Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') Chairman of the Board

Tasting Summary

These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.

Gadds' Beer Shop & Taproom, Broadstairs, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Andrew		25 Jul 2026	Smooth, resinous, rich. Paleish brown colour.
Hogan Sampling		25 Jul 2026	4th beer of this visit: Brewed as a tribute to the role and legacy of Dave Green*, the late Chairman of the Gadds' Brewery, this 8.4% ABV English barley wine came with a handsome head and plentiful and lasting lacing. A very sweetened and fruited first bite. A sugary maltiness floating up alongside a fruity hoppiness joining in with plum, raisin and dark dried fruit flavours coming at me. Its maltiness winning over from local English Pale Malt aiding its high content of sugars needed for an 8.4% ABV, alongside Crystal and dark specialty malts aiding its amber hue, chewy consistency, and dark fruit flavours. Its sugary sweetness holding on in there for me and caressing my taste buds the whole way on its descent with a dry mildly bitter finish aided by its 100% Kent-grown hops such as Fuggles or East Kent Goldings which lend an earthy, herbal bitterness to counteract the heavy malt sweetness. On top form. *Dave Green was appointed as a company director in December 2005 and chaired the board for over 14 years before officially stepping down in February 2020. When the brewery's old pick-up truck broke down, Dave Green’s gift of an electric delivery truck aided founder, Eddie Gadd, on the way to transforming Gadds' into one of the UK’s most eco-friendly independent breweries. Green was an ardent supporter of British cask ale culture and a dedicated follower of Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire. Dave Green passed in 2023 leading to Gadds' establishing their annual Chairman's Beer Festival.