Saturday 10th November - Fires and pubs, Pett, East Sussex

The Routemeister had visited me for the weekend, so Saturday meant a fairly long walk, this time across the top of the cliffs and Hastings Wildlife Park, a fairly arduous trek to Pett Level, where we hoped to drink at the Smugglers, which we had sat outside looking at the beach virtually a year ago to the day. Sadly, it's temporarily closed, but soon to re-open, I have been reliably informed by one of those taking over the pub, when I spoke to her this Tuesday, there being just a few technical problems, so, fingers crossed!

Addendum and update, even, The Smugglers deal has fallen through, it is now rumoured to not be re-opening before Easter at the earliest! 

Anyway, we headed uphill, through fields (along a right of way) to Pett Village, only a mile or so away. Our first port of call there was the Royak Oak, which has 3 or 4 ales on at a time, today was Hopback Summer Lightning, Morlands Golden Hen and Harveys Sussex Best; a little disappointed that we just missed Triple fff Brewery's Jabberwocky coming on, which was soon to replace the Summer Lightning.  All these ales are either well known and/or already reported on by me, so I'll get onto the fires...

We sat right in front of the smaller fire, note our Beermeister caps drying out and warming up in the photograph above, we had been walking through rain for about 3 hours by now!

The larger fireplace is pictured above, though we'd have been hogging a table nearer to people eating if we'd sat there, so we relaxed in front of the previous fire, well away from people, though two older women did come and sit to the left of that fire; we're obviously not intimidating people.

We then walked along the main road to the Two Sawyers, a favourite of my brother's I believe, and one of mine too.  Here was Ringwood Fortyniner and Harveys Sussex Best, both well reported ales, and Harveys Trundle Bitter (3.5%) and Isfield IPA, a 4.2% pale bitter, with a biscuity flavour and dry aftertaste; from this you can guess this is what we drank there, and I've been reasonably impressed by the ales from this new brewery so far. 

Of course, it being a cold and wet day, a fire was lit at the Two Sawyers too.  Cheers!

Dolphins - 3 of a Kind.

I thought about writing this type of blog a while ago now, '3 of a kind', and pubs called the Dolphin was an obvious first choice for me, for 3 main reasons.  First, I have frequented 3 Dolphin pubs at different times in my life.  Second, they are all crackin' pubs and are in the 2013 CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Third, the most recent is my current 'local', so had to be 'Dolphins'!

 

The first is The Dolphin Hotel, down at The Barbican in Plymouth, which I first visited when I lived in Devon in the 1980s.  My earlier memories are of a pretty basic pub, but selling the best Bass I'd ever tasted, served straight from casks stored and cooled behind the bar, I think they were kilderkins, which is still the case. Plus, they now sell up to 7 guest ales, and St Austell Tribute as a regular.  I cannot remember there being ales served from handpump when I first visited, only the gravity-fed beer, but, as I only thought of drinking the Bass at the time, that's no surprise.

 

My most recent visit was a few years ago, before going to a football match at Argyle, and not a lot had changed, and, apart from a sensitive redecoration, the GBG suggests the same still.  The walls are adorned by Beryl Cook paintings, many are of regulars at the pub, as she used to live in the area and frequent the pub herself.  You are very close to the waterfront, from where you may catch a ferry over to Turnchapel, where lies another old favourite pub, and ex-employer, of mine, The Boringdon Arms. The Dolphin in Plymouth, though, is a must visit, if you like real ale and old pubs, and are in Devon... and their Bass is to be savoured. 

The second is Ye Olde Dolphin Inne, close by the cathedral in Derby, the oldest and, allegedly, 'most haunted' public house in the city.  The building dates back to 1530, but the pseudo-Tudor additions to the exterior were made about 100 years ago, but it's still a great little building to investigate, with nooks and crannies in the unspoilt interior.  I first visited here in the 1990s, as I lived in Sheffield at the time, and Derby is very close, and I obviously had to investigate this nearby city with its wealth of good pubs.  More often than not, subsequent visits were in connection with trips to Pride Park, or made in conjunction with visits from friends or family.

 

Coincidentally, the first pint I had here was of cask-conditioned Bass, though served via a handpump here, but still very good, I've even seen cask-conditioned Worthington E here, very rare; Marston's now brew Bass for AB InBev, by the way.  Ye Olde Dolphin also sells a good variety of other regular and guest ales, which I've always found to be in good condition, including a 'house ale' (that I haven't tried, since it wasn't around at the time of my last visit) which is brewed for them by Nottingham Brewery, ie a 4.4% bitter, Dolphin 1530AD.  Again, if visiting Derby, which does have a great selection of pubs, Ye Olde Dolphin Inne should be on the list. 

The third choice is my current local, The Dolphin, situated at Rock-a-Nore opposite the fishermen's net huts and Stade, below Hastings 'Old Town'.  The situation means you do get fishermen, and retired fishermen, frequenting this pub, a sign of the great continuity here. There are also a variety of other regular locals, and visitors to Hastings too, a true diversity of regulars, male and female, young and old, professionals and labourers, I shan't go on, you'll get the point.  It's a real family-run pub, landlord and landlady, 2 daughters, and good regular staff, who may as well be family!

 

The Dolphin supports Sussex breweries, with many local beers served here (5 out of 6 on my last visit), having 3 regular ales, currently Dark Star Hophead, Harveys Sussex Best and Young's Special, a seasonal regular, currently Dark Star American Pale Ale (soon to be replaced for the late Autumn and Winter by Harveys Old Ale), and 2 guest ales.  On my most recent visit, the 2 guests were the new local Isfield Brewing Co Toad in the Ale, a 4.8% dark bitter with roasted malt flavour, and Harveys Bonfire Boy, another darker 5.8% ale.  I can only add that, like the other 2 Dolphins, definitely worth a visit if in the area, cheers!