Brecknock Arms

We had a good night in the Brecknock on Saturday, but then it's hard not to have a good night in such an excellent pub. We caught the 18:58 train from Tonbridge, alighting at Frant station, and then walked the short distnce up to the pub. On the way we called in to the newly opened village shop; it's always good to see a shop opening in a village (or indeed anywhere), as it's normally the other way round. Suitably laden with purchases to nibble on the way home (Kettle Chips and the like), we wandered up to the pub ready for some serious enjoyment of Harveys.

The pub was busy; the village cricket team had just finished their game and the place was full of thirsty cricketers keen to quench their thirst on some of Lewes's finest. Most of the team though were outside, taking advantage of the unusually hot May weather, so we had no trouble in finding a table. The latter was important, because we wanted somewhere to spread our maps and guide-books out; the main objective of the evening being to sort out the route, and stages for our latest long-distance walk. After succesfully completing the South Downs Way last year, my friend Eric and I are planning to walk the Wealdway. This is a slightly shorter footpath that runs from Gravesend, on the Thames Estuary, to Eastbourne on the south coast.

By the end of the evening we had sorted out the itinerary and accommodation stops for the first four days of the walk. This will take us through Kent and well into Sussex following a southwards course, initially across the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge before crossing the main part of Ashdown Forest, in the centre of the Weald. In between studying maps and guide-book, we kept ourselves well lubricated with some of the excellent Harveys Best, which landlord Joe always keeps in absolute tip-top condition.

For those not in the know, the Brecknock Arms is a Harveys tied pub in the middle of Bells Yew Green, a small village a few miles south east of Tunbridge Wells. It is easily reached by train from the latter, and also from Tonbridge, where I live. Confusingly, the nearby station is called Frant, even though Frant village is about a mile and a half away. The pub underwent a bit of a refit just over a year ago, which resulted in moving the bar back, and providing a connection between the two former separate bars. The Brecknock is a real community local, and being on the national rail network also attracts its fair share of visitors from further afield, of which I am happy to include myself.

Joe and his partner Charlotte, have been at the pub for a couple of years now, having taken over from the previous, long-serving tenants. They serve good quality food, from a varied menu, and also usually feature one of Harveys seasonal ales. On Saturday, Knots of May Light Mild was on sale alongside the Best Bitter, but this 3.0% beer is a bit on the weak side for my taste and even though we sank quite a few pints that night, the Best Bitter was just perfect.

Much earlier in the year we held our Good Beer Guide Selection Meeting at the pub, and seeing as the meeting took place on a Sunday lunchtime, many of us went for the option of Sunday lunch first. It was a freezing cold January day, and the Harveys Old Ale we enjoyed that day, alongside the Fullers London Porter, which was on as a guest ale, were just the ticket. All of this proves that whatever the season, the Brecknock is definitely a pub that is well worth seeking out.

Blogger Update

I haven't really done a lot beer-wise since my visit to Whitstable last weekend. (You can read all about the trip by clicking here). I went on the waggon last week, for five days, primarily as an attempt to shake off the persistent cold and hacking cough that's been dogging me ever since my return from the Isle of Man, and which left me feeling very lethargic. Hopefully the cold is now on its way out, but it's doubtful that my abstinence from drink played much of a part in this, and on Friday evening I broke my self-imposed drink ban and joined a work colleague and his wife for a few beers.

My colleague lives in Sevenoaks, and his nearest pub is the Rifleman, a thriving back-street, corner local. I don't recall having visited the Rifleman before, and on entering I was pleased to note that the pub still has two separate bars. I was rather less pleased to see that the pub is tied to Greene King, and after an evening spent supping the company's beers, my dislike of them was only enhanced. After five day's abstinence I would much have preferred something else, but nights at the pub are often about more than just the beer and Matt and I spent an enjoyable evening chatting to Andrew and his wife Emma, plus their Belgian friend John, who was visiting for the weekend.

