Tower Pub, Hastings, Real Ale Festival This Weekend!

The Tower, up on the corner of London Road and Tower Road, Bohemia TN37 6NB (Hastings & St Leonards), is holding its annual Real Ale Festival this weekend (facebook), from Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd of February 2025; 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday, 11am to 10pm Sunday... oh yes, and real ciders will be available too! Some of what will be available below:

ENJOY, CHEERS!

Iron Pier Beer in Cans; A Chore to Sample!

OK, not really a chore, more like a 'calling' 😉 but I had these 3 cans of beers from Iron Pier Brewery in Kent (website) to report back on. Silly me, I forgot to take photographs with them in a glass or three, but sensible enough to keep the empty cans (photograph above).😏

Even though I have no images of these beers in a glass to share, I do have fond memories of drinking a couple of dark 'barrel aged' ales from Iron Pier Brewery in the past, up at The Tower pub above St Leonards in Bohemia, for example this 9.0% Speyside Whisky barrel aged Imperial Stout (blog), which was absolutely gorgeous, cheers Louisa!😁

But back to the cans, and a wee bit less luxurious stout, their Cast Iron Stout (4.7%), based on a Victorian recipe, and brewed with 7 different malts. The roasted malts producing chocolate and hints of coffee in the taste, slightly sweet to start with, but with a dry finish. The colour is very dark and the beer opaque, but to me this was what a stout should be like, plenty of body, smooth and warm, with roasted malt taste, very nice; see this blog explaining my thoughts on stout.👌

Second, their Rosherville Red (4.8%), a "hoppy red rye" ale brewed with Citra, Ekuanot, Bullion and Mosaic hops, and malted barley, wheat and rye. This is like a 'souped up' red APA, but with a more packed fruitiness including, not just grapefruit and citrus, but forest fruits and dark red fruits too, no doubt heavily influenced by the Bullion hops! A big fruity aroma and taste, with the red fruits dominating at the end, indeed, not bad at all.👍

And, knowing my preferences in taste, I was looking forward to the pale hoppy one, their 4.2% Session IPA, brewed with Citra, Denali (Sultana), Columbus and Amarillo hops, producing what you would expect... An abundance of citrus and forest fruits in the aroma and taste, an American style IPA, indeed, an APA, with a dry fruity finish too, again, not bad at all, cheers! 👍

For more information about hops, see the hopslist website.

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! 🍻

November: Save our Pubs, News and Views

I received my November copy of CAMRA's What's Brewing a few days ago and, unsurprisingly, the main theme was their campaign to "save our pubs from extinction" (website), also inside was the regular Roger Protz article which this month emphasized that we should "kill the virus not our locals." Obviously it isn't just CAMRA trying to save our local and community pubs, but the pub trade and brewing industry have their own campaigns (Campaign for Pubs), and, of course, we the customer do not want to return to a 'normal' life that has lost local pubs, which provide a social hub for many, a community service that the Government cannot provide, help prevent loneliness and depression, and help to ensure a good mental health for many, not to mention great real ales. I don't know about your locals, but the 6 pubs I have visited since the first lockdown all ensured sufficient mitigating factors were in place to ensure Covid Safety for their customers. But now a second month-long lockdown comes into force in England on Guy Fawkes Day, the 5th of November 2020, a lockdown that is very likely to go into 2021... Now is the time to save our pubs from extinction!

Oh yes, and this is the usual time of year to sample 'green hopped' ales, that is, ales brewed using hops picked that morning (though I doubt many stick to that 'purity') but basically, the hops used for the brew are freshly picked, not dried/preserved, which always provides a variation of tastes, and they are usually pretty excellent, as brewers are very careful with these seasonal beers. Anyway, I was going to walk up to the Tower (blog) last week as Louisa promised me she had 2 firkins of the always excellent Dark Star Green Hopped IPA (6.5%) in her cellar the previous week, so I was going to visit last week to savour this delicious ale... Sadly, the weather was atrocious and I didn't make it up the hill. But then, my more local 'local' the Dolphin (blog) had the same ale delivered last Thursday, and was going to have it available this week, but now the lockdown has stopped that happening, I'm not a happy bunny at all 😒 

Any more news? Well, Marston's has merged with Carlsberg, and any merger is a cause for concern, but we shall have to wait and see how that pans out...

