Happy Hoppy New Beer!

Happy Hoppy New Year!

Hoppy Christmas!

Wishing you a Hoppy Christmas, and Peace on Earth and Goodwill to All, obviously!

Back to Rye!

I returned to Rye yesterday and re-visited the Rye Waterworks, my first 'micro' pub (older blog giving history etc). Why did I return so soon, following our walk there from Hastings last week (Steve on Hastings blog)? Frankly, we'd walked for 4 hours to get here last week, nearly missing the rain, at a fair old pace too, and couldn't get into the Waterworks because it was packed, so I had to return at the first opportunity, just to wish them a Merry Christmas and have a few beers, of course...

The photograph above is from last week, before the rain came, and as we 'marched' alongside the Royal Military Canal from Pett Level, but yesterday, certainly lazier as I caught the train to Rye and back. Anyway, I reached the Rye Waterworks this time just before it opened, so I was the first customer, hurray! Sadly, I didn't see David, the proprietor, this time, but did see his wife Ulla and excellent son Eddie, as he opened up the bar a wee bit early, not for me, but for a tradesman; never mind, I was still happy. 😉

Anyway, to the beers (above, all at £3.70 a pint) and ciders, which I didn't try any of; and the gap above left was filled by Hastings brewed FILO Cardinal (4.6%), a fine dark ale that the brewer calls Sussex Porter, though a wee debate with fellow customer Paul found we didn't agree it is a porter, so I shall be writing a blog very soon about porters, stouts and other dark ales. 

So what did I drink? I drank 3 of the paler ales, including Battle Brewery (website) One Hop Wonder (4%), brewed using just Chinook hops; a golden bitter, less citrus aroma and flavour than I thought it would have, but a very easy ale to drink. Then I tried the stronger Romney Marsh Brewery (website) American Pale (5%), brewed using a variety of different American hops, so every brew is subtly different; a more fruity pale golden ale, a bit sweeter and with more body, as you'd expect...

But my favourite ale of the day was the Old Dairy Brewery (website) Uber Brew (3.8%), brewed with 3 hops, Chinook again, Citra and Equinox, and I started with a pint and finished with another pint of this; a fair amount of body for such a session ale, and much more citrus in the taste, pale and golden, with a nice dry bitter finish, pretty damn good, cheers!

Oh yes, and a friend I hadn't seen for quite a while, Harrison, caught the same train as me coming home, good discourse made for a good journey, cheers again!

Excellent Beers Conditioned in the Bottle.

I was stimulated to write this blog after reading Roger Protz's column in the most recent copy of What's Brewing, December 2018, the newspaper of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), and a letter in the same issue written by Peter Murray. Roger writes about 2 legendary Bottle-conditioned ales, including Fuller's Vintage Ale (8.5%), which I just so happened to have sampled their 1998 Vintage a few years ago, a bottle of which had been left behind by a previous owner of the Dolphin Inn, Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW (2018 South East Sussex CAMRA Community Pub of the Year - blog). Mark, the landlord for the last 14 years, agreed we should sample this after me hounding him for ages that he should take it home before someone else decided to remove it from the premises, thus negating his chance to sample it...

The Vintage Ale is brewed using different malts and hops each year; in 1998 Alexis Pale and Crystal malts were used, and hops used were Challenger, Denall, Fuggles, Goldings, Northdown, Organic First Gold and Target. Mark allowed me the honour of opening the bottle, thank you very much, and pouring the deep reddish-amber nectar that it contained, very carefully of course, to avoid disturbing the lees at the bottom, and it came out in perfect condition, beautifully clear and with a perfect head! So what was it like after 17 years in the bottle? Here's what I wrote in my notes: "Rich, slight malty aroma... Creamy, fruity (notably damson with a hint of orange), slightly sweet but dries out in the finish... Gorgeous!" I do need to start buying a bottle or two every year...

