Oktoberfest in Hastings!

Oktoberfest at The Prince Albert, 28 Cornwallis Street, Hastings TN34 1SS (website), comes early each year at this genuine free house, which I believe has a relationship with the London brewery Anspach & Hobday (website). I'd been meaning to check up on when its Oktoberfest was being held, as I remembered from last year I just got in at the end (last day), which I did again this year! But they do have quite a busy period coming up... 🍺🎉🍻

I started off with the cask ale, brewed by Anspach & Hobday (website), their 4.3% session IPA Wunderbar, brewed in collaboration with German Kraft Brewery (website). German hops are used in abundance, Callista (BarthHaas), Hersbrucker (hopslist), and Huell Melon (hopslist), producing a cornucopia of fruit taste and aroma, notably, melon, dark berries, forest and citrus fruits. The beer was slightly cloudy and, yes, packed full of fruity flavours indeed, with a dry bitter finish, and I thought a wee bit different, and not bad at all! 🍺

I then started on the lagers, first from Edinburgh brewery Newbarns (website), who the pub featured during Hastings Tap Takeover last year (blog). I drank their 5.6% Festival Bier (5.7% last year) brewed using a blend of 10 different malted barleys, producing a German style golden lager. It was slightly bitter, with plenty of flavour, and very easy to drink for its strength! 😁

I then moved on to the real thing 😉 from Bavarian brewery Hacker-Pschorr (website), their special seasonal 6.0% Oktoberfest Bier, brewed with Alpine Spring Water and 'noble' Hallertau hops (hopslist), and brewed in March specifically to mature for Oktoberfest. This was a slightly darker amber colour, a subtle maltiness with a clean finish; my notes say 'folks will realise I'm not a lager drinker, but this is pretty damn good!" Which says it all really, nice one. 👍

Then, from another Bavarian brewery Hofbrau Munchen (website) and their 6.3% Hofbrau Oktoberfestbier, another festival 'special' beer brewed with Herkules (hopslist), Perle (hopslist), and Spalter Select (Hop Alliance) hops. This is a pale golden colour with a subtle sweetness and hints of grapefruit and dried fruits to the taste, very refreshing, and 6.3% (!) so dangerous to drink. My notes say "so much better than the commercial lagers brewed over here." So obviously true, no comparison, I could (shouldn't) drink this all day, cheers. 🍻

I finished off with another Bavarian brew from Flotzinger Brau (website) and their 5.8% Wies'n-Marzen, brewed specifically for the Rosenheim Autumn Festival, not Munchen Oktoberfest like the previous 2 😉 but available all year round. Brewed with Hallertau (hopslist) and Tettnanger (hopslist) hops, and I'll just repeat my notes: "I could get addicted to proper European beers brewed in their own country, pale, drinkable, in fact tasty! Nice one 👍"

Oktoberfest done for another year, cheers folks! 😁

Happy IPA Day 2022!

Yes, today is IPA Day 2022 (zeebiz), celebrating India Pale Ales on the first Thursday of August every year, and how they have been influenced by craft brewers, and hops, from the USA. IPAs were originally brewed to be transported by boat on the long trip to India from Britain in the 18th century, thus had plenty of strength and with hops as a preservative, to survive the journey. The idea to have an IPA day began 11 years ago in 2011, and is the brain child of American beer enthusiast and author, Ashley Routson, to whom I have to thank for making me also take advantage of this day over here in Britain, cheers!

To celebrate I had 2 ales, one from South Yorkshire, the other from Kent. From up int' North of England, just around the corner from where I used to live in Sheffield, and Little Critters Brewing (website), their #3 Session IPA (4.5%), brewed with Galaxy and Sabro hops, a true international mix! Galaxy hops are descended from a German variety, Perle, and is an Australian hop noted for 'citrus, peach and passion fruit aromas' (Hopslist). Sabro hops, meanwhile, are from the Yakima Valley in the USA, the result of a "cross-pollination of a female neomexicanus hop" with "tangerine, coconut, tropical fruit, and stone fruit aromas" (Yakima Valley Hops). I have to admit I didn't get anywhere near the amount of fruit suggested in the aroma, the #3 Session IPA is a pale golden IPA, very dry and bitter aftertaste, and not bad at all!

From Kent Brewery (website), back down in the South East of England, and their #4 in their single hopped pale series Simcoe (also 4.5%), and, unsurprisingly, brewed with Simcoe hops. Simcoe hops are another hop variety from the Yakima Valley in the USA, with bright "citrus flavours with earthy undertones, aromas of grapefruit, pine and herbs" (Hopslist). Out of the two I prefer this ale, though they are both very decent, again a pale golden bitter, with a hint of the fruit aromas suggested, and a hint in the taste too, nice dry bitter finish, and very good indeed!

Anyway, Happy IPA Day, and cheers Ashley, I've ordered a copy of your book! 🍺