Swale Ale Spring 2012

Spring Issue 2012 1

The FREE Magazine of the Swale branch of

CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale

Swale Ale Vol 4 Issue 2

May is mild month

O nce again CAMRA are devoting a month of

campaigning to celebrate Mild beer in May.

The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of

the growing number of Mild beers brewed in the

UK; to encourage pubs that don’t usually stock a

Mild to try serving one during May and to

encourage drinkers who haven’t tried Mild beer

before to sip a pint or two in May (or at any time

of the year!!).

Mild was once the most popular style of

beer in Britain but was overtaken by bitter in the

1950s. It developed in the 18th and 19th centuries

and was most popular with industrial and

agricultural workers. Early Mild beers were much

stronger than modern versions which usually vary

between 3.0 – 3.5% ABV but some current

versions reflect its earlier origins, for example

Rudgate Dark Ruby Mild at 4.4% ABV.

Mild is usually dark brown in colour, due

to the use of well roasted malts or roasted barley,

but there are paler versions such as Banks Mild or

Timothy Taylors Golden Best. Recently local

brewer Shepherd Neame produced a Mild called

Old Faversham Dark (3.5% ABV); a dark mild

brewed in the north western style.

Pint prices and discount…

Brewery visits…

Spring Issue 2012 2

Valid from 2nd January 2012 until 29th February 2012

Spring Issue 2012 3

May is Mild Month

The following Swale area pubs

always or almost always stock a Mild:

The Black Lion – Lynsted Lane,

Lynsted, Nr Teynham;

The Elephant – The Mall,

Faversham; and

The Shipwrights Arms, Ham

R o a d , H o l l o w s h o r e , N r

Faversham

The following is a short list of some but

not all of the Mild beers produced by

Kent based Breweries:

Goachers Real Mild Ale;

Nelson Brewery Master Mate

Mild; and

Rother Valley Smild.

A full list of all the Mild beers currently

brewed in the UK can be accessed at:

www.camra.ork.uk/mildsbyregion

So what can you do to help to

support our Mild in May campaign? Well

you could ask your local pub or club or

bar if they would consider stocking a

Mild in the month of May. You could

also encourage your friends and

colleagues who may not be Mild or even

Real Ale drinkers to try a pint or even a

just a half as a change from their normal

tipple! And, most importantly, you could

try a pint or two yourself!

With our efforts to increase

availability and encourage consumers to

re-discover this classic beer style we

hope pubs and breweries will experience

good sales, and particularly during May.

The success of Mild in May Month

hopefully will lead to more Mild at the

bar all year round and more brewers

producing Mild beers as both a seasonal

and regular beer. [LB]

For updates visit our website at:

http://www.camra-swale.org.uk/

Or our national campaigns

website at:

www.camra.org.uk

Spring Issue 2012 4

Swale Ale © Spring 2012

Published by the Swale Branch of the

Campaign for Real Ale Ltd. (CAMRA).

Circulation 800

Editorial Committee and Contributors:

Jeff Waller, David Wiles, Jane Wiles,

Gary Holness, Keir Stanley, Andrew

Kitney, Paul Irving, Suzanne Collins

Print Liaison: Les Bailey

Advertising: Gary Holness

——————————————–————

All Correspondence to: Les Bailey

58 Wallers Road

Faversham

Kent

ME13 7PL

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: (01795 538824)

———————————————–———

Any opinions expressed within these

pages are those of the individual

authors only and do not represent

those of CAMRA or any of its officials.

The existence of this publication in a

particular outlet does not imply an

endorsement of it by Swale CAMRA .

———————————————–———

Printed by:

Abbey Print, Faversham

———————————————–——

Branch Details:

Chairman: Simon Ing

Secretary: Les Bailey

Social Secretary: Gary Holness

Treasurer: Les Bailey

Editorial

Visit our website at www.camra-swale.org.uk

Greetings to one and all and

welcome to the latest edition of

Swale Ale. You find us in the

editorial team in an anticipatory

mood as the days start to get

longer, the temperature rises and

the prospect of long evenings al

fresco with a few beers outside

country pubs becomes ever

closer. May is Mild Month so if

you are a die hard mild lover or

have never tried it, get out and

sample some of the wonderful

examples of this style of beer. So

what ever you are doing this

Springtime enjoy the superb

variety of beers that are available

in the Swale region.

Spring Issue 2012 5

Chairman’s Chat

Faversham’s hidden gem The Shipwright’s Arms, Hollowshore,

Faversham

A 17th Century traditional creek side free house. Selling up to five real ales

from Kentish brewers, and serving good food. Take a trip back in time and savour the delights of a truly traditional pub.

Rated by Jamie Oliver as one of the top 100 traditional

pubs in the country.

Please check website or phone to confirm hours

of opening.

Tel: 01795 590088

Web: www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk

Directions: At Davington School turn into Ham Road and follow the signs across the marsh.

I f you like me have survived

Christmas and the Festive

season, and all the excesses that

go with it, then congratulations.

Having eaten too much (I

wouldn’t admit to drinking too

much, well not too loudly

anyway) you may be relieved that

Spring hopefully has arrived.

But let us not forget all

those Winter Ales that you have

sampled and maybe the one or

two still forgotten, hiding in a

cupboard at home somewhere.

So remember them fondly and if

you do find that lost or forgotten

bottle, drink it, and then look

forward to all those light and

refreshing Spring Ales.

Looking forward there is

some good news with The Sondes

Arms hopefully reopening. This in

a climate where businesses of all

types are being closed. So let us

all try to support all of our local

pubs and go and buy a pint. [SI]

http://www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk/

Spring Issue 2012 6

Kent Pub and Brewery News

Swale CAMRA Branch Diary

Wednesday 11th April: Open Branch

Business Meeting, 7.30pm, Carpenters

Arms, Eastling.

