Grabbing Garibaldi By The Horns

On Saturday, I joined a select group of fellow beer enthusiasts on a visit to By The Horns Brewery. The company was holding an open day, and seeing as one of their beers scooped an award at last year’s Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival, members of my local CAMRA branch went along to present the company with a certificate, in recognition of this. I decided to join them and as several key members were unable to attend, for a variety of reasons, it’s just as well I did.

By The Horns Brewery are now based in the Surrey village of Salfords, a place not to be confused with the with the similarly named city in Greater Manchester. Salfords is situated three miles to the south of Redhill and is a location I have travelled through many times by rail, on my way to and from Gatwick Airport. We travelled across to Redhill by train, from Tonbridge, before changing platforms and switching onto a Gatwick-bound, Thameslink service. It was then a short 5-minute walk from Salfords station to the brewery, housed in a new industrial unit, on an industrial estate to the west of the rail lines.

For three of us, this was not our first visit to By The Horns, as back in May 2017, West Kent CAMRA stopped off at their original brewery, located on an industrial park, in the Summerstown area of South-West London, between Earlsfield and Tooting. We were there to present a certificate, again in recognition of a BTH beer, receiving a prize at the previous year’s SVR Beer Festival. 

By The Horns was founded in 2011 by Alex Bull and Chris Mills, and by the time of our 2017 visit had already expanded into adjoining units on either side of the original one. There was talk back then, that the brewery might still have to relocate to even larger premises, such was the demand for its beers, so at the beginning of 2021 the company commissioned a new production brewing facility at Salfords. As part of this expansion, they upgraded their brewhouse and most of the original brewing equipment. This new site allowed them to brew all their beers in the most consistent way possible. At the same time, the BTH brand underwent a refresh, which brought a contemporary feel to the brand.

The new facility was easy to find, and there was already a reasonable crowd of people there when we arrived. A pizza van was parked outside, along wit a makeshift bar further inside, close to the main production facility. There were two cask ales on hand pump, a variety of craft offering on key-keg dispense, plus several fridge’s packed full of cans. The later including examples of BTH stronger, and more esoteric beers, including Imperial Stouts, porters, and strong IPA’s, so as I’d come equipped with a rucksack, I ended up taking a few tinnies home with me.

There were two additional WK CAMRA members already present, when we arrived, so our little party numbered a respectable eight people in total. Amongst our group was a member who works in the sales department of a locally based, well-known hop factors, so with Will already familiar with several members of the BTH brewing team, we ended up with our own private tour of the facility. This was conducted by Alex Bull, who as mentioned above, was one of the company’s founders. I wasn’t taking notes, so you’ll be please to know that I won’t bore you with facts and figures, but BTH have a serious piece of brewing kit, that is all bright and shiny, stainless steel. 

At the far left of the brewhouse, are two large malt silos, which contain the pale malt, that is the basis of all the company’s beers. We climbed up onto the brewing platform for a closer look, not just at the malt silos, but at the mash-tun/lauter-tun, where the brewing sugars are extracted from the crushed malted barley, but also the adjacent brew-kettle, and hop whirlpool. Hop pellets are added to the former, before the standard 90-minute boil, and the spent hops are removed in the latter vessel, along with the precipitated protein, known as “trub.”

After descending from the platform, we made our way around the forest of closed, conical fermenting vessels. Alex drew a few samples off for us, including the brewery’s iconic Lambeth Walk Porter, and Cosmic Warrior.  After thanking our host, we returned to the table we’d grabbed earlier, and then went to recharge our glasses. I’d already enjoyed a pint of cask Hopadelic, so I moved on to the West End Pils, followed by Cosmic Warrior, again. The Pils was my favourite - crisp and clean tasting, this beer takes it inspiration from a Czech Pilsner, although one that is brewed from UK Extra Pale malt, and then flavoured with classic Czech Saaz and US Centennial hops. Definitely one to look out for.

