All the Small Things

Kent Micro Pub Tour Part III

Sunday would see us tackle Margate and Faversham, as well as visiting the somewhat legendary Butchers Arms in Herne.
We boarded the minibus at 10:30 and trundled across Thanet to Margate on the north Kent coast where the sun was coming out to provide us with some more fantastic weather.

To enable us to visit two lunch-time micro pubs whilst in Margate the plan was to be knocking at the door of the first at five-to-twelve.
But standing on the esplanade...what's that across the sands on the harbour arm?
That'd be a micro pub banner, and it looked to be open.

Early doors at the Harbour Arms

Inside the Harbour Arms

Harbour Arms (Margate Harbour Arm, Stone Pier CT9 1AP)
Now I have to confess that I had mixed feelings about finding a pub open for a beer at just gone 11am, what with a lack of sleep and the stomach still settling after the final 6% beer in Wetherspoons the previous night.
But I managed.
You really couldn't ask for a better setting - sitting on the benches outside, looking across Margate sands at the seafront buildings in the sunshine...
The pub originally opened in 2013 in a neighbouring unit which was once a fisherman's net store.
Three beers were available from Canterbury Ales, Mad Cat and Breakwater Brewery.  I opted for the 'Breakwater Best', a fine best bitter although I necked it rather too fast, instead of appreciating it. 
Because I wanted to nip into the amusement arcade.  In my opinion it's a necessity to experience the mild disappointment of losing a bundle of 2p pieces in the arcade when you're at the seaside.

Spot the rather dubious LP

A walk along the front later, we rejoined the rest of the group at midday at the second pub.

Two Halves (2 Marine Drive, Margate, CT9 1DH)
Yet another fantastic location - the Two Halves is on the sea-front road and once the windows were pulled fully open we were afforded a brilliant vista of the beach and the sea.

This micro pub opened in 2015 and in 2018 was named the local CAMRA Pub of the Year.
It had a very smart and fresh feel to it, with light walls adorned with a handful of pictures by local artists.  Casks were racked behind glass in a temperature-controlled room beyond the bar, with a good range of ciders also on offer.
I reckon the Mighty Oak or Oakham beers may have been slightly better, but I was doing so well sticking to local beers, hence plumped for a 'Spring Gold' by The Canterbury Ales. Right at the end of the barrel, I fear, and only so-so.

Just a few minutes walk around the corner was a pub that was a whole lotta different...

Fez (40 High Street, Margate, CT9 1DS)
Eccentrically decorated doesn't even begin to describe Fez.  This is a cornucopia of vintage objects, signage and peculiarities that have been collected with obvious unbridled enthusiasm.
I sat in an old barbers chair, then on the (slightly uncomfortable) metal seat of an old groundsman's lawn roller, converted into a small table in the window.
Seating by the other window was a waltzer carriage, whilst there were also old bus seats among'st the furniture.  The more you looked, the more eclectic decorations you spotted.  In rather less exciting days this used to be a card shop, before Fez was opened in December 2015.
It would all be kinda a let down if the beers were no good, but these were great too.
Just £3 a pint, with a choice of 4 interesting ales, the Mad Cat that I picked being in excellent condition.

We made a timely departure from Margate in order to ensure we made it to our next pub by 2pm.  The Butchers Arms had been closed as we passed the previous afternoon, but we were determined not to miss the place where the whole micro pub thing kicked off.

The Butchers Arms - the original micro

The Butchers Arms (29A Herne Street, Herne, CT6 7HL - web)
Well, what can I say?  It didn't disappoint.
Standing on a corner with red awnings, it's overshadowed - but completely unconcerned by - a large Shepherd Neame pub across the road.
Stepping inside, this sure is 'micro' with just two tables (the former butchers chopping blocks) and seating for 12 persons in a 12ft x 14ft room.

The cask room in the Butchers...and route to the toilet.

All sorts of bits'n'bobs hang from the ceiling, giving it a cluttered and characterful feel.
There's a little library of books in one corner including the micro pub staple of old Good Beer Guides, plus the less frequently seen 'Encyclopedia of Unusual Sexual Practices'.

Anyway...beers.  A nice simple selection of four ales, listed on a blackboard and served from a corridor just beyond the pub.  If you visit the toilet you have to walk back past these barrels to get to the solitary insalubrious loo.
I started with a pint of Old Dairy 'Über Brew', a refreshing pale 3.8% ABV beer which was delicious.  I also enjoyed a 'Copper Top' from the same Kentish brewery and apparently a bit of a Butchers Arms favourite.

The pub opened in November 2005 and was the inspiration behind many of the micro pubs that have followed since.  Owner Martyn Hillier is fiercely passionate about what he thinks a pub should be and was keen to chat to our group once he'd finished pouring the beers.

Weird things you find in pubs.

We had to leave as the pub was due to close at 3pm (although the locals didn't look like they were going anywhere fast!).  For us, it was a short drive to the last destination of the weekend, Faversham.  

Furlongs Ale House (6A Preston Street, Faversham, ME13 8NS)
This ranks as one of my fastest pub visits of all time - I really didn't do it justice.  Sorry.
Opened in December 2014, it was formerly a wet fish shop.  Now it's a long bar with tables along the sides on raised platforms and seating facing outwards, sticking with the communal theme where you can't huddle away in a corner.

I quickly polished off a half-pint of Brewery of Angels and Demons - 'Bombay Social', which was a fine, tasty ale.  The haste was due to the need to squeeze some food into the hour we had in town.  For this, the reliable speed of service in Wetherspoons beckoned...

Wetherspoons - The Leading Light, 20-22 Preston Street, Faversham

And on the same road, just a little further down...

The Corner Tap (37 Preston Street, Faversham, ME13 8PE)
The final stop...  Phew!  We'd seen A LOT of micro pubs of all shapes and sizes over the weekend.  Plus a couple of regular pubs, a brewery tap and the largest Wetherspoons in the country. 
The beers had been good everywhere.
Some places had been more appealing than others, but everywhere we'd visited had had it's good points.

My final beer of the trip came from Whitstable Brewery - 'Native Bitter' a basic brown beer at a sessionable 3.7% ABV.  I'd also managed to stick exclusively to beers from Kent throughout the whole trip which is a great sign for the counties brewing scene.
This last pub, The Corner Tap, was formerly a glazing shop, opened as a bar in 2016.  But whilst the other micro's we've visited had been owned by individuals, this was owned by Whitstable Brewery.  I felt this place was more of a craft bar than a micro pub, with 8 keg taps and 6 casks, plus spirits and wines.  But it was certainly doing a good trade on a Sunday afternoon, seemingly a popular local destination.

I'm worn out just writing about the trip.
I was definitely worn out climbing back aboard the bus for the journey home.
The folks who put together the initial itinerary for the weekend deserve a big nod of appreciation, whilst the biggest thanks of all goes to this man ( ⇩ ) who did all the driving.  Cheers!

"turn the lights off, carry me home".