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A perfect day
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April 23rd, 2010Pubs & barsIt’s the first day of the year you could describe as hot. You hope that tiny but noticeable itch under your eyes doesn’t mean hayfever (although deep down you know it does). Skies are clear and vividly blue, not a cloud in sight (nor an aeroplane trail on this particular day).
The village nestles amongst the rolling hills of Kent. Winding lanes shaded with full-leaved trees are a pre-requisite for getting here and parking next to an ancient stone wall an added bonus. Hop farms litter the journey, tall wired supports waiting patiently for the climbing plants to emerge from unkempt soil.
We all think it: “Some afternoons were made for sitting in a pub beer garden”.
Crossing the threshold the cool wooden interior is refreshing after the stuffy heat of the car. We’re comfortable again, and I, being the newcomer, gaze around me, stopped dead a few yards in to survey this new turf.
The taps are star-studded: Marble and Dark Star pulling out all the stops with Pint and American Pale Ale respectively. A cheerful face beams down at us and I’ve made new acquaintance instantly. Drinks ordered we leave the beamed building and our beer reverence is usurped by a different kind of worship, dedicated to our fearsome but silent sun. It’s glorious.
The beer garden stretches gently downhill, falling towards a luscious dale. In the distance the far side of the valley walls are green and vibrant. Watership Down. The blue and yellow jerseys of two local football teams shimmer between trees on a shelf on the hills below us, chasing an invisible lump of leather, oblivious to the serene setting.
Beers are sipped: a toast, a wish, that the day never ends. A pint of Pint lifts us, drawing back the curtains of our hangovers. American Pale Ale kicks arse, and my appetite is restored. I score with ham and cheese, a conservative choice after a heavy night on strong beer. The bread, ham and cheese could all stop doors. The satisfaction is indescribable.
Halves of Dark Star Golden Gate and Gadds Uberhop wash the last feelings of tiredness away, but will require topping up to maintain our new found effervescence. We retire to the bar, me topping up on fancy bottles to take back northwards and the group taking leave of the landlord that every pub deserves.
It’s farewell but not goodbye, we hope.
Tags: beer garden, kent, Pubs & bars, the bull
7 responses to “A perfect day” 
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amen. The pleasures of a beer garden in Britain, when perfectly in-tune with the time, the beers, and the company, is surely one of the reasons why we drink. We should get together for a beer sometime and discuss this very thing…
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FletchtheMonkey Reply:
April 23rd, 2010 at 7:02 pmPerhaps we should meet in the beer gardens of Leeds, a collaborative piece on them?!
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That was a cracking afternoon in the best pub around. We should’ve just stayed sitting out there in the sun all day.
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hah, yeah, we could do – but where? there are hardly any inner-city (unless you count Beer Yards)…would have to be a suburban one. Even my lovely local, The Abbey in Newlay, has what can only be described as a ‘beer sort of three tables at the front of the pub garden’…any better ones around your manor?
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FletchtheMonkey Reply:
April 27th, 2010 at 7:36 pmIf you come out of North and look over the rooftops it looks like The Lounge has a roof terrace. Other than that the best the centre has to offer is the alleys of The Ship, Angel and Whitelocks!
Cross Keys and Midnight Bell yards perhaps?
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If you want urban beer gardens, mosey on down to Sheffield. A couple of suntrap patios festooned in flowers, a couple of conservatories looking out over the gasworks and ski-slope, one leafy tree-clad garden with Thornbridge atthe bar…. bliss!
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I hate to introduce a sour note, but one thing I have found since the smoking ban is that outside drinking areas are so firmly claimed by smokers that they are no longer the attraction to me that they were. If they are big enough, you can escape, but smaller ones, not so good.
But when you can do it in harmony with your surroundings, it is bliss though.
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FletchtheMonkey Reply:
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:13 pmThere’s always one who spoils the party!
You’re right though Tandleman, outdoor drinking areas have changed. I think they’ve changed more in smaller town pubs though, where the pavement is now an unofficial smoking area.[Reply]
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Name: Mark
Web Site: http://twitter.com/fletchthemonkey
Bio: Mark is better known as @fletchthemonkey and started writing about beer in 2009. Mark is editor of Real Ale Reviews and blogs at beeralewhatever.co.uk. When not content with spending all day on the internet working for a digital marketing agency, Mark waxes lyrical at digitalmediamonkey.co.uk and types up match reports for Leeds Guide magazine.
Leigh April 23rd, 2010 at 18:14