A Quiet Pint?

The Pub Curmudgeon beat me in posting this story, which surface yesterday, but as it’s a topic I feel very strongly about, here’s my take on it.

The story revolves around the vexed question of “background music” in pubs; as according to The Good Pub Guide 2017, which was launched a few days ago, “Pub-goers have said that background music is the thing most likely to spoil a nice quiet pint, closely followed by noisy children running riot.”

Now I’ve no intention of getting embroiled in an argument about the latter; especially as I’ve done my breeding and now have no personal stake in the matter, one way or the other. The prevalence of music in pubs though, is a different matter and one which I find extremely irritating. Unfortunately it is becoming more widespread, but if landlords want to attract me into their pubs, then turn the wretched volume down; or preferably turn the music off altogether!

A decade or so ago the Daily Telegraph published a guide called “The Quiet Pint: A Guide to Pubs with no Piped Music”. I picked up a copy, several years ago, in a second hand book shop. It was a good idea, but coverage was patchy at best, and given the fickle nature of the pub trade, and the time between surveying and publication (something familiar to Good Beer Guide buyers?), the concept was doomed to failure. There have been several half-hearted attempts since to launch an online guide to quiet pubs, but again the same problems have surfaced.

Speaking at The Good Pub Guide launch editor Fiona Stanley, said: “Piped music, canned music, muzak, lift music, airport music - call it what you will, it’s there and our readers loathe it in any shape or form. It enlists bitter complaints, and has done so ever since we started the guide 35 years ago.”

One pub-goer who contributed to the guide, advised: “At best it’s bad manners foisting a random choice of music on you that you have not chosen and do not want to hear, at worst, it interferes with people’s hearing.” 

Now that’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with, as I find I have increasing difficulty in hearing what is being said in pubs, and if there’s some “foreground music” blaring away, then it makes matters ten times worse. It’s probably ironic that a mis-spent youth, listening to overly loud rock music at concerts has contributed to the problem, but that was my choice; unlike being forced to listen to what the landlord or the bar staff want to hear.

Of course it is not just pubs where customers are forced to listen to piped music. Supermarkets, shopping malls and railway stations are just some of the places where shoppers and travellers are subjected to music they would probably prefer to do without, and there is a whole science which has grown up around piped music. Studies have shown that certain types of music encourage shoppers to spend more or move through the store faster, but anyone who applies this sort of logic to a pub wants his or her bumps felt.

A pub is a static environment which does not need such unnecessary distractions. Pubs are about conversation and socialising; they are about having a good time. People go to pubs to meet their friends, be sociable, have a drink or a meal and discuss the problems of the world and attempts to artificially induce that most intangible element; namely an atmosphere, are ultimately doomed to failure. Many publicans though appear immune to these criticisms and believe, despite evidence to the contrary, that music plays a positive part in their business. 

If I go out for a drink with friends, or take the family out for a meal, the last thing I want is to have to shout in order to make myself heard above the amplified music wafting out from every corner of the room. Equally I don’t want to keep leaning over so my companions can speak almost directly in my ear. So what are these crazy people thinking when they inflict their own, often dubious tastes in music on me and their other hapless customers. Surely a case of big egos and small brains!

Let’s give the final words on the subject to The Good Pub Guide editor, who quite clearly states, “Of all the thousands of pubs we have visited over the many years of producing the Guide, it’s pretty rare for us to feel our pub experience has been heightened by what is being played through the speakers above our heads.”

She concludes, “It’s clear our readers agree so surely it’s time for all publicans to take note and turn off the music, as it’s driving customers mad”. 

Hear, hear!

A New Look

Welcome to my new look blog, and to its new title which reflects my passion for travel; especially when it involves exploring new places and indulging my passion for beer.

Some of you will be aware that I also have a second blog, called Paul’s Beer Travels, which has been running for nearly as many years as this one. My posting on the secondary blog was always rather erratic, and looking back I see that my last article appeared over a year ago. The total number of posts between 2009 and 2015 was just 32, and 19 of those were made in 2010.

It therefore seemed a little superfluous to be running two interrelated blogs so last night, in a moment of inspiration, I decided to combine the two. Whilst this is reflected in the new name, rest assured the subject matter will remain pretty much the same, ranging from the topical to the downright quirky and from purely local news to international or even global events.

Beer will still be the underlying theme, along with brewery visits, developments in the brewing industry plus my own personal selection of the best pubs and bars in which to enjoy good beer.

From time to time I may re-run a few of the posts from the old “Beer Travel Blog”, just to give them an airing and a little more exposure; especially if I feel they would be of interest to readers, but before I end, here are a few more reasons for the change in style and the slight change of emphasis which is integral to this “new look” blog:

Paul’s Beer & Travel Blog combines two of my main passions; namely beer and travel. Both passions complement each other; finding a nice place to enjoy a local beer, whilst visiting a new or interesting location, is the icing on the cake as far as I am concerned.

