Happy St. Bernard's Day!

Indeed, Happy St Bernard's Day! Two regulars of mine to celebrate, first the darker English Trappist Ale brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), Tynt Meadow (7.4%). Dark ruby red/mahogany colour with a big fruity aroma and flavour. Not the citrus fruits I normally enjoy, but rich darker fruits, with a touch of chocolate and malt/toffee in the taste, plenty of body and smooth, and slightly sweet, Tynt Meadow is bottled conditioned, consequently having a long shelf life, so store in a cool place, drink quite chilled, and pour out carefully, unless you enjoy the addition of yeast particles from the lees. 😁

Second, and which I have written about reasonably often (eg blog), is from Brouwerij St Bernadus (website), their St Bernadus ABT 12 (10.0%), also bottle conditioned. Strictly, not a Trappist ale, but you wouldn't know it, as they had earlier brewed Trappist ales for the Trappist monks at Westvleteren from 1946 to 1992. In 1998 Hans Depypere bought the business and it has flourished since. The St Bernadus ABT 12 is a very deep dark coloured red Quadrupel, brewed with hops grown in their own hop field. This has a slightly malty/fruity aroma, again, a bit sweet, but with a dry slightly bitter finish. Tasting of dark plum and damson fruits, indeed, a Christmas Pudding of a beer, as many Quadrupels tend to be, very rich and tasty, nice one! 😋

But who was St Bernard? Bernard of Clairvaux was a 12th century monk, then Abbot, who was a principle actor in the foundation of the Knights Templar, and in the creation of the Cistercian Order that broke away from the Benedictines. Indeed, the Cistercians are also called Bernardines, after Bernard of Clairvaux, or White Monks, as they dropped the black cowl warn by Benedictines. Unsurprisingly, St Bernard is patron saint of the Cistercians and Knights Templar, and also patron saint of bees, beekeepers, and candle makers/chandlers. Knowledge! 👍

So, to celebrate, maybe raise a glass of Tynt Meadow or St Bernadus, cheers! 🍺

Portsmouth's 2 Oldest Pubs?

We only visited 2 pubs when I recently visited Portsmouth as I was a wee bit limited by my company, so unsurprisingly, I chose the 2 that claim to be the oldest pubs in 'Old Portsmouth.' The best on the day was The Dolphin Pub, 41 High Street PO1 2LU (website), opposite the Cathedral, and one of the few buildings in the High Street to have survived bombing during World War II (the town hall next door was flattened!). Apparently built in and certainly licensed from 1716, this Grade II Listed public house has beams made from repurposed wood of ships, and stone flags on the floor. So yes, a very old construction, but in recent times opened out, and more modern decoration, which gives it a kind of 'postmodern' feel inside.

We ate here, which was fine (it was the second of these pubs we visited), and we drank a few pints of Fuller's London Pride (4.1%), which was in reasonable form, indeed, Pride does need to be sold quickly as it doesn't last too long in opened casks (cellar experience there folks!). Brewed with English hops Target (hopslist), Northdown (hopslist), Challenger (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist), it is a slightly malty and bitter traditional session bitter. CAMRA (website) describe it thus: "Aromas of malt and citrus. The malty sweetness is balanced by spicy bitter hops with orange, apricot, sultanas and toffee." They can have up to 4 ales on, and they did have one other, but I didn't take a note of it as it wasn't something interesting, sorry folks. 😔

We had first visited, a short walk away, The Wellington, 62 High Street PO1 2LY (website), which also claims to be the oldest pub in Portsmouth, built in 1710, but with the frontage reconstructed during the 20th century. The interior had no historical feel about it, but the structure is pretty much as it was built over 300 years ago!

There can be up to 2 ales here, but on the day only 1 was available, St Austell Tribute, a 4.2% pale slightly bitter ale (website), brewed with Fuggle (hopslist), Celeia (hopslist), and Willamette (hopslist) hops; by the by, Willamette is a hop I used to be very familiar brewing with in my days working at the old Kelham Island Brewery. Tribute was first brewed after the solar eclipse of 1999 and was then called 'Daylight Robbery' and has since been renamed. Because of the English and U.S. hop mix, it's not a 'traditional' English bitter as such, but a slightly darker version of many modern pale ales, gentle citrus, and usually very easy to drink. Not on this day sadly, as it was knackered, hence our only staying for the 1 pint each, oh well! 👎

If you go to Portsmouth, there are many other pubs too, good luck and cheers! ✌

Eel & Bear, Hastings, Update!

