
May Festival 2025
friday 23rd May – Monday 26th May
opening hours for the festival are:
Friday and Saturday: 12pm–12am Sunday 12pm – 11.30pm.
Monday: 12pm – 11.30pm
…and guess what! it’s happening again!! The magnificent May Bank Holiday Beer Festival! 20 real ales, a range of keg beers and six ciders. we have live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so enjoy!! (I will put beers/ciders/music below when confirmed later this week)
REAL ALE | ciders

Friday 23rd May 8pm
This summer, Kelley’s crossing the Atlantic and bringing her signature blend of Americana, blues, country, and folk to stages across the UK.

Peter Cook's 'Our Little Jazz Trio'
Saturday 25th May 3pm – 6pm

Bill Hawkes Saturday 24th May 7-8pm
Bill Hawkes has performed and recorded with eclectic musicians for over 35 years. Tonight he plays electric viola and acoustic violin, featuring Radiohead, Nick Drake and others.

Orbi Jazz

– On the racks –

Three Brothers: Ex Bitter (3.7%)
A fantastic session bitter with subtle notes of toffee throughout and a nice bitter ending. A beer for traditional bitter ale drinker.

Left Hand Giant: Light Work (4.2%)
An easy drinking, crisp and refreshing cask pale, showcasing the delights of Simcoe, Nelson Sauvin and Citra hops.

Two by Two: Dandy lion(5.3%)
New world pale, oats and wheat add mouthfeel. Tropical hop character from Citra, Motueka and Sabro hops

Dark Revolution: Sweater Weather Special Bitter 4.5%: (3.9%)
Flavour description Floral, Peach, Lemon. Malts Golden Promise, torrified wheat, aromatic, DRC, T50, Dextrin Hops Hot side: Idaho 7/Loral Cold Side: Galaxy/Loral

Kent and Two by Two collaboration:Mashup (5%)
A delicious citrus and mango blend, with a soft mouthfeel from oats and wheat. A very hazy, and massively hoppy New England IPA.

Loddon:Hoppit (3.5%)
The predominant hops in Hoppit are East Kent Goldings which traditionally have a Seville Orange marmalade flavour. As well as Pale Ale malt, Hoppit also contains dark Invert Sugar which gives the beer its smooth taste.

Lakedown: Extra pale Spring (3.8%)
‘Spring Ale’ is our extra pale, low abv, easy drinker. It’s super fresh and light, with floral notes and a crisp finish. Perfect on a sunny day.

Good Chemistry Brewing:Glowing Embers(5%)
A rich, deep Red Ale which is a smooth and full-bodied brew balancing warm malt. A depth and fruitiness from American hops. Tasting notes of orange, apricot and toast.Suitable for Vegans

Good Chemistry Brewing: Into Darkness (3.4%)
A modern take on a classic style. This rich, smooth Dark Mild is full of character, with layers of molasses, toasted malt and raisin sweetness. Suitable for Vegans

Arbor: ZZHop IPA(4.3%)
Our session strength New England IPA is brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. Zero Zero has soft hop notes on the nose that are dominated by grapefruit and citrus notes. Naturally cloudy and super juicy!

Kent: Future Hop (4.3%)
A deliciously fruity pale ale using experimental new hops from Kent before they are selected to go into full production.

Wiper and True: Kaleidoscope Pale Ale(4.2%)
Our flagship pale ale, beautifully adapted to suit a cask serve.

Electric Bear Brewing: Making Plans for Nigel (4.5%)
A bittersweet Pale Ale loaded with punchy grapefruit and passion fruit notes. Brewed with Strata, Cascade CGXTMand Citra Cryo for maximum hop character. Big flavour, less waste. We only want what’s best for Nigel, after all.

Hammerton: Crunch Peanut Butter Milk Stout (5.4%)
After three months and 37 different experiments, this stout has what we considerto be the perfect ratio of peanut butter, lactose and biscuit. A hit of roasted peanut on the nose, followed by a sweet CRUNCH as it goes down.

Downland: Best Bitter (4.1%)
A caramel and toffee nose into a rich, fruity, russet brown brown Best bitter typical of the style

Pig & Porter: Cosmic Jive(3.6%)
A Pale ale, dry hopped with Amarillo. Refreshing and full of flavour.

L-Bexley: Bexley own (4.2%)

Neptune: Waterfront Bitter (4%)
Our new cask beer leads with notes of hedgerow berries, delivering a subtle sweetness with hints of spice, while a crisp, citrus bitterness rounds to a finish that lingers. Expect a smooth, inviting bitterness with this beer.

Thornbridge and Burning Sky Collaboration:West Coast IPA(5.5%)
Together, we created a bold and flavourful West Coast IPA, the most modern style we’ve brewed on the Union. Packed with Mosaic and Citra hops, it delivers waves of citrus and tropical fruit for a vibrant, refreshing experience.

Black Iris Brewery:Endless Summer (4.5%)
Endless Summer is a Black Iris Brewery stalwart. Hopped with Mosaic and Simcoe to bring you flavours of pineapple and grapefruit, this beer does what it can to trick you into thinking it’s still warm outside…
– CIDERS –

Kentish Pip: forager (still)(3.4%)
Forager is a taste sensation packed full of juicy hedgerow berries and bursting with natural flavour. Based on an old family recipe, we love pairing real fresh berries with crisp Kentish cider to create a premium, natural and not overly sweet fruit cider.

Kentish Pip: Skylark (still)(5.5%)
Skylark is a next generation sparkling cider, popping with big notes of fresh Kentish dessert apples, followed by a flourish of complex cider tannins. Slow fermentation of this special blend of dessert and cider varieties creates a deeply refreshing, medium dry cider for people who expect the beyond.

Kentish Pip: High Diver (4.8%)
High Diver plunges you into a world of fine bubbles and bobbing apples. A luxurious blend with Cox and Bramley apples, medium dry, marrying fresh acidity with a bright aromatic fruit character. It’s a perfect partner to oysters and seafood or simply to enjoy on its own. Take a dive and see what you find.

Kentish Pip: Craftsman (4.8 %)
Our original cider, Craftsman, is the people’s favourite from the connoisseur to the enthusiast. A sublime balance of fresh apple, complex notes and subtle tannins. Medium dry, combining crisp and aromatic dessert apples with heritage cider varieties. Don’t settle for anything less.
– Waiting in the wings –

Left Handed Giant: Dark Mild (4%)
This traditional Dark Mild is mellow and easy to drink, with characterful dark malt flavours present in the finish.

Loddons: Ferryman's Gold (4.4%)
A classic golden ale with zesty overtones, and a hint of grapefruit provided by Cascade and Slovenian Hops. Supported by a biscuity backbone, and a subtle caramel mouthfeel.

Two by Two: Leapfrog Pale (4.1%)
Our house session pale, Light, bitter, zesty. Simcoe single hopped, tropical character.

Hopback : Citra (4%)
Packed with American Citra and English Pioneer hops, this thirst quencher has a powerful grapefruit and lemon taste, really crisp, dry and bitter. Originally brewed as one of our monthly specials in 2013, it proved so popular, we’ve made it a permanent fixture! Refreshing but extremely moreish.
We brew Citra using a mix of extra pale barley malt and maize, which gives a delicate crisp and clean backbone to the beer, so we can really show off the pungent American hops.

Skinners: Betty Stogs (4%)
With whole-flower Celeia, Northdown and Aurora hops alongside malted barley and wheat, this is a Cornish twist on a classic smooth-drinking bitter. The light malty aroma leads to a floral, cedar taste, and a sharp tang of bitter grapefruit leaves a lasting impression; just like Betty herself…