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Last Friday,in the company of a half dozen or somembers of West Kent CAMRA branch, plus one small dog, I visited the Dovecote Inn, situated in thetiny hamlet of Capel. Travelling by bus, we took the 205 Autocar servicefrom Tonbridge, and then alighted at Five Oak Green – a small,but rapidly expanding village, close to Paddock Wood. From there, it wasa 25-minute walk, along the lanes to the Dovecote, which along with theadjacent row of Victorian houses, forms part of a rather isolatedsettlement.
This was a repeat of the journey a smaller group of us made athe end of October last year. The occasion back then was the Dovecote’s GreenHop Beer Festival, and this time it was a different festival that the pub washosting in the form of their Dark Beer Weekend. The even featured 14 different dark beers, from 13 different breweries, allavailable from Friday onward for the duration of the festival, or until thebeers ran out.
The Dovecote is situated on the back road between Colts Hilland Tudeley which, as we discovered, was surprisingly busy. From the outside itis a typical Victorian building, that has been extended at the front and at theside, whilst to the rear there is a part-covered terrace, along with anextensive garden and large car-park. With very few chimney pots in the immediatevicinity, the Dovecote has always needed something different to offer itscustomers, and it achieves this by selling a wide range of cask beers (up tosix), direct from the cask alongside a selection of what it describes as “goodtraditional, locally sourced homely food, in a cosy atmosphere”.
Arriving at the pubat around quarter to one, we found the pub already quite busy, with a party ofexpectant diners occupying the area to the right of the bar. We therefore madea grab for the other main seating area, at the opposite end of the building,but not before purchasing a few tokens. As with the Green Hop event, the DarkBeer Festival was tokens only, priced at £2.50 per half pint, regardless ofstrength. This seemed a little strange given that the pub was still takingpayments (cash and card) behind the bar, although I suppose this policy keptthe festival finances separate from the rest of the pubs transactions,including the food.Several of us had already decided to have something to eatand seeing the number of people already in the pub, and knowing that thekitchen closed at 2pm, we got our orders in quick. My choice was the chicken, ham,and leek pie, served with mashed potato, veg and gravy – a no brainer really,given my love of pies. The food also arrived, whilst I was still on my firstbeer.
Speaking of which, there were a couple of old favouritesfeatured on the line-up, in the form of Harvey’s XXXX Old Ale plus Larkin’sPorter. I was especially pleased to see the latter on sale, as it represented myfirst glass of this full-bodied, dark, seasonal ale this winter. Seasonal, isprobably the wrong adjective, as I was told by a couple of branch members that Larkin’snow brew Porter all year round. Things have certainly changed since brewery founder BobDockerty’s passing, at the end of 2022, although I’d be interested to learn howmany casks of Porter are sold during the summer months.
Other beers of note included Coffee & Irish Cream Stout,from North Riding Brewery, plus French Toast Brown Ale from New Bristol Brewery.Both beers tasted as their names suggested, and whilst not exactly mainstream,were interesting in their own right. I ended the session on a strong beer – Westerham’sAudit Ale a 6.2% abv strong ale, brewed to the same strength and using the sameingredients as the pre-war, Audit Ale from the original Westerham Brewery. My tasting notes on Untappd, describe the beer having a vinoustaste, and I think this was deliberate, as barrel-aged, or vatted ales from theearly part of the last century, would have had this characteristic, which isreminiscent of certain aged, strong Belgian beers.
Our group left the pub just after 3.15pm, allowing sufficienttime to walk back to Five Oak Green and then catch the 3.44pm bus back toTonbridge. I alighted at the Vauxhall Inn, on the edge of Tonbridge and under10 minutes’ walk from home, but the others stayed onboard, heading, I believe,for Fuggles and no doubt more strong beers, possibly dark, but possibly not.

 A few final words about the Dovecote which is now back inthe capable hands of licensees Simon and Lindsey who,
despite their laid-back appearance,run a highly professional and very tight ship, which is reflected in the strongclient base they have built up since taking over the reins. Another familiar facefrom the past at the Dovecote, is the chef Yvonne, who used to run the Royal Oakin Tunbridge Wells. She certainly cooks a mean chicken and ham pie, and herculinary skills are also fondly remembered by Mrs PBT’s who, upon knowing Yvonnewas back in the kitchen, recalled the excellent Christmas dinner she providedfor West Kent CAMRA members, 10 years ago at the Royal Oak.
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