Dark Beers Part 1

I keep returning to darker beers when fine pale cask ales are not available and, sadly, I do not have room for cask ales at home! 😉 So, where shall I start? I like this photograph of a beer having flowed over the side, looks nice and fresh, so I shall start with this...

From Tartarus Beers of Leeds (website) Snow Wasset, a 5.5% Maple Pecan Hot Chocolate Stout. First of all, the name, the Snow Wasset is a mythical creature from the around the Great Lakes in North America that is similar to a very large wolf, and which loses its short legs in the winter so that it may burrow even further north through snow drifts! ⛄ Brewed with Olicana hops (British Hop Association) providing a gentle hint of tropical fruits in the aroma and taste. But with maple and pecan flavouring added to the brew more dominant, I detected toffee and molasses in the aroma, with hints of nuts in the taste, and yes, chocolate too, from the chocolate malt used in the grist. My notes say "not as sweet as I expected with a really dry finish, bloody good!" 😁

Second, from Dundee in Scotland, Holy Goat Brewing (website) Sabra Cadabra Volume II, a 5.3% Single Origin Tanzanian Vanilla Stout. Brewed with Sabro hops (Yakima Valley Hops), adding plum and raisin flavours to the chocolate malt in the grist, and fermented on vanilla beans harvested in Tanzania's Kilimanjaro region, which produces a 'magical' beer. I detected a big chocolate aroma with hints of coffee, and predominantly a chocolate stout flavour, not overly sweet, but with a dry finish though, and another exceedingly good dark beer. 👍

Next, from Baron Brewing of Hertfordshire (website), their 4.7% Bring That Beat Back, a straightforward 4.7% stout, which they insist has had no adjuncts added to the brew, and which I can attest to. My notes are quite succinct, I wrote "surprisingly light for such a dark ale. Slight aroma of toast, a wee bit sweet, a session stout." It's a very good stout!

From East Sussex Burning Sky's brewery (website) Is This Real?, a smooth 5.2% stout. Brewed with Chinook (hopslist) and Perle (hopslist) hops, presumably chocolate malt in the grist, although only subtle dark chocolate in the aroma, with a hint of toast and spices too.  A lovely dry finish, again not sweet, and Mr Tranter continues to stand out whatever he brews!

I named this Dark Beers Part 1 because I keep drinking other dark beers I want to share the experience of, so yes, many more to come, cheers! 😁

Passport to Pimlico?

I could have called this blog just Pimlico, but I had to get the film pun in, not hilarious I know, but that's me folks. 😉 Anyway, very close to our port of entry to London, Victoria Railway Station, again we first visited the Victoria Taps, 27 Gillingham Street SW1V 1HP (website), for breakfast and a couple of pints, and the friendly Spanish manager is a welcoming senorita/senora! 👍 Built in 1828 and originally called the Warwick Arms, it was enlarged towards the end of the 19th century, and changed its name to the Victoria Taps earlier this century. Open from 10.00 every day of the week, although you can't buy alcohol before 12.00 on Sundays, but where we usually start drinking if we're in the area for the another obvious reason...

Not too expensive for beer, and a great value brunch, the above costing just £9.00. That's not for just the 2 fried eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 sausages, 2 hash browns, flat mushroom, baked beans, tomato and a slice of toast, as there is a deal where you can get a pint too, making it £9.00 instead of £7.50 (price of the Full English Breakfast). Paul ate the 'Boss Benedict' seen in the background, costing  £6.50 (so just £8.00 with drink), and a souped up Eggs Benedict, which I had on my previous visit, also superb value and quality!

