Battle and its environs...

For a change, I'll start with the last pub we visited, for a number of reasons, including my forgetting to photograph the building myself, very unusual for me; so, many thanks to the Bull Inn (website), whose own photograph I've borrowed. 

Also, we'd walked quite a way by now, my brother, Dan the Routemeister, and me, so were well deserving of a drink, and a great pub too, rebuilt in 1688, with Caen stone from France, via the virtually destroyed abbey kitchens (during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries).  This is a lovely old inn, selling 3 real ales, the regulars being the ubiquitous Harveys Sussex Best (4%) and, brewed especially for the Bull, Old Dairy Top Bull (4%), though, unluckily for us, they were out of this (another trip will be required, obviously). However, this was replaced by another Old Dairy brew Gold Top, a nice refreshing 4.3% golden bitter. Their 'guest' ale was from Hastings, ie the FILO Churches Pale Ale (4.2%).

We also met many people here, on entry, I straight away headed for the 2 lads at the bar, the 'Battle Boys', Chris and Al, more often seen by me at the Dolphin in Hastings, also Al's daughter, the lovely Claire (always pleased to see a young woman happy to be out drinking with us older types). Our ale was admirably served by Joss, and I also had a chat with the landlady Kerri, nice one. Sadly we had to leave after just the one pint as the last bus from Battle to Hastings left at 18.20hrs! But I'll be back...  

The first pub of the day we'd visited at lunchtime in nearby Catsfield, The White Hart, a 17th century building, but only a pub from 1840. Another nice friendly pub, with a low ceiling and quite large bar, and just the 2 real ales on sale. They had Sharps Doom Bar (4%), all the way from Cornwall, and, you guessed it, Harveys Sussex Best (4%). Anyway, I hadn't drunk Sussex Best for a while, and for the thirsty me, it hit the right spot, not a bad bitter, if a bit light on hops. 

After negotiating confusing woodland paths, that apparently weren't open to the public, we managed to get to The Squirrel Inn, on the A271, 15 minutes before it closed at 15.00hrs. Surprise surprise, the 2 regular ales were Sharps Doom Bar and Harveys Sussex Best, but there were 2 local ales from smaller breweries as guests. We didn't have the Long Man Best Bitter (4%), but each had a pint of Pig & Porter Ashburnham Pale Ale, a 3.8% light copper coloured bitter, very easy to drink, which was just as well. Not the easiest of pubs to get to on foot, but a nice building, and definitely worth a visit, but allow yourself time.

Anyway, amazing how there was a place called Battle in this part of Sussex, quite convenient for the Normans to ring up the Brits and say "let's battle at Battle", and, well, there's another story...

Cheers! 

Clapham Junction to Putney (Tuesday 14th May 2013)

Not written for a while, because of no access to a pc or laptop, so a few will be published over next few days, starting with my arriving in London to visit the Routemeister...

We first visited this new Young's bar, really, can't be called a pub, which is a shame when taking into account the brewer's history.  The Waterfront, what can I say? It's very 'modern', when I thought 'modern' was out of date now, much glass, as you can see from the photograph. A selection of the usual Youngs ales on, Special, Ordinary and Waggle Dance, of which we had a pint of Special each.  Quite frankly, the barmaid had no idea how to pull a pint, and had to be asked twice to top up the shortfall, the beer wasn't 'off', but it was a bit sad, lacked the usual flavour, was tired... Not that I'm suggesting it was near the end of a cask that must have been on for ages, or that the bar may have a cellar a fair way away from the pump, so a long line, nor that they hadn't sold any yet on that day, just that... I shan't be returning in a hurry. 

 

Anyway, that evening we visited the Bricklayers Arms in Putney, a different kettle of fish entirely!

Alway a great selection of ales here, on the day, dominated by dark beers; a couple of Old Dairy ales, Red Top (3.8%) and Gold Top (4.3%), a few others, plus 4 from Plain Ales Brewery in the West Country. We tried 2 of the Plain Ales, missing out the Mild Not Meek (5.4%) and Inndulgence, a 5.2% "Ruby Porter", Dan just drank the 4.2% "Ruby Best Bitter" that was Inntrigue, which I felt was a bit thin, after which I drank the 4.8% Inncognito, which was very nice, indeed, much more body, a bit chocolatey, with a hint of liquorice. Good stuff...

More to come shortly, cheers!    

Rye to Hastings - Friday 12th April.

On leaving the Red Lion at Snargate, we returned to East Sussex by numbers 11 and 100 buses, for a look into Rye, where neither of us were particularly experienced drinking at, our first destination, The Queens Head (Rye: we dropped into another Queens Head later, as you will see), where we chatted to the manager, the second Kate of the day, and knowledgeable and pleasant she was too.

