Back to Hastings via the Junction again (Friday 17th May 2013)

So, back to Hastings, but laden with paperbacks to read, courtesy of my stepdad, so I caught the bus rather than walk... Also, I wanted to include a visit to the Falcon at Clapham Junction (The Junction being where I regularly catch my train, the largest railway 'Junction' in Europe), and the Falcon being the pub with the longest continuous bar in the UK/England/whatever (according to the Guinness Book of Records, though like 'oldest' pubs, etc, many different claims and ways of reaching decisions).  Whatever, it is a very long circular shaped bar, with indentations, partitions, beer engines and pumps galore, and varying corners...  

...and loadsa ales, with up to 20 different ales served from handpumps!  I'll not go into them all, but they included Castle Rock Sheriff's Tipple (3.4%), and we all know Robin Hood came from Sheffield, of course; Broughton Greenmantle (3.9%), which was my main tipple when I lived in the Scottish Borders, not a lot else available at that time; Adnams Southwold Kristal White (4.2%), a "clear golden wheat beer"; St Austell Proper Job (4.5%), and when I lived down in Cornwall there wasn't too much available there either! "Proper job" being a colloquialism; Titanic Cappucino (4.5%); but I drank the excellent Thornbridge Jaipur, 5.9% of pale hoppy ale, a bit sweeter than their slightly weaker Kipling, which I prefer, and happy memories of drinking a 'dry hopped' version of Jaipur when I lived up North will always remain with me, proper job!   

 

After sorting myself out on my return to Hastings, I decided to visit the Dripping Well in Cambridge Road early evening, and an excellent decision that was.  Nick, the landlord, was serving that evening, always a pleasure to have a chat with him, and the lovely Maria, a Portuguese 'regular' was this side of the bar, on her way home from work, and I had a very pleasurable lengthy chat to her too, cheers m'dear!  Oh yes... ales too. At the moment, Nick is only selling the Wadworths Henry's IPA (3.6%) and the 4.7% darker ale that is Adnams Broadside, which I enjoyed a few pints of too.  Nick is considering trying Wadworths 6X (4.3%), a fine West Country ale that I first drank many years ago when visiting friends down in Devon, so watch this space, or the bar of the pub...

 

Back soon, cheers!  

Weekend in Hastings (1st-3rd March)

A bit of chat about ales at 3 Hastings bars from over the weekend, and I think my good mate and colleague, Kieran, is going to add a blog about Southampton soon...

It was a bit overcaste, so this is an old photograph of the Tower, London Road, upper St Leonards, not far from Bohemia Road, an excellent place to visit, though, sadly, no Louisa to say "Trouble's here" when I walked into the pub, but her colleagues are all efficient and very lovely young women, so I have no complaints, and ale-wise, no complaints either.  Out of the 2 Dark Star ales, I drank the American Pale Ale (APA), 4.7% of excellent pale and hoppy beer, but there was also their Porter (5.6%, and a bit too strong for me on the day, sorry).  They also had 2 Bath Ales beers on, their Golden Hare (4.4%) and Gem (4.8%), at least one of which I have reported on before, another good brewer!

I hadn't been to the Dripping Well for a while, walking back down the hill (Bohemia Road) to reach it, where I called Nick, the landlord, by the wrong name! See, I said it had been a while...  I drank the Brains The Rev. James (4.5%), and Adnams Broadside (4.7%), which was in excellent condition, really enjoyed it. There was also the 'cooking bitter' Wadworth Henry's IPA (3.6%), sorry, I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but you know what I mean, and they usually have the Hastings Best (4.1%), but the pump clip was turned round, so I guessed it wasn't on at that time.

I also met a great couple there, Simon, originally from up in the North West of England, and a more Southern Belle, I do believe, from her accent, anyway, Rachel.  If you read this, Simon, the art deco pub I was trying to describe, is the Ship & Mitre (I could only remember Ship being in the title, if you remember) on Dale Street, Liverpool.  Well worth a visit if any readers are ever in Liverpool, as are The Philharmonic and Doctor Duncans, and, well, there are a great number of good pubs up there really!

At the Dolphin, on the 3^rd March, there were the usual 3 regulars, Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), Youngs Special (4.5%), and Harveys Sussex Best (4%), and the three guests were 2 Sussex ales from Isfield, Flapjack, a 5.3% ‘oatmeal stout’ and IPA, Imperial Pale Ale, at 4.2%, both self explanatory, and Elland Tomahawk.  The Yorkshire brewery describes their Tomahawk as a “strong aromatic bitter”, which doesn’t really do it justice, it is aromatic and 4.7%, and a full flavoured pale bitter, and it is very good indeed!

