East Sussex, Tuesday 11th September 2012

Dave, my mate from West Yorkshire, the 'Tea-meister', visited me this week, so we went out for a walk in East Sussex this Tuesday, and gained refreshment at a few hostelries in East Sussex, maybe not so surprisingly...

We'd walked for a while before reaching the King's Head at Udimore (apparently, pronounced 'yoodeemore', or thereabouts), crackin' little ale house, as ever for country pubs, also a purveyor of food (website at www.thekingsheadudimore.co.uk).

 

The only regular ale here is the ubiquitous Sussex Best from Harveys, and they also have at least one guest ale, but can be up to 3 guests, today it was Bombardier, which I'd forgotten how decent a bitter it is!

 

We met a retired lad from Liverpool, very friendly chap, and we also were served by the friendly, yet busy and very knowledgeable, Julie, the landlady... we were also warned to beware of the 'wild boar' on our travels away from Udimore; we weren't attacked, you'll be glad to know ;-)

From Udimore, we walked south to Icklesham, and, at the Queens Head (website at www.queenshead.com) I had a pint of an old favourite from my time in Yorkshire! Ossett Silver King (4.3%)... Dave had a more local bitter, Rother Valley Level Best (4%), and they also had on their Ruby Wheat Beer (4.5%), Greene King's IPA and Abbot, Sussex Best, London Pride, Landlord, and the more local, Long Man Best Bitter.

 

Please note that a beer festival, featuring local Sussex and Kent ales, is to be held at the Queens Head next week, starting on Thursday 20th September and ending on Sunday 23rd, although some of the ales will be on sale from the Tuesday!

From Icklesham we walked frurther southwards, just missing the last bus back to Hastings from Pett Village (after 15.50!). Anyway, we decided to have another pint at the Two Sawyers (website at www.twosawyers.co.uk) before returning to Hastings; me drinking a lovely pint of Island Brewery Wight Gold (4%), and the Tea-meister having Ringwood Fortyniner; they also had Sussex Best and Wells Bombardier.

After a fast walk to the main road, we caught a bus back to Hastings and had a couple of pints at the Dolphin, always a good choice! In addition to the usual 4 ales, they had Harveys Southdown Harvest Ale, a fine 5% pale, full-bodied, ale, that Dave enjoyed, and TSA Ruby Red IPA (3.8%), that I'd previously tried, but a bit too malty for me, and not bitter enough... as usual, I drank Dark Star Hophead :-)

Cheers!