My exploration of the Garden of England continued last weekend with a visit to Rochester. This was the first time I'd visited this quaint town on the banks of the River Medway. I was meeting friends there and we managed to cram in a few tourist attractions including the cathedral for tea, a look around the castle and the Guildhall Museum, a free museum detailing the history of the town which was worthwhile. It was all very pleasant and with the sun shining, the lovely market town scenery and the castles and cathedrals I felt like I was on a actual holiday, even though I was only a half hour train ride away from my house.
I wasn't there just there to look at the tourist sights, pubs were also on the agenda. First up was The Eagle Tavern, located on the high street and near the main attractions. This is a live music venue and the furnishing reflected this - very basic so it won't be too expensive to replace should a old rocker get a bit too excited and start smashing up tables and chairs in wild abandon. The beer selection was basic, no craft ales here, but my pint of St Austell Tribute was in good condition and was very refreshing. There was a simple food menu and a plate of chips soon arrived on our table. Although the atmosphere was a little dead at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon, I can imagine this place would be good fun at night when the live music kicks off.
Next up was supposed to be a pub called the Britannia Bar Cafe, but I was warned by my friends that this pub was getting too close to Chatham for comfort, which apparently is a place best avoided by middle class wimps like myself who get nervous and cross the road when they see a young bloke in a hoodie heading towards them. Instead we went off the beaten track to a pub called The Good Intent. From the outside I did not have high hopes for this place - it looked like a generic council estate pub and not particularly appealing. If it wasn't in the Good Beer Guide I would have avoided it entirely. But with my sternest face I made my way in and was pleasantly surprised. A friendly bunch of locals were in and behind the bar were three gravity dropped casks of beer on offer. I went for the Skinners Spriggan Ale, which was a refreshing pale ale if a little light on flavour. I wouldn't make a special journey to this pub but it did exceed my expectations and for that I'm glad.
A pint and a game of pool done, we moved on to the final pub, the Man of Kent. I'd heard good things about this place. Walking in the place was packed, far busier than the previous two pubs we'd visited. A large number of handpumps were on display, all with beers from the Kent area. This is the CAMRA LocAle scheme taken to the extreme. Incidentally I really hate using the word LocAle - it just seems wrong to me and I just want to pronounce it as "Lock Ale."
First beer up from the wide selection on offer was a Goachers Extra Mild which wasn't the best example of a mild I'd had - it was a bit limp and the coffee flavour usually associated with a mild just wasn't coming through strong enough. It was definitely suppable, just not a knockout. The next beer, Golden Braid from Hopdaemon, was a disaster. Flat and lifeless, I had to choke this one down. Hopdaemon are usually very reliable so I don't know if it was supposed to taste like a muddy mess or if it was off. The pub itself was great - friendly service, comfy seating, jovial customers and even a dog. But I didn't particularly enjoy the beer I had there.
With the Man of Kent done and dusted it was back to sunny London for a visit to The Gowlett for a friends birthday. I haven't got much to say about this pub except that it's in the middle of nowhere nestled between East Dulwich and Peckham Rye, and that the beer selection was surprisingly boring considering the trendy area it's in. My pint of Moorhouse Black Cat and Harveys Best Bitter were fine but I was hoping for a bit more rather than the sub-Wetherspoons offering of ales. The pizza being served was magnificent though.
If all goes well I'll be writing about Maidstone pubs next Sunday, if not I'll be warbling on about some nonsense. See you soon.
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Sevenoaks boozers (and Chelsfield)
Sevenoaks is only a twenty minute train ride away from my house, and having never been there I thought I'd pay a visit. One of the great things about living in South East London is how the scenery can change from built up areas to rolling green fields in a matter of minutes, and this train journey was no exception as the dreary suburbia of Orpington gave way to the charming natural scenery of Chelsfield and beyond.
The first pub I visited was in Chelsfield Village, nestled in-between Sevenoaks and Orpington. The surprisingly long walk from Chelsfield station to the village was mainly comprised of lovely green fields high above Orpington and a panoramic if hazy view of London beyond. Approaching the village I was greeted by some huge houses, a clear indication that this is stockbroker territory, using the trains to speed into Cannon Street station in the mornings. To be honest I felt a little out of place and was worried a policeman might appear and ask me politely to leave, nodding down the road saying "Orpington is down that way, it's more for your type."
