Christmas Drinking...

Well, I did my drinking at the Dolphin, Rock-a-Nore, Hastings this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and on the 24th, the Dolphin had 5 of its 6 ales from Sussex. There was the ever-present regular Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), my usual drink at the Dolphin, and what I drank on Christmas Eve too, and one of the local guests was Franklins Explorer (4.7%), with a deep amber colour, fruity, a bit sweet at first taste, then drying out...      

Of course, there was the regular Sussex Best from Harveys (4%), and the third regular, Youngs Special (4.5%) from north of the Thames; no need to comment on them!  

The other two guest ales were 1648 Gold Angel (5%), a golden bitter, as you'd expect, with a citrus aroma and flavour, and from the excellent newish Sussex brewery, Downlands, their 5% porter Devils Dyke; a reminder of one school trip in my youth, though I didn't drink porter then, we just visited the Devils Dyke.... 

The Devils Dyke and Gold Angel ran out that day, and were replaced by 2 excellent pale hoppy ales I was spoilt with for my Christmas Day lunchtime session, ie the always excellent Oakham Citra (4.2%), pale, hoppy, citrus, just what the Citra hop does for the ale, and I have to admit, all the Oakham ales I have drunk have never disappointed me, quality always!  

 

Finally, from a Swansea brewery I had never sampled an ale from before, the rather superb Waen Mousse Warning! They describe it as "hellish good beer", and it has Citra, Cascade and Centennial hops, so, like a much more fuller bodied Citra, but with a deeper intensity in the flavour, a bit more dry and bitter too, gorgeous!    

Anyway, if I don't write again before, Happy New Year, cheers!

More congratulations to...

More congratulations to Laura and Lee on the birth of their 7lb 10oz baby girl a week ago today, now in residence at the Dolphin in Hastings.  

I would have written earlier, but was awaiting her name, still not divulged, though I have an idea what she will be called, but for now, hoping I'm still around to be served a pint of Hophead by the new Wee Stockley in the future, cheers! 

Congratulations to the Dolphin!

Congratulations, once again, to the Dolphin at Rock a Nore in Hastings, for winning the CAMRA South East Sussex Pub of the Year in consecutive years!

For those who do not know the Dolphin, it has been in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for many years now, and is a genuine family-run pub, with Mark, Mo, Laura and Louise as main participants in that success (Frazer, their son, managing to avoid getting into the photographs on this celebratory evening, though he was there somewhere!).  

The congratulations has to go to all of the family, who have their unique positions and roles within the business. Of course, this being a CAMRA award, the ales have a significant contribution to make towards receiving this award, and Mark keeps an excellent cellar, with 3 regular ales, and 3 guest ales, at any one time.  

Of course, to outdo other pubs, there also has to be other factors going toward why a pub wins the award. The Dolphin is a friendly establishment, and this is provided not just because of the warmth of the 4 family members in this photograph, but because all other staff members reflect the spirit of the family and continuity at all times the pub is open. In addition, excellent day-time food is served up by Maz and her team in the kitchen, with a special 'Fish Supper' night on Mondays, great value too, the pub is a centre for the local community, raising many thousands of £s for local charities every year, and also helping to preserve the Stacey Marie across the road from the pub, a retired fishing boat in the trust of the nearby Fishermen's Museum.

So, I'll leave with a photograph of that award, which will end up above the mantelpiece next to the 2013 award certificate, congratulations and cheers!