Swale Ale THE FREE MAGAZINE OF SWALE CAMRA SWALE’S NEW MICROPUB IN THIS ISSUE… A Micropub in Faversham? Hop Festival Report Green Hops in Kent Hidden Pub Gems Oast Farm Visit Saloon, Snug, Bottle and Jug AUTUMN/WINTER ISSUE 20131 THE ELEPHANT THE MALL, FAVERSHAM Primary Business Addr ess Your Add ress Line 2 Your Add ress Line 3 Your Add ress Line 4 Phone: 555 - 555 -5555 Fax: 555 - 555 -5555 E-mail: s ome one@ exa mple.c om Freehouse Swale Camra pub of the year 2007, 08, 09, 10, 11,2012. EAST KENT PUB OF THE YEAR 2010 Excellent selection of real ales BEST BEERS FOR MILES. 01795 590157, ME13 8JN 2 There are now 17 in East Kent and several Swale more in the pipeline. To set one up is amazingly simple; find empty shop premises in an area which you Gets Micropub consider lacks choice for the real ale enthusiast; seek advice from other Micropub owners (perhaps start with the Butcher’s Arms, Herne ‘At Last’ www.micropub.co.uk) prepare your plans and provide information on the proposal and talk it he Paper Mill, 2 Charlotte Street, Milton through with the Local Planning Authority. Then T Regis opened on October 12th, proof that submit the planning application and sort out the the Micropub revolution has finally reached arrangements for obtaining the required licences Swale. Congratulations and a big welcome to for the sale of alcohol (personal and premises). Marianne and Harvey who will be running the Once you have planning approval start pub. Following best practice from other converting the shop into a Micropub. There is Micropubs in East Kent ‘The Paper Mill’ features no set layout and provided you have ensured bench seating around the walls, ensuring most there is a proper cooling system for the storage people face inwards, of beer, you are well and robust solid on the way. The end wooden block tables. result is the real ale So what is a drinker ends up with Micropub? A a place that provides Micropub is a pub real ale as its main without all the selling point and not overheads of the an also ran with traditional public everything else; while house. Usually just the Micropub one room for real ale landlord fulfils their and conversation to dream of running a be enjoyed by like- pub. While there are minded individuals, the inevitable costs, it together with a avoids the millstone of debt around the t e m p e r a t u r e Photo by Andrew Kitney controlled room for neck associated with the cask beer to be kept; somewhere for glass pub companies. Plus the Micropub owners washing and of course unisex toilet facilities. As choose their own hours of opening! the Micropub Association Micropubs are not to everyone's taste of (www.micropubassociation.co.uk) says ‘KIS KIS’: course and I along with many others still enjoy Keep it small keep it simple. Not a lover of real the surroundings of a traditional pub. CAMRA is beer? Well, most do stretch to selling a glass of about consumer choice. However when you wine, or real cider. However, absolutely no cannot get a well kept pint of beer, from one of food, other than a few snacks; no music; no the many small breweries, local or from far fruit machines; no pool tables and no lager or afield, at a reasonable price, then sometimes the spirits. Micropub is the only option. There are many The first Micropub opened in Herne, supposed ‘free houses’ that offer nothing other Kent in 2005 and following the Landlord Martyn than a regional or national bland brand. Well it Hillier’s presentation on the Micropub concept may be time for them to re-think because to the 2009 CAMRA AGM in Eastbourne, many competition is arriving! have taken up his advice and followed his [JW] business model to set up their own Micropub. 3 Swale Ale © Autumn/Winter 2013 Editorial Published by the Swale Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale Ltd (CAMRA). elcome to the latest edition of Swale Ale. The W summer is now behind us and we can look Circulation: 1,000 forward to warming ourselves by a roaring fire in a cosy local with a pint or two of winter ale. This issue Editorial Committee and Contributors: is, as usual, packed with a wide variety of articles and Les Bailey, Derek Cole, Suzanne Collins, Christine Cryne, Mick Gall, reports alongside adverts for many of the fine real ale Gary Holness, Simon Ing, Paul Irving, pubs in the area. We also report on the opening of Andrew Kitney, Keir Stanley, Jeff Swale’s first Micropub, The Paper Mill in Waller, Malcolm Winskill. Sittingbourne. Print Liaison: Les Bailey Advertising: Gary Holness ——————————————–—— Chairman’s Chat All correspondence to: Les Bailey s the nights are now drawing in and the clocks 58 Wallers Road have gone back, the attention of the branch is Faversham A Kent now focused on one of our major tasks, the