Nestled among the mansions and across the road from the village school is The Five Bells, a traditional weather board pub. Sadly the beer selection wasn't as charming as the rustic interior. Unusually Doom Bar was on offer gravity dropped from a cask sitting on a bar, but it was not enough to entice me to have a pint of that most boring of beers. There was also Courage Best and a Everards beer on offer. I settled for a pint of Otter Bitter, and although it got the job done it was nothing exciting. This place seemed highly involved in the community with plenty of events on. As it was 11:45am on a Thursday morning I was the only customer in but the staff were friendly and there was a dog pottering around for company. I look forward to returning.
I walked from Chelsfield to Knockholt station to catch a train into Sevenoaks. Even though Knockholt is supposedly still "London," the rolling green fields and farmland are about as far removed from the Big Smoke as you can get. Walking towards the station I was joined by a grumpy old pig walking alongside with me, and it was at this point I refused to believe I was still in Travelcard Zone 6. The ticket office at Knockholt was closed so I had to purchase a "Permit to Travel," a rarely used (in London) "honour" scheme for buying tickets which made everything feel even more old fashioned and less London. When it was time for my train I half expected a steam train to roll into the platform.
In Sevenoaks I met up with a friend of mine and we enjoyed a good lunch at The Black Boy, a Shepherd Neame nestled in the quaint town centre. The food was excellent but the beer selection left a little to be desired. Only Kent's Best, Spitfire and Whitstable Bay were on offer, and my pint of Best wasn't in the greatest condition. Round the corner is The Anchor, a real old fashioned boozer. Walking in after the lunchtime rush only a handful of regulars were in, and they were all crowded around the bar chatting with the lively landlord, Barry. I ordered a pint and took a seat, enjoying the banter. It's a good job there was lively conversation going on as the decor is pretty basic here and doesn't create much of an atmosphere. I completely forgot the name of the beer I was having but it was a pretty good bitter from a small local brewery. The only other options were Doom Bar and Harveys Best. Sevenoaks doesn't seem to be home to adventurous drinkers.
I took a half hour walk from the town centre down to the outskirts of town and The White Hart. This is a Brunning and Price pub, and I had high hopes as I was very impressed with their outlet in Chester, Old Hawkers Arms. Sadly I wasn't as impressed with the Hart. First impressions were good as there were plenty of hand-pulls but on closer inspection most of the beers that were on were of the boring brown bitter variety. The beer I did try, Growler Bitter from the Growler Brewery, wasn't in best condition and there was sediment at the end of the pint. I heard the barman complaining to another customer that they have been short staffed recently so maybe this was affecting the quality of the beer. The pub otherwise was tastefully decorated, quiet and to be honest a little boring, which probably explained why the other groups there were mainly comprised of older ladies.
The last pub on the list was The Chequers. Traditionally furnished, it was building up a steady stream of punters at 4pm on a Thursday afternoon, and they all seemed pretty pleased to be there. The beer selection was the most exciting of the pubs I'd visited, with plenty of local ales on offer. I tried Rustic from the Tonbridge brewery, a dark and comforting bitter with a well balanced flavour. Westerham Azzuri Double was a brave attempt at an Italian style beer. It tasted like a hoppy bitter but with malty undertones, it worked surprisingly well and was a very pleasant sup indeed. With the genial customers, friendly service and decent beers The Chequers was my favourite of the pubs I'd visited.
Next week it's a rundown of the pubs of Rochester. See you on Sunday!
The first pub I visited was in Chelsfield Village, nestled in-between Sevenoaks and Orpington. The surprisingly long walk from Chelsfield station to the village was mainly comprised of lovely green fields high above Orpington and a panoramic if hazy view of London beyond. Approaching the village I was greeted by some huge houses, a clear indication that this is stockbroker territory, using the trains to speed into Cannon Street station in the mornings. To be honest I felt a little out of place and was worried a policeman might appear and ask me politely to leave, nodding down the road saying "Orpington is down that way, it's more for your type."
