FREE Magazine issued by the Medway Branch of CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale

FREE Issue No. 69 - NEW YEAR 2013 FREE

CAMPAIGN FOR REAL www.medwaycamra.org.uk ALE 2 MEDWAY BEER BELLY NO 69 In this Issue Page NEW YEAR 2013 Published Quarterly by the Medway Branch Diary…………………...... 4 Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. Editorial...... ………...... 5 (CAMRA). Circulation - 2,000 7 © 2013 Medway CAMRA. Poem / Advert Prices...... Editor: John Brice When Your Belly Was Thinner...... 9 Email : [email protected] 12 Production-Editor: Karl Martin Scrap the Escalator...... Advertising Manager: Vacant Kent Brewery News...... 16 Being Branch Chief...... 22 26 All Correspondence to: Medway Social...... Medway Beer Belly North Downs Walk...... 29 King George V Kent Ales - My Story...... 31 1 Prospect Row, Brompton 35 Kent ME7 5AL The Story of Kent ...... Medway Pub News...... 37 Any opinions expressed within these Where to Obtain Your Beer Belly...... 38 pages are those of the individual authors only and do not represent those of Good Beer Guide 2013...... 38 CAMRA or any of its officials. Mini Quiz...... 39

Branch Details: Advertisers Chairman: Geoff Negus Secretary: Mike Thomas The Angel...... 19 Treasurer: Simon Ellwood Bexley Beer Festival...... 32 Membership Sec: Simon Ellwood 40 Branch Contact: Colin Maskell Britannia Bar Cafe, Rochester...... Tel: 01634 851827 CAMRA...... 6 Eagle Tavern, Rochester...... 25 Trading Standards Office If you want to contact the Trading Elephant, Faversham...... 19 Standards Office, perhaps to report a short Frog & Toad, Gillingham………...... 14 measure, or a pub not displaying a price list etc., they can be reached at:- Gardeners Arms...... 20 Compass Centre, Chatham Maritime, GBBF...... 19 Chatham, Kent, ME4 4YH Good Intent, Rochester...... …….…...... 21 Telephone: 01634 333555 [email protected] Horseshoe & Castle, Cooling ……...... 28 Kent Ales...... 15 CAMRA, 230 Hatfield Road, Kent Brewery...... 15 St. Albans AL1 4LW Telephone: 01727 867201 Fax: Kent Gateway Block Management...... 34 01727 867670 King’s Arms, Upper Upnor...... 24 Website: www.camra.org.uk King George V, Brompton...... 14 Kinlochs & Son...... 2 Rockaroake...... 11 Nelson Brewery, Chatham...... 4 Three Tuns, Lower Halstow...... 13 Who’d Ha Thought It, Rochester...... 33

3 Medway CAMRA - Branch Diary

Anyone is welcome to join us at any of our varied Socials & Trips. Any changes will be shown in “What’s Brewing” or on our website: www.medwaycamra.org.uk Committee Meeting on Wednesday 6th March at the Gillingham Conservative Club, Gillingham High Street, 2000 - All welcome Planet Thanet Branch Social, Winter Gardens, Friday 29th March Branch social – Planet Thanet Beer Festival, Margate. - Meet at 1200 - make your own way there. Rochester Ramble, Wednesday 17th April. Branch social – Golden Lion at 2000 and Man of Kent Rochester 2115. Others may be decided on the night. Outback Outing, Saturday 18th May. A mini bus trip to the edges of our area, visiting the likes of the Gardners Arms, Stonehorse and Horseshoe and Castle to name but a few. Definite venues and details announced on the website www.medwaycamra.org.uk nearer the time.

4 editorial Another year, another Beer Belly and another beer! What more can you want? First of all, a Happy New Year to you all. Let’s hope it’s a good one for ale. So what are the prospects for 2013. There has never been a better choice of ales from within the county. With a few recent wob- bles, we still have almost 30 breweries in Kent which gives us a rich and varied collection of ales to try. Some of them are producing really excellent drinks and long may that continue. There is always talk of more newcomers to the market and that can only be encouraged. How- ever, there has to be some sort of limit to the amount of pubs which can take the ales, and drinkers who can consume them. It’s good to see breweries open and sad when they close, so let us hope that we can maintain the ones we have now. Most of them seem to be experiment- ing with different ingredients and styles so that we have a rich seam of tastes to try. So what about the pubs? The closures seem to be slowing down, but there again is that because there are fewer of them to face the axe. There has got to be a point where the number of pubs remaining satisfies the amount of drinkers out there. Too many people now drink at home for us ever to return to the days when there was always a pub just around the corner. And that brings us to minimum pricing! Will it happen and if it does what will the threshold be. Will it stop people buy- ing as much from the supermarkets and will they return to the pubs. There are many views on this subject - even within the industry where one might have thought there would be a united voice on this front - and only time will tell. There is no suggestion that the price of pint will fall. Quite the opposite, many of the big brewers have already put up their prices and that’s before we know the state of the cost of raw materials - particularly barley and hops - after a wet season. In defence of Kent’s small brewers, none have announced prices increases so far this year to my knowledge so that’s good news. Maybe that extra competition is concentrating the mind! It looks as if we will have a good raft of ale fes- tivals throughout 2013. There are now several pubs which regularly stage events which have become part of the calendar. It shows the strength in the market. And remember, real ale was the only sector in the drinks industry to show growth last year. That’s good for all of us. So let’s raise a glass of wholesome ale to 2013!