Saturday 21st April: Big Beer Quiz,

6.00pm, Old Wine Vaults, Preston

Street, Faversham (For further details

and to book your place please contact

Gary Holness by e-mail at

[email protected]

Wednesday 25th April: Branch Social

Meeting, 8.00pm, The Parrot, Church

Lane, Canterbury.

SHEPHERD NEAME:

The pilot brewery has recently produced

Heart Warmer (4.2%ABV) for Valentine’s

Day which contained the petals of a

dozen roses and three passion fruits.

There was a welcome return for Old

Faversham Dark (3.5%ABV) a dark mild

brewed in the north western style.

Mothers Pride (3.7%ABV) was produced

to celebrate Mothers Day. Early Bird

(4.3%ABV) is available now until mid May

when it will be replaced in turn by

Canterbury Jack (3.5%ABV) and

Whitstable Bay (4.1%ABV) from June to

September. The New Head Brewer is

Richard Frost, previously Head Brewer at

Marstons Wolverhampton Brewery.

HOPDAEMON:

Is operating at full capacity but if time

permits some new trial brews for

research purposes may be undertaken.

New cask bar coding traceability system

has been introduced.

Selling: The Sondes Arms: The good

news is that the pub has a new owner,

local business Robert Bright, and new

managers, Sarah Gould and Neil

Davidson. The pub is expected to re-

open on St Georges Day, Monday 23rd

April. It is reported that the pub could

also be the base for a small local shop

and post office.

Faversham: The Windmill, Preston:

Is the subject of a planning application to

convert to two residential dwellings

Faversham: The Mechanics Arms: It

is understood that the pub was

scheduled to close in March but that the

new Licensee has been given an

extension by Shepherd Neame until

September to establish its long term

viability.

Sittingbourne: The Fountain: Has

received a £60,000 refurbishment and

now features Thai food

Wednesday 9th May: Open Branch

Business Meeting, 8.00pm, The Black

Lion, Lynsted.

Wednesday 13th June: Open Branch

Business Meeting, 8.0pm, Tonge Golf

Centre or The Mechanics Arms,

Faversham (see website for further

details)

Note: We hope to hold Branch Social

Meetings on the 4th Wednesday of each

month (see website for further details).

mailto:[email protected]

Spring Issue 2012 7

Spring Issue 2012 8

Spring Issue 2012 9

Beer Festivals 6th & 7th April: Planet Thanet 2012 Easter

Beer Festival at the Winter Gardens,

Margate; Friday open 12 noon to 10.30pm

(Admission £4); Saturday open 12 noon to

9.00pm (Admission £2) – CAMRA Members Free admission both days. Over 200 real

a l e s , c iders and perr ies . See

www.easterbeerfestival.org.uk for more

information.

Sunday 20th May: Swale CAMRA Branch

Beer Stall at the Faversham Classic Car

B rewers’ news and views are flowing freely – thanks to a new dedicated

brewing industry website which launched

at the recent Rotherham Real Ale Festival.

H a n d - Pu mp ed , a t ww w .h a n d -pumped.co.uk is Britain’s first commercial

site aimed at serving real ale brewing and

its ancillary industries. The website brings

together brewers and their customers – together with real ale lovers and the pubs

that they supply – under one roof in a

single unified website.

Everything is catered for – from news and features, to private forums

where brewers can chat to each other

about their successes and problems, to

public forums where real ale drinkers can feed back their views and likes and

dislikes. A user-friendly clickable gazetteer

map leads instantly to a comprehensive

database of Britain’s real ale brewers and micro brewers. From malt and hops and

yeast , to the fermenting vessels, to

glasses, pump-clips and beer mats the

website aims to cover the entire industry.

Hand-Pumped

If you have any pub or beer

festival news please contact

Swale Ale at:

Les Bailey

58 Wallers Road

Faversham

Kent

ME13 7PL

[email protected]

Show; Outside Iceland Frozen Foods/

Faversham Post Office in East Street,

Faversham; 10.30am to 4.00pm (or until the

beer runs out!!)

1st – 3rd June: The Elephant Public House, The Mall, Faversham, Coronation

Celebrations Weekend Beer Festival; Friday

3.00 – 11.00pm; Saturday 12 noon –

11.00pm & Sunday 12 noon – 7.00pm (or

until the beer runs out!!)

www.hand-pumped.co.uk

Spring Issue 2012 10

The Three Hats

Cornish Beer Festival

24th/25

th March 2012

Open from 11am - close

93 High Street, Milton Regis, Sittingbourne. Kent ME10 2AR

For all enquiries call Malcolm on 07764 842 478


C lutching a toilet roll as I await the

annual pubco price rises, wondering

what to paint on the blackboards,

“coming soon major price rises – whilst

customers last” springs to mind! I

wonder to myself how much longer the

traditional British community pub can

survive.

When will the ever increasing tax

burdens heaped on publicans abate? Even

the likes of Punch Taverns, Enterprise

Inns and other pubcos are all feeling the

pinch. With plummeting share prices, the

major protagonists have awoken from

their slumber and realised they must

address the relationship they have with

tenants and leaseholders. Now offering

unprecedented rent reductions and

greater barrelage discounts, provided the

need can be proved, publicans and

pubcos battle valiantly together in a vain

attempt to stem the tide of the widening

price gulf between supermarket and pub

prices.

Unfortunately, recent years have

seen numerous pubs close permanently,

with even more suffering temporary

closures, many on a regular basis.

