By Steve the Beermeister
Today, I am looking at, not just the First In Last Out (
FILO) pub in the High Street, but also at the oldest existing brewery in Hastings, which was originally based inside the pub. It was called the 'St Clements Brewery' when, in 1985, it began its existence within the walls of the FILO pub, under its previous owner.
3 years later, Mike Bigg and his family bought the business, and renamed the brewing operation the '
FILO Brewery'. More recently, Tony Champion was recruited as manager and head brewer in 2000, and in 2011 the brewery was relocated a few hundred metres up the road to a converted stable, to the 'Old Town Brewery'.
The vacant space created inside the FILO allowed changes to be made to the pub itself. More seating was provided in the bar area where the kitchen used to be, a larger kitchen was built, and the room (previously the garden) at the back was converted into a restaurant for evening diners, to add to the already established lunchtime pub menu.
Moving the brewery also allowed Tony the space to increase beer production whenever necessary. The brewery has a 5 barrel 'plant', ie 5 brewers barrels; a barrel holding 36 gallons. Thus each brew produces up to 1,500 pints of beer!
Many different styles of beer are brewed by, what is now called the FILO Brewing Company, 6 extraordinarily different regular ales, including Crofters, a 3.8% Best Bitter, a paler premium ale, the 4.8% Gold, one flavoured with ginger, their 4.5% Old Town Tom, and the exceptional 4.6% porter, Cardinal Sussex Porter.
Adam Bigg 'pulling' a pint of Crofters.
Interestingly, their Old Town Tom used to be called "Ginger Tom", and may well be remembered by readers as such. However, a Stockport brewer, Robinsons, registered the name "Ginger Tom" for one of their beers and threatened the FILO with legal action if they carried on calling their original ale "Ginger Tom". Consequently, the name was changed under threat, sadly, but the same recipe is still used to brew Old Town Tom.
They also brew 'Seasonal' and 'one-off' ales, and at the moment this is the 6.7% Our Auld Ale, an exceptional winter ale, which is on sale in the pub, together with 4 of their other ales and a regularly changing 'guest' beer. Our Auld Ale has plenty of body, as you would expect from a beer this strong, dark and fruity with spice in the flavour too. Indeed, this is a splendid 'Christmas Pudding' of a beer!
Also, the FILO Brewery supplies the free trade with beers, and FILO ales can be found as far apart as the Globe in Rye, to the Harp in central London, and back to the Clown in Hastings town centre. I am very pleased to report that the FILO has helped to ensure the brewing industry has been kept very much alive in Hastings!
