My Beers on International Stout Day, AND Cider to Come!

I did suggest I would imbibe more dark beers for this day (blog), so I visited the nearby Eel & Bear (blog) and drank this beer whilst there (above), and took a couple of beers home with me. From The Kernel Brewery in London (website), their Export India Porter (5.6%), and I shan't go on about the difference/similarities between Stouts and Porters here, as my opinion has been shared before, eg blog; if I had tasted this 'blind' though I would have called it a stout! 😉

The Export India Porter recipe is "inspired by mid-19th century recipes from Barclay Perkins and Whitbread" beers that were transported to British service personnel stationed in India, but brewed with a 21st century touch. Each batch is different, as they use different hops in each brew, mostly fruity hops from the USA, but now and then English hops, such as Bramling Cross (hopslist), which wouldn't surprise me if used in the bottle I drank from, who knows?!? But I got fruity and roasted flavours, hint of coffee and chocolate, nice one to start the day with. 👍

I did say I would drink the Hercule from Belgium again, which I did, but shan't repeat what I've already shared in my very recent blog. At risk of repeating myself, nice one! 👍

And the second stout at home was from Dundee in Scotland, Holy Goat Brewing (website) Foehammer Imperial Stout (11.2%), "based on an 18th century recipe for Courage Russian Imperial Stout." Because it is based on a traditional recipe I'm guessing English hops are used, but the brewery doesn't share that information, and the malts dominate the flavour anyway.

The reason for 'Russian Imperial Stouts' is that Peter the Great fell in love with London stouts when he visited England in 1698, and had some sent to his court back in Russia, where it became very popular. Indeed, Empress Catherine the Great, who had married Peter's grandson and overthrew him in 1762, loved Imperial Stouts too, and this recipe is based on an Imperial Stout supplied by Courage to her. 🍺

So, what's it like? There's a hint of liquorice and chocolate in the aroma and taste, but surprisingly very gentle in the aroma. Less sweet than I thought it would be after all the chocolate stouts and porters I've been drinking recently (blog). Very dark with plenty of body, and a dry slightly bitter finish, a much more subtle stout than I thought it would be, pretty damn good, cheers! 😁

And now for cider! Hastings Old Town Cider Festival 2025 begins today (7-15 November), at 7 venues in Hastings Old Town (Hastings Sussex website):

• The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA;
• The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN;
• Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock a Nore Road TN34 3DW;
• East Hastings Sea Angling Association, The Stade TN34 3FJ;
• First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY;
• Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW;
• Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR.

Have fun folks, cheers! 👍

Hastings Tap Takeover 2024

Hastings Tap Takeover 2024 I can herald for this weekend, 4th to the 6th of October 2024 (website), in 15 venues right across Hastings & St Leonards, with beers, ales and crafty kegs, from 15 different breweries across the country! 🍺 

In Hastings Old Town: 

• The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website) - Fauna (website);
• The Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website) - Loud Shirt (website);
• The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (above image - website) - Left Handed Giant (website);
• The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website) - Three Acre (website).

In Hastings Town Centre:

• The Imperial, 119 Queens Road TN34 1RL (website) - Rivington Brewing (website);
• 1200 Postcards, 80 Queens Road TN34 1RL (facebook) - Dark Revolution (website);
• The Prince Albert, 28 Cornwallis Street, Hastings TN34 1SS (above image - website) - Cloudwater (website);
• Eel & Bear, 28 Waldegrave Street TN34 1SJ (website) - Pomona Island (website);
• The Courtyard, White Rock TN34 1JA (facebook) - Chain House (website);
• The Seadog, 32 Station Road TN34 1NJ (website) - State of Kind (website).

 In St Leonards:

• Collected Fictions, Unit 1, 6-8 London Road TN37 6AE (instagram), and no, I don't use instagram either 😣- Baron (website);
• Heist Market, 22-26 Norman Road TN37 6NH (website) - Three Blind Mice (twitter);
• The Piper, 1 Norman Road TN37 6NH (website) - Kernel (website);
• Goat Ledge, Lower Promenade, Warrior Square TN37 6FA (website)  -  Earth Ale (website);
• The Tower, 251 London Road TN37 6NB  (above image - facebook) - Bristol Beer Factory (website).

Enjoy your weekend, cheers! 🍻

2023 Seasonal Time in Hastings

Happy/Hoppy New Beer/Year! 😉 I wandered around Hastings over the last few weeks, particularly the 'old town' with its better variety and choice of pubs, but I've included a photograph above of the tree in Priory Meadow shopping centre, taken fairly early in the morning.

