Another Beer Festival in Hastings starts on Thursday!

Yes really, another wee beer festival, this time in the restaurant area, ie the room down at the back of the First In Last Out (FILO); which is an event for Hastings Week 2014 (today being the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings). The FILO is in the High Street, Hastings 'old town' (website). The beer festival starts on Thursday evening (16th October) and ends on Sunday 19th October, though I wouldn't put too much money on many festival ales remaining by then. 

Ales at the festival are session ales and stronger, dark and pale, from the North and South, and from East and West, you've got it, there really is no theme other than a variety of different ales for Hastings Week! From the North and far-North (Scotland) come Rudgate Battleaxe (4.2%) and Chocolate Stout (5%) and Orkney Dragon Head Stout (4%). From over to the West there will be Skinners River Cottage (4%), O'Hanlons Copper Glow (4.2%) and Bespoke Running the Gauntlet (4.4%).

We'll be universally challenged by ales from the counties of Cambridge and Oxford, 2 of my old favourites from Oakham Ales JHB (3.8%) and the single hopped Citra (4.2%) and Loddon Russet (4.5%). Then from closer to home in Hampshire and Kent will be Triple fff Rock Lobster (5%), Caveman Prehistoric Amber (4.5%) and Whitstable Brewery East India Pale Ale (4.1%). Hard to imagine a more eclectic choice of ales! 

Of course, in the bar will also be a selection of ales from the pub's own microbrewery, ie the FILO Brewing Company at Hastings Old Town Brewery. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it, cheers! 

www.drinkaware.co.uk

11th December and London SE1.

Started off early last Tuesday, 11th, walking along the Thames Path from Putney to Tower Bridge and a new pub for us both, Simon the Tanner, which is situated near the Tower Bridge end of Long Lane, and pleased we were to have made it at last, just after opening, so it was empty... 

 

This is another great find for me, yet another lovely pub near my Victorian paternal forebears' south east London homes, the interior is nice and simple, bare floorboards, and wooden tables to seat fifty or so.  Of course, the real cider and 3 real ales served from handpumps was my main quest and delight. 

 

The cider was Crazy Goat Lilley's Cider (6.8%), actually a cider and perry blend, and the 3 ales were O'Hanlon's Port Stout (4.8%), Saltaire Bavarian Black (4.9%), and Titanic White Star, which we both drank.  I have to own up, I love Titanic ales, and the 4.8% White Star is no exception, a full-bodied pale ale, a peachy aroma, but more of a dry bitter grapefruit flavour, and beer flavour, of course, loved it! 

 

We then ventured back to Borough Market, and decided to go to The Rake this time, which was serving up Summer Wine Brewery (SWB) Mokko Milk Stout (6%), Coniston No 9, an 8.5% barley wine, and Roosters YPA (Yorkshire Pale Ale), a 4.1% pale and hoppy, yet smooth drinking ale. I also had a bit of a debate about pubs in West Yorkshire with a fellow customer, which I won, of course, though I did later check on one of my assertions with the Teameister up int' Haworth, who confirmed my belief.

 

We then walked back westwards and, coincidentally, a BBC film crew we had seen in the Bricklayers on the Monday were this day filming on the south bank opposite the Houses of Parliament.  I guessed they must have been covering the following days mass lobby of Parliament in connection with the extortionate beer tax, which seemed a reasonable reason to be interviewing someone in the Bricklayers, and the exact same half a dozen people filming opposite the home to democracy in the UK... but no! I later found out that the person doing all the talking is an Oxford professor, and they were filming a programme to come out on BBC about Oliver Cromwell, oh well... 

Cheers! 

23rd October - W6 and W4

So, to The Raven (apparently, currently building their website) at the Stamford Brook end of Goldhawk Road, following Blake's advice, and it is right by the tube station, though I walked there.  This has a newish, to this public house, landlord, and friendly staff; on Tuesday I met the highly efficient, and, considering she's only recently started working here, very knowledgeable, Ann behind the bar.  They have 4 regularly changing real ales served from handpumps; Tuesday was a good selection, Batemans Original Victory Ale (5.9%), Sambrooks Junction (4.5%), Marstons Pedigree (4.5%), and I had the Ringwood Best Bitter (3.9%), not sure I've ever drunk it before, but a pleasant session ale, cheers Blake... and cheers Ann!

Not far up the road is the Duchess of Cambridge, on the small roundabout where the road bears right towards the Bush, a pub I've already talked about on here.  For more information, look at their website. Up to 15 real ales, continental beers, a plethora of ciders, including spiced cider and mulled wine, and food, something for everyone! Below was the selection of ales available for me on Tuesday, served by one of the guvners, Simon, apart from his concerns over missing an important key, great company too. 

