Eight days a week

It’s been a rather strange fortnight, one of swiftly moving events and rapidly changing plans. The weather has also been extremely strange and after a morning walking round Tonbridge in my shirt-sleeves and the afternoon in the garden with just a rugby shirt to keep my top half warm, it’s hard to believe that a year ago, the country was being blasted by freezing cold air from Siberia – the so-called “Beast from the east”.

It was some of the coldest weather I can remember experiencing, and one morning driving into work, my dashboard display was indicating an outside temperatures of  minus 11ºC. I didn’t check the mercury today, but temperatures must have been in the high teens. Visitors from overseas sometimes wonder why the weather is so often the topic of conversation in the UK; with contrasts such as this, it’s hardly surprising.

Back to the main topic, which wasn’t actually climate-related, but instead was about beer, and an event I was supposed to be attending. Just over a fortnight ago, I received an email asking me if I would be attending the Craft Beer Rising Festival in London. The request came from a young (presumably) lady representing a PR company who were promoting a particular brewer’s beer.

Now I can’t be bothered to trawl back through an in-box which is stuffed full of unread or unopened emails, but the request caught my attention and, as I’ve never been to CBR, I turned the whole thing on its head. My reply was along the lines of what I’ve just written, and because I’ve never been to said event, I somewhat cheekily said that if the young lady could forward me a ticket, I would go along, sample her client’s beer (amongst several others), and then post a write-up of my impressions of the beer and CBR, on the blog.

No problem said the nice (young?) lady, she would sort out admission for me on the Friday (22^nd).  Well, until that Friday, that was the last I heard from the PR lady; more about that shortly. In the meantime I discovered that our directors were coming over from Japan, for board meeting, postponed by the delay in appointing a replacement General Manager to run our company.

In accordance with usual practice, they were inviting management out for a meal, ostensibly on the Friday evening. There was also a personal request for me to pick them up from their hotel in Tonbridge, on both Thursday and Friday mornings, and then drop them back after work. I am quite used to these chauffeuring duties, because I am the only member of management who lives in Tonbridge, and whilst I could have declined, the opportunity of a meal, plus a few drinks, was not one to be missed.

I put off booking a day’s leave for the end of the week until later; especially as hadn’t heard from the PR lady. It was then that events moved quickly. I’d taken the previous Friday off, to accompany Retired Martin on his drive down to Rye and Crowhurst, but when I returned to work on the Monday, I discovered the meal had been brought forward a day. This was because we were due to be audited by our potential new, Notified Body (NB).

Now I won’t go into too much detail here, as I don’t want to bore you, but because of an event which may, or perhaps may not take place on 29^th March, my company needs to be registered with a European based NB in order to ensure the continuation of our CE certificate. We also have to find an “EC Representative”, who is  based in the European Union.

We obviously have to continue demonstrating the same sort of compliance with the international standard for the type of products we manufacture and sell, so in our case this is ISO 13485 – Medical Devices. Now I don’t know yet know the end result of the audit, as it was still going on when I left at 6pm on Friday, but irrespective of whether we pass first time, or require a further visit from the auditor, we will need to amend all our packaging to indicate our revised CE Number, and to show the name and address of our “EC Representative”.

This will affect all packaging items, such as labels, cartons and Instructions For Use (IFU’s). So lots of changes to work through by our artwork people, and lots of business going the way of our printers. There will be lots of stock write-offs too, as whilst in the event of a managed exit from the EU, we have a period of grace to see these changes through, thereby using up as much old stock as possible, in the event of the UK crashing out with a “no-deal” Brexit, no such period exists.

Perhaps you can understand now why I am so angry at the behaviour of people like Tim Martin and members of the Conservative European Research Group, who are advocating such a damaging scenario. These reckless individuals cannot see beyond the end of their own noses, because they are so obsessed by achieving the end result and being carried along by their own arrogance, they are totally oblivious of the very real consequences that “no-deal” would mean for many businesses. "Dim Tim's", role in this is perhaps little more than that of a useful idiot,as it is the ERG, who are driving this and dictating government policy, but his magazine articles and beer mats, haven't exactly been helpful either.

