Congratulations to the Rye Waterworks!

My last very recent visit to the Rye Waterworks micropub (website) had me chatting to David the publican and discovering that the CAMRA (South East Sussex branch) has voted the Waterworks as their Cider Pub of the Year 2022, so congratulations are most definitely in order to David, Ulla and Eddie (who weren't there whilst I was this time), and all staff, including Lotte and Morganne, who were serving up fine drinks to myself and other customers, cheers!

Before David shared the information with me I had already drunk a pint of the very tasty and refreshing 3.8% Old Dairy Uber Brew (website), which I have written about before, and the (new to me) 3.6% Hopfuzz Fallout (website), described as a "zingy" session IPA, which had a dry bitter finish and an aroma I couldn't work out, but 'twasn't bad. BUT! David had told me about the cider award, so I had to try a couple of the (many) ciders available, luckily I had only tried the 2 weaker session ales so far...

Usually I would post a photograph of the board that tells you what ales and ciders are available, but it is a very shaky image I'm afraid, and I had, beforehand, walked up the hill to the Church of St Mary, and taken this photograph of their Burne-Jones stained glass window (Rye website), and it's well worth a visit! I own up to having an interest in the Pre-Raphaelite artists and Arts & Crafts movement of the 19th century, and it's a beautiful window... 

Anyway, to the ciders... I started cautiously and had a pint of the just 5.5% Nightingale Tenterden Cider (website), a 'wild fermented' cider, that is, the natural yeasts of the apples are used in fermentation, then it's matured for at least 6 months. My notes say "pale, slightly hazy, and very nice!" I liked it very much indeed; I do need to drink more cider. 😉

My second cider, and I was tempted to stay longer, but common sense won the day, anyway, my second cider was the slightly stronger, and crystal clear, 6.9% Double Vision Cider. This was a bit more complex, dry bitter finish, and very good too, although I did prefer the 5.5% cider. But I was taken back to my Devon years (blog). 

And, if you haven't already read it I do give more information about the Rye Waterworks, including historical details, in this blog from nearly 4 years ago, and congratulations again!

Stout in Rye, and more

I have visited The Rye Waterworks micropub quite often since my first visit soon after they opened last year (blog), and felt that, as they regularly have darker ales and as International Stout Day was just the other day (blog), another visit was in order, of course! No Eddie this day, though David and Ulla were present, as well as a barman I didn't quite catch his name (Paul?), and David was in fine form again, cramming people in where it didn't seem possible sometimes with an astute use of seating and tables, getting people to chat with each other, and even running impromptu quizzes, whilst Ulla ensured my glass was full, many thanks!

There were 8 real ales served straight from the cask, as usual, plus numerous ciders, and much more (gins and wine plus plus), and, oh look, a stout from local brewer, of course, Hopfuzz Brewery (website) Blacksmith, a 4.2% stout, very dark and smooth, with chocolate in the aroma and taste, quite subtle, and very drinkable too.

You will realise by now that I do love pale hoppy ales in particular, so I also drank a few pints of ale from another Kent brewer, Old Dairy (website) Uber Brew (3.8%), as I usually do when in a pub selling this fine ale. Pale and hoppy, using Citra, Chinook and Equinox hops, and plenty of them too, refreshing and bitter with a lovely dry finish, I love it!

As I've said before, the furniture and everything not fixed down is for sale, so it looks a wee bit different every time you walk into the bar, this is how it looked when I entered on Saturday (above). Oh yes, they also sell quality bar snacks, I had a lovely large scotch egg made very locally with free range eggs served with locally produced homemade spicy chutney, gorgeous.

If you haven't been before, it is well worth the visit, friendly, chatty, characters, and at the corner of Tower Street and Rope Walk in Rye TN31 7AT, fewer than 5 minutes walk from the railway station; see older blog for more information about the pub and its history, and enjoy, cheers!

Back to Rye...