BREWERY RHYMES ADVERTISERS Copy deadline for next edition is 14th April. An advertisement in Medway Beer Belly runs by Mandy Lifeboats for three months and reaches a minimum 2,000 readers. I had a little pint of beer Its froth was white as snow CURRENT RATES When I wanted another one, B/W Half Page £35 Back to the pub I’d go B/W Full Page £60 Colour Half Page £45 One, two, get me a brew Colour Full Page £75 Three, four, get me some more Colour Back Page £80 Five, six, how I get my kicks Please make cheques payable to Seven, eight, the beer tastes great Medway CAMRA Nine, ten, I will come here again Contact the Editor. Bar, bar, barman, have you any beer? Details on Page 3 Yes sir, yes sir, we have some over here. This one is a hoppy one MEDWAY CAMRA ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE With tastes of malt and grain FOR THE CONTENT OR ACCURACY OF ANY PUBLISHED ADVERTS OR ARTICLES. That one is a winter one Which you will want to drink again Having trouble getting hold of your Medway Beer Belly? It is available on Drink a round of Old Rosie subscription of 4 x 1st Class stamps to Pocket full of change A skinful, a skinful MBB Subscriptions c/o We all fall down 10 Barleycorn Drive Rainham, Gillingham, Kent ME8 9NA Medway CAMRA has 475 members

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF THE EDITORS OR THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL ALE.

Please remember to tell Landlords that you saw their advert in Medway Beer Belly

7 8 When your belly was thinner “A look back at Medway Beer Belly Issue 19 with grumpy writer Moaner” This issue of MBB hit the streets on time (after a 18 month gap between the previous two issues) in the Summer of 1999 in its by now, usual format of 24 pages, A5 size. As can be seen from the cover scan here, we continued with a cartoon front asking readers to send in witty captions (As issue 20 has already been covered by us in issue 52 of MBB, the winning caption was “Happy hour has bloody finished!). The editorial confirmed that J D Wetherspoon were coming to Medway in Rochester High Street, and pondered on possible other pub chains flooding the Towns in the future (Slug & Lettuce, Irish themed bars, Piano and Pitcher etc.). The branch socials included a number of pub festivals such as the Dog & Bone beer festival, Barge beer festival and the Roseneath, where landlady Helen was hosting a Charity Garden festival. We held a joint social with our CAMRA neighbours from Swale, which amounted to a crawl around pubs in Gillingham. Other events included a beer Belly pick up meeting in the Man of Kent, Rochester, a social gathering at the Kent beer festival in Canterbury, a walk from the King George V in Brompton through to the pubs in Chatham High Street and a wander from the White Horse, Borstal, back into Rochester. Our “out of Town” social was a day in Whitstable. It was Annual General Meeting time again and we asked for members to please attend and maybe think about volunteering to come onto the Committee.

9 When your belly was thinner

A Pub Trivia contest was set giving prizes to five readers of a pair of tickets to the Saturday session of the upcoming Great British beer festival. Just for fun, we also set five posers on advertising slogans. See if you remember these:- 1/. Great Stuff this 2/. Get everyday 3/. Cream of Manchester 4/. Are you a type? 5/. Get your Lips round a The answers are at the end of this article. A page was devoted to “Medway's Finest?” which reflected on the number of full entries that Medway Pubs had in the Good Beer Guide that was in its 26th edition. Our leading lights were:- 19 Times Toastmasters, Burham Greyhound, Rochester 17 Times Homeward Bound, Halling 16 Times Tudor Rose, Upper Upnor 14 Times Railway, Higham 11 Times Rose, Rainham Interesting to note that six of the top seven were Shepherd Neame owned outlets. Now the Guide is in its 40th year, perhaps I need to update our listings. I'm sure there will be big changes. (look out for this in a future edition of MBB). Linda Clarke, from Swale CAMRA, kindly provided information on Kent Cider producers for us to use in our Cider Corner article, whilst reader Steve Collingwood continued the article he started in the previous MBB on Past Medway Breweries, highlighting the estate of Thomas Best of Chatham. An occasional publication from CAMRA called “Omnibus” (which offers advice, design tips, suggestions for editors of newsletters) carried a review of MBB issue 17, which, apart from not liking the MBB name, gave us some good praise “ There is a good balance of articles plus all the “essential” material such as contacts, membership information, trading standards details etc. The editorial team have done a good job in obtaining (or retaining) advertising which is well spread throughout the newsletter's 24 pages”. In other news, Bass was reported to be spending £8 million on a re-launch of Caffrey's following a slide in sales. Greene King was celebrating its

