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The Crafty Alehouse (Free House)

We believe this building is NO LONGER a pub

Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Rockin Robin - RPAExcellent1
Rockin Robin - Robin RedbestExcellent3
Kent - ProhibitionExcellent2
Kent - Black GoldGood3
Kent - PaleGood3
Brew By Numbers - 05/06 India Pale Ale Citra & Simcoe (bottle conditioned)Good1
Rockin Robin - Hoppin RobinGood1
Musket - Fife & Drum Golden AleGood1
Rockin Robin - Mildly RockinGood2
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Dark Side of the MooAcceptable1
Rockin Robin - Rock A HulaNot Tried0
Wantsum - Dynamo (superseded by 4.3% version)Not Tried0
Wantsum - ImperiumNot Tried0
Picture 1. The Crafty Alehouse, Maidstone, Kent
Picture 2. The Crafty Alehouse, Maidstone, Kent

Visits Details

01 Aug 2015 (ChrisE)
I arrived just before 4.30 so I waited outside until the conversion from café to pub was completed just in time for a very punctual opening. I was told that this was the last trading day as the agreement that allowed them to operate was about to expire. They are looking at a number of nearby sites and hope to open again soon.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Rockin Robin - Hoppin Robin3.70Good
Wantsum - Dynamo (superseded by 4.3% version)4.60Not Tried
Wantsum - Imperium4.00Not Tried
11 Jul 2015 (Tobes)
Promised 5 ales only three as per previous visit. Prices have gone back up again all ales were £3 now £3.30-3.50. Think I'll lay off this place for a few weeks and see how it progresses.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Dark Side of the Moo7.00Acceptable
Rockin Robin - Mildly Rockin3.70Not Tried
Rockin Robin - Rock A Hula4.00Not Tried
16 May 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Brief stay soon extended by conversation with the proprietors and locals. There actually seemed to be more interest and conversation about the bottled and canned beers than the real ales.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Brew By Numbers - 05/06 India Pale Ale Citra & Simcoe (bottle conditioned)6.80GoodHeavily sedimented
Kent - Pale4.00Good
Rockin Robin - Mildly Rockin3.70AcceptableWent flat
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Not Tried
16 May 2015 (Tobes)
Only three casks available, ales commonly seen at the Flower pot & Thirsty pig. could do with something a little off the wall. Think I'll give it a miss for a while until the cask options get a little more diverse.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Kent - Pale4.00Excellent
Rockin Robin - Mildly Rockin3.70Not Tried
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Not Tried
15 May 2015 (thebrewingman)
We were the first in shortly after the transformation from cafe to bar. People started drifting in from about 17.30.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Rockin Robin - Mildly Rockin3.70Excellent
Rockin Robin - RPA3.90Excellent
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Excellent
Kent - Prohibition4.80Excellent
09 May 2015 (Tobes)
7pm busy inside and out. Prices are now down to £3 a pint on all real ales brining it in line with the Thirsty pig and cheaper than the Flower pot. Great to see 4 local brews, but would be good to see something a bit off the wall to set it apart form the others that offer local beer.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Musket - Fife & Drum Golden Ale3.80Good
Kent - Pale4.00Not Tried
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Not Tried
Kent - Prohibition4.80Not TriedRan out
04 May 2015 (ChrisE)
I heard Roger Day mention on the radio that this place had opened so I decided to take a train to Maidstone and give it a try. I arrived at opening time and was the first one in but the ground floor bar soon filled up whilst the downstairs drinking area remained empty. This is a café by day and a pub from 16:30 in the evening with a portable bar counter made up from pallets being brought in.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Excellent
Kent - Pale4.00Good
Kent - Prohibition4.80GoodMore taste of grapefruit than the tin of segments that I had earlier in the day.
Kent - Black Gold4.00AcceptableA good taste but lacking condition.
04 May 2015 (Dosser)
Beers need to be cooler. £3.40 for some pints is expensive for a micro round here.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Kent - Black Gold4.00Acceptable
02 May 2015 (Tobes)
Nice little place in good busy location, plenty of seating nice outdoor space opening on to ally so plenty of room when it warms up. At £3.40 a pint may have to adjust to compete with three other pubs that sell local brews.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Kent - Black Gold4.00Excellent
Rockin Robin - Robin Redbest4.00Good
Kent - Pale4.00Not Tried
Kent - Prohibition4.80Not TriedRan out

About The Crafty Alehouse

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional-
Excellent7
Good7
Acceptable4
Poor-

The pub is found in Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1PP.

Opened in May 2015 between Earls and the Druids Arms in Earl Street in the noisy centre of town. This is the The Living Cafe 0900-1600 then The Crafty Ale House 1630-2300. Meals are only available during café hours. Café by day, 4 beers at night. In Micropub style, only in this case, between the café closing and the bar opening a temporary bar counter of wooden pallets on their sides is erected each day, set up in one corner adjacent to a 2 tier gravity wooden stillage for 4 casks cooled by jacket covers. Small upstairs but there is additional seating downstairs too. A box of real cider sits on the bar counter and there is a small fridge containing a varied range of bottled (some of which are bottle conditioned) and canned beers. Concentrates on real ales and ciders from local Kentish sources. The proprietors have advised that they will cease trading at close of business Saturday 1st August 2015, being the end of their agreed temporary lease period.

We have visited this pub 9 times, seen 13 different beers and tried 10 of them.

Map location

Postcode: ME14 1PP