Nestled among the mansions and across the road from the village school is The Five Bells, a traditional weather board pub. Sadly the beer selection wasn't as charming as the rustic interior. Unusually Doom Bar was on offer gravity dropped from a cask sitting on a bar, but it was not enough to entice me to have a pint of that most boring of beers. There was also Courage Best and a Everards beer on offer. I settled for a pint of Otter Bitter, and although it got the job done it was nothing exciting. This place seemed highly involved in the community with plenty of events on. As it was 11:45am on a Thursday morning I was the only customer in but the staff were friendly and there was a dog pottering around for company. I look forward to returning.I walked from Chelsfield to Knockholt station to catch a train into Sevenoaks. Even though Knockholt is supposedly still "London," the rolling green fields and farmland are about as far removed from the Big Smoke as you can get. Walking towards the station I was joined by a grumpy old pig walking alongside with me, and it was at this point I refused to believe I was still in Travelcard Zone 6. The ticket office at Knockholt was closed so I had to purchase a "Permit to Travel," a rarely used (in London) "honour" scheme for buying tickets which made everything feel even more old fashioned and less London. When it was time for my train I half expected a steam train to roll into the platform.
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| I'm not entirely sure what he anchors |
I took a half hour walk from the town centre down to the outskirts of town and The White Hart. This is a Brunning and Price pub, and I had high hopes as I was very impressed with their outlet in Chester, Old Hawkers Arms. Sadly I wasn't as impressed with the Hart. First impressions were good as there were plenty of hand-pulls but on closer inspection most of the beers that were on were of the boring brown bitter variety. The beer I did try, Growler Bitter from the Growler Brewery, wasn't in best condition and there was sediment at the end of the pint. I heard the barman complaining to another customer that they have been short staffed recently so maybe this was affecting the quality of the beer. The pub otherwise was tastefully decorated, quiet and to be honest a little boring, which probably explained why the other groups there were mainly comprised of older ladies.
The last pub on the list was The Chequers. Traditionally furnished, it was building up a steady stream of punters at 4pm on a Thursday afternoon, and they all seemed pretty pleased to be there. The beer selection was the most exciting of the pubs I'd visited, with plenty of local ales on offer. I tried Rustic from the Tonbridge brewery, a dark and comforting bitter with a well balanced flavour. Westerham Azzuri Double was a brave attempt at an Italian style beer. It tasted like a hoppy bitter but with malty undertones, it worked surprisingly well and was a very pleasant sup indeed. With the genial customers, friendly service and decent beers The Chequers was my favourite of the pubs I'd visited.
Next week it's a rundown of the pubs of Rochester. See you on Sunday!
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Soapbox time
It's been a quiet week for me on the beer and booze front the past week so I haven't got much to report on. I was hoping to pay a visit to the Eltham GPO, a new Antic pub which has opened in the eponymous area of South East London but unfortunately I didn't get the chance. However I did have a great meal at another Antic pub The Baring Hall Hotel on Friday. They have recently started offering food and the Oxtail and Smoked Paprika Mash was absolutely delicious. The Hastings Blonde was pretty good as well, a crisp and thirst quenching Blonde beer. Blue Monkey Guerilla made an excellent dessert beer, a lovely stout with charming coffee flavours. I look forward to returning for more meals - judging from Twitter their Sunday Lunch looks pretty good.
I've been catching up with other beer blogs over the past week and I enjoyed Paul Bailey's piece on CAMRA: Fit for purpose? This is an excellent piece on that old stalwart of the real ale scene, and whether the changing face of the ale scene with the emergence of craft beer has made CAMRA irrelevant. As a card carrying member myself I think CAMRA still has a purpose, but I think the focus should shift from "campaigning" for real ale to "celebrating" it, including "craft" beer.
Craft beer is a real conundrum for CAMRA because a lot of it is served on keg. Although it's before my time my understanding is that when CAMRA first started campaigning one of the goals was to educate the public on cask ale and how it was much better than the cheap and nasty keg beers that were popular at the time. Crappy keg lager still exists now but there is also plenty of beer that is made with care and attention, and served keg only.
