Blakes of Dover (Free House)
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Visits Details
18 Nov 2005 (Ian)
Late lunchtime - afternoon session. Basement bar with a mixture of beers on draught and gravity. Good mix of UK micros, usually with something on from Kent, normally Hopdaemon or Gadds. After trying all the beers with halves, I settled on the Grainstore as my session beer. Had a really good afternoon session with Terry talking about photography, cars, France and cooking. Lunchtime was quite busy, quiter during the afternoon and then quite busy again from 4ish onwards
Grainstore - Tupping Ale | 4.50 | | Copper colour with thin white head. Quite a nice hop nose with some strawberry fruit. Some acids in mouth with drying hoppy end. Quite a nice bitter. Must have been, I did a session on it |
RCH - Pitchfork | 4.30 | | Golden copper colour with no head. Hoppy/good citrus/some tangerine aroma but with balancing caramel malt too. Quite nice in the mouth with good acids and drying hop bitter finish. Good bitter |
Hopdaemon - Incubus | 4.00 | | Fine. Nice sweetish malts and some good fruit flavours. Not at its best though |
RCH - East St Cream (was East Street Cream) | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
24 Sep 2005 (Ian)
Mid saturday afternoon and pretty quiet. Darren and Steve were doing the Times samuri su doku at the bar and that was about it. 3 beers on plus Thatchers cider. Superb collection of whiskey's too.
Crouch Vale - Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Nice hop nose with some biscuity malt. Mid brown colour. Flavour is quite malty with good assertive hop throughout. Some burntness, some fruit. Pretty good best bitter |
Hopdaemon - Golden Braid | 3.70 | | Bit like the Skrim really. In fact I had the last pint of this and it was taken off to be replaced by the Crouch Vale Best Bitter. Golden Braid was flat and dull. |
Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | 4.50 | | Bit flat. OK, tasted like Skrimshander, but just a bit dull and flat. |
Moorhouse's - Pendle Witches Brew | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
10 Aug 2005 (Brian)
Quiet mid afternoon visit. 4 beers on, Skrimshander on hand pull.
Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | 4.50 | | Lovely dark brown bitter, best pint I've had for a while |
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Moles - Moles Best | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
RCH - East St Cream (was East Street Cream) | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
16 Jul 2005 (Ian)
Now under the excellent ownership of Peter and Katherine (ex Yew Tree Inn, Barfrestone). It has a 6 barrel gravity stillage and 3 handpulls on the bar. Pretty rear patio garden leads of a smallish basement bar. Serves good range of UK micros including some from Kent. Definitely worth a visit, but I was there at lunchtime on Saturday when it was not very busy, but the conversation at the bar was good.
Stonehenge - Great Bustard | 4.80 | | Dark Chestnut. Malty aroma some roast malt flavour with coffee and then the hops kick in to balance it. Good strong beer |
Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | 4.50 | | Although this beer was not on yet, Ruth behind the bar let me have a pint, which was very kind of her. Raspberry fruit and good hops. Gorgeous top of the barrel beer |
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 7 | 3.80 | | Golden brown, served in a Gadd's tall sleeve glass. Citric orange aroma, good session beer, slight hay flavour and balanced finish. Very good after a long bike ride |
Hopdaemon - Incubus | 4.00 | | Dark brown colour. Good malty flavour tempered by hops with some good fruit. Still not up to its best but better than the last 2 pints of this beer I have had recently |
York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Yorkshire Terrier | 4.20 | | Coming to the end of the barrel. Amber colour some apple nose and some hop. Thinnish and not quite how I remembered it. |
26 Jun 2005 (Ian)
Peter and Catherine previously from the Yew Tree Inn at Barfrestone have been in charge for the past 2 and a half weeks. Excellent couple to be in charge. They serve good beer and food that they take care over including where they source the ingredients. 6 barrel stillage still there plus up to 4 handpumps. Good range of UK micros including a mild. Sunday early afternoon with snacks on the bar like olives, cheese, peanuts and some beautifully cooked belly of pork. Blakes cricket side then turned up. They are always looking for new recruits if anyone is interested in a fun game of cricket (even I am playing next Sunday)
Hopdaemon - Incubus | 4.00 | | Excellent beer from Hopdaemon. Really rich malt flavours along with tasty hops. Very popular on the day I visited |
Triple fff - Pressed Rat & Warthog | 3.80 | | Bit thin. Did not have its usual full flavour. Peter said that he had been asked to stock a mild wherever possible but it does not seem to be selling in any great quantity |
Grand Union - One Hop Goldings | 4.50 | Not Tried | Brewed as part of the one hop series that funnily enough only uses one hop in order to highlight their flavours |
22 Dec 2004 (Ian)
5 beers on in this basement bar with 4 on gravity from a stillage. Can be a bit smokey, but the banter at the bar can be lively.
Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Excellent tasty mild full of burnt malt |
Titanic - Best | 3.50 | | Good citrus fruit and hoppy session beer |
RCH - Steaming Santa | 4.50 | | Ruby seasonal ale with good malt |
Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - Blake's Heaven | 7.00 | | Good seasonal dark winter warmer with good malt and some bitterness |
Ventnor - Antifreeze | 5.20 | | Too syrupy |
03 Dec 2004 (Ian)
Quiet on a Friday early evening. 2 beers on stillage (Titanic Captain Smith and Chalk Hill CHB) and 1 on handpump (Oakleaf Bitter).
Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - Bitter | 3.80 | | Good astringent hoppy session bitter |
Chalk Hill - CHB | 4.20 | | Mid brown, bit watery but with some hoppy bitterness |
Titanic - Capt. Smiths | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
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