Rant over, but since returning to work in January, my colleagues and I have been involved in little else apart from attempting to manage these changes and mitigate their effects on our business. Basically we are doing all this work, just to stand still. The next time a politician decides to call a plebiscite on such an important constitutional issue, perhaps they will do their homework first, because trying to unravel over 40 years of trading agreements, when you haven't the first clue what you are doing, was never going to end well.

Back to Friday morning, which was already starting out busy, when I received an email from the (young) PR lady. She had passed my details to the people on the door at CBR, so I would be admitted foc. She would be at the stand of whichever brewery she was representing, so come over and say hello.

That's one rant over, but there is something about PR people in general which means they operate on a totally different timescale, and in a completely different world to the rest of us. Getting back in touch on the morning of the event, after no communication, is demonstration of this.

Did she imagine I would be just waiting around for her invitation? Did she not think I might have other commitments or other plans? I sent her a quick reply, and to be fair she did offer me admission for Saturday, but again this was too late, as whilst Mrs PBT’s is quite understanding and pretty flexible, we’d already made other plans. This is not the first time I’ve come across this sort of last minute invite either.

The long and the short of it is that I still haven’t been to Craft Beer Rising or any of the other similar beer-related events in the capital.  Fortunately, last Friday’s trip with Martin, to East Sussex, broke the fortnight up nicely and helped restore my sanity

I’ve promised Mrs PBT’s a trip to the coast on Sunday, so earlier today we headed off in the same direction as last week's jolly. We even drove passed one of the places where Martin and I stopped, but you'll have to wait until my next post to discover which one.

A few books I have read recently

I acquired several books over the Christmas period, and I’m sure it will come as no surprise to learn they were all beer-related. The books included the latest (8^th Edition) of “Good Beer Belgium” and the 7^th Edition of the “Beer Drinker’s Guide to Munich (BDG2M)”.

The former is excellent, and carries on where previous editions left off. If you are after the definitive guide to Belgian beer and the best places in which to drink it, then this informative, nicely illustrated and well laid out publication from CAMRA Books should definitely be on your shelf.

We then move on to the Beer Drinker's Guide to Munich, published in 2015 and now on its 7^th edition. For the uninitiated the book is a well-illustrated, and easy to follow guide to some of the best beer gardens, brew-pubs and beer halls which Munich has to offer.

It is unashamedly a book for the warmer months, concentrating primarily on beer gardens plus those brew-pubs which offer outdoor drinking (virtually all of them), but this is no bad thing. as a few glasses of cool, refreshing beer, enjoyed in an outdoor setting is definitely one of the best ways to enjoy the charms of the Bavarian capital. I for one am a huge fan of the whole beer-garden experience, which is why I made full use of the previous edition of the guide, which was published in 2008, on previous visits to Munich.

An update was long overdue, which is why I was pleased to see the  7^th edition appear in print. Whilst the new edition contains many previous entries, these have been revised and updated where necessary. From the perspective of someone who has been a regular visitor to  the Bavarian capital, it is good to see the "retained" entries still offering the same high standards, and it is also encouraging to see some new outlets creeping in. I look forward to trying some of them on my next trip to Munich.

This brings me on to the final book, and the one I have enjoyed most. “20^th Century Pub”, by seasoned beer bloggers Jessica Boak & Ray Bailey, is a real labour of love, and a must read for anyone interested in how the English pub has developed over the course of the last 100 years.

The authors take us on a whirlwind ride of how our pubs have changed since the start of the last century, adapting and evolving in response to changes in society, people, culture, morality and cataclysmic events such as two world wars, emerging into the very mixed bag of drinking establishments which constitute the nation’s pub stock today.

The couple must have spent countless hours carrying out their meticulous research to unearth many of the facts, stories and anecdotes which make 20^th Century Pub such an interesting and informative read. As someone who thought I knew a lot about pubs, the duo’s book provided a real eye-opener, sometimes on a long vanished, lost world – even though we are talking about relatively recent events.

My only criticism is the paucity of illustrations as, whilst I accept this is a serious work, I am a great believer in a picture telling a thousand words. Given that the authors are looking back over the course of the entire 20^th Century, I wouldn’t expect the guide to be crammed full of colour photo’s, but the b&w ones which are included, are printed on standard book paper, rather than the more normal coated gloss substrate. Consequently they do not look their best, and many have rather washed-out appearance. 