Yesterday evening I enjoyed a couple of bottles of Brakspears; Bitter plus Oxford Gold, and it will be some Czech Lager tonight, courtesy of our local Co-Op. I've been looking at summerhouses over the past week or so, and having finally decided on the one I want I'm now in a position to go ahead and place my order. The summerhouse will house my home-brewery - the kit's sadly been bereft of a home since our garage was pulled down six years ago and re-built as living accommodation. Looking forward to starting up brewing again, probably in the autumn - if all goes according to plan.

Back to work tomorrow. Not anticipating much action on the beer front until the weekend after next, when the Halfway House, Brenchley holds its Spring Beer Festival, although we may try a trip to the Brecknock Arms next Saturday.

Moodleys Update

Following my recent posting about Moodleys Brewery, owner and brewer, Yudhistra has picked up on my blog and has kindly provided me with some updates regarding the brewery. These primarily came about as a response to the feedback he received at last month's tasting evening at the Anchor in Sevenoaks.

Yudhistra writes: "I took on board your comments on the night and I have made two changes to my process which should help the beer to drop bright fairly quickly.

Firstly, I now use vegetarian finings and secondly, I have improved the process by chilling the wort immediately after the boil. As a result, there is an immediate difference in the clarity of the beer in the fermenter, which was quite exciting to see. So far, there have been two brews which have employed the new methods and I am yet to bottle these. Hopefully, you will get to taste the results.

Toad Rock Bitter will have Admiral hops in the boil from next week. These as you know have a much higher Alpha acid content than Bramling Cross. Thanks once again for the comments and would you be able to mention the above changes in your blog please?"

No problem Yudhistra, glad to be of assistance, and I look forward to sampling the beers in their new form.

ps. I believe that Timothy Taylors use vegetarian finings, so Moodleys should be in good company!

Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewery

Breweries in West Kent are like buses; you wait ages for one to appear and then three come along all at once!

After attending a sampling of Moodleys new beers the other week, last night I was one of a number of people invited to a tasting of beers brewed by the new Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewery. The tasting was held at the Sussex Arms, in the Pantiles area of Tunbridge Wells. Those of us of a certain age remember with fond memories the old Sussex Arms, when it was run by Dennis and Barbara Lane. The pub was something of an institution in the town, and could rightly be described as a pub of character that was full of characters!

All that changed 20 years or do ago, when much of the Pantiles was "gentrified" (re-developed for the worse). Dennis and Barbara retired. The Sussex was gutted and given a complete re-fit, and after being taken over by Greene King, became something of a young persons pub. I must say that the stark re-fit it received has mellowed over the years, and I was surprised to find myself quite liking the place..............but I digress!

To return to the RTWB and its beers. Roughly 30 years ago, there was a company operating just outside the town, under the Royal Tunbridge Wells name. I remember visiting the brewery and buying a polypin of their Best Bitter one Christmas, but after several changes of ownership the company ceased trading. The brewing plant was bought by Bob Dockerty, when he set up Larkins Brewery, and ironically I saw it in action earlier today, when I called round for a chat with Bob, in my capacity as Larkins BLO.

The new RTWB is the brainchild of drinks consultant, Simon Lewis. He also has on board with him Ian Dorman, who was one of the partners in the original brewery, and Ian was present last night, along with some artifacts from the original brewery. When I arrived at the Sussex there were three casks stillaged on the bar, with their taps facing the customers' side. Simon told us to take a glass, together with a poling card. plus tasting notes, and help ourselves. The poling card was appropriate, given that we were just one day away from the general election, and to help us make our choice, the casks were marked Yellow, Red and Blue.

