Hastings Old Town Cider Festival 2024

Following the success of the inaugural 2023 festival (blog), the second annual Hastings Old Town Cider Festival 08-16 November 2024 begins today in 7 old town venues! This includes the 4 from last year, The Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA, The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN, The Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW, and The Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR; the 3 new venues joining this year are East Hastings Sea Angling Association and Social Club, The Stade TN34 3FJ, The First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY, and The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW.

This exciting second year of the festival, first added to Hastings' many events last year, has been arranged by the licensees themselves and promises an even larger sample of ciders and perries, still and fizzy, and from near and far, and you have a week in which to sample the many delights on offer, plus their other drinks, enjoy the week folks, and cheers! 🍻

Festive Cheer!

By Steve the Beermeister:

Happy/Hoppy New Beer/Year! I wandered around Hastings over the last few weeks, particularly the 'old town' with its better variety and choice of pubs, but I've included a photograph above of the tree in Priory Meadow shopping centre, taken fairly early in the morning.

I started in the town centre, it's where I live, but now walk eastwards, past Iceland, to the old town, where the first pub you reach opposite the seafront, with its other side in George Street, that is the Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA (website), which sells 4 cask ales from Sussex and Kent brewers, normally Harvey’s Sussex Best (website) as a regular; sadly they no longer appear to be getting ale from Bedlam Brewery. Plus side, they do now take cash again.

I missed drinking the 7.5% Harvey's Christmas Ale (website) on my last visit, indeed, which I last drank 4 years ago now (blog), but a bit strong to start off the session! However, I did recently drink there, from another East Sussex brewery Long Man (website), their 4.3% old ale Old Man, which I joked about many years ago about a young member of bar staff at the Dolphin Inn serving up 'an old man Old Man' - amused me at the time, sadly I've lost the image of her pulling the pint... Anyway, Old Man is brewed using darker malts, of course, with Bramling Cross and Fuggles hops, producing a fine version of an old ale, dark and bitter sweet, nice one...

Carrying along George Street you reach 2 of the 5 Shepherd Neame (website) pubs in the old town, if you like their ales, you may say 'blessed' with 5! Above is a photograph of Ye Olde Pumphouse, 64 George Street TN34 3EE. It looks old, but was actually built 1955/56, opening in 1956, but using older materials; I suggest reading Hastings Pub History website for more details. Indeed, the first pub that Shepherd Neame acquired in Hastings was The Freemans in Wellington Place, now Jempsons/Rye Bakery, which was their pub from 1928-1958 (blog).

What I did drink at the Pumphouse was the cask Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (5.0% cask ale - 7.0% in bottle). An amber winter ale, not as impressive as the Harvey's version, no surprise bearing in mind the strength, but a gentle surprisingly easy to drink bitter sweet beer.

Virtually opposite, is another Sheps pub, the Anchor Inn, 13 George Street TN34 3EG (website), a much older pub (blog). Here you get the regular  ales, sometimes the impressive 5.0% Bishops Finger, and the pub is famed for its Sunday roast dinners/lunch!

At the eastern end of the street is another older Sheps pub, the Hastings Arms, 2 George Street TN34 3EG (website), which I have written about before in my older blog. Actually, I visit here quite often, and I really do need to update this blog more with information about pubs I've written about in the past in that older blog; usual Sheps beers served here. They have a locally popular, thus heavily subscribed Curry Night on Tuesdays, and Tapas Night on Thursdays. Also, I regularly meet up with people I know coincidentally at the Sheps pubs in the old town. 😁

Turning left up the High Street, and up on the left is the Jenny Lind, 69 High Street TN34 3EW (website), which I have written about a number of times (eg blog). Here I drank:

A wee bit confusing, because it was in a Long Man glass in this image, but the ale is actually from yet another East Sussex brewery Three Acre (website), and is their 5.1% Chocolate Oat Stout, with the added chocolate flavour coming from added cacao apparently, not just chocolate malt. Does what it says on the label, smooth, chocolatey, with a dry roasted malt finish, strangely nowhere near as heavy as I thought it would be, nice!

Further up the hill, and on the right is the First In Last Out (FILO), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY (website), with its own brewery, and which I've written about many times (eg blog). Usually meet up with people I know here, indeed, arranged to meet up with a couple of friends here last Thursday, and another friend, Russ, always comes down once a year to visit me, and we always drink here, if not eat here (although it was the Albion where we ate at the Thursday before).

