The 'Just Reproach' Opens

Issue 50 Winter 2011/12 INSIDE THE 'JUST REPROACH' Getting to Know OPENS THE KENT DEAL GETS A NEW MICROPUB - See Page 28 WEATHERSPOONS HEAD FOR DEAL TOO - See Local News BREWERY West Malling See Page 34 THE ORIGINS OF PORTER The early history of this distinctive beer style See Page 45 Channel Draught is published and ISSUE 50 ©2012 by the Deal Dover Winter 2011/12 Sandwich & District Branch of the elcome to 2012 and the fiftieth edition of C h annel Campaign for Real Ale W D raught, just over twelve years from our very first www.camra-dds.org.uk edition in November 1999. That was just a single folded A3 broadsheet which managed to include local news, Editorial Team national news, branch diary, a list of local contacts and a E d ito r & pub crawl around Dover. All somewhat different now and Advertising a lot more work. However, we trust we have maintained Martin Atkins the initial spirit and that it has remained every bit as en Editorial Assistants joyable and informative a read. Trisha Wells Regular readers over the last year will be aware of re John Pitcher ports that a micro brewery was in the process of being Design & Format established in our branch area. We now know that this is S te v e B e ll not quite true, and in fact can confirm that recent months have seen the creation of not just one brewery, but two, Cullin's Yard, Dover, whose progress we have been fol Editorial Address lowing, plus a second at Sutton Vale, to be called the You can write to the Ripple Steam Brewery, and which we were totally un aware of until shortly before Christmas. Further details E d ito r c/o of both in Local News and Kent Small Brewery News. In 2 Eastbrook Place addition, we can also now claim our first micro pub, the Dover CT16 1RP Just Reproach in King St. Deal, which features on our 01304 216497 front cover. It is described at greater length on page 28. E m ail martin_ atkins_camra In common with the rest of the country, real ale in our @yahoo.co.uk Branch area continues to attract growing interest, and few pubs now have nothing to offer. Among more recent Please note that views expressed herein are converts we should perhaps single out the Funky Mon not necessarily those key in Dover, once considered merely a venue for of this branch or youngsters and all things keg, the Mill Inn, Deal where CAMRA Ltd John Townsend has expanded the choice from nil to Please drink three hand pumps, and the Carpenters Arms, Coldred s e n s ib ly ! where local or more distant micros are always available. Advertising Rates Elsewhere in this edition, as well as reporting on the Full page - £40 Just Reproach, Roger Marples also visits another of the Back page + £50 new crop of Kentish micro breweries, and we print an / page £20 account of a visit from Norfolk to East Kent at the time of Format: Microsoft Word / last year's White Cliffs Festival of Winter Ales. We also Publisher/PDF or any com take a look at a local community owned pub and brew mon graphics format plus ery, outline something of the origins of porter, as well as printed copy. Please submit copy for providing all the usual news and information. Spring Edition by M artin Atkins 29th February 2012 Page 2 CONTENTS 3 Events diary 38 Dover Soul - West Norfolk 4 Lobbyists at Work Branch Trip to East Kent 6 Local News 41 Crossword 14 Kent Small Brewery News 42 A Long Walk Between Pubs 17 National News 45 The Origins of Porter 21 SIBA South East Bottled Beer 48 The Farriers Arms - a Competition 2011 Community Pub 23 Festive Ramblings & 51 Taking Cardiff to Oxford - the R u m b lin g s Beery Boaters Autum n 2011 T rip. 28 The Just Reproach, new 58 Last Knockings M icropub in Deal 60 CAMRA Membership Form 32 Channel View 61 Local Information, CAMRA Info 34 Getting to Know - The Kent 62 Advertisers Index Brewery, Birling, West Malling 62 And Finally ........ EVENTS DIARY Fri 3 & Sat 4 Feb White Cliffs Festival of Winter Ales - Dover Town Hall Fri 17 & Sat 18 Feb Beer Festival - London Brewers - Berry, Walmer (from 4pm Fri, Sat hours normal)* Mon 20 Feb Branch Meeting - Bohemian, Deal. Fri 2 & Sat 3 Mar Beer Festival - Royal Cinque Ports Yacht Club, Dover* Mon 19 Mar Branch Meeting - Three Cups, Dover. Thur 5 to Mon 9 Apr Beer Festival - Chambers, Folkestone* Fr1 6 & Sat 7 Apr Planet Thanet Beer Festival, Winter Gardens, Margate Mon 16 Apr AGM and Branch Meeting - Blakes of Dover Fri 20 - Sun 22 Apr Beer Festival - Unicorn, Bekesbourne* Fri 20 - Mon 23 Apr Beer Festival - Five Bells, Eastry* Branch Website www.camra-dds.org.uk Branch meetings are held every third Monday of each month and start at 7.30pm. For full details about rural rambles & pub strolls, please email [email protected] or call 01304 214153. Events marked * are not organised by CAMRA Find us on n Facebook Page 3 LOBBYISTS AT WORK AMRA has roundly condemned the government’s package of measures an Cn ounced in the wake of the Business Select Committee’s report on pub com panies, as too weak to save Britain’s pubs. Instead of adhering to a commitment to implement the recommendations of the MPs’ damning report, which called for radi cal reform of the exploitative hold the national pubcos have over their tenants, the government has opted for industry self regulation via the British Beer & Pub Asso ciation (BBPA). CAMRA says that while it offers some small steps forward, the gov ernment’s response has failed to address the key issues of lessees with a genuine free-of-tie and guest beer option, and will not rebalance the relationship between struggling licensees and large pub companies. Given pub companies’ history of broken promises and abandoned commitments, even this limited package may not be delivered on. CAMRA’s chief executive Mike Benner said: "The government has been cavalier in rejecting the recommendations of the Business Select Committee and instead put ting its faith in the ability of the very companies accused of malpractice, to finally put their house in order.” He added, the lack of consultation suggests a failure to listen to all interested parties including the consumer, the package’s limitations were a massive blow to the prime minister’s claim to being pub friendly. Pubs are vitally important to the health of communities and the overall economy. Chairman of the parliamentary Save the Pub Group, Greg Mulholland MP, commented: "Ministers and officials have either taken the easy way out or have had the wool pulled over their eyes by the very people so criticised by the select committee. The response does nothing to address the fundamental point about the unfair share of turnover pubcos take from pubs, which makes it impossible for many tenants to make a living, even when their takings are at a decent level.” According to the Independent in January, emails from the Department for Busi ness, Innovation and Skills (BIS) obtained under the Freedom of Information Laws by the Save the Pub Group, suggested that the BBPA exerted a heavy influence on the Government. Apparently the department's civil servants preparing its response to the Business Select Committee’s report copied chunks of a document from the BBPA, in some cases cutting and pasting paragraphs without changing a word. In September the department had concluded that the industry was incapable of re forming itself and was backing legislation. By November Business minister Ed Davy said he was prepared to give self regulation another go by agreeing to a tougher code of practice, which would be inserted into new "tied” contracts; the department having apparently accepted the advice of a lawyer hired by the BBPA that these would be legally binding. The Save the Pub Group said there was "a wholly inappropriate relationship” be tween the Department and the BBPA. As well as being worryingly close, advice was sought and taken by the Department "without any scrutiny and without consult ing the licensee and consumer groups.” Both the BIS and BBPA refuted the claims. 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, The Mcilroys, Roger Marples, John Pitcher, Tony Wells, Jim Green and Mike Sutcliffe 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.

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