I first wrote about the Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street TN34 1SJ (01424 602055 - website), soon after it opened 8 years ago (blog). Very recently there were fears it would be no more as Nick and Mary had decided not to renew their lease with the landlord. However, it has now been taken over by Claire, who is new to this business, but who has been a successful businesswoman in another field, with only 2 days closed to the public in-between! So, best wishes and good luck to Nick, Mary and family for their future, and a warm welcome to Claire, with support from her partner Jason, WELCOME! 👍

I've visited a few times already and can say that you will continue to receive a warm welcome there, and not much has changed yet regarding beers, ciders and wines available, although no doubt there will be subtle changes to come. What have altered sightly are opening times, to begin with the Eel & Bear will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; Wednesday-Thursday open 12-6pm; Friday-Saturday open 12-9pm; Sunday open 12-6pm. 😁

Oh yes, and after pressure from John, they will be selling potato crisps, cheers Claire! 😉

St Leonards With New Pub For Me - Hastings

I didn't actually walk these pubs in this order, but this is more of an order to walk, I'll explain as I go on. 😉 My mate Paul and I decided to have a short pub crawl around St Leonards as his wife was away for the day visiting her daughter and grandchildren, we visited 3 of these pubs, one twice, as one was closed that day. So, here I am starting off with the Grade II Listed, very nearly 200 years old, Horse & Groom, 4 Mercatoria TN38 0EB (facebook), with 4 handpumps, the one regular ale being the virtually ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best (website).

I drank 2 ales from the reasonably local (East Sussex), and certainly improving, Lakedown Brewing Co (website). First, their 4.5% English IPA Eddy, a light amber colour, brewed with English hops, although not divulged which hops are used. Not quite as dark or as bitter as a traditional IPA, but easy to drink, and I had a tasty cheese and red onion bap/sandwich too.

Then I went for a more interesting 4.8% American Stout Marquee, apparently brewed with Centennial (hopslist) and Golding (hopslist) hops. I'll write what I noted at the time first, "Pretty damn good, a wee bit fruity, hint of coffee in the taste with a dry finish" and less chocolate than I expected. The citrus fruitiness coming, presumably, from the Centennial hops, and the darker fruit flavours from the malt and Goldings. A 'light' stout and I liked it! 😁

Come out of the pub, walk down Norman Road a short distance and turn left and the next port of call is slightly newer (1830s) The Nags Head, 8-9 Gensing Road TN38 0ER (facebook) with 3-5 ales available, again including Harvey's Sussex Best as a regular I believe, where we drank the ale in the photograph below! Oh yes, and apparently Robert Croker, aka Robert Noonan, aka Robert Tressell who wrote The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (Guardian), used to drink here when he lived nearby in London Road in the early 20th century. ✊

So we went for this ale from the East Anglian brewery Adnams (website), their Citrus Pale Ale Ghost Ship (4.5%). This is a pale sharp refreshing ale, brewed with Citra hops (hopslist), consequently, as you would expect, it has a subtle citrus flavour and a nice refreshing dry bitter finish, and, as I've said before, in my opinion Adnams best ale. 👍

Come out and return to Norman Road and turn left, carry on down and cross London Road, then turn left up Western Road just before you reach Warrior Square Gardens. Up on the left is the pub we missed out on (just me visiting a few days ago this time), because it isn't open on Mondays and Tuesdays, when it can be booked by local charities and community groups. The Prince of Wales, 15 Western Road TN37 6DG (website) is a similar age building to the others, but was a bakers before becoming a beer shop called the Coachmaker's Arms in the early 1850s (bsls) then being licensed as The Prince of Wales from 1855. 

If you've used my link to the pub's website page you'll realise that it was re-opened earlier this year, after being closed for 2 years, by the Hastings Project (website), a "community interest company which brews beer to raise money for local charitable and community projects." Hastings Project was set up by Ed (who I met and had an interesting chat with) and Robbie, who have been brewing as a 'cuckoo brewery' here and there. Tending the bar was a welcoming young woman called Adrien who patiently answered my numerous questions, and who has experience working with the public, but has only worked in licensed premises the last few months, cheers!