I started in the town centre, it's where I live, but now walk eastwards, past Iceland, to the old town, where the first pub you reach opposite the seafront, with its other side in George Street, that is the Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), which sells 4 cask ales from Sussex and Kent brewers, normally Harvey’s Sussex Best (website) as a regular; sadly they no longer appear to be getting ale from Bedlam Brewery. Plus side, they do now take cash again.

I missed drinking the 7.5% Harvey's Christmas Ale (website) on my last visit, indeed, which I last drank 4 years ago now (blog), but a bit strong to start off the session! However, I did recently drink there, from another East Sussex brewery Long Man (website), their 4.3% old ale Old Man, which I joked about many years ago about a young member of bar staff at the Dolphin Inn serving up 'an old man Old Man' - amused me at the time, sadly I've lost the image of her pulling the pint... Anyway, Old Man is brewed using darker malts, of course, with Bramling Cross and Fuggles hops, producing a fine version of an old ale, dark and bitter sweet, nice one...

Carrying along George Street you reach 2 of the 5 Shepherd Neame (website) pubs in the old town, if you like their ales, you may say 'blessed' with 5! Above is a photograph of Ye Olde Pumphouse, 64 George Street TN34 3EE. It looks old, but was actually built 1955/56, opening in 1956, but using older materials; I suggest reading Hastings Pub History website for more details. Indeed, the first pub that Shepherd Neame acquired in Hastings was The Freemans in Wellington Place, now Jempsons/Rye Bakery, which was their pub from 1928-1958 (blog).

What I did drink at the Pumphouse was the cask Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (5.0% cask ale - 7.0% in bottle). An amber winter ale, not as impressive as the Harvey's version, no surprise bearing in mind the strength, but a gentle surprisingly easy to drink bitter sweet beer.

Virtually opposite, is another Sheps pub, the Anchor Inn, 13 George Street TN34 3EG (website), a much older pub (blog). Here you get the regular  ales, sometimes the impressive 5.0% Bishops Finger, and the pub is famed for its Sunday roast dinners/lunch!

At the eastern end of the street is another older Sheps pub, the Hastings Arms, 2 George Street TN34 3EG (website), which I have written about before in my older blog. Actually, I visit here quite often, and I really do need to update this blog more with information about pubs I've written about in the past in that older blog; usual Sheps beers served here. They have a locally popular, thus heavily subscribed Curry Night on Tuesdays, and Tapas Night on Thursdays. Also, I regularly meet up with people I know coincidentally at the Sheps pubs in the old town. 😁

Turning left up the High Street, and up on the left is the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website), which I have written about a number of times (eg blog). Here I drank:

A wee bit confusing, because it was in a Long Man glass in this image, but the ale is actually from yet another East Sussex brewery Three Acre (website), and is their 5.1% Chocolate Oat Stout, with the added chocolate flavour coming from added cacao apparently, not just chocolate malt. Does what it says on the label, smooth, chocolatey, with a dry roasted malt finish, strangely nowhere near as heavy as I thought it would be, nice!

Further up the hill, and on the right is the First In Last Out (FILO), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY (website), with its own brewery, and which I've written about many times (eg blog). Usually meet up with people I know here, indeed, arranged to meet up with a couple of friends here last Thursday, and another friend, Russ, always comes down once a year to visit me, and we always drink here, if not eat here (although it was the Albion where we ate at the Thursday before).

I have imbibed a few of their different styles of ale here recently, best bitter (3.8%), pale and hoppy (4.2%), and the stronger Gold (4.8%), but I'll discuss here their 4.6% Cardinal Sussex Porter. Brewed with chocolate malt and roasted barley this is a very deep dark red, and tastes like it should, with a smooth finish, nice one.

Go behind the FILO via the alleyway by its side, and car park, and you reach The Bourne, once a river, now a sewer below ground, and a road above, cross the road and nip up a side road to All Saints Street, if you turn left and carry on up the hill you come to another Sheps pub in the old town, The Stag. However, I turned right and down to the Cinque Ports Arms (above), 105 All Saints Street TN34 3BE. This pub was originally known as the Chequers and dated back to before 1642, but apparently hasn't been a pub continuously since then. For more information about the history of the pub go to the excellent Hastings Pub History website.