The second bottle-conditioned ale Roger talks about in his column is Thomas Hardy's Ale, originally brewed by Eldridge Pope (no longer exists, sadly) at 11.7% in 1968 to celebrate the life of the author, 40 years after his death. Following the demise of Eldridge Pope at the beginning of the millennium, there have been years without and years where this has been brewed elsewhere, but the brand is now owned by brothers Sandro and Michele Vecciato, who have it brewed at Meantime Brewing in London at 13%. I saw the bottle in the photograph in the Jolly Fisherman in Hastings, East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (blog). Sadly, they won't let me share it, neither will another friend, Rod, who has told me he has bottles from May 1978 and 1986...

Oh well, I am jealous of the others and, as I haven't tasted any since the 1980s, my ability to describe it has diminished considerably, I just remember liking it immensely... So, Mr Protz, what do you think? Roger reports that Maris Otter malted barley and Crystal malts are used, with Fuggles and Goldings hops, and the beer isn't released until just over a year after it was brewed, allowing for maturation, including 9 months in the bottle. This year is the 50th anniversary of the first brew, and he describes "figs, dates, fresh tobacco (worrying!) and chocolate on the aroma and palate, backed by peppery and spicy hops." There you are...

The beer that Peter Murray mentions is Worthington's White Shield (5.6%), originally developed from Worthington's early 19th century East India Pale Ale, and which has moved around in more recent years, now brewed at Coors brewery in Burton, was Bass etc etc. Another I haven't been drinking recently, and I notice many online reviews aren't too favourable, but I always remember enjoying drinking White Shield, so here goes a couple of anecdotes...

First, after recently moving to Tavistock in 1992, I entered the Tavistock Inn, 19 Brook Street PL19 0HD, and saw that they had White Shield behind the bar, but the landlord said it was past date, so we came to an agreement that I'd finish off nearly a crate of White Shield for £1 a bottle, we were both happy with the arrangement, I was sad when they ran out! The second anecdote includes my attending the Great British Beer Festival in 2011 having been at a football match previously, and they had virtually run out of beer... There were still beers here and there, of course, but I found that they had cask-conditioned White Shield, gravity fed, served straight from a tap in the cask, and it seemed pretty gorgeous to me, it was all I drank!

Finally, for this blog, I do need to mention my favourite Belgian beer, bottle conditioned too, like many Belgian beers, the 'Trappist' Westmalle Tripel (9.5% - website); and not to forget the recently available British 'Trappist' ale brewed in Leicestershire, the also excellent bottle-conditioned, though very different, Tynt Meadow (7.4% - blog). Oh yes, the Westmalle Tripel, is a golden beer, subtly fruity, quite dry and bitter finish, quite frankly, excellent! There are a number of bars in Brussels where I would always drink this, the waiting staff in the magnificent Le Cirio in Brussels, by la Bourse, always taking care not to disturb the sediment, but leaving the bottle for people to add the sediment if they so wished. Indeed, the owner of the bar closest to where my brother used to live always called me "Monsieur Westmalle", sadly no longer open...

Cheers for letting me reminisce!

Fiddles, Waste and Duty: Full Pint or Not?!?

I have written about this subject before, consequently my apologies if this all sounds old hat, but trying to explain my thoughts to a friend recently found him unable to listen without continuously interrupting, so this is specifically for him, if he really wants to know my opinion...

Too much froth!

Trading standards officers have regularly found that publicans take advantage of guidelines that pints of beer can be served containing only 95 per cent liquid, thus allowing for a 'head' on the beer. The Weights and Measures Act 1985, however, stipulated that a pint of beer should be a pint, not 19 fluid ounces, nor 17 or 18 fluid ounces, but a full pint, aka 20 fluid ounces. Indeed, in the 1970s up to 50% of real ale was served from metered electric beer pumps into over-size glasses, meaning there was no wastage and a full pint was delivered every time. If you have never seen or heard of this, it was more regular in the Midlands and further North, notably in pubs owned by the following breweries: Banks, Greenalls, Boddingtons, Hydes, Robinsons, Wards, Stones, and Gales down South. 

Too much waste!