Travelling to a new or interesting location, in search of, or specifically to find good beer, and the sense of anticipation associated with this, is something which still excites me today. Alternatively, re-visiting somewhere familiar, in order to renew my acquaintance with a good pub or an interesting local beer is an activity I find equally enjoyable.

 

I enjoy writing about these beer and travel experiences in order to remind myself of some great times. I also write to share these experiences with others; like minded people, of course, but also those not as passionate about beer as me, with a view to kindling an interest in what is often described as "the best long drink in the world."

Well that’s probably more than enough for the time being, and we shall have to see how this pans out. In the meantime I sincerely trust you will enjoy this new look blog, and look forward to receiving any comments, suggestions or even criticisms you may have.

Brouwerij de Molen

First sight of De Molen

Like beer lovers the world over, I was aware of the legendary Dutch brewery, De Molen, but I had never tried their beers. This was primarily because I never saw them on sale, anywhere in the UK, although I suspect had I visited a specialist bottle shop, or tried an on-line retailer, then things would have been different.

I first heard of De Molen back in 2013, when visiting the Kent Green Hop Beer Festival in Canterbury. This was because there was a note in the beer tent, explaining the absence of legendary Ramsgate brewer, Eddie Gadd from the festival, as he was over in the Netherlands, attending the annual Borefts Beer Festival. The festival is hosted by De Molen in their home town of Bodegraven, which lies to the south-west of Amsterdam.

The modern brewery

That at least registered De Molen on my radar, so earlier this year, when I saw an excursion to Bodegraven for a visit to the De Molen Brewery, advertised as the post-European Beer Bloggers Conference excursion, I jumped at the chance and booked my place.

The trip took place on the Sunday, which was the day after the conference ended, and involved making a journey by train from Amsterdam, to this small Dutch town. It had been pouring down with rain for most of the morning, but thankfully eased off a bit as we arrived at Bodegraven.

Our party of 19 made the short walk from the station to the outskirts of the town where we could clearly see the imposing windmill which gives the brewery its name (De Molen literally means “the mill” in Dutch). The windmill, which dates back to 1697, is called De Arkduif, and whilst it now houses the brewery’s taproom, restaurant and shop, it was the original home of  the brewery when it was started by Menno Olivier, back in 2004.

The original brew-kit

We were met at the windmill by our guide. I never did catch his name, which was a shame as he was very knowledgeable and a good spokesman for the brewery He was also an excellent host, as we were to discover after our guide had shown us around the brewery and told us some of the history of De Molen and its eclectic range of beers.

We started of at De Arkduif, where we saw the original brewing kit. I must admit it looked very Heath-Robinson, with a strange double copper arrangement. The whole thing was encased in brick, which gave it a real rustic look. I wasn’t making notes, but I did manage to keep track of the beers we sampled. These were Kaapse Karel – a 4.8% pale ale; Hammer & Sikkel – a 5.8% porter and Vuur & Vlam (Fire & Flame) – a 6.2% IPA.

Part of the current ultra-modern brewery

We had a few more beers when we returned to the windmill-restaurant after the main brewery tour, but it is well worth me spending time describing the impressive set-up De Molen have now, which is in total contrast to the tiny home-made kit they started off with.

The brewery is housed in a number of inter-linked industrial units on a small estate within shouting distance if the brewery. I’m not sure of the size of the plant or the brew length, but the brewing equipment occupied virtually the whole of the first unit. We didn’t realise it at first, but there were three more units to come. One was home to a newly installed hi-tech bottling plant, whilst the last unit, which was still being worked on, had rack after rack of large wooden casks, which are used for De Molen’s

Bottling plant

barrel-aged beers. There were whisky casks, as well as wine barrels, and there were masses of them. There was also a bar and kitchen area, still under construction.

In between the second and fourth unit was the brewery’s raw material and packaging store. With umpteen bulk bags of malt, stored in the cool and dark warehouse, alongside a staggering number of bottles (both empty and full), plus the largest number of key-kegs I have ever seen, there was some serious money tied up here in ingredients and packaging items alone! (Some of the financial backing has come from Bavaria Holland - see Brouwerij de Molen's statement about this).

Barrels everywhere

After the tour, we had to leg it back quick to the windmill in order to avoid a sharp shower, but once inside we were ushered over to three reserved tables, and treated to an excellent lunch of homemade tomato soup, followed by a selection of locally cured cold meats and cheeses, with some nice thick chunks of artisan bread. As a special treat, a big steaming hot bowl of freshly cooked mussels was placed on each table.

We were given a glass of Tsarina Esra Imperial Porter 10.1% to go with our lunch, then after that we were on our own. The food was excellent, as was the beer, but after all the heavy stuff I decided I wanted something lighter. One of the guest beers on the restaurant’s list fitted the bill in the form of Gänstaller Zoigl 5.8%. This fine refreshing, roughly filtered beer is brewed by Gänstaller Bräu of Hallerndorf in Franconia, Germany.

Lunch Dutch-style

Sometimes a nice, palate-cleansing beer is all you want after a succession of “full-on, in-your face” beers, so I make no apologies to De Molen to not sticking with their beers with my lunch. I did, however finish up sharing part of a bottle of barrel-aged Rasputin 11.2%, with a fellow blogger.