Disappearing are dominoes and cribbage

leagues as pubs diversify, many holding

regular poker evenings. To an extent the

government issued guidelines on legally

playing poker in pubs. Live music in pubs

is on the demise as hosts seek

alternative, more cost effective

entertainment to encourage the

dwindling number of pub goers to attend.

The demise of the local has seen the

demise of the community, where

everyone knew and looked out for each

other. If you were out of work on

Friday, someone in the pub would point

you in the direction of a job for Monday.

If Joe Bloggs had not been seen for a few

days, someone would check on him.

Where did this demise begin?

When supermarkets became

licensed to sell alcohol, pub closures

accelerated. Removing trade and the

need for many to visit the pub,

encouraging unsupervised home drinking.

If a customer drank a litre of vodka in a

pub and proceeded to cause serious

trouble, on or off the premises, the

police and local licensing authority may

hold the publican liable or call for a

review of their licence. However every

day, supermarkets sell large quantities of

alcohol to customers, sometimes

cheaper than water, with little or no

repercussions. Licensees have a legal

duty to refuse service if a customer has

had too much to drink. Even if the same

licensee has spent the day getting the

customer in that state! Supermarkets

responsibilities finish at the checkout.

1988’s introduction of all day

drinking is another major contributor to

our beloved pubs demise. Previously due

to limited hours customers would find

themselves in the pub at the same time

as friends, whatever time they popped in,

planning their day to accommodate their

pub visit. With extended hours the odds

of bumping into friends on an unplanned

visit greatly lengthened.

Thank god for real ale. The last

saving bastion for pubs.

[MW]

Landlord’s Lament



S ituated in King Street in the centre

of Deal is the counties newest micro

pub, The Just Reproach which opened in

December 2011. The pub is named after

a report of the Great Storm in 1703 by

Daniel Defoe in which he is less than

flattering about the inhabitants of Deal.

However the good people of Deal

seem to have forgiven him judging by the

packed bar on the day we visited. The

pub consists of a single room with

wooden tables and benches with the

walls being adorned by metal advertising

signs. The landlord Mark offered us a

warm welcome, shaking us all by the

hand as we entered, and circulating for a

chat as we enjoyed a pint or two.

The philosophy of the Just

Reproach is the rejection of all that the

big pub chains tell us that we want.

There is no television, fruit machines,

juke box, food, spirits and defiantly no

lager. This is pointed out by the letters

NFL being etched into the glass of the

The Just Reproach, Deal window by the door. (NFL?... No

Fxxxxxx Lager!!!) Although this has

caused disappointment amount some of

the less discerning drinkers of Deal, Mark

was telling us that several people who

asked for lager tried real ale instead and

have become converts.

The pub concentrates on selling

good beer from microbreweries with

cider and house wines also available. The

beer is served straight from the cask with

the stillage area being visible through a

window in the bar. The beers that were

on when we visited were Wold Top

Bitter (3.7%), Hopdaemon Skrimshander

(4.5%) and Wantsum Hengist (5%).

Tydeman Early cider (5.5%) and house

wines were also available.

The pub is open lunchtimes and evenings

but it is best to check out their website

www.thejustreproach.co.uk for the exact

opening times. [SB]

The Just Reproach

Deal

The Storm (1704)

Daniel Defoe

‘If I had any Satire left to write.

Could I with suited spleen indite,

My verse should blast that fatal town,

And drown’d sailors’ widows pull it

down;

No footsteps of it should appear,

And ships no more cast anchor there.

The barbarous hated name of Deal

shou’d die,

Or be a term of infamy;

And till that’s done, the town will stand

A just reproach to all the land.'

http://www.thejustreproach.co.uk/



W elcome dear reader to the

second of my occasional series

looking at the stranger side of brewing

history. This time I am going to take you

back to the dark days of the Second

World War in the Far East where our

brave boys were slugging it out with the

Japanese and in the words of a well

known seventies sitcom ‘It ain’t half hot

mum’!!

To keep the troops in beer in the

Far East before the war, in 1938 Britain

had exported 200,000 barrels worth of

beer in bottles, that’s about 14 ½ million

pints to the Far East. This however was

never going to be enough to keep the

wartime army in beer. The Murree

Brewery of Rawalpindi helped out by

providing a creditable 80 million pints by

the end of 1944 but this was still not

enough and beer rationing was

introduced which meant that each man

received only three bottles per month.

The situation was not helped by the

Murree Brewery having to stop brewing

as it ran out of coal!!

Something had to be done! Our

chaps couldn’t carry on without a beer!

This point was made by a Lieutenant

Clarkson (Any relation to a certain

motoring program presenter I wonder??)

who reported:

The beer issue is naturally a

matter of paramount importance to the

troops who are fighting in temperatures

never below 80 degrees and often above

120 degrees in the sun.

One idea that was floated (pun

intended) was to convert ships into

breweries so if the mountain could not

The Floating Brewery

come to Mohammed then Mohammed

would come to the mountain as it were!

The original plan was to convert two

Blue Funnel Line ships, The Agamemnon

and The Menestheus, into breweries.

However once the war office had given

the go ahead progress was painfully slow

due to the fact that getting hold of the

parts was proving problematical due to

the efforts of Hitler’s U Boats. As a

result of these delays it was decided to

scrap the idea of converting two ships so

the Agamemnon was returned to the

Blue Funnel Line. But in true British

fashion when faced by a setback and the

possibility of no beer the project

soldiered on and the Menestheus was

thus converted and renamed the RNAS

(Royal Navy Amenity Ship) Menestheus

and on the 31st Dec 1945 the first test

brew was made.