Beer sales have plummeted, apparently, since March and lockdown, which is hardly surprising, and pubs, breweries and jobs are at risk even more now.

Whatever, look after yourselves during these bleak times, and be safe!

My Second Pub Visited Post-Lockdown

A confident message from the publican, Louisa, and amusing too, the story is based on the events of Sunday the 23rd of May 1943, when a bombing and 'strafing' raid was made on Hastings during World War II, with one pub, the Swan Inn in the High Street in the Old Town, receiving a direct hit. The Swan Inn has a long history, indeed the Duke of Wellington was honoured with a dinner and dance there soon after he returned home from Ireland with his new wife, Kitty Packenham, in 1806 (blog). A memorial garden is now on the site, opposite St Clements Church. You'll have guessed by now that wasn't the pub I was in for a few pints...

No, I was at The Tower, 251 London Road, on the corner with Tower Road, in Bohemia, Hastings & St Leonards TN34 6NB, I've been there twice, actually, since my last blog. So, during that air raid back in 1943 an interesting wee story evolved when a 1,000 lbs bomb hit the road outside The Tower, which had its cellar doors open for a delivery, and it bounced along and dropped into the cellar of the pub, I kid you not, and it did not explode! I am certainly grateful for that, because The Tower is one of my favourite local watering holes, thankfully the building is still standing.

The Tower

The sapper who diffused the bomb that day rendering it harmless, and who returned the next day to remove it, was a gentleman from Coventry called Patrick Kavanagh. A photographer from the Hastings Observer recorded the removal of the bomb from the cellar, but the image was never published in the newspaper because of wartime restrictions. Coincidentally, Patrick's daughter moved to Hastings, just round the corner from The Tower in Springfield Road, and when visiting her in 1990 he strolled to the local pub for a drink. Not realizing he was in the same pub he was reminiscing with locals about his wartime experience and was told to have a look at a photograph on the wall, which was the photograph taken 47 years earlier, and the photograph is still on the wall now! I have found an interesting account written by his son 9 years ago (website).

So, drinks at The Tower, excellently served by Lou, and the pub that couldn't be closed by the Luftwaffe, even after they bombed the building, has been reopened with suitable restrictions taking into account Government Covid-19 Guidelines, following Johnson closing the pub!

The photograph immediately above is from my second visit, an interesting variety of styles, but the first ale I shall describe was the very good 'best bitter' I drank on my previous visit, from the Sussex brewer, Gun Brewery (website), their 4.4% Chummy Bluster, brewed with 7 malts and 3 different English hops. It is described as 'Vegan Friendly' being unfined, and gluten free, so drinkable for all! And it did what it said on the label, my notes say: "traditional coloured, plenty of body and flavour, like a good Best Bitter" which says it all!

I started with a guest session bitter for my second visit, from the Kent brewer, Northdown Brewery (website) Pale Ale Mary (4.0%), brewed with Northdown, Brewers Gold and Bobek hops, pale, but not as fruity and flowery as many contemporary pale ales. Indeed, quite subtle flavours with a nice dry bitter finish, a very decent session bitter. I've drunk and written about the 'classic' Dark Star Hophead (3.8%) many times, and I didn't drink it on this visit, as 'researching' and someone has to do the job! But I did try the very different beer from Cumbrian brewer Fell Brewery (website), their Cask O'Joe, a 4.6% 'Coffee Milk Stout.' Very smooth, rich and creamy, not too much coffee in the taste and with a hint of chocolate, a bit too sweet for me really, although it did have a slightly dry bitter finish, but I did drink a pint with no bother!

My last pint was another from Gun Brewery, a 6.5% Vegan IPA with a big citrus and tropical fruit aroma and taste, presumably hops from the USA used, as this is an APA style. It's advertised as being 'hazy' because 'Vegan' but hardly hazy at all, with proteins in the brew obviously dropping naturally. My favourite ale of the lot, hic... cheers to Lou, and to you the reader!

Covid-19, Government Guidance & Pubs Reopening!

