The Magical Mystery Tour

December 11, 2012 in Features

For many years now, the mystery tour has been one of the most popular events on the local branch social calendar. As the name suggests, it is pub crawl around the Kent countryside on which only the organiser and the coach driver know the location of the pubs that we will be visiting during the evening. To the rest of us, it is a complete mystery until we arrive! I was lucky in that I inherited a well run and longstanding event from my predecessor, Mike Galliers.

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Celebration of Local Ales & Ciders at Eastbridge Hospital, Canterbury

August 28, 2012 in Events, News

CELEBRATION OF LOCAL ALES AND CIDERS

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH 2012 – 11am to 7pm

In the historic centre of Canterbury at the Master’s Lodge, Eastbridge Hospital, 58 St Peter’s Street CT1 2BE

  • A chance to try beers and ciders from some of the excellent microbreweries and cider producers which have appeared in recent years in East Kent.
  • Organised by the Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable branch of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale)
  • We expect to be selling beers from Canterbury Ales, Canterbury Brewers (the Foundry), Goody’s Ales, Hopdaemon, Ramsgate (Gadds) and Wantsum
  • We expect to be selling ciders from Kent Cider. Kentish Pip and Rough Old Wife
  • The venue is the courtyard of the beautiful Master’s Lodge of the Eastbridge Hospital.  The double doors open out on to St Peter’s Street, at the junction with the High Street, right by the King’s Bridge, the Weavers, and the Beaney Museum
  • The Eastbridge Hospital was founded in the 12th century to accommodate pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Beckett.  It is now a permanent home for older residents. The website describes it as “a hospital in the old sense of the word – a place of hospitality”.  At this event, it continues its 800-year old tradition of sheltering pilgrims and local societies, by kind permission of the Master and Trustees
  • The Lord Mayor of Canterbury will open the event by tapping a cask of beer
  • Meet some of the brewers and cidermakers

What else is happening?

  • Colourful displays by morris dancers.  Every year, morris sides gather in the cathedral at 11am for the Hop Hoodening Service which blesses the new crop of hops.  This year, it’s on September 8th. There will be dancing in the precincts at noon, followed by dancing throughout the city centre, including in front of the Eastbridge Hospital.
  • The opening of the Beaney Art Museum and Library, only a few yards from the Eastbridge, after extensive refurbishment.  There is a special programme of tours and events on September 8th and 9th.
  • Visit the Eastbridge Hospital, Greyfriars Chapel and the riverside Franciscan Garden (10am to 5pm, chapel open 2 to 4 pm)

Contact: 01227 463478/ 07976 431886/ gillandgerrykeay@btinternet.com

Subscribe to our Branch News

August 22, 2012 in News, Subscribe

You can now subscribe to our quarterly newsletter (in electronic form), social event updates, and monthly branch meeting minutes and reminders.

All you need to do is email the following addresses to opt-in or opt-out of our e-mail distribution list. Follow the instructions given in the e-mail reply.

To Subscribe e-mail: CAMRACanterbury-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To Unsubscribe e-mail: CAMRACanterbury-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

The Yahoo Group will also contain an archive of all previous newsletters, social updates and branch meeting minutes.

Visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAMRACanterbury

If you have any problems with signing up for the electronic branch news, then contact us via Twitter @CAMRACanterbury or e-mail camrachw@icloud.com

 

 

 

 

FORTHCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS: JUNE UPDATE

June 20, 2012 in Events, News

Detailed below are details of forthcoming branch social events.

SATURDAY 14th JULY: CAMRA BEER TENT AT HAMBROOK MARSHES HAYMAKING FESTIVAL

Please see details at the end of this news sheet.

SATURDAY 4th AUGUST: STAGECOACH EXPLORER PUB CRAWL IN THE FOLKESTONE, HYTHE AND ELHAM VALLEY AREA

Two options with pubs and times are under consideration and will be reviewed at the June branch meeting. Full details to follow.

WEDNESDAY 8th to SUNDAY 12th AUGUST: CAMRA BRANCH BEER TENT (IN AID OF CHARITY) AT CANTERBURY CRICKET WEEK

Drink beer and watch cricket. Charities are: Age UK, Arthritis Research, and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

For further information or if you would like to volunteer to help her, please contact Gill Keay by telephone 01227 463478 or email: gillandgerrykeay@btinternet.com

See www.camra-canterbury.org.uk for more details about fixtures etc.

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FORTHCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS: JUBILEE UPDATE

May 28, 2012 in Events, News

There are a number of beer festivals on over the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend and full details of these and future events are given in the activities listing below.

