Back again, Hastings updates...

Sadly, mostly because of a 'bug' that decided to help me lose 6 or 7 pounds in weight, ie be ill for 5-6 days, I haven't been drinking for a while, so a bit of 'catch up' required. First, again, sadly, Franks Front Room closed down in Hastings on Saturday 4th May, a loss, indeed!  Good luck to the ex-owners, I see the building is already going up for auction... 

But I have been to the Tower, London Road, with 5 ales there on the day; I just missed the Hopback Summer Lightning as it went off before I could order a pint, but it was replaced by the also excellent Ilkley Lotus IPA (5.6%), already commented on. There was also Sharps Doom Bar for the maltier ale lovers and 2 pale-ish ones from Dark Star too, the virtually ever-present American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7%) and Revelation, at 5.7% a bit more interesting, and, again, been reported on before. So, 4 excellent paler ales, and the Doom Bar of course...

I visited the Dolphin on the May Day public holiday and they had a Kelham Island beer on, a 'ruby mild' called Mistress Flames, 5% and a hint of spice in the aftertaste, loadsa body, smooth, frankly, delicious!  There were also the usual Youngs Special, Harveys Sussex Best, and Dark Star's Hophead and American Pale Ale, and one other new guest, ie Harveys Bogie Man (4.3%), brewed especially for the Hastings May Day celebrations, apparently; it was pale, a bit thin, with a strange flavour I couldn't distinguish properly, but certainly a biscuity maltness flavour in the bubbles.

Hastings seems to have more celebrations than anywhere else I've ever known, the May Day celebrations including a significant motorcycle rally, and 'Jack in the Green', it's very own fertility tradition, procession etc, so many people are dressed in greenery.  Here is the Dolphin's very own living Pre-Raphaelite portrait, Maz, serving up a fizzy drink; I tried to get a good picture serving up real ale, and, if I'd persisted, I would have got a good one, but, I have to own up, I lost patience, and this is a very good photograph, nice one...

I'm back... Cheers! 

21st September and Central Hastings

Pissarros, sadly, has had a repaint, now Battleship Grey on the outside, instead of the Green it used to be, what came over them was my immediate thought, but, apparently, this was it's colour many years ago, so reverting to the past (though the photo they have from then isn't in colour, so grey, hmm...).  They usually have 2 ales on sale, the regular is the ubiquitous Sussex Best and a guest, at the moment from Long Man Brewery (see website) Long Blonde, 3.8%, a pale golden ale, not my favourite ale, but very easy to drink. There are plans to bring in a darker guest ale soon for the Autumn/Winter. 

 

 

I then popped into Frank's Front Room, which is certainly a comfortable bar to visit, it sells coffee, food and bar drinks too, eg the 2 regular ales are Hastings Best Bitter and Blonde, and a guest ale, today it was Black Sheep Best Bitter.  It really is a bright and airy watering/feeding hole, very woman friendly, and not just full of old men quaffing beer! Near the railway station, and certainly worth a visit when in Hastings.

 

I had a very friendly and informative chat with the barman, Paul, and another young woman working there (sorry! I missed your name), talking about pubs, ales and 'fishermen's rolls', one of which was eaten by me at the food & wine festival on Sunday last.  Today, I drank the Hastings Blonde (a lot of 'blondes' about today), which is 3.9%, was clear, quite bitter too, best I've tasted it so far. Hastings Brewery are brewing their ales without finings, to cater for vegetarian and vegan diets, so they can sometimes come up cloudy, but not today! 

Then I walked up to the Dripping Well, where I drank the Hastings Best Bitter, 4.1%, again an unfined ale, medium coloured, what I always grew up to think a bitter should look like... It's a fair enough bitter to drink, does what it says on the label, so I was happy to imbibe. They usually have 3 ales on sale from their 4 handpumps; the 2 others, regulars really, were Henry's IPA from Wadworths and Courage Directors. 

 

Also, Nick the Landlord made a short visit, whilst they received a delivery from Hastings Brewery (see website). Always friendly and easy to chat around the bar here, to other customers and staff alike, and good to see Nick, even if only briefly.