This is a slightly edited blog I wrote elsewhere, for Hastings, seeing as I can't get around the country like I used to! However, it should be pertinent wherever you live in England.

Happier Times, CHEERS!

It seems like we get new 'guidance' regularly (law, basically!) regarding Covid-19 and the Coronavirus Crisis from Her Majesty's Government, well, I'm sure you must be aware that newer guidance will be in force from the 4th of July, but hardly 'independence day' (website). So what major changes will there be from tomorrow? 

Your household will now be able to meet up with one other household, indoors or outdoors, however, you need to continue with social distancing from people not in your household or bubble (a group larger than 30 can be broken up by the Police!), and it continues that you may meet up outdoors as long as you maintain social distancing in a group of 6 maximum, from up to 6 different households.

Social Distancing will remain at TWO METRES or ONE METRE PLUS (website), that is "plus mitigations" which will depend on the setting. "For example, on public transport, people must wear a face covering... In other spaces mitigations could include installing screens, making sure people face away from each other, putting up handwashing facilities, minimising the amount of time you spend with people outside your household or bubble, and being outdoors."

All this is pretty much passing responsibility on to others, quite frankly, because, as we all know, the economic cost of the Coronavirus Crisis has been quite high to the Government, and they appear to want to get out of paying to support businesses, particularly in the Hospitality Sector, as early as possible, but not necessarily at the most sensible speed health-wise. So, guidance has been written up for Restaurants, pubs, bars and takeaway services (website) to 'support' pubs, restaurants and bars to reopen, and visiting such places ain't gonna be what we're used to!

I am not going to say 'yay' or 'nay' to whether people should visit pubs, bars and restaurants, that is our personal choice, bearing in mind the restrictions within the guidance offered by Government, how this is interpreted by local authorities and the Police and Courts, and not to forget, how the publicans, restaurateurs and managers interpret and implement guidance. It's a pig's ear frankly!

I have been asking around, and it looks like less than 50% of establishments in Hastings & St Leonards will reopen on the 4th, with many planning to open on Monday the 6th, quite a few later bearing in mind work being carried out in the meantime, some much later. I have added a photograph (above) of The Tower pub in London Road, which will be reopening tomorrow morning (it has been making off-sales during lockdown - blog) with details of changes to how it will appear, should you visit the pub.

The landlady has advised me that they are continuing today with the off-sales, as per my earlier blog, and will be open at their usual hours from the 4th of July, 11.00 am to 11.00 pm I believe. There will be table service only, no standing at the bar, so all customers will be seated, and no reservations in advance. I think this is pretty much the way it will be everywhere, except those with outside gardens/patios may have a few differences. Hygiene will be maximized and hand washing facilities and the use of sanitizing gel will no doubt be increased everywhere. Best wishes to Louisa and others! 

I can't provide details of who is opening, or when, throughout Hastings, but certainly in the 'old town' it appears that more pubs and bars will be closed than those open over this weekend. I presume similar will be happening throughout England!

Anyway, enjoy your weekend, wherever you go, and do be careful folks!

Chilli Porter or Stout

I had to try to be the first customer up in Bohemia yesterday afternoon, following my blog the other day about the Tower being the latest real ale provider to return to business in Hastings with off sales, but I was second, oh well... But I did get to buy a couple of pints of the very interesting sounding Franklins (website) Sriracha Ace (5.0%) which, as I said, is brewed with Sorachi Ace hops to add a citrus note to dark chocolate and coffee flavours, apparently subtly spiced with Guajillo Peppers...

Well, it pretty much does what it says on the tin/what the brewery says, my notes give it a coffee in the aroma with a hint of chilli, flavour-wise, there is coffee and chocolate, though I didn't really get the citrus, but then, there are other very dominant flavours, and I caught the chilli, just, yes it is very subtle, in the aftertaste, just at the back of the throat. I'm not going to go on again about the difference between stouts and porters, you can read my thoughts here if you haven't already done so, but I thought it was more of a stout than a porter, there you go! But very nice, I'd drink it again, cheers! 😀

More Real Ale Available during this crisis...

