30 Nov - Hythe, new pubs + another real fire

A lovely bright, if a bit chilly Friday, and I met up with Mark (the Pubmeister) at the Dolphin, Hastings, where, as you can see below, two drays were delivering ale, including from Hastings Brewery, great timing! We had a coffee before leaving to catch the 10.17 bus to deepest darkest Kent.

We had considered visiting the Red Lion in Snargate, but it was just too complicated to fit in yesterday (that will be for another memorable day, no doubt), so we undertook the near 2 hour bus trip straight to Hythe, on a lively number 100/101 bus, and the time seemed to pass very quickly too. Good chat one of the reasons for that.  Anyway, we arrived in Hythe shortly after noon and made straight for our first destination, The White Hart in the High Street.

The White Hart is a lovely big pub, originally built in 1395 as an inn, but now more of a restaurant and also selling two real ales, sometimes 3 during busier times.  This Friday the two ales on were Greene King IPA (their regular ale) and the guest was the Kent brewer Hopdaemon's Incubus, a 4% nutty flavoured bitter, not bad at all, which will be replaced by the same brewer's 5% Green Daemon, a great shame that wasn't on yet (Hopdaemon website).

From there, we crossed back over the Military Canal and walked the short distance to The Three Mariners in Windmill Street where we met the very friendly, efficient and enthusiastic manager, Sarah, and chatted to a few of the 'locals' too. The Three Mariners is a freehouse and regular CAMRA awards winner, and has 8 handpumps, in usual circumstances serving 5 or 6 ales, and a real fire, and you know how much I like real fires...

Anyhow, we had halves of 3 of the ales on offer, missing out on Caledonian Autumn Red (4.4%) and their only regular, the 3.7% Youngs Bitter (more of in my next blog). The 3 we drank were all Kentish ales, Gadds (website at the Ramsgate Brewery) Seasider, an easy to drink 4.3% pale amber ale; Westerham (website) British Bulldog, a golden coloured 4.3% best bitter; and Goachers (website) 4.5% Imperial Stout, a dark stout brewed with roasted barley and Fuggles hops, a too easy to drink ale, and both of our's favourite in Kent this day, I do believe.

 

Unless you include crisps and nuts, The Three Mariners is not somewhere to go for food in Hythe, but it is the place to visit if you want convivial company and well conditioned ales, nice one!

Our final port of call in Hythe was The Red Lion Hotel, Red Lion Square, another large interior well set out as a restaurant too. We met Debbie behind the bar here, who asked to be remembered to Brian at the Star in St Mary in the Marsh (more of in part 2 of this day's blog, I'll probably publish that tomorrow). usually 3 ales here, the guest was the 3.6% Greene King IPA, and two regulars Wells Bombardier (4.1%) and the Kent brewer Old Dairy's (website) Red Top (3.8%), which we had, a nice mixture of hops in this easy to drink session bitter.

 

Well, more to come in Part 2 of Friday 30th November, but for now, 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.