 

I ended my session by visiting the Hastings only Wetherspoons, the John Logie Baird, as, being a CAMRA member, I can get 50p off a pint there each day, which for me is every now and then, but worth taking advantage of every now and then.  They had the usual suspects, including Fullers London Pride, but I like to drink their guest ales for 2 reasons, they usually come from micros and are even cheaper!

 

The guests included Blindman's Icarus, a 4.5% ruby ale; Stonehenge Danish Dynamite, a 5% dry bitter; Orkney Raven Ale, at 3.8%, a session bitter; and my choice for a mere £1.49 a pint after my CAMRA discount, Exe Valley Shepherd's Crook, which I had to try as I lived in Exeter during the 1980s and regularly drank Exe Valley bitters at the Welcome Inn there, which is a medium coloured bitter, whose aroma was a bit off-putting, it smelt of wet dog, but was easy enough to drink, if a shade more boring than I expected at 4.7%.

 

So, report over, cheers!

 

 

The St Leonard and Hastings Brewery

The St Leonard, London Road, St Leonards, Hastings (a fair old address) has recently reopened under this new 'badge', and shows signs of great promise...

 

Still only open Wednesday to Saturday evenings, and Sunday, during the day, The St Leonard has opened with real ale to the fore, and a gradual introduction of food at varying levels... now, I have to own up, I haven't had an ale here yet, indeed, I haven't had a drink here yet, but that time will come soon! 

 

I was passing this morning, and had a chat to a bloke working on the main door to the pub, who gave me my updated news about this pub... I also saw a Hop Back Summer Lightning pump clip over his shoulder, which is why I particularly say, "great" promise ;-) 

 

 

Why is this glass empty? LOL

However, the first time I found out about this pub was when Hastings Brewery recently tweeted about them selling their ales, so Hastings Best and Blonde may also be regularish, if not regulars, we shall see! Indeed, if you want to know where to find Hastings ales on sale go to www.hastingsbrewery.co.uk/find/ 

Good luck, I drink the 'Best Bitter' at The Dripping Well and Frank's Front Room, cheers!

From Frank's Front Lounge to The Tower!

Obviously, I started at Frank's Front Room, central Hastings and very close to the Railway Station (and to my home). Still quite new to me, indeed, still new to Hastings!  Clean, bright, and, quite frankly (sorry for the pun), very woman/younger person/older person/food seeker/ale drinker friendly... 3 ales - Hastings Blonde and Best Bitter, and, not so local, Sambrook's of Wandsworth Wandle.  I do come from Wandsworth, so maybe... but no! The local Best Bitter for me, decent ale, indeed.

On my way up to St Leonards, and not so far from the centre of Hastings, the Dripping Well. 3 ales on here too, including Hastings Best Bitter, which I again drank, thanks to Steve the Fireman for the beer :-) Also, they're still selling Henry's IPA and Directors, but I do prefer the Hastings Best. So, now up Bohemia Road...

...to the North Star, which still has good ales and friendly bar staff, 5 ales on here, but I only drank one of them, the Sunset Blonde from Cross Bay Brewery, a 4.2% dry, pale bitter with a pleasing aroma, though lacking a bit on the flavour hops, but very easy to drink, I thank you!  Also, on the bar, were Young's Special, Landlord, the ubiquitous Sussex Best, and Shepherd Neame's Whitstable Bay (4.1%).

Round the corner to drop off books at their 'book club' (though I'd already offloaded most at the Dripping Well to another customer there) and the Dripping Spring... Still a good pub, good ales, and friendly company, and not just the landlady... I drank Rother Valley Northam Imperial Pale Ale (NIPA), at 5% a very tasty pale bitter, with good body; I do like Rother Valley ales. I also drank the Ringwood Boondaggle, a 4.2% 'blonde' ale, with a nutty flavour. I spoke to a bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth before, and a Devonian couple and their daughter... I got a bit homesick, I have to admit ;-)

Also available were London Pride, Sussex Best, Hastings Best, Greene King's London Glory (their attempt to emulate Fullers Pride), and Marston's 5 Hops.

