having finally realised the extent of her hanging onto things that really aren’t worth keeping, she’s gone into full-blown clear-out mode.

We’re therefore on a bit of a roll at the moment, and to complicate matters further, I thought it good to get ahead of things on the garden. I managed to get a fair amount of preparatory work done in both garden and greenhouse, during the previous “dry” spell, including digging over what will be my new vegetable patch. I’ve also been attaching some trellis work to the fence, ready to provide support, when needed, for the climbing plants that Mrs PBT’s bought the other week.

There has been something of a lull on the beer front, but if all goes to plan, that should change next week, with that long-postponed visit to the Black Country scheduled for a weeks’ time. That should fulfil a long-cherished ambition to enjoy s few of the area’s finest heritage pubs, as well as renewing my acquaintance with Batham’s and Holden’s fine ales. Both companies are long-established Black Country brewers, whose products seem confined to the local area, and are rarely seen beyond the immediate local area.

As for more local matters, there seems very little happening at the moment, although West Kent CAMRA have two presentations to make this coming Wednesday in relation to this year’s Pub of the Year competition. There are no prizes for guessing the winner and runners up, but as it’s all becoming a little too predictable, I doubt I shall be showing my face. That’s not to take anything away from the worthy winners, but I would rather call in at the pubs in question (they are both in Tonbridge), when things are a little quieter.

Earlier today, Eileen and I took a drive over to the ASDA superstore at King’s Hill (site of the former West Malling airfield). We certainly know how to live, but it was worth it for the new pair of casual, boots I bought, reduced down from £35 to just £16. An absolute bargain, and leather as well. Part of the store’s “George” range, whoever George is - Mrs PBT’s will tell you, as she’s up on such matters, whereas the only things I am concerned about are their comfort and durability, plus, to a point, how they look.

Breakfast tomorrow, and once again a pub will probably be the venue. It’s as though events are starting to answer the question I raised, just three short posts ago. It could be that more and more public houses are waking up to the potential of opening their doors early, especially at weekends. The pub as we know it continues to evolve, and by doing so helps ensure its own survival.

This concludes this rather indulgent set of ramblings, looking back over the first half of March, the first two weeks of spring, no less. I know that some readers enjoy a sprinkling of domesticity woven into the blog, but as with Marmite, others find them boring and irrelevant. As the old saying goes, life isn’t all beer and skittles, and neither is it cakes and ale, but rest assured gentle reader, now that I’ve caught up somewhat on house and garden matters, normal service should be resumed very soon.

 

Braybrooke Lager Club - Traditional Bavarian beers, brewed in the heart of the English countryside

It's a rarity for me to sign up to any subscription service, even one that is promoting beer, but last summer, a certain one really caught my eye. Before revealing which one, it’s worth noting that there has been a dramatic decline in the number of beer subscription services, with one outfit in particular dominating the scene. Since the demise of Flavourly, in October of last year, Beer 52 now seems to have the monopoly in this field, apart from the growing number of breweries who supply their own products, by mail order.

A much smaller number of breweries will ship out a changing section of their beers, on a monthly basis, in exchange for a fixed sum, normally paid by direct debit. During the pandemic, local independent beer café Fuggles found themselves really struggling, so owner, Alex Greig came up with the idea of FUGSCLUB  a monthly beer subscription service that featured 12 beers each month, complete with tasting notes and occasional extra goodies. I signed up for the club, and during the real bad months of the COVID lockdown, was pleased to receive a selection of 12 interesting beers, delivered to my doorstep on a monthly basis.

Fast forward to 2023 when the Braybrooke Lager Club, appeared on my radar.The Braybrooke Beer Company is a specialist lager brewery situated on Braybrooke Farm. Situated on the edge of the village of Braybrooke, just outside of Market Harborough in the heart of the peaceful English countryside, the brewery was set up in 2017 by Luke, Nick, and Cam, three friends, with decades of combined experience in the food and drink industry. Braybrooke began with just one aim - to make really good lager for people who appreciate it. Over the past six years the friends have become real masters of their craft.  

The group’s love for quality and fine tasting lagers came from travels in Germany, which of course is one of the best lager-brewing countries in the world. Whilst there, they met Stephan Michel, owner of the well-known and highly respected Mahrs Brau brewery in Bamberg, which was founded in 1670. Stephan put the group in touch with the best malt, hop and yeast suppliers to make great lager. Head Brewer Alexis came on board, adding to Braybrooke his experience at some of the best breweries in Europe.

Making the best lagers takes a lot of work, and it starts with the best ingredients. To source these the friends looked to Germany, and source all their malt from that country. The malt is milled on site just before every brew for utmost freshness, and the company also imports a range of classic German hop varieties, directly from a renowned hop farm in Tettnang. Their house lager yeast comes from Bavaria and is shipped overnight for maximum quality. The final, and some say, most important ingredient is the home-sourced, local Midlands water.