I hadn't visited for a while, so thought it best to take a trip to Rye, to the Rye Waterworks micropub (my first descriptive blog of this micropub), in Tower Street, corner with Rope Walk, TN31 7AT. Met by the friendly family staff of David and Eddie, and the usual pleasant banter with them and other customers, old, and always new as well. When I did leave to catch the train home, a 5 minutes walk to the station, there was a bit of a mess, this was on Friday, and the countrywide power problems seemed to have messed up signals towards Eastbourne. The train was stationary and very crowded so I decided to pop back for another drink, lo and behold Ulla had also turned up to work behind the bar, the pub-related working family all present now...

Anyway, to the drinking! I started off with the 3.8% Old Dairy (website) Uber Brew, always reliable, and I was not let down at all, as ever, refreshing, hoppy, grapefruity, pale, dry and bitter, excellent! I then tried the Old Dairy Gold Bullion, (4.3%) which I believe is a version of their Gold Top, a golden ale, easy to drink with more subtle hops. I then re-tried Romney Marsh (website) Romney American Pale, which at 5%, and with the use of hops from the USA, I am always a little disappointed by. It is pale and golden, a bit too sweet for me though, with a caramel taste, and nowhere near the amount of citrus I prefer in the flavour. Remember, like the ales I prefer, I am pale, dry and very bitter! But where would we be if everyone was the same, thankful for the variety of ales available to us!?!

Oh yes, I returned to the Uber Brew, as I also did when returning from the station, from where I later caught a lovely much quieter, and cooler train with working air-conditioning, and I had an extensive chat to the conductor, who also loves real ales too, nice one, cheers!

Congratulations to Rye Waterworks!

David welcomes me!

I recently discovered that the Rye Waterworks micropub, which opened little over a year ago (more details at last years blog), had been presented with the South East Sussex CAMRA Runner Up for Cider Pub of the Year 2019 award, congratulations! So I had to visit asap, and did so yesterday, and what a fine day it was too...

The ever-changing furniture

At opening time, 12.00 noon, there was David and Ulla working at the Waterworks, and local teacher and part-time bar steward Josephine (or Jo to friends), started at 14.00. As ever, a friendly welcome (see first photograph, for example) and warm banter and discussion with people both sides of the bar, including customers new and not so new.

Beers to the Left, Ciders to the Right

The Rye Waterworks doesn't just sell 8 local real ales, but many local gins and very nearly local wines (this isn't the place for that story), but, and very likely why they won the award so early in the pub's existence, they also sell 14 or so local real ciders (including 3 in bottle), usually a perry, and even a 22% locally produced mead! Also, food-wise, and we're talking traditional, and not so traditional, bar snacks including locally made pork pies and scotch eggs, for the vegetarians locally produced vegetable somosas and pickled garlic cloves, and the Roder's neighbour supplies home made spicy chutney and jam to accompany the excellent food on offer.

 

As I've said before, if it's not nailed down, virtually everything you see, inside and outside, that is furniture, curios, pictures/posters, pewter tankards et al, is for sale, which is why it looks a little different every time you visit... And, of course, what's on offer to drink and eat changes here and there too, hence the number of different beer pump clips seen in the above photograph!

Yesterday, as I often do, I mostly drank the excellent session pale golden bitter from Old Dairy Brewery (website), their 3.8% Uber Brew, pale, dry and bitter, refreshing and, indeed, excellent! I also tried a pint of the Goachers (website) Silver Star (4.2%), another golden ale, sweet at first taste with a hint of honey, but with a dry finish and bitter aftertaste, very complex and not bad at all. I also tried a half of Brumaison (website) 1770 London Porter, a 4.7% porter (with not just a small part stout; I've written a stouts and porters blog before!), which was excellent too...

I'll be back... Cheers!

Seven Cs of Rye...

It seems like I'm making a monthly trip to Rye nowadays, which is a good thing, and to the Rye Waterworks again, at Tower Street TN31 7AT, and which I've adopted as my 'local' in Rye. There was the usual pleasant company, including new faces as ever, and the friendly service of father & son team, David and Eddie.

Inside (above), and as I've explained before, the ever-changing furniture, posters and pictures, and curios, every trip is like entering a different pub, as everything not nailed down is for sale!