I can't keep on going on about everything they serve up at the Duchess, look at their site, or better still, visit the pub! Anyhow, I tried Windsor & Eton Guardsman, a 4.2% medium to dark bitter, Hepworth Pullman, again 4.2%, and very bitter, and By The Horns Hopslinger, a powerful 5.7% 'American Pale Ale'. I have to say that I was particularly taken by one of their barsnacks, 'Beef Dripping on Toast', memories, though I can't promise I'll have some on my next visit, but I may! Also, these 2 pubs, and even the next one, could easily be incorporated into a pub crawl to Shepherds Bush or Loftus Road, just a thought... 

My final West London pub for this weeks visit was The Tabard, near to Turnham Green tube station, I'd noticed this pub when I was searching for The Lamb a few weeks ago, interesting building, but I also saw it listed in the most recent CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2013, so I had to make a visit.  This is a Taylor Walker house (see website) with a theatre upstairs! The theatre's site.  Anyway, 8 changing ales and 2 ciders are served from handpumps, including Wychwood Hobgoblin (4.5%), O'Hanlon's Port Stout (4.8%), WJ King Red River (4.8%), Red Squirrel Mr Squirrel (4.3%), and I had to drink the Titanic Iceberg (4.1%), I'd forgotten how good it is, and it reminds me of Stoke and, specifically, Port Vale and the Bull's Head in Burslem, another crackin' pub! 

 

Anyway, The Tabard, memories of The Canterbury Tales, and, because a lovely Irish lass from Belfast came in as a customer with work colleagues, I presume, memories of an old friend I haven't seen for years... oh! Just memories, cheers all!

Thursday 27th September, The Harp, London WC2

On my way back to Victoria Thursday morning, I was determined to visit The Harp, 47 Chandos Place, inbetween Covent Garden and Charing Cross. This pub won the CAMRA National Champion Pub of the Year in 2010, and London Cider Pub of the Year in 2011, but I walked right past it!  OK, I wasn't sleep walking, but the frontage is quite narrow, and there was scaffolding outside, it being redecorated at the moment, the windows were wide open (being of the sort often seen more on the Continent); I shall post a photograph of the outside when the work is finished, which should be by my next visit. But I did find it after walking up the (quite short) Chandos Place, and glad I am that I did!

This is what greets you immediately you walk through the door, a big hint of many ales served here in the past, and the many more to come.  Apart from ales, ciders and pump clips, the overall feeling is of wooden boards, bare floorboards (always a promising sign for a real ale pub, I think) and panelling on the walls and bar itself.  To the right of the bar is the standing area and, downstairs, seating is provided by bar stools and high tables and ledges; including upstairs, there must be about 20 stools in the pub.  Upstairs, there is a seating area with a high ledge along the side with stools, comfortable room for up to about 20, I'd imagine, with 14 comfy chairs at 'normal' seating level tables.

 

Also, a very friendly barmaid greeted me, apparently happy to give my many questions answers, and I did ask plenty, hopefully, not boring her too much, and ensuring I didn't interfere with the running of the pub, but you can find out more at the website.

 

You'll see more about the food on offer on the website, the pub opens at 10.00 hrs, Mon-Saturday, and 12.00 on Sundays; though opens at 10.00 on the Sundays before bank holiday Mondays.  Bottles of craft beers adorn cool cabinets behind the bar, usually 10-12 regularly changing ciders and perries (with 30 or so in the cellar for replenishment), and 8 or 9 ales, a fair old choice!  Again, I'll just discuss the ales I drank, but the usual 'regular' ales are Dark Star Hophead (I could be back at home), Harveys Sussex Best (I can't get away from it!), and Sambrooks Junction and Wandle.

 

Now, I've never actually tried the Junction, despite my coming from and growing up in Wandsworth (this brewery wasn't around then, of course), so I felt I'd have to sort that out... It's a 4.5% bitter, with a medium brown colour, the malt and hops are obvious, malt in the quaffing and hops in the bitter aftertaste.  I also drank a half of O'Hanlon's Stormstay, a 5% 'Premium Ale', again, bitter, a bit dry aftertaste, and easy to drink.  My favourite ale today was the Dark Star Kiwi, OK, and I've drunk it before, but this was even better, and I did enjoy it before.  A well conditioned pale, dry, hoppy ale, with a very fruity 'nose', very slightly hazy, which Dark Star own up to, but hardly noticeable, this was so good!  OK, I know I say it often, but I shall return, and looking forward to it.  

I got back to Victoria, via Buckingham Palace (I wasn't invited in, this time), with plenty of time before my train left, so took advantage of the 50p off CAMRA voucher at The Willow Walk, by the railway station. More expensive than my local Wetherspoons, this is Victoria after all, so, with discount, my ale was £2.39 a pint, instead of the usual £1.49 I pay a 'Spoons, but a decent enough pint of Hepworth Harvest Ale, a 4.5% golden ale.  Though I do have to make a note of the service from one of the barstaff, Lydia, who was an excellent example of customer service, who handled all customers with respect and panache; had to be said.  Great stuff, cheers!