Kent Brewery

11/05/2021 by Colin Mann 3 Comments

Birling Place Farm, Birling, Kent

About the brewery

Kent Brewery was established in 2010 as the result of a chance meeting between former digital marketing specialist and real ale enthusiast Paul Herbert and ex-Dark Star brewer Toby Simmonds in the garden of Paul’s local.

The two formed a partnership and produced their initial brews in the Autumn of 2010 at Larkins in Chiddingstone, before premises were secured in former farm buildings in Birling in 2011.

The brewery presently supplies over 400 pubs throughout the UK and northern Europe on a regular basis, producing the house beer for The Craft Beer Company pubs in London and Brighton, the largest outlet for Craft Beer in the UK.

Regular beers

Black Gold (4% ABV) is a dark golden ale, described as dark and hoppy.

Brewers Reserve (5.0% ABV) is a pale ale that has a strong citrusy and resin hop flavour balanced with delicate malts.

Cobnut (4.1% ABV) a ruby ale that is generously hopped, with dark and nutty flavours.

Kent Golding Bitter or KGB (4.1% ABV) is a bitter ale that uses Golding and Fuggles hops.

Pale (4% ABV) is a golden ale with a full flavour that uses aromatic hops. This was Kent Brewery’s original brew.

Prohibition (4.8% ABV) is an American pale ale (APA) that has a citrusy flavour and is highly hopped with US hops.

Session Pale (3.7% ABV) is a pale ale that is light and hoppy with hints of citrus and elderflower.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

Citra (4.5% ABV) is a single-hopped pale ale that has citrus flavours and aromas. It’s #2 in Kent Brewery’s single hop series.

The New Black (4.8% ABV) is a dark ale that has been brewed using American Pale Ale (APA) hops to deliver the light and citrus flavours of an APA combined with a subtle dark malt body.

Orange Crush (4.5% ABV) is pale ale that uses citrusy hops and is infused with a blend of sweet and bitter oranges to create a mellow and easy-drinking pale ale.

Porter (5.5% ABV) a dark ale that is well-hopped, producing a dark, malty beer with hints of coffee and chocolate.

The Quiet American (4.2% ABV) is an American Pale Ale (APA) that is light and fresh with both floral and citrus flavours and a hint of grapefruit.

Raspberry Beret (4.8% ABV) is a stout that is infused with raspberries for extra richness, delivering a dark, fruity sweet beer.

Tropic Ale (4.9% ABV) is an India Pale Ale IPA that offers a mouth-watering taste of the tropics in a hotbed of fruit and citrusy hops.

Zingiber (4.1% ABV) is a golden ale that uses American hops and ginger that delivers a fruit and warming taste.

Fancy a pint?

Kent Brewery serves a large number of free houses in the Malling and Maidstone area, in particular the Malling Jug, a micropub just off the High Street in West Malling, and the Brickmakers Arms, Perryfield Street, Maidstone.

Tours and Take Aways

The brewery conducts tours with post-tour sampling taking place in an ante room furnished with seats and pews once used by local hostelries. For more information, or to book a tour, please contact the brewery directly.

A changing range of beers is available in 5 litre minikegs from the website.

Kent breweries

03/05/2021 by Teresa Cottam Leave a comment

Kent has a long history of brewing with its most notable contribution being the cultivation of hops, particularly milder aromatic hops. Archaeologists have discovered that hops were most likely introduced to Britain by the Romans, with evidence of hops being found in the Graveney Boat (Seasalter, Kent) dated to around AD 900. The use of hops in brewing likely died out – although they may have continued to be used by religious order associated with the continent there is currently scant evidence of this and there was unlikely to be widespread use as most people seemed to prefer unhopped ale. The use of hops was later reintroduced when Flemish weavers began importing their native beer in the 15^th century. Hops were then used to extend the life of beer, although the flavour was at first unpopular. Gradually, however, hopped beer began replacing unhopped English ale, which had previously been flavoured using spices and herbs (such as wormwood).

Tradition says that the first English hop garden was established at Westbere near Canterbury in 1520. Kent’s soil, mild weather, established enclosed field system, good supply of wood and affluent farmers provided the right conditions for hop growing to flourish. By the 17th century, hopped beer (rather than unhopped ale) became the established drink and after 1655 hop cultivation grew rapidly. As an important hop growing centre, brewing quickly became one of Kent’s major industries.

Like many other counties, Kent suffered a decline in regional brewing in the 20th century, experiencing the closure or acquisition of many smaller breweries, with larger brewing concerns moving production out of the county. Since the Millenium there has been a resurgence of brewing in Kent, with many new commercial breweries, and microbreweries (micropubs) focusing on locally-sourced produce.

Kent’s brewing scene is best divided between East and West Kent, which roughly corresponds to the CAMRA area.

