London ale prices outshone in Hastings!

Last weekend, as I said before, I went up t' frozen North, where it was actually quite mild, but, I went via Victoria, thanks to National Express coaches, OK, it takes ages, but I had a good book to read, and it only cost me £19.50 return from Hastings to Sheffield... Anyway, not trusting buses/coaches to get me there on time, I allowed myself a couple of hours in-between services, so had a wee pint close by at the St George's Tavern, Ebury Bridge, on the way up. This is a Nicholson's house, so usually trustworthy for us ale drinkers, and had 6 ales available, and East Sussex brewery, Dark Star's Hophead was one of them, nothing else interested me anyway, and it was in very good form, but, as would be expected, cost more than I'd usually pay, a 3.8% ale for £4.30 a pint!

Similarly, on the way back I had some time to fill, so bought a sandwich and crossed Chelsea Bridge, and ate my sandwich in Battersea Park, where there were plenty of promenaders! On my way back to Victoria Coach Station I walked via Pimlico and popped into the Cask Ale and Kitchen bar, forgetting this would likely be even more expensive, which it was, of course. Up to 10 ales here, many crafty keg beers, and loadsa bottled beers! I settled on the 6.5% Dark Star (have to support my county of abode and I'm not nicknamed 'Hophead' for no reason) Green Hopped IPA, which was excellent, and so it should have been at £5.35 a pint!

Anyway, thinking back on where you can regularly buy Dark Star ales in Hastings, other than Hophead as a regular ale at £3.60 a pint down at the Dolphin Inn in Rock-a-Nore Road in the old town, of course, but you can buy at least 2 Dark Star ales at any one time at The Tower in London Road, Bohemia, just above St Leonards. This excellent ale house has won the local CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Pub of the Year award 2 years running, and I have previously congratulated Louisa, the licensee, before for this grand achievement, and it also sells Hophead as a regular ale, at just £2.80 a pint! I also remember it very recently having the Green Hopped IPA, which Louisa was selling at £2.05 a pint less than in London, ie at £3.30 a pint...

I know where I'd prefer to drink a pint, not in London, cheers Louisa!