Congratulations to my local The Dolphin!

Congratulations to The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW, which, on Monday, was awarded this certificate as CAMRA South East Sussex Branch Community Pub of the Year 2024, nice one folks, good to see CAMRA waking up locally, cheers!

November Whiskey of the Month

My November 'Whiskey of the Month' is The Sexton (40% - website). This triple distilled, in copper pot stills, single malt whiskey was created by Master Blender Alex Thomas at the Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland. It is aged for at least 4 years in Oloroso Sherry casks made from European oak, apparently grown in France. It is sold in unique octagonal bottles, and is the best selling Irish single malt whiskey in the USA, first being sold there 7 years ago, shortly afterwards in 2018 brought home and sold in Britain and Ireland. 

The Sexton is a pretty reasonably priced whiskey, with a deep golden colour. It has a spicy caramel aroma and is slightly sweet to taste, with subtle hints of cinnamon and butterscotch, the colour and flavours coming from the Spanish Oloroso Sherry seasoned casks used in the ageing process. Very smooth and luxurious, and so easy to drink, slainte! 👍

CAMRA joins me in Campaign for FULL Pints!

It was good to see the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) calling for a pint to be a pint in their Winter 2024 edition of their magazine BEER, following their lobbying of all political parties before the General Election on Independence Day a few months ago (CAMRA). CAMRA points out that the Chartered Trading Standards Institute has found that 'most beer served in pubs and bars are short measure.' I've been saying this for years, eg blog. 🍺

Let's hope trying to influence this Government works better this time; indeed, Labour Party policy in 1997 was to introduce lined pint glasses in pubs, it appears the big brewers had a bigger influence then, despite 'New Labour' winning the 1997 General Election by a mile! 😣

Don't hold your combined breath... 

International Stout Day 2024

This Thursday, the 7th of November 2024, being the first Thursday in November, is International Stout Day 2024 (website), surprise surprise, to celebrate Stouts. Stouts appear to have developed from Porters (blog), a dark ale favoured by London market porters 300 years ago, though a blend of ales originally, before brewers started brewing Porters specifically. 'Stout' tended to be a term to describe stronger beers. Stout, as in Stout Porter, was a stronger dark brew that London's brewers developed, and what we think of today as a typical Stout style.

Technically, nowadays, Porters are brewed using dark malts, and are usually a very deep, very dark, red in colour if you put your glass up to the light, whereas Stouts are brewed using Roasted Barley and are black or very dark brown, notably brown in the colour of the head. Of course, I've drunk different brewers' Stouts, Porters, and strong Dark Milds, that taste as you would expect one of the other styles to taste, but, for me, I would define the Stout from the roasted barley taste, though no doubt many would disagree with me.

Whatever, enjoy a dark ale on Thursday, cheers!

Iron Pier Beer in Cans; A Chore to Sample!

OK, not really a chore, more like a 'calling' 😉 but I had these 3 cans of beers from Iron Pier Brewery in Kent (website) to report back on. Silly me, I forgot to take photographs with them in a glass or three, but sensible enough to keep the empty cans (photograph above).😏

Even though I have no images of these beers in a glass to share, I do have fond memories of drinking a couple of dark 'barrel aged' ales from Iron Pier Brewery in the past, up at The Tower pub above St Leonards in Bohemia, for example this 9.0% Speyside Whisky barrel aged Imperial Stout (blog), which was absolutely gorgeous, cheers Louisa!😁

But back to the cans, and a wee bit less luxurious stout, their Cast Iron Stout (4.7%), based on a Victorian recipe, and brewed with 7 different malts. The roasted malts producing chocolate and hints of coffee in the taste, slightly sweet to start with, but with a dry finish. The colour is very dark and the beer opaque, but to me this was what a stout should be like, plenty of body, smooth and warm, with roasted malt taste, very nice; see this blog explaining my thoughts on stout.👌

