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East Malling Beer & Cider Festival 2026 (CAMRA Beer Festival)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Langham - Triple XXX |  | 1 |
| Hop Back - Fugglestone | | 1 |
| Tonbridge - Velvet Raven | | 1 |
| Waterworks - URYEnal Bitter | | 1 |
| Stay Wild - Oh Mah |  | 1 |
| Coley's - Stout | | 1 |
| Chislet - Lakes View | | 1 |
| Hadrian Border - As You Where - Bitter | | 1 |
| Hop Back - GFB | | 1 |
| Luckies Brewery - Chevy | | 1 |
Visits Details
05 Sep 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Second visit of the outing: Packed on my early afternoon arrival with some 70 real ales in evidence and my first excursion to this annual event. A good team of volunteers working hard to keep the various impromptu queues down and so did not wait long apart from a slightly longer wait mid-afternoon when the attendance at the festival seemed to be at its peak. The weather made it no doubt even more popular on this late summer’s day with uninterrupted sunshine all the way. Seating to be had at trellis-like tables in a marquee adjacent to the beer tent. What was especially remarkable was the overall quality of the beers sampled as reflecting being fresh on as only a one-day festival and where I often attend beer festivals on their last day. Every beer tried had wonderful head and lacing to give them all the hallmarks of being in good nick.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Langham - Triple XXX | 4.40 | | 10th beer of the festival: Poured with very good head and lasting lacing on this mild from an 18th-century granary barn where brewing was established in 2006, utilising an award-winning, steam-powered microbrewery in the village of Lodsworth, near Petworth, within the South Downs National Park in West Sussex. A very malty first bite emanating from its floor-malted barley sourced from one of the UK's last remaining floor maltsters*, alongside deep roasted chocolate malts. A dry bitterness rising up from its whole leaf hops, and never pellets used here, and pure, local well-water no less. A very moreish malty bitterness with a touch of chocolate waving on its downwards’ spiral with a smoky flavouring joining in. Served in superb order with lasting conditioning. *Virtually all modern malt is made in large, automated industrial "pneumatic" plants where IT controls air, moisture and massive mechanical turned beds. Only a tiny handful of traditional floor maltings still operate in the UK where a slow, gentle and hands-on process is said to give the grain a distinctive depth of flavour that industrial methods struggle to match. |
| Hop Back - Fugglestone | 4.00 | | 5th beer of the festival: Extremely impressive head and lasting lacing on this darker copper-coloured bitter from Downton, just south of Salisbury, in Wiltshire. A hoppy first hit. A dry bitter hoppiness rising from its Fuggles hop variety. A biscuity sweetness joining in from its malted barley and malted wheat. A fresh, spicy, citrusy hoppiness lingering on its slide downwards. Very well served and very moreish. |
| Tonbridge - Velvet Raven | 5.20 | | 9th beer of the festival: Poured with a very healthy head and with its lacing lasting to the end on this dark copper-to-black stout from Branbridges Industrial Estate in East Peckham, Tonbridge, Kent, where brewing moved to after first setting up in Tudeley, a small hamlet located just 2 miles east of Tonbridge town centre. A dry malty first bite. Its fruity hoppiness rising from locally sourced Northdown, Fuggles and Bullion hops imparting blackcurrant, herbal spice and grassy flavours for me. A dry maltiness prevailing with hints of dark chocolate, fresh espresso coffee, sweet toffee and anise-like liquorice, and emanating from its UK-grown malted barley. A hint of dark fruits and a dry hoppy finish. Served in top nick with great conditioning. |
| Waterworks - URYEnal Bitter | 3.70 | | 1st beer of the festival: Very good head and lasting lacing on this amber brown-hued best bitter from Rye Waterworks Micropub, in Rye, East Sussex, a converted historical building that once served as a public toilet. This beer’s name is a pun on "urinal" and the town of "Rye". Brewing commenced as a home brew in 2020 before expanding in 2022 to their dedicated six-barrel commercial operation just a short distance up the hill from Rye at The Old Dairy, Rye Road, Playden, where they also run a weekend taproom. A dry hoppy first hit. A bitter hoppiness rising with a faint spicy hint from its earthy, herbal English hops. A lightly malty note winning over and where the inclusion of rye in the mash, alongside standard malts, is serving as a nod to its name and geographic origin of Rye. Its rye giving the beer a crisp pepper-like spiciness and competing with its sweet, bready maltiness giving rise to toasted biscuity flavours. A dry hoppiness bouncing all the way on its downwards journey. Served in top condition. |
