Kentish Brewery Visit No 2 Thethe Farriersfarriers Arms,Arms, Mershammersham
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FREE SWALESWALE ALEALE VolumeVolume 3.3. IssueIssue 5.5. AutumnAutumn 20112011 The FREE Magazine of the Swale branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale Faversham Hop Festival! Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th September Visit our stall on East Street for the best local beer and cider Inside: Local Pub news Kent Brewery news A visitvisit toto Berlin Berlin Beer and Bands Faversham’s Pub Pub Gardens Gardens CAMRA visit to St Omer The Old Forge Brewery The OldOld Forge Forge BreweryBrewery Foundry Brewpub Autumn Issue 2011 1 2 Autumn Issue 2011 SWALESWALE ALEALE EDITORIALEDITORIAL Volume 3, Issue 5 Welcome to Swale Ale. My aim is to provide a thorough look at Real Autumn 2011 Ale in Kent and beer beyond the county. CAMRA is dedicated to Published by the Swale Branch of the ensuring pubs and brewers maintain Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. (CAMRA). and serve the taste, styles and quality Circulation 900 we expect from our national drink. Editor: Bob Thompson The CAMRA Swale Branch is an Email: [email protected] active branch and I urge you to join Telephone 01795 530104 the campaign by using the form on Practical Inspiration: Keir Stanley page six. Contributors: Steve Bennion, Linda Sadly, and speaking for myself, Clarke, Keir Stanley, Bob Thompson, I am saying goodbye to the ——————————————— magazine I created, designed, then All Correspondence to: Forge House, nurtured and got to its all-colour yet Church Road, Oare, Faversham, final edition. It is unlikely there will be Kent. ME13 0QA. a successor, but we can but hope. For those who contributed I ——————————————— offer grateful thanks, unfortunately Any opinions expressed within these there weren’t many of you, which is pages are those of the individual why readers saw my name credited authors only and do not represent far too many times. Even more thanks those of CAMRA or any of its officials. must go the advertisers without The existence of this publication in a whose support it wouldn’t have particular outlet does not imply an existed in the first place. endorsement of it by Swale CAMRA . For aficionados of live music in ——————————————— good pubs you’ll find listings on pages 45 and 46. Printed by: In the rest of the magazine University of Kent Press you’ll find the usual mixture of topics, Tel: 01227 827704 news, and information that is the ——————————————— world of beer, cider and pubs. If you Branch Details: feel that you want to take the Chairman: Simon Ing magazine home please do so, better Secretary: Les Bailey still to pass it on. Or, if you’ve read it, Social Secretary: Gary Holness kindly place it back in the box for Treasurer: Les Bailey another customer. Branch Contacts: Finally, at the risk of repetition, Simon Ing (01795 537273) should you wish to join, please take a look at page six. Les Bailey (01795 538824) Goodbye, Bob Thompson Autumn Issue 2011 3 Local Pub News BADLESMERE: The Red Lion has its usual Beer and Music Festival over the August Bank holiday weekend, commencing on Friday night. CONYER: The Ship continues featuring guests beers from small Kentish breweries. FAVERSHAM: The Chimney Boy has new opening hours: Mon-Thu: 11.00-15.00, 17.30-23.00; Fri-Sat: 11.00-23.00; Sun: 11.30-? There’s live music on Friday evenings. FAVERSHAM: The Elephant. Kim and Jim have received their fifth CAMRA Swale Pub of the Year award. Over the Hop festival weekend they will offer over 25 beers. FAVERSHAM: The Leading Light. During the Hop Festival there will be lots of extra beer including a one-off exclusive ale from the Royal Tunbridge Wells Brewery. Their own beer festival will be held from the 5th to 23rd September. FAVERSHAM: The Old Wine Vaults. Four cask ales are now the norm for this pub. The draught cider selection will increase to two in the near future. There will be three bars (including one for Hopdaemon brewery on the street) and an extended range of beers during the Hop Festival weekend of 3/4 September. FAVERSHAM: The Phoenix will have a second bar, extra beers, live music and a BBQ during the Hop Festival. FAVERSHAM: The Shipwright’s, Hollowshore was “Highly Commended” in Swale CAMRA’s Pub of the Year competition FAVERSHAM: The Swan and Harlequin. The Hop Festival will see at least six beers on offer. Mark is hoping to resource some from local breweries. There will be bands alternating from the front stage to the rear yard. Food will be available. FAVERSHAM: The Windmill. This closed pub, formerly Shepherd Neame, is back on the market as a pub or restaurant. MILTON REGIS: The Three Hats. Malcolm has completely refurbished the garden and it will be used for events in the future. Thatcher’s Heritage Cider is still £2.50 per pint. It received “Highly Commended” in