 

Debbie and Maz were working behind the bar of the Dolphin, with an excellent plum cake from Maz for the regulars to enjoy, many thanks Maz, great Tomahawk to drink, cheers both, and good company that included an intriguing French woman, Florence, and, later, dinner at Trattoria Italiana, an Italian restaurant in Hastings, obviously.  A good day in all!   

By the 5^th, the guest ales were all different again, the ‘semi-regular’ seasonal guest is now the very good Harveys Porter (4.8%), of which they currently have 6 firkins, so it will be on for a while, and the other 2 guest ales included an ale from a very new local brewery, Pig & Porter, Red Spider (5.5%), a full bodied bitter with roasted malt as a contributory factor; this is what I would call a ‘special bitter’, and very nice.   

 

The sixth ale was the excellent Salopian Golden Thread, a 5% pale bitter with a ‘peach’ fruity aroma and plentiful body, a cracker of an ale, and the Hophead was in very good form too, by the way!  Company today included the landlord, Mark, and behind the bar the two very delightful daughters of the family, Laura and Louise.  

 

I enjoyed my time as ever, of course, cheers!

Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas, Bon Noel, whatever... Christmas and St Stephen's/Boxing Day were spent in Hastings for me and with no work this year, yay!  Most of my drinking outside my home was spent at the Dolphin, Rock-a-Nore, opposite the fishermen's huts, and Santa Claus/Father Christmas/St Nicholas/whoever, had landed a bit early on the lower roof.  The day started very wildly, with driving wind and rain, but the sun later came out, so it was a very mixed bag of weather of, what will become, the wettest year on record in the UK.

Ales at the Dolphin included the usual Dark Star Hophead, Harveys Sussex Best and (lately) Youngs Special, all very well known to readers, if not most ale drinkers in the World, by now, and the seasonal regular Harveys Sussex Old Ale, and RCH Pitchfork (4.3%), which I believe I have noted elsewhere to be a decent pale ale, nice and bitter, and all the way from Cornwall, Sharp's Winter Berry Ale, more about below.

However, before I visited the Dolphin, on both days, I walked up the hill to the Tower, on the corner of London Road and Tower Road, (upper) St Leonards, and bordering Bohemia.  Good to see Louisa, the Landlady, here on Christmas Day, when she had Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7%) and Critical Mass (7.4%, hence why I gave it a miss at 11am), a darker strong ale from the Sussex brewer; Sharp's Doom Bar, seen all over the Country and only £1.99 a pint here until 6pm on New Years Eve. 

The previously reported Rother Valley Golden Valley had finished at the end of the previous evening, but Kent Brewery's KGB, aka Kent Golding Bitter (4.1%) was being pulled through as I left, hence my Boxing Day visit to try that one too.  So, Christmas Day saw me drinking the more bitter than usual APA, a very nice surprise, and the single hopped (presumably) KGB was my drink on Boxing Day, a nice refreshing golden hued bitter with a dry aftertaste, worth the revisit indeed!

I had planned to try a half of the ludicrously strong Dark Star Imperial Stout (10.5%) at the White Rock Hotel on Boxing Day, but it was not on and they only had two ales, not the most exciting either, so I made a deviation to the Dripping Well, Cambridge Road, and a wee drink and chat with Mark the landlord (and other patrons, of course).  OK, no Christmas ales here either, but I had a decent pint of Hastings Best, and the usual Wadworth Henry's IPA and Adnams Broadside were on sale too.

So, I ended my 2 days Christmas 'bar drinking at the Dolphin, where I met up with all the family barstaff, though not all working both days, including Mark and Mo, and Laura and Louise, and had drinks bought for me by Joe and Mark, cheers mateys! Following a pint or two of the Dark Star Hophead, I finished both days, actually, by drinking the Sharp's Winter Berry Ale, a seasonal ale flavoured with morello cherries, and very tasty too...

Seasons Greetings to everyone who reads this... well, to everyone anyway, cheers!

Friday 5th October in Hastings

Following a rather large brunch at Unwind, George Street, I started my wandering and drinking at the nearby Dolphin, where the wonderful sisters, Louise and Laura, were behind the bar.