The Yellow cask contained a 3.6% Blonde beer, which many of us thought needed a bit more refinement, but no such allegations could be laid against the Red and Blue offerings. The former was a 3.8% Ordinary Bitter, whilst the latter was a 4.1% Best Bitter, said to be based on the beer of the same name brewed by the original RTWB. Both beers were well-hopped, and well-balanced, but unfortunately having written my comments on the tasting notes and then popped them into the ballot box, I neglected to pick up an additional copy for my personal information. I therefore am unable to give as much information about the beers as I would have liked, apart from saying that the Red and the Blue will both go down well in local pubs. I am certain too that, given time and a bit more development, the Yellow will also be a welcome summer seasonal beer.

The general election "theme", combined with the comments we made on our tasting notes, will provide Simon and Ian with valuable feedback on the beers, and we were also shown examples of potential artwork for pump clips and other brewery advertising material. The whole event therefore, was a clever and well-thought out means of gauging public opinion from both local landlords and drinkers alike. From the pictures I've seen of the brewing kit on the company's Facebook page, this looks like a well set up, and well thought out operation, and like many fellow drinkers in the area I look forward to sampling the brewery's wares, in local pubs, within the not too distant future.

CAMRA Magazines

Whilst at the recent CAMRA AGM in the Isle of Man I picked up a handful of magazines produced by various local CAMRA branches. I always make a point of picking up these publications whenever I get the chance (GBBF is normally a good place for this), as not only are they a good read, but more importantly they show what is happening on the beer and pub scene in different parts of the country.

This latest haul included such titles as Mersey Ale, Potters Bar, ShakesBeer, Beer on Tap, Pints West, Derby Drinker and of course that perennial favourite London Drinker. It's good to see what pubs are like in these different areas, what local drinkers and CAMRA members are up to and what is happening at local breweries in these places.

The overall impression that comes across from these magazines, is despite the tough trading times that many pubs find themselves in, those that are genuinely offering what their customers want are thriving. Local craft brewers are also reporting an increase in sales, and there are numerous reports of micro-breweries installing extra fermenters, or even new plant to cope with this extra demand.

The other good thing about these magazines is that they are self-funding, which is good news in itself but, more importantly, shows that breweries, pubs and clubs hold them in high esteem - otherwise they wouldn't be prepared to advertise in them. Many are full-colour publications and are produced to a very high standard. Things have obviously come a long way from the days when I was involved in producing a branch newsletter. Back then all we had at our disposal was an electric typewriter, plus Letraset for the headings. Artwork was literally "cut and paste", with scissors and Cow Gum being the order of the day.

Nowadays, with most people having access to a computer and the very professional desk-top publishing programmes that are on offer, life is a lot easier, although editors and copy-writers still have to work hard to come up with interesting and informative articles. I therefore raise my glass to all these hard-working activists up and down the land. Long may their efforts continue to publicise the often unseen work that CAMRA does at grass roots level.

Moodleys Brewery

The local brewing scene in West Kent has been transformed in recent months with the formation of three new craft-breweries. The two most recent, Tonbridge and Royal Tunbridge Wells have still to bring their products to market, although the former is due to launch this coming weekend. But the third - Moodleys, has been in production for a couple of months now, and last week local CAMRA members were party to a talk by the company's founder, plus a tasting of the brewery's beers. The venue for this event was the Anchor in Sevenoaks where the irrepressible landlord Barry Dennis had also laid on a free buffet for us.

Moodleys Brewery is owned and run by Yudhistra Moodley from farm premises, close to his home village of Rusthall, just outside Tunbridge Wells. Yudhistra has concentrated on bottled beers to start with, and the three he currently produces are all bottle-conditioned. We began our sampling with a tasting of Toad Rock Bitter which I found rather unbalanced and was my least favourite of the trio. This may be down to Yudhistra's unusual choice of hops for bittering this beer. Bramling Cross is a hop variety that is not commonly used in brewing these days, and I can fully understand why.

After the bitter, we moved on to Poundage Porter, which was a big improvement and had a really appealing aroma. Unfortunately, at only 4% abv, it didn't quite have the fullness in taste of a true porter and was lacking somewhat in body. The final beer though really hit the spot. The 4.2% Original Mild was dark, sweet and luscious, just as a strong dark mild should be. I would encourage Yudhistra to develop this beer further, as it has the potential to be a real winner.