After lunch, most of us drifted off; some by car and some heading direct to the airport. The rest of us walked back to the station for the journey back to Amsterdam. It was sad to be saying goodbye, especially as this was the last European Beer Bloggers Conference in its present form. I won’t say anything further at this stage, although I will be revealing all fairly soon, in a separate post.

As far as the trip to De Molen went, it was a most enjoyable and educational experience, which gave a fascinating insight into this most esoteric of new wave breweries. I am extremely glad I booked my place on the trip and will now keep an eye out for the company’s beers.

Disclaimer: For those concerned about such things, we all paid for this brewery tour with lunch; as well as for the beers we drank with our meal. We also paid for our return rail travel to Bodegraven.

Larkins rescue Greyhound

There’s been quite a lot happening recently with regard to the local beer scene. Several projects are still very much in the pipeline, so I won’t spoil things by releasing any details yet, but news of one very welcome development only reached me on Thursday, and on Friday lunchtime, I went along to see things for myself.

A few months ago I posted the first of a series of articles about Chiddingstone Causeway; the village where I work; and the two other nearby villages which share the name “Chiddingstone” in their title. In that article I mentioned the tiny hamlet of Charcott, which is just a 10 minute walk from my workplace, and its tucked away pub the Greyhound .

What I didn’t say in my post was the Greyhound has been up for sale for the past two years, and the people responsible are our old friends Enterprise Inns. I was aware that the landlord wished to move to pastures new, and sell on his lease, but it was only a couple of months ago that I discovered Enterprise were trying to divest themselves of the pub altogether.

It was around this time that a notice appeared affixed to the pub sign at the entrance to Charcott. The notice was on behalf of the landlord and landlady and it informed passers by that the Greyhound was still open, and that it was very much business as normal. I must admit I didn’t take a great deal of notice about this, but one thing I did pick up on was the pub didn’t always appear open at lunchtimes.

Now whilst I go for a walk most lunchtimes, I tend to vary my route, so don’t always include Charcott on my daily constitutional. A friend and work colleague of mine who does walk this route on a much more regular basis, noticed the same thing, but I don’t think that either of us were aware that the pub had closed.

Fast forward to Thursday just gone and a post on the West Kent CAMRA Facebook page shared from Larkins Brewery’s own page that Larkins would be taking over the Greyhound. I have reproduced the post below:

“We are pleased to announce that Larkins Brewery has taken over the lease on The Greyhound at Charcott. The pub will offer a range of Larkins ales as well as the usual cider, lager, wine and spirits. The opening night is this Friday (2nd Sept), so Bob and the team would love to see all our friends and neighbours for a drink. Here's to a proper local pub saved from closure! Let's keep it open! If everyone would be kind enough to share this post and spread the word we would be most grateful. Cheers!”

Given the power of social media, news of the pub’s change of ownership spread like wildfire, and yesterday (Friday) lunchtime, I just had to go along and see for myself. I arrived at around 1.15pm to find the Greyhound open. There were several people inside, and one or two outside, and next to the door was a blackboard notice outside informing people of the change in ownership, but stating that, for the time being at least, the pub would not be serving food.

I stepped inside and bumped into Jon, a friend and fellow CAMRA member who lives in Chiddingstone Causeway. He had been there a while and was on his second pint. I ordered one for myself and walked over to join him. There were two Larkins beers on tap; the well known 3.4% session beer – Traditional, plus relative newcomer to the Larkins stable, the 4.2% Pale. I opted for the latter and found it in fine form. At £3.60 a pint it was good value as well, and as I later found out the Traditional sells for just £3.20!

Jon and I had a brief chat with the landlord who incidentally was not person who had run the pub for the past seven or eight years. I also had a longer, and more in depth conversation with Guy Beckett who manages the sales at Larkins, and who was sitting outside. The bad news is Larkins only have the Greyhound on a temporary basis, until a buyer is found for the pub’s freehold.

The good news is that during the past two years that the pub has been up for sale, there has been little interest in anyone buying it. The other good news is that Larkins temporary lease with Enterprise, is “free of tie”, meaning they are free to stock and sell their beers at the Greyhound.

The walk across the old airfield to the Greyhound - see below

Guy also told me that if Larkins hadn’t stepped in, then the pub would have been boarded up until either a new tenant or owner could be found. This would have been a disaster for a pretty little place like Charcott, so hats of to Larkins for coming to the rescue.

Friday evening saw the Greyhound’s official opening night under its new (temporary) owners. Judging by the photos on Larkin’s Facebookpage the night was a roaring success. I will be calling in from time to time, just for a quick pint, to see how things are going. After all, if I am walking right past the Greyhound, it would be rude not to!

Footnote:
The Greyhound is a pleasant bright and breezy local, with views across the fields towards the hills that form the start of the High Weald. There still seems to be three distinct areas in the main part of the pub, although the divisions that marked the former bars are long gone. During the winter months, open fires supplement the central heating.