I drank my usual Hophead from Dark Star Brewery, though I had tried a pint of one of the guest ales on Thursday evening, ie Oakleaf Brewery's Squirrel's Delight, 4.5%, medium coloured bitter, a bit sweet at first, with a roasted malt undertone and hint of coffee, well, that's what I thought.  There were also the other semi/regulars, Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA), Youngs Special, Harveys Sussex Best, and Sunny Republic's Dorset Cross (5%) is still a guest ale. 

 

I then walked west along the front and uphill at St Leonards to the Tower, London Road, where I still missed Louisa, I'll have to time my visits to this pub a bit differently, obviously, but Linda was there again, so still crackin' bar staff, and crackin' ales too! This is one of the best value pubs in the area, where you can get a pint of real ale for well under £3 a pint, I had my Hophead, of course, and tried a half of the 1648 Laughing Frog too, 5.2%, rather easy to drink, a bit sweet but with a bitter aftertaste. There were also Dark Star APA and Long Man Sussex Pride (4.5%).  After a good chat and drink there, I crossed Bohemia Road and entered the North Star.

Tasha was behind the bar at the North Star, always a welcome sight, some lovely barstaff around today!  The 5 ales today were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Sussex Best, Laughing Frog, Jennings Crag Rat, a 4.3% golden ale, and Rother Valley Ebulem, which I had a pint of, and which filled my loyalty card, meaning, a free pint on my next visit to either the North Star or their sister pub, the General Havelock in town. The Ebulem is a dark 'elderberry' porter, fruity aroma, and a dry porter/stout, really delicious.  I then wandered homewards and down Bohemia Road to the Wishing Well.

Although he wasn't working until later, I had a brief chat with the landlord, Nick, and then his partner, the lovely Pinar, took over the bar. As ever, good banter around the bar, and the usual 3 ales on sale, Courage Directors, Wadworth Henry's IPA, and Hastings Best Bitter, which I am happy to drink for just under £3 a pint, thank you very much!  I had started maudlin a bit, so I was happy to be cheered up and then go home to polish off some wine and cheese.

 

Cheers! 

21st September and Central Hastings

Pissarros, sadly, has had a repaint, now Battleship Grey on the outside, instead of the Green it used to be, what came over them was my immediate thought, but, apparently, this was it's colour many years ago, so reverting to the past (though the photo they have from then isn't in colour, so grey, hmm...).  They usually have 2 ales on sale, the regular is the ubiquitous Sussex Best and a guest, at the moment from Long Man Brewery (see website) Long Blonde, 3.8%, a pale golden ale, not my favourite ale, but very easy to drink. There are plans to bring in a darker guest ale soon for the Autumn/Winter. 

 

 

I then popped into Frank's Front Room, which is certainly a comfortable bar to visit, it sells coffee, food and bar drinks too, eg the 2 regular ales are Hastings Best Bitter and Blonde, and a guest ale, today it was Black Sheep Best Bitter.  It really is a bright and airy watering/feeding hole, very woman friendly, and not just full of old men quaffing beer! Near the railway station, and certainly worth a visit when in Hastings.

 

I had a very friendly and informative chat with the barman, Paul, and another young woman working there (sorry! I missed your name), talking about pubs, ales and 'fishermen's rolls', one of which was eaten by me at the food & wine festival on Sunday last.  Today, I drank the Hastings Blonde (a lot of 'blondes' about today), which is 3.9%, was clear, quite bitter too, best I've tasted it so far. Hastings Brewery are brewing their ales without finings, to cater for vegetarian and vegan diets, so they can sometimes come up cloudy, but not today! 

Then I walked up to the Dripping Well, where I drank the Hastings Best Bitter, 4.1%, again an unfined ale, medium coloured, what I always grew up to think a bitter should look like... It's a fair enough bitter to drink, does what it says on the label, so I was happy to imbibe. They usually have 3 ales on sale from their 4 handpumps; the 2 others, regulars really, were Henry's IPA from Wadworths and Courage Directors. 

 

Also, Nick the Landlord made a short visit, whilst they received a delivery from Hastings Brewery (see website). Always friendly and easy to chat around the bar here, to other customers and staff alike, and good to see Nick, even if only briefly.

 

I ended my session by visiting the Hastings only Wetherspoons, the John Logie Baird, as, being a CAMRA member, I can get 50p off a pint there each day, which for me is every now and then, but worth taking advantage of every now and then.  They had the usual suspects, including Fullers London Pride, but I like to drink their guest ales for 2 reasons, they usually come from micros and are even cheaper!