Here, I drank a couple of pints of Scottish brewery Fyne Ales (website) Jarl (3.8%), indeed Fyne Ales are one of the breweries whose ales I am never disappointed with, and on my older blog 12 years ago, I placed Jarl as my 'champion' session  bitter (blog). If you don't want to look back at it, here is how I describe it: "a crackin' dry, pale golden and hoppy ale, with plenty of citrus flavours, nice and bitter, and very refreshing" and brewed with Citra hops, nowt's changed!

The pub also has a good selection of bottled beers, including Belgian beers, and a number of crafty keg brews of their own, well worth the visit. 👍

The first and last place we visited was The Royal, 1 St John's Road TN37 6HP (website), which can be reached by coming out of the Prince of Wales and turning left to head up Western Road, and it's on the left on the corner at the top, opposite St Leonards Warrior Square railway station, so if you come by train, you can start here! 😉 When first built and licensed in 1876 this was called the Railway Hotel, then Campbell's Hotel (the name of the licensee), changing its name to the Royal Hotel after it was taken over by George Veness in 1884, closing briefly in 2019 it reopened later that year as The Royal.

They had 2 cask ales, Courage Directors Directors Bitter (4.8%), which I believe is brewed at the Eagle Brewery in Bedford, but not so sure since Marston's was taken over/merged (CAMRA), and yes, the ubiquitous, at least hereabouts, Sussex brewery Harvey's (website) 4.0% Sussex Best Bitter! Harvey's do not divulge which hops are used, but they claim it is a "blend of four local hops" 😒 and I always say, they could do better by using more hops! Very easy to drink when you want a refreshing pint after a long walk, slightly malty, hardly bitter, needs more hops, cheers!

 

Belgium National Day 2026 - That Evening's Beers!

Knowing they would have a decent number of Belgian beers available, even if a wee bit expensive, on Belgium's National Day this year I visited The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (blog), and I was correct on both counts! As ever though, pleasant company enjoyed, and with John behind the bar a warm welcome guaranteed. 👍

I started with Orval, a trappist ale brewed in the Brasserie d'Orval at the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval (website). The brewery was founded in 1931 whilst the abbey was being rebuilt. Lay persons carry out work in the brewery. Orval is a 6.2% ale, ostensibly, as there are more than one fermentation processes in it's development, including being bottle conditioned, and no bottled beer is exactly the same! And unique among Belgian beers, it is dry-hopped, thanks to the early influence of a brewer who had worked in England. Indeed, the hops used are Kent Styrian Golding (hopslist) and German Hallertau-Hersbruck (hopslist).

Orval is a golden beer with an orange hue, indeed, including yeast from the bottom of the bottle can make the beer a wee bit cloudy, or very cloudy for those who like to include all the yeast. The beer is dry and slightly tart with a bitter finish, and has a subtle spicy/fruity aroma. My taste has definitely changed since I first drank Orval when I used to regularly visit my brother in Brussels 20-30 years ago, and at the time this was my immediate 'panic buy' when I entered a bar, I was always overawed by the numerous beers on the beer menus. 😕 Strangely, I wasn't particularly fond of Orval at the time, but drinking it again, I really enjoy it! 😁

Second up, a draught beer from Westmalle, brewed at the Brouwerij der Trappisten van Westmalle (brewing since 1836 - website), whose ales are up there amongst the best beers of Belgium. Although the monks no longer brew the beers themselves, they remain in overall charge, ensuring tradition is upkept, and pure ingredients used, including their own water, 100% barley malt, hops, and yeast from their own culture. Westmalle Duo, a 7.2% Blonde beer, is brewed with 6 European hop varieties, and consequently is hoppier than many other Belgian blondes, quite refreshing following a smooth fruity start, with a slightly bitter finish, nice! 👍

Third, from Brouwerij St Bernadus (website), the St Bernadus ABT 12 (10.0%), situated in Watou in Flanders, with a complicated more modern history. You could be forgiven for thinking this is a Trappist beer, but you would be wrong! They started brewing Trappist ales, under different ownership, for the Trappist monks at Westvleteren in 1946, but in 1992 the International Trappist Association (website) set up with agreed rules including that to be authenticated, Trappist ales had to be brewed in a Trappist monastery and either brewed by, or brewing supervised by, monks. For 6 years they had trouble keeping the brewery going.

