So this is Christmas...

I saw the St Bernadus (website) Christmas Ale (10.0%) in the Jolly Fisherman in Hastings (blog) and there were only 2 bottles left, so I had to go in for one! I've talked about the brewery before, eg in my blog about St Bernard's Day back in August, so I shan't repeat myself here, but just write about the ale. As you can see it has a very dark deep red in colour and yes, it is a Christmas/Winter ale in style indeed! A fruity roasted malt aroma with a hint of chocolate too, and a big fruity taste, I noted damson plums in particular with a hint of cherry, plenty of body unsurprisingly, and with a dry finish and pretty damn good! A Belgian Christmas ale to add to the English one from Harvey's I recently imbibed (blog).

And my brother Dan has brought back beer from Belgium for me again for this year's Christmas present, he told me it's not the same as last year (blog), so I'll have to resist temptation and see what bottles there are, yes, I can tell it's 4 bottles from the shape, to come... 😁 

Met up with Leeds John yesterday at the Eel & Bear (blog), and drank this rather sumptuous Biscoff Chocolate Brownie, a 7.0% Pastry Stout from Somerset based Yonder Brewing (website). Again, does what it says on the label big time, biscuit, vanilla, caramel, coffee and chocolate in the aroma and taste, smooth and luxurious, sumptuous indeed, cheers! 👍

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! 👍

Belgian Beers Making Up For Monday!

To make up for Monday's falling back on weaker, brewed for abroad, 6.0% Leffe for Belgian National Day (blog), I dropped into The Jolly Fisherman (blog) the next day, and had 2 more impressive Belgian beers. First the Trappistes Rochefort 10 (website), with records written that brewing starting at the now nearly 800 years old monastery by 1595, the monks previously working on farming and mining only. During the revolutionary period from 1789, the monks fled from French troops, not returning until 1889. Looting and destruction of their original church meant they built a new church and brewery and, as farming failed to meet the monastery's financial needs, they supplemented their income by selling their beers. By 1952 professional brewing became their main source of income, and a new brewery was built in 1960.

Since 2020 brewing has been at a brand new 'state of the art' brewhouse, from whence came the Rochefort 10 I drank on Tuesday, a Quadrupel, a mere 11.3% in strength 😉 with the '10' coming from an older Belgian measurement of wort density. A deep reddish brown in colour, a bottle conditioned beer, with a spicy, fruity and slightly smoky, aroma. It's pretty much full of dark spicy fruits in the taste, a little chocolate too, my notes on the day say "Black Forest Gateau in a glass" and quite right too, plenty of body, rich and luxurious, gorgeous! 😁

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

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

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!

Comparative Analysis of an Imperial Stout and a Pilsner!

OK, I'm being unfair saying this is a 'comparative analysis' because the beers in question are so different in styles, and despite the fact that one of the collaborators in this Imperial Stout, Gravity Well, does mostly brew paler beers, and even dry hopped pilsners! But, it's because I'd been given the opportunity to try the pilsner below (in can and from the keg gratis, many thanks to Mark and Mo of the Dolphin Inn, Hastings), and last night I just had to try the seriously stronger stout at the Jolly Fisherman in Hastings, cheers Oliver! 👍

So, to this collaboration between Gravity Well Brewing (website) and the Low Key Barrel Project (facebook), the 10.2% You Are Here Imperial Stout, described as Chocolate, Coconut, Tonka and Vanilla Brownie! Before you ask, Tonka isn't a metal toy, but a bean/spice with a vanilla flavour and hints of almond, marzipan, cinnamon and cloves (Spice Mountain). I'd only recently looked this up relating to another beer, but it does what it says on the label, rich, smooth and luxurious, and dangerously strong, yummy! 😁

And the unfair comparison is with Harvey's Brewery (website) 4.0% Pilsner, see, I said it isn't fair. 😂 They describe this as 'Prussian hopped' with Lubelski hops grown in Poland; also known as Lubelska, this is a hop variety originally developed from Saaz hops (hopslist) in the Czech Republic, it is now a 'mainstay of Polish breweries' (hopslist). Again, quite a session beer, and I'm not really a lager drinker, but I did enjoy the stronger beers I drank during the Hastings Oktoberfest at the Prince Albert last year (blog), but I was surprised as it's quite drinkable, despite the lack of strength. 😉 Indeed, quite crisp, dry and slightly bitter, and refreshing with a hint of citrus and cinnamon in the aroma and taste, not bad, cheers! 🍺

