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Rare Breeds Beer Festival 2007 (CAMRA Beer Festival)

Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Potbelly - Beijing BlackExceptional2
Westerham - Summer PerleExcellent2
Garton - Chocolate Frog PorterExcellent1
Newmans - Wolvers AleExcellent1
Milton - ElectraExcellent2
Oakham - Bishops FarewellExcellent3
Marble - Summer MarbleGood2
RCH - Tender Loving CareGood1
Rother Valley - Summertime BluesGood2
Rother Valley - SmildGood1
Southport - Carousel BestGood1
Ballards (now a sub-brand of Greyhound) - Midhurst MildGood1
Strathaven - Old MortalityGood1
Saltaire - XBAcceptable1
Little Valley - Hebden's WheatAcceptable1
Cains - Dark MildAcceptable1
Country Life - Golden PigAcceptable1
Whitstable - East India Pale Ale (or EIPA)Acceptable1
Great Orme - BestAcceptable1
Hadrian and Border - Centurion BitterAcceptable1
Picture 1. Rare Breeds Beer Festival 2007, Woodchurch, Kent

Visits Details

02 Jun 2007 (Ian)
Went Saturday lunchtime too. Fuller than on Friday and a lot hotter. The sun was really quite strong. Some beers were not as good as the day before. Still a very good relaxed atmosphere.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Rother Valley - Smild3.80GoodVery deep brown with thin beige head. Some really nice dark fruits and choc/coffee. Easy drinking mild with enough mouthfeel to be interesting, good hop and dryness on end. Bit grainy too.
RCH - Tender Loving Care4.00GoodCopper, lasting bubbly off white head. Decent standard bitter. Fairly fruity malt aroma. Tasty, good hop finish. Excellent standard bitter.
Rother Valley - Summertime Blues3.70GoodCopper, thin bubbly off white. Biscuity citrus session bitter. Very quaffable, decent lemon/lime bite on finish. Slight mineral flavour.
Great Orme - Best3.80AcceptableAmber, lasting thin tight beige head. Malty bitter, some earthyness. Not a great amount of flavour, finish is not very hoppy. Bit dull
Hadrian and Border - Centurion Bitter4.50AcceptableCopper, lasting off white head. This is a decent bitter. Hops are fine, malts are biscuity, decent dryness on finish. OK if unremarkable.
Saltaire - XB4.30AcceptableChestnut red, bubbly beige head. Slightly sharp best bitter. Some malt, some hop, bit too acidic and sharp for me.
Marble - Summer Marble4.50AcceptableWhen Andrew and Martin had it on Friday night, it looked as though it needed another day or so conditioning. Gold, bubbly white head. Golden bitter, decent citrus on finish, which turns slightly spicy. Fine.
Country Life - Golden Pig4.70AcceptableCopper/gold with lasting beige head. Earthy golden beer, some citrus hop on dryish finish. Some pukey malt on aroma. Fullish in mouth. Yeah, it’s fine
Oakham - Bishops Farewell4.60PoorLacked all of the freshness of the Friday night. Bit thin and acidic.
01 Jun 2007 (Ian)
Got here for opening at 6 o'clock with Andrew and Jane. We cycled up from Ham Street station which took around 20 minutes. I love this festival, just so unhurried and unpretentious. For the second year in a row, a very good selection of 40 beers. Some Kent micros and then a whole range of beers from Scotland, Isle of Man, Wales, Yorkshire, the Midlands and South West. Good condition all except the Shardlow Golden Hop which Martin had, which I thought was possibly infected. Great evening though.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Oakham - Bishops Farewell4.60ExceptionalSo hoppy it rips your tastebuds off. Fantastic.
Potbelly - Beijing Black4.40ExcellentVery good dark bitter choc, blackberry/blackcurrant flavours.
Garton - Chocolate Frog Porter8.00ExcellentBlack with brown edges, lasting bubbly tan head. Just really intense choc, velvety. Very tasty. Doesn’t taste of 8%. Not like an impy stout, more like a very strong choccy porter. I liked it so much I bottled a half pint and took it home with me.
Westerham - Summer Perle3.80GoodTangerine citrus, good citrusy bitter.
Southport - Carousel Best4.00GoodGolden with lasting white head. Golden, slightly buttery, hoppy beer, bit dusty on finish. Really tasty actually. NIce suppable bitter. Good citrus tangy/zesty finish.
Milton - Electra4.50GoodGold with lasting cream coloured head. Lemon/grapefruit citrus aroma. Some dusty dryness on finish, bit of ginger/spice hop too. Like many Milton beers, very well made. Slightly more citrusy than others that I have had. Good enough.
Strathaven - Old Mortality4.20GoodChestnut with thick cream head. Some toastyness, little bit thin in mouthfeel. Easy drinking, malty and rather toasty. Tinny thin mouthfeel, but the flavours are good.
Cains - Dark Mild3.20AcceptableLacks intensity of pint in Liverpool but still got the requisite choc/coffee and the distinguishalbe Cains flavour. Bit too smooth and not tight enough.
Whitstable - East India Pale Ale (or EIPA)4.10AcceptableFarty yeasty aroma, not enough hop.
Little Valley - Hebden's Wheat4.50AcceptableCloudy orange/gold with lasting bubbly white head. Nice spicy wheat. Bit odd
01 Jun 2007 (Andrew)
This is the most fun I've had at a beer festival for years. Took a bit of getting to from Hamstreet train station but that added to the fun. The weather was sunny and humid and the festival nice and relaxed as always.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Oakham - Bishops Farewell4.60ExceptionalPale gold colour. Big citrus hop signiture. Rich, sharp and extremely drinkable.
Potbelly - Beijing Black4.40ExceptionalBitter chocolate and buscuit flavours in this dark mild. Virtually no hops to mention. Fantastic example of a proper mild
Westerham - Summer Perle3.80ExcellentRich gold colour. Lemon and grapefruit with excellent leafy herby hops
Newmans - Wolvers Ale4.10ExcellentCaramel brown. Good buscuity malt with dry, leafy, well integrated hops. The kind of beer I'd like to do a session on
Milton - Electra4.50ExcellentPale gold. Excellent hop - mellow herby with some more herbs (my notes were beginning to get a bit vague by this point in the beer festival)
Ballards (now a sub-brand of Greyhound) - Midhurst Mild3.40GoodTouch of burnt perspex with rich-tea buscuit flavours
Marble - Summer Marble4.50GoodLight gold colour. Rich with herby hops.
Rother Valley - Summertime Blues3.70GoodMid brown beer with a touch of yeast. Really good hops that reminded me of the Kantenbrau lager I used to drink in my youth

About the Rare Breeds Beer Festival 2007

The pub sign. Rare Breeds Beer Festival 2007, Woodchurch, Kent

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional3
Excellent5
Good10
Acceptable8
Poor1

The pub is found in Woodchurch, Kent, TN26 3RJ.

The Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh CAMRA Beer Festival 2007 was held at the Rare Breeds Centre near Woodchurch. As usual it consisted of a field, a marquee, a barbeque and a bunch of amiable CAMRA people.

We have visited this pub 3 times, seen 20 different beers and tried them all.

Map location

Postcode: TN26 3RJ