The Kentish Belle

Well, that’s a wrap! Initial calculations suggest a whopping 1,155 of a possible 1,292 pints were sold (excluding tasters, redeemed pints and a couple for the Landlord) this weekend. We can’t grumble at that and we can only thank people who travelled from near and far to be with us for what turned out to be a great festival! It was simply brilliant.
Add in gins, wines, cider, increasingly-popular rum, new cans and bottles and such and it’s definitely been a weekend to rememb...er. Plenty more where this came from, we think!
We want to offer our congratulations to the local Campaign for Real Ale’s local membership who have supported us as well as the Dartfordians Fest; and especially pay tribute to the maturity of a number of the team at ‘Old Darts’ who rightly said “More beer, more cheer!” instead of feeling it was a competition: we succeed together and next year it could be much the same.
In recognition for a fantastic festival, we’ve decided tonight to donate £100 to Dita’s Call4Backup appeal as she runs on the Bank Holiday weekend. Drinking beer for good - a new one, perhaps?!
And finally, here’s a taster of next weekend. There’s some absolute whoppers in there! Cheers!
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SUNDAY: Day 4 of 4 of the Bexleyheath Beer Festival! Only 9 of 19 beers remain so get yourselves down, have a pint, savour the end of a glorious weekend and maybe even have a sneaky gin too...
And if you don’t want to be greeted by a miserable sod, come between 1 and 6 because the Landlord is off to Woking to cheer on Welling!

Turnout is good, fridge is better. New NORTHERN MONK, Pressure Drop Brewing, Tiny Rebel Brewing Co., Garage Beer Co, Lervig and a few others!

It’s going to be wet, wet, wet all day! Don’t think you’re forced to go and stand in a tent: We’ve got all the warmth, great beer and great cheer you need as well as heaps of gin, wine and more to tickle everyone’s fancy! Get down to #BhBF19 now!

Relaxing back with one of 8 new cans available at the Belle this weekend (this is the Northern Monk Patrons 17.01 triple dry-hopped), as we prepare for the last half of our amazing Bexleyheath Beer Festival weekend!
We've got 19 beers, we've got 13 ciders, we've got 18 gins and a whole load of great cheer! We look forward to seeing you for the last couple of days! Cheers!

Been sent a photo of Dartfordians club. Apparently they have reached capacity and have to stand outside? So do we! We know who did it better, mind... 😏

Want to thank some of our biggest fans for these quotes - they’re now adorning the T-Shirts staff are wearing for #BhBF19! Get yourselves down to see what all the fuss is about with the best beer of the weekend in London!

Coming to #BhBF19 this weekend? On Saturday and Sunday, there is engineering work on the line via Bexleyheath. But fear not! You can still get to us in quick time by using Abbey Wood (Thameslink and Southeastern) or Bexley (Southeastern) and local buses B11 and B12. There's also the B15 and the 422 and you can get to us direct from North Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, New Eltham, Bexley, Erith and more!

An emphatic, incredible last-minute goal sees Welling United Football Club into the play-off finals. The match will be held at Woking.
But for now, get down to the Belle for the best beers, the best cheer and celebrate this amazing moment. We’re open until 9pm!

It’s just after midnight and we’re sitting down with a can of IPA (or two) to chew over another fine evening. Following a lengthy chat with the local CAMRA Chairman about things, we’ve basically been told that our hard-earned Cider Pub of the Year award can’t come to us unless we accept it with what can only be described as a formal presentation.
For those of you that don’t know us well, we aren’t formal presentation kind of people. We’d rather the thing be given to us one ni...ght in the middle of a busy service with a handshake and a smile and a tip of glasses from a corner of the pub from some local CAMRA members whether 3, 13, 30 or any number in-between.
When you win an award, you would sort of expect some level of input or consultation on how it will play out. We feel that it is totally reasonable to ask for no bells, no whistles, no cameras, no quotes and, most importantly, for the customers who come in every day to still be able to do so and be served quickly with a great pint and not feel they’re being pushed out. Whilst we’re sure the local CAMRA branch means well, they should respect what we’re saying which is that it isn’t personal but that we would like it low key.
Sadly, CAMRA’s upper tiers have reportedly advised the Chairman that the award is not allowed to be presented until we accept a date whereby the local Branch can attempt to muster some support to come in and make a big play of it. More importantly, this will be the first time in 14 months (and counting) that they would have made an effort to see us and that doesn’t cut the mustard with us when we feel they work against us and not with us (and we explained in great detail what sort of things their membership is allowed to say and do with no ‘checking’ by the Committee).
We did offer to hand the award back (not that we are being allowed the physical thing anyway), but that seemed to be rejected. Whilst it is a two-party thing, we as the receivers are asking that we be allowed to have it our way and that this isn’t made difficult. We aren’t going to be allowed the award before our Bexleyheath Beer Festival (despite it being in the Borough printed somewhere), and it feels political and like it isn’t really worth it.
We are therefore publicly asking Bexley’s CAMRA Branch to pop in before we open one day this week with the certificate and let us get on with our job (the same job that got us the award). We hope that they will see this, and note the softening of our rhetoric to suit.
Cheers.
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Travelling to see the Us and the Clarets? With just a ~15 minute walk to Park View Road, we’ve got the best beer for miles around! Join us before and after - we’re open from Midday-9.

🍺🍻 Saturday Morning! 🍻🍺 After a smashing start to the weekend, 4 casks of beer are gone already with a few fresh ones on the go this morning and a few new ones for each day of the weekend!
Remember folks: Saturday 12-11, Sunday 12-9 and Monday 12-6.
... And in less than a week, we’ll be tucking into a whopping 19 beers at Bexleyheath Beer Festival 2019!
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Brand new in the fridge! - Garage / Magic Rock Crimson Shards - Pressure Drop Tambourine Mountain - Lervig Nitro Latte Milk Stout

Your beer list for Friday! Highlights include the return of Wylam Macchiato, a solid Citra from Nene Valley, a Buxton cask and a stunningly good Single Hop Olicana from Wantsum.
As and when things ‘drop’, we’ve got some equally good beers to replace them including Thornbridge Black Harry Mild and a 2.4% Citra.

One of the staff, Dita, is doing the Vitality 10k again for Call4BackUp, the police charity. If you’ve got a few quid, please do send them her way below.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/di tacall4backup2019

We’re at the West Heath Bowls Green, home to the Belvedere Social Bowls Club. This fantastic community space, with a weekly volunteer effort that is well-worth mentioning, we have elected to sponsor. We’ll even be popping up soon to try our hand at Bowls!

In case you missed it: The full, final and absolutely definite beer list for Bexleyheath Beer Festival 2019! Remember there's no minimum spend, you can pay by card and you'll be able to enjoy a whole host of other drinks including ciders, gins, fine wines and more!
Not a sock & sandal combo on the staff in sight!

Front page of the News Shopper and making its way to some 32,000 readers is our ad for #BhBF19! It’s going to be a bit of a beast so make sure you’re there and enjoying our finest beers (and more!) for the whole weekend!