It is the content though, which lies at  the heart of the book, and as I said earlier, this really stands out. I’m certain that he coupe have unearthed much information which has lain uncovered for half century or more.

Finally, I couldn’t help but notice that the cover of 20^th Century Pub bears more than a passing resemblance to a book published 44 years previously. Whether this was intentional, along the lines of imitation being the finest form of flattery, or just pure coincidence, but the bold 3D shadow effect, upper-case typeface, used on the front cover is identical to that of Frank Baillie’s classic, “Beer Drinker’s Companion” which appeared in print back in 1973.

Frank’s book was a similar ground-breaking publication, so in my obtuse way of thinking, I couldn’t help wondering whether this similarity was intentional or not. Whatever the case though, I thoroughly recommend you getting hold of a copy of Jessica and Ray’s labour of love, especially if, like me, you care and enjoy reading about one of England’s greatest contributions to the world.

Disclaimer: Whilst I am not averse to accepting the occasional freebie, I paid in full for all the books reviewed here. My copy of 20^th Century Pub was signed by the authors, after I responded to an offer on the couple's website, and yes Ray and Jessica, we must definitely “Share a pint, sometime!”

A pocket full of Rye

You’d have to be a real Philistine to not have a soft spot for a lovely old town like Rye. With its cobbled streets and narrow passages, the town is a treasure trove of  Medieval, Tudor and Georgian buildings, some of which are real architectural treasures, and beautifully preserved.

Often referred to as the “Ancient town of Rye”, this gem of a place is set on a hill overlooking the River Rother; a situation which meant it was an important member of the Cinque Ports confederation, during medieval times. Rye is no longer the port it once was, as the sea retreated from the town centuries ago, leaving it stranded, a couple of miles inland.

Today, Rye relies on its appeal as a tourist attraction and attracts visitors from all over the world The old part of the town, which is contained within the former town walls has numerous shops, art galleries, pubs and restaurants. Apart from its tourist base, Rye continues to operate as a port; albeit on a much reduced scale, with a small fishing fleet berthed at the Strand Quay at the edge of the town, and a larger one at nearby Rye Harbour.

Mrs PBT’s and I spent part of our honeymoon in the town, staying at the historic Mermaid Inn, an historic old inn with a long, turbulent history. The current building dates from 1420 and has 16th-century Tudor style additions. The cellars pre-date this, having been dug out in 1156. The Mermaid was a stronghold of the notorious Hawkhurst Gang of smugglers, who used it in the 1730s and 1740s. 

Although Mrs PBT’s and I had stopped off in Rye, for fish and chips, back in December, it had been sometime since I had wandered along its ancient streets, so when Retired Martin came up with a plan to visit the town last Friday, I jumped at the chance. Earlier last week, I booked a well deserved and much needed day off from work and eagerly waited for Friday to arrive.

Several months ago, the pair of us had loosely discussed a visit to the Ypres Castle in Rye; a lovely old pub now run by the legendary Jeff Bell. This followed the Ypres being selected for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. I’d reminded Martin of this plan, only to discover that he’d subsequently visited the pub and “ticked” it, but as he was travelling down to Sussex anyway, to tick off a further two pubs (see previous post), he was happy to re-visit Jeff’s pub before completing the aforementioned GBG ticks.

As RM’s route passed close to my house, he kindly picked me up on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny day, once we had left the thick fog which had enveloped Tonbridge, behind us. We arrived at Rye at around 11.30am , and after Martin had parked the car in a quiet side-street, we walked up into the town, entering through the historic Land Gate. We then made our way along to Gun Gardens, below the landmark Ypres Tower, but as we were running early, and the Ypres Castle didn’t open until midday, we took the opportunity to ascend the church tower.

My last ascent was when son Matthew was still at primary school, and before that I recall climbing up the tower with my father, when I was still school boy. This was a first for Martin, although I discovered that he’s the veteran of several arduous church tower ascents, including Cologne cathedral, and Ulm Minster - the tallest church in the world.