The pub is quite easy to reach using public transport, followed by a short walk; although a little forward planning is necessary. Southern Trains run operate an hourly service on the Tonbridge to Redhill line, and Penshurst station, just two stops from Tonbridge, is actually situated in Chiddingstone Causeway.

Exit the station opposite the Little Brown Jug pub (if arriving from Tonbridge you will need to cross the tracks via the footbridge). Cross the B2027  (take care as this road can be surprisingly busy!), then head off up the hill towards St Luke’s Church. Opposite the church, you will find a tarmac path with takes you across what was once an airfield, towards Charcott. At the end of the path, turn right onto the side road and then first left. There is a sign here for the pub. The road leads round to the right and there you will see the Greyhound on your left. Enjoy!

Amsterdam 2016

Nautical view of Amsterdam Central Station

Considering that the European Beer Bloggers Conference was held in Amsterdam, I didn’t actually see that much of the Dutch capital itself. I was staying at the Mercure City Hotel, where the conference took place, but as the hotel was situated in a green area, to the south west of the city, approximately six metro stops away from central Amsterdam, it might well have been in the middle of the countryside, such were the lack of amenities in the surrounding area.

This only really impacted in the mornings, when I went looking for somewhere offering a spot of breakfast; or even a decent cup of coffee, as with the hotel charging €22 for a few rolls, plus the odd croissant, there was no way I was going to start my day there. Unfortunately, with nothing in the vicinity in the way of shops, I was left with little choice but to pick up a couple of croissants from the outlet in the hotel foyer, and resort to using the coffee making machine in my room.

Mercure City Hotel - from the waterfront

Obviously the hotel was sited to primarily cater for business people; especially as there were good connections to the motorway network close by. As a venue for the actual conference proceedings though, it was ideal, although rather more pricy than I would normally pay whilst away from home. It is also worth noting that the hotel backed onto one of the many canals, which are so much a feature of Amsterdam, and that during the week a waterborne commuter service into the city centre was available.

There were a couple of occasions where I could have ventured into the city centre; the first one being on the Friday evening when the vintage buses, hired to transport us to Haarlem for our visit to Jopen Brewery, were dropping people off in Central Amsterdam on the way back to the hotel, whilst the second was a farewell drink in a couple of city centre pubs late on Saturday evening, after the end of conference dinner.

Obligatory windmill - De Molen Beer Cafe

I forewent both these opportunities, as there had been outbreaks of torrential rain on the first evening, so a comfortable ride in the dry, straight back to the hotel, was far more appealing. On the second (Saturday) evening, there was still plenty of un-pasteurised Pilsner Urquell sitting downstairs in the special Tankovar mobile bar which the brewery had brought with them. Not only that, but it seemed rather rude to desert the people from the brewery who were there looking after us, by clearing off into the city centre.

I escaped from the hotel on Sunday morning; the day of the post-conference excursion to De Molen Brewery at Bodegraven. I intend writing a separate post about our visit to this iconic brewery, but suffice to say the trip involved a train journey and rather than travelling into central Amsterdam and then out again, a twenty minute walk along the river to Amstel station enabled us to make the hour or so rail journey south-west from Amsterdam to the town of Bodegraven.

It would have been a pleasant walk, were it not for the heavy rain which was falling, but by the time I made the return journey, during mid-afternoon, the sun was shining and I was able to appreciate the canal and riverside scenery as I walked back along the banks of the Amstel; the river which flows into the city centre, and after which the Dutch capital is named. It was a lovely walk back to the hotel, and amongst other sights, I saw some rather luxurious looking houseboats along the way.

River Amstel

That evening I arranged to meet up with a couple of fellow bloggers at a city centre pub, so some time after 7.30pm, I walked the short distance along to the Metro station and took the train to Amsterdam Central. It was my first time in the centre of the Dutch capital since 1975, and after I had got my bearings, the place seemed pretty much as I remembered it. The sun was shining and the city was bustling; mainly with tourists, it has to be said, but seemed just as vibrant as it was 40 years previously.

We had arranged to meet up in a pub called t’Arendsnest (Eagles Nest) which was slightly south-west of the Central Station. I started walking in the general direction of the pub, stopping several times to take photos of the picturesque bridges across some of the canals. t’Arendsnest had been recommended to me by Stanley Blenkinsop; an occasional contributor to this blog, but Italian blogger Jacopo, who I was due to meet shortly, had been the person who suggested meeting there. 

Canal-side beer at t'Arendsnest

I found the pub, in its canal-side setting, without any difficulty and having arrived slightly ahead of time decided to drink my beer at one of the outside tables, next to the canal. That way I could sit there and watch the world go by, both on land and on the water, whilst keeping an eye out for my friends’ arrival.

Jacopo was the first to arrive, and once he had grabbed himself a beer and settled down opposite me, he said that EBBC attendees, Sarah and Brett were also planning to join us, but he wasn’t sure about his compatriot, Arianna. Sure enough, Sarah and Brett appeared shortly after, having arrived by car following a meandering tour back from Bodegraven. They had also dropped Irish Beer Snob bloggers, Wayne and Janice off at the airport, en route. 

