East Sussex, Tuesday 11th September 2012

Dave, my mate from West Yorkshire, the 'Tea-meister', visited me this week, so we went out for a walk in East Sussex this Tuesday, and gained refreshment at a few hostelries in East Sussex, maybe not so surprisingly...

We'd walked for a while before reaching the King's Head at Udimore (apparently, pronounced 'yoodeemore', or thereabouts), crackin' little ale house, as ever for country pubs, also a purveyor of food (website at www.thekingsheadudimore.co.uk).

 

The only regular ale here is the ubiquitous Sussex Best from Harveys, and they also have at least one guest ale, but can be up to 3 guests, today it was Bombardier, which I'd forgotten how decent a bitter it is!

 

We met a retired lad from Liverpool, very friendly chap, and we also were served by the friendly, yet busy and very knowledgeable, Julie, the landlady... we were also warned to beware of the 'wild boar' on our travels away from Udimore; we weren't attacked, you'll be glad to know ;-)

From Udimore, we walked south to Icklesham, and, at the Queens Head (website at www.queenshead.com) I had a pint of an old favourite from my time in Yorkshire! Ossett Silver King (4.3%)... Dave had a more local bitter, Rother Valley Level Best (4%), and they also had on their Ruby Wheat Beer (4.5%), Greene King's IPA and Abbot, Sussex Best, London Pride, Landlord, and the more local, Long Man Best Bitter.

 

Please note that a beer festival, featuring local Sussex and Kent ales, is to be held at the Queens Head next week, starting on Thursday 20th September and ending on Sunday 23rd, although some of the ales will be on sale from the Tuesday!

From Icklesham we walked frurther southwards, just missing the last bus back to Hastings from Pett Village (after 15.50!). Anyway, we decided to have another pint at the Two Sawyers (website at www.twosawyers.co.uk) before returning to Hastings; me drinking a lovely pint of Island Brewery Wight Gold (4%), and the Tea-meister having Ringwood Fortyniner; they also had Sussex Best and Wells Bombardier.

After a fast walk to the main road, we caught a bus back to Hastings and had a couple of pints at the Dolphin, always a good choice! In addition to the usual 4 ales, they had Harveys Southdown Harvest Ale, a fine 5% pale, full-bodied, ale, that Dave enjoyed, and TSA Ruby Red IPA (3.8%), that I'd previously tried, but a bit too malty for me, and not bitter enough... as usual, I drank Dark Star Hophead :-)

Cheers!

Sunday 9th September 2012

Sunday was more work, and a bit busier lunchtime back at the Bricklayers Arms, but fewer ales available on Sunday...

 

We drank the excellent 'wheat beer' Wolf Brewery Straw Dog at 4.5%, pale and refreshing, slightly fruity and a hint of being 'sour', very European in style, and very enjoyable, so much so, that we had 3 pints with our sandwiches, this time bought in Sainsbury's...

When I left the Routemeister's new abode in Putney, I walked down to the Upper Richmond Road and caught the 337 bus to Clapham Junction, happily arriving early enough to step into the Falcon before catching my train...

Here, at the longest pub bar (according to the Guinness Book of Records), from the great array of ales available, I drank the Itchen Valley Calypso, a 4.1% 'American Pale Ale', ie, American hops. Not bad, but I missed the opportunity to drink another Purity ale, as I'd not spotted it on my arrival, oh well...

 

Cheers! 

Saturday 8th September - Happy Birthday to me ;-)

Dan and I walked along the Surrey side of the Thames from Putney to Richmond to have lunch at the Waterman's Arms, and a lovely Thai meal it was too ( Pad Ki Moaw, stir-fried noodles with chicken, chilli, garlic and vegetables), Happy Birthday lunch! Also, in addition to the usual Youngs Special and 'Ordinary', the landlord now sells Twickenham Three Naked Ladies, an excellent 4.4% pale bitter which is as good as you'll get it here, and their ales never seem to disappoint me, plus this landlord is the 'real deal', having run the pub for years now, quality.

 

As we walked out of the Waterman's, we met up with an old mate, Colin, who joined us for a large amount of the continuing walk and pub trip... From Richmond, we walked back a wee while eastwards and crossed the Thames to come in from the west, and Middlesex bank, to Isleworth and The London Apprentice! Now, I've discussed the Apprentice before on this blog, so I'll just mention the ales available on Saturday, plus the Westons Traditional Scrumpy (6%) and Country Perry (4.5%).  We were served by the admirable Cat, who, whatever she professes, should be Irish (she'll appreciate what I mean when she reads this, I trust, because it is a compliment from me) and pulled 3 pints of the excellent Purity Ubu for us, 4.5% and a slightly darker than usual ales for me!

 

They also had old stalwarts, Pride, Doom Bar and Thwaite's Wainwright, a great old historic pub,  with a great view across and down the Thames, a West London favourite.