 

The guests included Blindman's Icarus, a 4.5% ruby ale; Stonehenge Danish Dynamite, a 5% dry bitter; Orkney Raven Ale, at 3.8%, a session bitter; and my choice for a mere £1.49 a pint after my CAMRA discount, Exe Valley Shepherd's Crook, which I had to try as I lived in Exeter during the 1980s and regularly drank Exe Valley bitters at the Welcome Inn there, which is a medium coloured bitter, whose aroma was a bit off-putting, it smelt of wet dog, but was easy enough to drink, if a shade more boring than I expected at 4.7%.

 

So, report over, cheers!

 

 

From Frank's Front Lounge to The Tower!

Obviously, I started at Frank's Front Room, central Hastings and very close to the Railway Station (and to my home). Still quite new to me, indeed, still new to Hastings!  Clean, bright, and, quite frankly (sorry for the pun), very woman/younger person/older person/food seeker/ale drinker friendly... 3 ales - Hastings Blonde and Best Bitter, and, not so local, Sambrook's of Wandsworth Wandle.  I do come from Wandsworth, so maybe... but no! The local Best Bitter for me, decent ale, indeed.

On my way up to St Leonards, and not so far from the centre of Hastings, the Dripping Well. 3 ales on here too, including Hastings Best Bitter, which I again drank, thanks to Steve the Fireman for the beer :-) Also, they're still selling Henry's IPA and Directors, but I do prefer the Hastings Best. So, now up Bohemia Road...

...to the North Star, which still has good ales and friendly bar staff, 5 ales on here, but I only drank one of them, the Sunset Blonde from Cross Bay Brewery, a 4.2% dry, pale bitter with a pleasing aroma, though lacking a bit on the flavour hops, but very easy to drink, I thank you!  Also, on the bar, were Young's Special, Landlord, the ubiquitous Sussex Best, and Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay (4.1%).

Round the corner to drop off books at their 'book club' (though I'd already offloaded most at the Dripping Well to another customer there) and the Dripping Spring... Still a good pub, good ales, and friendly company, and not just the landlady... I drank Rother Valley Northam Imperial Pale Ale (NIPA), at 5% a very tasty pale bitter, with good body; I do like Rother Valley ales. I also drank the Ringwood Boondaggle, a 4.2% 'blonde' ale, with a nutty flavour. I spoke to a bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth before, and a Devonian couple and their daughter... I got a bit homesick, I have to admit ;-)

Also available were London Pride, Sussex Best, Hastings Best, Greene King's London Glory (their attempt to emulate Fullers Pride), and Marston's 5 Hops.

So, to my last pub of the session, the Tower, and Louisa, the landlady, was here today, yay! (I trust she's not been avoiding me on purpose), later, Linda took over behind the bar. Good chat to Louisa, a continuation of the good service from Linda, and the bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth was here too! Good chat with other regulars and Olympics events on the screens too, and also 4 ales, again dominated by Dark Star, ie Festival (5%) and Summer Meltdown (4.8%), and Hylder Blonde (4.2%), which I drank, after a pint of Island Brewery's, from Newport in the Isle of Wight, Wight Gold, a 4.0% pale bitter, very easy to drink. The Hylder Blonde was excellent, allegedly tasting of elderflower, but definitely a fruity taste, grapefruit even, which I'm guessing comes from the hops used.

Then I came home... Cheers!

Friday 20th July

Yesterday, I walked to Bexhill-on-Sea and back along the front, and a nice day it was (mostly);  I returned to Hastings via St Leonards-on-Sea, where I walked uphill to the Tower, 251 London Road TN37 6NB. 

I was looking forward to having a chat with the landlady, Louisa, sadly (for me, not her, obviously), she was having a short break away from work, so I shall have to put that chat on hold.  However, I was very happy to meet Linda, who provided a friendly and efficient presence behind the bar. I also had a good chat to a few lads this side of the bar, about anagrams, books and cricket mostly. I also had (what is left of) my hair 'ruffled' by a very pretty young lass, though, for more than one reason, I think she may have been a bit 'merry', and she did call me 'cheeky'  ;-)

Anyway, I drank 2 pints of Dark Star's American Pale Ale (APA), at 4.7%, which, as regular readers will realise by now, I do like, and at only £2.40 a pint, I was very happy to imbibe! There were also Sunburst (4.8%) and Saison (4.5%) from Dark Star, and Boadicea Ale, at 4.5%, from Rother Valley Brewery. So, 4 great ales from 2 local breweries, I'm beginning to like the Tower more and more the more often I visit the pub ;-)

Still a lovely bright day, though I was passed on the way down Bohemia Road, and I reached the Dripping Well, near to the centre of Hastings, where I had a good chat to the landlord, Nick, and discourse with very interesting and delightful charafters this side of the bar as well. 