The brewery was named the Davy

Jones’ Brewery and was operated by the

NAFFI. It produced just one beer - an

English Mild Ale with a gravity of 1037.

However those who tried it said that it

RNAS Menestheus aka Davy Jones


The Old House at The Old House at HomeHome

QueenboroughQueenborough

The home of The home of live music!live music!

Bands every Sunday from 5pm also bands some Fridays & Saturdays

Jamming nights every WednesdayJamming nights every Wednesday

A great place to meet and see the sunsetA great place to meet and see the sunset

Real Ales changing regularlyReal Ales changing regularly

We serve food Monday to We serve food Monday to Saturday from 12 to 9Saturday from 12 to 9

Roast Sunday dinners 12 to 4Roast Sunday dinners 12 to 4

Real log fireReal log fire

“May you come as a stranger and leave as a friend” Children & dog's are welcome

Tel: 01795 662463

[email protected]

1, High Street, Queenborough ME11 5AA


had an odd tang (possibly slightly salty?)

but this soon became a selling point and

the brewery produced in total of over ¼

million pints in the six months of its

existence.

You might be forgiven for thinking

that this was a very short time given all

the effort that went into constructing the

brewery. This we can blame on the

Americans!! On 6th of August 1945,

months before the brewery was finished,

the US bomber Enola Gay dropped the

first atomic bomb on the town of

Hiroshima in Japan effectively ending

the war in the East with the upshot that

most of the troops were de-mobbed

thus taking away most of the potential

customers.

So there you have it gentle reader

a typically inventive solution to a thirsty

problem. However in the end the Davy

Jones’ Brewery was sunk (also intended!)

by an atomic bomb. It usually takes

something like that to keep a Englishman

from his beer!

Obadiah Spillage

The Floating Brewery

A fter gaining a well deserved

reputation for its pub food and a

loyal human following, the Old Wine

Vaults in Preston Street in Faversham is

branching out to offer a special menu for

our four legged friends. The dog friendly

pub will now offer a special menu

especially suitable for dogs. Pub owners

David Thompson and Nuala Brenchley-

Sayers aim to provide a “Mutts Menu”

which will consist of home cooked food

which is specially made for dogs. A

sample “Mutts Menu” is Apple and

Cinnamon Snacks, Minky Bones and

peanut Butter Crunch. So dog owners

ordering from the main menu will also

be able to order for their dogs at the

same time. No doubt pub dogs Tetley

and Griff will be employed as official

menu tasters. The pub features in the

Good Beer Guide and is the current

Swale CAMRA Branch Cider Pub of the

Year. [LB]

Mutts Menu Kent Walks

This month Swale Ale became aware of a

new internet site providing links to walks

to and from pubs in Kent. This website

enables walkers to download walks that

they wish to follow, as well as upload

new walks to the database to allow

others to enjoy.


OVER 600 OF THE FINEST

ALES SOLD NATIONALLY

AT J D WETHERSPOON

BRITAIN’S NO.1 SUPPORTER

OF MICROBREWERIES

JOIN CAMRA TODAY AND

RECEIVE WETHERSPOON

REAL VOUCHERS WORTH £20 FULL DETAILS ON APPLICATION FORM: WWW. CAMRA.ORG.UK

Join us for your Christmas meal up to 22 December.

No booking required.

Why not eat on one of our Club days? Steak Club: Tuesdays 3pm to 10pm

Curry Club: Thursdays 3pm to 10 pm

Sunday Club (Roasts): Sundays Noon to 6pm

Club meals include a free drink. See menu for details.

20-22 Preston Street, Faversham, Kent Subject to local licensing restrictions and availability at participating free houses

THE LEADING LIGHT

wetherspoon


I n September I missed the Faversham

Hop Festival and went on a tour of

the Balkans including Bosnia and its capi-

tal Sarajevo. There are two things which

spring to mind when I think of Sarajevo;

first, the assassination of the Archduke

Franz Ferdinand in 1914; second is the

recent civil war and siege of the city be-

tween 1992/1996 which heralded the

breakup of the former state of Yugosla-

via. But to these I found I could add a

good tram system and some decent local

beer.

The centre of Sarajevo is served

by a tram network, the first in the Aus-

tro-Hungarian Empire built in the mid

1870’s, which makes an anti-clockwise

circuit around the central district. Tick-

ets for a single journey valid for one

hour may be purchased in advance for

1.60 KM (1KM= 45pence) from kiosks

with a tisak sign on the street, or from

the driver for slightly more (1.80 KM).

Beer and Trams in Sarajevo

Tram in Sarajevo

Tickets should be validated upon board-

ing the vehicle and are valid for a one way

trip only. Changing tram or bus means

validating a new ticket. Better value for

the tourist is a day card valid for unlim-

ited travel on all local public transport in

zone A for 5.30 KM. The trams used are

a real mixture with a large number of old

Czechoslovakian ‘Tatra’ trams, supple-

mented by trams donated from countries,

such as Holland, after the conflict to re-

place those destroyed or damaged.

Now to beer. Whenever I go off

on my travels I always have a pre-

departure search for information on

beers available, especially looking out for

craft beers or microbreweries. I was

therefore a tad disappointed to find noth-

ing of interest so it looked like local wine

would prevail.

On arriving in Sarajevo however, I

learned that they have an historic brew-

ery and that not only did it survive the

civil war, albeit with substantial damage,

but it played a major role in the siege by

keeping the city supplied with water from

its own spring. Brewing started in Saraje-

vo in 1864, under the Ottoman empire,

although the brewery building dates from

the time the Austro-Hungarians annexed

Bosnia in 1908. It has been extensively

and sympathetically rebuilt following dam-

age in WW2 and the civil war. The

brewery has expanded rapidly since the

1980’s and now produces nearly 500,000

barrels of beer annually.