Royal Palace - Amsterdam

For a while we had quite a merry little gathering, but Brett said he could only stay for one beer before having to drive back to his home in the south of the Netherlands. Shortly after his departure, it began to rain, only lightly, but sufficient to drive the three of us remaining inside. There was a good vibrant crowd at t’Arendsnest that evening, but we managed to find a table towards the rear of the pub. The pub prides itself on only serving Dutch beers, and I am pleased to report that all the beers I drank were good. Unfortunately I have mislaid the list I made at the time, but I expect it will surface at some time.

Our conversation centred on the sometimes vexed subject of should bloggers and writers get paid for the work they do, and why do many companies (breweries and PR organisations), seem to expect bloggers will give their service for free? The discussion got a little heated at times, especially around the area of remaining impartial and losing one’s integrity when being paid to write a piece,  but the general consensus was people like us who write about beer, should be rewarded, where appropriate, either financially or with “goods in kind”.

In de Wildeman

We left t’Arendsnest some time after 11pm. Jacopo went off in search of another bar (Brouwerij de Prael), whilst Sarah and I walked back to Central station. We were unsuccessful in our quest for some chips though, and by the time I arrived back at my hotel I was feeling rather hungry. I ended up eating one half of the sandwich I’d bought for the following morning’s breakfast.

The next day I checked out of the hotel shortly after 10am, and made my way up to the Metro station. Despite having caught a train there the previous evening, I ended up on one going in the wrong direction. Mistake rectified, I ended up again at Central Station, where the plan was to deposit my suitcase in one of the left luggage lockers.

Interior - In de Wildeman

I wasn’t feeling over-confident about this, as the previous day Beer Historian, Martyn Cornell, who was on the visit to De Molen, expressed his concern that he might never see his luggage again. He had deposited his suitcase there, in order to collect it on his way back to the airport following the trip to Bodegraven, but as he explained, the automated system at Amsterdam Central seemed fiendishly complicated and he couldn’t see how the code on his electronic receipt could be used to re-open the locker.

I too was totally baffled by the system, so after standing reading the instructions and seeing other tourists looking as bemused as I was, I gave up on the idea and decided to lug my baggage around with me. First stop though was something to eat, and a Big Mac Meal from McDonalds, by way of a distress purchase, seemed the best way to ward off the hunger.

By the time I left the fast food outlet it had started to rain; not heavily but enough to be a nuisance. Plans for sight-seeing ended up on hold (the heavy suitcase I was towing behind me didn’t help in that respect). Instead I ended up heading for one of Amsterdam’s classic pubs in the form of In de Wildeman, which I found more by luck than judgement.

The door to the pub was wedged open, so I was able to ease in with my suitcase without any trouble. I chose the larger of the pub’s two rooms, which was on the left hand side. There were two couples sitting there, and after a few minutes conversation I ascertained that one of them was from Essex. Like me they were at In de Wildeman in search of good beer. They also recommended a couple more pubs for me to try.

Simon - manager of In de Wildeman

The couple had obviously been to the pub earlier in their visit, as during the course of our beer-related conversation I was introduced to Simon behind the bar, who is one of In de Wildeman managers. I spent a pleasant couple of hours there, chatting to my new found friends and enjoying several different beers; namely Witte Trappist 5.5% from La Trappe, Zomer 5.9% from De Eem and Cloudwater Clausensil Red Wine Barrel-aged Stout 7.4%, an import from the UK, which Simon insisted I try.

I left some time around 2pm determined at least to see Amsterdam’s Royal Palace, where I had been photographed standing opposite, back in 1975. I found the palace without too much trouble, but I was rather disappointed to see two tacky-looking hot-dog vans, parked in front. Somehow I can’t see Buckingham Palace allowing that sort of thing in front of the Queen’s official London residence.,

I then skirted the edge of the Red Light District to make my way to Brouwerij de Prael, which had been recommended by the couple in de Wildeman. It was also the bar Jacopo had been making for when we parted company the previous evening.

Brouwerij de Prael is a modern multi-level bar housed in a much older building. It is tucked away down a very narrow side street which borders on an alley. As might be guessed by the name, there is an on-site brewery which, as I soon discovered, turns out some amazing beers. Apart from a party of young male beer-tourists, sitting at a high table enjoying a series of “tasting bats”, it wasn’t overly busy when I arrived. I found a vacant stool at the bar, and parked myself down. 

Beer list - Brouwerij de Prael

There were a number of different beers on tap, but to start with I went for the 5.7% Bitterblond, a clean-tasting German-style beer brewed using plenty of hops. Later on I switched to De Prael’s IPA, which had been recommended to me by several different people. At 6.5% ABV, this was a true to style India Pale Ale, with plenty of bitterness to balance the sweet juicy malt. Without doubt it was the best beer of the entire visit to the Netherlands, so it was rather ironic it was the last one I had on Dutch soil. 