Nick has been experimenting with ales on offer at the Dripping Well since he took over the pub, but has kept serving Directors and Henry's IPA as regulars; them being the two ales his regular customers drink mostly. Today, he had Hastings Best Bitter (4.1%), a very local ale, and quite a tasty medium coloured bitter, a well-balanced bitter typical of the South East, and at only £2.70 a pint, I was happy to drink a couple of pints (and the rain that persisted down during my visit meant I had to drink a couple of pints, it would have been rude, and very silly, to leave). 

The regular Sunday lunchtime music sessions are less regular now, next to be in September, but now there are Wednesday evening sessions too, I think it's the first Wednesday in the month, but I shall check on that next Wednesday week and, consequently, pass on more info then. 

Cheers!

Bohemia Developments...

OK, St Leonards, Bohemia Road, whatever, so, developments and latest ales in the area, ie the 4 pubs I do visit in the area and heading back into town...

My first stop was the Tower, still selling great ales at reasonable prices for the area (though I do miss the prices in Sheffield from my trip up North last week ;-) -  OK, so this is the best value ale house in the area, the ale is well looked after and nicely priced well below £3 a pint, and Louise remembered me, nice one, cheers!  So 4 ales on sale, and two of my favourites, Dark Star Hophead and APA, were still both on, plus Batemans Hop Bine Bitter (3.6%) and yet another old favourite Hop Back Summer Lightning, 5.2% of pale, bitter and wonderful hoppy ale... I re-tried the Summer Lightning, well you have to, don't you? Plus I drank a pint of the Hophead, well, I drank that first, actually, then a pint of Lightning, and, maybe not a surprise, because tastes develop, I prefer the Hophead, but Summer Lightning is still a crackin' ale!  Nice company, nice chat, great ales, I'll be back again, Louise, cheers muchly!

I then visited the Dripping Spring for the latest tales of managers coming and going, yet! There is actually a couple installed as managers here now, and they have both been in the area for many years, so here's hoping we see them continue the good name of this pub and its ales: a warm welcome to Jeannie and Dave :-)

And, yes, real ales back on the bar, the previous manager having been asked to run down all stocks meant that when Jeannie and Dave took over last week there was no beer at all, so, orders were put in and they re-opened last Monday 18th June, no doubt much to the delight of regulars. So, very happy to see the excellent 2 Dark Star ales here too, Hophead and APA, plus Rother Valley Level Best, and because of the 'Euros' England's Best.  In addition, the two old regulars, the ubiquitous Sussex Best and Wye Valley HPA.

I next visited the North Star, sporting a completed 'loyalty card' (9 pints gets you a free pint), but no sign of Jamie about, no doubt down at his other venture the General Havelock, but, as ever, great service from his colleagues, thank you. 5 ales on sale, as ever, Landlord, Doom Bar, Sussex Best, Jennings Cumberland Ale, and Wadworth Red, White & Brew (4%), which I entertained as my complimentary loyal pint; it's a light bitter, not overly bitter, with a slight roasted flavour from the malt. 

Walking back down the hill into town and my final call was to the Dripping Well, with the ever friendly Rick behind the bar, and good banter from both sides of the bar.  The 4 ales today were Henry's IPA, Adnams Bitter, Directors, and Hastings Best Bitter (4.1%).  I had a pint of the Directors first, an ale I used to drink so much of in my youth, but my everchanging palate, which is getting to like more and more bitter and dry ales (not so malty), means that drinking Directors and the like is becoming like drinking liquidised Caramac to me, I just have to accept it...

Anyway, Nick informed me he is giving the Hastings Brewery a try out, dropping out the Adnams, and has Hastings Blonde and HPA to come on.  I drank the Best Bitter, which is quite a well balanced and enjoyable bitter.  Good luck with that venture, Nick, it would be great to see the Hastings Brewery develop their brewing skills and get some regular outlets!

Cheers!!

Dripping down the Bohemia Road...

Bohemia isn't just in the West End of London, no... Bohemia is in Hastings too!  I first visited the Tower, 251 London Road TN37 6NB (01424 721773) - I literally mean it was my first visit ever here, hence the details. 

