Happy Beer Day Britain!

By Steve the Beermeister...

This is an extended version of a shorter piece on the Steve the Beermeister blog... Enjoy the annual Beer Day Britain today (website), it should be very interesting and with much appreciation of ales, but then, it's a wee bit special locally for CAMRA members.

And what an appropriate day it is for CAMRA members living in, and visiting, Hastings to discover that it's not just Wetherspoons giving discount to them, but now the award winning (more of that soon) Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW (website) gives discount on real ale to card-carrying Campaign for Real Ale members!

Not just that, but on Monday evenings at the Dolphin, from 6pm until closing time, not only a great Fish & Chips deal from 6-9pm (website), which includes a free pint of beer, glass of wine, or soft drink, but also 50p off all drinks, not quite a 'Happy Hour', more like a happy 4 or 5 hours! 

Not to forget that The Plough Inn, 49 Priory Road TN34 3JJ, has "Thirsty Thursdays" (facebook page), with a reduction in prices late afternoon/early evening, and 'loyalty cards' in conjunction with Jamie's other pub, the North Star Inn (facebook page).

If anyone knows of other pubs and bars in Hastings and St Leonards giving discounts to CAMRA members and real ale drinkers, I'd be very grateful for information, cheers!

Today is Beer Day Britain, because of Magna Carta!

By Steve the Beermeister

Well, at 12.15 I shall just have to find a friendly Hastings hostelry in which to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, and Beer Day Britain, with a pint of Sussex brewed ale, probably Hophead from Dark Star!  

Clause 35 of Magna Carta brings ale into the democratic arena, stating "Let there be throughout our kingdom a single measure for wine and a single measure for ale and a single measure for corn, namely 'the London quarter'..." 

The date for the annual Beer Day Britain celebration is today, June 15th. This was the date (in 1215) that Magna Carta was sealed. Today there will be national and international celebrations for the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, so the fact that ale is mentioned in the document, makes June 15th a logical date for Britain's national beer day! See their website for more information.