10 When your belly was thinner bicentenary and had launched a 1799 Special Bicentennial Ale. The brewery also had designs on taking over ex Marston's free trade in the South East as Marston's owner, Wolverhampton & Dudley had sold off 170 pubs to Greene King. A monthly magazine “The Taste” had featured an article on drinking in Kent, listing 21 outlets of which four were Medway pubs. The four were:- Tudor Rose, Upper Upnor, Man of Kent, Rochester, and in Gillingham the Prince of Guinea and Dog & Bone. Swallow Group (formerly Vaux) had rejected a management buyout offer of £70 million, which put at risk the future of 700 employees, so CAMRA was calling on shareholders to press for a Extraordinary General Meeting as its 350 pub estate was on the market and would only leave its hotel business together with 172 managed pubs, leading to fears for the future of the breweries in Sunderland and Sheffield. Tolly Cobbold launched a charity bottled beer “Daffodil”(4.8%ABV) in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. It was the first time a bottle of beer featured the advice on its label “Please drink sensibly and never to excess”. The answers to the advertising slogans were 1/. BASS. 2/. YOUNGER'S 3/. BODDINGTONS 4/. MACKESON 5/. WINKLE (Swale Copperwinkle). SCRAP THE ESCALATOR

The current government’s Coalition Agreement contains a commit- ment to “review alcohol taxation and pricing” with an aim to “tackle binge drinking without unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries.” Only an end to the beer duty escala- tor delivered in the March 2013 budget will allow for this commit- ment to be fully enacted. CAMRA believes that the beer duty escalator plays a huge part in the rate of closing pubs in the UK. British beer drinkers are paying the second highest beer duty in the European Union- currently over 12 times higher than the duty paid in Germany, and over eight times the amount paid in France. It’s time for the government to scrap the beer tax escalator. The beer duty escalator unfairly penalises responsible beer drinkers, pubs, and local brewing industries - and it doesn’t even make the country any money. CAMRA’s evidence shows that higher taxes do not encourage people to drink less. Instead, consumers are changing their drinking behav- iours. The beer duty escalator has had the reverse effect of its original intentions to tackle cheap alcohol sales in supermarkets. With beer on the off trade now selling for as cheap as 50p a pint, the beer duty es- calator encourages consumers to buy cheaper alcohol from off licenc- es and supermarkets. The increasing cost of beer also encourages consumers to opt for wines and spirits which typically have much stronger alcohol content by volume. Fifty per cent of beer sales are made through pubs, compared with just 20% of UK wine and spirit sales. This significant gap is key to an understanding of why an escalating tax heavily affects beer sales while wine and spirit sales are less affected. Beer supports more jobs and generates more VAT per unit of alcohol sold. Ending the beer duty escalator would result in a financial gain to the treasury. Every time a pub closes, 10 full time and part time jobs are lost, while each job in brewing supports 21 jobs across the industry. Each year the beer duty escalator continues, these jobs continue to be under threat.

12 THE THREE TUNS

Built in 1468 and with an ale license since 1764. Chris and Carol Haines invite you to enjoy this traditional Country Inn with its warm friendly atmosphere where you can dine on freshly prepared food served all day, every day, or just sup on a pint of local real ale in the large garden with stream side decking. Recognised in the 2012 good beer guide and this years national winners ‘Choice Chips Awards best pub/restaurant chips’. THE THREE TUNS The Street,Lower Halstow, Sittingbourne, Kent. ME9 7DY 01795 842840 www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk [email protected]

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13 14 Working with micro breweries from all over Kent, we have; · A range of bottled ales sold individually or buy a case of 12 and receive a 10% discount

· Polypins of various sizes at very reasonable prices, great for parties! · Custom-made gift sets for the ale-lovers’ special occasions For full details of what beers we offer, visit our website or call Leon on 07414 538775

15 Kent brewery news

ABIGALE - Has ceased brewing. The plant is up for sale. 01233 661310 Unit 4, Javelin Enterprise Park, Javelin Way, Ashford, TN24 8DE. www.abigalebrewing.co.uk. BLACK CAT - Only part-time brewing to supply five pubs. Turns away requests for ale but is considering ex- panding. 07948387718 Eridge Road, Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9NJ. www.blackcat-brewery.com CANTERBURY ALES - Knights Ale has been tweaked with East Kent Goldings added late in the boil. 01227-732541 Unit 7, Stour Valley Business Park, Ashford Road, Chartham, Canterbury CT4 7HF. www.thecanterburyales.co.uk CANTERBURY BREWERY - Now brewing a core of five ales. 01227- 455899 The Foundry Brewpub, White Horse Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2RU. www.thefoundrycanterbury.co.uk GOACHERS - 01622 682112 Unit 8, Tovil Green Business Park, Tovil, Maidstone, ME15 6TA. www.goachers.com. GOODY ALES - Recently brewed Good Lord 5%, a rich, medium-full bodied porter. 01277-361555 The Bleangate Brewery, Braggs Lane, Herne,