I was feeling rather peckish by that time, so I ordered a rather large cheese and tomato sandwich, which arrived on dark and filling, rye bread. There was plenty of salad to go with it, so I like to tell myself it was the healthy option! It certainly filled me up and helped soak up some of the beer as well. By the time I Ieft for the short walk back to Central Station, and the train back to the airport I was more than able to resist those big cardboard cones of chips, covered with mayonnaise; the very food item I had been unable to find the night before!

Best beer of the trip!

So ended my all too brief return visit to central Amsterdam. I will definitely return, but next time I will take my wife with me. Simon at In de Wildeman gave me the address of an inexpensive B&B, run by a friend of his, so we will have somewhere nice and central to stay next time.
 

Footnote:

A quick shout out to my fellow bloggers, writers and broadcasters who were mentioned in the post. They all have their individual stories to tell about the EBBC and their own particular takes on the world of beer and brewing. You can discover a bit more about them by clicking on the links below:

 Arianna Pellegrini:         La Ragazza con la Valigia www.laragazzaconlavaligia.com

Brett Domue:                Our Tasty Travels http://ourtastytravels.com

Jacopo Mazzeo:           Beer Without Frontiers http://www.beerwithoutfrontiers.com/

Janice & Wayne Dunne: Irish Beer Snob www.irishbeersnob.com

Martyn Cornell:            Zythophile http://zythophile.co.uk

Sarah Finney:                5MinutesOfFinney http://www.5minfinney.com/

 

Kentish Rifleman - Beer Festival

For a brief interlude I return to native soil for this post, but with quite a lot more to write about, I shall no doubt be spouting on about my experiences in the Netherlands for some while yet.

Anyway, it’s always good to be back home after time away, however briefly that might be, and the prospect of a long weekend ahead, only mitigated by the fact it’s the last Bank Holiday before Christmas, meant there were a number of beer festivals, and other beer-related events going on to tempt me away from house, garden and family.

There were at least three such events taking place within a ten mile radius of my house, and probably quite a few others which I was unaware of, so with this in mind, it was a choice between the long established beer festival at the Halfway House, near Brenchley with its 60+ beers, or the much smaller scale event at the Kentish Rifleman at Dunk’s Green. The Bank Holiday Weekend represented the first ever beer festival for the latter pub, so with the prospect of combining a walk with a visit to the Rifleman, the latter pub was the one which received my patronage.

Hadlow Tower

My friend Don, who is a keen rambler, had organised a walk to Dunk’s Green as part of West Kent CAMRA’s social programme for the weekend. The other event was a trip by bus to the Halfway House for their beer festival. With the latter event taking place on the Saturday, when buses are far more frequent, and the walk to the Kentish Rifleman scheduled for Sunday, it meant that keen devotees of the juice of the barley could, if they so wished, attend both festivals.

One brave soul did exactly that, and it was good to see Clive sitting there, on the bus from Tunbridge Wells, when the remaining three of us alighted at Tonbridge. We journeyed as far as Hadlow, alighting at the far end of the village, and then followed a series of footpaths that led us slowly up towards the Greensand Ridge. After walking through several fields of cows we paused to take in the view back towards Tonbridge and across the to High Weald in the far distance.

The now sadly closed, Artichoke

The view was partly occluded by ominous looking dark clouds, but fortunately, apart from a few spots of rain, we managed to stay dry for the entire day. Temperatures were considerably down on what they had been for the past week, and there was a welcoming breeze blowing which had dispelled the strength-sapping high humidity associated with the heat-wave. Walking was therefore much more pleasant than it might otherwise have been.

We turned due west, skirting the Victorian mansion of Oxen Hoath House before coming across the sadly closed Artichoke pub at Hamptons. We paused to take a few photos, whilst reflecting on the loss of this attractive old inn. I’m not quite certain of the reasons for its closure; or exactly when it closed its doors for the last time but I remember being surprised when I heard the news, as it always seemed a really popular venue. The Artichoke has now been converted into a private dwelling

Crossing the lane in front of the pub, and skirting the grounds of a very attractive property, we continued across a ploughed field, in a roughly north-westerly direction, eventually arriving at our destination around 2.15 pm. It wasn't a long walk, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was sufficient to work up a decent thirst.

Dunk’s Green is little more than a hamlet, but it is fortunate in still having its own pub; and a fine one at that. Dating in part from the 16^th Century, the Kentish Rifleman survived a serious fire back in 2007, which necessitated some major restoration work, especially to the roof. Looking at the pub today it’s difficult to imagine just how bad the damage was at the time. The front entrance leads straight into the main bar, which is long and low. Leading off from this is another long and quite narrow room, which is slightly more upmarket, and is mainly used by diners. At the rear of the pub is an attractive and secluded garden and this was where the beer festival was taking place.

Garden at the Rifleman

The beers were racked in a barn, facing the garden and the landlord, whose name escapes me, but I think it’s John, was the person doing the serving. There were 10 ales in total from the following breweries: Arundel, Brentwood, Skinners, Tonbridge, Triple fff, Whitstable and Yeovil. There was also a range of traditional ciders. All beers were very reasonably priced at just £3 a pint, “To keep things simple”, as the landlord said.