A reminder that The New Inn on Havelock Street, Canterbury are having a Bank Holiday beer festival; please note that this starts this Thursday 31st May and not on the Friday as quoted in my last news sheet. It carries on until Tuesday 5th June. There will be 25 different beers available during the festival period, with about 10 on at any one time. There will be a BBQ, bands and Morris Dancing on the Saturday. Please note that the branch will be holding an informal gathering at The New Inn on Thursday night, 31st May from about 8:00 onwards and we will be pleased to see as many of you as can get along there that night.

A reminder, too, about the Haywain Beer Festival which runs from Friday 1st to Tuesday 4th June. There will be 32 real ales and ciders, live music and a barbecue. Opening times are Friday 7 p.m. to 11.30; Saturday 12 p.m. to midnight; Sunday 12 p.m. to 10.30 and Monday 12 p.m. to 6. For further information, please contact Kevin on 01227 720676. I plan to be there on Friday night, which is always a good time with good music and all of the beers generally available. There is a regular bus service between Sandwich and Canterbury which stops outside the door and runs until late at night. Please check the Stagecoach East Kent web site for times.

The CAMRA Branch Beer Tent in aid of charity will be at Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week next week between Wednesday 6th and Sunday 10th June with Kent matches against Hampshire (4 days) and Northamptonshire (Sunday). Charities are: Age UK, Arthritis Research, and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research. For further information or if you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Gill Keay by telephone 01227 463478 or email: gillandgerrykeay@btinternet.com

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FORTHCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS: MAY UPDATE

May 16, 2012 in Events, News

A reminder that this Saturday, 19th May is the day for the joint Canterbury City pub crawl and social with Dover, Deal & Sandwich and Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh CAMRA branches. We will be meeting in the Foundry on White Horse Lane from 12:00 and finishing at the New Inn on Havelock Street at 17:00 where the manager is kindly putting on a finger buffet for us. Full details are given below.

A reminder, too, of our orchid walk the following day, Sunday, 20th May, which Gill Keay will be leading. We will be meeting in The Hop Pocket at Bossingham at mid day. Again, full details are below.

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Kieron Drum (1967-2012)

April 18, 2012 in News

For those of you who may not have yet heard, Kieron Drum, a much-loved branch member, CAMRA activist and friend, was tragically found dead at his house yesterday (Tuesday).

We will all miss him, his ready laugh and his huge enthusiasm for life in everything he did. I believe he had no immediate family except his sister, and our thoughts are with her at this sad time.

Tonight’s Branch Meeting will go ahead as planned, but we hope to have a brief curtailed meeting with just the bare elements of the agenda, as a mark of respect.

Gerry Keay [Branch Chairman]

Kent County Cricket Tents 2012

March 28, 2012 in Cricket, Events, News

We have been running our tents at the festival weeks of various Kent County Cricket Club grounds since 1983. These tents are not open to the general public – they are for CAMRA members and their guests. Read the rest of this entry →

Brewery News

March 26, 2012 in News

Canterbury Brewers (Foundry Brew Pub)

The current standard range of beers is: Foundry Man’s Gold, Foundry Torpedo, Street Light Porter, Canterbury Haka (right), Biggleston’s Brown Ale, Foundry Steam,

Foundry Black, Foundry Red Rye and Foundry, Helles, Foundry Steam, Foundry Torpedo, Street Light Porter and Foundry Man’s Gold are also available in bottle conditioned form.

The range of ales is available in both the The Foundry Brew Pub and The City Arms, Canterbury.


Wantsum Brewery

A new spring beer was launched at the beginning of March 2012, and is called Yellow Tail. It has an ABV of 4.5% and is described as “a very light and fruity beer”. Apparently the French used to call Kentish people “yellow tails” in medieval times because there was a superstition that they had tails!!  The beer was initially distributed to 30 pubs, and locally it is likely to be found in The Thomas Ingoldsby on Burgate and The Phoenix on Old Dover Road.

A stronger and darker best bitter is being launched in June for the 200th anniversary of The Crabble Corn Mill and will be known as Red Raddle; it will have an ABV of 5%. Red Raddle was the name of the paint used on the mill stones in the Dover area.


Canterbury Ales

A new beer from Canterbury Ales – The Knights Ale 4.6% deep ruby featuring Northdown and Fuggles is available from now. The Millers Ale is also proving popular, especially in the Tiger at Stowting.

Wife of Bath (pale ale 3.8% flavoured with Amarillo) is still going well. Canterbury Ales beers are available in a bottle conditioned format too.

Welcome to our new Website

March 26, 2012 in News

Hello and welcome to the new Website for the Campaign for Real Ale in Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable.

Over the next few months we will bring you news and reports on our social events, campaigning and local stories that affect members in our branch area.

To find out more about our branch click on the About Us link at the top of the page.

 

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