The Man of Kent, Rochester

The Man of Kent is a back street pub that is a short walk downhill to the train station. Once inside i was really surprised to see the real ale choice on the bar. The room is L shaped with the bar facing,there is bench seating to the front and pew seats to the left with small stools,there are a few leather settees in a small area to the front left. I had a drink of Gadds No 7 which was a really nice drink,the other beers i noted were Gadds DR Sunshine,Goody Ales Genesis,Goachers and Imperial Stout,there were many other real ales and real Ciders i failed to note. If you like real ales then this is the pub to visit if in Rochester. Pub visited 6/6/2015

Originally situated just around the corner in an older building (the earliest record of this pub I can find is 1858), it moved to its current building in the 1920s. It is a regular GBG entry and has been the local CAMRA POTY several times - quite deservedly in my opinion.It is a wonderful back street pub, an excellent dog-friendly local and a piece of Rochester's history. The clientele are mostly locals, with a few visitors and CAMRA members mixed in. The staff are friendly but take a no nonsense approach with idiots, and there are no gaming machines or jukeboxes to spoil the ambience. There were 7 ales and 6 ciders on, all from Kent. I had a pint of Kentish Ales Dominator which was in perfect condition. An absolute must for a Rochester crawl and worth dropping in any time.

This is a fine traditional ale house, 5-10 minutes away from the town's train station and yet sufficiently far enough from the town centre to avoid the tourist masses you're likely to encounter on the High Street. The pub has a simple wooden floor L-shaped interior with white walls and dark beams giving it a basic, traditional feel, offset slightly by what looks to be a rugby shirt collection hanging from the ceiling. Bench and low stool seating follows the bar counter down the side and along the front of the pub, with the room opening out a little to the rear where there are some leather upholstered comfy chairs, TV screens, a large bookshelf and some musical instruments which suggests that live music is a regular feature. My early evening visit saw heavy curtains pulled across the windows, which might make the place seem a little unwelcoming to the first time visitor, but once inside I found the staff and clientele to be a friendly bunch and thought the atmosphere was very inclusive. Music was playing quietly in the background throughout my stay and the barman was enjoying some good banter with the locals which was far more interesting than the paper I was reading. The pub's greatest asset is its beer range, which comprises of ten handpulls offering a selection of Kentish ales - Goachers Real Mild and Gold Star, Old Dairy Gold Top, Swan Mild, Whitstable Kentish Reserve, Tonbridge Rustic, Abigale Samphire Bitter, Wantsum Black Pig, Hopdaemon Skrimshander IPA and Gadds No 7. In addition to this there were ciders in the shape of Biddenden Bushels and Pawley Farm Sweet, Medium, Dry and Special, whilst the keg fonts provided a few interesting foreign lagers. I thought the ale choice was excellent, with pretty much all styles catered for (I believe that they always ensure there is a mild available) and it was good to see local breweries being so well supported. I thought this was the highlight of the pubs I visited in Rochester and would certainly consider an extended session in here. I may not be a Man of Kent, but I can't see any harm in becoming a little better acquainted with the beers of Kent.