The have had 3 ales on when I've visited before, but it is usually 2 cask ales, including the ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best (above), and, replacing the Fuller's ESB that used to be a regular here, now they sell Fuller's smaller sibling, London Pride. Needless to say I had a pint of both, and a nice chat with Tony, who I found sitting at the bar when I arrived, cheers Tony!

Carry on down the hill and you come to the Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website), which sells 2 cask ales, and an array of crafty keg beers. The cask ales are usually from very local brewers, but I own up that I've forgotten what I drank here; I made no notes, oops, sorry! 😕

Anyway, carry on down and you'll reach Rock-a-Nore Road at the bottom of the hill, turn left and you come to the Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW (website), which I have to own up to being my favourite among many very good pubs in Hastings; but they sell some of my favourite ales and ales from some of my favourite breweries, notably pale, dry & bitter!

Anyway, recently I've had some very decent dark ales here too, including Titanic Plum Porter and Pomona Island Horngus Mild, but you'll guess from the image above, many excellent pale bitters too. Not just one of my favourite ales Citra, from one of my favourite breweries Oakham Ales (website), both of which I've written about many times before, but many also from another of my two favourite brewers; including Kocasco (4.2%) from Mallinsons (website), brewed with Kohatu, Cascade and Columbus hops, and a few from Kent Brewery (website).

The final Sheps pub in Hastings old town is back to the west of The Bourne and is the Royal Standard, 19 East Street/East Beach Street TN34 3DW (website). The building dates from 1707, when a shoemaker lived there, and was a beerhouse from 1822, and has been a fully licensed pub since 1856. As you'd expect, the usual Shepherd Neame ales are served here, although there wasn't Bishops Finger for my last visit, sadly.

My final seasonal pub is the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), which I have written about quite a few times, eg blog, and which, incidentally, begins a 3-day Dark Beer Festival today, Friday 5th to Sunday 7th January 2024. It will be opening at 12.00 noon for these 3 days, and further information can be found at their facebook page.

I have been intending to write a blog about dark beers, and have been knocking back quite a few recently, but I'll leave that to after I visit over this weekend. However, I have to mention at least one excellent crafty keg I've had there recently, the 12.5% Our Barley Aged Imperial Stout (above), brewed in Glasgow by Overtone Brewing (website). They used 12 kinds of malt in the mash, and this was brewed in collaboration with Lochlea Distillery, aged in a selection of their ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso barrels... Oh yes, and Magnum hops used!

From my notes now: "Very very very dark! Brownish head, rich and thick/full bodied. An aroma of roasted barley, and smooth, rich and chocolatey taste... Very decent!"

HI HO! 🍻

Cider - Yes, Me Drinking Cider...

I recently suggested I may take advantage of the Hastings Old Town Cider Festival 2023 (blog), and imbibe cider during the festival... Well, I just sort of missed it, arriving at each of the 4 venues the day after the festival ended, surely they wouldn't have run out of ciders already?!? And I was correct, I drank cider at them all, only small measures of course...

I first visited The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), as it's the first pub you reach in the old town when approaching from the west, which, unsurprisingly had many ciders left, although they always have plenty of ciders on sale anyway... So I had a couple there, first off, the 4.0% Gooseberry Cider (above) from (Sussex) South Downs Cider (website), which suggests the use of gooseberries in addition to their usual desert apples in the fermentation. It had a deep reddish colour, slightly cloudy, starting off sweet to the taste, but drying out a wee bit sharp, I wrote 'not bad' which means I was very happy to drink it! 👌

My second cider was from Herefordshire producer Gwatkin Cider (website), their 6.0% Norman Cider (above). Apparently, the Norman Cider apple was imported from Normandy, and there are 'half a dozen apple varieties of the same name' differing in size and shape, but mostly sharing a similar flavour. This cider had an orangey colour, was cloudier, and was much drier than the first cider I had imbibed, medium dry to dry in taste, and another 'not bad' scored by me! 👍

I then wandered on up to the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website) and had the first of a few ciders/perries from Sussex based Ascension Cider (website), both cloudy here, their 4.0% Shimmy (on the left in the photogroph above). Now this is a very interesting cider to taste, my notes say a big apple flavour, as I expected, but I've since found out that it includes lemon and pineapple in the mixture! The lemon obviously offsets the pineapple to the taste, a sweet start with a dry tartness in the finish. It wasn't my favourite cider of the day, but I'd be happy to drink it if there were no other ciders available. 😉