My opinion is that quality beer is in rude health at the moment whether on keg or cask, and it's getting increasingly muddled about what the purpose of CAMRA is. Most of their campaigns these days don't really revolve around real ale itself, it's more about pricing and saving pubs. Many beer bloggers such as Pub Curmudgeon have pointed out that CAMRA is suffering a bit of a crisis with membership as it's not attracting many young drinkers. As it stands at the moment I don't think many young drinkers can see the point of joining CAMRA. Those who like ale have got so many excellent beers to choose from what's the point of joining a campaign with what could be perceived as an older and out of touch member base? Those who prefer lager and have no interest in ale would probably never join CAMRA anyway. Even if they were to convert to real ale then I don't think they're going to have much to campaign about! Personally I think it's time for a shift in focus and marketing for CAMRA if they want to attract younger members, and that is why I think it should move from a "campaign" to a more general celebrating and educating about the traditional and craft beer scene we're enjoying at the moment.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere Pete Brown's beer blog is always worth reading, and his post on anti-drink stories is an interesting view on how beer and drinking in general is unfairly villified in the press. Personally I think drinking is unfairly portrayed, but most newspapers are only interested in circulation figures and juicy moral stories always sell well. I'm not sure what effect these stories have on the average reader.The militant anti drink brigade will also be against alcohol no matter what you tell them. But is the average reader who enjoys a few pints a week really going to be swayed in to giving up drinking after reading anti drink articles? Personally I think not.
That's it for now. Next week I'll be hopefully reporting on pubs and beer in the Sevenoaks area. Hope you can join me!
I've been catching up with other beer blogs over the past week and I enjoyed Paul Bailey's piece on CAMRA: Fit for purpose? This is an excellent piece on that old stalwart of the real ale scene, and whether the changing face of the ale scene with the emergence of craft beer has made CAMRA irrelevant. As a card carrying member myself I think CAMRA still has a purpose, but I think the focus should shift from "campaigning" for real ale to "celebrating" it, including "craft" beer.
Craft beer is a real conundrum for CAMRA because a lot of it is served on keg. Although it's before my time my understanding is that when CAMRA first started campaigning one of the goals was to educate the public on cask ale and how it was much better than the cheap and nasty keg beers that were popular at the time. Crappy keg lager still exists now but there is also plenty of beer that is made with care and attention, and served keg only.
My opinion is that quality beer is in rude health at the moment whether on keg or cask, and it's getting increasingly muddled about what the purpose of CAMRA is. Most of their campaigns these days don't really revolve around real ale itself, it's more about pricing and saving pubs. Many beer bloggers such as Pub Curmudgeon have pointed out that CAMRA is suffering a bit of a crisis with membership as it's not attracting many young drinkers. As it stands at the moment I don't think many young drinkers can see the point of joining CAMRA. Those who like ale have got so many excellent beers to choose from what's the point of joining a campaign with what could be perceived as an older and out of touch member base? Those who prefer lager and have no interest in ale would probably never join CAMRA anyway. Even if they were to convert to real ale then I don't think they're going to have much to campaign about! Personally I think it's time for a shift in focus and marketing for CAMRA if they want to attract younger members, and that is why I think it should move from a "campaign" to a more general celebrating and educating about the traditional and craft beer scene we're enjoying at the moment.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere Pete Brown's beer blog is always worth reading, and his post on anti-drink stories is an interesting view on how beer and drinking in general is unfairly villified in the press. Personally I think drinking is unfairly portrayed, but most newspapers are only interested in circulation figures and juicy moral stories always sell well. I'm not sure what effect these stories have on the average reader.The militant anti drink brigade will also be against alcohol no matter what you tell them. But is the average reader who enjoys a few pints a week really going to be swayed in to giving up drinking after reading anti drink articles? Personally I think not.
That's it for now. Next week I'll be hopefully reporting on pubs and beer in the Sevenoaks area. Hope you can join me!
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