CT6 7NP. www.goodyales.co.uk . HOP FUZZ - Now brewing six regular ales. 07850-441267. Unit 8, Riverside Industrial Estate, West Hythe, CT21 4NB. www.hopfuzz.co.uk. HOPDAEMON - 01795 892078 Unit I, Parsonage Farm, Seed Road, Newn- ham, Faversham, ME9 0NA. www.hopdaemon.com KENT BREWERY - Experimenting with a new hop variety grown by Wye Hops near Canterbury. 01634-780037 The Long Barn, Birling Place Farm, Stangate Road, Birling, West Malling, ME19 5JN. www.kentbrewery.com. KETTLEDRUM - 460 Rochester Road, Burham, Rochester ME1 3RH. LARKINS - 01892 870328 Larkins Farm, Hampkins Hill Road, Chidding- stone, Edenbridge, TN8 7BB MAD CAT BREWERY - 07960-263615 Brogdale Farm, Brogdale Road, Faversham ME13 8XU [email protected] The first brew in December was Golden IPA 4.6%. MILLIS - 01322 866233 St Margret’s Farm, St Margret’s Road, South Darenth, Dartford , DA4 9LB. www.millisbrewing.com

16 Kent brewery news - 2

MOODLEYS MICRO - 01892 821366 - Bowens Farm, Poundsbridge Lane, Penshurst, TN11 8AJ. www.moodleys.co.uk. NELSON BREWING COMPANY - 01634 832828 Unit 2, Building 64, Historic Dockyard, Chatham, ME4 4TE. www.nelsonbrewery.co.uk. OLD DAIRY - 01580 243185 The Old Parlour, Rawlinson Farm, Rolvenden, Cranbrook, TN17 4JD. www.olddairybrewery.com OLD FORGE - Recently brewed Hot Iron a 6.4% porter and is considering bringing back Bishop’s Brew Stout. 01233-720444 Farriers Arms, The For- stal, Mersham, Ashford, TN25 6NU. www.thefarriersarms.com RAMSGATE - Ramsgate has joined forces with Westerham and Sam- brook's breweries to establish a new bottling business. 01843 868453 1 Hor- nets Close, Pysons Road Industrial Estate, Broadstairs, CT10 2YD. www.ramsgatebrewery.co.uk. RIPPLE STEAM BREWERY - 07917-037611 Parsonage Farm, Vale Road, Sutton, Dover, CT15 5DH. www.ripplesteambrewery.co.uk ROCKIN ROBBIN - Now based in Loose but owner Robin Smallbone hopes to move to an industrial unit at Aylesford sometime in 2013. ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS BREWING CO - Have ceased bottling at present. 01892 618140 Spa Brewery, 18H Chapman Way, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3EF. www.royaltunbridgewellsbrewing.co.uk. SHEPHERD NEAME - Brilliant Pale 5.6% and Salutation 4% have been tested at the pilot plant. 01795 532206 17 Court Street, Faversham, ME13 7AX. www.shepherdneame.co.uk. SPENCER’S BREWERY - New brewery producing Bitter 4%, Blonde 4.2% and Galaxy 4.7%. 01233-610215 Unit 5, Ashford Works, Brunswick Road, Cobbs Wood Ashford, Kent, TN23 1EH www.spencersbrewery.co.uk SWAN ON THE GREEN - Produced several green hopped ales last year. 01622 812271 The Green, West Peckham, Maidstone, ME18 5JW. www.swan-on-the-green.co.uk TIR DHA GHIAS BREWERY - a micro-brewery located within the Cullin’s Yard Restaurant, Cambridge Road, Dover, CT17 9BY. The restau- rant number is 01304-211666. www.cullinsyard.co.uk TONBRIDGE BREWERY - 01732-366770 Whitoaks, Tudley Road, Ton- bridge, TN11 0NW. www.tonbridgebrewery.co.uk

17 Kent Brewery News - 3

WANTSUM - The new conical fermenter and the 12 barrel copper mash tun are now in operation. 08450-405980 Unit 22, Sparrow Way, Lakesview Indus- trial Park, Hersden, Canterbury, CT3 4AL www.wantsumbrewery.co.uk WESTERHAM BREWERY CO - (see Ramsgate Brewery entry) 01732 864427 - Grange Farm, Pootings Road, Crockham Hill, Edenbridge TN8 6SA. www.westerhambrewery.co.uk. WHITSTABLE - 01622 851007 - Little Telpits Farm, Woodcock Lane, Grafty Green, Maidstone, ME17 2AQY. www.whitstablebrewery.info

18 19 Pub / Restaurant / Accommodation Gardeners Arms Higham

Situated in the heart of the village of Higham close to Charles Dickens last home Gads Hill Place. Enjoy our excellent selection of Shepherd Neame Real Ales, lagers, wines and spirits and an award winning restaurant offering an impressive and high quality menu. The restaurant is an ideal place to celebrate, we can cater for most sized parties and we will always do our best to cater for special needs when requested. Our cuisine is of the highest quality and only sourced from reputable local suppliers. Our food is fresh and cooked on the premises to order. Contact us by email [email protected] or call 01474-823901 or visit: www.gardenersarmshigham.co.uk The Gardeners Arms, Forge Lane, Higham, Rochester, Kent, ME3 7AS.

