Wandering in Hastings - Part III (the final part, for now)

So, the cheapest and best value ales in Hastings?  I've already covered the 'old town' in Parts I and II, what about central Hastings and St Leonards/Bohemia?  Of course, the John Logie Baird, our Wetherspoons, sells cheap ales, guests usually at £2.09 here, with CAMRA tokens, that knocks the price down to one pint at £1.59 a day, but 'spoons are 'spoons and not what I'm looking for in this price comparison really...

Virtually opposite the (soon to be rebuilt) pier, at the seafront, is The White Rock Hotel, which has been the best value bar in the town centre since I moved to Hastings just over 2 years ago, and it remains so now with ales at £3.10 a pint, unless of high strength, which usually begins at about 5.5%...

So, buying Dark Star's Hophead (3.8%) at £3.10 a pint was a must for this visit, always a great ale to drink as it suits my palate. There were also 3 other local ales too, an excellent 'locale' policy from this establishment, thank you very much; the ales including the seasonal Harveys Sussex Old Ale (4.3%), Isfield Bitter (3.7%) and a tawny bitter from Arundel Castle (3.8%). Certainly, in the town centre, The White Rock Hotel offers the best value at £3.10 a pint for most ales, not taking Wetherspoons into account.   

Above St Leonards, in London Road, not far from Hastings own 'Bohemia', is the Tower, a good real ale house that sells ales from £2.30 a pint, where I've never had reason to complain about the condition of their ales, which has always been superb on my visits, as with my last two very recent visits, where even the 5.9% Thornbridge Jaipur, always a pleasure to drink, was on sale for just £3.00 a pint, excellent ales and excellent service from Sara(h) and the landlady, Louisa, many thanks!

I first drank the Dark Star Hophead, yet again, at 3.8% and £2.30 a pint, great ale at a great value price, excellent indeed, however, this was not available on my second visit, when Shenstone Hop 'Easter Beer' (3.8%) had replaced it; this is from a new brewery in Staffordshire.  As said earlier, I had the Jaipur, and the Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA), another light bitter at 4.7% with mucho fruity hop flavours and only £2.40 a pint.  There was also Banks & Taylor's Edwin Taylor's Extra Stout (4.5%), sorry, didn't try it as I was in a light and hoppy frame of mind, as I usually am.

Overall, the best value had to be at the Tower, London Road, £2.30 for Hophead, compared to up to £3.50 for the same ale elsewhere in Hastings, and only £2.40 for the APA!  As said above, central Hastings best value bar has to be at the White Rock Hotel, and, as said in a previous blog, the First In Last Out (FILO) has to be the best value in the medieval 'old town', with their own ales starting at £3.00 a pint, and guests at £3.30 a pint.

It was an arduous task, now over, for a while, cheers!