As we tasted the various beers Yudhistra explained the philosophy behind the brewery. He is committed to using only natural ingredients and traditional brewing processes, and whilst this is to be applauded many of us felt that he has taken this a bit too far by refusing to use finings to clarify his beers. I can understand his wanting to appeal to the vegetarian/vegan market, but the latter particularly is a tiny one and vegetable derived alternatives to isinglass are readily available. The absence of finings meant that all the beers sampled that night suffered from varying amounts of yeast haze which had a detrimental effect on their taste. It is fair to say that whilst naturally cloudy beers, such as wheat beers are more widely available they are still very much a niche market. Several of us made this point to Yudhistra and stated that if he wishes to start offering his beers in cask form, it is essential that he adds finings to his beers. If he doesn't he is likely to find few landlords willing to take a beer that will take weeks to clear naturally. Rightly or wrongly, most people drink with their eyes and will send back a hazy pint, even if it tastes perfectly ok. I feel it is vital that he grasps this fact, particularly if he wants to appeal to a wider, and more mainstream audience.

That said, it was a good evening and although I feel there is still room for improvement, Yudhistra has taken his first tentative steps toward becoming a full-time brewer. He is planning to install a much larger plant (he is currently using a 10 gallon home-brew kit), and this upgrade should lead to a far more consistent product. I wish him well; not many of us are prepared to follow our passion for beer by actually branching out into brewing it full-time. I just hope he takes our comments about the finings on board!

ps. Watch this space for news about the other two breweries about to start production. It's certainly all happening here in West Kent!

Isle of Man - CAMRA Members Weekend

I got back early on Monday evening after spending a brilliant four days on the Isle of Man. This was my first visit to the island, and I was very impressed by what I saw and experienced. The almost wall to wall sunshine certainly helped, but from the moment I stepped off the ferry in Douglas, shortly after 10pm last Wednesday evening, and walked along the brightly-lit promenade to the guest house, I knew I was going to like the place.

I spent the first two days in the company of my West Kent CAMRA colleagues, Iain and Carole, together with Kent Regional Director Kae Mendham. We travelled to Laxey, courtesy of the wonderfully eccentric Manx Electric Railway, where we spent some time admiring the impressive Laxey Wheel. We then journeyed onto Ramsey, for lunch, before returning via Old Laxey, and the atmospheric Shore Hotel - home of the island's only brew-pub, and its malty Bosun's Bitter.

The following day we joined with colleagues from Maidstone and Mid-Kent for a tour right round the island, traveling by steam train as far as Port Erin, and then on to Peel, via Castletown, by bus. The multi-roomed White House Hotel was an excellent find, although I'm told that Peel's other GBG entry, the Creek Inn is also very good. The bus journey continued with a halt at the Raven at Ballough Bridge, before continuing onto Ramsey. After a pint or two in the Trafalgar we caught the tram (Manx Electric Railway) back to Laxey for some excellent Bushy's in the Queen's Hotel before catching a bus back to Douglas.

Saturday and most of Sunday were spent at the CAMRA AGM, held in the impressive, and recently restored Villa Marina complex in Douglas. Although the last such event I attended was the 1984 AGM in Edinburgh, I found the debates and speeches far more interesting than I'd expected to. I was particularly impressed with the presentation given by the Campaign's Chief Executive, Mike Benner.

We spent both Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes at the Beer Exhibition. where there was a good selection of beers to enjoy, as well as friends and colleagues to meet up with. The highlight of the weekend though was our Gateway to Kent Guide winning the award for best local CAMRA guide for 2009! This achievement was a fitting reward for all the hard work that went in to producing the guide, copies of which can still be obtained via the West Kent CAMRA website.

So all in all then a really good break, with the added bonus of good company, nice surroundings, busy and unspoilt pubs and beer at up to £1 a pint cheaper than it is here in Kent!