Friday 18th January, Pissarros, Hastings, real fire, and more...

Managed to get to Pissarros today, even though I hadn't planned to drink this Friday, but an error with my heating meant I didn't really want to sit in a cold flat, and I was very happy I did visit.  Pissarros now has 3 real ales served from handpumps, sells decent food, part of the building being a restaurant, as well as being able to eat in the bar area, and accommodation, which looks comfortable, and good value for Hastings (see website).

The ubiquitous Harveys Sussex Best (4%) was available, as usual; a guest ale at £2.95 a pint, all the way from Cheshire, the 4% Beartown Brewery's Kodiak Gold, a pale 'gold' coloured bitter; and my choice for the day, as I've had it before at the Dolphin, in Hastings medieval 'old town', Long Man Brewery's (see website) Old Man.  This was excellent, a dark, deep red coloured 4.3% old ale, with a strong roasted malt flavour; and it appears to be a semi regular at Pissarros too, I'll have to watch out for it more, as I do often walk by this bar on my way to and from the railway station, the only negative being it's relatively expensive price at £3.50 a pint.

I also took advantage of my CAMRA membership at Hastings' Wetherspoons, the John Logie Baird, with my 50p voucher that knocked the price down from an already good value £1.99 a pint to drinking my pint of Spirit of Kent having spent just £1.49, cheers Mr Tim 'spoon!  This is a 4% "XXX Pale Ale" and it did what it said on the label, it's a decent pale bitter from Westerham Brewery in nearby Kent (see website).

I finished off the day drinking in the Dolphin at Rock-a-Nore, by the fishermens' huts at the seafront below the 'old town', insufficient snow for me to get a decent outside shot, but a nice photograph of the fireplace, which was very welcoming, the strong wind making the sub-zero temperature feel even colder. Of course, being very obvious, of the 6 cask ales available, I mostly drank the Dark Star (see website) Hophead, talked about many times previously, pale, hoppy and bitter.  I  also had a pint of the only change to the beer menu from my last blog, ie the Loxley Ale being replaced by the 5.2% Laughing Frog, brewed by the Sussex-based 1648 Brewery (see website); 4 of the 6 ales on offer coming from local Sussex breweries.  The Laughing Frog is a far too easy to drink full-bodied bitter, nice one.

 

Then, back out in the cold... Cheers! 

Friday 5th October in Hastings

Following a rather large brunch at Unwind, George Street, I started my wandering and drinking at the nearby Dolphin, where the wonderful sisters, Louise and Laura, were behind the bar.

I drank my usual Hophead from Dark Star Brewery, though I had tried a pint of one of the guest ales on Thursday evening, ie Oakleaf Brewery's Squirrel's Delight, 4.5%, medium coloured bitter, a bit sweet at first, with a roasted malt undertone and hint of coffee, well, that's what I thought.  There were also the other semi/regulars, Dark Star American Pale Ale (APA), Youngs Special, Harveys Sussex Best, and Sunny Republic's Dorset Cross (5%) is still a guest ale. 

 

I then walked west along the front and uphill at St Leonards to the Tower, London Road, where I still missed Louisa, I'll have to time my visits to this pub a bit differently, obviously, but Linda was there again, so still crackin' bar staff, and crackin' ales too! This is one of the best value pubs in the area, where you can get a pint of real ale for well under £3 a pint, I had my Hophead, of course, and tried a half of the 1648 Laughing Frog too, 5.2%, rather easy to drink, a bit sweet but with a bitter aftertaste. There were also Dark Star APA and Long Man Sussex Pride (4.5%).  After a good chat and drink there, I crossed Bohemia Road and entered the North Star.

Tasha was behind the bar at the North Star, always a welcome sight, some lovely barstaff around today!  The 5 ales today were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Sussex Best, Laughing Frog, Jennings Crag Rat, a 4.3% golden ale, and Rother Valley Ebulem, which I had a pint of, and which filled my loyalty card, meaning, a free pint on my next visit to either the North Star or their sister pub, the General Havelock in town. The Ebulem is a dark 'elderberry' porter, fruity aroma, and a dry porter/stout, really delicious.  I then wandered homewards and down Bohemia Road to the Wishing Well.

Although he wasn't working until later, I had a brief chat with the landlord, Nick, and then his partner, the lovely Pinar, took over the bar. As ever, good banter around the bar, and the usual 3 ales on sale, Courage Directors, Wadworth Henry's IPA, and Hastings Best Bitter, which I am happy to drink for just under £3 a pint, thank you very much!  I had started maudlin a bit, so I was happy to be cheered up and then go home to polish off some wine and cheese.

 

Cheers!