OLD DAIRY BREWERY’ S‘ SNOW TOP’ WINS SILVER
CORKS POP TO MARK OPENING OF MOET & CHANDON BAR AT THE HYTHE IMPERIAL
BETTESHANGER RECEIVES FUNDING BOOST
SOMETHING NEW BREWING IN MAIDSTONE
BUSINESSNEWS
OLD DAIRY BREWERY’ S‘ SNOW TOP’ WINS SILVER
Snow Top has won Silver, Supreme CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain at the Great British Beer Festival, held in August at Olympia in London. One of Old Dairy Brewery’ s many seasonal brews, this is a rich dark beer that they have traditionally brewed through the winter to warm the cockles. It is a hearty 6 % ABV with flavour notes of comfort foods like fruitcake and marmalade. The challenger and Bramling cross hops are grown just a mile away from the brewery.
Head brewer Glenn has continued to improve the beers while maintaining consistency to ensure that every pint is as good or better than the last. The brewery feels they are poised for the next stage in development, and looks forward to growth in the near future.
CORKS POP TO MARK OPENING OF MOET & CHANDON BAR AT THE HYTHE IMPERIAL
BETTESHANGER RECEIVES FUNDING BOOST
Raise a glass to the new Moet & Chandon Champagne Bar, which opened at the Hythe Imperial Hotel in August.
Situated on the first floor of the hotel next to the glamorous Imperial Ballroom, the bar was formally opened by Mayor of Hythe Michael Lyons on Thursday, 4th August, and began serving the public the following day.“ We’ re very proud that the Hythe Imperial is the home of Moet &
Chandon in Kent,” said Denise Vas, general manager of the hotel.“ It really is a glorious spot to relax and enjoy a glass or two of bubbly while taking in the magnificent sea views.” The bar is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday, and is available for hire for private functions on Monday and Tuesday. Its opening is the latest landmark in the ongoing refurbishment of the Hythe Imperial by its owners, Ashford-based GSE Group.
Betteshanger Sustainable Parks, a major project aimed at regenerating the former East Kent coalfield, is celebrating a number of grants totalling £ 1.8m, from successful funding applications that include the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, the Heritage Lottery Fund( HLF) has confirmed a £ 1.3m grant, to be used specifically to support the development and operation of the Kent Mining Museum, which will be housed in a new state-of-the-art Visitor Centre at Betteshanger Park, on the site of the former Betteshanger Colliery.
Devised to celebrate and preserve Kent’ s coal mining heritage, the Kent Mining Museum will embrace a unique collection of oral history, archives and artefacts, many of which would otherwise be in danger of being lost forever.
Richard Morsley, director, Betteshanger Sustainable Parks, said:“ The success of the Round 2 HLF funding application recognises the importance of East Kent ' s coal mining heritage and the need to preserve this heritage for future generations. The Kent Mining Museum will be a venue where this heritage is explored and where Kent ' s unique position as a coalfield community can be better understood.”
Using funds already raised, work has begun on the new £ 8m Visitor Centre at Betteshanger Park. The Centre will house the Kent Mining Museum, a Green Energy Centre, conferencing and events facilities, a café serving local produce and a Cycle Centre – with external facilities that include a mining-themed play park, a 3-acre events amphitheatre and improved sporting and leisure facilities. The new Visitor Centre is scheduled to open in spring 2017 and the Museum in the summer.
SOMETHING NEW BREWING IN MAIDSTONE
Something is most definitely brewing in Maidstone – beer is making a quiet and classy comeback from the days when the town was home to the famous Fremlins Brewery. Usually synonymous with longestablished locals and males of a certain age, real ales and proper lagers are finding their way into cooler quarters, Starting with the 4Degrees Craft Bar, which has its official launch in August within the Royal Star Arcade.
In a marked departure from how most pubs operate, the owners here deal directly with domestic and most often Kentish brewers and coffee roasters, or else import their own beers from abroad rather than rely on the work of wholesalers. By forging strong links with individual, artisan alemakers and roasters, they are able to source suds and froths that you simply can’ t get elsewhere
There is even a deal brewing at the moment with a Canadian Brewery that shares the same name as the bar and do not currently export their beer to anyone else.
4Degrees is open now, offering food and drink sourced from the best local growers and brewers around.
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