2022
- Carpenter's Arms 10 Year Award
Tuesday 15 November 2022
Following the publication of CAMRA's 2023 Good Beer Guide and to coincide with our November Branch Meeting, we were pleased to award The Carpenter's Arms with a special award for their 10 consecutive appearances in the Guide.
The pub usually features a number of beers from The Westerham Brewery. On the night, we found British Bulldog, Spirit of Kent, Grasshopper and Scotney Green Hop alongside Larkin's Traditional.
If you'd like to visit the pub by public transport, it is accessible by bus 594 which runs every two hours from Oxted during Monday to Saturday daytimes.
Pictured is our branch chair Rob Wells handing over the award to Izzy, one of the bar staff at the pub.
- Redhill 2022 Festival Highlights
Saturday 5 November 2022
After our three year hiatus, the Redhill Beer Festival returned with a bang this year. We’d like to thank all those that attended, and to those volunteers that organised and ran the event.
We welcomed nearly 900 people through our doors over the same day, served some 3700 pints of real ale and cider, and raised £778.54 for St Catherine’s Hospice, our regular Festival charity.
Beer of the Festival, as voted by our attendees, was Tiny Rebel Dark Cherry Battenburg.
- Club of the Year Presentation
Tuesday 27 September 2022
On the evening of Tuesday 27th September, we were invited to host our monthly branch meeting at Kingswood Village Club and whilst we were there, we presented the venue with our 2022 Club of the Year Award.
This now makes 10 Club of the Year Awards for the club.
We found Dark Star Hophead and Pilgrim Brewery beers available on the bar during our visit.
The club welcomes card carrying CAMRA members with free entry.
- Cider Pub of the Year Award
Tuesday 20 September 2022
On the 20th September, the branch gathered at The Radius Arms micropub in Whyteleafe to present Vince with our Cider Pub of the Year award for 2022.
With the exception of 2021 when the COVID pandemic prevented us from selecting a winner, The Radius Arms has won the Cider Pub of the Year award each and every year since they opened 7 years ago.
If you’d like to visit the micropub, it’s easily accessible by bus or train with Upper Warlingham and Whyteleafe stations only a couple of minutes walk away.
- Cask Ale Week 2022
Friday 16 September 2022
Cask Ale Week is an annual celebration of Britain’s national drink – cask beer! It’s an opportunity for pubs and breweries to get involved and encourage their customers to try and promote real ale by organising events and activities throughout the week. The 2022 event runs from 22 September to 2 October.
Formed in the early noughties by Cask Marque, Cask Ale Week is supported by the major trade organisations, brewers & pub groups as well as The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Why not link planned current events with Cask Ale Week and maximise publicity? You don’t have to be a Cask Marque member to take part and if you are a real ale drinker, click on the events page at https://caskaleweek.co.uk/events-list to see what’s going on near you, or why not encourage your local pub to take part?
- Pilgrim Reopens The Hatch
Thursday 1 September 2022
At midday on Tuesday 1st September, Pilgrim Brewery finally opened the door and welcomed in the first customers to the extensively refurbished and revitalised Hatch in Redhill.
The cellar has been upgraded and can have up to 5 cask beers on tap and 15 keg at any one time, one of which will be a speciality continental beer font.
Opening times will be Tuesday to Saturday 12:00 to 23:00, and Sunday 12:00 to 22:00.
- Pub of the Year 2022 Presentation
Saturday 27 August 2022
To coincide with their Summer Bank Holiday Beer Festival, a number of branch members made their way to The Surrey Oaks on Saturday 27th August to present our branch 2022 Pub of the Year award to the well deserved team at the pub.
The award was presented by our pub database coordinator, Colin Cabral, to owner Matt.
Matt was also pleased to announce that card-carrying CAMRA members will receive free admission to all future beer festivals at the pub.
Although not an overly frequent service, the pub is accessible via the route 21 bus which runs every 2 hours Monday to Saturday daytimes between Dorking and Crawley.
- 10 Year Award for Cobbett’s
Tuesday 5 July 2022
On Tuesday the 5th July, the branch made an evening visit to Cobbett's micropub and off license in Dorking to present them with a special award to celebrate their 10 consecutive years in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.
To celebrate, Cobbett’s stayed open later than usual and held onto a barrel of Surrey Hills Brewery Collusion XXIV specially for the event.
Many congratulations to Tim and his team for all of their hard work, long may it continue!
- Special Award for Pilgrim Brewery
Wednesday 19 January 2022
On 19 January 2022 the Branch gathered at the Pilgrim Brewery, Reigate, to make a presentation to mark its 40th anniversary. The award was presented by Branch Chair Rob Wells (right) to Rory Fry-Stone (centre), current co-owner, and John Fridd, Head Brewer.
Accepting the certificate, Rory paid tribute to the founder, Dave Roberts, who retired in 2017.
The citation reads 40 years of brewing quality beers in Surrey.