20 GoodThe Intent Rochester

John Street, Rochester ME1 1YL 01634 843118 - [email protected] Karen & Dal offer you a warm welcome to our pub where we have up to 40 gravity fed real ales throughout each month.

Two separate bars and a large south facing garden. Private functions catered for Traditional pub games and pool table Large TV for sports. Quiz nights, Live gigs last Saturday of the month. Folk Singaround - 1st and 3rd Tuesday, Folk Showcase - 2nd Tuesday, Open Mike - 2nd and 4th Thursday (PA provided)

Medway CAMRA Pub of the Year 2008 Good Beer Guide since 2005 Summer barbeques and Beer Festivals

21 BEING BRANCH CHIEF

The role of chairman of the Medway branch of CAMRA has changed hands a few times recently. James Whiteoak held the post for six years before handing over to Bob Erridge. Unfortunately because of other commitments he has had to pass the job onto Geoff Negus. James reflects on his six years at the helm: When Bob Erridge stood down from the post of Chair- man of the Branch and I was persuaded to step up from being an ordinary committee member to the role, I was led to believe that it just involved chairing a few commit- tee meetings. As I was subsequently to find out the role is much more than that. To be perfectly honest, being supported by Branch mem- bers in taking on the post was a tremendous boost to my ego, although I was to find over the course of my time in the post that it was not all a bed of roses. This is not to say that there hasn't been fun and I have en- joyed representing the Branch at regional meetings of the different Kent Branches of CAMRA where financial and other business news is discussed as well as campaigning news and sharing news about pubs, new beers, Kent breweries and the planning of forthcoming beer festivals. If this sounds a bit boring then the added incentives were that each branch would take it in turn to host the meeting in a pub or club selling good beer and with a buffet lunch laid on for the participants. We also heard interesting pres- entations from members of CAMRA's National Executive and from brewers and licensees. How can I sum up my time as Chairman? Well membership locally has shot up and at the last count I had was 475 CAMRA members. Of those, I think I know about a couple of dozen people although the core active membership including the committee was about 12 people. However, if members were simply volunteering to work at beer festivals, pro- viding pub news or penning contributions for our magazine Medway Beer Belly, then, as far as I am concerned, they were supporting the campaign just as much as the individual who takes on the less glamorous but equally impor- tant position of Treasurer. BEING BRANCH CHIEF - 2

So what of Medway Beer Belly? I know that there was a big gap between the last two editions but it now seems to be back on track. What I am proud to say is that under my Chairmanship, Medway Beer Belly had gone from strength to strength and had even been recognised as the most improved publication in Kent region. Beer Belly has also for some time now been produced in colour. The success has been due in no small part however to the hard work of all its contributors and distributors, advertising managers and the editors and special thanks must go to John Brice and his predecessor Karl Martin who built on the earlier foundations made by Colin Maskell and George Ansell. What, however, does the post of Chairman involve? Well, apart from chairing meetings and representing the branch at other meetings, my role was to give some leadership. I also hope I was able to bring my skills as a conciliator to bear. I also hope I managed to make committee meetings shorter as when I first became active these meetings tended to drag on. The Branch Chairman also has to be visible and I hope I was by being on hand to make annual Pub of the Year certificate presentations to successful licensees. Furthermore, I hope I helped succeed in putting Medway CAMRA on the po- litical map as I managed to get one of our local Members of Parliament to at- tend a Kent Regional meeting when it was Medway Branch's turn to host the event. It is just a pity that the politicians who govern us continue to ignore the needs of responsible drinkers and rising beer prices now seem to have a depressing inevitability. This together with the rising tide of pub closures locally, my de- teriorating health and general tiredness persuaded me that after six years as Chairman it was time to pass on the baton to someone else. I must say, however that I could not have carried on the role without the sup- port of my committee and the many other too numerous local members who keep the Branch functioning. Special thanks must, however, go to Tony Page, Colin Maskell, Mike Thomas, Simon Ellwood, John Brice, Karl Martin, Geoff Negus, Martin Spence, Margaret David and Nigel Batchelor. I have also appteciated the wise words of others and special mention must go to Alec and Heather James, Chris Murphy, Kae Mendham, Bob and Paul Middleton and Ted Whitaker. 23 Kings Arms Upnor Medway CAMRA Pub of the Year www.kingsarmsupnor.co.uk Part of the Medway Hopper Group NEW Off sales: takeaway bottle list of up to 100 British and International beers at competitive prices.