Second, their Rosherville Red (4.8%), a "hoppy red rye" ale brewed with Citra, Ekuanot, Bullion and Mosaic hops, and malted barley, wheat and rye. This is like a 'souped up' red APA, but with a more packed fruitiness including, not just grapefruit and citrus, but forest fruits and dark red fruits too, no doubt heavily influenced by the Bullion hops! A big fruity aroma and taste, with the red fruits dominating at the end, indeed, not bad at all.👍

And, knowing my preferences in taste, I was looking forward to the pale hoppy one, their 4.2% Session IPA, brewed with Citra, Denali (Sultana), Columbus and Amarillo hops, producing what you would expect... An abundance of citrus and forest fruits in the aroma and taste, an American style IPA, indeed, an APA, with a dry fruity finish too, again, not bad at all, cheers! 👍

For more information about hops, see the hopslist website.

A Walk in Derby, includes Pubs, of course!

This walk starts from the railway station; NB there are many other pubs near the station! This walk starts from a road virtually opposite the main station exit at The Victoria Inn at 12 Midland Place DE1 2RR, built in 1878, familiarly called "The Vic" by locals (website). The Vic has 6 cask ales and 12 ciders; I recently drank, from Welsh brewery Purple Moose (website), their 3.6% Snowdonia Ale, a pale golden ale with subtle hints of citrus fruit in the aroma and taste, a very decent pale bitter to start the day! Indeed, I drank here first on my recent visit because it opens at 09.30, but drink-wise I didn't follow the root insinuated in this blog, but wanted to get as many photos taken as possible before too many people were wandering the streets. However, the pubs as I mention them are on a virtually straight walk by-passing the centre of town.

The Brunswick Inn is just along from the station at 1 Railway Terrace DE1 2RU (website), it was built in 1842 and was the first purpose-built railway inn in Britain. They have been brewing their own ales for over 30 years now, and pretty good they are too, plus they sell plenty of guest ales; regularly 16 cask ales in total and 16 ciders, plenty of choice. They held their 37th annual Beer Festival recently, with over 40 ales and 16 ciders and perries! 🍻

Further along the road, and just round the corner to the left is The Alexandra Hotel, 203 Siddals Road DE1 2QE (website), built towards the end of the 19th century, it used to be owned by Shipstone's (website), but was taken over by Bateman's, then Tyne Mill (Castle Rock Brewery) after it was let go by Shipstone's in 1988. They serve up to 7 cask ales, including the regular Castle Rock Harvest Pale (3.8%), which reminded me of my first experience of their ales when we first visited the Castle Rock 'taproom' the Vat & Fiddle in Nottingham (website) about 25 years ago. Guest ales come from various breweries across the country, recently including from Yorkshire, North Riding Brewery (website), from the east side of the Pennines, Redwillow Brewery (website), and from down south, and a new favourite, Kent Brewery (website).

Then walk across the road and down to the River Derwent, heading north-east and cross the river soon, carrying on north-eastwards to reach the regular award winning, 19th century, The Smithfield, Meadow Road DE1 2BH (website), which overlooks the river. 10 cask ales are available, including the ever-present regular Bass, and 9 guest ales, usually including 2 darker beers. Recent ales, again from near and far, include from Welbeck Abbey Brewery (website), Purple Moose (website), Lakes Brew Company (website), and Mallinsons  (website), which I had to include as another favourite of mine, and their excellent 4.5% U.S. Premium an APA style, pale golden and hoppy, brewed with Chinook, Simcoe and Willamette hops from the USA, nice one! Oh yes, and 4 real ciders, indeed, they hold a beer & cider festival early in the year.

Continue along Meadow Road, under a couple of bridges, a little further, on the corner at 13 Exeter Place DE1 2EU, is 'Regency style' The Exeter Arms (website), built in 1816. The pub is owned by Marston's (website), but managed by Dancing Duck Brewery (website), consequently, Marston's Pedigree (4.5%), and Dancing Duck ales are always available; recently, for example, Dancing Duck 22 Best Bitter (4.3%) and Dark Drake Oatmeal Stout (4.5%). Plus guest ales, with up to 6 cask ales in all; I enjoyed the excellent Thornbridge (website) Jaipur India Pale Ale (5.9%), brewed with plenty of Chinook, Centennial, Ahtanum, Simcoe, Columbus and Cascade hops, and which I have written about many times before, supplied in many forms, for example this blog a couple of years ago, 'tis pretty damn good! 

