Seafood & Wine Festival & Beer Festival Weekend!

What can I say, are you a lover of good food and drink? Then you've a great weekend ahead of you! Starting tomorrow is the annual Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival at The Stade Open Space, opposite the RNLI Lifeboat Station in Hastings Old Town: 11-18.00 Saturday and Sunday. Food and drink, obviously, and live music, cooking demonstrations, and activities for children too; Tickets cost £4 in advance from the Visitor Information Centre by Hastings railway station/bus terminus, £5 on the gate, under 18s free. Go to visit1066country for full information. 🐟🍷

In addition, and already started today, the Brickmaker's Alehouse in Bexhill, 27 Sea Road, TN40 1EE, is holding a Beer and Cider Festival all weekend, with the refreshments coming from breweries they've never had ales from before. Indeed, last week Martin thought I was pressing him for an idea of what may be served up, but he was steadfast in his resolve not to divulge any information!  Anyway, over 20 new ales and 8 ciders ordered for the festival, starting off with 12 ales and 6 ciders available from today. If you'd like more information, and what will be available over the weekend, go to either facebook or twitter, cheers! 🍻

Tower Beer & Cider Festival Report @ Beermeister Blog

The 2020 Beer Fest at The Tower has been reported on at great length on the Steve the Beermeister blog, who, unsurprisingly, came to the conclusion that the Iron Pier Speyside Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, at a whopping 9.0%, was his favourite ale of the festival! Plenty more to read at his blog, cheers Steve!

Another Beer Fest, this one in Battle...

By Steve the Beermeister (again!).

There appears to be much mentioning of beer festivals on this blog lately, but then, don't they come along in couples, if not bunches... Anyway, this weekend, Friday 1st to Saturday 2nd March (it really is March already), 11am to 7pm both days, look to a short trip to Battle Brewery (website) for the latest 'mini' Beer Fest or "Birthday Bash" at The Calf House, Beech Farm, North Trade Road, Battle TN33 0HN. Obviously, you will be able to try their own beers, but beers from other Sussex brewers too, including The Three Legs Brewing Company it appears, and ciders as well. Not to mention, food, live music, pub games and a quiz night on Friday. 

Enjoy yourselves there, cheers!

Tower Ale & Cider Festival 2018...

OK, it looks like I've been preoccupied by this ale and cider festival, but that's just the way it has happened, mostly because I've visited friends elsewhere in the country for nearly a week, and because, well, it's happening right now (blog)! Also, because I've just returned from there, and, even if you don't like ale and cider, the beef & ale stew (£1 a bowl!) is very tasty, rich and great value, and you only have the next couple of hours to enjoy it, if that! I cannot wait to taste the pork & cider stew tomorrow... Indeed, both made with ale and cider available at the bar.

As to the ales, well, I volunteered to help serve at the festival bar, so didn't go over the top, but tried 6 of the ales available, all at least were very good. The first I found to be a wee bit too malty and sweet for me, but Lisa, my colleague at the time really enjoyed it, and she's a wine and cider drinker; though she liked quite a few of the ales, so a new ale drinker signed up! But two in particular were very good, the Welsh Tiny Rebel Full Nelson and, especially, the Sussex brewery Downlands Mosaic, which I noted as "gorgeous"- say no more! 

As I suggested 'hurry, hurry, hurry!'

First Hastings Ale & Cider Festival at this Pub!

Sorry I've been away, but what a great way to start off now I'm back home! As previously mentioned (blog) 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 Steve the Beermeister (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 live music Saturday evening from 8pm. Enjoy!