International Orval Day

Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval

The 23rd of March 2025 was this year's International Orval Day. Why have an Orval day? Well, as often is the case, strangely for a specific Belgian beer though, the celebratory day originated in the USA in 2015 with the US importer of Orval, Merchant du Vin, holding an Orval promotion in a store in Ohio, calling  it "Orval Day." Because of the success of the promotion, the importer organised a national Orval Day the following year, which has developed into an International Orval Day since, held in March very year (hopculture).

The Abbey at Orval is a relatively new abbey, rebuilt by 1948 by the sites of earlier abbeys, the remains of the previous abbey which was burnt down by French revolutionary troops in the late 18th century, remain adjacent. The name Orval comes from a legend that Countess Matilde of Tuscany lost her wedding ring when it fell into a well, she prayed, and it was returned to her by a trout with the ring in its mouth, she proclaimed, "Truly this is a Val d'Or!" - Valley of Gold, and she established a monastery there in gratitude. The photograph above is from the VisitArdenne website, to which I extend my thanks, oh yes, and the Ardennes is going to feature a wee bit in another blog I have planned to share very soon. 😉

So, yesterday I visited the The Jolly Fisherman in Hastings (blog), because I happened to know that Oliver there sells Orval, consequently logical to me. 😁 Orval is a trappist ale brewed in the Brasserie d'Orval at the Abbaye Notre-Dame d'Orval, the brewery was founded in 1931 during the rebuilding of the abbey. Lay persons carry out the work in the abbey's brewery; the abbey also being known for it's cheese, the production of which I believe monks carry out.

Orval is a 6.2% ale, ostensibly, as there are more than one fermentation processes in it's development, including being bottle conditioned, so no bottled beer is exactly the same! And unique among Belgian beers, it is dry-hopped, thanks to the early influence of a brewer who had worked in England. Indeed, the hops used are Kent Styrian Golding (hopslist) and German Hallertau-Hersbruck (hopslist); I believe their first head brewer was German.

The colour is more golden than my photograph above shows, but with an orange hue, I think including some of the yeast at the bottom of the bottle was influential in the image, so a wee bit cloudy. The beer is dry and slightly tart with a bitter finish, and has a subtle spicy/fruity aroma. My taste has changed since I first drank Orval when I used to visit my brother in Brussels 20-30 years ago, and at the time this was my immediate panic buy when I entered a bar, always with numerous beers on it's beer menu. I did go off it a bit after tasting Westmalle Tripel, for example, but drinking it again, I really enjoyed it, cheers to Orval Day! 😁

Looking back at Ashley Routson's book (blog), she states that Orval is "arguably the best beer on the planet." I may argue with that myself, but she's right that it's pretty damn good, 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! 🍻

Jolly Fisherman: Good Company, Beers & Amusement!

I had a very pleasant time yesterday afternoon/early evening at The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 3AR (facebook). Plenty of convivial discourse, and leading to Tim following my facebook page, cheers! Not to forget an interesting potential 'customer' wanting chilli sauce, did he think it's a shop, but with merry customers?!? 😁

Anyway, I had a bit of variety drinks-wise, starting off with a cask ale from the ever dependable Marble Beers (website) and their 4.2% Manchester Bitter. Brewed with Cascade (hopslist) and Ekuanot (Yakima Valley Hops) hops, and Marble say HS Exp hops, an experimental hop which I think may be Eureka (hopslist), but please don't hold me to that. 😏 Marble Beers proving yet again that 'vegan friendly' ales brewed can still be clear, sorry but no photograph, so please take my word for it. A deep golden amber coloured traditional bitter, with a hint of citrus, nice one!

