Jubilant Ron The presentation to Ron and Annie Blown of the Bowl, Hastingleigh who won the AF&RM Branch Pub of the Year 2012 award. This unique village pub which has now featured in the last 6 editions of the Good Beer Guide having been converted from a run down establishment into a thriving village community hub and a Mecca for Kentish Ales. Contents Page No. Editorial Editorial 2 I hope that you all had an enjoyable, if a little damp What’s On 3 summer, visiting the wide variety of pubs in our area Pub Catering 4 and trying the local ales that are readily available Pub News 6 throughout the region. Kent can now boast of 25 Nimbys Continue to Object 9 breweries in addition to Shepherd Neame. Our previous chairman, Paul Meredith has now Another Local Brewery Success 10 retired and moved to Portugal. I’m not aware of any Tour of TN25 and TN26 Pubs 12 cask ale outlets out there so he will have to survive Shirley’s Recipe 14 on his favourite tipple, cider. He was also the Kent Real Ale For Beginners 16 Cider representative, a position that is now vacant. Brewery History Society 18 Thanks for all the effort Paul put into reviving Marsh Mash and steering us for the last 5 years. K&ESR Beer Festival 21 At the last Branch AGM I was elected as Chairman Beer Tax 22 with Michael Line replacing me as Secretary, full Support Your Local Lifeboats 22 details appear elsewhere in this edition of Marsh Heads Up 24 Mash. Coming Soon 25 One of Paul’s last jobs was with Graham, Ginny and Stephen to plan and implement the successful beer CAMRA Investment Club 26 festival at the Kent & East Sussex Railway in June, Green Hop Beer 28 where there was ample beer and cider for all those Hop Fuzz Interview 30 who attended on a bright but damp day. Whilst I’m of the opinion of the old adage of “if it Advertisers Page No. ain’t broke don’t fix it” we could do with some more willing members to attend our functions and Bowl Inn, Charing 11 to that end our Social Secretary, Nigel North, has Bowl Inn, Hastingleigh 29 planned a wide range of visits both within our Chambers, Folkestone 32 branch area and elsewhere, look at the list on the social page and come along and meet other like Cinque Ports, New Romney 17 minded fellows. Drum, Stanford 25 Nigel has also planned some new venues for socials Farriers Arms, Mersham 20 and has a few more embryo ideas including a beer Folkestone Rowing Club 5 and curry evening, more mini bus trips to remote George Inn, Bethersden 20 pubs and possible to France of Belgium, pub visits by Stagecoach bus or train. These will be added to our Hoodeners Horse, Great Chart 20 website www.camra-afrm.org.uk and to those Hop Fuzz Brewery, West Hythe 10 members who have signed up to the branch Yahoo Lifeboat Inn, Folkestone 9 group direct notification will be sent. Old Dairy Brewery, Rolvenden 15 Keith our Webmaster, due to other commitments, Oneonetwo wines, Hythe 11 has decided that this will be his last Marsh Mash as joint Editor so we are looking for someone to fill his Podge’s Belgium Beer Tours 24 roll before the next edition, hopefully before Red Lion, Hythe 27 Christmas, so if you are familiar with desktop Red Lion, Snargate 4 publishing please get in touch to ensure that we Shepherd & Crook, Burmarsh 11 continue with Marsh Mash. Star Inn, St Mary in the Marsh 5 In this edition of Marsh Mash, we have added some Three Mariners, Hythe 7 different articles in addition to regular pub news which we hope that you find of interest. White Hart, Hythe 29 Finally we cannot produce Marsh Mash without help White Hart, Newenden 9 from you, the branch has 433 members, but only about 10 attend our socials and provide information and articles to produce the text to support our Going somewhere new? advertisers. Why not join us on our social evenings, Seek guidance from GBG if the days are inconvenient please let us know and and avoid duff pubs we will arrange events on other days of the week. Marsh Mash Summer 2012 Page 2 What’s On Branch Meetings CAMRA Festivals For further details on meetings, socials and If you know of any event that beer festivals check out WHAT’S BREWING, might be of interest for the visit our branch website or join our Yahoo notice board, please contact Group (members only). the editorial team, details on Branch Meetings start at 19:30 page 31. 