GREAT BEER 5 hand pumps including a mild or stout NEW Several real and perries NEW German lager on draught NEW Lieffmans fruit beer on draught NEW Wide range of international bottled beers

GREAT FOOD Homemade bar food to a la carte Popular Sunday lunch (advisable to book)

GREAT ATMOSPHERE Traditional public bar NEW Snug area with cosy log burner Seperate restaurant

GREAT BEER GARDEN NEW Newly terraced with semi permanent marquee suitable for a range of functions and our regular beer festivals

24 THE EAGLE TAVERN

5 Real Ales Doombar,Tribute,Bombardier,Hobgoblin 1 Guest Ale Food Served Mon-Sat 12PM-8PM

Rochesters Premier Music Venue (Full Listings @ www.theeagletavern.org.uk) 124 High Street, Rochester 01634 409040 MEDWAY CAMRA’S CHRISTMAS SOCIAL

Twenty-one Medway CAMRA members and guests met at the Britannia Bar Café, in Rochester High Street for the annual Christmas Social early in December. Everyone enjoyed themselves and were particularly complimentary about the quality of the buffet provided by our hosts, Colin and John. Three real ales were on offer, in- cluding the permanent Goachers Fine Light, a wonderful session ale. A raffle was held that yielded £31 for CAMRA funds thanks to the ticket selling qualities of Tony! There were prizes of bottled beers and badged glasses which had been very kindly donated by Nelson brewery and local mem- bers Nigel Batchelor and Ian Howard. It was good to see both old and newer members in attendance all enjoying the atmosphere created by the group.

Why not check the diary on Page 4 and come along for our next social?

28 NORTH DOWNS WALK - by James Whiteoak

I had set out first by train to Sittingbourne where I boarded the bus that took me via Lynsted and Doddington to the village of Newnham. As I wanted to get to the Carpenter's Arms at Eastling a mile away in time for opening at Noon and as the George in Newnham had not yet opened, I set off on the walk to Eastling that took me up and down five steep hills and through two valleys. My reward for this effort when I reached the pub was a pint of Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay Organic Ale at 4.5% ABV. After chatting to the land- lord Mitch for about half an hour it was time to leave this gem of a pub to wait outside for the infrequent but nevertheless useful bus to the Plough at Stalis- field Green. The Plough is in an imposing building on the Green itself and is listed in the Good Beer Guide. The Landlord Bob is also a supporter of CAMRA's Locale scheme, but Bob is not only keen on sourcing his beers locally but also sources from Kent-based suppliers the wines and food that are served in the restaurant. I had a pint of Genesis Bitter at 3.5% ABV from Goody's brewery. That pint from what was then Kent's newest brewery helped wash down an ample por- tion of fish and chips. By the time I left the pub to walk up the lane, the pub was packed with diners. Although it is only a mile to walk from the Plough to the Good Beer Guide listed Bowl Inn, one of the locals gave me a lift to the pub. The Bowl was to be my base for the weekend as I had booked in for three nights bed and break- fast in one of this 500 year old buildings comfortable rooms. To be honest, I did not want to have to stagger too far to bed from the Bowl's beer tent as this weekend was the occasion of the pub's 18th annual beer festival. As usual, the beer tent in the pub's rear garden was well stocked with a wide choice of beers with a range of new ones as well as some old favourites. A bar- becue kept festival goers fed while live music kept them entertained. All the musicians had, however, to play indoors because of the bad weather and this meant it got a bit noisy inside the bar at times. While attendance at the beer festival may have been down on previous years, people possibly being put off by the thunderstorm and what seemed at times like persistent and teeming downpours, dedicated discerning drinkers were re- warded with a choice of beers ranging from Brains Dark at 3.5% ABV at one end to Gadds Dogbolter which is a lovely Porter at 5.6% ABV.

29 NORTH DOWNS WALK - 2

Easily my favourite, however, was Woodforde's Wherry at 3.8% ABV. This part of Kent bordered by the main roads linking Maidstone to Sitting- bourne, Faversham, Canterbury and Ashford is a haven of rural peace and ide- al cycling, walking and riding country because of the quiet of the lanes and footpaths that criss-cross it. It is also an area blessed with having some superb pubs of which the Carpen- ter's Arms, the Plough and the Bowl are to name but a few." Notwithstanding the title of this article, if you have the impression I spent the whole weekend drinking beer, I did walk down into the pretty village of Char- ing to get my Saturday and Sunday newspapers. I did not, however, get all the exercise I should have had as I kept accepting lifts from the locals. I did walk most of the way to the Plough on Saturday tea- time to get my supper and being much struck by the verdant scenery on my route. This should have been unsurprising given the recent deluge. I had reserved a table at the Plough as I knew that it is popular and gets busy and it is just as well I did, as I saw a couple being turned away because there were no more available tables. While the quality of the food at the Plough is excellent, I must say I found it a bit expensive, but then it was nicely presented and all the food ingredients are sourced from local producers. Moreover, the Plough has won accolades for the quality of its food. While this is very much a destination pub for diners, the Plough does, however, offer weekday lunchtime specials and Ploughman's lunches at reduced prices. As I sat drinking some KGB (Kent Golding Bitter) at 4.1% ABV from the Kent brewery, I was impressed by the effort made by the landlord Bob to ex- plain to new customers the tasting notes of the different ales that he had on sale. While this pub does a thriving restaurant trade, Bob encourages drinkers to come into his establishment and several people were sitting at the bar while I was there. The Plough also has its own beer festival and music lovers are regularly enter- tained. When I got back to the Bowl on Saturday night both the pub and beer tent were heaving with people and the car park was similarly packed.