 

 

We continued eastwards along to the Bulls Head, Strand on The Green, Chiswick, a Chef & Brewer pub, so a bit food dominated, where we drank Fullers London Pride; they also sold Tribute, Doom Bar and Landlord, fairly trustworthy ales, if a little lacking in interest for me anymore, but the Pride was in decent form! This is close by the "Beatles' pub", but I've written about that not so long ago, and I really wanted a 'new' pub to visit on my birthday, ie one I'd never been to before, so this was it... 

 

 

OK, Colin had had enough of us by now, so left us, and we carryied on towards Hammersmith, past the Fullers Brewery at Chiswick, past William Morris' Kelmscott House, and we reached The Dove, one of my 2 favourite pubs in Hammersmith, both Fullers' houses... 

 

 

Again, I've written about this pub before, about its history, its overlooking the Thames, its rear 'balcony', it's crackin' bars, the Fullers ales, decent food... What more can I say? Well... In addition to the usual Pride and ESB, they had the seasonal Summer Ale and, one of my favourite Fullers' ales now, Wild River, a crackin' 4.5% bitter!  Enjoyed it here as usual, a Happy Birthday was enjoyed, and we went back to Putney to enjoy a curry...

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Friday 7th September 2012 Bricklayers Arms, Putney

We concentrated more on helping my bro, the 'Routemeister', to move to Putney today, but we did make lunchtime and evening visits to his new 'local', though he reckons it's more MY new Putney local, The Bricklayers Arms, a regular London CAMRA Pub of the Year...

 

Lunchtime was very quiet, as you can see from this photograph from where we were sitting in the 'garden'. No food here, but they were happy to accept us bringing our own sandwiches from Waitrose in Putney High Street. There are 12 ales served from handpumps here and a real cider.

 

We only tried 3 of the ales available today, the Sunny Republic Beach Blonde at 3.7%, a sweetish fruity ale (website at Sunny Republic); Plain Ales Inn the Sun, a 4.6% 'blonde bitter' (website at Plain Ales), the Routemeister's favourite lunchtime drink today, an easy to drink 'fruity' pale ale; and my preference, though I had a try at the three of them, the Art Brew Bouncy, 5.2% of in your face hops, 5 hops actually, pale, dry, bitter, loved it! Website at Art Brew...

When we returned in the evening, I continued drinking the Bouncy, why not, it's pretty good?!? The Routemeister, ie my bro, Dan, started with the Inn the Sun, but couldn't resist drinking the Bouncy before we left. Great day drinking Bouncy, oh yes, and a a bit knackered with all the lifting, so slept well...

Zzzzz....

Wetherspoons

OK, I have to prove I don't only drink in the Dolphin when in Hastings, and it's true, I don't only drink at the Dolphin, and, being a good member of CAMRA, well, a member who takes advantage of 50p off a pint at 'spoons every now and then, I visited Hastings 'spoons today, and had a pint of Arundel Stronghold, a 'Premium Ale' at 4.7%, and, with the CAMRA discount, a whopping £1.49 a pint, nice one... and it was a pretty decent darkish strongish ale, what you'd expect really!

Update on the Dolphin, though, and I have to giggle now, private joke! The Lemon Head and Heel Stone have been replaced by RCH Pitchfork and Old Slug Porter respectively, RCH do brew some very good beers! Mark (landlord) does like the Porter, and it's pretty good, I even had a pint of it on Monday, but back to my favourite Hophead...

 

Cheers!

Save our Pint Petition Campaign...

  Sign CAMRA's on-line campaign petition @ http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29664/?friendly_id=saveyourpint

You know it makes sense, cheers!

Update from yesterday & Dolphin, Hastings

A gorgeous day yesterday, a bit more overcast today, and to the Dolphin...

I was here Thursday evening for the quiz too, our team, At The Bar, came equal first, though there were only 5 other teams this week (compared to 13 in total last week), potentially easier to come last too! There was a lovely near-full moon to admire from the beach on the walk home too, very atmospheric. Anyway, A few changes ale-wise at the Dolphin...

Because of trouble with the Directors, and I still think the recipe of that has been altered, if not the flavour has been effected by being brewed in Bedford now, Mark has brought in Youngs Special, ironically, brewed in Bedford at Charles Wells too!  It may not become the regular replacement, but signs are of sales of Special being significantly more than the Directors, so wait and see...

Sussex Best and Hophead remain regulars, and the APA remains as the summer reguar too, plus 2 guest ales, ie the Stonehenge Heel Stone (4.3%) already mentioned in previous blogs, and Growler Lemon Head (4%). The Lemon Head is a ginger and lemon flavoured ale, no surprise there then, though the ginger is very subtle, the lemon is in your face.  It's very refreshing, if a tad different, good summer ale, especially if you like shandies. By the way, I was confused by Growler Brewery, but it appears Nethergate are now calling themselves Growler, unless they always did and I just wasn't aware?

Cheers!