After trying out the draught beer

in some local bars and deciding it had

taste, plus wasn’t too gassy, I felt a visit to

the brewery was called for. The brewery


Quizzicale

See if you can work out these anagrams of Kent breweries. No prizes for

getting them right just the satisfaction of knowing you’re a clever clogs!!

1. A La Beg I

2. Reshaped He Men

3. Air Oddly

4. Bats We Hilt

5. Name Pod Ho

6. Acre Hogs

7. Maws Nut

8. Ran Silk

9. Rebid Tong

10. Game Tsar

Beer and Trams in Sarajevo

Beer in Sarajevo

site, not far from the city centre, is a

large and compact site built on a hillside,

with an ornate frontage. No brewery

visits being allowed I decided to try the

fairly new bier hall, built within the

brewery building and seating 400. Upon

sitting down and looking at the menu I

was delighted to find that apart from the

standard lager type beers they also

brewed a dark ale and an unfiltered lager

style ale, all around ABV 5%. Both were

full of flavour but the dark was just so

smooth.

To finish off I tried the Sarajevsko

Premium beer (4.9%) served in bottle

and said by the brewery to be a com-

pletely natural beer with no additives

and ranked as 7th in the world! Not

bad, but I preferred the dark. [JW]

? ?


The Elephant Faversham’s Free House

Jim’s Birthday Beer Festival

1, 2, 3 June 2012 Jazz Sat 2 June 2012

Swale CAMRA Pub of the Year 2007 to 2011 and East Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year 2010

Normally five beers, mainly from local microbreweries and a real traditional cider

Large courtyard garden and a function room

Open: Tuesday to Friday: 3pm to 11pm, Saturday: 12 noon to 11pm, Sunday: 12.00 noon to 7pm

31 The Mall, Faversham, Kent ME13 8JN. Tel: 01795 590157

CORONATION


T he Budget was much as expected

and CAMRA has lambasted the

Government for its approach to one of

Britain’s most valued institutions, the

pub, as a further inflation plus 2% in-

crease on beer was confirmed in the

budget. This will bring about yet more

price rises at the bar, and further job

losses in the sector. Around £1 of a

pint costing £3.10 goes to the taxman in

beer duty and VAT. Duty has increased

35% since 2008. I am sure we can ex-

pect an increase of at least 10 pence on

the price of a pint and then next of

course there will be another rise to

cater for the increased costs for ingredi-

ents, inflation, labour costs etc. Mean-

while as we have seen over the last few

years many pubs are struggling to sur-

vive. The United Kingdom has the se-

cond highest excise duty per 5% ABV

pint in the European Union. Germany

has one of the lowest.

With the beer and pub industry

supporting almost 1 million jobs and

contributing £21 billion to UK GDP,

CAMRA has condemned the Govern-

ment for imposing punitive successive

tax increases, which will impact both

breweries at production level, and

drinkers at the bar. I wonder what the

Community Pubs Minister has to say on

the matter as he himself said only a year

or so back that "As Minister with re-

sponsibility for pubs, I am determined to

protect the valuable role pubs play and

help them to thrive”.

CAMRA is urging its 136,000

The Price of Your Pint

members and all pub goers to sign an

industry backed

e -pe t i t i on , www. c am ra .o r g . u k /

saveyourpint ,to stop the beer escalator,

it is backed by CAMRA, the British Beer

and Pub Association (BBPA), and the

Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).

If you care about the future of

the British Pub get signing now. [JW]

CAMRA Discount

The following pubs offer discount for

CAMRA members in SWALE:

Elephant, Faversham

Three Hats, Milton

Wetherspoons, Faversham

Wetherspoons, Sittingbourne

http://www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint

http://www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint


Rose and Crown Perry Wood

Summer Holiday Party - Live music, Games, Fancy dress

One of Camra's ''Best British Pubs''

Regular casks are Harveys Best and Adnams Southwold along with a

changing guest.

Food is traditional using local suppliers with daily specials served in the

pub or adjoining restaurant.

Opening hours: Mon to Sat 11.30-15.00, 18.30-23.00 (not Monday

evenings)

Sunday all day 12.00-22.30

Lunch served daily 12.00-14.00 (Sunday 15.30)

Evenings Tuesday - Saturday 18.30-21.00

Perry Wood, Selling, Nr Faversham, Kent ME13 9RY.

Tel: 01227 752214 www.roseandcrownperrywood.co.uk

http://www.roseandcrownperrywood.co.uk


THE BOWL INN

Find us on the top of the North Downs above Charing, in

an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Enjoy a pint of real ale or a glass of wine in our large beer garden or heated patio area.

Regular steak nights, curry nights, and live music.

Annual Beer Festival 13th, 14th, 15th July

For ‘what’s on’ please visit our website

www.bowl-inn.co.uk

We can also offer bed and breakfast accommodation with 4 en-suite bedrooms, and a garden room which offers full

facilities for disabled guests. We are a 'dog and horse friendly' Inn

Alan and Sue Paine Egg Hill Road, Charing, Ashford, Kent TN27 OHG

Tel: 01233 712256 email [email protected]

http://www.bowl-inn.co.uk/


W hen Jim Harrison moved into

Thornbridge Hall he decided to

open a brewery, as it was a known fact

that a brewery at one time had existed at

the hall. He converted a couple of

buildings, purchased some second hand

equipment from a small Yorkshire micro

brewery that was closing and began

producing craft beers. Thornbridge had

two main brewers, Stephano Cossi and

Martin Dickie. In the summer of 2005

the recipe for Jaipur was perfected and

was entered and won a gold award in the

Sheffield beer festival. Following the

award they had to brew 5 times a week

to try and keep up with demand, but still

found that they couldn’t. A decision had

to be made on the way forward. Martin

Dickie left the brewery to start Brew

Dog in Scotland. Stephano found

premises in Bakewell and a new brewery

was established. Designed and built in

Italy, it was installed in August 2009. The

brewery at Thornbridge Hall was closed,

Thornbridge Brewery

refurbished and is now used for pilot

brews. Swale branch members will, I am

sure, be interested to know that they use

over 60 varieties of hops, mainly pellets.