We each started with a pint of St Austell Tribute, a 4.2% pale slightly bitter ale (website), brewed with Fuggles (hopslist), Celeia (hopslist), and Willamette (hopslist) hops; 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 called 'Daylight Robbery' at its inception. Because of the English and U.S. hop mix, it's not 'traditional' as such, but a slightly darker version of modern pale ales, gentle citrus, and very easy to drink. Inch's Cider (website) was in the choice of £1.50 add on drinks, including lager and pale ale (not cask), and wine and soft drinks. So, suitably satiated, we ventured on towards Pimlico. 😋

On reaching the Grade II Listed White Ferry House, 1A Sutherland Street SW1V 4LD (publove), we were surprised at the number of youngsters from abroad hovering around, I'd forgotten it is a hostel with 74 beds, as well as a hostelry! 😂 First licensed in 1832, and re-built in 1894, the pub offered hotel accommodation, probably from when, and possibly why, it was rebuilt (CAMRA).

Only 1 cask ale served at a time here, I believe usually ales brewed in London, and there was on offer, from Sambrook's Brewery, now situated in the site of the old Young's Ram Brewery, at 1 Bellwether Lane SW18 1UD (website), their 4.5% Junction. This is a 'Premium Bitter' brewed with Challenger (hopslist), East Kent Golding (hopslist), and Bramling Cross (hopslist) hops, and named after the famous Clapham Junction Station, nearby in Battersea. Junction is an amber ale, with a malty, nutty and fruity hop aroma, and a big malty flavour, slightly sweet to start, but a nutty and strong bitter aftertaste. This is a very traditional English bitter, nice one! 👍

Getting closer to Pimlico tube station is the Cask Pub & Kitchen, 6 Charlwood Street (corner with Tachbrook Street) SW1V 2EE, which has been trading here since 2009, being "London's first craft beer focussed pub" (website). The building is Grade II Listed, I kid you not, but as part of the Thorndike House Lillington Gardens Estate (Historic England). If you want to know anymore about the history of the Cask Pub & Kitchen have a read of London Drinker. 

From among 10 cask ales, from near and far, and we were offered tasters too, cracking service many thanks, I drank Waves Away, a 4.6% Pale Ale produced in East Sussex by Burning Sky Brewery (website); NB think Mark Tranter finessing Dark Star Hophead, but now with his own brewery. 👌 This is an American Pale Ale (APA) style ale, brewed with Citra (hopslist) and Mosaic (hopslist) hops, producing a big bodied pale ale bursting with tropical and citrus fruit aromas and taste, with a lovely dry bitter finish. After such a good version of a completely different style of beer at the previous pub, this was an outstanding version of an APA, Mr Tranter certainly knows his hops. Sadly we ran out of time for more ale... 😣

So, onwards to Pimlico tube station and the Victoria Line, cheers m'dears! 😁

More Dark Beers, I Kid You Not!

3 dark beers from around the country, and all enjoyed in Hastings Jolly Fisherman (blog), first, the 4.2% cask conditioned 'Classic Porter' London Thunder brewed by Roosters in Yorkshire (website). The name coming from the fact that the porter beer 'style' was developed for the porters of Victorian markets in London, I presume. As you can see it is a very deep dark red, the opacity probably enhanced by it being an un-fined 'vegan' ale. I got roasted oats in the aroma, and liquorice too, and liquorice even more noticeable in the taste with a wee bit of chocolate too, although both flavours quite subtle. Apparently brewed with 7 different varieties of malt, and English hops, although the hops used aren't shared with the public. London Thunder is a pleasant, and surprisingly not heavy at all, easy to drink dark porter, not bad at all folks.

From not so far away from Hastings in the South Downs of Sussex, and the first of 2 crafty keg beers, this 7.3% 'Export Stout' Blessed State brewed by Burning Sky (website). This has cacao nibs and a blend of coffee beans added to the brew, and has significantly more body and depth of flavours. Rich, and chocolate dominated for me, with just a hint of coffee. Pretty damn good!

I'll add a link to the blog where I discuss porters and stouts below too.

