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The Butchers Arms (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Mild |  | 1 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | | 2 |
| Dark Star - Summer Solstice | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Larkins - Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 2 |
| Larkins - Chiddingstone |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Original | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Mild for May | | 1 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
11 Jul 2009 (Ken)
Good to see Mrs Miggins and her entourage again on Saturday evening. Lucky enough to match the finest Larkins with the finest pork pie. Rumour has it that Martyn's clinched the East Kent POTY title for the second year running. However all of this is somewhat overshadowed with a concern that CAMRA's going to have to add another couple of pages to its letters page in the August edition of What's Brewing? Looks like firkins at twenty paces!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larkins - Best Bitter | 4.40 | | A rich mellow fruitfulness unique to the Larkins Brewery. It's claimed, in some quarters, that rather like Prince Charles, Roger has long meaningful conversations with his hops during the growing season. |
03 Jul 2009 (Glyn)
The only time you can ever really complain about the award winning pub is when your favourite beer runs out or all the beer runs out, well this appeared to be the case this week! The wonderful warm weather must have had something to do with it encouraging punters out and to drink more, or was it the sheer quality of the beer forcing us to finish each barrel.It was almost disappointing to be drinking Harveys because it was all that was left! Highlight of the week Summer Solstice, another great creation from Dark Star. Monday 27th July if anyone is interested is quarter finals day of 20/20 versus Durham, 17.30 start, Butchers Arms is shut, chance to get stuck in to some Sheps. Well done to Martyns 11 other mates for supping with him and paying him for the privilage! Where are the Fanit boys?
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Summer Solstice | 4.20 | | hop heads big brother, |
02 Jul 2009 (Mick)
Called in early to try the Summer Solstice and I wasn't disapointed, very nice. The usual crowd of reprobates were in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Summer Solstice | 4.20 | | Very nice, in perfect condition with that super hopiness and a superb finish. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried |
30 Jun 2009 (Ken)
Some discussion tonight about Martyn's cavalier attitude towards swilling pints in a butcher's shop with his twelve mates as depicted in the letters page of 'What's a'Brewing?'
If you think what he's doing is wrong, or you think he hasn't got twelve mates .................!!!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larkins - Chiddingstone | 4.00 | |
25 Jun 2009 (Glyn)
This alluring award winning micro pub worked its charm on two unsuspecting visitors last night. Two German ladies popped in for "just a look" and ended up staying for an hour. Martyn and the regulars worked their charm and the pub claimed more converts. Rattling good evening as always! Pleased that Andy the Onion was in to regulate Phil's dress sense or lack of!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | |
23 Jun 2009 (Glyn)
Quite late for me to be visiting this award winning micro pub, and was surprised to find quite a few early enbibers still there at nine o'clock when I arrived,and still there when I left! To add to Fannits famous peoples list is Frank Muir who was born in Ramsgate and went to Chatham House, (thanks John). Place was buzzing and the beer great as ever.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | The optimum distance for this beer to travel is from Lewes to Herne Bay, because by the time it is dispensed it is in brilliant condition. Perhaps if Martyn sold his to the John Harvey Tavern they too could sell an excellent pint! |
| Larkins - Best Bitter | 4.40 | | Bit young but still excellent |
19 Jun 2009 (Glyn)
Many visits this week to the multi award winning micro pub. Nice to see Fan
it boys again including Blair, Blairs dad and an assortment of others. Most amusing to witness their collective brain power struggling to list famous people from the island and only coming up with minor celeb artist. Put down the Good Beer guide pick up your old school books and look around. Have they not heard of Saint Augustine, Fanits earliest visitor/resident.Ex Prime Minister Edward Heath attended Chatham House, Charles Dickens left a few clues in Broadstairs. Famous actors include Jack Warner, Bernhard Hepton, John LeMesurier, Annette Mills. Jacky Pallo and Lord Scarman, Dennis Wheatley schooled in Cliftonville and Vincent Van Gogh taught in Ramsgate in 1876 and poet Sam Coleridge was from the area as was Nigel Horne the composor. the list goes on, so come on you Fanit boys smell the coffee!! The beer great as ever including Dark Star Mild.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larkins - Best Bitter | 4.40 | | This beer will contend as one of my "best" bitters, full of flavour and packs a punch as well, what more do you want. Can we have some more please? |
| Dark Star - Mild | 3.60 | | Really good beer with plenty of Dark Star flavours |
18 Jun 2009 (Blair)
I hadn't been to the pub in exactly 3 weeks so I was really looking forward to it tonight. Surprisingly quiet really, but still had a great atmosphere. The main theme tonight was trying to think of famous people from Thanet, I think the best we managed to come up with was Tracey Emmin. Says it all really, great night as ever.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | | This beer is such a grower, every pint I have I love it even more. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Dark Star - Mild for May | 3.60 | | Really tasty dark mild. Light roasted malt and choc flavours. Really good. |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESB | 5.50 | Not Tried |
13 Jun 2009 (Ken)
A real case of Mohammed and Mountains tonight. We couldn't get some 300 music 'lovers' and 4 or 5 bands to the beer in the Butchers so had to take the beer from the Butchers to Mansfield's barn, between Highstead and Marshside. Good to see some old faces again and, needless to say, the beer travelled well..........very well
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Original | 5.00 | | a truly deep dark ale with that distinctive marmity depth of flavour. |
10 Jun 2009 (Ian)
Andrew was on holiday so we thought that we would have a meet up somewhere and where better than here. Great night here, even better than most. The geology/geography discussion was enlightening and the discussion on possible models for the Butcher's Wives Calendar was good too. Never stopped laughing from coming in to leaving 3 hours later. Martyn was on top form too.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | I had this in Lewes on Monday and it was very fine then, but this is even better. Just so crisp and drinkable. The blend with the Jaipur was great, the freshness of the Hophead with the structure and extra weight of the Jaipur |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | | First couple of pints out of the barrel were good, but didn't burst as it can. However, the 3.5 pints I took home were stunning. Fresh flowery hop, great structure and no real hint of 5.9% ABV. Really stunning. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried |
About The Butchers Arms
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 239 |
| 424 |
 | 92 |
 | 14 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Herne, Kent, CT6 7HL.
In the middle of Herne village in Herne Street, once the Canterbury Beer Shop selling beer straight from the cask. It is now a pub (with the same owner as before) and still does off-sales which is fantastic! Voted CAMRA Kent Pub of the Year in 2008 and East Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year in 2009 (...and not surprisingly). Regarded universally as the first micropub, which has spawned many similar ventures in East Kent and throughout the UK. Real ales are kept on gravity dispense in a cold room to the right and you will view this when you walk through it to the unisex toilet at the rear. Displays a Micropub Association Certificate of Registration warranting, annually, that it adheres to the tenets and ethics of the Association's definition of a micropub. Since post-Covid re-opening in October 2021 now open 5-8 Tuesday to Friday only. The landlord and founder of the Micropub Association, Martyn Hillier, was awarded an MBE in the 2024 New Years Honours list for services to Business and to Hospitality.
We have visited this pub 378 times, seen 164 different beers and tried 135 of them.
Postcode: CT6 7HL