South East Sussex POTY again!

Congratulations, yet again, to Louisa at the Tower, London Road, St Leonards, Hastings, for winning the local CAMRA Pub of the Year again! I've made 2 trips there recently, just to make sure, of course, nothing to do with excellent ales at good value prices, oh no... Anyway, both trips 6 ales from handpumps, none more expensive than £3 a pint, can't be bad, and all in good nick too!

The ales are mostly from local brewers, her 2 regulars being the excellent, and Sussex brewed, Dark Star (website) Hophead (3.8% and £2.80/pint) and American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7% and £2.90/pint). Other local-ish ales were Gun (website) Scaramanga (3.9%) an extra pale refreshingly light bitter, Long Man (website) Copper Hop (4%), a more typical bitter which I have reported on a few times before and very good, and Pig & Porter (website) Skylarking (4%) a refreshing pale golden bitter hopped with Ella and Galaxy, so hints of exotic fruits.

And, from further afield, Derby brewer Shiny (website) Pail (4%) brewed with Ella and Cascade hops, pale and lovely and bitter, Yorkshire brewer Ilkley (website) Rombald (which was £3 a very fair pint and 4.6%) a hoppy 'American' amber ale brewed with Cascade, Chinook, Nugget and Columbus hops with a biscuit malt flavoured base, and, from even further afield in Scotland, Fyne Ales (website) Maverick (4.2%) a reddish copper coloured bitter brewed with Bramling Cross and Challenger hops, always good ales from Fyne Ales!

But, not only did the Tower win the POTY for ales, but for Ciders and Perry too, nice one! Ciders included Orchard Pig Explorer (4.5%), Biddenden Bushels (6%), a favourite of a Scottish mate Jeff, Westons Old Rosie (7.3%) and Old Badger (I think, can't read my own writing! 4%), and their Country Perry (4.5%), and priced between £3.10 and £3.40 a pint... I can remember paying 25p a pint at the old Cider Bar in Newton Abbot in my youth!

Oh yes, and ales shortly to come on, if not already available, include excellent ales from Oakham Ales (Endless Summer), Fyne Ales (Highlander), Downlands (IPA), and Franklins Citra, enjoy them if you see them, you lucky people!

Icklesham - today's visit

Today I visited Icklesham, and it was a very good decision, 2 crackin' pubs, both free houses...

The Queen's Head, Parsonage Lane, TN36 4BL, a 17th century inn, was my first port of call, where I met John, behind the bar, who was a great source of information (many thanks John), and a fine chap to chat with. Like most pubs in the country, the Queen's Head relies quite heavily on food sales, (the chap I met outside beforehand warned me that I'd better have a good appetitie if eating here), and, despite my being there very early (opens at 11.00 and I was waiting outside by then), the evidence of reserved tables for a Thursday lunchtime tells its own story.

The Queen's Head also sells a fine range of real ales, between 5 (during the week) and 10 at weekends are on offer, plus a real cider; the beer range includes 'locales' from Dark Star, Old Dairy and Whitstable breweries, for example. Today, I drank Adnams Ghost Ship, not quite so local, but an ale that's been served in my more local pub very recently, and it was very pleasant, and a bit too easy to drink.

I then visited the Robin Hood, Main Road, TN36 4BD, another freehouse (quite reminds me of being back in Sheffield, freehouses galore), parts of the building dating back to 1607. The Robin Hood also is renowned for its good food, and also its good ales and 2 ciders (including, more rarely, a perry). There are 5 regularly changing ales on offer, I drank the 'locale' Old Dairy Spring Tap and finished off with the 3.7% Harviestoun Ruck & Maul, a rather away from home Scottish ale, very pale and hoppy, with a grapefruit taste... just has to be cascade, or a US similar, hop, but, and I'll be honest, I haven't researched it, but very nice...

The ciders are the very familiar Old Rosie and Westons Vintage Organic, both 7.3%.

I had a good chat to Ollie, the barman, and to a regular, Fred, who does have some very interesting tales to tell from his service in the army in WW2, very good company.

Oh yeh, and it's the CAMRA South East Pub of the Year, apparently...

I caught the bus back to Hastings from very close to the pub, a very 'happy bunny', cheers!

Sunshine in Hastings, not to be wasted, so updates...

The White Rock Hotel, still selling ales at £3 a pint... On sale was the ubiquitous Harveys Sussex Best, Westons Horsham Old (4.5%), and Dark Star's The Original and Golden Gate, a 4.5% pale and bitter refreshing ale that I tried for the first time, more bitter than I though it would be...

The Dolphin, back up to 6 ales again, presumably now for the rest of the year into the Autumn at least. 3 regulars, Hophead, Directors, Sussex Best, and 3 guests, Youngs Special, Hastings Best and St Austell Tribute.

Now something is happening 6 of the 7 evenings, with Irish Folk Music being added to Tuesday evenings... Fish Suppers on Monday and Sausage & Mash on Wednesdays (eg Wild Boar, Ostrich, Venison, Lamb & Mint sausages + various more exotic type mash), music Fridays and Saturdays, and Quiz Night on Thursdays.

I drank Hophead, well what would you expect?