We went on the brewery tour

and sampled Kipling and Chiron. Both

were on draft but there was an issue

with the new beer called Chiron. The

beer was cooled and the cask fitted with

an Aspirator (I believe it was called a key

cask). It did appear to make the beer

slightly gassy. The Marketing Manager

who showed us around the brewery

explained that this method of serving the

beer was popular with the younger real

ale drinkers (we might well question

that) and was used in their new bar in

Sheffield called Dada.

The site in Bakewell now means

that Thornbridge can supply beer on a

national basis. It has its own bottling

plant and recently acquired a contract

with Waitrose. The newly opened

Waitrose in Canterbury stocks a good


Advert


variety of Thornbridge beers including

Wild Swan and Jaipur.

Stephano Cossi has since left

Thornbridge and a team of 4 brewers

now continue the Thornbridge passion

to brew innovative beers. They continue

to win awards for their beers and over

the last 12 months have opened several

pubs. Their list of beers continues to

grow and I would certainly recommend

trying Kipling, a south pacific pale ale

which is a golden blonde beer with a

taste of grapefruit (5.2%), and Jaipur an

Indian Pale Ale with a citrus flavour

(5.9%). [JW&DW]

Thornbridge Brewery

Thornbridge Brewery

Lambretta Repairs and Servicing Complete Restorations

No Repair Too Small Tel: 01795 530765 / 07850 529018

FOR SALE : SX225

completely restored

POA : PX welcome

Wiles Scooter Classics



S ituated in the small market town of

Faversham a new business is

brewing, opposite the post office

“Faversham Homebrew” endeavours to

stock everything for the Home Brewer.

Established in Mid August 2011 it

looks like success is fermenting

for this newly opened outlet.

Proprietor Mr Colin Shadbolt,

also a resident of Faversham for over

twenty years told us he decided to open

the shop because of the escalating price

of alcohol and the recent trend for

wanting to make more of your own

beverages.

He added “We’re really lucky

here in Kent, we have a virtually

unlimited supply of wild fruits and

vegetables just crying out to be turned

into wine and beer.

Something's brewing in Faversham

Anybody interested in trying your

hand at brewing your own beer or wine

please contact Colin on 01795229073 or

07764363254 for free advice or why not

pop into the shop for a chat and see just

how easy it is, and what great results you

can achieve simply and economically.

[GH]


Quiz Answers

T ap East is the new microbrewery

inside Westfield Shopping

Centre. Wait, come back… You may

one day find yourself, as I did, stuck at

Stratford station and deflated by the

news that the journey back to Swale

includes a 20-minute wait in

Gillingham and a rail replacement bus

service. After that bombshell I

needed a drink. Fortunately enough,

Tap East is the first place you reach

when entering Westfield from

Stratford International Station.

The micro-brewery’s three

copper tuns are visible from the bar

and eventually they plan to serve

three regular microbrews plus one

seasonal beer. On my visit there

were two microbrews available on

tap; the Stout (5.0%) and East J.E.B

(4.2%). Also on tap were

Thornbridge Browne (4.3%), Dark

Star Espresso Stout (4.2%), Oakham

Ales’ Inferno (4.0%) and Scottish

Inveralmond Brewery’s Independence

(3.8%). There are also over 100

bottled beers and ciders to be

explored. as well as 9 keg beers from

Tap East, Stratford

around the world.

Being based in a gigantic

shopping centre means this is never

going to be the cosiest place to settle

in. There are a few sofas and comfy

chairs, but mainly tall tables and high

stools, which is perfect if you are

popping it to steel yourself from the

madding crowd. But the ambition of

the beer selection can’t be faulted.

As hateful as the 320 store

shopping centre is, with its piped

music (Cliff Richard, anyone?), it’s

great to see a another microbrewery

in such an unlikely location.

[SC]

1. Abigale

2. Shepherd Neame

3. Old Dairy

4. Whitstable

5. Hopdaemon

6. Goachers

7. Wantsum

8. Larkins

9. Tonbridge

10. Ramsgate

Tap East Stratford


The Swan Inn

Teynham

Wadworth 6x and Rotating 'locales' Live music Saturdays at 9pm

Karaoke Sundays and Tuesdays from 7pm

Friendly poker every Wednesday at 8pm

Sunday lunch 12-3.30

2 meals for £9

78 London Road, Teynham, Kent ME9 9QH

01795 521 218


A Sheppey Stroll

S tarting at Sheerness Railway Station

you should cross at the pedestrian

crossing and head towards the beach with

the McDonalds and supermarket

development on your left. As you follow

the path you will see the trappings of an

old seaside resort with amusement park

and arcade developments, which were still

open even though our visit was in the

middle of winter with snow and ice on the

ground.

After around 4 minutes you reach

some concrete steps that take you up over

the imposing sea wall and deposit you on

the main promenade. Looking directly out

to sea it is possible to see Essex in the

background with the masts of the USS

Richard Montgomery which ran aground

on 20th August 1944 and became stuck on

the sand bank.