Now I too have climbed to the top of Cologne’s massive cathedral, but that was over 40 years ago and today, the church of St Mary the Virgin is quite enough for me. The climb is well worth the £4 fee as the church is situated at the highest point in Rye and the 360 degree view over the ancient rooftops, and out to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, Camber Sands and Winchelsea, is not to be missed. Although it was still somewhat hazy, with the sun shining brightly above us, we were rewarded with a real picture-postcard view of the town and the surrounding area.

After leaving the church, we made our way along to the Ypres Castle, which is built on the side of the town ramparts, and is reached by descending a series of steep stone steps. It is an attractive, white-painted building, decked out in places with the weatherboarding which is traditional in this part of south-east England.

The pub dates back to the 17^th Century, and I have known it on and off over the years, from visits to Rye. It has everything you would expect from such a venerable old inn - roaring fires in winter, and plenty of old beams and standing timbers. I’ve always regarded the Ypres Castle as a special sort of pub, given its tucked away location, so last year I was pleased to learn that  it had been bought by Jeffrey Bell, a lawyer turned pub landlord, who established a legendary reputation for running a good pub, during his tenure of the Gunmaker’s in London’s Clerkenwell area.

Jeff also writes his own  blog, under the name of Stonch’s Beer Blog, and that along with the Gunmaker’s and his subsequent pub, the Finborough Arms in West Brompton, is what most people know him for. Given Jeff’s reputation for looking after beer, and running a good pub, it was no surprise to see the Ypres selected for this year’s Good Beer Guide.

The pub was quite quiet at 12.15pm when Martin and I walked through the door, with just a handful of customers, but it didn’t take long for the place to fill up. We did a quick scan of the  pump-clips, both opting for the Über Brew from Old Dairy Brewery – a pale coloured 3.8% hoppy pale ale. Also on tap was Level Best from Rother Valley, Dark from Three Legs Brewery (Martin’s next GBG tick) and from a little further afield, Greensand IPA from Surrey Hills.

As the very pleasant barmaid pulled our pints we enquired after Jeff. She told us that he would be along in about 20 minutes. We sat down, opposite the bar to enjoy our beer, which was full of condition, refreshing to the palate and served  nicely chilled, at perfect cellar temperature.

As we sat there chatting we noticed the influx of customers, and how the barmaid dealt with them all in a pleasant and professional manner. Shortly afterwards, the man himself walked through the door, looking and sounding larger than life. Although neither of us know Jeff that well, he recognised us both and welcomed us to the Ypres.

He was soon flitting between the bar and the kitchen, serving customers and bringing out people’s food orders. The latter looked good, and a look at the menu showed the food offering to be good value. As well as stocking four cask ales, the Ypres offers a traditional cider and a perry from Nightingale, who are based in nearby Tenterden. Lovers of proper lager will not be disappointed either as on tap Jeff offers Röthaus Pils from the Black Forest in Baden-Württemberg and Oechsner Vier from Bavaria.

As I wasn’t driving, I squeezed in a quick half of Greensand IPA. This was a much more malt-driven beer than the Old Dairy offering. The pub was positively buzzing by now, which delighted experienced pub-man, Martin, and for a weekday lunchtime, in the run up to half term, it was a sight to gladden the heart of anyone who cares about pubs.

Jeff came over to say goodbye, as we were making to leave, and said he looked forward to seeing us again. Given the proximity of this lovely old pub to where I live, and the fact Rye can be reached fairly easily by train, I don’t think it will be too long before my next visit.

Footnote: for a more detailed write-up on the Ypres Castle and Jeffrey Bell, please click on this link to Roger Protz’s website.

Bandit Country - 1066 and all that

On Friday I had the pleasure of accompanying Retired Martin on a trip down to deepest Sussex. Martin was visiting the county in order to complete a couple of GBG "ticks" from the south eastern corner of  Sussex. We had previously discussed the possibility of calling in at the “ancient town of Rye”, in order to visit the Ypres Castle; an unspoilt classic pub, now run by the legendary Jeffery Bell (“Stonch”), Martin decided we could combine the Ypres Castle with his ticking expedition, so on a rather foggy Friday morning, the pair of us headed down to Sussex.