A few of us were getting hungry, by this time, and whilst the food truck was offering some rather tasty-looking woodfired pizzas, few of us wanted to eat a whole one. The sensible thing, of course would have been to share one, between two or even more people, but that was too sensible, and also needed some organising. Instead, we decided to leave the brewery, take a bus into Redhill, and grab a bite to eat at a local pub. Two members of the group had already decided on the GBG-listed Garibaldi, a Victorian pub, situated on a steep hill, to the south of the town centre.

With the majority of us possessing concessionary travel passes, the bus was a good idea, and after walking across to the main A23 road, we didn’t have to wait long for one to take us into town. The beer guide was correct about the steep climb, but the pub towards the top of Mill Street, was well worth the effort. Saved from demolition in 2017 by a community group, the Garibaldi is now run on a not-for-profit basis, with any money made put back into improving the pub facilities. It has a single room with a long central bar, and a small side-room with a dartboard. The large pub garden has views across Redhill and there are also tables and a smoking area to the front of the building.

There was a good selection of cask ales, including two from Pig & Porter, who are based in Tunbridge Wells! There were also offerings from Gadd’s, Gun Brewery and Firebird. I chose Forever Lost, a 5.3% English IPA, from Pig & Porter. It was an interesting beer, although with hindsight, the 4.1% Slave to the Money from the same brewery, might have been a better bet. Whilst ordering my pint, I inquired about food, only to be told the pub didn’t do any, but sensing my disappointment, the landlady straight away said that if I ventured into the garden, at the ear of the pub, I would find a pop-up food bar, serving burgers and chips – just the thing for a hungry Paul.

Sure enough, tucked away behind the pub was a lock-up converted shipping container, where myself and another friend were able to grab a rather nice cheeseburger with some equally nice fries. We sat and ate our food under the shelter of the porch at the front of the pub, as the landlady had warned us that the garden itself was closed, due to slippery conditions – it was rather steep.

Looking at my watch, I saw there was train back to Tonbridge at 6pm. It’s only an hourly service from Redhill, so three of us decided to make a move and walk along the station.  The other two members of our group, said they would catch us up, although on reaching the station, and boarding our train, we received a What’s App message they were in the Garland, a particularly nice Harvey’s pub, just a short distance from the town centre.  

Back at Tonbridge, two of us rather foolishly decided to call in at the Nelson where, amongst other goodies, we found Larkin’s Porter on tap. That’s a story for another time, though!

 

 

 

Gaststätte Lommerzheim - a Cologne classic

I was trying to remember exactly who it was that recommended a visit to Gaststätte Lommerzheim, a classic, old-style Cologne pub on the other side of the River Rhine. First of all, I thought it was Retired Martin, and then Boak & Bailey sprang to mind. I did a few searches on their recent posts about Cologne, (RM Dec 22; B&B Nov 22), but nothing came up. Then I had one of those “lightbulb” moments, and turned to my own blog, and posts written about my previous visit to the Dental Show, back in 2019.

Sure enough, on a post written in March 2019, the following comment came up, from a reader called Robert. Enjoy Cologne, Paul! I hope it is not too late, but by all means try to visit Gaststätte Lommerzheim or Lommi as the locals call it. Just a short stroll away from both the fair and the Hyatt and probably the best place to experience proper old-style Cologne Brauhaus atmosphere. Great Pork chops as well as Päffgen on tap! And some great stories to tell about Lommi, the old landlord, who once turned down Bill Clinton so his regulars could come in that night! 12 March 2019 at 13:51

Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and whilst I still don’t know Robert’s identity, I can certainly confirm he was spot on in his recommendation, concerning Gaststätte Lommerzheim. As hinted at, in an earlier post, my chance to visit Lommi’s came last Thursday evening, when I called in at the pub on my way over to a glitzy, formal dinner, hosted by our parent company at Cologne’s prestigious Regency Hyatt hotel.

