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INSIDE WELCOME TO DOVER? A STROLL THROUGH I TIME & TOWER HAMLETS Part Two See Page 34 GETTING TO KNOW CAN WE SAVE OUR GADD'S A trip to the DISAPPEARING TOWN Ramsgate Brewery See Page 45 PUBS? Channel D raught is published and ISSUE 37 ©2008 by the Deal Dover Autumn 2008 Sandwich & District Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale he chill winds of Autumn do blow, and perhaps www.camra-dds.org.uk T none more chill than this Autumn, as we discover that a large part of the world's financial system ap Editorial Team pears to have been constructed on the shifting sands Editor & of Biblical parable, and we head towards recession. Advertising Perhaps no better time then, than to turn to more solid Martin Atkins and substantial values, as might be found in real ale and the traditional public house. While no doubt brew Editorial Assistants ers and pubs will suffer along with the rest of us, over Trisha Wells the ensuing months, we might hope that the recent John Pitcher strength of real ale and the micro industry will place Design & Format them in a good position to weather this particular Steve Bell storm (see National News and Small Brewery News). Our economic problems might also have a silver lin Editorial Address ing, as the falling housing market makes it less attrac tive for pub chains and breweries to sell off their You can write to the “poorer performing” pubs for conversion to houses. Editor c/o 2 Eastbrook Place However as things stand at the moment public houses Dover CT16 1RP continue to be under considerable pressure, espe 01304 216497 cially in and around Dover - our cover illustrating the Email fate of one of the more recent casualties, the Hare & martin_ atkins_camra Hounds, Maxton. As we comment elsewhere in this @yahoo.co.uk newsletter a quarter of the town’s pubs have closed Please note that views over the last few years, half a dozen within the last expressed herein are year alone. Never has the phrase, “use or lose it” ap not necessarily those peared more apt. On the plus side, if you know where of this branch or to find it, the variety and quality of real ale has never CAMRA Ltd been better, and in Kent we have the good fortune to Please drink possess a number of very good small breweries. Our sensibly! newsletter contains a description of a visit to one this Advertising Rates summer. We also include our annual update of Kent Full page - £30 ish cider and perry producers, and local cider and Back page + £40 perry outlets; the second part of Paul Skelton's time % page £16 travel around the pubs of Tower Hamlets; the start of Format: Microsoft Word / the Beery Boaters 1985 spring trip; as well as local Publisher/PDF or any com mon graphics format plus and national news and some of our Branch's more printed copy. recent activities. Please submit copy for Winter 2008/09 Edition by Martin Utkins (Editor) 30th November 2008 Page 2 CONTENTS 3 Events diary 42 Rediscovering Hythe 4 The £5 Pint 45 Getting to know Gadd’s 6 Local News 47 Crossword (Not a Beer- 17 Tony’s Tappings word!) 22 National News 49 Now We Are Two - a 27 Kent Cider Producers & nostalgic look back at the Kent Cider Pubs Beery Boaters 1985 Trip 30 Kent Small Brewery News 56 Last Knockings 32 Channel View 60 Local Information 34 A Stroll Through Time & 61 CAMRA Info & Crossword Tower Hamlets Part Two Answers 39 The Butchers Arms, 62 Advertisers Index Herne Kent Pub of the 62 And Finally...... Year EVENTS DIARY Monday 17th November Branch Meeting, Louis Armstrong, Dover Fri 5th to Sun 7th Dec Beer Festival, Phoenix, Old Dover Rd, Canterbury* Monday 15th December Branch Meeting and Christmas Social, Fleur de Lis, Sandwich 7pm. Monday 19th January Branch Meeting, Blakes, Castle St, Dover. Fri 6th & Sat 7th February WHITE CLIFFS FESTIVAL OF WINTER ALES, Dover Town Hall Branch Website www.camra-dds.org.uk Branch meetings are normally held every third Monday of each month and start at 7.30pm. For full details about pub strolls, please email [email protected] or call 01304 214153. Events marked * are not organised by CAMRA Interested in joining CAMRA? Come along to one of our meetings! Page 3 protest about his taxation policies. Meanwhile 65,000 plus visitors, includ The £5 Pint ing 5,000 licensees and brewers, were asked to send their MP a postcard pro testing at high beer tax; and in the run n August CAMRA released figures up to the Festival over 1,700 people Ishowing that pub beer prices have had joined a Facebook group, “Fair surged following the budget. The aver