Feeling rather thirsty after my exertions, I went straight in on the pints, rather than my usual practice at beer festivals of drinking halves. I particularly enjoyed both the Betty Stoggs, from Skinners and the Kent Coast from Whitstable Brewery, but the best beer I had was the 4.0% Golden Galaxy from the Brentwood Brewing Company.

One of my companions was less impressed with the Yeovil’s Glory, from Yeovil Brewery, and I have to report the Arundel Castle, from Arundel Brewery was distinctly cloudy.

So what about the temperature and condition of the beers?  In a recent post, Tandelman, with some prompting from correspondent py, quite rightly drew attention to the often poor quality of the beer served at CAMRA festivals during the summer months. The main problem being a lack of suitable cooling leading to beer being served at temperatures far in excess of ideal during hot weather; or to paraphrase py, “beer served as warm as day old piss.”

Fortunately, the white painted barn, with its thick solid walls, proved the ideal place in which to keep the beer, and I noticed packs of ice as well as bar towels, draped over the casks. The beer was consequently just about the right temperature, and there as certainly plenty of condition in the beer.

Beer List

The only thing missing was people, as apart from ourselves, there were only two other tables occupied in the garden. Many of the pub regulars were sitting just outside the public bar; somewhere I have seen people gathering on previous visits to the Rifleman. I don’t know if they were aware the beer was just £3 a pint at the festival, or perhaps they weren’t too bothered, but it did seem strange them not taking part.

Later on several other people did turn up, and they included Bill, who runs the cider bar at the Tonbridge Juddians Beer Festival, plus some neighbours of mine from just down the road. Like us, this group of four had also walked, but they had followed a different route from north Tonbridge.

Shortly after the newcomers arrived, the pub chef appeared to light the barbecue, and start preparing some food. Unfortunately we had to depart at 3.45pm, in order to catch the penultimate bus back to Tonbridge. We headed back towards Hadlow, following a slightly different route through the delightful, and virtually hidden, Bourne Valley.

Hops growing wild in the Bourne Valley

It’s difficult to believe that a century or two ago this area was home to a thriving paper-making industry; the fast flowing River Bourne having provided a source of power for the mills which one populated this valley. Nowadays, apart from the odd farm on the tops of the hills, the Bourne Valley is practically deserted.

We arrived back in Hadlow in sufficient time for the bus, but with not quite enough time for a pint in the Two Brewers. This two-bar Harvey’s pub, is now the sole remaining pub in Hadlow; a village which even within my memory could boast five public houses.

Instead of a pint of Harvey’s, we waited until we arrived back in Tonbridge, and called in at the Humphrey Bean; the town’s JDW outlet. Thornbridge Jaipur had been spotted on sale there, over the Bank Holiday Weekend, so we were keen to catch a pint, if the beer was still on. Fortunately it was, and a pint of this strong, 5.9% IPA, was just the right beer to finish on, after what had been a most enjoyable day out in the Kent countryside.

Visit Brabant - Part Two - a Cycle ride, a boat trip, plus two breweries

Continuing with the narrative of our stay in the historic city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch), which formed the prelude to this year’s European Beer Blogger’s Conference, we pick up with the majority of party as we are about to depart from the Abbey of Koningshoeven at Berkel-Enschot.

As I alluded to in the Part One of this narrative, the Dutch bikes provided on behalf of our hosts, Visit Brabant, took a bit of getting used to; the main point being remembering to pedal backwards in order to brake. That and the rather light steering; but once we were underway the group set off at quite a pace, under the leadership of tour guide Nathalie.

I found myself towards the rear of the party, in the company of our other guide, Yannick. We had met Yannick in Brussels last year, when he acted as r guide for the post-conference excursion to West Flanders. Yannick works for Visit Flanders, the tourist organisation covering that particularly region of Belgium. He told me that he’d been asked by conference organiser Reno Walsh, if he could join the team from Zephyr Adventures, for this year’s event, as not only would this negate the organisers having to fly someone over from the United States, but it would also have the benefit of employing someone with local knowledge, capable of speaking the language (Flemish is very similar to Dutch, but don't say that in the company of anyone from either country!).

Anyway, Yannick kindly held back to keep me, plus a couple of other stragglers company, and to also make sure we didn’t get lost. I was rather surprised though, when he told us the ride would be around an hour in duration, as I was expecting something shorter; however, I am pleased to say that despite now being the wrong side of sixty, I managed the ride without any problems, apart from a rather sore backside! The latter was caused by an overtly soft and rather too well sprung saddle, which was in sharp contrast to the much harder road bike saddle I am used to on my bike at home. Speaking to a work colleague, who is also a keen cyclist, the other day led us both to conclude that somewhat perversely, the harder the saddle, the more comfortable the ride.

Taproom Brouwerij Vandeeoirsprong  (and above)

Once we had left the abbey grounds, and cycled a very short stretch along public roads, we turned off onto a path running alongside the canal. Canals in the Netherlands aren’t the narrow affairs they are in the UK; instead they are broad and deep, allowing the passage of quite large vessels along their length. With barely a cloud in the sky, it was an extremely pleasant and enjoyable ride through the picturesque Dutch countryside, and a great way to spend a Thursday afternoon.

