HomeBusinessThanet's 11 pubs and 7 real ale breweries listed in the Good Beer Guide 2019
Thanet's 11 pubs and 7 real ale breweries listed in the Good Beer Guide 2019
September 13, 2018 Kathy Bailes Business 5
Great beer
The Good Beer Guide 2019 features 11 Thanet pubs and 7 isle real ale breweries – with a new entry for Northdown Brewery based at Westwood.
The 46th edition of the guide, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) today, is compiled through independent judgement and recommendations, and every pub that appears has been visited regularly by CAMRA members. CAMRA is an independent organisation and as suh all entries in the guide are free.
Northdown Brewery is one of three new entry brewers.
Katie and Jonny Spanjar
The venture is run by Jonny and Katie Spanjar who moved operations from a small scale site in Margate to Westwood Industrial Park on May 1.
After some time-consuming hitches the couple sold their East London bar late last year and have ploughed the proceeds into the new business with the aim of eventually growing large enough to take on staff and apprentices.
Jonny, 37, said: "We were in the pub trade when I started amateur brewing with the East London Company. I'd enjoyed making it at home and could see the way the market was going. The idea of the brewery came from having the chance to make a product from start to finish. The customers could try it and let you know what they did, and didn't, like."
Fed up of the expense, pollution and hectic life in London the couple opted for a move with their two boys to the Kent coast more than two years ago.
Turning their experience in the hospitality trade, mixed with the brewing, seemed the ideal business venture.
Katie, 45, said: "We could see that although there were lots of pubs, and people in Thanet really like their beer, there weren't many breweries. It made business sense to move here."
She added: "We are really chuffed about the Good Beer Guide entry and generally as to how the beer is being received."
Northdown Brewery produces beers including hoppy He-Bru IPA, Pale Ale Mary and Papworth Victory Best Bitter.
Find out more about the Northdown Brewery on the facebook page here
Other isle brewers in the Good Beer Guide are:
Getting ready to brew: Rev Jacobson (centre) with Paul Wenham Jones (left) and The Four Candles owner Mike Beaumont
The Four Candles in St Peter's;
By The Mile, Broadstairs;
Isla Vale, Margate;
NauticAles, Ramsgate
Gadds (Ramsgate Brewery)
Wantsum at St Nicholas-at-Wade.
Isle micro-pubs/pubs in the guide are:
Old Bay Alehouse – 137 Minnis Road
The Two Halves and owner Shaun Smethers
Fez – 40 High Street
London Tavern – Addington Street
The Two Halves – 2 Marine Drive
Hair of the Dog – 73 High Street
Owner Micky Rush in the NauticAles beer garden
Conqueror Alehouse – 4C Grange Road
NauticAles – 347 Margate Road
Montefiore Arms – 1 Trinity Place
St Peter's (Broadstairs)
The Four Candles – 1 Sowell Street
Yard of Ale – 61 Church Street
Bake and Ale House – 21 St Mildred's Road
'Fantastic'
Tom Stainer, Chief Communications Officer at CAMRA, said: "It's fantastic to see the number of new pub entries in the Good Beer Guide 2019 and the continued growth in local brewing.
"We've seen such sweeping changes across the brewing and pub scene over the past year with brewing becoming more collaborative and socially-minded, and pubs continuing to diversify to cater for all tastes with the continued increase in micropubs, tap rooms and community-run pubs, each improving choice for drinkers.
"This is the 46th issue of the Guide – a book that has become an essential companion for those with a passion for real ale and discovering the best places to find it."
The Good Beer Guide 2019
As well as the print edition, the Good Beer Guide app is available to smartphone users. Available on both the App Store and Google Play, users can search for local pubs based on their individual preferences and connect with friends, or subscribe to receive access to enhanced search tools.
In total the Kent region has 145 pubs listed in the Guide. Find out more here
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Colin Aris
What about the Ramsgate Brewery??????
Kathy Bailes
Surprisingly it wasn't on the list
Eric Catchpole
In all likelihood it is listed in the new Good Beer Guide as from what I understand they list all the UK breweries that brew cask conditioned beer & the listing does not infer recommendation as the individual pub entries do.
Maybe, doesn't appear on the list CAMRA sent but I can ask them
Found it, under Gadds/Broadstairs whereas I was looking for Ramsgate. Article amended. Thank you