Finally, from Bavaria in Germany, was the luxurious (you knew one had to come 😉) 14.4% Barrel Aged 'Imperial Stout' Black Rainbow brewed by FrauGruber Brewing (website). There's a mouthful, in more ways than one... A strong dark beer, aged in casks, with dark fruits and roasted hazelnuts, pecan and coconut, noticeable in the aroma and taste, but not as much chocolate to the taste as the previous beer has, and, indeed, luxurious!

The last beer I wrongly called If Only I Had The Time To Understand at first, and which will be written about in a later blog, sorry not my error folks, I thank you.

I discuss my opinion concerning the difference between a porter and a stout in this blog, feel free to read, and comment if you wish, cheers m'dears!

Paler Beers in Hastings

I've written about Britain's first Trappist ale before (blog), and now Tynt Meadow (website) are brewing a 5.0% Blond Ale, again in a Trappist style, but with an English 'twist' adding English hops and yeast to the malt produced from English barley. A deep golden blonde colour, a wee haze (bottle conditioned), and a little sweetness with a hint of caramel, vanilla, spice and fruity mandarin, completed with a dry slightly bitter finish, nice one, and unique!

Next is from Sussex brewery Burning Sky (website), and Plateau, full of flavour and only 3.5%, very much a session ale! Plateau is the brainchild of Mark Tranter, legendary fine tuner of Dark Star Hophead when he worked there, and is very similar to the original Hophead from when it was brewed in Brighton. However, it is a little weaker in alcoholic strength, but the flavour is more pronounced than the current Hophead, thanks to the hops added. Mark says it is "hopped at different stages of the brew with a mix bag of US and NZ hops..." and, of course, influenced by his experience and finesse. A pale golden bitter, very easy to drink, with grapefruit noticeable in the aroma and taste, and very refreshing and decent indeed.

From another Sussex brewery, indeed, from the Hastings based FILO Brewing Company (website) and imbibed in their own pub, the 4.0% Hop Cat, which pretty much does what it says on the label. Indeed, this is a light pale ale, with plenty of citrus fruit in the aroma and taste, very easy to drink with a nice subtle bitter finish, and refreshing, oh yes!

The next 2 beers are both from Bristol Beer Factory (website) over in the West Country, the first being their 4.2% Launch Approval, brewed with U.S. Loral (Yakima Valley Hops) and German Mandarina Bavaria (hopslist) hops. A pale ale, with floral and peppery hints in the aroma and taste, and citrus, notably orange, in the flavour. Another excellent session ale from this very dependable brewery, refreshing with a light dry bitter finish, nice one.

Dune Twist, is a more substantial 5.0% IPA from Bristol Beer Factory, and is also brewed with hops from 2 different countries, this time with N.Z. Nelson Sauvin (hopslist) and U.S. El Dorado (hopslist). Plenty of body and flavour, as you would expect, with tropical and citrus fruits in the aroma and taste, very smooth, but with a nice crisp dry bitter finish, quality!

Starting to prepare for Oktoberfest 😉 2 German beers, first is a Helles style lager from one of the older breweries in Germany, having brewed beers for nearly 700 years since its foundation in 1328! Augustiner Brau (website) Lagerbier Hell (5.2%), from Munich, is brewed with Bavarian malt and hops. This has a hint of wheat in the aroma and is a pale straw colour, indeed, 'a very tasty beer' was the first thing I noted, with a hint of citrus in the taste, mildly hoppy and slightly sweet, but refreshing and certainly not too bitter. A secondary fermentation ensures this beer has a lively sparkle, finishing off with a nice dry crispness, pretty good!

The final beer here, and the second from Germany, is brewed by Badische Staatsbrauerie Rothaus (website) in the southwest German state of Baden-Wurttemberg, in the Black Forest Mountain Range. Although the brewery was founded in 1791 by the Benedictine monastery of St. Blasien, it is now owned by the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Anyway, to their 5.1% Rothaus Pils which is, unsurprisingly, a Pilsner style lager, consequently hoppier than the Helles, although not significantly so. Brewed with malt from locally grown barley, and local spring water from the Black Forest, and Tettnanger (hopslist) and Hallertau (hopslist) hops, producing a slightly floral and spicy aroma and taste. Another refreshing beer, with hints of wheat in the taste and a crisp slightly bitter finish, very nice indeed, cheers! 😁

The first and last 2 beers were bought in the Eel & Bear (blog), the Plateau was imbibed at the Prince Albert (blog), the Hop Cat was from the First In Last Out (blog), and the 2 Bristol Beer Factory ales were enjoyed in the Dolphin Inn, which I have written about many times (eg blog).

