Kent’s newest brewing company launches its very first beer in Faversham today.

Arden Beer Co is a craft beer business launched by two friends, Barry Watts and Gareth Arnold, who started brewing beer in their kitchen.

The company’s first beer, Arden Pale, is already available in bottle shops and off-licences throughout Kent, including Macknade Fine Foods - and they don’t even have a brewery yet.

The duo, who are both 37 and live in the town, are passionate about ale and soon began to realise they could turn it into a business.

Gareth said: “We’ve been home-brewing for about five years, learning all the time how to improve and refine our recipes.

“Every beer is still perfected right here in Faversham on our 100ltr pilot kit. We’ll brew a beer again and again, tweaking the recipe each time until we’ve got it exactly how we want it.

“Then we’ll find a brewery that has spare capacity they are looking to use, and we travel there for a brew day.

“We’re planning to work with breweries all over the country, but we’re also talking to some a bit closer to home.”

Arden Pale is a hop-forward, fruity pale ale that Gareth says is designed to be both interesting to the seasoned aficionado, yet accessible to people who might be trying craft beer for the first time.

“There are lots of people who love the super hoppy, citrusy stuff, and we have plenty of those planned,” he said.

"We’ll find a brewery that has spare capacity they are looking to use, and we travel there for a brew day" - Gareth Arnold

“But for our first one, we wanted to show we could make a well-balanced, carefully crafted beer.

“It’s a pale, but it’s got a decent malt backbone and quite a bit of dry hopping with a US hop called Belma.

“This gives it a fresh, strawberry smell and a fruity flavour, which ends with a crisp, bitter finish.”

The launch is tonight, at the Corner Tap, Preston Street, Faversham, from 7pm.

Arden Pale will be available on keg, in addition to the pub’s wide range of keg and cask beer, wine and gin.

Bottles of Arden Pale will be available to take away, and there will be a prize draw at the end of the night.