Now Rye is a place well worthy of its own post, so I will write about the town in a separate article, but the two locations we headed for, after leaving Rye, were unknown entities, as far as I am concerned. This may sound strange coming from someone who has spent the majority of the past six and a half decades living in the adjoining county of Kent, but there are parts of East Sussex that are still completely unknown to me despite them being just a short drive away.

One such place is Brede, and that is where we headed for upon leaving Rye. Brede is a small village to the east of Rye, and is named after the river on which it is situated. The Brede is one of three rivers which converge around Rye, the others being the Rother and the Tillingham. The River Brede forms a broad flat valley, known as the Brede Levels which runs between high ground to both the north and the south and as this isolates this part of Sussex from both the routes I normally take on trips to the coast, it is the reason why it remains largely unknown to me.

Martin and I were heading for the Three Legs Brewing Company, whose brewery and recently opened taproom, are situated just outside Broad Oak, a small village just to the north of Brede. The brewery is housed in a small industrial unit on Burnt House Farm with the brewery tap at the front of the building. There are normally four cask ales available on hand pump, and sometimes additional ones direct from the cask. A selection of snacks is offered in the form of cheeses, charcuterie (cured meats) and pickles. Beers are also available for take-away, either in re-usable one litre, swing-top bottles, or pre-filled bottles and cans.

We nearly missed the turning, and swung in quite sharply, but after parking the car, we walked over to the bar, and were greeted by the two friendly fellows behind the bar. We were asked if we wanted to open a tab, but I explained that regrettably we were unable to stay long.

The truth was we had perhaps dallied slightly too long in Rye; although I can think of far worse places to dally. Martin had a drive back to Cambridgeshire to contend with once the pub tickings were over, and being a Friday the traffic was bound to be heavy so, much as we would have liked, we were only able to stay for the one beer. I chose the 4.0% Dark, whilst Martin opted for one of the three IPA’s. (If he reads this, I’m sure he’ll confirm which one).

We sat outside on the bench seating, enjoying the late winter sunshine, although having left my coat in the car, I was slightly optimistic in sitting there in my shirt-sleeves. I bought a couple of bottles before we departed; English IPA 4.5% and Imperial Stout 9.1%. I left my card with the chattier of the two staff (I think his name was Dave), before we set off to drive to Crowhurst, and the final watering hole of the trip.

The only fact I know about Crowhurst is that it’s the third stop before Hastings on the rail line down from Tonbridge. Martin’s sat-nav directed us to the Plough Inn, in the centre of this isolated village, whose main claim to fame was the destruction of the local manor house, by Duke William’s forces shortly before the Battle of Hastings. It wasn’t until carrying out a bit of research for this article, that I discovered those pesky Normans were responsible for a quite a bit of damage in the local area, including the burning of a number of local villages. (Nice people!).

What I found surprising about Crowhurst was the hilly and wooded nature of the surrounding countryside. It certainly seems a strange location for a station, and perhaps a pub.  The Plough Inn is set on a hill, overlooking a dip in the road as it winds back up towards the station, and the remains of the ruined manor house. It is an attractive brick-built  building, said to date from 1805.

It is a free-house and was taken over by its current owners in 2016. They have since set about renovating the pub to a high standard, and have managed to turn its fortunes around. The interior has been opened up to create a large open-plan space, which is perhaps not quite in keeping with character of the building. There is a large wood-burning stove at the far end of the bar, adjacent to a set of patio doors, opening onto with what looks like a patio.

There were four cask ales on from Harvey’s, Long Man, Tonbridge and  A another, but the pub has adopted the idea of identical looking, hand-written, white on black pump-clips, designed to resemble small, circular blackboards, but not particularly legible to those whose eye sight isn’t quite 100%. They may look trendy, but a picture tells a thousand words, and I would far rather be confronted with a pictorial clip, instead of what looks like a set hieroglyphics!

Having difficulty reading what is available, whilst being asked what beer I’d like, does not endear me to a place, and I know that Martin felt equally frustrated with this. I tried a couple of halves; a new beer from Tonbridge Brewery, in the style of an old ale, plus the ubiquitous Harvey’s Best. 

