White Rock Hotel, Hastings

The White Rock Hotel in Hastings, virtually opposite the pier, sells 4 real ales, usually at £3.00 a pint, up to 5% in strength.

Today, they had the trusty, and always very tasty, Dark Star Hophead, Hastings Best Bitter, Beachy Head Legless, and the very seasonal Harveys Christmas Ale.

I love Hophead, but thought I'd give 2 of the others a try, so started with the 5% (£3 a pint) Legless, a pale-ish bitter, but with a sweet first taste, a little fruity and bitter, orangey, a little like a Belgian beer, but with a Weiss beer type consistency. Interesting and enjoyable...

Then, though £4 a pint, I tried a half of the Christmas Ale at a mighty 7.8%! This is truly a Christmas pudding of a beer, with a dark, deep reddish colour, sweet, fruity, and a dry finish. Worth the cost!