Frustratingly, a 1982 court ruling stipulated that a head of froth was "an integral part" of a pint, and that it was fair to serve beer provided the head was "not excessive or unreasonable." At the beginning of the millennium, in 2000, the Government announced that pubs that sold pints of less than 95 per cent liquid could be prosecuted, facing fines of up to £1,000, and landlords were given two years to stock up on over-size glasses, but this was never enforced, and you often still see beer wasted as it pours over the top of brim measure glasses into drip trays. Brewers and publicans, consequently, have been allowed to make the customer pay for wasted beer, and/or make extra profit that isn't taxed, for example, by selling more than 72 pints of ale from a 9 gallon firkin/cask, not an uncommon request to local pub managers by their pubco area managers, asking for up to 80 pints of beer sold from a 72 pint firkin. Consequently, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs lose out on tax revenue too, meaning that we all pay more tax!

Brings a Tear to the Eye!

So why do I believe this is so important? Well, apart from the customer, ie you and me, and HMRC for that matter, being fleeced, a sad fact is that draught beer in licensed premises is the only produce in the country which is allowed to be sold less than is advertised. Imagine the uproar if retailers were allowed to sell any other produce short, eg 18 fags in a pack of 20, 450mls of milk in a pint bottle, put 18 litres of petrol into your car and get charged for 20 litres, 300g of tomatoes in a tin of 400g etc etc... Indeed, selling pints that are not 100% liquid enables brewers and pubs to boost profits by effectively selling air, especially in the North where a 'big head' is actively encouraged by using tight 'sparklers' and, again frustratingly, this practice is even arriving down South these days, frothy beer rules, it seems! And we, the consumer/customer/taxpayer continue to be laughed at by breweries and pubcos as they continue to fleece us... 😕 

I originally wrote this blog regarding finding lined oversized glasses in Hastings, so go to the Steve on Hastings blog if you'd like to know which pubs in Hastings use them!

Novemberfest at Bexhill on Sea's Albatross Club

From today, the RAFA Albatross Club at 15 Marina Arcade, Bexhill TN40 1JS, is holding its Novemberfest! There will be live music each day, food available, and, of course, 10 extra ales served straight from casks downstairs, in addition to the 5 poured by handpump on the bar at ground level. Opening hours are 11.00 to 23.00 today (Friday 23rd) and tomorrow, and 12.00 to 17.00 on Sunday (25th), and you don't have to be a RAFA member or CAMRA member to visit this weekend, all sensible drinkers are welcome, cheers!

The Albatross Club (RAFA)

Festival ales come from up and down the country and include Gunpowder Mild (3.8%) from Coach House Brewery in Cumbria (website); Blackthorn Sloe Porter (5.0%) from North Yorkshire Settle Brewery (website); Saltaire Blonde (4.0%) from the excellent Saltaire Brewery in West Yorkshire (website); the ever excellent Titanic Plum Porter Grand Reserve (6.5%) from Titanic Brewery in the Potteries (website); Pop Up IPA (5.0%) from The Cronx Brewery in Croydon (website); Gadds Dogbolter Porter (5.6%) from Ramsgate Brewery in Kent (website); plus 4 more pale, golden and copper coloured bitters from Rudgate Brewery (website), Acorn Brewery (website), Potbelly Brewery (website), and Westerham Brewery (website)!

Another Hastings Micropub - Twelve Hundred Postcards

Hastings newest micropub very recently opened at 80 Queens Road TN34 1RL (opposite Morrisons petrol station), so I had to visit, obviously...

... and very happy I was too when I got there (above), well I was already quite happy, but pleased with how Twelve Hundred Postcards is shaping (the story behind the name is described in great detail on their website, so I suggest you have a look there if you want to know more), and I got to meet up with a couple of friends there I hadn't seen for quite some time too, nice one! 

On entering I was impressed with the bright decor, and how far back the bar room goes, consequently providing plenty of seating (I calculate room for 30-40 seated, and plenty of room for standing), as you can see from the photograph above.

The man in charge using modern technology to aid his efficiency, and the cooled beer storage area behind him, pretty much an enormous fridge that you can see into.

To the 4 cask conditioned ales available (above, what was available yesterday evening 3rd November, but no regular ales, I believe, so these will regularly change as they run out, and I also believe there are ales to come very soon from quality local Sussex brewers Franklins - website - and from Burning Sky - website).