5th September, Three Mariners, Hythe Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival Saturday 20 - Sunday 21 October 10th October, Guildhall Folkestone White Cliffs Winter Festival 14th November, GBG Nominations County Friday 1 and Saturday 2 February 2013 Hotel Ashford (CAMRA members only) Thanet Beer Festival Social Events All welcome Friday 29 and Saturday 30 March 2013 Saturday 22nd September, Old Dairy Brewery. Meet 12:15 outside Bull Rolvenden. Booking essential via Michael Line, email: [email protected] Tuesday 2nd October, Stagecoach Explorer. Meet Folkestone bus station at 15:00. Sunday 14th October, Deal pub crawl - meet midday at the Just Reproach Thursday 25th October, Sandgate historical pub crawl visiting past and present pubs. Meet 18:00 at the Ship. Other Beer Festivals Tuesday 6th November, South Ashford pub East Cliff Tavern, Folkestone crawl, meet at the Locomotive 18:30. Saturday 25 - Monday 27 August Thursday 29th November, Pre-Advent pub Ship, Sandgate crawl in London, see website for details. Saturday 25 - Monday 27 August Saturday 15th December, Day trip to Folkestone Rowing Club Lewes, see website for details. Friday 12 - Sunday 14 October Saturday 29th December, Christmas Social Six Bells, Woodchurch at the Foundry, Canterbury, booking essential Friday 19 - Sunday 21 October via email: [email protected] Marsh Mash Summer 2012 Page 3 Pub Catering HOME-COOKED & HALF-BAKED Marketing-speak doesn’t appear to be only an affliction of the multi-nationals By our Herefordshire Licensing Twaddle correspondent There is much to commend pubs that serve good equally be made from local ingredients or from old-fashioned home-made food. Eschewing the mass ingredients bought via the internet from a pizza -produced mainstream offerings from national food factory in Slough. So, what is the difference? None, wholesalers, more and more pubs are preparing we would suggest. meals from first principles, and they often use fresh local produce too. It’s all good stuff, especially when combined with Locale beers and locally-made ciders. Meals on Wheels Many pubs in the latest CAMRA Herefordshire Pubs Digital Urinals guide can boast at least some home-made food. The Emperor’s clothes come to mind here. How However, one phrase you will not find to describe a much longer is this specious marketing-speak to pub’s food in the guide is the rather bizarre term persist before someone asks the obvious question: “home-cooked”. what does it mean? Where will we end up if the term “home-cooking” continues to be used Think about it for a moment. What precisely does it unchallenged - pubs advertising organic car parks; mean? What process is involved that makes a pub digital water features or bi-lingual urinals, perhaps? meal “home-cooked” as opposed to being cooked at the pub? Is the food brought-in pre-cooked in foil It’s all complete home-cooked rhubarb. containers from the licensee’s home in a van – This article might well be tongue-in-cheek, but surely that’s Meals on Wheels? Or maybe a pub nonetheless an appeal goes to pubs for 2012: Let’s doesn’t have a commercial kitchen, and meals are please get a grip and ditch the half-baked nonsense. cooked on a domestic cooker on the premises? A meal cooked on a Baby Belling cooker might help explain one or two lengthy waits for a pub meal in the past! Lavatorial tandoori One pub (thankfully not in Herefordshire) is even quoted in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide as offering Kitchen-cooked meals. Duh! Where else would they be cooked? On the roof, or perhaps in a tandoori oven in the ladies loo? What is for sure, is the term “home-cooked” gives absolutely no assurance as to the provenance of the ingredients in a meal. A so-called “home- cooked” meal can Marsh Mash Summer 2012 Page 4 Marsh Mash Summer 2012 Page 5 Pub News Harvey's Best Bitter as regulars and a Ashford Area frequently revolving range of guest beers such Utopia in Ashford has new owners and as Butcombe “Going for Gold” and changed its name to Horton’s and is reported Wadworth’s offering “Red, White and Brew." to provide a good “full Monty breakfast” for Also the Clifton Hotel continues to serve an less than £5 in addition to the changing cask excellent pint of Bass, scoring very high on the ales. Sharp’s Doom Bar and Woodforde’s NBSS CAMRA Scoring system. I wonder who Wherry were available during June. brews it these days!! The County Hotel, Wetherspoons, which is Sandgate residents are spoilt for choice with listed in the 2012 GBG, continues to supply a four changing beers at the Earl of Clarendon, wide range of good beers at reasonable prices. including one from Gadd’s at Ramsgate; and The Locomotive continues to sell Abigale two ciders and six beers at the Ship from beers, either Ridgeway or Samphire, alongside various breweries including Hopdaemon, Master Brew.