So, to my last pub of the session, the Tower, and Louisa, the landlady, was here today, yay! (I trust she's not been avoiding me on purpose), later, Linda took over behind the bar. Good chat to Louisa, a continuation of the good service from Linda, and the bloke who'd lived in Wandsworth was here too! Good chat with other regulars and Olympics events on the screens too, and also 4 ales, again dominated by Dark Star, ie Festival (5%) and Summer Meltdown (4.8%), and Hylder Blonde (4.2%), which I drank, after a pint of Island Brewery's, from Newport in the Isle of Wight, Wight Gold, a 4.0% pale bitter, very easy to drink. The Hylder Blonde was excellent, allegedly tasting of elderflower, but definitely a fruity taste, grapefruit even, which I'm guessing comes from the hops used.

Then I came home... Cheers!

Tuesday 24th July and trip to St Leonards-on-Sea

An early start at the Tower again, first, to prove St Leonards isn't such a scary place, despite 'devil dogs' in the area (typical media exaggeration), but also as they sell good value ales at The Tower... I'd also said I'd lend my copy of The Dice Man to Louisa, but, sadly yet again, she wasn't around... However, I left the book behind the bar, many thanks. 

Good chat and good ales, 4 from Dark Star today, Saison, The Original, Sunburst and the Hophead that I drank. I'm getting more and more to like this pub, and good value too!  I also managed to get a photograph without a smoker lurking outside this time.

I then walked down the hill to the seafront, close by the pier, and visited the White Rock Hotel, despite my reservations about the temperature of the ales here, which regular readers will understand. Another 4 ales from Sussex brewers here, Dark Star's Hophead again, Harveys Olympia, a golden ale at 4.3%, Arundel Castle, a 3.8% 'tawny bitter', as it says on the pump clip, and the Dark Star ale I drank, Hylder Blonde. The Blonde is 4.2% and, apparently, flavoured with elderflowers, it has a flowery, fruity aroma, is pale, dry and bitter, and has a dryish peculiar aftertaste, presumably the elderflowers! Excellent service, as ever, from Kerry behind the bar, who has recently moved down the beach and now lives in the Old Town, hence is a bit of a regular at the Dolphin now, cheers!

From there, into town, and I own up, The John Logie Baird again, well, I do get 50p off a pint for being a CAMRA member... The usual larger regional brewers ales were on sale, Doom Bar, London Pride, Broadside etc, plus a couple that interested me, Beartown Bruins Ruin (5% and bronze coloured), and an ale brewed especially for 'spoons called Koroibos (named after the winner of the 'stadion' race at the first Olympic Games in 776BC).

Keisa served me, a friendly local lass, with very interesting tats and piercings; Koroibos was my choice, which is a collaboration between Everards and Corfu Brewery (yes, there is a real ale producer in Corfu!), however, at 4.5% I expected a lot more. It's refreshing, pale, hardly any aroma, and a bit bitter, but it could do with more hops (to my hoppy bitter taste buds), but it's very easy to drink, which makes it dangerous, especially at £1.99 a pint, and that's before I got my 50p deduction!

My final port of call was just down from Hastings railway station at Frank's Front Room, a reopened pub, very bright and airy in its new incarnation, usually selling 3 ales, Hastings Best Bitter and Blonde, and Sambrooks Wandle Bitter. Now, I live in Hastings, and was born and bred in Wandsworth, so it augured well!  I had a good chat to the hard-working Paul behind the bar, and with one of the three 'Franks' too, ie Geri...

Apparently, the Sambrooks may change and become more of a guest pump, and presently their food is mostly sandwiches, salads and bar snacks, but they are recruiting a chef in August, so things will change... Plans include evening meals, curry nights, quizzes and music; and the 'snug' (this is a 2 roomed bar) can be used for private functions already, and is. A very interesting new find.

Cheers!