I may be a wee bit wrong about the management, whatever, this is their 'sister' pub...

Yes, apparently they're 'sister' pubs, and I realise that Marston's has changed the way it works, whatever, go down Exeter Place and cross Exeter Bridge to the close to roundabout, turn right up Full Street, and near the top, as it bends to the left, dead opposite is The Old Silk Mill, 19 Full Street DE1 3AF (website). The original nearby Victorian pub was knocked down in 1924, and the half timber framed replacement opened in 1928. They sell 1 regularly changing guest ale (sorry, I didn't take note) 2 regular Dancing Duck ales, Bass, but I headed straight for their regular Oakham Citra! Why did I ignore the rest? Well, we've had a wee bit of a problem with some Citra recently, (theory: one badly 'fined' gyle/batch), so I wanted to see how it was, and, quite frankly, it was excellent, thankful or what! Again, I've written about Oakham (website) Citra (4,2%) many times before too, eg blog, a fine example of a single hopped ale indeed!

Turn right out of the pub, then turn first right and head up Queen Street, turning left at the top, and just along on the left is circa 200 years old The Flowerpot, on the corner with Chapel Street, at 19-25 King Street DE1 3DZ (website). 7 cask ales available, most pretty regular it seems, including the 3.7% light session ale Lenton Lane (website) Pale Moonlight; a very good 4.5% bitter Whim Ales (website) Hartington IPA; the 4.6% golden bitter from Oakham Ales (website) Bishops Farewell, and also from Oakham they have had recently as guests Scarlet Macaw, a 4.4% APA, Celeste, a 4.0% session pale ale, and Reaper's Wish, a 4.5% dark ale; also, presumably guests, Whim Flower Power, a 5.3% blonde and Bass! A fine variety of good ales.

To get to the Furnace Inn, 9 Duke Street DE1 3BX, I found the easiest way was to slightly backtrack on myself, back down Queen Street, then turn first left down St Michael's Lane, then left into Sowter Road, which takes you down to Duke Street, which you turn left at,  and along to the brewpub. The Furnace Inn brewery used to be the home of Shiny Brewing, their 'sister' company (website), which now brews not too far away at Little Eaton, but I hadn't the time to visit on my last trip to Derby, maybe next time... The Furnace Inn and brewery does not appear to have a website, but can be found on Instagram, which I do not use. 😒

They have 8 cask ales on offer, plus 3 ciders/perries, in a quite unassuming environment, including beers from Shiny Brewing, whose ales I first sampled over 7 years ago (blog), and quite a few very decent ales too! However, with limited time in which to partake in many ales and pubs (the Furnace Inn was my second pub, on the day), I had to sample one of their own, which was Fun Sponge, a 4.4% pale bitter. Brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops meant that I would appreciate this fruity, but subtle, pale golden bitter, which had a nice dry finish, not a bad pint. My only quibble was it was slightly cloudy (vegan friendly), which regular readers will appreciate, I don't appreciate, whatever, drinking at the Furnace Inn was a valuable part of my day trip.

Oh! And not to forget that, after 4 years, the Derby Heritage Beer Festival returns this year, 13-16 November 2024 (Derby CAMRA). Obviously that will see a glut of ales, quite frankly though, every day of the year is a 'beer festival' in Derby, cheers!

October Whiskey of the Month

My October 'Whiskey of the Month' is Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition (40% - website). This is triple distilled, like most Irish whiskeys, blended, then matured in old whiskey barrels that have since been used to age stout brewed by Franciscan Well Brewery of Cork (website).

Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is another pretty decent whiskey, and not expensive at all. Warm and slightly sweet, with subtle tastes of butterscotch, marzipan and coffee, and definitely chocolate in the finish; presumably these flavours very direct results of the stout seasoned barrels used in the ageing process. Smooth and leaving a warm glow as it goes down, slainte! 👍