The dinner was scheduled for a 7 o’clock start, which was cutting things fine seeing as the Dental Show doesn’t close until 6pm. It’s been a mad rush in previous years, dashing back to the hotel for a quick wash and brush up, only to then charge back across the Rhine for the dinner. Even a pre-booked taxi is no guarantee of getting to the Hyatt on time, given the amount of rush-hour traffic in Cologne. I don’t do rushing anymore – unless I absolutely have to, so my plan was to leave the exhibition at the same time as my colleagues, and then make my way to the Hyatt, on foot, calling in at Gaststätte Lommerzheim on the way.

It was a 15-minute walk to the latter, and then an additional 15 minutes to the hotel, meaning ample time for a few Kölsches at Lommis, and still not be late for my dinner appointment. I took a direct route from Köln Messe, passing beneath the multitude of rail tracks that make up Köln Deutz station. Emerging the other side, I reached a mainly residential district, sprinkled with the odd retail outlet. What I didn’t manage to find was a cash machine, or Geld Automat as they say "auf Deutsch." They didn’t seem particularly common in Cologne, but perhaps I wasn’t looking in the right places. I needed some of eh folding stuff, as I knew that Lommi’s was cash only, but fortunately I still had a €5 note in my wallet, plus a pocket full of change.

Turning the corner into Siegesstraβe, I could hardly fail to spot Lommerzheim, as it stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. Compared to the surrounding, contemporary buildings, it obviously belonged to a different era, and the most likely explanation was the pub had somehow miraculously survived the bombing of World War II, that had flattened much of the surrounding area. The frontage looked as if it might once have been tiled, the wooden window frames seemed in need of a few coats of paint, and written large at the top of the building were letters spelling out the name - DORTMUNDER ACTIEN BIER. This puzzled me, as the beer market in Germany is still very localised, and to see the name of a brewery from a city, nearly 100 km away, was something I hadn’t come across before. I soon discovered that Kölsch, rather than Dortmunder was the beer on sale inside the pub, so I imagine the exterior sign is, like the pub itself, a survivor from a bygone age.

There was a handful of people milling around by the entrance, so I squeezed past and slipped in through the entrance at the centre of the pub. It was undeniably crowded inside, with every table and chair fully occupied, mainly by diners. There were also several ranks of drinkers propping up the bar – English style. This is something I have rarely seen before in Germany,  and again this is where Robert provides an explanation, with another comment on my post from 19^th March 2019. He states that “in the old neighbourhood Eckkneipe / Corner Pubs, you will find people sitting or standing together at the bar, although you will probably not encounter these kind of places that often as a tourist.”

I wondered how I would get served, but a couple of local women took pity on me by making sufficient room for me to get served. Päffgen Kölsch, dispensed from a wooden cask behind the bar counter, was the sole beer on sale, retailing at €2 a glass. Päffgen is one of the few independent Kölsch brewers remaining in Cologne, and in my view its beer is one of the best. I paid for my beer at the point of dispense, not realising that if I wanted a further glass,  I should have requested a beer mat, or Dekal. (Decal was an American word for a transfer when I was growing up).

This made sense, especially in a pub where seating was at a premium, as the drinker carries his or her own Dekal around with them. Then, each time a fresh beer is ordered, the bar staff make the usual tick on the beer mat, and the drinker settles up at the bar at then of the session. Fortunately, the staff were sympathetic towards a novice like me, and I was able to pay for my second beer at the bar before leaving.

Gaststätte Lommerzheim was one of those pubs you feel privileged to have visited, but rather than , coming across as a throw back to a bygone era, it struck me as a living organic entity. A real community local, catering to a wide age groups and a diverse range of customers. As well as serving some of the best Kölsch in Cologne, the food looked really inviting too. People were enjoying themselves, either in small groups or conversing with friends and neighbours.

I’m really glad I made the effort to track the place down, and experience it for myself, especially as I don’t know whether or not I shall be returning to Cologne. As you get older you really need to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves, just in case they don’t some around again. Being able to visit places such as Lommi’s, makes foreign travel all the more worthwhile, and I look forward to seeking out similar classic pubs, in other parts of the world.