We both tried the latter, finding it perfectly drinkable, but not exactly stunning. I also sampled the new Tonbridge offering. There were a handful of other drinkers in the pub, but as Martin observed afterwards, they were sat at the bar, obscuring the view of the hard-to-read pump-clips. I am probably being too hard on the pub, as WhatPub is full of praise for the place, so it obviously finds favour with the local CAMRA branch.

Our route back to Tonbridge, led us up the hill, past the ruins of the former manor and then past the station. We then joined the main road through Battle, which was very busy with Friday afternoon traffic and shoppers. It has always struck me as strange, that a town should have grown up around the site of a battle, but what took place back in 1066 is not only the most memorable date in our history, but it commemorates an event which changed the make-up and destiny of England, and not necessarily for the better.

I arrived back home just before 5pm. My thanks to Martin for a most enjoyable day out in this pleasant corner of Sussex, and for his excellent company.

Jug lands top seafood catch

There’s cause for celebration in the village where I work, as the local pub has recently been named the top food service operator, as part of the 2019 National Fish and Chip Awards. This was a contest organised by Seafish;  a Non-Departmental Public Body set up to support the £10 billion UK seafood industry.

The competition was open to outlets such as pubs, restaurants, leisure outlets, cafés and hotels, where fish and chips is included on the menu but not as the core offering.  As Marcus Coleman, Chief Executive at Seafish, said: "This award celebrates businesses that don’t solely focus on producing fish and chips, but nevertheless go the extra mile to create great quality fish and chips and provide customers with a memorable dining experience.”

He went on to say, “This award is proof that you can eat high quality fish and chips in places other than fish and chip takeaways and restaurants. Well done to The Little Brown Jug.”

The Little Brown Jug is just over five minutes walk from my workplace, and is an attractive late 19th Century building which, despite being enlarged over the years, still retains much of its original character. The pub is situated directly opposite Penshurst station, and started life as the Station Tavern.

It acquired its present name 40 or so years ago, after being bought by a jazz and big-band enthusiast who renamed it as the Little Brown Jug, after the well-known Glen Miller tune. Back then the pub still had two bars, and that is how I remember it when I moved to the local area in the mid 1980’s.

A change of management, at the end of the decade, saw it dramatically increased in size, with new kitchens, a function room and even bed and breakfast accommodation added. The new owner also introduced a wide range of different cask ales to the pub. 

Towards the end of the following decade the owner received an offer he couldn’t refuse, so he sold up and moved on. This was when  Greene King first appeared on the scene. Unfortunately the wide range of interesting beers was replaced by standard GK offerings.

I renewed my acquaintance with the Little Brown Jug in the summer of 2006, when I started work at my present company, but before long the pub closed to allow further alterations to be made to the pub.

The pub reopened in February 2007, and although nominally still tied to Greene King, the Jug is now owned a company called Whiting & Hammond. The latter are a company who operate a small chain of food-oriented pubs in this part of Kent. The beer is still standard GK stuff, but local favourite Larkin’s Traditional is stocked, and is probably the pub’s best selling cask beer – certainly amongst the locals!

I can’t comment on the fish and chips, although I will certainly give them a try next time I’m at the Jug for a meal. My company uses the pub for entertaining customers, from time to time, and I have been fortunate to partake of several excellent lunches there. For the last few years it has also been the venue for several memorable company Christmas meals, and it’s something of a tradition to pop in for a few beers each year, when we close for business at lunchtime on Christmas Eve.

As can be seen from some of the photos, the owners of the Little Brown Jug have splashed out on a series of banners, which have been placed outside the pub and also at the entrance to the village.

So well done to all involved with the award, and to those running the pub on a daily basis; and who knows you may see me popping in for some top notch fish and chips.

I'd call that a bargain - the best I ever had

So sang Roger Daltrey, on the second track of Who's Next - a real masterpiece from Pete Townshend and the rest of the band, on what is without doubt the Who's finest album, so continuing with the "bargain" theme, we once again turn to beer.

People might get the impression I’m a bit of a cheap-skate as I appear to be always on the look for beer bargains, but if truth be known I don’t go out with the deliberate intention of finding them, rather it’s more a case of me stumbling upon them.