| Chislet - Lakes View | 3.90 | | 2nd beer of the festival: Presented with very good head and lasting lacing on this Kentish best bitter from Chislet, near Canterbury, with brewing set up in 2023 by two home-brewers. A spicy hoppy first bite from its local Prima Donna hops from the Deal Hop Farm, a community-run project made up of a patchwork of gardens and community spaces. These hops are blended with East Kent Goldings also from the Deal Hop Farm aiding a moreishly floral hoppiness for me. A dry and slightly malty bitterness rising from being brewed with barley and wheat malts lending flavours of toasted bread and biscuit, alongside a cereal sweetness. Its wheat malt behind enhancing the beer's head retention. A fruited bitterness joining in with zesty marmalade flavours coupled with a hint of citrus. A good wave from its dry bitter hoppiness on its sailing downwards. Served in fine fettle. |
| Hadrian Border - As You Where - Bitter | 4.10 | | 3rd beer of the festival: Showing off a very good head and lacing sticking all the way on this bitter from a 40-barrel plant in Newburn, a suburb roughly 5 miles west of the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and set up in 1994. A very dry bitter first hit. A bready and biscuity maltiness rapidly rising from its blend including Maris Otter and barley behind sweet hints of caramel. A hoppy fruitiness joining in aided by its whole-cone English hops also lending a spiciness and a touch of pepper from its yeast. Its likely hops are Fuggles for bittering and behind its earthy, mild woodiness, East Kent Goldings lending a bitterness alongside sweet, honey-like floral touches, and Challenger or Target serving as a further bittering hop. A very dry hoppiness hanging on to the end. Served in top form. |
| Hop Back - GFB | 3.40 | | 4th beer of the festival: Presented with good head and lasting lacing on this English session golden best bitter abbreviated to GFB from Gilbert's First Brew and very first recipe formulated from brewing which began in 1987 at the Wyndham Arms pub in Salisbury, Wiltshire, before moving to a larger unit five years later in June 1992 to Downton, just south of Salisbury. A very dry bitter first hit. A mildly fruited hoppiness rising from its East Kent Goldings hops with a hint of citrus rising alongside a slight nuttiness for my taste buddies. A hint of maltiness shining through from its malted barley. A crisp hoppy dryness sailing out. Served in top form. |
| Luckies Brewery - Chevy | 4.70 | | 6th beer of the festival: Good head and lasting lacing presented on this murky brown ale from a micro-brewery and taproom that was set up in 2024 occupying the site of a former restaurant in the Cradlewell area of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. A sweetened malty first hit. A slight fruitiness rising among its bitterness from its English hops. A hint of chocolatey and coffee-infused maltiness rearing up from its malted grains. A touch of coffee and spicy ginger with a subtle hint of citrus for me on its sailing out. Served in good nick if indeed intended to have that unfined appearance. |
| Stay Wild - Oh Mah | 4.40 | | 7th beer of the festival: Poured with very good head and lasting lacing on this British best bitter from brewing established around 2023 as a local nano-brewery surrounded by woodland producing small-batch cask and craft ale and set up in the Darent Valley village of Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent. A fruited bitter first hit. A sweet hoppiness rising aided by a dry-hopped citrusy punch. A maltiness nudging in from its traditional English malt. A fruity hoppiness prevailing and lingering on, on its ebbing out. Served in top form. |
| Coley's - Stout | 4.50 | | 8th beer of the festival: Came with good head and lacing sticking all the way on this dark creamy stout from brewing founded in 2025 at Fieldhouse Industrial Estate in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. A dry coffee-infused first hit. A maltiness rising from its selection of roasted malts with extra dark chocolatey notes alongside espresso and a hint of charred smokiness tickling the ivories. A fruited maltiness giving rise to toasted nuttiness, sticky treacle and a touch of molasses. The odd hoppy hint entertaining my palate from its British Phoenix hops exuding a spicy, earthy depth and woody, pine, herbal and floral flavours. Lasting conditioning and served in good nick. |
About the East Malling Beer & Cider Festival 2026
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 4 |
| 6 |
 | - |
 | - |
The pub is found in East Malling, Kent, ME19 6BJ.
Located at The East Malling Research Centre on 5th September 2026, 15 minutes' walk from East Malling railway station, plus free hourly shuttle buses from Maidstone East, West Malling and Aylesford stations. 70+ real ales on for this one-day event alongside 35+ ciders and perries in a large marquee in one of the Centre's fields. A live music stage and food vendors kept the large crowd in situ. A good team of CAMRA volunteers aided ready access to the real ale. All beers sampled in very good condition from being fresh on.
We have visited this pub once, seen 10 different beers and tried them all.
Postcode: ME19 6BJ