2 Pale Beers + 3 Very Different!

The 2 very decent pale ales I have drunk recently are, unsurprisingly, both from Kent Brewery (website). Their single-hopped Centennial (4.5%) is described as 'citrusy, lemon and floral' although I noted grapefruit rather than lemon. The Centennial hop was developed in the 1970s from Brewer's Gold, Fuggle, East Kent Golding and Bavarian hops (hopslist), and described as "earthy and floral with an element of citrus." It's a lovely pale golden colour, and I got grapefruit rather than lemon, but hey, they're both citrus! Oh yes, and a lovely dry bitter finish.

By the way, I had both of the Kent beers at The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road, Hastings TN34 3DW (website). The second one was Kent Maia (5.0%), basically an APA as well, labelled a 'springtime IPA' and packed with hops, but I haven't been able to discover which hops yet, although certainly from the USA. Anyway, it's seasonal and named after Maia (pronounced the same as Maya), one of the Pleiades, and the mother of Hermes in Greek mythology, and you can easily guess Zeus was the other parent, as he certainly was the Johnson of his day. 😉 Indeed, it is believed that the month of May was named after Maia. Again, pale golden colour, I noticed citrus, and with a dry bitter finish, just as I like, excellent ale indeed!

Where I had the 'very different' drinks yesterday was at The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (website). I'll first mention my final drink of the visit, and cheers to Oliver, the landlord, for this delight from a collaboration between Sussex based breweries Burning Sky (website) and Abyss (website). Dark to the Core is a 9.5% Imperial Stout and comes from dark chocolate malts and Munich, Marris Otter and Cara malts, and with Chinook hops in the boil. Chinook is a cross between Petham Golding and a USDA male, and features pine spicy aroma and grapefruit flavour, and is regularly used for porters and stouts (hopslist). Does what it says on the tin, delightful!

Then the 2 extra-different drinks, first, another collaboration, this time from Sheffield based Steel City Brewing (facebook) and Lost Industry Brewing (facebook), and Sofia based Alchemik, although James was originally from Manchester (website). Imperial Yellowcake is a 8.5% Sour, with lemon zest and vanilla in the brew to produce a lemon meringue cheesecake 'sour' and certainly not too sweet and not too sour for me, strangely delightful too, cheers to Dave Unpronounceable and his collaborators! 👍

Finally, not a beer, but a mead from Belgium, De Meaderie (website), Experimead #15, 15.0% whisky barrel aged for 17 months, with maple syrup, I told you it was different! Look at it above, crystal clear and pale, which surprised me, and nowhere near as sweet as I thought it would be, in fact, incredibly light and easy to drink considering. If you see it anywhere, drink it, well worth it, believe me, and cheers to Oliver as well for providing beers you don't see very often!

 

Congratulations to the Brickmaker's in Bexhill on Sea!

I can't believe I haven't written about this excellent micropub for over 2 years (blog), that is the Brickmaker's Alehouse, 27 Sea Road, Bexhill, East Sussex TN40 1EE (Tel: 01424 602778 - website)! But I have been back quite a few times since the first lockdown ended, and very recently I revisited again to congratulate the owners, Martin and Robin (although Robin wasn't present on the day), as the Brickmakers Alehouse has been chosen by the CAMRA South East Sussex branch as their Pub of the Year 2022, congratulations!

