An Excellent Green Hopped Ale

I wrote a piece for my Hastings blog earlier, as, yesterday, I had finished off the 2 firkins of the excellent Dark Star Green Hopped IPA (6.5%) at the Dolphin Inn, Hastings, Rock-a-Nore Road... Well, I didn't drink the full 18 gallons, but I did have a few pints from both casks, not least the final 2 pints from the second firkin.

As you will probably be aware, a green hopped ale requires fresh hops, ideally, picked on the day of the brew. Dark Star Brewing (website) use "fresh English hops", ie Simcoe, in this very seasonal ale. Yet again, this year, this was an excellent ale, with a deep amber hue and fruity aroma, the taste is fruity, but dry, not particularly sweet, leaving a dry bitter aftertaste, exceptional, indeed, cheers!    

Drinking Ale Beasts in Hastings!

Last week I drank the superb Burning Sky Aurora, at the FILO in Hastings, and now The Rutland Beast, brewed at Oakham in Rutland by The Grainstore Brewery(website)... Seven different types of malt and wheat are used for the grist, and three different hops in the brew, though Grainstore appear to be a little shy about sharing the names of the hops used! 

Also, I didn't really find it to be a "beast", but a well-balanced ale with a deep red colour and lovely to drink. OK, it's a wee bit strong at 5.3%, but with a lovely cherry beer aroma, and fruity strong taste and plenty of body, in fact, I'd describe it as an excellent strong 'ruby mild', but what do I know? I had this very recently at the Dolphin Inn at Rock-a-Nore, and the speed of it not being on any more provides evidence of what a good beer it is/was.

So I thought I should give notice of another 'beast' of an ale, this time from an East Sussex brewer, and due to come on at the Dolphin this weekend, and that is the very seasonalDark Star Green Hopped IPA (brewery website). Seasonal, because of the use of fresh (most brewers use hops picked within 12 hours to add to their brews of this type of ale) or green hops, rather than the dried hops usually used by brewers. Very different in style, a supremely dry pale bitter with a strong aroma and taste of citrus from the Simcoe hops used, and 6.5% of strength that you may not notice, unless you drink more than one pint! 

Cheers!

More great ales and sunny too!

 

Memories! A walk along the seafront, westwards, 5 miles-ish, and I get to The Albatross Club, (RAFA) in Bexhill, and open to CAMRA members too, for a nominal entrance of £1, as are all guests, and to RAFA members free as well, obviously, (both of which I am a member of, by the way), and 4 lovely ales, usually, at a decent price, was £2.60 a pint; but from this week, £2.80 a pint, apparently...

I shan't mention the other, very good, ales on offer, but 2 excellent ales here! I have gone on about both a bit, particularly, the Green Hopped IPA from Dark Star (6.5%); so more can I say?!? And the Cascade hopped, Hastings 'Handmade' APA, a lovely pale, grapefruit flavoured bitter, and one from the local imbiber, and Hastings brewer, who recently won the "beer of the festival" in Eastbourne, nice one, and nice one...

Oops, thinking of 'champion brewer' Brett and Hastings Brewery, up t' Tower! They did have the excellent Oakham 20 Years (5.8%) on, which I have already reported on, surely... and Dark Star APA, at just £2.50 a pint, etc etc... but I have been back again (it's a hard life), and these were the ales on offer the second time,,,



Dark Star Hophead and APA, virtually 'regulars' and 2 great ales I regularly commend, and 2 other interesting ales too, the first of which was (for moi) Brighton Bier English Garden (3.8%), a "golden ale", that was very nice, and tasted like a 'typical South East England 'best bitter'. Also, Cottage Normans Conquest MM (5%), another 'traditional' tasting ale (the name appears to be more to do with the brewer's surname than Hastings!), though darker, a "Strong Premium Ale"; the name appears to be more to do with the brewer's family name (not 1066), and a full-bodied, darker ale, not bad!

Cheers for now!

Excellent ales back down by the windy coast!

So, back to the coast and some excellent ales!

On my way home from London, I dropped off at Bexhill-on-Sea and visited the Albatross Club, where they had a dark ale called Privateer Dark Revenge (4.5%), a rather nice and bitter Wentworth WPA ("Woppa" was the nickname when I lived up North), only 4%, but a lovely pale bitter ale, Jeff, the Manager, obviously likes to bring in ales from there because his surname is Wentworth... Also, Caveman Hunter Gatherer (3.2%), which has much flavour for such a low gravity beer, pale, hint of smokiness, sweet at first taste leading to a dry bitter aftertaste, and Dark Star Green Hopped IPA (6.5%), I cannot add much to what I've already said about this, excellent ale indeed, but even better, I think, for being left to settle in the cellar for 3 weeks before serving up, as I said, excellent, cheers Jeff!

Back to Hastings, the following evening, and the Dolphin, Rock a Nore, with 6 real ales on sale, Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), Harveys Sussex Best (4%) and Youngs Special (4.5%) being the regulars. Seasonal regular Harveys Sussex Old Ale (4.3%), and their very seasonal Bonfire Boy (5.8%), and the one I drank, after my obligatory pint of Hophead, Loddon Bamboozle, a 4.8%, too easy to drink "strong pale ale", light pale colour, nice body, bitter, oh yes, it hits the spot, ta Mark!

Cheers!

Beer Festival at the FILO

I missed the beer festival at the First In Last Out (FILO), High Street, Hastings this weekend just passed, but! There were still some ales left by the Sunday evening, and at only £3 a pint for all festival ales still available, or £1.50 a half for me, and Daniella, the wonderful Londoner of Italian descent, mother of Big Mike's Grandson, and Adam's wife, behind the bar, what could be better? 

I only tried 3 of the ales on offer, though had 3 halves of the last one. First, I tried the Roosters Fort Smith, a 5% pale bitter, advertised as an IPA, and named after Rooster Cogburn's residence; and I thought he was just a fictional figure! Anyway, Chinook and Citra hops from the USA are used to create a fruity and rather good bitter, and it was bitter, nice one. Also, I tried a half of Burton Bridge Hardy's Kiss, a 4.5% 'golden' ale, Admiral and Aramis hopped, that was more bitter than the description of "citrus flavours with a floral hint" hinted at, not bad either. 

Finally, 3 halves of the excellent Dark Star Green Hopped IPA, brewed with Simcoe hops with "fresh green Target hops infused into the slowly conditioning beer". 6.5% of an "extreme" hopped pale bitter, loved it, Dark Star, eh?!? 

Cheers!