Fancy a pint of craft beer or real ale in a traditional English pub? Then you’ve come to the right place, as Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area boasts its fair share of watering holes that never fail to tick all the boxes. Read on to find out about some of the top taverns available where we live
SANKEY’S
Wow! What a difference a few years make. It was not very long ago that the British beer scene was preparing for its own funeral; then, almost out of nowhere came ‘craft beer’. Well, this isn’t strictly true, but outside of the trade, that’s pretty much how it appeared.
Now, this might be hard to swallow, but we owe a great deal of thanks to our cousins in the good old US of A. In a nutshell, they imitated our best bitters/pales and created what’s now commonly known as an American pale; a highly hopped, slightly carbonated, chilled hybrid of our cask ales. What happened next is interesting – a number of British breweries started to be inspired by these American pale ales, and what we now call ‘craft beer’ was born.
At the forefront of this revolution were two chaps from Scotland: Martin Dickie and James Watson. They founded Brewdog, the
self-proclaimed ‘saviours’ of beer. Their anti-establishment ‘PUNK’ attitude to beer has become the symbol of the craft beer scene. So, having been asked to write a few words about a beer, it makes sense to kick off with Brewdog’s flagship, the one that started it all on this side of the pond.
PUNK IPA – a 5.6% India Pale Ale
“Oh, that’s strong” I hear you say. Well, yes, but any good IPA should be; none of this bland 3% stuff brewed by that Envious King Brewery. The first thing you notice is the huge aroma; think lychees, pineapple, tropical fruits. This is created by the simply staggering amounts of hops used in this brew – no less than six different varieties. On the mouth, the gentle carbonation allows the malt and hop flavours to burst open, giving the satisfying blend of malty sweetness and hoppy bitterness the chance to really dance. The finish is a dry crispness that you might often associate with a dry white wine or lager, something a lot of other beers lack.
Brewdog’s PUNK IPA is available at Sankey’s in cans, bottles and on draught to drink in and take out.
Sankey’s, 39 Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells
01892 511 422
www.sankeys.co.uk
@sankeysRTW
THE BEDFORD
The Bedford has gone from strength to strength since re-launching itself back in March 2013. It is recognised as one of the top traditional ale pubs in Kent and features microbrewery beers from over 50 different breweries across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and London.
They boast 11 real ales and three or four local ciders at any one time, and with regular ‘out-of-area’ beers coming in, there is always something on the bar for the serious ale drinker. All their beers are Cask Marque approved and regularly score 100%.
As if that wasn’t enough, landlord Mark Nicholson and his pub manager, cousin Arran Nicholson, have introduced a range of Belgian beers to cater for the more discerning beer aficionado! This stems from their love of Belgian’s finest craft brews.
If it’s food you are interested in, then The Bedford offers a lunchtime menu, seven days a week, between midday and 5pm. A new-look menu is being launched on February 29, which chef Stuart Hayes is incredibly excited about. Featuring some traditional ‘pub grub’ favourites, he is looking to take the food to the next level and assert a reputation of quality, home-cooked food. Full details are included on their website.
What now for the future?
2016 sees Mark and Arran take a serious focus on becoming a major player on the ‘entertainment venue’ circuit. Having recently teamed up with Jamie Maguire from Bullet Promotions, a local, up-and-coming promotions company, the pub is in the process of having a small stage installed to host a new range of regular events.
Saturday Night Spotlight and Sunday Night Sessions will each initially run once a month, featuring some of the area’s finest musical talent. Along with this and other one-off nights, you can be assured that there will always be something happening in this funky and quirky bar!
The Bedford, 2 High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1UX
01892 510 133
www.thebedfordtw.co.uk
FUGGLES BEER CAFÉ
Moinette Blonde from Brasserie Dupont – our top tipple!
This took a while to choose. Brewed by Brasserie Dupont in Hainut, southeast Belgium, Moinette Blonde is one of the first beers that started our love affair with Belgian beer. We discovered it on one of our first trips to Belgium, while imbibing in Delirium Café in the centre of Brussels. There was a lot of beer drank that week, and this was one of the first to be listed when we opened Fuggles; we’ve never stopped being fans since.
It’s not an everyday drinking beer (it’s 8.5%), but it’s fantastic with fresh seafood, especially shellfish (try it with a steaming hot bowl of mussels and you’ll never look back). It’s one of those beers that just brings a smile to your face whenever you drink it.
Golden in colour with a subtle, spicy aroma of cloves from the yeast, initially it gives way to a smooth and refreshing beer, with citrus notes from the hops and a bitter finish, balanced by a sweetness typical to Belgian blonde ales.
