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The Butchers Arms (Free House)

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Gale's - Prize Old AleExceptional1
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 10Exceptional1
JW Lees (see also Lees) - Harvest AleExceptional1
Kent - Session PaleExcellent1
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)Excellent6
Mighty Oak - The Ruby OneExcellent1
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 5Excellent1
Adnams - BroadsideExcellent1
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper TopExcellent2
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Snow TopExcellent2
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Silver TopExcellent1
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESBGood1
Adnams - Southwold BitterAcceptable1
Westerham - Grasshopper Kentish BitterNot Tried0
Oakham - CitraNot Tried0
Adnams - Ghost ShipNot Tried0
Mighty Oak - BlackbirdNot Tried0
Dark Star - SunburstNot Tried0
Titanic - Plum PorterNot Tried0
Picture 1. The Butchers Arms, Herne, Kent
Picture 2. The Butchers Arms, Herne, Kent

Visits Details

04 Sep 2015 (Mick)
Lunchtime. A couple of locals in, a good chat with Martyn and Kevin the Pickle.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40ExcellentGadds No 5 super.
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10ExcellentExcellent, smooth and well balanced.
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESB5.50Not Tried
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Not Tried
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Silver Top4.50Not Tried
03 Sep 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Martyn's 56th birthday so nibbles and cake as well as beer on offer.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Silver Top4.50ExcellentOn the blackboard tonight as "Rev' Top" in honour of the barman subbing for the Guv tonight
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESB5.50Good
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Not Tried
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10Not Tried
06 Aug 2015 (ChrisE)
Lunchtime visit, a group of four of us met here and stayed. Martyn was on top form and we talked about micropubs in beach huts and the problems being encountered by the people who are trying to open a micropub in Upminster.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Excellent
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40Not Tried
Titanic - Plum Porter4.90Not Tried
18 Jul 2015 (Andrew)
Met Ian for a night on the beers! Drank Hop Head all night and lost count of how many. Good fun evening in the pub that gave birth to the Micropub revolution.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40ExcellentJolly nice stuff.
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40Not Tried
Dark Star - Sunburst4.80Not Tried
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10Not Tried
18 Jul 2015 (Ian)
Where to start? Saturday evening session meeting up with Andrew. Martyn was a great host as usual, Sue from Ramsgate brewery turned up, a Liverpool/Deal party in a pink bus dropped in for a drink, there was a pub ticker from Lancaster talking about micropubs in Wigan, Glyn the Roof popped in to say he doesn't do guttering anymore and I ended up drinking some high end beers that could only have been purchased in this small ex butchers in the tiny village of Herne. Who cares that it takes me an hour each way to get here. It's the first and still the best.
BeerABVScoreNotes
JW Lees (see also Lees) - Harvest Ale11.50Exceptional2008 version, slight sourness, dry oloroso sherry. Unbelievable.
Gale's - Prize Old Ale9.00Exceptional2005 bottled version with the cork closure. Dark cherry and damson.
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 1010.00ExceptionalDark chocolate, espresso coffee, great strong dark stout.
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40ExcellentAs good as it gets these days. Light drinkable refreshing hoppy.
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40Not Tried
Dark Star - Sunburst4.80Not Tried
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10Not Tried
26 Jun 2015 (Mick)
First in at lunchtime, nice to be back at my old local. A good chat with Martyn about pubs and beer.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Adnams - Broadside4.70ExcellentSuperb pint of this dark rich beer.
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Excellentwonderful,light and hoppy.
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10Excellent
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40Not Tried
Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - ESB5.50Not Tried
Mighty Oak - Blackbird4.00Not Tried
02 Jun 2015 (ChrisE)
Just after mid day, initially we were the only customers but regulars and their dogs soon filled the place. I had a good chat with Martyn about micropubs in Worthing.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Mighty Oak - The Ruby One4.10ExcellentA new beer for me, as its name implies it is a ruby coloured ale. Very tasty.
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Not Tried
06 May 2015 (ChrisE)
Lunchtime visit, just a few in. We had a good chat with Martyn. I did not make a note of all the beers on offer.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40Excellent
28 Mar 2015 (Andrew)
The almighty Butchers Arms. Sat chatting with Martyn about the future of beer. Doesn't get much more serious than that.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's)3.40ExceptionalMartyn. Hophead. Umm, you do the maths.
Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 54.40Not Tried
Oakham - Citra4.20Not Tried
Adnams - Ghost Ship4.50Not Tried
22 Dec 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening on a day when not usually open. Mrs Miggins's large pork and large game pies were being traded in volume for take home gorging.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Snow Top6.00Excellent2nd one much better mouthfeel
Kent - Session Pale3.70Excellent
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Snow Top6.00Good1st one was a tad metallic
Adnams - Southwold Bitter3.70AcceptableNot impressed, quite flat
Adnams - Broadside4.70Not Tried
Westerham - Grasshopper Kentish Bitter3.80Not Tried
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top4.10Not Tried

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About The Butchers Arms

The pub sign. The Butchers Arms, Herne, Kent

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional239
Excellent424
Good92
Acceptable14
Poor-

Website.

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.

Map location

Postcode: CT6 7HL