A NUMBER of local businesses have made it into the UK’s bestselling beer and pub’s annual guide, whose 51st edition has just gone on sale and is a must-read for beer enthusiasts.
Five pubs and two breweries across Tunbridge Wells are included in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide. Every year the organisation surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK to create its annual beer guide.
Included in this year’s line-up is The George on Mount Ephraim, The Grove Tavern on Berkeley Road, The Royal Oak on Prospect Road and The Sussex Arms on The Pantiles.
Fuggles, who have premises on both Grosvenor Road and Tonbridge High Street are also featured – for the ninth consecutive year.
Alex Greig, owner of Fuggles told the Times: “It’s just great for us to get recognition for the work we put in to looking after our beer selection.
“It’s especially nice to be recognised by a group who are passionate about our industry – and also to be included for so many years when we have such a great range and depth of pubs in the local area.”
Also included in this year’s guide are two local craft breweries: Fonthill Brewing Company, which is located in the Old Stables building next door to The George pub, and the Pig and Porter whose premises are on Chapman Way in High Brooms. The latter told the Times that it “combines traditional brewing techniques with contemporary ideas”, creating a range of session beers and IPA from its Tunbridge Wells site.
This year the brewery received the Taste of Kent Silver Award for its popular craft beer, Caravan, which is made with local Kentish hops.
Pig and Porter’s founder Robin Wright added: “As we mark ten years of brewing in Tunbridge Wells, we are delighted to once again be listed in The CAMRA Good Beer Guide which is a wonderful resource for all beer lovers.”
The Good Beer Guide, which is published annually by CAMRA, helps beer lovers take a barometer of the local beer scene. As well as covering 145 of the very best pubs across Kent, it keeps track of brewery numbers, noting a net loss of five breweries across the county.
CAMRA is a not-for-profit consumer group with over 150,000 members that has been operating since 1971.
The Good Beer Guide is available at: shop1.camra.org.uk/product/the-good-beer-guide-2024/