Chatted to Louisa, the landperson/landlady, who has convinced me that I need to visit here more often, not sure she was even trying, but, decent ales on, and at VERY competitive prices (no real ale more than £2.40 a pint at the moment).  4 handpumps that have developed to providing 4 different ales now, which, today, included Dark Star APA and Hophead, Batemans Triple XB and Wells Diamond Jubilee Ale at 4%. 

I drank the Hophead, much as I'd have loved to drink the APA, but too early in the day for a 4.7% ale. For the short-term, they also have a 2.8% English Ale from Tolly Cobbald coming on (forgive me, but I believe it may now be a part of one of the new 'Nationals', Wells?) at £1.49 a pint, not a lot of alcohol but crackin' price, and I am told it is quite hoppy, sadly, not on again for a couple of days!  I will be back ;-) 

Just along from the Tower is the Dripping Spring, and, well, fings change very quickly!  The managers are now... not there! Indeed, there has been an 'interim manager', for a week in the interim, from my last visit, and now a babysitting manager, Astra, who appears to have the job of keeping the pub going until the new publicans take over on 10th June, and getting rid of stock in the meantime! Not an easy job, but good luck to her, and her only colleague in this period, the always present and lovely Laura.

Real ales will, consequently, run out within the next few days, I'd imagine, so, if you cannot make it here before the end of the extended 'bank holiday' weekend,  they're unlikely to have much real ale on until after the new people take over on 10th June.  Today I had Wye Valley HPA (as I like it) and, the more local, Beachyhead Legless Rambler (5%) a medium coloured bitter. Also on sale was the ubiquitous Sussex Best, Broadside and Hopdaemon Skrimshander IPA (4.5%). 

So, still heading for home, and further down the Bohemia Road, I reached the Dripping Well for my last lunchtime ale (London Pride) and chatted to Nick, the landlord, and a few locals. Great pub, with a friendly atmosphere, selling 4 real ales, though the Pride may soon be a pump alternating between guest ales, in addition to the regular Directors, Henrys IPA and Southwold Bitter.  Please also note that the 2 weekly lunchtime (Sunday) jazz music sessions is being changed to monthly, so check up beforehand if you want to visit for the music.

Scot's invasion Day 2

The plan for Tuesday was to visit Icklesham, but we had nearly an hour to kill, as we'd just missed the number 100 bus, so we nipped down to the front and had a pint in the White Rock Hotel, 5.7% of in yer face hops that is Dark Star Revelation, crackin' ale!  The White Rock sells 4 ales at a time, all from local breweries, also having Arundel Sussex Gold and Rother Valley Chocolate Porter (both 4.2%), and the ubiquitous Sussex Best. 

We left in time to catch the bus and headed towards Icklesham, first stopping at the Queens Head, full of older people enjoying their lunchtime food, where they had 5 ales on today, including 1648 Brewery's St George at 4.5%, a nice 'real' bitter, as in, bitter and medium coloured, typical ale type in the South East.  Jeff was unhappy that the barmaid hadn't smiled at him on entering (she's a good judge of character, obviously), but gave me a wonderful smile later on when we did one of those dances you do when trying to walk by each other, but trying to let the other have advantage (as I said, good judge...).

We then walked back along the main road to the excellent Robin Hood, with its real ales and 2 real ciders served from handpumps.  Darcy and Debbie were working behind the bar as we entered, and we were welcomed by a lovely smile from Debbie, which made Jeff happy.  I positively loved drinking the Old Dairy Brewery seasonal ale, a strongish IPA style, whose name or strength I didn't make a note of as I was invited down to the cellar, but it was very nice (since checked on the brewery's website and can't find anything about it there either), and they also had Gales HSB and Archers Golden Ale (4%) and EMPIRE India Export Ale at 4.7%.  As I said, Darcy invited me down to the cellar, immaculate and spotless, as proudly shown to me by the publican of this hostelry for the last 15 years.  I also heard the story of Debbie falling down into the cellar from the bar (the cellar door is in the floor behind the bar), a story you'll have to find out more about yourself when you visit, but please don't say you heard it from me ;-)

Jeff, today, told me this was his favourite of all the previous pubs we visited, and the ones to follow, must have been the smile and the banter with a long regular, Fred, who I had had a fine chat with a few weeks previously too...