The brewery has been family-owned since 1920 and still is today, having been passed down through the generations. Alongside Moinette Blonde, they also brew the renowned Saison Dupont, a farmhouse style ale, and some other very good beers, including their Monk Stout and a range of certified organic beers.
Fuggles Beer Café
01892 457 739
www.fugglesbeercafe.co.uk
@fugglesbeercafe
@greigalex
THE ROSE & CROWN
Appearances can be deceptive. At the new Rose & Crown in Grosvenor Road, we have designed a warm, tavern-style public house with a stylish interior, which keeps the very best of the traditional, with a premium contemporary twist!
It’s family friendly with two log fires crackling away, plus silent movies playing on our ambient screens, including Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. A great mix of background music will make people of all ages feel relaxed and welcome.
Our fantastic range of cask, craft beers and premium lagers, together with 17 wines by the glass, give us a premium feel, but at great value. But the greatest change is our exciting food menu, which is available now! Our upstairs restaurant is launching later in the spring, with a full exterior refurbishment and classic British cooking with a stylish twist!
Dishes include our legendary chop house style warm pork pie and piccalilli, British ‘Raj’ onion bhaji Scotch egg, confit duck ‘hash’ and charred mackerel with our ‘gentlemen’s relish’, as well as Harvey’s beer battered fish and chips, premium local steak, our classic Sunday roasts and many more tempting treats, including daily specials. Our brioche hot dogs have to be tried! We source all our produce locally, cook everything fresh to order and even make our own crisps!
So, appearances can be deceptive, so take a look NOW inside; we think you will be pleasantly surprised at the changes we have made!
01892 533 066
www.baskervilletaverns.co.uk
info@baskervilletaverns.co.uk
Follow us on Facebook/Twitter @rosecrowntw
THE PANTILES TAP
Three years ago, we decided to open a bar. We made endless lists of features we wanted to include and ones we didn’t. Eventually, it came down to a very simple formula: we wanted a bar that we would want to drink in ourselves.
We wanted lots of constantly changing beers rather than the usual array of two of three lacklustre beers you often find in most pubs. The Pantiles Tap has 14 taps and, after a year in business, we have served well over 1,000 different beers.
Keg beers from some of the best brewers of America, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Holland and Belgium feature, as well as beers from the best craft breweries in the UK. Our cask beers come from the best microbreweries in the country, and our strong links with beer distributers mean we get amazing new beers before most pubs have heard of them.
Our bottled beer range of around 50 is international and changes constantly. Although our focus is on beer, we found that, in Tunbridge Wells, people like cider, a lot! We now feature up to 10 ciders, mainly from Kent and Sussex all year round. We also found that Tunbridge Wells people like to see bars selling local beers. At least one of our cask lines will always serve beers from either Larkins, Pig & Porter, Rother Valley or Dark Star. And yes, our Malbec is from Argentina and we do sell Prosecco.
So, in the end did we get what we wanted? Well, we got a friendly, laid-back bar with great staff and really nice people drinking really nice beer, so yes, I think we did.
39 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5TE
01892 530 397
@ThePantilestap
facebook.com/pantilestap
THE CROWN INN
Whether the sun is shining or the snow falling, there is no better place to be than The Crown in Groombridge. Sitting on the borders of Kent and East Sussex, it enjoys great views of the countryside, the church opposite and the Groombridge Green.
Steve and the team are very proud of the great range of beers they stock. They serve local ales, including Larkins, Harvey’s and Black Cat. In the winter, you can enjoy a glass of Christmas stout, or new in for the spring, Black Cat Tip Top. There is also a huge selection of bottled beers and lagers.
Thanks to their amazing dedication to their craft, they are members of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, and also feature in the British Real Ale Guide. If beer is not for you, why not try a bottle of Lamarca Prosecco, an apple or pear Pimm’s, or a refreshing cider?
The Crown Inn also offers a varied menu, where the dishes are always beautifully conceived and prepared and absolutely delicious. They often have fresh fish on the menu, which is prepared to the highest standards and will certainly make your mouth water. Alternatively, why not pop in for their legendary Friday steak night? They have 32oz Côte de boeuf, 25oz t-bones, or 16oz fillets.
Pre-booking is essential if you want to enjoy this Friday feast!
In short, The Crown Inn is a family-run free house, and one of the oldest pubs in the South of England. It is in an excellent position for exploring the local area and boasts some lovely walks close by.
Steve and his team look forward to welcoming you into their cosy inn.
The Crown Inn, Groombridge, Nr Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9QH
01892 864 742
www.thecrowngroombridge.com
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