Then, in 1998 Hans Depypere bought the business, and it has flourished since, with a new brewing hall added in 2014 (history). The St Bernadus ABT 12 is a very deep dark coloured red Quadrupel, brewed with Hallertau Magnum hops (hopslist) for bitterness, and Goldings for aroma (hopslist); all hops used are grown in their own hop field. With a slightly malty/fruity aroma, it's a bit sweet, but has a dry slightly bitter finish. Tasting of dark plum and damson fruits, a Christmas Pudding of a beer as many Quadrupels tend to be, very rich and tasty! 😋

Finally, and I was starting to feel the effects, 😉 the Trappistes Rochefort 10 (website), with records written that brewing starting at the now nearly 800 years old monastery by 1595, the monks previously worked farming and mining only. During the revolutionary period from 1789, the monks fled from French troops, and didn't return until 1889. Looting and destruction of their original church meant they built a new church and brewery and, as farming failed to meet the monastery's financial needs, they supplemented their income by selling their beers. By 1952 professional brewing became their main source of income, and a new brewery was built in 1960.

Since 2020 brewing has been at a brand new 'state of the art' brewhouse, from which comes the Rochefort 10 I drank on Tuesday, a Quadrupel, 11.3% in strength, with the '10' coming from an older Belgian measurement of wort density. A deep reddish brown in colour, another bottle conditioned beer, with a spicy, fruity and slightly smoky, aroma. Excuse the large head, it wouldn't settle until I'd imbibed some. It's pretty much full of dark spicy fruits in the taste, a little chocolate too, my notes on the day say "Black Forest Gateau in a glass" and quite right too, plenty of body, rich and luxurious, gorgeous, cheers m'dears! 😁

Sheffield Visit - Part 2

Further to my first blog about my latest trip to Sheffield, full of microbreweries, genuine freehouses and micropubs, here's details of other pubs I visited and ales I drank. 😁 Again my abode for this visit was The Crow Inn, 33 Scotland Street S3 7BS (website), which reopened 7 years ago after a few years closure, and has 7 en suite bedrooms. It sells quite a few interesting ales (I drank the 2 below) and crafty keg beers and interesting bar snacks. It opens Mon-Wednesday 3pm to 12 midnight; Thurs-Saturday 12 noon to 1am; Sunday 12 noon to 11pm.

At The Crow Inn my first ale was the 3.8% Titan Pale Ale from dependable carbon-neutral Bristol brewery Left Handed Giant (website). Brewed with Citra (hopslist), Nelson Sauvin (hopslist) and Centennial (hopslist) hops, producing a pale golden ale with citrus in the aroma and hints of orange, grapefruit and grapes in the subtle fruit flavours, light with a dry bitter finish, nice one.

Also, from across the Pennines in Macclesfield, Cheshire, and Red Willow Brewery (website) was their 4.6% Heartless, a Chocolate Stout brewed with chocolate malt, and Columbian cacao added. I cannot find out the hops used, but no doubt they will be typical citrus type hops from the USA like Citra, to balance the darker flavours. As you would expect, mostly dark chocolate in the taste with a hint of coffee, and a bitter finish, a quite luxurious stout indeed. 👍

Closer to the city centre is the Bath Hotel, 66-68 Victoria St, Sheffield S3 7QL (facebook), another excellent pub in Sheffield, where I've had many good times over the years. With Brian (seen in the photograph below) back running the pub following leasing it to Thornbridge Brewery, it's like being home, as his warm welcome always makes you feel at home! And here I met up with Peter the Brewer (Blue Bee); we had arranged to meet, so not a coincidence. 👍

At the Bath Hotel, we both started off with North Yorkshire brewery Pennine Brewing Co (website) Amber Necker, unsurprisingly a 3.8% amber session ale. I immediately thought English hops, as it tasted like a traditional Bitter, slightly nutty, but no, apparently hops from the USA are used as well as English hops! Sadly, I cannot discover which hops are used, and I'm not going to guess for a change, because nothing particularly stood out. Not a bad beer, indeed tasting like a traditional English Bitter, pretty decent and easy to drink. But...

