Congratulations to the South East Sussex Pub of the Year!



 

Congratulations to all at the Dolphin, Rock a Nore, Hastings, for winning the CAMRA South East Sussex 2013 Pub of the Year!

 

A good 'finger buffet' supplied by the landpersons, apparently, but the CAMRA peeps whacked it back very quickly, so no chance of a bite there for me! So, thank goodness I'd already eaten before coming down on Tuesday.  Anyway, a good night was had, and the ales included the usual 3 regulars, Hophead, Youngs Special and Sussex Best, also the seasonal regular, APA, and the returning Milk Street The Usual ( 4.4%) and, from my old employer up int' North, Sheffield, Kelham Island Easy Rider (4.4%).  Good stuff!

Nice to have another of my 'locals' win an award; the RAFA Club in Bexhill, and the Kelham Island Tavern, Cask & Cutler/Wellington and Fat Cat/Kelham Island Brewery, all in Sheffield, being previous winners of CAMRA awards...

I know how to pick my locals, indeed, cheers!

The Dolphin, Hastings - CAMRA SE Sussex POTY 2013

A few visits since my last post about the Dolphin, and the usual 3 regular ales have continued to be served, ie the Dark Star Hophead (3.8%), Youngs Special (4.5%), and Harveys Sussex Best (4%), the other 3 ales have changed a few times. Harveys Porter (4.8%) has become the ‘seasonal regular’, it does what it says on the label, it’s a fine porter.

The 2 guest ales yesterday were Cairngorm Trade Winds, a 4.3% easy to drink pale bitter (website), not quite as ‘in your face’ as I expected from the pump clip’s description of “Citrus, Wheat, Elderflower”, but you get the message.  I could go on about meeting their brewer in the middle of nowhere up in Scotland a few years back, but I’ll hold back on that anecdote…  

 

Also, the new West London brewer, Portobello’s Star was quickly flowing from the pump, as described very recently, this is an amber ale, and yet another 4.3% beer (website). There’s not much on their website yet, though you can catch them on facebook and twitter too.

  

Other ales that have gone since have included Mauldons Suffolk Pride, a 4.8% medium coloured bitter with a hint of roasted malt (website), and Kelham Island Easy Rider, a 4.3% pale and hoppy bitter (website), I have myself brewed when I worked at that brewery, still a very nice refreshing ale, though I’m sure it was better when I brewed it (only joking).

The team I compete with won the quiz on Thursday, I watched music there on Friday, a duo called the ‘Luvverlies’ were very entertaining, and on St Patrick’s Day, we were treated to roast potatoes by Maz, and she also had these lovely Guinness and Baileys Irish Cream buns available, and very nice too, ta.

 

Just a reminder, the presentation for the CAMRA South east Sussex Pub of the Year is to be on Tuesday 11^th; no doubt more on that beforehand, and all I can say is, may your God go with you, cheers!