The Tower

Apologies to readers from elsewhere, but this is mostly local to me and where I live on the south coast, but I did write a blog not so long ago about initiatives around the country, so please don't feel left out. Anyway, I more recently wrote a blog about real ale brought to me by The Jolly Fisherman in Hastings, but now I have an extra source of cask-conditioned ale, yay! 

The Tower (see, for example, an older blog), up on the corner of London Road and Tower Road in Hastings & St Leonards TN37 6NB, is holding a launch opening on Monday 1st June 2020, and then will be opening 3 evenings a week from Wednesday 3rd June to provide off sales, with 'social distancing' facilitated, and hand sanitizer provided too:

Monday 1st June 4-8pm; THEN

Wednesdays 4-8pm

Fridays 4-8pm

Saturdays 4-8pm

There will be 2 cask-conditioned ales on sale at a great value £3.99 for 2 pints, changing as each cask runs out: kicking off with 2 Sussex ales this Monday, from Dark Star Brewing Co (website), their superb 3.8% pale refreshing session ale Hophead, brewed with Cascade hops providing plenty of citrus flavour and bitterness, a dependable old favourite. 

The second is a darker ale from Franklins Brewing Co (website), and a very interesting Porter style too, their 5.0% Sriracha Ace, brewed with Sorachi Ace hops to add a citrus note to dark chocolate and coffee flavours subtly spiced with Guajillo Peppers... I so need to try this one!

They are also selling 6 different real ciders (2 pints for £3.99, again, great value); keg beers, beginning with Guinness, Fosters and Stella Artois; cans, including ale and lager (2 cans for £3.80 or 4 for £7.49), from another local brewer, Gun Brewery (website); bigger cans (!) as in Mini Kegs from Gun Brewery too (small and large cans, I gather, will change as stock changes, and 'showcasing' different breweries); and 3 bottles of wine for £20. 

2 pint reusable plastic bottles are available, but customers are asked to please bring their own bags in which to transport them. It is excellent to see another local business helping us real ale drinkers survive the Coronavirus Crisis, and I wish good luck to, and express my thanks to, Louisa and her colleagues, who I may just see very shortly. 😉

Look after yourselves folk and be careful out there, cheers!

The Tower Ale & Cider Festival 2020 Review

"You took your time!" I hear you say? Well, yes, I was at the 3rd Annual Ale & Cider Festival at The Tower, 251 London Road, Hastings & St Leonards TN37 6NB, all 3 days of last weekend, obviously just as a volunteer serving up ale by gravity, straight from the casks. I also did taste quite a few of the ales, with just a sip here and there, of course... 😉

I shall start off with the ales with less strength, and served from the bar (below) from which I (and other volunteers) was dispensing for a couple of hours each day:

Dancing Duck (website) Waitangi (4.0%) is brewed with New Zealand hops, indeed, Waitangi Day (6th February) is the National Day of New Zealand (the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by Maori chiefs and representatives of the British Crown on 6th February 1840). A very pale, dry crisp bitter with hints of citrus, not a bad start;

Purple Moose (website) Cwrw Ysgowen (4.0%) is the Welsh brewer's Elderflower Ale, pale and slightly fruity, easy to drink;

Crouch Vale (website) G.I. Joe (4.1%), with its cocktail of hopes from the USA, wasn't as citrus as I expected, but was actually a very good bitter, liked it indeed;

Wylam (website) Cascade (4.1%) unsurprisingly brewed with Cascade hops and, unsurprisingly, with a huge citrus aroma, lemon and grapefruit. Wonderful aroma, but a wee bit disappointed that the taste wasn't so big, pale and bitter with a dry finish, I would be happy to drink any day;

Stroud (website) Twinkle (4.2%) produced by this organic brewer, with New Zealand hops (Nelson and Taiheke) and Cascade hops from the USA. A pale golden bitter with hints of citrus and exotic fruit, again, easy to drink;

The Festival Bar

Intrepid (facebook) O'ir (4.3%), the name meaning 'gold.' A pale golden ale from a microbrewery in Sheffield, quite refreshing, and I noted 'pretty good' which means I liked it quite a bit;