I have to admit the ales available yesterday (3rd November) included 2 of my longstanding favourites, from Peterborough brewers Oakham Ales (website), their excellent 4.2% Citra, a pale golden bitter brewed with the eponymous Citra hop, producing a gorgeous citrus aroma and grapefruit flavour, refreshing and gorgeous! Plus, from Derbyshire brewers Thornbridge (website), and also excellent, their 5.9% Jaipur, another ale with citrus aroma and flavour, but with much more body, not quite a supping ale, though quality indeed!

Looking back towards the front

So what else is available? In addition to the ales there are 3 ciders available and a crafty keg beer, plus numerous bottles and cans in a fridge behind me when I took this photograph, including some Belgian beers, 2 red and 2 white wines, and a variety of crisps to snack on. As I said above, Twelve Hundred Postcards is bright, clean and roomy, to which I can add, very friendly too, so well worth a visit, or many visits for that matter, cheers! Oh yes, opening times: 

Sunday, 12-4 pm

Monday, not open

Tuesday, 5-9 pm

Wed/Thursday, 12-2 and 5-9 pm
Fri/Saturday, 12-9.30 pm

London Beer Flood 1814...

I meant to write about the anniversary of the London Beer Flood that happened close by what is now the Dominion Theatre in London's West End, on the 17th of October 1814 (though some reports record this tragedy to have been on the 16th, the evidence to support the 17th looks to be stronger), but I forgot to, so... 

In those days, London drinkers were supplied by dozens of competing breweries, and competition saw some of the breweries build enormous vats in which to ferment and condition their ales. The enormous porter vat of the Maux & Company had a capacity of over a million pints! At about 6pm, on the 17th of October, 204 years ago, one of the steel restraining bands that enveloped the vat broke and released the contents!. Together with the million plus pints of porter released, other vessels in the brewery released more beer into the flood as well. The resulting deluge damaged the brewery and a nearby pub, the Tavistock Arms, and flooded the basements of nearby homes.   

Sadly, depending on which reports you read, between 7 and 9 people died as a direct result of the flood, most drowning in their own basements, and many more were seriously injured, including some of those who came to help rescue survivors. 

Some may joke "what a way to go" but I say R.I.P. to those who sadly died in their own homes... 

Congratulations to the Dolphin in Hastings!

So, congratulations to the Dolphin Inn (website), Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW, for winning the South East Sussex CAMRA Community Pub of the Year 2018!

 The Award

The Dolphin sells 6 different cask conditioned ales, 3 of which are regulars, ie Dark Star Hophead, Youngs Special and Harveys Sussex Best, so 2 local ales there. In addition, they always have 3 guest ales, with an emphasis on providing ales from local brewers.

Receiving the Award

Community pub? Certainly, the Dolphin is in the centre of the fishing quarter, opposite the Fish Market, and provides a service for the local community. You'll see fishermen, local tradespersons and artisans, retired and working, male and female, young and old! Regulars who need help get it, whether it's dropping off coal at their homes or providing food at home for those not so well, the landlord and a regular annually paint the Stacey Marie RX134 opposite (Hastings Fishermen's Museum outdoor exhibit), and various other locals help as well, including rebuilding and adding a fibreglass deck, as volunteers. And the catering side of the business is a firm champion of the local fishing industry and Hastings Fish (blog). 

Also, £thousands are raised every year for charity, including the local Winkle Club, RNLI Hastings Lifeboat, St Michael's Hospice, and, this year, making a specific campaign to raise money to support the grandchild of a local fisherman, Elsie- Rose, and for the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation (blog).

All in all, nice one Mark, Maureen, family & colleagues!

Amusing, Drink Responsibly!

OK, not exactly a blog, but this image is doing the rounds again on social media, I may have posted it before, a while ago, but it is amusing so no apologies from me, cheers!

Cask Ale Week 2018

Oops, I very nearly missed this! We're in the middle of Cask Ale Week (11 days) 2018, more information at their website. What does it mean to me? Frankly, business as usual...

Enjoy, cheers!

Sour Beers, well I do seem to like some of them!