There's a story behind local brewery Abbeydale (website) and their associated pub the Rising Sun (website), which were given by founders Pat and Sue Morton in 2024, to keep their independent legacy, to the 50-odd staff members. 👍 The business is now 100% employee-owned, decent bosses or what?!? I first drank in the Rising Sun many years before Abbeydale started leasing it, indeed, it was the pub I drank in the evening of my interview at the University of Sheffield back in 1994, and Abbeydale Brewery started up not long afterwards in 1996.

I've enjoyed this ale many times before, the 4.1% Abbeydale Deception! This 'New Zealand Pale Ale' is primarily hopped with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops (hopslist), but Amarillo (hopslist), Chinook (hopslist), Galaxy (hopslist) and Columbus (hopslist), U.S. hops, are added too, all hops that make my taste buds tingle. 😉 An excellent pale ale, with citrus, grape and gooseberry in the flavour, refreshing, with a dry bitter finish, still as good as ever, cheers! 😁 

Close to Kelham Island, I met up with Jeff and Lindsay at Shakespeare's (facebook), 146-148 Gibraltar Street S3 8UB, which, as you can see from the exterior, used to be a Ward's pub until 1999, when I lived nearby. This Georgian pub was closed for 18 months from early 2010 after 10 years with Punch Taverns (indeed, Jeff, Lindsay and I had helped finish off their array of rums back then!). Since then it's been refurbished, reopening in July 2011 free of tie, and winning CAMRA awards; it's the Sheffield CAMRA July Pub of the Month. They sell up to 9 real ales, many from local brewers, over 50 bottled beers, and a fair few crafty keg beers.

Here I drank, from Newcastle based Full Circle Brew Co (website), their single hopped Waves of Citra (3.4%), obviously brewed with Citra hops (hopslist). 😉 As ever, this hop produces orange and lemon flavours, though predominantly grapefruit, but with hints of tropical fruits too, pale colour, and with a dry bitter finish, it would be very easy to knock back a few of these!

I visited The Wellington, 1 Henry Street S3 7EQ (facebook), at nearby Shalesmoor, two times. The Welly has its own local microbrewery Neepsend Brew Co (website). The first visit was drinking with Peter the Brewer, and then with Jeff and Lindsay, hence why there's a few ales in the photographs below, plus I met up with Richard the Brewer the second visit!

Yes, all these ales are from James' (who worked at Kelham Island Brewery long before I did, and who has run pubs in Sheffield since) Neepsend Brew Co, first Vulcan, a 3.9% Bitter, traditional and brewed with English hops Challenger (hopslist) and East Kent Golding (hopslist). Yes, pretty much does what it says on the tin, a traditional English Bitter, amber colour, slight malt flavour with hints of citrus, and a dry bitter finish, decent indeed.

Next Numakulla, a 4.5% Pacific Pale Ale brewed with New Zealand hops Nectaron (Charles Faram) and Superdelic (Charles Faram), and Australian hops Enigma (John I Haas) and Vic Secret (hopslist). As you can imagine, a much more complex taste, with citrus and tropical fruit flavours in this pale bitter, more tropical dominated, but I even got strawberry in there! Smooth, too easy to drink, with a dry gently bitter finish, very good.

On the second visit I started off with the 3.9% New England Session Pale Aurora, brewed with Galaxy (hopslist), Amarillo (hopslist) and Strata (Indie Hops) hops. Unsurprisingly, with those hops, citrus dominates the aroma and taste, and particularly grapefruit in the taste, very pale, dry and with a bitter finish, refreshing and so easy to knock back! 😁

My final drink, for this visit to the Welly, was Neepsend Proteus, a 5.9% U.S. style IPA brewed with Ekuanot (Yakima Chief), El Dorado (hopslist) and Simcoe (hopslist) hops. You won't be surprised to read this was packed full of flavour, gentle malt background with punchy darker fruits as well as citrus and tropical fruits, I got damson and plum in there too, but pale, with a dry bitter finish, and quality to finish off with, cheers m'dears! 🍺

Happy Belgian National Day!

Happy National Day BELGIUM! I shall have to drink a few Belgian beers later, cheers! 😁

I have written a blog since detailing the Belgian beers I drank in the evening. 👍