The Queens Head is a CAMRA GBG entry, and ales? Well, they always have local ales on, usually one from Long Man and two from Franklins, and on Friday there were Franklins Mama Knows Best and English Garden (4.1% and 3.8%; I'm sure I've reported on both before); Longman American Pale Ale, a 4.8% full bodied and fruity ale with a dry finish; and Brains The Rev James, 4.5% and well known... From this you may guess I drank the Longman APA. 

We then walked down to the Ypres Castle Inn (pronounced "Wipers" locally, not too many French speakers around here, I guess, though I seem to remember that was how troops in the First World War pronounced the name). 6 handpumps here for 5 ales and a cider, which was the 6% Biddenden Bushels Cider.  The regular ales are the ubiquitous Harveys Sussex Best (4%) and Larkins Best Bitter (4.4% and a typical South East bitter in the tastes of Youngs and Sheps). They also had Adnams Broadside (4.7% and well known) and regularly have ales from Old Dairy Brewery, on Friday they were the 4.1% "premium bitter" Copper Top and 4.3% golden ale Gold Top.   

We then caught the number 100 bus back to Icklesham and the Queens Head Inn, where there are always a good selection of real ales on, which on Friday included Whitstable Native (3.7%) and Galaxy (the hop used), a golden fruity 4.4% ale. Oh yes, and they had many others, including the 5% Hopfuzz Tomahawk, but my notes were getting a little hopfuzzy by now...

We made it back to the Dolphin in Hastings, where I have since been made aware that I dozed off whilst standing at the bar before realising I should go home!  Anyway, there were the usual 3 regular ales, my usual tipple Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), Youngs Special (4.5%) and Harveys Sussex Best (4%), and, I believe, Isfield Straw Blonde (4.1%), Harveys 'ruby ale' Georgian Dragon (4.7%), and a nice West Country ale, Otter Brewery's Ale (4.5%), a copper coloured ale with that West Country nuttiness in the flavour, typical of the region.

The Straw Blonde and Otter Ale have since been replaced by Loddon Ferryman's Gold (4.4%) and the excellent Yorkshire ale, Ilkley Lotus IPA, 5.6% of pale fruity hoppy bitter! (18th April)  

Anyway, a good day was had, cheers!



Wednesday 12th September - Kent and Romney Marsh.

The Tea-meister and I caught the 100 bus from Hastings and travelled along to Hythe, from where we walked up the Royal Military Canal, passing the giraffes again, very surreal... Crossed back over the canal and walked back towards Botolph's Bridge  and stopped for a pint at the Botolphs Bridge Inn (see website).

Like most pubs out this way, it's very food oriented, but also had a number of 'regular' old-timers, it appeared, pretty much blocking off the bar, sitting on 'high-chairs' (stools with arms), not the best way of allowing access to the bar, but probably reflects the pub itself, with outsiders most likely to come to eat, not be bar flies.

 

Anyway, a real cider on, Westons Traditional Cider at 6%, 2 regular ales, Greene King IPA and Sharp's Doom Bar, and  a guest, currently Adnams Broadside; so, not too adventurous, and no local micros ales, but we had the Doom Bar, which was pretty good, I hadn't drank it for a while, so I was pleasantly surprised!

Within Romney Marsh, and opposite the very old, historical church at St Mary's in the Marsh (see reference) is The Star Inn (see website), a crackin' pub with very friendly staff and regulars, a complete contrast to where we drank our first pint of the day.  We were served up our ale by the lovely Lucy, and chatted to very informative regulars, indeed, one of them went out of his way to supply me with the last 2 editions of the local CAMRA mag, Marsh Mash, many thanks to everyone there.

 

Oh yes, and a very local ale among the 2 guest ales, ie Hop Fuzz (see website) of West Hythe's The Goldsmith, a 4% golden bitter, presumably using American hops, and very nice too, plus they had Ringwood Fortyniner.  The 2 regular ales are Youngs Special and Ordinary (like being back in my birthplace, except it's not brewed at The Ram Brewery anymore).  The Star also sells a real cider, Thatchers Heritage.  Though it's out of the way for me, especially not living in Kent, I shall return, certainly the next time the Routemeister visits.

We then route marched to New Romney and the Cinque Ports Arms (see website) another good pub to return to, it certainly appears to be the best pub in New Romney if you want real ale, and especially local ales. 

There are 4 regularly changing ales, which, on our visit, included the excellent Hopback Summer Lightning (5%), St Austell Trelawny (3.8%), and 2 local-ish ales, Long Man of East Sussex Best Bitter (4% see website), and Old Dairy of Kent Gold Top (4.3% see website), which I drank, a slightly sweet pale-ish bitter, very tasty.

 

Of course, we then caught the bus back to Hastings from New Romney, dropping in at the Dolphin before finally heading for home, cheers!