There's been quite a bit written about 'sour' beers in the CAMRA press recently, an article in the August edition of What's Brewing discusses Belgian beers, reminding me of my visits to my brother over the 15 years he lived in Brussels, and our visits to Cantillon Brewery (website) in Anderlecht. Luc De Raedermaeker's article looks at the different styles in Belgium, and specific for this blog are the Lambics and Gueuzes, which are spontaneously fermented ales (with local wild yeasts) from around the Brussels area that he describes as complex, sour and acidic.

I was never a great lover of these sour beers beforehand, but our wandering around the brewery, and tasting beers in the brewery, changed my mind quite a bit. Indeed the Cantillon Vigneronne (6%) I found to be like a rather fine dry white wine, perfect with fish dishes or just supping as a refreshing ale. The Vigneronne is one of Cantillon's rarer ales (less than 5% of the brewery's total production), and is a blend of lambics aged 16-18 months old, with Italian Muscat grapes added. If you ever see it, and it comes in 750ml bottles, I'd recommend buying some!

Chorlton Mango Sour

In Britain now though, with the recent trendy move among many smaller brewers to brew crafty keg beers, they not only appear to have been influenced by the big hopped craft beers produced in the USA, but also by the Saisons, Lambics and Gueuzes brewed in Belgium. There's a very interesting article in CAMRA's Autumn 2018 Beer magazine, written by Adrian Tierney-Jones called 'Supping on a sour beer style' which explains the different ways of brewing 'sour' beers. These are either by adding lactobacillus (the bacteria found in yoghurt) to the wort in the kettle, or by using wild yeast and ageing in barrels after fermentation, just like the Belgian brewers. I've even seen brewers adding salt, though that shouldn't be great for drinkers with hypertension!

Anyway, now I have a craft beer shop around the corner, the Eel & Bear (blog) I have been sampling some of these sour beers brewed in Britain. The first that I appreciated was from Manchester brewer, Chorlton Brewing Company (website), and their Mango Sour (4.5%), brewed with pale malt, mango extract, and Bramling Cross hops, I believe. This was draught, and packed a big fruity mango aroma and flavour with a hint of biscuit from the malt. Slightly hazy with plenty of body and a dry tart finish, a bit like an alcoholic smoothie, and not bad at all!

Next I had a "Gooseberry Gose" (apparently Gose is a German sour beer style) from Huddersfield brewer, Magic Rock Brewing (website), their 4.1% Salty Kiss, which is brewed with lager malt as well as extra pale malt, Cascade hops, gooseberries, sea buckthorn, and, you've guessed, sea salt! I couldn't quite work out the aroma, I wrote "a bit strange & sea-like", the flavour was gooseberry fruity and salty, with a dry sour bitter finish, and it's oddly refreshing!

I've also enjoyed a bit more colourful sour beer from Aberdeen brewer, Fierce Beer (website) and their 4.5% Very Berry, a "Sour Berry Ale." These tend to include wheat malt in the mash, so wheat malt as well, plus Chinook hops. Cloudy, of course, with a deep red colour and a big fruity aroma and flavour, raspberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, and a dry tart finish, very nice!

I've left what I consider the best to last, a collaboration between Buxton Brewery (website) and Norwegian brewer Lervig Aktebryggeri (website), that is, Trolltunga! This 6.3% 'Gooseberry Sour IPA' is named after a jutting rock in Norway (guess the translation!), 700 metres over lake Ringedalsvatnet. Trolltunga is a pale golden colour and has a subtle aroma, tasty gooseberry in the flavour, and a nice sour bitter finish. Like the Cantillon Vigneronne mentioned above, I wrote "would go well with fish!" I certainly like it, and have gone back for more, more than once. The photograph below is the draught version, which looks cloudier than from the bottle, however, I did pour it carefully for the photograph above, and there was still lees in the bottom of the bottle.

Trolltunga

Whichever, draught or from the bottle, with little lees or very hazy, I enjoyed the Trolltunga very much, and I will carry on drinking it every now and then, no doubt, cheers!

Evolution of Hastings Micropub!