The other cider to the right in the photograph was also from Ascension Cider (website), their 4.8% Pilot, made with 100% Pilot apples. Ascension acknowledge that this, the first ever cider produced by them, can change flavour slightly from batch to batch, as the 'sugars and acids in each apple are dependent upon their variety, their terroir and the conditions they were grown in.' This cider was dry all the way through the drinking experience, and I liked it... 👍

I then ventured over The Bourne (a road now, not a river for many a year) to the Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website) and drank yet another Ascension (website) product, but a perry this time, their 3.3% Comice (above). The pears used are descendants of Doyenne du Comice pears first introduced to the UK from France in 1858. This cloudy perry had a fair amount of flavour considering the strength, it was dry and slightly tart, and not bad at all. 👌

My fourth and the final venue, was back down to the 'front' and the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website). Here I had a cider from Welsh producer Hallets (website), their 6.0% PX Sherry Finished (above). This was a clear rusty red coloured cider with a tropical fruity aroma and hints added to the apple taste, and another that was very easy to drink, vying with the Gwatkin and Pilot as my favourites of the day 👍 I'll say equal first! 😉

Cheers 🍻

My apologies for not tasting every cider and perry in the festival!

Mini Pub Crawl around Hastings Old Town

I walked to the Old Town from Hastings Town Centre, and started at the Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW (website), because it's open by 11.00. This pub is in the heart of the Hastings Fishing Industry, with a balcony facing the famous tall black net huts. The Dolphin has returned to having 3 regular ales, 2 brewed in Sussex, Harvey's Sussex Best and Dark Star Hophead, and Young's Special, now brewed in Bedford, and I refuse to call it what they've re-badged it as 'London Special' as it's not been brewed in London for years now! Anyway, this recent visit saw 3 quite local guest ales too, that is, 2 from Sussex brewers, Lakedown (website), their 4.2% Pale, and Gun (website), Project Babylon, a 4.6%  American Pale Ale. I drank the third guest ale, from Kent Brewery (website), their rather easy to drink 4.2% The Quiet American, a light refreshing APA style with subtle flavours, noticeably grapefruit, nice one. 

I walked out of the pub to the right, and turned first right and walked up to the Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website), which also opens at 11.00. Since the Covid-19 lockdowns they have reduced the number of their cask ales to 2. On this visit they had 1 from a Sussex brewery, that is Battle (website), and their 4.5% One Hop Wonder, not sure which hop, but a quite subtle APA, and not bad at all. The other ale was from Kent brewer Pig & Porter (website), their Slave to the Money, a 4.1% bitter, using Bramling Cross hops. They also have a regular keg stout from Sussex brewery Only with Love (website), their 4.9% Halland Oatmeal Stout, which uses Columbus, Magnum and Willamette hops.

If you go straight down Courthouse Street opposite the pub, cross The Bourne main road, continue up Courthouse Street and it leads you to the Jenny Lind Inn dead opposite (website), 69 High Street TN34 3EW. The Jenny Lind was built on the site of a much older pub that dated back to the early 17th century, The Bell, but with a gap whilst not a pub of 200 years, before the Jenny Lind started trading in the 1850s. It's named after the Swedish Nightingale, the famous opera singer who, under the wing of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, became widely followed throughout Europe, including by Queen Victoria; she moved to England in 1855, where she lived until her death in 1887.

The Jenny Lind, which opens at 12.00, usually has 6 ales available, but with room and handpumps available for quite a few more ales for special events. Their 2 regular ales are from Sussex brewery Long Man (Best Bitter - website) and Greene King (Abbot Ale - website). They had 4 guest ales including 2 from Sussex brewery Only with Love (one was their Halland Oatmeal Stout cask-conditioned and Grizzly RYE IPA - website). Also 2 from Kent breweries Pig & Porter Skylarking, a 4.0% Session IPA, and the one I drank, from Kent Brewery (website), their 4.8% The New Black, a Black APA, an oxymoron perhaps? I have written about Black IPA/APAs for my older blog, where I briefly explain how 'Black' IPA/APAs are brewed. Anyway, The New Black really is, surprisingly maybe, light and citrusy, and very tasty indeed!

Then, I continued down the High Street to the seafront and turned left to reach the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), which opens 14.00 weekends, 16.00 weekdays). They had 2 ales available, a 5.0% milk stout from Pentrich Brewing (website) Glass Half Empty, and the ale I drank, from Verdant Brewing (website), their 4.4% Where Can I Find Friday, a collaboration with Fyne Ales (website). Brewed with Mosaic and Strata hops, this was a very drinkable golden bitter. There was also a keg stout from Kent brewer Time & Tide (website), and they have 6-8 real ciders and perry available, usually including a couple from local cider makers, on this day, from Nightingale Cider Co (website), their 6.0% Discovery.

