First of all, Happy Easter! Not that it will be all that
''merry' with no pubs open, but I'll make an effort with good memories here, so
3 Dolphin Pubs that I have frequented at different times in my life, and will
happily return to whenever close by. They are all excellent pubs
and were in the 2020 CAMRA Good Beer Guide (I presume they are
all in the 2021 Guide too, but with all that's been going on I really haven't
had the inclination to buy one so soon after buying the 2020 Guide, which I
have hardly used anyway!). And the most recent Dolphin that I have
latched on to is my current 'local', and is likely to be the first pub I
return to in 2021, fingers crossed.
First, The Dolphin Hotel (facebook), down at The Barbican in Plymouth,
which I first visited when I lived in Devon in the 1980s. My earliest memory is
of a pretty basic pub, but selling the best Bass I'd
ever tasted, served straight from casks stored and cooled behind the bar, I
think they were kilderkins, which is still the case. Plus, they now sell up to
7 guest ales, and St Austell Tribute as
a regular, at least they were before Lockdown. I cannot remember
there being ales served from handpump when I first visited, only the
gravity-fed beer, but, as I only thought of drinking the Bass at
the time, that's no surprise.
I have visited many
times since, but my most recent visit was a few years ago, before going to a
football match at Argyle, we sadly lost (Argyle won), and not a lot had
changed, and, apart from a sensitive redecoration, the GBG
suggests the same still. The walls are adorned with Beryl Cook paintings, many
images are of the pub's regulars, as she used to live in the area and
frequented the pub herself. The pub is situated very close to the waterfront,
from where you may catch a ferry over to Turnchapel, where lies another old
favourite pub, and ex-employer, of mine, The Boringdon Arms. The Dolphin
Hotel in Plymouth, though, is a must visit, if you like real ale and old
pubs, and are in Devon... and the Bass is
to be savoured 🍻
The second is Ye Olde Dolphin Inne (website), close by the cathedral
in Derby, the oldest and, allegedly, 'most haunted' public house in the
city. The building dates back to 1530, but the pseudo-Tudor additions to the
exterior were made about 100 years ago, but it's still a great little building
to investigate, with nooks and crannies in an unspoilt interior. I first
visited here in the 1990s, as I lived in Sheffield at the time, and Derby is
very close, and I obviously had to investigate this nearby city with its wealth
of very good pubs. More often than not, subsequent visits were in connection
with trips to to football matches at Pride Park, or made in
conjunction with visits by friends or family.
Coincidentally, the
first pint I ever drank here was of cask-conditioned Bass, though served via a handpump and not
gravity fed, but it was still very good. I've also even seen
cask-conditioned Worthington E here,
which is very rare; I think Marston's now brew Bass for AB InBev, but that may well
have changed with all that's happened! Ye Olde Dolphin Inne also sells a
good variety of other regular and guest ales, which I've always found to be in
good condition, including a 'house ale' (that I haven't tried, since it wasn't
around at the time of my last visit), but which is brewed for them by Nottingham
Brewery apparently, ie a 4.4% bitter called Dolphin
1530AD... but that may soon be old news, who knows? Anyway, if
visiting Derby, which does have a great selection of good real ale pubs,
Ye Olde Dolphin Inne should be on your list of visits.
The third choice is my current local, The Dolphin Inn (website), situated in Rock-a-Nore Road, opposite the fishermen's net huts and Stade, and
at the southernmost point of Hastings 'Old Town'. The
situation means you do get fishermen, and retired fishermen, frequenting this
pub, a sign of the great continuity here. There are also a variety of other
regular locals, and visitors to Hastings too, a true diversity of customers,
male and female, young and old, professionals and labourers, I shan't go on,
you'll get the point. It's a proper family-run pub, landlord and landlady, son
and 2 daughters, and good regular staff, who may as well be family!
The Dolphin Inn
supports local breweries from Sussex and Kent, with many local beers served
regularly (5 out of 6 on my last visit, I seem to remember), having 3 regular
ales, which were Dark Star Hophead, Harvey's
Sussex Best and
(non-local brewed in Bedford, not London anymore) Young's Special, also a 'changing' regular from the
excellent Kent Brewery, plus seasonal regulars, eg Dark Star American Pale Ale and Harvey's
Old Ale; usually, in 'normal' times 6
real ales are served by handpump. They are probably re-opening the balcony,
with service at the benches, and weather permitting, but fewer ales available, though starting with the excellent Kent Prohibition, from the
12th of April, ie Step Two/Three/whatever of the steps to freedom! I
can only add that, like the other 2 Dolphins, definitely worth a visit if in Hastings,
cheers!
