Thirty members and guests of the Club had the delightful experience of visiting the Foundry BrewPub in Canterbury’s Stour Street recently; there they had a chance to learn about the pub’s history and how it now works.
The visitors were treated to a wonderful buffet meal and were able to taste a selection of the handmade “grain-to-glass” beers produced at the brewery. Jon Mills, the co-founder and head brewer and distiller, gave an enlightening talk on how the business is run, the process of making 16+ beers and ciders and distilling gins, vodka, rum and an award-winning whisky.
When one Rotarian told the meeting that the building in which they were meeting had been used to make one of the first torpedoes in history, he was initially accused of underestimating the alcoholic content of the beer! But he was right – the premises has good reason to be called “The Foundry”, since the site was part of the Drury & Biggleston’s Foundry from the early 1800s to the late 1900s. As well as making the Harvey Torpedo, it supplied the south east railway with girders for bridges and the chairs for the sleepers of railway lines. It was also involved in repairing the winding engine to the Crab and Winkle line. It even made the first fountain pen…produced from tin!
Overall it was a fascinating visit – and whilst Rotarians may not use too many fountain pens these days, they certainly enjoyed tasting the modern products of this local brewery!
With many thanks to PP Peter Hermitage for drafting this article.
Picture: A scene from the pub. Picture credit: The Foundry BrewPub. (Reproduced with permission.)
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