The Jolly Fisherman (facebook page) is at 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (tel: 01424 428811), and is now a micropub as well as a B&B. Opening hours (usual, but can be a little flexible) are Wednesday/Thursday 12 noon to 10pm; Friday/Saturday 12 noon to 11pm; Sunday 12 noon to 10.30pm; closed Mondays and Tuesdays (and for a one off, also closed just for this Wednesday 15th August 2018). Previously, it had been a cafe bar, as well as a B&B...

The current owners, Oliver and Becky, took over the premises a couple of years ago, converting it from a Pie & Mash shop/cafe/restaurant and B&B, into the Cafe Bar and B&B, and which is now a Micropub and B&B; and can be found on the Micropub Association micropub finder.

Foyles Pie N Mash

In its earlier life, The Jolly Fisherman was a public house for the 125 years from 1834, when James Mann became the first licencee there, until 1959, when the landlord was Brian Hone. Brian had held the licence from 1954, and Hastings Winkle Club (see fraternal blog) was based at The Jolly Fisherman between 1954 and 1959, with Brian as the Winkle Club Treasurer during those 5 years. Please note, I have found this information in David Russell's informative book The Pubs of Hastings & St Leonards 1800-2000 (2014, pub: Lynda Russell, pp171-174). It is great to see the building returned to an earlier use, more of below...

Walking into The Jolly Fisherman I was rewarded with a friendly greeting from Oliver, as I was bombarded with information above, in front, and to the side of me! First there is an impressive list of Belgian beers available here; memories of 15 years of regular visits to my brother when he lived in Brussels came to mind. Immediately above the bar (photograph below) are details of the 3 ciders/perries, 2 crafty keg beers, and 3 cask-conditioned ales (all local) on offer, though only 2 real ales were available this day because of the extra day closed this week.

Real ales available were Pig & Porter (website) Black Pale (4.2%) and Brighton Bier (website) Batting Practice - Three C's Pale (3.5%), a refreshing seasonal pale bitter, very easy to drink, and with tropical and citrus in the flavour, obviously the result of the 3 C's hops from the USA used late in the brewing process, and dry hopped too. Also, me loving ales from the not-so close brewery, I had to have a pint of the Tiny Rebel perry (website) Peariscope (4.8%), which did what it should, nice balance of bitter and sweet, and very nice too, thank you very much!

What of the B&B and food then? Well, there are 3 large bedrooms upstairs, one family room and two doubles, one of which can take a further camp bed if required, so a maximum of 9 people at a time, and there is just about enough room to seat them all for breakfast in the bar area. Food on offer is a Tapas style menu at lunch, and in the evening; as can be seen to your right as you enter The Jolly Fisherman (photograph above); a very interesting selection indeed!

Well, I shall be returning soon, cheers Oliver and Becky! 😉

Recent Excellent Paler Ales!

From the many very drinkable paler ales I have experenced recently, I have to start close to home with the ever-excellent Franklins Brewery of East Sussex (website) and their Citra IPA (5.5%). Very hard to beat, this gorgeous pale golden bitter, single hopped, ie Citra, has a big citrus fruity aroma, plenty of body, with a bitter orange, but mostly grapefruit, taste, dry and very bitter finish, I love it! But Franklins also brew other great paler bitters (and more!), including their 5-hopped session ale English Garden (3.8%), Resurrection Pale (4.4%) with Amarillo, Galaxy, Centennial and Citra hops, and North Shore IPA (5.5%) with its New Zealand hopped Rakau!

I'm getting thirsty just writing about them! 

Then, across into Kent and Angels & Demons (website) and their Goldilocks is Dead (5.3%), indeed, enjoyed yesterday! This isn't the only ale of their's I've been drinking recently, but it is a very good beer from them (I won't use the phrase in my notes!). You've got it by now, pale golden dry and very bitter, big citrus aroma and taste, notably grapefruit, what more could I ask for?!?

Up to Buckinghamshire and XT Brewing Company (website), who also brew limited edition ales as Animal Brewing Company, from which I recently loved this 'American Pale' ale, Alligator (4.6%). Brewed with Azacca hops, a very pale and very dry and bitter ale, with exotic fruit flavours, citrus, peach and mango, "lovely!!" I noted. 

