Progress at SEB

It's taken us 6 weeks to achieve but I think it will be worth the effort. The paddling pool in the middle is a specialist resin floor, falling gently to a stainless steel drain in the centre; this is where our conditioning tanks will sit, all snug & squeaky clean. The walls are covered in an anti-bactericidal coating to discourage potential contaminants.

Through those doors is the filling room: empties enter left; fullies exit right. The area is similarly appointed with resin flooring, stainless drains & anti-bac' wall coating.

 Next up: compressed air, carbon dioxide, electricity & water services.

South East Bottling

When I remember PlaySchool I always think of a film of a milk bottling line in the 'Through the Round Window' section of the show. I must have been a geek at the age of 5.

I don't think this particular film was ever featured on the 11am BBC2 slot but it's what gets me excited these day:



Anyway, it turns out that I'm still a geek and am about to (part) own a filling line of my very own. Together with Westerham & Sambrook's Breweries we've established a new business (South East Bottling) and are busy preparing new premises to house all the necessary tanks & packaging machinery to run a busy filling operation. When finished it will look very similar to this:

But at the moment it looks like this:

Little Cracker, Big Cracker

This year, as well as Little Cracker, we brewed its bigger brother, Big Cracker. More of the same basically; crystal rye & pale rye in abundance, with a bigger hop bill to suit, commanded by Kentish Bramling Cross for spiciness. It's a lovely big ruby ale, full of fruit, berries and spice with a touch of warming alcohol.

We casked some of it for sale in selected East Kent ale houses whilst rest went into Kentish Pinot Noir barrels for a little crafty oak aging. Vanilla, the tiniest touch of oak and more spice is evident in this, the bottled version, and a more perfect beer to go with your Yule dinner I can't think of.

Get in our shop, and some other notable East Kent retailers.

Parliamentary Beer Duty Debate

Thursday 1st November, 11:45 - 2:45 (approx).

Whatever your preferred tipple, if you want pubs to survive you need to support them next week. Here's why:

Due to alcohol duty policies:

• The tax man takes £1 of every pint bought in a pub.
• Britons pay 40% of the EU beer tax bill, but consume only 13%.
• Beer duty rates have increased by over 50% since 2004 but
• Beer duty revenues have increased by only 10% because
• Due to inflated prices consumption has fallen by 23%
• 7,800 pubs have closed, resulting in
• 78,000 jobs being lost.

An e-petition calling on a review of the beer duty escalator (whereby beer duty must rise by 2% above inflation every year) recently reached the required 100,000 signatories, thereby triggering the debate in the House of Commons next week. Not many petitions reach this milestone and the pub industry does not enjoy the support of the national media that it might, so quite an achievement. Despite that the government remain committed to keeping the beer duty escalator in place.

Now, you may drink wine, or whiskey, or orange juice in the pub but without its main source of revenue (beer) it will close.

So if you want pubs to survive, please sign the petition here and email our local MP here, telling her you rather like pubs, they support jobs, need reasonably priced beer to survive and would she do something about the beer duty next Thursday, please.

And do watch the debate, to see what MPs say.

They think it's all over.....

The hops are in and the gardens empty & forlorn. They'll stay this way too for the next 6 months. Even all the Green Hop Ale has been drunk, save the odd cask squirrelled away by a hoarding publican, ready to spring a happy surprise on his locals in a week or two. Obviously the head brewer has his stash of bottles but even they'll be gone by the end of next week.

All very depressing. That is until .........

GADDS' - De Molen Fresh Hop Bohemian Pilsner hits these shores in 7 days time!

It will be available in cask in many good east Kent pubs, in keg in many good geeky beer bars around the country & in bottles here at the brewery.

Broadstairs Food Festival

It's in Broadstairs, it starts on Friday, finishes Sunday and is all about food. And some beer. Green Hop Beer. Ours.

It isn't 5.2%, it's 4.8

If you want bottled GADDS' Green Hop Ale then this is where you'll find it, and, since we brewed extra, it will not, this year, be in limited supply. Take your time.

More hops

Our Green Hop Ale is in the cask and sitting in the warehouse, gently conditioning. It tastes pretty damn good too and I'm looking forward to enjoying the first few pints of it with the Mayor at the Montefiore Arms on Ramsgate's Eastcliff on the evening of Thursday 27th September. Beware though, he doesn't open until 7pm. Lois and the Mayoress will be supping in the Queen Charlotte on the fancy Westcliff at the same time. Come along and join in the fun - it's all for charity.

The following day is the start of the Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight - the best two weeks of the year to wander into a Kent pub and sup the freshest beer in the world from the brewery round the corner. Nearly all the brewers in Kent brew Kent Green Hop Beer and sell it into their markets. You'll find a handy cut-out-and-keep list of where we will be delivering ours in the sidebar - be sure to ring ahead to avoid disappointment.

Of course, you can always go to the Canterbury Food & Drink Festival on Friday September 28th to Sunday 30th where you'll find Kent Green Hop Beers from all over the county, in one easy-to-use place. The Festival closes early evening so keep your list handy in case you haven't had enough by then.

Halfway through harvest.