West Kent breweries

Brew Buddies (Swanley Village)

Brumaison (Marden)

Cellar Head Brewing (Flimwell)

Constellation (Tonbridge)

Dartford Wobbler (South Darenth)

Fonthill (Tunbridge Wells)

Goacher’s (Tovil)

The Hildenborough Brewery (Hildenborough)

Iron Pier (Northfleet)

Kent Brewery (Birling)

Larkins Brewery (Chiddingstone)

Musket (Linton)

Nelson (Chatham)

No Frills Joe (Greenhithe)

The Oak Brewery (Sevenoaks)

Old Dairy Brewery (Tenterden)

Pig & Porter (Royal Tunbridge Wells)

Running Man (Chatham)

Stag (Woodchurch)

The Swan (West Peckham)

Tonbridge Brewery (East Peckham)

Westerham (Westerham)

Whitstable Brewery (Grafty Green)

East Kent breweries

The Amazing Brewery (Sandgate)

The Brewery of Angels and Demons (Capel-le-Ferne)

Boutilliers (Faversham)

Breakwater Brewery (Dover)

Canterbury Ales (Chartham)

Canterbury Brewers (Canterbury)

Curious Brewery (Ashford)

Farriers Arms (Mersham)

Floc Brewing (Margate)

Four Candles (St Peters)

Goody Ales (Herne)

Headcorn Hop (Ashford)

Hinks Craft Brewery (Ruckinge)

Hop Fuzz (West Hythe)

Hopdaemon Brewery Company (Newnham)

Isla Vale Alesmiths (Margate)

Mad Cat Brewery (Faversham)

Northdown (Margate)

Ramsgate/Gadd’s (Ramsgate)

Romney Marsh (New Romney)

Shepherd Neame (Faversham)

Shivering Sands (Manston)

Time & Tide (Deal)

The Tir Dha Ghlas Brewing Company (Dover)

Wantsum (St Nicholas At Wade)

XYLO (Margate)

Back to UK brewery map

Goacher’s Maidstone Ales

19/04/2021 by Colin Mann Leave a comment

Unit 8, Tovil Green Business Park, Maidstone

Website: Goacher’s Maidstone Ales

About the brewery

When real ale enthusiasts Phil and Debbie Goacher started brewing in 1983 at a former paper mill in the Loose Valley on the outskirts of Maidstone, using a home-built seven-barrel kit, it marked the return of commercial brewing to Kent’s County Town for the first time since 1972.

Goacher’s dray outside the Rifle
Volunteers, 2021

Growing success saw a move to new premises on a small industrial estate at Tovil, also on Maidstone’s outskirts, where it remains to this day, serving two (soon to be three) tied houses and a healthy free trade throughout Kent.

The modern brewing plant was purpose-built and constructed along classical lines, allowing for full-mash brewing and open fermentation in stainless steel vessels. All the ales are produced from 100% malted barley and whole Kentish hops, without the addition of sugars or artificial colouring.

“We believe that our commitment to excellence and traditional methods produces ales of distinction and character much sought-after in this increasingly-standardised world,” says the brewery.

*Goacher’s tied house: The Rifle Volunteers, Maidstone*

Regular beers

Best Dark (ABV 4.1%) is the brewery’s original ale, initially dubbed ‘Maidstone Ale’ and renamed ‘Dark’ as further brews were produced. This is a rich, complex, full-bodied ale with high proportions of crystal malt and East Kent Golding hops.

Crown Imperial Stout (ABV 4.5%) is Goacher’s version of a true, bottled Irish stout. Brewed with roasted barley and high levels of Kent Fuggles hops.

Fine Light Ale (ABV 3.7%) is Goacher’s best selling pale amber bitter, which has a floral hop character deriving from WGV and East Kent Golding hops.

Gold Star Ale (ABV 5.1%) is a true draught pale ale made with floor-malted low-colour Maris Otter malted barley and hopped with the finest East Kent aroma hops.

Real Mild Ale (ABV 3.4%) is a full-flavoured dark mild, brewed with chocolate and black malts and hopped with Kent Fuggles. It was originally produced to celebrate Goacher’s 5th anniversary.

Regular seasonal beers and specials

*Goacher’s tied house: The Royal Paper Mill, Tovil*

House Ale (ABV 3.8%) was originally produced as a blend of Goacher’s Fine Light and Best Dark ales as a special for a local pub, but is now brewed and supplied to several houses.

Old 1066 Ale (ABV 6.7%) is a fruity rich barley wine named after the original gravity of the brew. Old has been produced in small quantities every winter since 1983.

Silver Star Ale (ABV 4.2%) is Goacher’s palest ale, first produced in 2008 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. This summer ale is hopped with Kent Fuggles producing a crisp, clean taste with a light, satisfying dry finish.

Fancy a pint?

Goacher’s has two tied houses: The Rifle Volunteers in Maidstone and The Royal Paper Mill in Tovil, less than a mile away from the brewery. In 2019, Goacher’s bought another pub – The Little Gem in Aylesford – which is currently undergoing renovation and expected to open in 2021.

Tours and takeaways

Takeaways are available from Goacher’s tied houses. Please enquire for details.

Reviewed by Kentish Mann 2021.