30 NORTH DOWNS WALK - 3

A constant stream of people also came through the beer tent on Sunday and fortunately most of the beer that had been put on had gone by the early evening. The following morning, fortified by another good nights sleep and the Bowl Inn's substantial breakfast, I set off back to the bus stop by the Plough. I was grateful to be ferried there by Alan, the Bowl's landlord as it was raining again. And so, a wonderful but soggy summer weekend at the Bowl had come to an end. Both Alan and the landlady Sue, his wife, had made me feel very welcome as had their staff and the pub's regular customers. This part of Kent bordered by the main roads linking Maidstone to Sitting- bourne, Faversham, Canterbury and Ashford is a heaven of rural peace and ideal cycling, walking and riding country because of the quiet lanes and foot- paths that criss-cross it. It is also an area blessed with having superb pubs of which the Carpenter's Arms, the Plough and the Bowl are to name but a few. KENT ALES - MY STORY - by leon simmonds

Back in July of last year, I was researching which Kent breweries would be rep- resented at the Great British Beer Festival. I am a great fan of the ales produced in our county and was expecting a strong turnout. To my dismay just eight brews from eight breweries made their way to Olympia which was very sad when you consider there are nearly 30 breweries in Kent and compared to the 130 plus ales at the festival from the USA! This put the thought in my head that maybe there was room in the market for a business, specialising in the sale and promotion of bottled beers from the many Kent micro-breweries we have. We called ourselves 'Kent-Ales' and approached the award-winning Old Dairy Brewery in Rolvenden for our first range of beers. That was at the end of Au- gust, now we have nine breweries and 35-40 different ales available. We regu- larly attend around a dozen farmers' markets every month as well as several drinks fairs and are constantly on the look out for new breweries and ales to stock. We have our web-site up and running http://www.kent-ales.co.uk/ which contains all the information you need about the business and we are also con- nected to Facebook and Twitter. This year should prove to be a great year for Kent-Ales, supporting Kent breweries!

33 34 the story of kent cider

Cider is as much a part of Kent as hops and beer! Cider was already being brewed in Kentish villages when the Romans first appeared on our shores. With the of Christianity, orchards became an established feature of monasteries. A subsequent decline was reversed by Henry VIII, who instruct- ed his fruiterer Richard Harris to import trees from France and a model orchard was planted in Teynham. The Kent Cider Company is still growing apples on this very site. Apple orchards began to peak during the 17th cen- tury, when almost every farm had its own cider orchard and press. In the late 20th century the popularity was recog- nised by the major companies and, in a bid to capi- talise from this, various imitations, such as Stella Cidre, Diamond White and Scrumpy Jack do not qualify as real ciders as they are produced using imported apple concentrate, chemical flavourings, sweeteners or preservatives – somewhat far from the true product!! Some traditional cider makers do not even add sugar, but allow natural and wild yeasts to build the flavour over fermentation from three to six months or, even twelve months. Real cider should be neither pasteurised, nor carbonated. Principal- ly, cider is made from the maker’s preferred variety of pressed apple juice with a maximum of 15% water and maybe a hint of nutrasweet to remove an excess dryness. Scrumpy is made from ‘withered’ or over-ripe apples, which helps create a cloudiness, whereas other produc- ers use the apple at the peak of their growth. Some producers will then add other ingredients, Magic Bus Kreikee Bus has morello cherries to give a dis- tinctive flavour or, their Perfick Pear, which is made from St Christopher pears.