So, we caught the bus back to Hastings, despite the forecast warning us it would be raining most of the day, it hardly had yet... When we alighted from the bus at the bottom of The Bourne, we walked round the corner for a quick pint of Hophead in the Dolphin, a refreshing pint desperately required after the long arduous trip.  Jeff was happier here today, it was a bit more lively, which could be explained by a combination of brighter weather than on Monday, plus the ever-wonderful Louise behind the bar, and on top of the bar, and over the bar (she was updating the boards showing which artists and groups were to provide entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings), and she is always a pleasure to chat to. 

From the Dolphin we walked westwards along the front, passing the White Rock, and up through Warrior Square, across the station and up to Bohemia Road and the 2 pubs there.  First, we stopped in at the Dripping Spring, with 9 ales on today, including Moorhouses Black Cat mild, which Jeff enjoyed, and Wye Valley HPA, which I always enjoy.  Good ales and banter with all around the bar, plus the visit of a regular I remember seeing in this pub on my first ever trip to Hastings the week before I moved here, ie the delightful 'Rowlie'... I'm not sure of the spelling, but that's how her name sounded to me.   

We then crossed Bohemia Road to the North Star for a pint each, and Jeff 'stealing' the woman I was trying to chat up while he visited the loo, life ;-) before we walked back down Bohemia Road to the Dripping Well, where Nick tried to give me a pint for nothing by undercharging me.  Thanks Nick, but I'm too honest for that, so I paid up for the round, I had London Pride, can't remember what Jeff drank here, things were getting a little hazy by now...

Anyway, from here we virtually rolled downhill to the Wetherspoons, the John Logie Baird, yep, me, in a 'Spoons'!  Jeff had insisted he buy me a meal, and you can get 2 steaks and a bottle of wine for £16 on a Tuesday evening, amazing.  So, and I was quite surprised I admit, I actually enjoyed a 'rare' surloin steak... Cheers Jeff!

Dripping Well visit and 'hot off the press' news...

"Hot off the press"? Yep, Tony and Carole have, sadly (for us, though not for them, I presume), retired from the pub-trade, yesterday being their last day in charge of the Dripping Well, 1 Dorset Place TN34 1LG.

Here's trusting any new ventures bring you happy times, Tony and Carole, best wishes to you.

So, apart from a rather emotional day at the Dripping Well, and for other reasons too, which included a plaque for a previous regular becoming a fixture, what happened at the Dripping Well yesterday?

The usual jazz Sunday, that occurs every second week, an even bigger buffet than usual with some great food being appreciated, an extra band playing more diverse music later in the day, I not only chatted to the new landlord and landlady as well as Tony, more chat and sharing beers with Chris and Steve the Fireman, and others, on this side of the bar, and I became a little bit 'merry' too...

The 4 ales on sale, all at under £3 a pint, despite recent tax increases, were Fullers London Pride (my choice for the day; my historic connections to West London mean I've drunk a fair few pints of this in my time), Wadworth's Henry's IPA, Adnams Southwold Bitter and Courage Directors. All ales, as ever, served up in great condition, good stuff.

So, if you're in the centre of Hastings and fancy a visit, carry on up the gradual hill that is Cambridge Road, first go past the Post Office on the right, and a couple of minutes up on your left, on the corner with Dorset Place, is the Dripping Well. Always friendly, and with a similar service to be continued by the new landlord and landlady, with a bit more music envisaged, so welcome to the previously described 'lovely' Pinar and Nick Brookes (I can't yet put such a friendly epithet for Nick as I've only just met him, and he is a bloke, but he certainly showed a friendly visage yesterday ;-)...

Great to meet you both, Pinar and Nick, and a very warm welcome to the Dripping Well, trusting your tenure will be memorable for all the correct reasons. Cheers!

Pub of the Day - Dripping Well, Hastings

A lazy sunny Sunday afternoon...

... and every second Sunday lunchtime, the Dripping Well in Hastings has a Jazz gig, so this was my target today.

The Dripping Well is a freehold pub, near the centre of Hastings town, that serves decent cask conditioned ales, at a very reasonable price for the area.

I'm not a regular here, in the every day of the year way, but I always receive a decent reception with friendly discourse to be shared, and Sunday lunchtimes not only include the ubiquitous 'meat raffle' and great free Sunday grub, but jazz too, every second week.

Amongst others, earlier today, I chatted to Tony the landlord, Steve the (retired) fireman, Chris the ex-publican, and the very lovely Turkish barmaid, sigh...

... There are 4 cask conditioned ales on sale at the bar, all at under £3.00 a pint, which are very reasonable prices down here, if not too acceptable for people from up in t' North, but I don't live in Sheffield anymore! Indeed, Wadworth's Henry's IPA costs just £2.60 a pint...