Braybrooke’s semi-automated, three vessel 10hL brew-house is used to turn these classic Teutonic ingredients into some of the finest lager biers, outside of Germany using traditional techniques such as decoction mashing, to create a deeper maltiness in the final beer. This is really evident in the finished products. 

Following mashing, boiling, and cooling, the beers are fermented at 9ºC, colder and slower than standard commercial lagers.  Primary fermentation, which takes about a week, is followed by a long period of maturation at 2 to 3ºC in traditional horizontal tanks for a minimum of 30 days. That’s 6 weeks from grain to glass! This process is called lagering and it’s the most important part of making the beer, as the live yeast keeps working and the beer becomes naturally carbonated, smoother, and brighter.

No fining agents are used, and no filtration takes place either, instead the beer clears naturally. In order to have total control over the entire process, Braybrooke packages every bottle and keg themselves, and holds the finished product at 4ºC in their cold store to keep the beer as fresh as possible. Every step taken results in beers that are well structured and rather complex, so with this in mind, how could I turn down the chance of enjoying some of these delicious lagers?

 The chance came when I stumbled across the Braybrooke Lager Club, a community for lager lovers founded on the principle good beer brings people together and focusing purely on the best lagers around from both Braybrooke and other like-minded breweries. Members of Braybrooke Lager Club enjoy a box of 12 bottles delivered to their door every month: a mixed case of our classic core beers (including their famous Keller Lager), specials and collaborations plus guest lagers each month specially selected by the club.

Members can pause or cancel their membership at any time, but with beers this good, why would you want to? I’ve been purchasing beers from the club, for the past few months, and have not been disappointed. Below are of some of Braybrooke’s best-selling beers, with tasting notes, and illustrations, from the brewery's website.

For further information on the Braybrooke Beer Company, the beers it produces, and the Braybrooke Lager Club, please click on the links, embedded in the text.

 

It's a mystery as to why the stats don't stack up

It’s information overload at the moment, certainly as far as stories from the world of brewing are concerned, but with a common thread running through the majority of these announcements (over-capacity, set against a declining beer market), I’m going to take a step back and ask the question, “What makes a story newsworthy?” I’d be a very rich man if I knew the answer to that, as it’s the sort of probing question asked by news agencies and media corporations across the globe.

The reason I’m pushing for an answer on this, is partially due to a lack of inspiration on my part – basically I’m short of ideas for things to write about, at the moment, but also because I’m genuinely curious as to why certain stories fall by the wayside, whilst others generate an amount of interest that can be totally disproportionate to the topic in question. In my case the majority of posts are beer, pub or travel related, with the occasional foray into other topical subjects, including at times politics or other world-related events.

One interesting feature about Blogger, which is Google’s free, blog-hosting service, are the analytical statistics concerning an individual’s site, which are available at the click of a mouse. For example, you can look back at the number of page views by post, for now, the last 24 hours, the last 7 days, last 30 days, last 3, 6 or 12 months, and even for all time. It is that last option which is so interesting, especially where one or sometimes two or three individual articles, stand head and shoulders above the rest. When you’ve written in excess of 1,700 individual posts it’s fascinating to see which of that number attracted sufficient page views to top the poll.

The screenshot at the beginning of the article shows the 10 highest scoring posts, of all time, and as you can see the list is quite a disparate collection of articles, with no real common thread running through them.  Several are quite controversial, such as Time to ditch the Good Beer Guide, Who Needs Social Media? and most divisive of all, A sparkler is a device which ruins beer. That last post certainly reignited the north-south divide, but despite appearing to deliberately court controversy there was a serious side to it.

To date it has attracted 5.9K page views, and 118 comments – although the majority of the latter ones seem to be from Russian bots. It also comes in at No. 2 on the list. Attracting one less comment (and no Russian bots), but ending at the bottom of the pile is – Who needs social media? There was a fair share of controversy running through those comments, but very little when it comes to the out and out winner, Half and half. Attracting 12.7K page views, but only 18 comments, I am still at a loss to explain how a relatively innocuous post, about mixing beers (light & bitter, brown & mild, old & bitter etc), could emerge as top of the pile, with more than twice the page views of the runner up.

Another good start to the day!

A few weeks ago, the lad and I enjoyed a first class cooked breakfast, at the Little Brown Jug at Chiddingstone Causeway. The food was so good that I took to my keyboard and started bashing out a piece about our experience. I hadn’t written much before deciding to check out what I’d written before about going out for breakfast, and I looked for guidance at a piece I had written 10 months ago. That post resulted from a good experience we had at the Chaser Inn at Shipbourne, the latter settlement being an attractive and well-spaced-out village to the north of Tonbridge, at the base of the Greensand Ridge.