I then had the perry from Worcestershire based Barbourne Cider Co (website), who have their own orchard growing cider apples and perry pears, not to mention many other fruits in Ombersley  (website). Their 5.0% Painted Lady perry is made from the juice of freshly pressed Worcestershire Painted Lady pears (National Perry Pear Centre). I certainly recognised pear flavour in the taste, refreshing with a nice dry finish, a very decent perry indeed. 🍐

Then I moved on to the more local Bignose and Beardy Sussex Cider (self-deprecating humour creating the name from their personal attributes; a good read at the website) and their 6.8% Shelter from the Storm dry cider. They get apples that would otherwise be wasted, and 'wild ferment' and age their ciders in a solar powered cidery. Shelter from the Storm was made with apples from the nearby Little Shepherds Orchard, producing a slightly acidic cider with a big apple aroma and taste, certainly not for sweet cider drinkers, but I liked it. 🍎🍏

I then moved on to the crafty keg beers and, from Berkshire based Siren Craft Brew (website), their 7.4% Serendipity, above, a 'Ruby Chocolate Stout' believe it or not, brewed by the women of the brewery to celebrate International Women's Day (website). Obviously with cacao nibs added, but also with Ruby Chocolate, which I'd never heard of. I was very interested in what hops were used as there was a tropical fruit flavour too, but Siren haven't shared hop information, although they solve the problem by stating that Black Cherries are among the adjuncts used! So yes, very chocolatey and fruity, very drinkable, although I couldn't drink pints of it 😉 and I would call it a porter rather than a stout; I've written about this subject before (blog).

My final beer was a porter (I'll agree with this 😉) from Pohjala Brewery in Tallin, Estonia (website), and their 11.0% Tallin at Dawn, an 'Imperial Baltic Porter' aged for 16 months in Madeira casks. Chocolate, coffee and liquorice in the aroma and hints of coffee and chocolate in the taste, pretty subtle, plenty of body of course, and a very decent last beer of the day, but...

Oliver tempted me to help finish his Irish Whiskey by showing me the bottle of the next one to come! So, from the Hinch Distillery in Northern Ireland (website), I had a wee glass of their 43% Small Batch Bourbon Cask, aged for 3-4 years in bourbon casks, and a blend of Single Malt and Single Grain Whiskeys. Smooth, as triple distilled Irish whiskeys tend to be, with hints of caramel, citrus and dried fruits, very easy to drink, a nice end to the session, cheers!

Cider Week 2024 - Cider Session 2 in Hastings

My second British Cider Week 2024 'session' was at another micropub, The Jolly Fisherman (facebook page), 3 East Beach Street, Hastings TN34 3AR (tel: 01424 428811). Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday 4.00pm to 11.00pm; Saturday 2.00pm to 11.00pm; Sunday 2.00pm to 10.30pm; closed Mondays, although hours do vary sometimes for public holidays and for some events. I have written a blog about the history of this wee pub 6 years ago. They no longer serve food, other than bar snacks, nor do B&B anymore.

My first cider of the shift was from Kent, Turners Cider (website), and their 6.5% Dry Cider, 'made with 100% Kentish apples.' As you can see above, a very pale cider, with plenty of apple in the taste and nice and dry, I liked it! 👌

My second drink for Session 2 was actually a perry, [I'd already written about one of the ciders available here in Session 1 (blog)], and I didn't want to include any fizzy ciders, consequently, from Hecks Cider in Somerset (website), their 6.0% Perry, made with 100% perry pears grown in Somerset. A pale golden yellowish perry, with hints of berries and pear in the taste, a sour aroma, and a slightly tart finish, complex and very enjoyable indeed. 😁

My third drink of the session was from Newton Court in Herefordshire (website), their 6.6% Major, a single cider apple variety originating from further into the West Country. As you can tell from the photograph above, a very reddish cider, which comes from an apple variety that has a very red skin, unsurprisingly. Generally accepted as a 'bittersweet' fruit, this limited edition cider has a subtle apple aroma, a very fruity taste, and with a dry finish. I noted "very good!" 👍

My final cider of the session was from Luke's Cider in East London (website), their also 6.6% Queen Dab, made from a single apple variety Dabinett, a 50/50 blend of apples grown in Herefordshire and Somerset. A rusty reddish colour, sour apple aroma, a very dry and bitter cider, and pretty much like ciders I have drunk in the past when I lived in Devon (eg blog), authentic!

Some very interesting and flavoursome ciders (and a perry) imbibed over the two sessions, probably the Newton Court Major shaded it as my favourite, cheers m'dears! 🍻

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!