I include the Cider Board (image below), although, in this instance I didn't drink a cider, but I did drink a few of the ales (above), including one that I'm amazed I haven't had before, which is the one I started off with. That is, the Kent Brewery (website) Kent Golding Bitter (4.1%), a traditional style best bitter brewed with Golding (unsurprisingly) and Fuggles hops. It did what it said on the label, was an amber/copper colour, and smelt and tasted like a best bitter, my notes say "very good" but now I was not 'amazed' as Kent Brewery is one of my favourite brewers!

The second pint was of Sussex brewery Burning Sky (website) Plateau, always full of flavour and at just 3.5%! Of course, this is the brainchild of Mark Tranter, legendary fine tuner of Dark Star Hophead when he worked there, so is like a Hophead, a little weaker in alcohol, but with more flavour with thanks to hops, Mark suggests "hopped at different stages of the brew with a mix bag of US and NZ hops..." and his finesse. A very pale golden bitter, very easy to drink, with grapefruit noticeable in the aroma and taste, a wee bit hazy, and I'm not sure if Mark is brewing it that way on purpose now (as vegan friendly), but still very decent indeed.

The final ale I devoured was one of my favourite ales from another favourite brewery, Oakham Ales of Peterborough (website), who I have written quite a bit about recently, notably following the sad news of the death of their head brewer, Alex Kean, just before Christmas (blog), and after my most recent visit to Peterborough in February (blog). Anyway, I couldn't miss knocking back a pint of their Citra (4.2%), an ale brewed with the excellent Citra hop, pale golden with grapefruit in the taste and a very dry bitter finish, thankfully I see this in my local quite often, 'tis excellent!

So, to summarise, I drank ales from my 2 favourite breweries, Kent and Oakham, and another from another excellent brewer at Burning Sky, to celebrate the Brickmaker's success, cheers!

Hastings: The Tower Beer Fest 2019

Last weekend I wrote a blog about the ale and cider festival being held this weekend at The Tower in London Road, Bohemia, Hastings & St Leonards TN37 6NB, and yesterday I put in a couple of hours voluntarily working at the festival bar. This is one of only 2 pubs I am aware of in Hastings that serve all their ales in over-sized lined glasses, which means a full half or pint every time, and, for their what is now an annual festival, they use bats with 3 thirds of a pint glasses, if you want to try a large number of the ales on offer, cheers Louisa! 

Sorry about the quality of these last 2 indoors photographs, but above is the pub's bar which had 6 of the stronger ales available, out of 18 being served at any one time, plus 7 real ciders and a perry. I only drank 1 of these yesterday, though I have enjoyed before the excellent pale dry hoppy bitterness of Burning Sky Aurora (5.6% - website), and the wonderfully full rich dark Gun Brewery Whisky Imperial Stout (7.4% - website), both from Sussex breweries. Yesterday I tried the Cwrw Ial The Apache Line (website), a 5% pale bitter, with a huge fruity aroma, mango and citrus in the flavour too, not so bitter and dry, but very easy to drink!

And at the bar where I worked as a volunteer for a couple of hours, 12 of the less strong ales were available, plus the excellent stew was served here too. I'll start with the weakest I drank, the 3.9% Salopian Push, and I have to admit a little disappointment, as I'm usually impressed by Shrewsbury based Salopian's ales (website), though for many others it appeared a favourite; exactly why drinking ale is so much fun, nearly an infinite number of possible recipes and something for most! Push is a quite dry bitter ale with hints of fruit and sweet to taste at first, though not quite enough flavour for me, though regular readers will appreciate that I am, and have been called, a "hop monster." Not enough hops for me, certainly not as many as expected.

I then tucked into Yorkshire based Great Heck Brewery Proverbs (4.5% - website), with 2 excellent hops, Citra and Mosaic, used in the brew, which provided a lovely fruity and citrus aroma and taste, and lovely dry bitter finish.  Sticking with the Mosaic hop I enjoyed drinking the single hopped Downlands Mosaic (4.8% and does what it says on the label - website) from West Sussex, a vegan friendly beer, so a wee bit hazy, as no finings used, and with a very BIG aroma, fruitiness bursting up into the nostrils! At first taste I caught a slight sourness to it, but this disappeared as I drank more of this pale golden ale with its lovely dry bitter finish.