Ampersand (website) On The Wing (4.7%) unfined and unfiltered (consequently hazy), and brewed with oats and Pilgrim, Amarillo, Citra, Ekuanot and El Dorado hops. Gentle citrus to the taste, and not bad at all;

Parkway (website) Mad Dog (5.0%), my first dark beer of the festival, well, at least my first from the festival bar. Very dark, with an aroma like toasted bread, slightly sweet and malty taste at first, nutty and a dark roasted barley taste, I liked this;

Salopian (website) PURR (5.0%), another unfiltered and unfined ale, but clear this one (which shows it can be done!). With hints of citrus and tropical fruits, I wrote that this ale was "pretty good" and that's good from me, but a reliable brewery too;

Cairngorm (website) Wildcat (5.1%), a deeper amber colour, tasting more like a traditional special bitter, with malt and darker fruit flavours from the more traditional British Challenger and Fuggles hops, not bad at all;

Black Lodge (website) Order of Magnitude (5.3%) brewed with Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe hops, also hazy, so presumably unfined too.With those hops you wouldn't be surprised to get a big citrus aroma and taste, and you wouldn't be wrong, pretty good;

Three Legs (website) South East IPA (5.7%) brewed with 'modern English hops' giving it a more tropical fruit aroma and flavour, and, yet again, unfined and hazy and not bad at all.

Salopian PURR

You will guess from the image immediately above that of the ales at the festival bar, the Salopian PURR was my favourite, but now I ventured over to the main bar itself, on finishing serving, and to watch the rugby too, where I tasted the stronger, mostly darker side:

Gun (website) 'Pimped' Parabellum (4.4% I think, sorry, I didn't make a note of the strength, and they have brewed it at 4.1 and 4.4%, tasted stronger anyway) which is usually a 'milk stout' but this version had added chilli! OK, very dark, with hints of chocolate and chilli, and I liked it a lot;

Downlands (website) Muntjac 'mocha stout' (5.8%), brewed with Eureka hops, very dark and smooth, with hints of liquorice, coffee and chocolate, not bad at all; 

Bedlam (website) Stollen (6.5%), and yes, it does what it says on the label! Deep red colour with a hint of dark fruit and almonds in the flavour, and I do love almonds and marzipan, so I liked this, though I wouldn't be able to drink too many pints of it.

Okay, I missed a few of the festival ales, and all of the 9 ciders, but I couldn't drink everything and I did my best! But, as I hinted at in my blog the other week, I did find my favourite ale of the festival to be the 9.0% Iron Pier (website) Speyside BA Imperial Stout, that is, aged in Speyside whisky barrels, and matured for another few months in Louisa's cellar, gorgeous, and frankly, excellent! Well that's what I wrote in my notes and in the earlier blog, plus with a "big dark fruity aroma with hints of roasted barley and whisky, tasting like a stout should, big flavour and body, sweet to start with, but drying out into a bitter finish." QUALITY. 

There you go, I enjoyed myself and cheers to Louisa!

Beer Festival at the Tower in Hastings this Weekend!

This weekend, Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd February 2020, sees the third Tower Beer Festival, at the reigning 2019 South East Sussex CAMRA Pub of the Year (see blog from last year): The Tower, on the corner of London Road/Tower Road, Bohemia, Hastings & St Leonards, East Sussex TN37 6NB. Opening times are 11 am to 11 pm every day.

Above are the tasting notes for the ales being sold over the weekend, and there will likely be a few more available too, and there has always been a rather tasty stew served up so you don't go hungry (there is a vegetarian option too, today {21st} I enjoyed eating a very tasty, not too spicy, bean and vegetable stew). The previous 2 years have provided a lovely range of ales, also they will be selling 9 real ciders, and you may just see me serving a few ales up too, as I shall be there every day, cheers!

This is International Stout Day!

OK, I announced the other day that today is International Stout Day 2019, so I had to go and find somewhere selling a stout, or hopefully two, and I was really praying for an Iron Pier stout/porter (website) special, but no luck there... However, I walked up to The Tower in London Road (facebook) and drank, before drinking 2 excellent strong pale bitters (that will come out soon in another blog), a very nice dark bitter, virtually a dark mild/bitter, and a milk stout. 