We eventually reached our destination the village of Oirschot, and after crossing a bridge over the canal, and riding through the streets of this attractive North Brabant village, we found ourselves at Brouwerij Vandeeoirsprong, where we were welcomed with a refreshing glass of their Amber Bier. The brewery is a newcomer on the scene; having only been operational since 2015, but it occupies the site of a much older brewery, as we later found out. For the minute though, sitting out on the patio, at one of several picnic tables, gave us the chance of recuperating a bit after our cycle ride.

The patio is adjacent to the Brouwerij Vandeeoirsprong taproom, but before venturing inside, we were led through a courtyard, to a much older, farmhouse-like building at the front of the complex. Here we were given a talk by a member of the brewery, whose name escapes me. He explained the history of brewing on the site, and the brewery’s place in a village which once boasted four breweries.

I was correct about the old building, as it was part of a farm. It dates back to 1623, an important date in Oirschot’s history, as much of the town burnt down in that year and had to be reconstructed. The original brewery survived into the 20^th Century, because it had the cooling equipment necessary to produce the new fangled pilsner; a beer style which swept all before it during the early years of the last century.

After the end of World War II, the brewery was known as de Kroon (the Crown), and was named after the family who owned it. By the 1980’s de Kroon were one of only 15 breweries left in the Netherlands, but a tie-up with Bavaria Brewery a decade later, didn’t bring the results the family were expecting., as not long afterwards, Bavaria signed an agreement with La Trappe at Koningshoeven Abbey, which left the Oirschot plant surplus to requirements.

De Kroon closed in 2000, only to reopen some 15 years later under a completely new name. That this happened at all, is in no small way thanks to the head of the Kroon family who, as well as collecting memorabilia associated with the old brewery, had the strength of vision to see the opening of the new brewery, on the same site. He achieved this by going into partnership with his niece.

I’m not certain where the name of the new brewery comes from, as the website is in Dutch only, but I did make a note that the new concern produces between 8 & 10 beers. It also sticks with classic, easy-drinking styles rather than going for some of the more OTT barrel-aged stuff favoured by craft hipsters. The beers certainly seem popular with locals from the village and surrounding area, given the size of both the beer garden and taproom.

De Kroon - Old brewery

After a quick tour of both old and new breweries and an all too short time in the taproom, we re-boarded our coach and headed back to Den Bosch. Before checking into our hotel, we discovered our hosts had another surprise up their sleeves in the form of a boat ride along the network of canals which ring the city. Some of these canals were defensive, and some were used to bring goods right into the city. Others were used mainly as open sewers, and nearly all the canals pass through underground tunnels at some point. Fortunately, in light of the latte use, the entire network has been cleaned and restored, and nowadays a boat ride, by means of small open, electrically-powered boats is a popular way to discover a hidden part of s-Hertogenbosch.

Canals - Den Bosch

The tour must have taken the best part of an hour, and afterwards we walked the short distance back to our hotel. I was glad of the opportunity of a shower and change of clothes; particularly after having slept the previous night in the terminal at Gatwick, in order to catch my early morning flight, but suitably refreshed we met up again in the hotel lobby in order to visit the third brewery shown on our itinerary.

This was the Café Bar le Duc, a brew-pub and beer-café, situated right in the historic centre of the city, and just a short hop from our hotel. Here we were shown the compact brewery by owner-cum-brewer Jan van Kollenburg. The business was started by Jan’s father; also called Jan and Café Bar le Duc is still very much a family affair, with the majority of the brewery’s production sold through the bar. The remainder of its output is mainly in the form of bottles, but Jan was quite enthusiastic about a new beer called Jheronimus, produced in honour of local artist Hieronymus Bosch; the medieval painter responsible for such works as “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.

Brew-kit - Café Bar le Duc

We sampled several of Jan’s beers, before being shown through to a reserved section of the very busy café next door. We enjoyed an excellent meal there, with some more beers from the in-house brewery to accompany the food. As I said, the Café Bar le Duc was packed, and as we left we noticed most of the surrounding bars and restaurants looked the same. Being a warm August evening, many people were sat outside, enjoying some a spot of real “café culture”.

I’m not exactly sure what time we departed but, unlike some of the group who visited another bar or two, I made my way back to our well appointed hotel for a most welcome and much needed appointment with my bed. After breakfast the following morning, the coach turned up to transport us to Amsterdam, dropping us at the Mercure City Hotel for the opening of the European Beer Bloggers Conference.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to Nathalie and the rest of the team at Visit Brabant, for their hospitality and for organising what for me, was one of the main highlights of the whole weekend. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity of visiting a part of the Netherlands which I perhaps wouldn’t have thought of doing so. s-Hertogenbosch and the surrounding Brabant region are certainly well worth seeing, and spending some time in, and I highly recommend the area to those people from the UK who want to experience something a little different.