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Last week saw Fuggles Beer Café in Tunbridge Wellscelebrating its 10th birthday, and to mark the occasion a party washeld on the 15th November. Ididn't manage to get along to the birthday bash, and neither was I able to makethe social event held there by the local CAMRA branch, two nights later, asthat clashed with Matthew’s birthday, but it was good to see both Fuggles andits owner/founder making a splash in the local paper. Fuggles it's thebrainchild of beer lover Alex Greig who, after being inspired by the beer caféshe discovered on trips to Belgium, decided to open an establishment of his own,that would showcase the best of British and European beers. In an interview in the local paper, Alex revealed how after managinga number of pubs and bars since his early 20s, he was determined to open aplace of his own. I remember meeting Alex, although I didn't know him by namethen, when he managed a now closed bar at the back of the Opera House (Wetherspoons).My memory tells me the place was called the Tunbridge Wells Kitchen and Bar,although despite an extensive online search, I can find no record of the name,or indeed the bar itself.
Moving on, Alex managed to scrape sufficient funds together,and also located suitable premises for his long promised new venture, and in 2013,Fuggles opened its doors to a curious, but enthusiastic public. Housed in aformer pound shop outlet on Grosvenor Road, Fuggles has since gone from strengthto strength. In 2017, Alex opened another branch of Fuggles in nearby Tonbridge,and most recently a Fuggles Bottle Shop in Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells. All outletsfollow a formula that celebrates all that is best in beer, wine gin and whiskeyfrom both the UK as well as Europe, and it’s one that has really gone to thehearts of residents of the two towns that share the same name.
Fuggles offers something a little different to what’savailable locally, in the form of quality beer from both Europe and the UK. Furthermore,there is nothing pretentious about this pub-cum-café, just good drinks, decentservice and with nice people. All thisagainst the background of a half decent playlist, played at a volume that encouragesrather detracts conversation. Alex is pleased at the way the cafés and the shop havedeveloped over the years and is grateful for the support from both customers, andhis own team, that helped the business survive the pandemic.
One way which helpedFuggles through those dark and lonely days of lock-down, was FUGSCLUB – abeer subscription service that delivered each month, a box of 12 different beersto your house, complete with tasting notes and occasional extra goodies.There were five different boxes to choose from, including a Pale/IPA box, containinghop forward beers from the UK & beyond, European styles - a showcaseof classic European styles. from Lagers to Wheat beers, Bocks, Blondes,Dubbels, and Saison’s, Dealer’s Choice - a showcase of some of Fuggles'favourite beers, Dark Beers - for alldark beer lovers,encompassing Stouts and Porters, Dunkels, Dubbels and more, and finally, forall cask beer lovers, Bitters/Traditional Beer Styles - aselectionof the best bitters, golden, mild, stouts and porters, in bottle or can format.FUGSCLUB was a clever and innovative way of helping Fuggles businesssurvive lock-down, and I was glad to play my own small part, with a monthlydelivery of Dark Beers.
Fortunately, those dark and depressing days are behind us,and Fuggles has subsequently gone from strength to strength. In the piece markingthe 10th anniversary, Alextold the reporter hehad developed some fantastic friendships and got to know some wonderful peopleover the last 10 years, and the business had ended up being much more than justa bar or café for him. During the past decade Fuggles has wonmultiple awards including West Kent CAMRA Pub of the Year and has featured in theCAMRA Good Beer Guide for nine years running. It has also featuredin the Observer’s “Best Places to Drink” guide.
My nearest Fuggles outlet is the Tonbridge beer café situatedat the far end of Tonbridge High Street. It's a 30-minute walk from home, butit's well worth the effort, especially as there's a really good atmosphere thereand it's somewhere one can go on one's own, flick though a local magazine,check something on your phone or just sit there and enjoy the air much like andin the general ambience. The afore mentioned playlist is often to my taste, especiallywhen it contains some classic rock material from my own era in music and, as anadded bonus, I often I bump into someone I know, or someone I haven't seen fora long time.
It's that sort of place, attracting like-minded souls, people whoenjoy good beer, good company in a relaxed overall ambience. Food is limited, so that it doesn't take over from the beer,but the former limited selection of cheeses, charcuterie cold meats and grilledcheese sandwiches, have been augmented by more substantial offerings such ashot dogs, with Bratwursts.
There are normally 4-5 cask ales on tap, including one from TonbridgeBrewery, and these are complemented by a much larger range of craft keg beers includinga number of examples from Belgium and Germany. Tap take-overs, and meet thebrewer evenings, also feature at Fuggles, as do the occasional longerpromotions. One example of this, was shortly before I disappeared on holiday,both Fuggles outlets showcased all six Oktoberfest biers that featured at the mainevent in Munich. In short, Fuggles offers something for everyone, and as alocal resident I feel glad to have such a place in our midst. Follow Blog via EmailClick to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


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