You can guess the milk stout, but before that I drank, from North Yorkshire, Great Heck (website) Dave, a 3.8% deep dark red bitter/mild (oxymoron maybe, but drink it and you'll know what I mean!), roasted barley in the taste, hint of liquorice, so much flavour for such a session ale, virtually a weak stout, with a dry bitter finish, and very good indeed! 

Then it was the Sussex brewery Gun (website) Milk Stout (4.1%), which does what it says on the label, vanilla milky, hint of chocolate and coffee, so very smooth, and so easy to drink! What more can I say, but cheers... Happy International Stout Day! 😀

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)

Congratulations to The Tower!

Alexandra Park

One of the advantages of walking up to The Tower from the centre of Hastings, or from the seafront, in addition to the reward of great ales on arriving of course, is the journey through one of 2 wonderful green spaces. Walking up from the seafront at St Leonards and you can ignore the roads, mostly, and come up through St Leonards Gardens (blog). So I don't really need an excuse to visit The Tower, but yesterday, following the pub's CAMRA award presentation earlier in the week, I took advantage of walking up via the alternative route, through the gorgeous Alexandra Park (older blog) from near the town centre.

So, not far from the park, across Bohemia Road, and down Tower Road to The Tower, on the corner with London Road, indeed, at 251 London Road, Bohemia, St Leonards, Hastings, East Sussex TN37 6NB, where I received a warm welcome from the landlady, Louisa...

As I suggested, earlier in the week Louisa and her colleagues had received the award from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) South East Sussex Branch Pub of the Year 2019. So, congratulations to Louisa and her colleagues, and many thanks to Louisa for allowing me to use the photograph above (I had been unable to attend on Tuesday evening), cheers m'dear!

So, 6 local (ish) ales, although Dark Star Hophead (3.8%) is not now brewed in Sussex, but up in Chiswick, presumably for more volume since Fullers took over Dark Star, and subsequently their brewing interest was taken over by Asahi (see earlier blog). Of the 4 above, I had a pint of Weltons (website) Horsham Pale (3.7%), a pale golden bitter, aroma and hint of citrus from using hops from the USA, for its strength quite a big flavour and certainly a very bitter finish.

Then I got onto the other 2 ales, apologies for the intrusion of the sun on my photograph above, but next I had a pint of the Gun Brewery (website) Zamzama IPA (6.5%), so going up significantly in strength, and CAMRA South East Sussex Branch Beer of the Year for 2 years running. More hops used from the USA, many more indeed! With tropical and citrus fruit in the aroma and taste, much more body, as you would expect, a slightly sour, dry and bitter finish, 'twas very nice! In addition, this is a 'vegan' ale, and consequently unfined; the brewery states "naturally hazy" but yesterday this was well conditioned and really quite clear, so vegan friendly doesn't necessarily mean cloudy... 

I then ventured on to a pint of the Gravesend based Iron Pier (website) 7.3% Speyside Whisky Barrel Aged Porter, possibly the longest name for an ale that I've ever drunk. What can I say, incredibly dark, a 'near-stout' (OK, I have written about this before, eg blog), opaque, with a light brown head, body +++, hint of whisky (Speysides are my favourite Scottish whiskies), roasted barley, I wrote "bl**dy gorgeous!" So there you go, I must have loved it, but I had to drink another half before I wandered home, just to make sure though. 😉

Again, congratulations to Lou and The Tower, cheers m'dears!!

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!

Hastings: The Tower Real Ale & Cider Festival Reminder

Further to my blog last weekend, just a reminder that I shall be heading to The Tower pub up London Road, Bohemia, Hastings & St Leonards for Lou's second (now annual, presumably!) Real Ale & Cider Festival, Tower Fest 2019, this weekend, and which starts in half an hours time! I shall be helping out over the weekend, and I trust that, should you be in East Sussex this weekend, you will attend too, and I may just see you... If so, enjoy the ales, and cheers!

The Tower in Hastings: Ale Festival Next Weekend!