And the 8 real ales available listed to the left of the board (above), and a similar number of ciders to the right. Why have I named this the Seven Cs of Rye? Well, I was stuck for a pun, and can't be far off having seven hops used among the 8 ales on offer, with names beginning with C! Cannot be certain, because not all brewers tell you what hops they use, but certainly at least 4 of the following hops were used: Calypso, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Columbus and Comet, well I can dream...

Bar to the right

I mostly drank the Old Dairy Uber Brew, 3.8%, and lovely and hoppy (includes use of the hops Citra, Chinook, and Equinox), quite frankly, this is one of the best session pale golden bitters on the market, and very local too. I also had a pint of the 4.2% Old Dairy Simcoe IPA (let me down on the hops used obviously!). This was unfined, so suitable for vegans, and a hazy amber colour, a bit too sweet for me, plenty of caramel from the malt, with a slightly nutty finish, and surprisingly very dry in the finish. Yes, I also tried a pint of the Rother Valley Brew 3500, which I guess is their 3500th gyle, or brew, but it wasn't mentioned on their website when I looked just now. Presumably why it's a 3.5% ale, copper colour, slightly nutty, with a hint of roasted malt, indeed, a very decent traditional style bitter.

As you can see in the photograph above this one, situated at the far end of the bar, tee shirts are now on sale for £10 each, and the photograph immediately above is the one I took home with me, cheers David and Eddie!

I shall return...

Ticket to Rye...

It seems to be a regular event this, visiting the Rye Waterworks micropub (a few blogs now, for example this blog says a bit about it!), this time I traveled by train, but well worth it, yet again! Plenty of pleasant company, obviously the landlord and partner, and Alan (someone I know from Hastings) arrived later for his first visit, coincidentally. Plus five Norwegian lawyers, very pleasant company, women friends from university, who meet up every year, they work all over the place now, coming from Malta to London! Primarily, the lawyers meet up, not just to keep in touch, but to visit vineyards, this time they were about to go to Carr Taylor in Westfield (website) after a quick drink here, and having visited Chapel Down (website) the day before.

As ever 8 real ales, all £3.70 a pint, served straight from the cask by gravity, and a similar number of real ciders, and the odd perry or two. I only tried 3 ales, one more than once, first the Romney Marsh Brewery (website) Romney Gold (4.1%), single hopped with Citra, pale golden bitter, not bad at all! Then the Battle Brewery (website) Black Arrow Porter (4.5%), as usual, porters and stouts are difficult to differentiate (see older blog), as in, it depends on the individual brewer what they call their beers, I'd say this was more like a stout... Anyway, dark, lovely taste and body, though a wee bit lacking in the liveliness stakes, not bad at all though!

The ale I drank the most of was Old Dairy Brewery (website), their excellent session ale, Uber Brew (3.8%), pale dry and bitter, with a lovely fruity aroma and taste from the Citra, Chinook and Equinox hops used. Great that you can get this much flavour and body into a 3.8% ale, wonderful, la même chose!

Oh yes, and this is the toilet flush now in the gents, amuses me, me being a pale dry hoppy ale drinker, not to forget that David (the landlord) is made up with now being included on the Free Town Map of Rye... Anyway, cheers for a very pleasant visit and company, and the excellent ale of course, cheers!

The Catcher in the Rye!

Well, it certainly catches me whenever I visit Rye, The Rye Waterworks micropub, on the corner of Tower Street and Rope Walk TN31 7AT (older blog giving more detail about the history etc, hate to keep repeating myself!). And it caught me yesterday, with the pleasure of David and Eddie working behind the bar, and quite a few other sociable customers, and cider manufacturer!

One of the quaint things about this wonderful wee pub, and I say about it more in the earlier blog, is that virtually everything inside, chairs, tables and paraphernalia, and outside, is for sale! Consequently, it looks different virtually every time you visit...