The final 2 ales I tried were the Scottish Redcastle Brewery Tower IPA (4.8% - website), a new brewery for me, and apparently using a mix of hops from Britain and the USA; this had a slightly fruity and caramel aroma, with malted biscuit in the taste and a nice dry bitter finish, very enjoyable. The other was the local Sussex Long Man Brewery Special Tower APA Brew (4.8% - website), which I'm guessing was a dry hopped cask of their usual APA, with Willamette and Cascade hops used, hint of citrus fruitiness, and very dry bitter finish.

My favourite ale of the day? Close, but the Downlands Mosaic, cheers Lou!

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

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!

Hastings: The Tower Ale & Cider Festival:

As previously mentioned The Tower on the corner of London Road and Tower Road, Bohemia, St Leonards, the reigning CAMRA South East Sussex Pub of the Year, is running a beer festival from tomorrow, Friday 23rd of February to Sunday the 25th, open 11.00 to 23.00. There will be up to 16 different ales available at any one time, with up to 25 different ales expected to be served over the weekend! 

These are the tasting notes provided (and there are about 8 real ciders and perry too!) with a bit added here and there by moi (in italics):

ORKNEY SKULL SPLITTER (8.5%)  A rich fruity wine-like complexity on the palate includes fresh & dried fruits, warm exotic spice and light summer citrus fruits. Red colour. All the way from the Orkneys, a very reliable brewery. 

FUNKY HOP (RAW) DONKEY BIG FUNKY (6.2%) A collaboration between Raw and The Pigeon Fishers. A New England IPA, packs a donkey punch. Pale

PHOENIX WOBBLY BOB (6%) An amber coloured beer, with a strong malt and fruit balance, evident in both the aroma and flavour. A slight sweetness leading to a dry finish. Amber. I remember first drinking this at the Royal Oak in Lostwithiel, Cornwall (about 1990), and TOO easy to drink for the strength, an excellent premium bitter!

LOUD SHIRT PSYCHADELIC IPA (6%) A fantastic IPA, that will take you to another plain of thought. Pale. From Brighton.

DARK STAR HOPHEAD EXTRA (5.8%) Extra describes it beautifully double hops and 25kg of citra thrown in for good measure. Pale/Light. Hophead's excellent, but this is EXTRA!

BURNING SKY AURORA (5.6%) Premium strength pale ale, US hops and big citrus and tropical flavours. Pale Amber. From Mr Tranter who consolidated the Hophead recipe at Dark Star, excellent!

ARBOR WHY KICK A MOO COW (5.5%) Big malty NZ pale ale, large quantity of southern cross and rakau hops. Dry hopped with green bullet. Pale

TRING’S COLLEYS DOG (5.2%) Dark ruby premium ale is all about the malt. It’s nutty, malty and full of body. Ruby

DANCING DUCK INDIAN PORTER (5%) A modern twist on a classic style of beer. Smokey bonfire flavours with a spicy hop and pleasant warming afterglow. Dark. Another tried and trusted excellent brewery...

TINY REBEL FULL NELSON (4.8%) Maori inspired pale ale, musty flavour of nelson sauvin, with sweet munich malt compliments. Pale. Excellent Welsh brewery from a young company of men, multiple award winners too.
DOWNLANDS MOSAIC (4.8%) Vegan friendly single hopped APA that is a festival of tropical and citrussy notes. Pale

GUN SMOKED RYE (4.7%) Vegan friendly . Beech smoked German Bromberg malt provides a subtle smokiness with the spiciness of the rye. Smokey

OLD DAIRY MAD COW (4.5%) Milk stout with coffee and cocoa nibs. Dark

ILKLEY TRIBULUS LUPULUS (4.4%) Mandarina & Huell Melon bring fresh fruit. Ekuanot from the US brings a tropical punch to the party. Pale. Another excellent Yorkshire brewery.