the Swale CAMRA Pub of the Year awards. OSPRINGE: The Ship has three cask beers, Shepherd Neame Masterbrew, Fuller’s London Pride plus a monthly “guest beer”. John has worked wonders in his garden which looks stunning. On Hop Festival Sunday there’s a minibus running from the town centre to the pub, where there will be live music. Phone 01795 532408 for details. SITTINGBOURNE: The Billet. This Greene King pub has reopened after a long period of closure. Beer prices are of note: £2.09 for Greene King IPA, £2.65 for Greene King Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen. They are also promoting Fish and Chips for £3.49 on a big sign outside. Although there is a Fish and Chip shop next door, this offer is surely pure coincidence. SITTINGBOURNE: The Old Oak. This Enterprise Inns pub, closed since January, reopened in June as an Ale House selling two or three beers straight from the cask, likewise Thatcher's Heritage Cider. Please support it or it may close again. SITTINGBOURNE: The Summoner has a beer festival from 5th to 23 September. STALISFIELD GREEN: The Plough will be hosting a mini beer festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend with live music on Friday, Sunday and Monday. TEYNHAM: The Swan always has one cask beer from a local brewery. 4 Autumn Issue 2011 University Design and Print Solutions Ad Autumn Issue 2011 5 6 Autumn Issue 2011 Swale Swale CAMRACAMRA CAMRACAMRA KentKent Branch Branch diarydiary BeerBeer FestivalsFestivals Wednesday 10th August Saturday/Sunday 3rd/4th September Open Branch Business Meeting Faversham Hop Festival Beer Stall The Old Wine Vaults, Faversham. 19.30. East Street (outside Iceland), Faversham. Friday 2nd September Saturday 3rd September Eve of Hop Festival visit: Shepherd East Malling Beer Festival Neame Brewery. Must be booked on East Malling Research Station. 11.00 till [email protected] the beer runs out. Buses from Aylesford Meet at the Bear, Faversham. 18.00. and West Malling stations every 30 mins. Wednesday 14th September Saturday/Sunday 22nd/23rd September Open Branch Business Meeting Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival The Red Lion, Badlesmere. 19.30. Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells Wednesday 12th October At Tunbridge Wells West and Open Branch Business Meeting Groombridge stations and on trains. Diesel Trains Saturday, Steam on Sunday. The Ship, Conyer. 19.30. Wednesday 9th November Friday/Saturday 14th/15th October Open Branch Business Meeting Thanet Cider Festival The Three Hats, Milton Regis. 19.30 Churchill Tavern, Paragon, Ramsgate Faversham’sFaversham’s hiddenhidden gemgem The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore, Faversham A 17th Century traditional creek side free house. Selling up to five real ales from Kentish brewers, and serving good food. Take a trip back in time and savour the delights of a truly traditional pub. Rated by Jamie Oliver as one of the top 100 traditional pubs in the country. Please check website or phone to confirm hours of opening. Tel: 01795 590088 Web: http://www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk Directions: At Davington School turn into Ham Road and follow the signs across the marsh. Autumn Issue 2011 7 KentKent CAMRACAMRA visitvisit StSt OmerOmer Once a year the worthy volunteers from the Kent Beer Festival go on a trip to somewhere of beery interest. And so it was, as those from the 2010 festival headed off to France in a coach via the Channel Tunnel to visit the cathedral city of St Omer on Saturday 11th June 2011. The trip was the brainchild of Paul Trégouét and the idea was to showcase the beers from the small artisanal brewers of Nord-Pas de Calais. This exclusive event took place in three cafés around the centre of the city. The group split into three so as not to overload any particular venue. Our first stop was Café La Plage at 8 rue d’ Arras. Despite the name there was no beach in sight. We were greeted by the three brewers represented and soon got stuck in. The first was L’ été du Nord (5.5%). This is a summer version of Etoile du Nord from Brasserie Thiriez. They made much of the fact that they use whole hops from Kent. Next up was Bracine Triple, a true triple beer, from the Brasserie du Pays Flamand at Blaringhem. This was a beautifull smooth, yet bitter beer, the best of the day. We then had Agent Provocateur (6.5%) from Brasserie Craig Allan. Craig is an ex-pat Scot brewing in Northern France. The beer is part IPA and part Belgian golden ale so was fairly hoppy. It was well liked. Finally we had Rince Cochon, which was not part of the beer presentation. It comes from the Haacht brewery in Belgium. We liked it though. We then headed off to our next rendezvous in the Café Gibolin at 83 rue Carnot where we were to try St Glinglin Blonde from the Brasserie Artésienne but for some reason it wasn’t available.