From Frank's Front Lounge to The Tower!

Obviously, I started at Frank's Front Room, central Hastings and very close to the Railway Station (and to my home). Still quite new to me, indeed, still new to Hastings!  Clean, bright, and, quite frankly (sorry for the pun), very woman/younger person/older person/food seeker/ale drinker friendly... 3 ales - Hastings Blonde and Best Bitter, and, not so local, Sambrook's of Wandsworth Wandle.  I do come from Wandsworth, so maybe... but no! The local Best Bitter for me, decent ale, indeed.

On my way up to St Leonards, and not so far from the centre of Hastings, the Dripping Well. 3 ales on here too, including Hastings Best Bitter, which I again drank, thanks to Steve the Fireman for the beer :-) Also, they're still selling Henry's IPA and Directors, but I do prefer the Hastings Best. So, now up Bohemia Road...

...to the North Star, which still has good ales and friendly bar staff, 5 ales on here, but I only drank one of them, the Sunset Blonde from Cross Bay Brewery, a 4.2% dry, pale bitter with a pleasing aroma, though lacking a bit on the flavour hops, but very easy to drink, I thank you!  Also, on the bar, were Young's Special, Landlord, the ubiquitous Sussex Best, and Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay (4.1%).

Round the corner to drop off books at their 'book club' (though I'd already offloaded most at the Dripping Well to another customer there) and the Dripping Spring... Still a good pub, good ales, and friendly company, and not just the landlady... I drank Rother Valley Northam Imperial Pale Ale (NIPA), at 5% a very tasty pale bitter, with good body; I do like Rother Valley ales. I also drank the Ringwood Boondaggle, a 4.2% 'blonde' ale, with a nutty flavour. I spoke to a bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth before, and a Devonian couple and their daughter... I got a bit homesick, I have to admit ;-)

Also available were London Pride, Sussex Best, Hastings Best, Greene King's London Glory (their attempt to emulate Fullers Pride), and Marston's 5 Hops.

So, to my last pub of the session, the Tower, and Louisa, the landlady, was here today, yay! (I trust she's not been avoiding me on purpose), later, Linda took over behind the bar. Good chat to Louisa, a continuation of the good service from Linda, and the bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth was here too! Good chat with other regulars and Olympics events on the screens too, and also 4 ales, again dominated by Dark Star, ie Festival (5%) and Summer Meltdown (4.8%), and Hylder Blonde (4.2%), which I drank, after a pint of Island Brewery's, from Newport in the Isle of Wight, Wight Gold, a 4.0% pale bitter, very easy to drink. The Hylder Blonde was excellent, allegedly tasting of elderflower, but definitely a fruity taste, grapefruit even, which I'm guessing comes from the hops used.

Then I came home... Cheers!