The Chaser is owned by the same small pub-group (Whiting & Hammond), that owns the Little Brown Jug, and it wasn’t long before I realised that what I was writing about the Jug, was a virtual repeat of last May’s post about the Chaser. So, rather than going over old ground, again, I started asking questions, regarding /the popularity, or otherwise of eating out for breakfast, especially when it involves a visit to the pub. 

Before going any further, with the honourable exception of Wetherspoon’s, not many pubs open for breakfast, particularly during the week. To do so, would mean either employing additional staff, or splitting shifts in order to open early. In addition, you’re never quite sure what the demand is going to be. Fortunately, most of the ingredients that go into a Full English– eggs, bacon, sausages etc. can be stored in the fridge and then cooked to order, but regardless of this, pubs serving breakfast are few and far between. Finally, pubs are far more likely to offer breakfast at weekends, than during the week.

Breakfasting out, especially at weekends, seems more of an American tradition than a British one, and on my first trip across the Atlantic, I went out for breakfast on several occasions, with my brother-in-law. Somewhat unusually for an American, Ernie doesn’t drink coffee, and doesn't eat eggs either - both of course being an essential make-up of a North American breakfast. We still managed to visit a few places though where there was food and drink (I’m talking about tea here), to satisfy both of us. Certainly, on my first visit to the US I breakfasted with my brother-in-law, and my sister joined us a couple of times as well. Whatever the origin of this custom it's good to drive off and grab something satisfying and filling, on a day when there’s no work to be done, and no need to hurry.

On my very first morning in the US, I was left to my own devices, as Ernie had to call in at the office for a couple of hours, and my sister, who worked as a teaching assistant (Uncle Sam didn’t recognise her UK teaching certificate), was also absent. Having slept well, despite a transatlantic flight, and a domestic one as well, I slipped out of bed, took a quick shower, and after dressing took a wander down into the quaint little, old-town section of Amherst – that’s Amherst Ohio as, like with Springfield, there are several other towns of the same name in the USA.

I don’t remember much about that compact little diner, let alone the items I chose for my breakfast, but I did feel more than a little self-conscious – an Englishman abroad, if you like. A few days later, Ernie drove the pair of us out to a much larger establishment, on the edge of town – a place that he said was worth visiting for the entertainment value, as much as the food. It was a help yourself breakfast buffet, where customers could eat as much as they liked. With hindsight, it reminds me very much of the breakfast buffets Eileen and I have experienced on cruise ships, so I expect the latter were very much modeled on the same principle as this type of American diner.

We grabbed what we wanted and sat down to enjoy our morning meal. With a subtle grin on his face, my brother-in-law said, “Watch out, the professionals will be in soon!” I wondered what he meant, until a several of the fattest and heaviest people (both sexes), waddled in, and began piling up their plates with bacon, sausages, hash browns, toast and all sorts of varieties of cooked eggs. They then slid their was y over to a convenient table and began devouring the mountain of food in front of them. Incredibly, many of them went back for a second helping. These gargantuan individuals were the professionals that Ernie was referring to, and as we watched with a mixture of fascination and disgust, he told me how ashamed he was of these fellow countrymen of his, and the way they were stuffing their faces.

This particular American diner probably wasn’t alone with its “all you can eat” menu, but there are places like this in the UK as well. Matthew has a friend who is a fan of these “greasy spoon” cafés, and unfortunately his liking for large platefuls of greasy, fried food is only too evident, by the size of him. As an occasional treat though, these establishments are fine, and I have written before about the two American-themed roadside restaurants called the OK Diner, with one at the side of each carriageway, on the busy A1 trunk road.

Both are just to the north of the attractive Lincolnshire town of Stamford. We have stopped at both establishments on trips to Yorkshire and back, but these appropriately named “pit stops” have been brunch destinations, rather than breakfast ones. With both establishments offering all-day breakfasts though, they help brighten up what can be otherwise, a long and boring journey.

Finally, no article about pubs serving breakfast would be complete without mentioning the famous “Spoons” offering. At Wetherspoons you know exactly what will be served up on those famous willow-pattern plates, and generally it is filling, tasty and good value for money. Over the years, Matthew and I have breakfasted in all three of our local JDW outlets (Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells), and by and large both the food and the service have been pretty good.

There are rumours that some of the breakfast ingredients are either pre-cooked or part cooked, which might explain why your meal arrives so quickly on you table, but when served at less than half the price of what we’ve paid at the Bruning & Price outlets, Spoons breakfasts are ideal for those on a budget, as well as in a hurry.

I shall leave it there, even though there’s plenty more I could write about the first meal of the day. We also haven't answered the question of why so few pubs have a breakfast offering. Matthew makes fun of me, when I tell him that breakfast is a good start to the day, but when on holiday a substantial meal, first thing in the morning, is usually enough to see me through to the evening.

