Another Beer Festival in Hastings starts on Thursday!

Yes really, another wee beer festival, this time in the restaurant area, ie the room down at the back of the First In Last Out (FILO); which is an event for Hastings Week 2014 (today being the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings). The FILO is in the High Street, Hastings 'old town' (website). The beer festival starts on Thursday evening (16th October) and ends on Sunday 19th October, though I wouldn't put too much money on many festival ales remaining by then. 

Ales at the festival are session ales and stronger, dark and pale, from the North and South, and from East and West, you've got it, there really is no theme other than a variety of different ales for Hastings Week! From the North and far-North (Scotland) come Rudgate Battleaxe (4.2%) and Chocolate Stout (5%) and Orkney Dragon Head Stout (4%). From over to the West there will be Skinners River Cottage (4%), O'Hanlons Copper Glow (4.2%) and Bespoke Running the Gauntlet (4.4%).

We'll be universally challenged by ales from the counties of Cambridge and Oxford, 2 of my old favourites from Oakham Ales JHB (3.8%) and the single hopped Citra (4.2%) and Loddon Russet (4.5%). Then from closer to home in Hampshire and Kent will be Triple fff Rock Lobster (5%), Caveman Prehistoric Amber (4.5%) and Whitstable Brewery East India Pale Ale (4.1%). Hard to imagine a more eclectic choice of ales! 

Of course, in the bar will also be a selection of ales from the pub's own microbrewery, ie the FILO Brewing Company at Hastings Old Town Brewery. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it, cheers! 

www.drinkaware.co.uk

3 pubs in the Chilterns, Buckinghamshire.

On Saturday 22nd June, my brother Dan, the Routemeister, and I walked a rather long pub crawl in Bucks, a roundabout overland route from Chesham to Amersham; more than 20 miles, so I slept well that night. Our first port of call was the Cock & Rabbit in The Lee, a hamlet near to Great Missenden; at the bar of which this photograph of Steve the Beermeister was taken ;-)

The Cock & Rabbit has been run by an Italian Landlord for getting on for 30 years now, and featured regularly in John Nettles' television series, apparently, Midsomer Murders and is well known for its good Italian food. This is a lovely multi-roomed building that has been licenced since the mid-19th century, has food, of course, and this includes a large bowl of olives (gratis) in front of the ale handpumps.  

Not too exciting regarding the ales, though, just the 2, Greene King IPA (3.6%) and the house ale, brewed by Morlands (now Green King too), ie Cock & Rabbit Original, a not too bad, actually, 3.6% medium coloured bitter. Decent ale, nice food, an interesting building and garden, though it was a bit damp to use the garden on Saturday, I liked the place!

We walked onto Little Missenden and the Red Lion, a 17th century pub that has also featured in Midsomer Murders, see website.  More traditional English pub food sold here, you can see the menu at the website, and 3 ales served up. There were a couple you'll see anywhere in the country, true of most ales now anyway, ie Skinners Betty Stoggs (4%) and Wadworth 6X (4.3%), an ale I used to love many years ago, still nice, but my tastes have moved on a bit since I first tried it. We had the third choice, Tring Sidepocket for a Toad, a nice refreshing 3.6% light bitter, oh yes, and the nicest Kiwi (the warm and friendly, Lyn the barmaid) since I drank Dark Star's version in September last! The Red Lion is another very good local with history too...

Finally, we reached Amersham, a reyt old town, and the Kings Arms, a 15th century inn with 34 bedrooms to let, and, oh yes, history (see website). Also featured in Midsomer Murders, of course, plus Four Weddings and a Funeral and Miss Marples, the history? Previous guests include Oliver Cromwell, whose troops were stationed in Amersham during the English Civil War/Revolution, and the pub part, to the left of my photograph, is still an old wooden beamed 15th century pub, though the clientele wasn't that old, but mostly people waiting to eat in the restaurant.  

So, a hotel, restaurant, and 3 ales too: Adnams Lighthouse (3.4%), Skinners Lions Pride (4.3%), presumably a one-off to celebrate the current British and Irish Lions rugby union tour down under, and we drank the (Marlow Brewery) Rebellion Mutiny (4.5%). The Mutiny has a deep red colour, with plenty of body, a rich, but still fresh and fruity, and a slightly roasted malt flavour that comes from the crystal malt used, I'd imagine.  The High Street here is full of 15th and 16th century buildings, and there's an even older road round the corner!

A return could visit well be on the cards, cheers!   

17th May 2012 SW London

Had to revisit Clapham Junction so that I could get to the Eagle this time (opens 2pm), crackin' real ale pub just off the Northcote Road, in Chatham Road. Had a great chat with the landlord too, Dave, who is very knowledgeable about ale and brewers.  They have up to 8 ales on, on Thursday, there were Surrey Hills IPA (4.6%), Saffron Littlebury Lighthouse (4.2%), Redemption Trinity (3%), Pilgrim Weald Ale (3.6%) and Woodforde's Wherry, and the ales were in good form too.  I shall return. 

Before we visited the Eagle, we had walked along the south embankment of the Thames from Putney Bridge, well, I did; I met my bro in Wandsworth Park. Consequently, we passed the Ship, near Wandsworth Bridge, a pub that neither of us had visited for years, and I mean years!  This is a Young's house, so serves up Special and 'Ordinary' bitters, but also had 2 Sambrook's ales, Wandle (3.8%) and Pale Ale (4.2%).  We tried a pint of the Pale Ale, which it certainly was pale, but a bit lacking in hops for my taste, not very bitter, thus easy enough to knock back.  Very friendly young staff, and we sat overlooking the river, and one of the remaining industrial parts of London. 

In between these 2 pubs, we visited The Castle in Battersea High Street, which holds its 'wake' today (Saturday), as the licensees are being evicted by the landowners, who want to build flats on a site which has been occupied by a pub since 1600! The present pub is from the mid 1960s, and, as they're getting rid of stock, there was only Doom Bar for us, which was just about OK.  Good luck with the continuing campaign, which can be followed on the facebook page - The Castle Pub Battersea.

We ended our ale drinking at Le Gothique, previously reported on by me, and this photo is actually from our first visit with Kieran.  On Thursday, they were serving Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay (4.1%), Skinners Keel Over (4.2%) and RCH East Street (5%).  We had a good time, though, chatting with one of the locals in particular (a Cork man, who lives in the building, so he had a long walk home).   

Sláinte!

The Rashleigh Inn, Cornwall

From Steve H…

I had to pay a flying visit to Fowey in Cornwall today and, en route to Par station, I was taken to the most superb pub the Rashleigh Inn. “The Inn on the Beach”, where I had a quick pint of Skinners Betty Stogs 4% brewed locally. Unfortunately, as I had a train to catch, I could only have the one pint but it was well worth the flying visit.

Ed: This is a pub very close to where I lived when I was working down in Cornwall. The Rashleigh Inn, Polkerris, Par, PL24 2TL (01726 813991 and www.rashleighinnpolkerris.co.uk) is situated between Par and Fowey, on the south coast and 3 miles from the Eden Project. The present landlords took over the running of this pub in 2001 and have since sensitively built up the business. The Inn sells real ales and has a very interesting restaurant menu, with a real log fire, and a bay window area that overlooks the beach.

Cheers Steve, just a bit jealous I wasn't there too :-D