Deal on Beer Tax”, to support calls for age pub price of a pint of real ale has lower excise duty on beer. increased by 12p and the average price of a pint of lager has increased by 14p. CAMRA Chief Executive Mike Benner These increases have taken place over said: “This year’s devastating increase a four month period and stem from a in beer tax has forced publicans to in 10% increase in beer tax in March’s crease prices, and pub-goers are right budget, and new research shows that to lay the blame at the door of the Gov 62% of pub goers blame the Govern ernment. High beer taxes threaten to ment for high pub beer prices. prevent many low and moderate earn ers enjoying a regular pint at their local Fierce price competition from super pub. We desperately urge the Chancel markets and falling beer sales have lor to think again before he goes down limited the ability of licensees to fully in history as the Chancellor who closed pass on cost increases to consumers. thousands of community pubs, dam However, as licensees come under aged community life, and prevented increasing financial pressure many will many millions of pub-goers from enjoy soon be forced to pass on, in full, the ing a regular trip to the pub.” increased tax, wholesale prices and operating costs. CAMRA fears that pub This is not something the British people beer price inflation this year could ex want; research released to coincide ceed 10%. Unless plans for swingeing with the festival revealed that 65% of increases in beer tax over the next four British people view the public house as years are reversed, many thousands of an integral part of British life. It also community pubs will close and average showed that 69% of all adults think well pub price of a pint in London and the -run community pubs are the best South East will be over £4 in a few places to enjoy alcohol. years. The very real prospect of a £5 Benner continued: “Public houses offer pint in some pubs by the time of the a safe, controlled and supervised envi 2012 London Olympics looms very ronment for people to relax with a drink. large. The Chancellor has failed to recognise CAMRA invited Alistair Darling to the that well-run community pubs are the Great British Beer Festival so that he solution to Britain's binge drinking prob might explain his tax-on-beer policy but lems. Ever increasing beer tax will do to no one's surprise he failed to turn up. nothing to stop binge drinking, as it will However if not there in person, he was simply lead to a continuing shift in con there in image. On the opening day, sumption away from well-run commu Tuesday 5th August, dozens of nity pubs to drinking at home, on the “Darlings” turned, up wearing Alistair streets and in public parks.” Darling face-masks, “fair deal on beer tax” t shirts and carrying placards, to Page 4 Your country pub in town Drop in for a pint or three of our excellent real ales, real ciders or perries. Or just a coffee. Or a glass or bottle of wine. Or one of our collection of over 50 malt whiskies. Or a bite to eat. Our own home-smoked salmon is famous and our doorstep sandwiches are made with fresh bread from our local bakery. And if you need accommodation for yourself or your visitors, we have 4 well-appointed en-suite rooms to sleep up to 4 people, rated 4* by VisitBritain. Blakes - no gimmicks, just good food and drink, good company and good hospitality. 52 Castle Street, Dover, CT16 1PJ 01304 202194 [email protected] www.blakesofdover.com Page 5 The Local News Contributors - Martin Atkins, Anne Mcilroy, Roger Marples, John Pitcher, Tony Wells, Malcolm Birt and Di Jones etc. Please note that any views expressed herein are those of the contributors and are not necessarily those of this branch or CAMRA Ltd If you have any news about a pub in your area - new beers or different beer range, alterations to the pub, beer festivals or anything that may be of interest to our readers , please email: [email protected] We are, of course, equally pleased to hear from landlords with news about their pub. DOVER sign and the overlooking of other prop Hare & Hounds, Folkestone Rd: The erties. Those of us who despair at the pub now joins the ranks of those that current sudden loss of so many Dover will not be featuring in these pages pubs may therefore retain some hope much more, having been declared a that the intentions of the developers non-pub by virtue of the District Coun might yet be forestalled and this par cil's granting of permission for conver ticular pub retained.

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