Take Sunday, for example. After breakfasting at the Gate House in Tonbridge with son Matthew, we drove over to the large Tesco superstore at Riverhead- just the other side of Sevenoaks. We don’t have a Tesco of this size, in the immediate vicinity, so as Matthew was keen to pick up a few groceries and I was under instruction from Mrs PBT’s to collect a few last minute items as well, it seemed a good idea to let him drive over to Sevenoaks, particularly as the journey would allow him to gain a little more practice and a little more confidence behind the wheel.

After collecting the small number of items we required – mainly last minute ingredients for tonight’s dinner, we both gravitated to the beer aisle, and it was there that I found the second bargain of the weekend – I will tell you about the first one later on.

Shortly before Christmas I wrote about the joy of finding St Austell Proper Job in cans. They might only have been 330 ml cans, but I find this size ideal for a quick drink, and if I’m really thirsty I can always crack open another. (Incidentally, this long ignored size seems to have made an astonishing comeback, thanks largely to the growth of the “craft beer” market.)

Back in December, the six pack cans of Proper Job were selling at the reduced price of £5; a reduction of £2 on the normal retail price. This time, whilst they were retailing at the full price of £7, you could buy two packs for just £9, a total saving of £5. Well game on, and despite trying my best to run the beer stocks I have at home, down a little, this was too good an opportunity to miss.

So what about the first cut price beer of the weekend? Well, with our rather swish new bathroom nearing completion, Mrs PBT’s thought it a good idea to look at some fixtures and fittings. Top of her list, given she is still a little unsteady on her feet, was a non-slip bath mat, as despite now being the proud owners of a walk-in shower, it can still end up rather slippery under foot.

M&S have a food and home-wares store a short drive away, so along with what seemed like half the local population, we headed over to the nearby Tunbridge Wells retail park. We didn’t have any luck with the bath mat, although there were some fancy towels which caught my wife’s attention.

Whilst we were there, we decided to do part of the weekly food shop, although not the items I ended up purchasing at Tesco the following day. Now whilst Mrs PBT’s likes a bit of posh-shopping now and again, M&S isn’t our normal place for groceries, so knowing that she likes to shop alone, I left her walking up and down the aisles whilst I perused the beer section.

I’m sure many of you are aware that Marks & Spencer stock an interesting and varied selection of beers, many of which are brewed exclusively for the store by the likes of Adnam’s, Meantime and Oakham, to name a few. Nestling amongst the tinnies were a few beers priced at the unbelievably low price of just a pound each – half the cost of most of the cans. Two in particular caught my eye; a 5.7% German Bock Lager from Butcombe and a more moderate 4.5% offering from Hog’s Back Brewery, called Five Hop lager.

I picked up a couple of cans of each, but was in for another pleasant surprise when I reached the check-out, as the beers were part of the store’s four for the price of three. My four cans of interesting looking beer therefore, cost me just £3.00!

Both beers were very drinkable. The Hog’s Back offering, was on the sweet side; certainly  for a pilsner, although it passed muster as a perfectly acceptable south German Helles. Its stronger counterpart from Butcombe, was packed with lots of chewy, toffee malt, balanced with a touch of spiciness, from the hops. I would certainly buy both beers again, especially at these low prices.

Now I know what some of  you are saying, that buying beer at bargain prices, to drink at home, doesn’t help pubs, especially at a time when the on-trade is really struggling. You would of course be right, but only to a point, as me spending less on my home-drinking, means I end up with more disposable income to spend when I do venture out to the pub.

To put things in perspective, I am reasonably well paid, but with an eye to the future, and especially with State Retirement Age just over two years away, I want to ensure I have sufficient funds to keep me comfortable, and in something like the manner I’m accustomed to, when I finally quit the rat race.

So the plan is to pay off the mortgage by the end of the third quarter of 2019, and then save as much as my lifestyle allows; both without living too miserly an existence. After all, there has to be a happy medium, especially as you can’t take your money with you, and as you never know what is round the corner, it does pay to live life to the full as much as possible.

Therefore any cut-price offers I come across which involve beer – and it has to be decent beer, rather than swill, are to be embraced, and taken advantage of.