And there are, of course, the 8 local real ales served straight from the cask by gravity feed, and similar number of local real ciders, not to mention local gins, locally produced pub food, and even the house wines, which are quite delightful, are produced by colleagues (Paso-Primero) of a local brewery (The Three Legs Brewing Company), indeed, one of the original 'three legs' I do believe! I don't really drink white wine, but was given a taster of this 13.5% blended from Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes, and it was tasty and very refreshing, but the red is absolutely gorgeous, with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo grapes, what a great pair of house wines, and reasonably priced too!

Real Fire too!

To the ales, I did have a few pints, including 2 from Kent brewer Brumaison (website), never heard of them before, so I had to try both of their ales on offer, didn't I?!? I started with their 4.4% Golden Blonde, made with wheat in addition to pale malted barley, and English hops Challenger and First Gold. I thought it was more pale amber than gold, but what do I know, 'twas very easy to drink with a nice bitter aftertaste, good 'session' ale indeed. 

Then I had a pint of their 4.7% 1770 London Porter, obviously brewed with darker malts (and wheat, though I've since found that out!), and Kent Bullion hops. A very dark ale with a light brown fawn coloured head, looked, smelt and tasted more like a stout to me than a porter, but the difference between stouts and porters often depend on the interpretation of the brewer, and I have written about this before, see an older blog for more detail, and my own interpretation! Actually, Brumaison's version was very good, slightly sweet to my taste, but with a nice dry bitter finish, nice one, cheers!

To flush Gents!

I had to add the image above, it amused me muchly, add jokes as you feel necessary! 😉

Anyway, I also enjoyed a couple of pints of an old favourite session bitter Old Dairy Brewery (website) Uber Brew, a very easy drinking 3.8% pale golden bitter, brewed with Citra, Chinook and Equinox hops, which provide a pleasurable strong fruity flavour and aroma, as one would expect! Still very good, cheers peeps!!

Back to Rye!

I returned to Rye yesterday and re-visited the Rye Waterworks, my first 'micro' pub (older blog giving history etc). Why did I return so soon, following our walk there from Hastings last week (Steve on Hastings blog)? Frankly, we'd walked for 4 hours to get here last week, nearly missing the rain, at a fair old pace too, and couldn't get into the Waterworks because it was packed, so I had to return at the first opportunity, just to wish them a Merry Christmas and have a few beers, of course...

The photograph above is from last week, before the rain came, and as we 'marched' alongside the Royal Military Canal from Pett Level, but yesterday, certainly lazier as I caught the train to Rye and back. Anyway, I reached the Rye Waterworks this time just before it opened, so I was the first customer, hurray! Sadly, I didn't see David, the proprietor, this time, but did see his wife Ulla and excellent son Eddie, as he opened up the bar a wee bit early, not for me, but for a tradesman; never mind, I was still happy. 😉

Anyway, to the beers (above, all at £3.70 a pint) and ciders, which I didn't try any of; and the gap above left was filled by Hastings brewed FILO Cardinal (4.6%), a fine dark ale that the brewer calls Sussex Porter, though a wee debate with fellow customer Paul found we didn't agree it is a porter, so I shall be writing a blog very soon about porters, stouts and other dark ales. 

So what did I drink? I drank 3 of the paler ales, including Battle Brewery (website) One Hop Wonder (4%), brewed using just Chinook hops; a golden bitter, less citrus aroma and flavour than I thought it would have, but a very easy ale to drink. Then I tried the stronger Romney Marsh Brewery (website) American Pale (5%), brewed using a variety of different American hops, so every brew is subtly different; a more fruity pale golden ale, a bit sweeter and with more body, as you'd expect...

But my favourite ale of the day was the Old Dairy Brewery (website) Uber Brew (3.8%), brewed with 3 hops, Chinook again, Citra and Equinox, and I started with a pint and finished with another pint of this; a fair amount of body for such a session ale, and much more citrus in the taste, pale and golden, with a nice dry bitter finish, pretty damn good, cheers!

Oh yes, and a friend I hadn't seen for quite a while, Harrison, caught the same train as me coming home, good discourse made for a good journey, cheers again!