35 the story of kent cider- 2

At the last count, Kent had a healthy 21 cider producers, some with evocative names, such as Rough Old Wife, Double Vision or, Dudda’s Tun which was the 11th century name for Doddington. They are listed on the CAMRA head office website. (http://www.camra-afrm.org.uk/kent-cider-producers) Cider is reputedly at the high end of the alcoholic strength generally from 5.0% ranging to over 10%, so be advised not to expect a long and sober ses- sion and certainly not to drive! The basic flavours, like real ales are sweet, me- dium and dry. As with real ale, don’t be put off by your first tasting. If it is not your preferred flavour there will be many others that are. In addition to the last Medway Beer Festival, which showcased thirty different ciders, Brogdale Farm at Faversham, which is the home of the National Fruit Collection, holds an annual Cider Festival each September with ciders from over the UK and Kent in particular. Cider making has traditionally been associated with the Apple . This a traditional form of practiced in the cider during the winter. There are many well recorded instances of the Apple Wassail in the early modern period. The first recorded mention was at Fordwich, Kent, in 1585, by which time groups of young men would go between orchards performing the rite for a reward. The practice was sometimes referred to as “howling”. On (January 17th) men would go with their wassail bowl into the orchard and go about the trees. Slices of bread or toast were laid at the roots and sometimes tied to branches. Cider was also poured over the tree roots. The ceremony is said to "bless" the trees to produce a good crop in the forthcoming season. This practice is still maintained by the Kent Cider Compa- ny in their orchards. More and more Medway pubs are beginning to cater for the growth in popularity of real cider. Real cider can be found in the Kings Arms, Man of Kent, Mar- quis of Lorne, KGV, The Frog & Toad, Will Adams, and The Good Intent, to name but a few. If you know of more, submit the pub details to CAMRA (http://www.camra.org.uk/page.php?id=295) and they will send a sticker for their window. Medway Pub News By Various Contributors The White Horse, Borstal - It was closed by Greene King in December after failing an electrical safety inspection. Landlord Mick Sherwood hopes to be able to buy it from the brewery so that it can reopen. The Crispin & Crispianus, Strood - At auction is was bought by a former customer who plans to renovate it. Work is due to start soon. South Eastern Hotel, Strood - An application has been submitted to Medway Council to turn it into seven flats. The Green Dragon, Gillingham - This pub closed around 10 years ago but Medway Council has approved a plan to to demolish it and build 16 flats. The Rose Inn, Gillingham - Construction has begun to turn the building into flats. The Black Lion, Gillingham - An application has been submitted to Medway Council to build houses in the garden. The application has been refused. The Woodsman, Weedswood - mhs homes has submitted a planning application to Medway Council to build two blocks of 13 affordable flats with car parking and cycle storage. No final decision has been made. The Fenn Bell, St Mary Hoo - This has now reopened following an explo- sion and fire in November. The Army, Navy & Air Force Veteran’s Club, Gillingham - has closed and club leaders have outlined plans to sell off the building in Marlborough Road. The Jubilee, Strood - has been boarded-up. The Canopus, Borstal - A planning application has been submitted to turn the site into three residential units. The Kings Head, Rochester - has been refurbished and reopened. Expectations, Rochester - has reopend as a fish & chip shop. Churchills, Chatham - is closed and up for sale or to let. Ship, Rochester - has now re-opened. Thanks to the various Medway CAMRA members and others who have supplied the above information. If you have any pub news, please let us know (details on Page 3). All news was believed to be correct at the time of publication - changes may have occurred since.

37 The Following Outlets all receive Medway Beer Belly - If you would like to be added please give us a call.

Bluebell Hill Scruffy Duck United Services Wouldham Robin Hood Upper Con. Club Club Foresters Arms Burham Will Adams Three Sisters OFF LICENCES Toastmasters United Services Rochester Ace Wines, Strood Windmill Halling Britannia Harry’s Off- Breadhurst Homeward Bound Carpenters Arms Licence Rochester Bell Chatham Higham Coopers’ Arms Outside Medway Alexandra Gardeners Arms Crown Charing Constitution Castle Railway Eagle Bowl Inn Nelson Brewery ShipStonehorse High Golden Lion Faversham & Trades Tiger MothHalstow Red Dog Good Intent The Elephant Cliffe Lower Halstow Granville Arms Pheonix Six Bells Three Tuns Kings Head Man Railway Cooling Hoo of Kent Ship Swan & Horseshoe & Castle Hoo Institute Two Brewers Harslequin Cuxton Windmill Lidsing What The Gravesend Crown White Hart Harrow Rainham Dickinns Who’d & Thistle Jolly Gillingham Angel Ha Thought It Drayman Cricketers Concorde Strood Maidstone Dog & Bone Dewdrop Cecil Arms Druid’s Arms Frog & Toad Green Lion Royal Oak Flower Pot Milton Hastings Arms King Mackland Arms Sportsman Three Regis Three Hats George V Marquis ofRailway Rainham Crutches Upnor Upchurch Brown Lorne Royal British Social Club Kings Arms Jug Legion Rose Tudor Rose Ship

Rochester, Twydall & Wigmore Libraries Visitor’s Information Centre - Rochester Medway Archives Centre, Stood

The 2013 edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide would make a perfect present for a friend! It costs £10 for CAMRA members or £12.99 for non-mem- bers - RRP: £15.99 Buy direct from CAMRA rather than other retailers and we make more profit which we invest directly into campaigning for real ale, community pubs and drinkers' rights. To order your copy go to: www.camra.org.uk 38 Mini Quiz

Here is something to test your brain cells while you are enjoying a pint in your local. Can you name the Kent breweries hidden in these anagrams? There are no prizes, it’s just a bit of fun. The answers will be published in the next edition of Beer Belly. If you need to cheat, you will find big clues in another section of this magazine. Good luck!

TALC BACK FOLDER GO BAIL AGE LENS ON AMEND HOOP GO BID RENT MAC VANE HOG RACES BLAST WE HIT WE THRASH ME SO DELAYS GO NUT SWAM PEN CRESS MALE TIPPERS PHASE MEND HERE CRIB ON OR INK WORSE GANNET HEN YARD IDOL MEGA RATS STIR A UNDERBELLY GLOW MIS ILL FUZZ HOP SILK RAN DO MY SOLE ANCESTRAL BUYER WE KERB ENTRY HAS RIGHT LAD DON FURY LAGS GREW

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