I won't insult anyone's intelligence and say where North Yorkshire Brewery is based (facebook - their website is a work in progress it appears), and I deleted my photograph of the pumpclip, so thank you to Google and North Yorkshire for this image! Anyway, North Yorkshire White Lady (4.7%) is apparently brewed with lager malt and German hops (Huel Melon, which gives a melon and apricot aftertaste), effectively a real ale lager! Although it tastes pretty much like a pale bitter to me, indeed, it is very refreshing to drink, much enjoyed.

Whilst talking about great ales from Yorkshire, recently I also drank one brewed by Bad Seed Brewery (website), ie their 5.5% Free Fall, an "American Pale Ale" that is "unfined and unfiltered." Indeed, a pale golden ale and, although not fined, surprisingly quite clear, which shows that finings aren't always necessary to ensure a clear beer! Hops used are Azacca, Ekuanot, Simcoe and Chinook, producing a tropical fruity aroma, although a more subtle fruity taste. Plenty of body and nice and dry and bitter, great stuff!

Also, of course, I've been drinking other more regular pale hoppy ales, with many thanks to the Tower and the Dolphin inns in Hastings, where all the above were enjoyed too. Notably, the excellent Burning Sky (website) Aurora (5.6%), a "Strong Pale Ale" brewed using hops from the USA. A pale golden ale with plenty of body, tropical and citrus flavours, and a dry and bitter finish, too easy to drink! Plus the ever excellent Hophead (3.8%) and American Pale Ale (APA 4.7%) from Dark Star (website), now owned by Fullers, who appear to be letting them get on with their brewing, having problems it seems, trying to brew Hophead at Chiswick.

And not to forget Dark Star Revelation (5.7%), with its massive use of Warrior, Cascade, Columbus, Crystal and Chinook hops, indeed, a revelation of an ale... and congratulations must go to the brewers as it has won the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) 2018 Gold Award in the category of "Strong Bitter." Quality, cheers!

Now I've Tasted Britain's First Trappist Beer!

I've written about this new addition to the wealth of beers available in Britain very recently (labelled as an "English Trappist Ale" though I know of no other trappist beer brewed anywhere else in Britain - see blog), and now I've tasted it. As you can see from the photograph I poured out a bottle at home. Brewed by Cistercian monks at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Leicestershire (website), Tynt Meadow is a mighty 7.4% trappist ale...

A deep dark ruby red/mahogany colour and big gorgeous fruity aroma and flavour means that this isn't my typical tipple, but I swiftly went back to buy more, to 'lay down' and to share with friends, it's that good. Not the citrus fruits I normally enjoy, but rich darker fruits, with a touch of chocolate and malt in the taste, plenty of body and smooth to drink, though a wee bit sweet, my notes say "good stuff!" Interestingly, Tynt Meadow is bottled conditioned, consequently it has a long shelf life, so store in a cool place, drink quite chilled, and be careful when pouring the ale out, unless you enjoy the addition of yeast particles from the lees, cheers!

I'll have a few of those, many thanks!

Where did I purchase my Tynt Meadow? Luckily for me, just around the corner is the Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street, Hastings TN34 1SJ (facebook), who brought some in, but it's available online, if you lack a similar craft beer seller in your area; Google lists a few suppliers.

Our congratulations to the Dolphin Inn for being selected as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) South East Sussex Community Pub of the Year for 2018!

The Dolphin Inn is at 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, TN34 3DW (tel: 01424 434326 and website) and sells 6 cask-conditioned ales (mostly local with 3 regulars, Dark Star Hophead, Harveys Sussex Best and Youngs Special), a few crafty keg ales, and the usual keg beers and ciders, spirits, wines, soft drinks etc... It also raises £thousands for charity every year (for example, amongst others, at the moment, the Elsie-Rose & Friends Foundation - blog), and is a centre for many locals, supporting the local fishing fleet by sourcing its kitchen from across the road, minding out for those locals and regulars who need help, and also supporting Hastings Fishermen's Museum and RX134 Stacey Marie (blog).


Again, congratulations and well deserved!

Stacey Marie