The Tower, up on the corner of London Road and Tower Road, Bohemia TN37 6NB, and following its successful Real Ale & Cider Festival last year (blog), is next week holding its second real ale festival from Friday the 22nd to Sunday the 24th of February 2019, 11am to 11pm Friday and Saturday, 11am to 10pm Sunday; oh yes, and real ciders too! There will also be good value, and great tasting, food served on Friday and Saturday, from Cafe 67 of Bohemia Road (facebook), including at least one meal containing an ale from the festival, and one containing a cider. Plus a raffle on Saturday and a Meat Raffle (vegetarians please look away) on Sunday...

Excellent ales on when I recently visited!

Ales for the Festival (with tasting notes) - may be a few extras too:

Gun Brewery Whisky Imperial Stout 7.4% Dark English pale and roasted malts give a rich, full body to this strong ale;

3 Legs Brewery Oatmeal Stout "7ish%" Dark Special brew;

Cromarty Ghost Town 5.8% Dark Classic dark roasted malty porter with blackcurrant & liquorice;

Burning Sky Aurora 5.6% Pale Premium strength pale ale with juicy malt backbone and big citrus and tropical hop flavours;

Goose Eye Pommies Revenge 5.2% Gold Extra strong single malt bitter;

Cwrw Lal Apache 5% Light Big mango fruit aromas with a smooth bitterness. Hoppy awesomeness;

Downlands Mosaic 4.8% Light Single hopped APA. Festival of tropical and citrussy notes;

Redcastle Tower I.P.A. 4.8% Amber Combination of British and American hops. Fruity aroma with a hint of toffee on the palate;

Long Man Special Tower APA Brew 4.8% Light DDD dry hopped;

Iron Pier Cast Iron Stout 4.7% Dark Dark chocolate and coffee notes with a smooth bitter finish;

Wild Beer Co Millionaire 4.7% Dark Salted caramel stout;

Purple Moose Dark Side Of The Moose 4.6% Porter Bramley crossed hops making a delicious dark ale with a dry biscuit flavour;

Long Man Old Reserve Special Tower Brew 4.5% Dark A twist on Old Man with cherry and blackcurrant;

Old Dairy No Bull 4.5% Dark Milk Stout with chocolate and coffee;

Great Heck Proverbs 4.5% Golden Citra and mosaic hopped golden ale;

Thornbridge Rocky Road 4.5% Porter Ice cream porter;

Great Heck Swanky 4% Light;

Holler Boys Honest Burger 4% Pale Limited edition oaty hoppy pale;

Salopian Push 3.9% Golden Pineapple aromas and tropical fruit cascade over floral and grassy hops;

Dancing Duck Ayup 3.9% Pale Session pale ale, subtle malt and floral notes, dry finish;

Ilkley Joshua Jane 3.7% Brown Rich nut brown Yorkshire ale;

Dark Star Pekko 3.8% Light Tropical fruit with herbal notes;

Franklins Cigar Sour 3% Amber sour beer brewed with a smoked malts, based on a German Licteheiner.

As you can see, many local ales included, plus a vast array of styles, enjoy!

Ale & Cider Festival Final Day!

OK, it's the final day of the first ale and cider festival at the Tower (also see previous blog) in Bohemia, St Leonards, and I'm hoping they have many more festivals, a great show Louisa! I worked as a volunteer there again earlier today, but drank just 3 different ales this time and, sadly, the excellent Downlands Mosaic had already sold out (see Steve on Hastings blog). However, the Salopian Matrix (4.2%) was very good too, a pale golden ale with a fruity aroma, citrus taste, grapefruit and something more exotic, with a dry bitter finish, and...

Well, the Kent brewer Old Dairy provided another excellent ale to enjoy, that is, their session 3.8% What the Heck! Described as an 'orange pale ale' and it did what it said on the label, an enormous orange aroma, and taste too. This was beautiful, pale, dry and bitter, just what I love... oh yes! If you want to sample the ales, it'd be best to get there today, as they're fast running out, but, if you cannot make it, you never know what good value prices you may get tomorrow, if you're lucky enough that some of these ales are left, if not, still great ales every day anyway, starting at just £3 a pint, cheers!

Tower Ale & Cider Festival 2018

First Day Review at my Steve on Hastings blog.

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!