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Part of my week in Kent – CLICK HERE to view other posts from the week!
Tuesday took me to Herne Bay. A lovely seaside town on the Kent coast. Herne Bay is home to the worlds first freestanding purpose-built Clock Tower which was built in 1837. And its pier in the late Victorian period through to 1978 was the second longest in the UK. Here I visited “Beer on the Pier”, followed by 4 Micropubs, these being “Parkerville”, “The Firkin Frog”, “The Pub” and “The Bouncing Barrel”.
Beer on the Pier
First a walk down Herne Bay Pier brings me to my first call here to “Beer on the Pier”, run by local brewery “Goody Ales”. Beer on the Pier is a wooden hut located on the pier which has a bar and seating area inside, a lovely area inside with a front room like comfy feeling, along with outside seating when the weathers nicer (it was a bit windy today). A really nice welcome here from Elaine, and was great chatting to her and a couple of regulars in the pub. I love the wording above the front saying “I do love a beer beside the seaside”
A choice of 3 cask ales on the bar here from “Goody Ales”. Elaine gave me a taster of all 3 beers to see which I preferred. The 3 were “Good Health”, “Good Life” and “Good Sheppard”. The first 2 being pale ales and the third being a bitter. I went with the “Good Health”. A delicious light and easy drinking pale ale.
Parkerville
A walk to the edge of town brings me to my second call which is to “Parkerville”. This opened at the end of July 2016 in a former Music Shop. A large room upon entering the pub with a bar in the corner, along with a smaller room down 1 step towards the rear. Great window at the front you can sit at to watch the world go by. Warm welcome in here from Chrissie. A small stage as you enter which is used to host music events.
A line up of 4 beers in Parkerville, from Gadds Brewery, Might Oak Brewery and Darkstar Brewery. I went with “Captain Bob” from Mighty Oak Brewing Company who are based in Maldon, Essex. A delicious amber bitter packed full of flavour and very easy to drink.
The Firkin Frog
A walk back the other end of town (fitting in around opening times) to my third call which is to “The Firkin Frog”. This opened in April 2013. Another lovely Micropub with a room at the front where the bar is located (there used to be a cold room and gravity dispense, but changed with the new owner), alongside a small very cosy snug at the back of the bar. A very warm welcome from Jo, and the food she was cooking for the evening smelt delicious.
Beers on the bar here from local brewery “Goody Ales”, including a house ale called “Firkin Good Ale”, alongside 2 other beers. I went with “Good Heavens”, a delicious bitter which has been made with Pilgrim hops. Second time I have had a beer from this brewery today.
The Pub
A short walk back down the high street brings me to “The Pub”. This opened in November 2021 after being converted from a former shop. A great one roomed pub, with a record player to one side where customers can pick which vinyl to play for some background music. Great welcome in here from Max behind the bar (who used to run The Pub in Broadstairs before it closed). Lovely original wooden panelling on the walls in here as well, the colours the original when they uncovered them.
A line up of 4 cask beers on the bar to choose from, alongside a couple of keg beers and a great range of ciders. Started with a beer from Tonbridge Brewery, “India Pale Ale”. A delicious easy drinking and tasty pale ale. I went onto “Lakes View” from newish brewery Chislet based in Canterbury. A great traditional English Bitter.
The Bouncing Barrel
My last call in Herne Bay was to “The Bouncing Barrel”, a few minutes walk from The Pub. The name itself comes from the “Bouncing Bomb”, the story of which was made famous in the World War 2 movie ‘The Dambusters’. The barrel bomb was tested in the waters off the coast nearby. The story of this is shown on a wall (shown below). A great one roomed Micropub with bench seating around the outside. A fantastic selection of t-shirts hung from the ceiling looked very interesting. Great warm welcome from Trevor in here. Was great chatting to him and a couple of regulars in the pub.
A great range of 5 different cask beers alongside a number of ciders to choose from in here. I went with “Level Best” from East Sussex based Rother Valley Brewing Company. A great sessionable English Bitter, really tasty.
Micropub Adventures 
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