... and very enjoyable free live jazz music is provided, from a less than the regular sized combo today (due to other Mother's Day demands!) This is a good session to be enjoyed, even for me in my knackered state, due to working a 13 hour night shift and no sleep for over 30 hours!

Cheers m'dears ;-)

Hastings 4 - Town Centre

OK, the town centre. Now, I've been down here a while, and the town centre isn't necessarily the place to take out your woman friends, or any friends for that matter, if they are of a nervous disposition...

Or so I was led to believe! Before I moved down here I checked up on the crime stats, as you can do that now on a special website. Now, I compared the stats between the area of Sheffield I previously lived in and central Hastings. Hastings came second with just a quarter of the reported crimes, so why do those living in more celubrious areas of Hastings have such a downer on us living in the centre of town? The real Old Town, ie, the Castle sits above US, although most of the buildings are Victorian or newer, this is where Hastings was when Willie the Conker landed a few miles away, and set up his HQ above this, the real OLD TOWN!!

So, I'm losing my way here... The Clarence, as you can see, work is ongoing here to refurbish the building, and I shall post further photographs when the work is completed. Mr Big of the FILO advised me The Clarence is selling real ales, and what a delight to discover in the town centre. It opens 10.00, or soon after, and serves up 3 regular ales and a guest. The regulars are the ubiquitous Sussex Best, Directors, and Landlord; the most recent guest was Brains Reverend James. I drank the Landlord, which, for pubs down here aside from Weatherspoons, was a bargain £2.50 a pint (they try to keep one ale at that price, others £3+), the cheapest ale in the centre of Hastings, apart from in t' 'Spoons'. They also sell a great selection of beers in bottles, eg Waggle Dance, Tanglefoot, 6X and Old Peculiar.

Had a good chat to the landlord, Mick, or 'Savage' to his mates, don't ask! Opening will be from 09.00 to midnight in April, when the work should be finished, and to 02.30 Fridays and Saturdays. This is a live music venue, and the place to be if you want a long night out coupled with real ale drinking. Good luck to Mick!

The Dripping Well, a freehouse, selling all its real ales under £3.00 a pint! Henry's IPA at just £2.60 a pint, Adnams Bitter, Directors and London Pride. The more I come into this pub, the more I want to return, friendly, and, well, good value too. Music (jazz/blues) every second Sunday lunchtime, I'll report back ;-)

Finally, Pissarros, OK, only 2 real ales, the uniquitous Sussex Best and, for now, Dark Star Old Chestnut, is the second ale, though this may change in the Spring (soon then!). Comfy, foodie bar, with live music for many evenings, late nights, and fun. Plus the 3 barmaids (including manager) today were in co-ordinated black and purple! Very fetching...

OK, so it wasn't quite finally, but the General Havelock hasn't re-opened yet. Jamie, the landlord from the North Star, will be the new boss here when it does reopen in April. He'd hoped to get the pub opened before then, but a few problems with planning permission have arisen, so you can expect it to be very sensitively refurbished when you do visit. There will be real ales, but, because of history (not the nicest place to drink at in recent history apparently) no children and no live music. Watch this space, as I want to give Jamie support for this venture. Good luck mate!

Sunny Weekend in East Sussex 1 Friday11-11-11

Not much football for me this weekend past, jealous of those following teams with matches, but walked about 40 miles and had a few pints. I'll only mention 3 of the hostelries visited, as I'll mention others again, no doubt, or have already talked about them here or elsewhere.

First, on Friday, after observing a minutes silence, I met my brother, and walked from Hastings to Bexhill on Sea, and back again, along the coastal path/beaches.

Not a bad walk either, but a fairly new pub for me to visit, the Dripping Well, and a brand new place for Dan.

Aside from the local 'Spoons', the Dripping Well provides the cheapest ale in Hastings, and in very good condition! 3 regular ales, though they do have a 4th pump, but no immediate plans to add to the 3 ales, ie Wadworth's Henry's IPA and Adnams' Southwold, both at £2.60 a pint, and Courage Directors at £2.95 a pint; for comparison, a measure of Jamesons is £2.20, though I didn't check on the size, I'm guessing, at that price, 25mls. We drank the Wadworth's, which was a good beer to start the evening with, light and gently bitter.

Friendly place, with a relatively new owner, longer serving barstaff, and a freehouse to boot!