Back to Hastings via the Junction again (Friday 17th May 2013)

So, back to Hastings, but laden with paperbacks to read, courtesy of my stepdad, so I caught the bus rather than walk... Also, I wanted to include a visit to the Falcon at Clapham Junction (The Junction being where I regularly catch my train, the largest railway 'Junction' in Europe), and the Falcon being the pub with the longest continuous bar in the UK/England/whatever (according to the Guinness Book of Records, though like 'oldest' pubs, etc, many different claims and ways of reaching decisions).  Whatever, it is a very long circular shaped bar, with indentations, partitions, beer engines and pumps galore, and varying corners...  

...and loadsa ales, with up to 20 different ales served from handpumps!  I'll not go into them all, but they included Castle Rock Sheriff's Tipple (3.4%), and we all know Robin Hood came from Sheffield, of course; Broughton Greenmantle (3.9%), which was my main tipple when I lived in the Scottish Borders, not a lot else available at that time; Adnams Southwold Kristal White (4.2%), a "clear golden wheat beer"; St Austell Proper Job (4.5%), and when I lived down in Cornwall there wasn't too much available there either! "Proper job" being a colloquialism; Titanic Cappucino (4.5%); but I drank the excellent Thornbridge Jaipur, 5.9% of pale hoppy ale, a bit sweeter than their slightly weaker Kipling, which I prefer, and happy memories of drinking a 'dry hopped' version of Jaipur when I lived up North will always remain with me, proper job!   

 

After sorting myself out on my return to Hastings, I decided to visit the Dripping Well in Cambridge Road early evening, and an excellent decision that was.  Nick, the landlord, was serving that evening, always a pleasure to have a chat with him, and the lovely Maria, a Portuguese 'regular' was this side of the bar, on her way home from work, and I had a very pleasurable lengthy chat to her too, cheers m'dear!  Oh yes... ales too. At the moment, Nick is only selling the Wadworths Henry's IPA (3.6%) and the 4.7% darker ale that is Adnams Broadside, which I enjoyed a few pints of too.  Nick is considering trying Wadworths 6X (4.3%), a fine West Country ale that I first drank many years ago when visiting friends down in Devon, so watch this space, or the bar of the pub...

 

Back soon, cheers!