FYNE ALES VITAL SPARK (4.4%) A dark rich beer that shows glints of red. The taste is clean, slightly sharp with a hint of blackcurrant. Mild. Another Scottish brewery, and one of my all time favourite breweries too.

DANCING DUCK WET FEBRUARY (4.2%) A crisp, clean 4.2% pale ale with hints of lemon, lime, tangerine and sherbet,a biscuity malt characteristic and a dry finish.

SALOPIAN MATRIX (4.2%) A refreshing golden yellow ale. Prominent hop flavours are balanced by biscuit malt dry finish. Golden. Another consitent great brewery.

HUMPTY DUMPTY LEMON & GINGER (4.1%) Pale amber crisp ale, finished with a refreshing ginger and lemon tang. Golden

CAIRNGORM NESSIES MONSTER MASH (4.1%) A pleasant mahogany best bitter, malt predominating, gives a satisfying fullness of flavour. Red

RAT WHITE RAT (4%) Very pale, hoppy ale is made from low colour Maris Otter malt. A combination of three high alpha American hops produce an intensely aromatic finish. Pale

OLD DAIRY WHAT THE HECK! (3.8%) Orange pale ale. A juicy banger straight out of the cattle shed. Pale

FUNKY HOP DONKEY FUNKY LITE (3.6%) Collaboration beer, hybrid IPA. Pale

BURNING SKY PLATEAU (3.5%) A beautiful pale ale with a crisp malt edge and sharp bitterness. Pale

WANDER BEYOND PEAK (3.8%) A beautifully crafted English pale bitter. Pale

Food will be available Friday and Saturday lunchtimes, and snacks all the time, and there will be lve music on Saturday evening from 8pm, cheers!

A Beautiful Walk, and 3 Pubs in/near Lewes, or not!

Well, we were out yesterday, ducking political news, and it should have been a pint in the Trevor Arms, which backs onto Glynde railways station, but it has recently closed we were disappointed to discover, and it looks like that is it, a no-hoper, sadly... so I didn't photograph it! However, we were undertaking a 15/16 mile circular walk from Lewes, so we moved on to the next hostelry, meanwhile, here's a photograph I did take yesterday, from up on the South Downs Way.

Our packed lunch was to be eaten out in the countryside anyway, but we wanted a pint, so the next nearest pub on our route was the 15th century Ram Inn (website) at Firle. In their atmospheric wood panelled bar we did enjoy ale from the very local brewer (Mark Tranter, previously of Dark Star, website), Burning Sky's Plateau (3.5% and £3.80 a pint), despite the low strength, this in no way lacks flavour and body, it is very pale with a lovely refreshing grapefruit aroma and taste, a dry bitter aftertaste and is packed with hops, quality... and a result! They have a real cider too, 2 guest ales, and their regular is Harveys Sussex Best Bitter (4%) at £2.60 a pint, a very decent price for Harveys, who aren't afraid of charging the earth!

We then continued, and completed our circular walk (more of on my other blog), finishing off with a couple of pints each at the Lewes Arms (website) before catching a train home. Now, the Lewes Arms is a Fullers' pub, but, similar to the Fullers' pubs in Brighton they serve a mixture of Fullers and Gales beers, and always have a few guest ales available too, plus the very local Harveys Sussex Best (4%) as a regular. I had one of the guest ales, the East London brewer Five Points (website) Five Points Pale (4.4% and over £4 a pint, this is Lewes!). Brewed with 2 American hops, Amarillo and Citra, you can guess what you're going to get, an ale packed with flavours, with strong citrus aroma and flavours, and this golden ale had plenty of body too, and was quite sharp and bitter... I loved it! 

Expect another visit to Lewes from me soon, I've got the taste 😋