Good ME13 7PL Beer Guide. Over the coming months we will need to decide upon those pubs that will be considered and Email: [email protected] given a final survey to meet our allocation for the Telephone: 01795 538824 Good Beer Guide 2015. There are a few new ———————————————–— contenders but despite CAMRA national membership Any opinions expressed within these of over 150,000 and Swale branch membership being pages are those of the individual higher than ever before, we still need your help. authors only and do not represent Any members who drink real ale can assist by those of CAMRA or any of its officials. providing information and scoring though the What Pub site (www.whatpub.com). Thanks for all your help The existence of this publication in a particular outlet does not imply an in anticipation of YOUR exciting pub news. Me? I am endorsement of it by Swale CAMRA . off to drink some lovely dark ales. ———————————————–— Simon Ing Printed by: Trading Standards Abbey Print, Faversham ———————————————–—— If you believe that you have been treated unfairly in a local pub or bar you should contact your local trading standards Branch Details department. Trading Standards exist to ensure that Chairman: Simon Ing customers are treated fairly and neither cheated nor Secretary: Les Bailey mislead by traders. Social Secretary: Steve Bennion Treasurer: Les Bailey The Trading Standards organisation in Swale is entitled ‘Environmental and Consumer Protection’ and can be contacted on: Telephone 01233 898825 Email [email protected] 4 side the company have purchased a prime outlet in Royal Tunbridge Wells, ‘The Royal Wells Shepherd Neame Hotel’ and its Beau Nash Tavern, making 26 acquisitions since 2008. There are also a number of significant refurbishments to other AGM prime sites. A few questions followed, one in The Shepherd The Shepherd Neame AGM was particular was about micro-breweries and their held on Friday18th October with shareholders effect on the company business. The answer ; gathered in St. Mary’s Church, Faversham. I yes, they are key competitors but the trend attended as a proxy for a friend. An overview towards cask ale is also good for business given by the Chairman Miles Templeman said overall. Another question about the overall Shepherd Neame had put in a solid performance reduction in beer drinking was responded to in difficult market conditions; growth in with agreement that the six pint session drinker turnover of 1.4%. So positive news. is now probably down to two pints, however, Of particular interest were the Business this reduction was being met by a move to and Board reorganisation. Business changes, increasing the ‘value’ of sales and also pubs being firstly, brought a phased exit of contract developed to cater for wider audiences. brewing, to better utilise the plant capacity (I But, as to news of the Pilot Brewery and wrote down getting out of low margin trade). its different and varied brews: nothing. While Secondly, a ten year agreement with breweries such as Thwaites, Camerons and now ‘Kuehne+Nagel’ for distribution and even Greene King have identified a craft ale warehousing. How do they affect the real ale market and feature exciting new brews from drinker? Well in terms of real ale the contract their microplants, the Pilot Brewery remains brewing it doesn’t; as for distribution, it seems parked in the hangar waiting for the next op! the Waverley TBS beer agency collapse caused What Ho chaps stand down! problems and this is a way to ensure the [JW] products go out to market smoothly, and also reach into new areas covered by Kuehne+Nagel. The Board are reorganised into two Branch Diary divisions ‘Brewing and Brands’ and ‘Retail and Tenanted Pubs’. Interestingly the brands are Wednesday 13th November 2013 split into three categories Branch business meeting, 8pm ‘Heritage’ (connoisseurs), ‘Mainstream’ (regular The Three Hats, High Street, Milton Regis drinkers) and ‘Discovery/Craft’ (premium, world and craft beer markets). Heritage brands are Wednesday 11th December 2013 Bishop’s Finger, 1698 and new beers from old Business meeting, The Swan, Teynham, 8pm styles and recipes; Brilliant Ale, Double Stout th and IPA. Mainstream brands are Master Brew Saturday 14 December 2013 and Spitfire and the third category, well, decide Christmas pub crawl which one fits which heading; Sam Adams, Asahi Wednesday 8th January 2013 and….. Whitstable Bay? Whitstable Bay draught Business meeting, The Elephant, Faversham brewed in the main brewery but no reference to Shepherd Neame on the pump clip. Must be Wednesday 12th February 2013 for the craft market then. Business meeting, The Red Lion, Badlesmere The other news was that the disposal of primarily wet led sales pubs is almost complete.