Excellent Tonbridge Cask Ales & Real Cider

I hadn't visited for a while, and yesterday I decided it had been too long! So I caught the train to Rye and had a few drinks in the Rye Waterworks micropub, Tower Street (corner with Rope Walk), Rye, East Sussex TN31 7AT (website). If you know nothing about the Rye Waterworks (ales and ciders available yesterday shown in the image above, although another ale filled that gap, but I forgot to make a note of it, apologies), and the building's 300 years history, please read this blog I wrote soon after the pub opened 6 years ago. 

I drank 2 beers I hadn't had before from the getting better and better in my estimation, Tonbridge Brewery (website), starting off with their 4.2% Blonde Ambition, well, 2 pints of it actually, it was that good I had to make sure. 😉 All their ales are vegan friendly, and clear as a bell, I thank you Tonbridge for being yet another brewery showing that you don't have to be lazy to brew suchlike! Tonbridge tend to use English hops a lot, in this instance First Gold (hopslist) and Challenger (hopslist), providing just a hint of orange to this pale dry bitter ale, very good indeed!

The second new ale to me from Tonbridge Brewery was their Velvet Raven, a 5.2% Stout, which is certainly what I would call a stout, despite its deep red colour suggesting a porter (see blog). Again, bewed with English hops, Northdown (hopslist), Fuggle (hopslist) and Kent grown Bullion (hopslist). There was a subtle aroma of coffee, with a spicy/fruity taste, and hints of liquorice, coffee and chocolate, finishing off quite dry and bitter, good stuff! 👍

I finished off with a cider from Biddenden Vineyards (website), their 8.0% Dry Cider, made from culinary and dessert apples; it looks a wee bit below a pint because the glass had been brim filled nd I didn't want to spill any! 😉 This is what a cider should taste like, but so smooth, gorgeous!

Great company and staff... Cheers folks! 🍎🍏🍺

Cider (and a Perry) For a Change...

Where better to enjoy ciders and a perry in Hastings, than at The Jolly Fisherman (facebook page), 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (tel: 01424 428811), the first micropub in Hastings (blog). Opening hours (usual, but can be a little flexible, eg on Pirate Day and other special occasions, keep a check with their facebook page), now are Tuesday to Friday 4-11pm; Saturday 2-11pm; Sunday 2-10.30pm; unlikely to be open on a Monday. Anyway... 

On my last visit I started off with two-thirds of a pint (indeed, I chose two-thirds for all the ciders too) of a perry from Dorset cider maker Temple (website), their 6.5% Hendre Huffcap & Winnal's Longdon Perry; the 2 pear varieties used, unsurprisingly, Hendre Huffcap (National Perry Pear Centre) and Winnal's Longdon (National Perry Pear Centre). How to describe this slightly cloudy perry? What you would expect, hard to make anything up really, definitely tasting of pear with a dry finish, very good!🍐

My first cider, from Herefordshire based Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Company (website) was their 6.1% Five Apple Oak Cask Cider, and I apologise, but I cannot discover anywhere the apple varieties used, usually a blend, no doubt. Just slightly cloudy, what I would call a 'proper' real cider, great balance with a dry, bitter even, finish, very good indeed! 🍏🍎

The first of 2 very clear ciders, and both very good, but I've drunk them before so I'm not surprised by the quality, was from Kent, Biddenden Vineyards (website) Bushels (6.0%). This is a medium dry cider, made with a mixture of "orchard ripe culinary and dessert apples" although still not individually specified by them, unsurprisingly. Anyway, this is a very easy to drink medium dry cider, too easy actually, therefore potentially dangerous to drink, nice one! 😉

Also from Kent and the second clear cider, Turners Cider (website) Dry Cider (6.5%), again, the varieties of apple used are not specified, so obviously a carefully selected combination of their locally grown apples to endure the correct blend. This had a big apple aroma, more subtle taste, with a lovely dry finish, very nice again, and easy to knock back!🍏

Finally, another cider from Herefordshire, this time Little Pomona (website), which started up with the EU part funding their business and orchard with its 4 classic cider apple varieties, and that now produce their ciders, in this instance, their 5.8% Little Miracle. This is a blend of "3 different vintages" which produced a deep orange/gold colour, slightly cloudy and slightly sweet to start off with, a tartness to the aroma and a dry finish, not bad at all, cheers!🍏🍎

2 Rather Good IPAs and a bit more!

I couldn't believe it when I saw this on sale in Morrisons, but a 500ml bottle conditioned Thornbridge (website) Jaipur (5.9%). This superb version of an IPA with many hops from the USA, that are Chinook (hopslist), Centennial (hopslist), Ahtanum (hopslist), Simcoe (hopslist), Columbus (hopslist) and Cascade (hopslist). This is an excellent pale golden ale, with plenty of tropical fruits, grapefruit and citrus in the aroma and taste, with a dry bitter finish. I once had a few pints of a dry hopped cask conditioned version of this at the University Arms in Sheffield, when my old friend Mike Pigeon was the manager there, that was a bit special too, quality! 👍

Easily found at Marks & Spencer is their 4.9% Citra IPA, which is brewed by Oakham Ales (website), in the middle of Oakham's 4.6% bottled Citra and the bigger hitting 6.0% Green Devil, all brewed as single hopped ales, the hop being the excellent Citra, unsurprisingly (hopslist). Anyway, to the 4.9% M&S version, which has a big citrus aroma and taste, and paler than the Jaipur, with a lovely crisp dry bitter finish, very good indeed! Oh yes, and not forgetting... 😉

Have a guess what I was drinking yesterday in the Dolphin Inn in Hastings Old Town, yep, the wonderful session ale that is the  4.2% cask conditioned version of Oakham Citra! Not much to add really, does what it says on the label, and I can't remember it in better form, excellent!  😁

Cheers Ears! 🍻

The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock a Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW (website).

The University Arms, 197 Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HG (website).

Women and Beer 3 - History

I'd already written a couple of blogs about the role of women and brewing/selling beer a while ago, in The Beer Goddess and in Brewsters and Witchcraft?  However, I've fairly recently bought the paperback book The Devil's in the Draught Lines (Dr Christina Wade, Campaign for Real Ale Ltd, 2024), since which was published an article by the same author in CAMRA's BEER magazine Summer 2024 called The Ancient History of the British Alewife.

Basically, Dr Wade knows a helluva lot about the history of beer, is multi-qualified, including being a beer judge, and I'm guessing that part of her doctorate, or maybe her M.Phil, or both, included research about the history of women in brewing and selling beer, because there is so much specific information about brewsters (female brewers) and licencees! Also, she records interviews with many contemporary brewsters. In addition, she has her own website called braciatrix, which includes links to her book, and is about women and beer, to precis it... 😕 

If you are a CAMRA member you can access the BEER article at the website.

Or buy the book, or just read my blog 1 and  blog 2, a bit simpler/less info 😉 Seriously though, I can't compete, so buy the book, it's chock full of data, cheers!