I then walked back westwards towards Hastings town centre, soon reaching the Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), but with an entrance on Marine Parade opposite the seafront too, and which opens at 12.30. They had 4 cask ales available, all from Sussex breweries, Harvey's Sussex Best (website) is their regular, and there is usually an ale from Bedlam too (website), which, on this day, was their Phoenix, a 3.9% APA. Labelled an Extra American Pale Ale, and brewed using hops (Cascade, Citra and Amarillo) and a yeast from the USA, indeed, a nice refreshing bitter. Also, there was Yacht Rock, a 3.8% 'extra pale ale' from Only with Love (website) and the 4.2% Pale Ale from Lakedown Brewing (website). Please note that you do need to pay electronically here as they do not take cash.

If you are inspired by this blog and decide to visit Hastings soon, cheers! 🍺

HASTINGS OLD TOWN NEW YEAR VISITS!

The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), plus it has an entrance opposite the seafront, sells 3 ales from Sussex and Kent brewers, normally Harvey’s Sussex Best (website) and a pale bitter and a darker beer; one usually from Bedlam Brewery (website). If visiting make sure you have a debit card with you (or other electronic payment device, how thinks change!) as they do not take cash. Oh yes, and they sell some amazing pies and Cornish Pasties!

The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW, which opens at 11.00 every day of the week, please ignore the 12.00 opening mentioned on the website, and with its South-facing balcony virtually opposite the Fish Market, has changed its ale range from 3 regular and 3 guest ales to 2 and 4 respectively, sort of 😏 The regular ales are Harvey’s Sussex Best (website) and Dark Star Hophead (website), and the guest ales have been including a dark beer (Winter/Old Ale, Porter or Stout), an equivalent to a Special/Best Bitter from local breweries, or Young's Special, I refuse to call it anything else (especially as it is no longer brewed in Wandsworth - website), and usually an APA style dry pale bitter, often from the very excellent Kent Brewery (website) or also excellent Oakham Ales (website). Live music has returned on Saturday evenings, and very decent food is usually served every lunchtime/afternoon except Tuesdays, plus special evenings, including a good value Fish Supper deal on Monday evenings.

The First In Last Out (FILO), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY (website), which brews its own ales a short way from the pub up Old London Road, continues to sell 5 of their own beers, and 1 or 2 guest ales. Their range includes pale to darker beers, including a Porter, the award-winning Gold, and had their own dark seasonal Winter Warmer when I last visited. They also sell excellent food; open 12.00 to 14.30 and 18.00 to 21.00 Monday to Saturday, and 12.00 to 15.00 Sundays.

The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), a cosy micropub, continues to sell a good range of real ales in addition to crafty keg beers, and not forgetting some very interesting bottled beers, noticeably some great Belgian ones! Just recently, in early January, they had a Dark Beer Festival, with 10 Stouts and Porters on offer; outside of festivals they have darker beers regularly too. Opening hours are a wee bit limited; 16.00 to 23.00 Wednesday to Friday, 14.00 to 23.00 Saturday and 14.00 to 22.30 on Sunday, so not the first place to visit.

The Lord Nelson, 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP, at the bottom of The Bourne (facebook page), sells Courage Directors (website) and Harvey’s Sussex Best (website). Live music is played here on Sundays, early evening.

Cheers! 🍻

Hastings Tap Takeover 11-13 October 2019

This weekend, to help kick off Hastings Week (website), 12 venues in Hastings, from The Dolphin Inn in the East to The Tower in the West, will be holding 'tap takeovers' (Hastings Tap Takeover facebook page). That means each venue will be celebrating 'exceptional independent breweries' from near and far, not necessarily just cask conditioned ales, but crafty kegs too! 

Venues and breweries involved:

• The Dolphin Inn (facebook) - Kent Brewery (website)
• The Crown (website) - Burning Sky (website)
• The Jenny Lind (website) - One Mile End (website)
• The Jolly Fisherman (website) - Wylam (website)
• The Albion (website) - Harveys (website)
• The Imperial (website) - Cloudwater (website)
• The Drift In (facebook) - Good Things (website)
• Eel & Bear (website) - Pressure Drop (website)
• The Pig's Palace (facebook) - Battle (website)
• The St Leonard (website) - Franklins (website)
• Farmyard (website)  -  Three Legs (website)
• The Tower (facebook) - Downlands (website)