The porter at the Castle gate

I managed to track down some more Larkin’s Porter on Friday lunchtime, a find which represented only my second sampling this season of this excellent beer.

I broke with my usual lunchtime regime of  a brisk walk, and considering the appalling weather which hit the south-east today, I certainly made the right choice. However, Storm Erik was not the reason for my break of routine, as I’d already made my mind up to go off and find some of this difficult to locate seasonal beer from Larkin’s, and my plan was to phone around a few local (to my workplace), pubs where I thought there was a good possibility of them stocking the beer.

I struck gold with my first phone call, when the Castle Inn at Chiddingstone confirmed the availability of the porter. I jokingly asked the recipient of my call to reserve me a pint, and come lunchtime, I jumped into my car and set off to drive the short distance over to Chiddingstone village.

Just leaving the factory, and getting hit by a deluge of rain, was enough to prove I had made the right choice, and just over  five minutes later, I was pulling in to the tiny National Trust-owned village of Chiddingstone. Parking has always been something of an issue in a settlement which has remained largely unchanged since it was sold to the Trust during the 1930’s, but I managed to find a place just past the village church.

I then walked briskly down toward the pub, taking advantage of a brief lull in the rain, to stop and take a few photos. The Castle Inn lies at the far end of Chiddingstone’s main street, adjacent to the entrance to the stately pile which calls itself a castle.

I made for the Public Bar, which is housed in the right-hand portion of the pub. I entered the bar and was immediately struck with the sensation of having travelled back in time. I spotted the pump-clip for Larkin’s Porter, and after breathing a sign of relief, ordered myself a pint.

The barman asked if I was the gentleman who’d phoned earlier. I confirmed that indeed I was before he disappeared into the other bar to pull my pint. He placed it on the bar, jet black in colour and topped with a fluffy, off-white head. It looked delectable, and as I handed over my cash I couldn’t wait to raise it to my lips.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise though was the price, a very reasonable £3.60! Under previous ownership the Castle had a reputation for being an expensive place to drink in; something to do with being an upmarket pub in a National Trust village, so paying under four quid for a 5.2% ABV beer was a real revelation.

I sat down at a table opposite the fireplace, my eye drawn to the log burner which was blazing away nicely. The beer was in fine form and I scored it at 3.0 NBSS. It slipped down a treat, but at that strength, and with a busy afternoon ahead – plus the driving, of course, I sensibly stuck to just the one. I needed to be back by 2 pm anyway, as one thing about my workplace is no-one is ever late back from lunch.

I couldn’t see through to the Saloon, but there were just two other people in the Public, a mature couple, sitting at a high “posing table". From their conversation they were locals from the village and when one of the bar staff brought their food out, I admit to being slightly envious, as the lamb shank in particular looked rather good.

The pub cat who’d been hanging around my table, made a beeline for the couple as soon as their food arrived, but its foray didn’t last long as the barman walked over, picked it up and took it out the back. This may have been because the woman had said she was a dog person, rather than a cat lover.

The barman explained to us that this cat was a roving moggy, probably belonging to someone in the village, before having made itself at home in the Castle. Its favourite place, apparently was a bench, close to a radiator in the other bar.

So for a Friday lunchtime, the pub was pretty quiet, but with Storm Erik raging outside I wasn’t surprised. Having said that, on a wild, wet and windy early February day, tucked up close to the fire, with a pint of Larkin’s Porter in front of me, I can’t really think of a much better place to be.

One final thing I couldn’t help but notice was some snippets of conversation between the two blokes behind the bar. It was evident that at least one of them was from the Castle’s sister pub; the Wheatsheaf at Bough Beech. Both establishments are owned by a local businessman who I understand  has connections with Westerham Brewery. Beers from the latter are on sale at both pubs, and it would appear from what I witnessed that staff also rotate between the two hostelries. 

From a personal point of view, it is good to see the Castle open and trading again, after a prolonged period of closure, and I’m sure that had I visited when the weather was more clement, I would have seen a lot more customers. I fully expect therefore, that come spring, when the coaches and tourists are out in force, the Castle will once again be bustling.