 

There's an old mill by the stream

Friday was the first day of March and also the first day of spring, but the weather was anything but spring like with heavy torrential rain, driven by a strong and very biting north westerly wind. March can often be a very changeable month, and an old saying claims that March comes roaring in like a lion, and goes out meekly like a lamb, or the other way around. In my experience, it is pretty rare for the third month of the year to come creeping in softly, lamb-like or not, and I’m not sure either, about going out with the noise of a fierce, roaring lion!

So, with Friday’s weather, doing its best make the day a complete washout, and Mrs PBT’s not keen on going out anywhere, I decided no matter what was happening in the stratosphere, I was going to go out to explore somewhere a bit different. My plan was to take the bus over from Tunbridge Wells to East Grinstead, which is the town where son Matthew is employed. I have obviously been there several times in the past, but it would be good to have a closer look around, visit a couple of pubs, and maybe enjoy a spot of light lunch. I could then cadge a lift home from my son after he had finished his shift.

So far so good, and Matthew knew to expect me some time in the afternoon. He reckoned he would finish around about 3:00 pm which would be ideal, so imagine my frustration when I received a text message from him asking what time would I be over, as he would be finishing at 1:00 pm. Kids, who said they get easier, once they’re grown up? I was still waiting at the bus stop in Tonbridge when the call came through, and my arrival time in East Grinstead depended on connecting services from Tunbridge Wells. There are three buses every hour, over from Tonbridge, but it is an hourly service only, between the Wells and East Grinstead.

Fortunately, I was in time for the 10:52 am 291 Metrobus service from Tunbridge Wells and reached my destination at 11:45 am. That allowed time for at least one pub visit, and as my chosen pub was a 20-minute walk from the town centre, I would reach the 15^th Century, Old Dunnings Mill, just after opening time. The semi-derelict Dunnings Mill was rescued by a local entrepreneur and converted into a pub in 1970 and has been adapted and extended over the years into a cosy and welcoming pub.

Today the Old Mill is owned by Harvey’s of Lewes, but I do recall a visit there, at sometime in the dim and distant past, when the bar was at set a much lower level, and the pub itself was much smaller in size. After following a road leading off from the High Street, and heading downhill for some considerable distance, I reached the area of East Grinstead known as Dunnings. I was surprised at just how hilly the town is, given its situation on the edge of Ashdown Forest, it is not really surprising. 

The pub straddles one of the Wealden tributaries of the River Medway and is now something of a show pub for Harvey’s.  I entered via the extensive car park at the rear, without recognising anything from my previous visit, and stepped into a large bar with dining area. The latter was already occupied with diners of pensionable age, whilst the lengthy bar counter boasted two banks of hand-pumps, dispensing a broad selection of Harvey’s cask ales.

My eye went straight to the pump with the Old Ale clip on it, but also available were Best Bitter, Kiss (Valentine’s seasonal), plus Dunnings Mill IPA which is basically a rebadge of Harvey's standard IPA. It will be no surprise to learn that I went straight for the dark stuff, as XXXX Old Ale really is one of my favourite winter ales. Cool, dark, and delicious – well-conditioned as well, but I did detect a slight hint of staleness lurking in the background. I suspect I had received the first pint out of the pump that session, but despite this slight defect, it was still a fine, and very welcome drop of Old Ale. Just as I contemplated another pint, a message came through from Matthew, asking if I had arrived yet. Replying with an affirmative and explaining where I was and how long it would take me to walk back, we decided to meet outside his shop, so bang went the chance of another beer, along with the possibility of something to eat.

That was just as well really, as with a couple of large parties seated in the adjoining dining room, there would have been a lengthy wait for food, so reluctantly I finished my beer, returned the glass to the bar, and thanked the bar staff for my brief, but pleasant stay. On the way out, I had a look at the raging torrent that runs beneath the pub. During its time as a mill, the stream powered a rotating water wheel, and whilst a replica has now replaced the original you could still get an idea of how the old mill operated.

I left the pub, and headed back up the hill, into the centre of East Grinstead. There is a bus that operates the route from Dunnings, but it only runs on a two hourly basis. Matthew was waiting for me when I arrived at his shop in London Road. We went inside and I was introduced to Matt’s boss, who seemed pleasant enough. 

Afterwards, we called in at local independent off-licence Armstrong’s, where I bought a selection of five different dark, bottled beers – mainly from Sam Smith’s. Humphrey’s policy is to only supply independent retailers, so you won’t see his beers in supermarkets, or even chain-type, convenience stores, such as Londis or One-Stop. We then headed for home. I was unable to persuade Matthew to stop for a pint on the way home – I, don’t know, the youth of today, eh!