USS Richard Montgomery was an

American Liberty ship built during World

War II, one of the 2,710 used to carry

cargo during the war. The ship was

wrecked off the Nore in the Thames

Estuary in 1944 with around 1,400 tons of

explosives on board, which continue to be

Overview

This island walk starts at Sheerness Rail-

way Station and then follows the coast

to visit the Ship on Shore, The Napier

and though to Blue Town to The Red

Lion.

Length

This circular walk consists takes around

one hour. This walk mainly follows the

sea front, Marine Parade and though the

town centre to reach Blue Town.

a hazard to the area.

You should turn right at the bottom

of the steps and follow the promenade with

the beach on your left.

After approximately 6 minutes the

path will split. Turn left and down a few

steps and then turn right across the shingle

beach. Alternatively you can turn right and

walk over the sea wall. Either way you will

re-join the main promenade in

approximately 2 minutes.

After a short walk you will come to

a bend in the large sea wall and a set of

steps. Looking over this wall you will be

The Ship on Shore

‘The Grotto’ at The Ship on Shore


greeted with an aerial view of The Ship on

Shore and its historic Grade II listed

Grotto made from a mixture of cement

barrels, rocks and stone.

Information on the walls of the pub

and a leaflet supplied by the landlord

suggest that the Grotto was built from

cement barrels salvaged from a small ship

called the ‘Lucky Escape’ when she

floundered during heavy seas.

This long one barred pub has a

games area to the left and a conservatory

to the right serving simple pub meals. On

our visit they were serving one real ale

from a changing list, which was dispensed

direct from the barrel in the cellar to the

rear of the bar.

Upon leaving the pub take a left and

follow Marine Parade towards Sheerness

Town Centre. Your walk will follow the

main road back to town with the imposing

sea wall to your right. After approximately

10 minutes you will reach The Napier Free

House.

This two barred ex Shepherd

Neame pub has a distinctive public bar with

four hand pumps serving national beers The Napier

which on our visit included London Pride

and Courage Directors, both of which

were in excellent condition. The second

bar in this pub has been converted into a

restaurant.

Leaving this pub turn left along the

Broadway. After a while you will pass the

bingo hall on your left. Continue until you

reach a roundabout and The Royal Hotel.

Continue along the Broadway

towards the centre of town and the clock

tower. At the clock tower take a right

into the high street. Continue walking for


SWAN & HARLEQUIN 01795 532341

TRADTIONAL ENGLISH PUB 4 REAL ALES (minimum) 8 EN-SUITE BEDROOMS

BOOKINGS TAKEN NOW FOR OUR

FAMOUS SUNDAY ROAST

WITH 9 FRESH VEGETABLES

AND

LINDA’S HOMEMADE DESSERTS (including GYPSY TART)

£6.50


A Sheppey Stroll

approximately 5 minutes until you emerge

outside Sheerness Railway Station.

Continue walking past the station on the

opposite side of the road with Sheppey

College and McDonalds to your right.

After a short while you will reach a

roundabout and the entrance to the

supermarket. Cross the road here and go

across the bridge with the dock cranes in

the distance.

Cross Garrison Road and follow

the new path into Blue Town, taking time

to read the historical notice boards along

its route.

The Jewish heritage and history of

Sheerness and Blue Town is fascinating and

virtually unknown in this still remote part

of England. The Jewish community in Blue

Town grew up alongside the Naval Dock

Yard during the Napoleonic Wars and

echoes of this past can still be detected in

the western part of Blue Town next to the

old Dock Wall.

Continue though Blue Town with

the high dock wall to your right until you

reach the Red Lion.

The Red Lion is a two barred local

in the middle of Blue Town. It serves an

ever changing list of beers which are listed

on the chalk board above the bar.

At the end of your visit retrace

your steps back to Sheerness Railway

Station for connecting services via

Sittingbourne.

If you have a short wait at

Sittingbourne remember to visit the two

Shepherd Neame pubs to the left and right

of the station entrance.

To your left is The Globe and

Engine which was closed when our last

edition of Swale Ale went to press but has

now reopened under new ownership.

This traditional Shepherd Neame

house has a large L shaped bar with a real

coal fire next to the bar. The Globe and

Engine currently serves one real ale which

on our visit was Master Brew, although the

landlord is trying to increase the beer

range as the pub gets re-established.

Since taking over the pub the

landlord has removed the juke box, pool

table and fruit machines to create a more

traditional community pub. With its close

proximity to the station he is also hoping

to offer morning coffees and teas to

commuters on their way to work.

On the opposite side of the railway

station is The Fountain. This traditional

Shepherd Neame pub has recently been

given a quality refurbishment both inside

and out. The pub now offers a range of

Thai food at reasonable prices and

currently serves between two and three

Shepherd Neame beers. On my visit they

had Master Brew, Late Red and Amber

Ale.

The landlord is keen to introduce

beers from the pilot brewery in the near

future and is also looking at holding Thai

new year celebrations in March/April.

[KS&SB]

The Fountain, Sittingbourne


T revor Duncombe's article bemoaning

the promotion of local beers (SwaleAle

Vol 4 Issue 1) is bound to have provoked

some keen debate. If I understood it

correctly, he suggested pubs are unfairly p romot i n g " l oc a l e " b e e r s an d

therefore ignoring the wide variety of beers

found nationally. He wrote "I would like to

think that I will not be denied my favourite

beers because of the impact of the "locale"

campaign".

