4th January - Bexhill and the Albatross Club

A lovely walk along the front to Bexhill on Sea and a New Year visit to the Albatross Club. This blog is a bit later than I was hoping to post because I have had problems loading photographs onto Blogger, so this is an older photograph already loaded... hence the rather more sunny aspect!

To drink in The Albatross Club, as I've said before, you need to be a member of the RAFA, or have a friend who can sign you in who is a member, or belong to CAMRA, hence my permission to gain entrance.  Though on Friday, I decided to join the RAFA as an associate member ("about time!" I hear from Geoff and Peter, not to mention John and Jonathan), so my application is now with the membership secretary.

So what 4 ales were on sale for the good value £2.60 a pint for members and friends, and CAMRA members?  2 from Dark Star Brewery, the 4.7% American Pale Ale (APA) and 3.8% Hophead, both nice pale and hoppy ales, as you will have already noted from my previous blogs, and I certainly partook of the Hophead on Friday.  They also had Youngs Special (4.5%) and Rother Valley Level Best, a 4% ale I have drunk before, a nice light coloured bitter with a hint of that nutty flavour you taste from some hops, yes, I had a pint of this before the Hophead.

By the way, when I first visited The Albatross, there were only 3 lines for real ales, now there are 4, and in a couple of months this is to become 5 lines.  Geoff and his colleagues who work the bar and cellar are certainly putting up an excellent showing for real ale in Bexhill... This is the only place to visit for real ale in Bexhill really, and they provide a good value food menu too!

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!!

Tuesday 15th May 2012

So, another day out walking with my brother, to start we walked up onto the East Hill above Hastings and up above the cliffs, heading east.  Surprise surprise, it rained, was windy, but not straight into our face this time, and not as heavy rain or strong winds, easy!

After 2 hours 30 minutes from home (11.00 hrs), we walked down into the Smuggler Inn at Pett Level (website), a great pub overlooking the sea.  The photo is from the roadside, looking slightly east of south, the beach behind the pub.

Usually 3 ales on sale these days, with Sussex Best and London Pride as regulars, plus a guest ale.  We had the Pride, and very nice it was too.  Good food here, lunches and evening meals, but the breakfasts from 09.30 are no more, sadly, not enough custom to continue with them!  This is a great stopover for us, used regularly, ie whenever we pass this way ;-)  

From Pett Level, we headed due east along the beach to Winchelsea Beach, up into the medieval village, which is built on a grid system and has an excellent church remaining from Henry VIII's vandalism of the Abbey during the 'Reformation'.  From here, we carried on back eastwards to Icklesham, with its own Norman church (website), and the Queens Head Inn. 

The Queens Head (website) is a 17th century inn, known for its good food and good ales, whatever day I've been in here has seen a large number of people eating, but don't let that put that off if you just want a pint or two, because it sells a good range of real ales too! Yesterday were Knots of May Light Mild (3%), Greene King Abbot Ale and IPA, Taylord Landlord, Rother Valley Level Best (4%), TSA (Traditional Scottish Ales) Red Bush - a 4.8% raspberry beer, fruity and like drinking liquidised alcoholic and beer flavoured raspberry ice cream! Finally, we also drank the Dark Star Sunburst, a 4.8% golden ale, not as bitter as some of the Dark Star ales we've recently drunk, but still very refreshing.

I wanted to show Dan the Robin Hood, but I'd forgotten it closes at 3pm, so missed that, we therefore headed back to Hastings by bus (£4.70! I won't be doing the single fare again when it's only 50p more for a return... I'll be walking back next time), where we stopped in the FILO for a pint of their Gold ale and a pint of Hophead at the Dolphin.  Cheers!

A midwinter pub crawl in Pett, East Sussex

My brother, Dan, and myself had a bit of a walk, bit tiring start over, up and down, the cliffs from Hastings walking eastwards to Pett Level, where we reached the Smuggler Inn. Up to 6 ales can be on, but just the two Tuesday morning. I had Fuller's London Pride and Dan had Harveys Sussex Best. You can get a drink here as early as 09.30, as they open to serve a very impressive breakfast, and other food too! See www.thesmugglerinn.co.uk

Then we walked uphill, over fields to miss the busy (at times) road, we reached the very recently restored Royal Oak, Pett Village. Can have up to 4 ales, for now though, usually 2 or 3. The unbiquitous Sussex Best was on sale, but we drank Rother Valley Level Best, a 4.0% bitter, very nice too. Food served as well. See www.royaloakpett.com

Finally, we reached my favourite pub of the three (all very good pubs) the Two Sawyers, Pett Village. Food again on sale, and 4 real ales, Harveys Sussex Best and Sussex Old Ale, Ringwood Fortyniner, and we drank the always cracking ale, Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA) 4.7% of pale, dry, hoppy scrumptiousness! We walked back across the top to Hastings, but you can get the hourly bus from over the road (appears to leave about a quarter to the hour, but check for exact times if depending on the bus, I may be wrong). See www.twosawyers.co.uk