If I might be permitted to counter

this arguement I should like to suggest

completely the opposite. I think Trevor is

wrong. Local beer is good. And not just on

environmental grounds. It is the nature of any consumer

organisation to demand what they want,

where they want it, when they want it at a

price they want it. Thats why supermarkets

abound with Kenyan french beans, Australian

apples, New Zealand lamb and so forth.

Beer, Trevor might argue, is just the same.

But beer is a local product. Brewed

for a local market. Consumed by locals. And

our Kentish ale is unique. It has it's own EU

protection because of it's distinctive hoppy characteristic. No other beer has this. Its

found in Hopdaemon, Larkins, Wantsum and

any of the 21 local brewers in Kent. It is a

characteristic we, in the heart of the hop

country, enjoy.

In Lewes it's Harveys. In Southwold

its Adnams. In Cornwall its St Austell. Their

beers are distinctive. But Kentish beers

are even more so. I suspect I'm not alone

when I say I enjoy visiting other areas of the country because their beers are different.

(Tell me you aren't disappointed when you

walk into a Cumbrian bar and discover

Spitfire?)

So why am I against Trevor's

suggestion? Well, two reasons. Firstly there

A Pint of View

is a risk that local brewers, seeking to

develop national brands, might find

themselves inclined towards 'safe' beers.

Those beers that readily fit the national

category are often indistinctive. Secondly, because you can doesn't

mean it's right. Local cherries, from the

orchards around here, are a spring treat I

really look forward to. But if I got them

every day they would lose the magic. I like

the pride associated with Kentish beer ~ all

of them. If I want other beers I'll go

elsewhere.

In Southwold there is a passion for

Adnams. It's almost impossible to buy

anything else. Why is it every pub in Lewes, Sussex that is listed in the GBG sell

Harveys? Is it because they all praise their

local brews? Are they proud of what they've

got? Yes.

Yet here in Swale Kentish beer is

rejected. It is viewed with disdain. Look at

the statistics. Of the twelve Swale pubs in

the current 2012 GBG just over eighty-four

percent can sell a range of beers from

elsewhere around the country. Just two

listed pubs sell Sheps. Trevor may be right to celebrate the

diversity of beers nationally. But I believe it

should be enjoyed in context. Kentish beer

in a Kentish pub with Kentish hops. Perfect.

Trevor seems to want to abandon

the regional nature of beer. I think that

would spoil the magic. Somehow I think he

misses the point.

Chris Maclean

If you agree with Chris or have your

own view please write to Swale Ale at:

[email protected]



Contact Telephone- 01795229073 or 07764363254 Email- [email protected]

Opening Times Tuesday-Saturday

10am-5pm

14A East Street, Faversham, Kent,

ME138AD (Opposite The Post Office)

Products include Beer, Wine & Spirit Kits. Starter Kits, Fermenters,

Bottles, Corks, Heaters, Dried Fruits, Demijohns,

Chemicals, Yeasts, Grains, Finings, Hops, Straining Bags

& Much Much More.

“The Best Homebrew Shop In Kent”

Beer & Wine Kits


“If you are staying near Bakewell in

Derbyshire then you definitely need to

find time to visit the Three Stags’

Heads in Wardlow Mires”. That was

the advice we received from CAMRA

East Kent Area Officer, Jeff. The write-

up in the Good Beer Guide 2012

describes the pub as “a quaint 300 year

old pub with two small rooms”. The

pub is one of the few inns in the Peak

district on CAMRA’s National

Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors, so

we found the time to call in one lunch

time to see for ourselves this very old

pub with a reputed “grumpy landlord”.

We knew this was going to be a

surreal experience when we pulled into

the pub car park to find it was home to

a number of guinea pigs roaming freely.

Having avoided squashing any, we made

our way over the road to the pub.

Sitting by the fire with two dogs at his

feet was the landlord and standing

erect in the window was a stuffed hare

holding a shotgun! There were already

a number of people sitting in the small

room but we managed to cosily

squeeze in at one of the tables. There

were four real ales available including

Abbeydale’s (Sheffield Brewery)

Deception and Absolution. The house

beer is “Black Lurcher” (8.6%). David

was driving but obviously keen to try

the beers, so he came up with the

strategy that I should have a pint of

each beer, and he would have a taste of

my pint. So whilst he slowly sipped his

Three Stags’ Head,

Wardlow Mires, Derbyshire

half pint, I made my way through the

hand pumps including Black Lurcher!

More and more people and dogs

began to arrive, most of them walkers

out enjoying the mild weather. At one

point there seemed to be more dogs

than people and an argument broke out

amongst them, which resulted in the

landlord demanding that the two

Doberman should leave immediately, as

they were upsetting his dogs.

The barman was friendly and told

us that the pub did not have locals, only

regulars, the furthest coming from

Stockholm.

As it states in the Good Beer

Guide – draft lager is NOT available but

there is a good range of imported bottled

lagers. No crisps or peanuts are sold but

hot food was available including

Shepherd’s Pie and Roast Duck Breast.

The Three Stags’ Heads Inn is well worth

a visit, as it has to be experienced to be

believed. [DW/JW]

Three Stags’ Head


The

PHOENIX

TAVERN Abbey Street, FAVERSHAM

01795 591462

REAL ALES from Around the UK and Local

REAL FOOD prepared freshly daily on the premises

REAL ATMOSPHERE lovely garden and open inglenook

log fires

REAL TRADITION - 14th century oak beamed pub

Quality lagers and Quality Wine form Corney and Barrow

Good Beer Guide 2012

The Phoenix Tavern

Faversham

@Phoenixfav

www.thephoenixtavernfaversham.co.uk

ME13 7BH - 01795 591462

Documents

Swale Ale Spring 2012