I have imbibed a few of their different styles of ale here recently, best bitter (3.8%), pale and hoppy (4.2%), and the stronger Gold (4.8%), but I'll discuss here their 4.6% Cardinal Sussex Porter. Brewed with chocolate malt and roasted barley this is a very deep dark red, and tastes like it should, with a smooth finish, nice one.

Go behind the FILO via the alleyway by its side, and car park, and you reach The Bourne, once a river, now a sewer below ground, and a road above, cross the road and nip up a side road to All Saints Street, if you turn left and carry on up the hill you come to another Sheps pub in the old town, The Stag. However, I turned right and down to the Cinque Ports Arms (above), 105 All Saints Street TN34 3BE. This pub was originally known as the Chequers and dated back to before 1642, but apparently hasn't been a pub continuously since then. For more information about the history of the pub go to the excellent Hastings Pub History website.

The have had 3 ales on when I've visited before, but it is usually 2 cask ales, including the ubiquitous Harvey's Sussex Best (above), and, replacing the Fuller's ESB that used to be a regular here, now they sell Fuller's smaller sibling, London Pride. Needless to say I had a pint of both, and a nice chat with Tony, who I found sitting at the bar when I arrived, cheers Tony!

Carry on down the hill and you come to the Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN (website), which sells 2 cask ales, and an array of crafty keg beers. The cask ales are usually from very local brewers, but I own up that I've forgotten what I drank here; I made no notes, oops, sorry! 😕

Anyway, carry on down and you'll reach Rock-a-Nore Road at the bottom of the hill, turn left and you come to the Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW (website), which I have to own up to being my favourite among many very good pubs in Hastings; but they sell some of my favourite ales and ales from some of my favourite breweries, notably pale, dry & bitter!

Anyway, recently I've had some very decent dark ales here too, including Titanic Plum Porter and Pomona Island Horngus Mild, but you'll guess from the image above, many excellent pale bitters too. Not just one of my favourite ales Citra, from one of my favourite breweries Oakham Ales (website), both of which I've written about many times before, but many also from another of my two favourite brewers; including Kocasco (4.2%) from Mallinsons (website), brewed with Kohatu, Cascade and Columbus hops, and a few from Kent Brewery (website).

The final Sheps pub in Hastings old town is back to the west of The Bourne and is the Royal Standard, 19 East Street/East Beach Street TN34 3DW (website). The building dates from 1707, when a shoemaker lived there, and was a beerhouse from 1822, and has been a fully licensed pub since 1856. As you'd expect, the usual Shepherd Neame ales are served here, although there wasn't Bishops Finger for my last visit, sadly.

My final seasonal pub is the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), which I have written about quite a few times, eg blog, and which, incidentally, begins a 3-day Dark Beer Festival today, Friday 5th to Sunday 7th January 2024. It will be opening at 12.00 noon for these 3 days, and further information can be found at their facebook page.

I have been intending to write a blog about dark beers, and have been knocking back quite a few recently, but I'll leave that to after I visit over this weekend. However, I have to mention at least one excellent crafty keg I've had there recently, the 12.5% Our Barley Aged Imperial Stout (above), brewed in Glasgow by Overtone Brewing (website). They used 12 kinds of malt in the mash, and this was brewed in collaboration with Lochlea Distillery, aged in a selection of their ex-bourbon and ex-oloroso barrels... Oh yes, and Magnum hops used!

From my notes now: "Very very very dark! Brownish head, rich and thick/full bodied. An aroma of roasted barley, and smooth, rich and chocolatey taste... Very decent!"

HI HO! 🍻

Hastings Jack in the Green Weekend & May Day

Yesterday morning I wandered into Hastings Old Town to take some photographs helping to map out how the 40th anniversary Hastings Jack in the Green procession develops, which I wrote about in a blog on Friday. Tomorrow, May Day, the main event kicks off when Jack is released from Hastings Fishermen's Museum (website) in Rock-a-Nore Road at about 10.15 usually. Jack is welcomed, there's a wee bit of music and dancing and twirling around, then the procession begins by heading westwards; see their website for further details of the event.

I am using specific landmarks, including the museum, which I've chosen as pubs en route that are using the Hastings Old Town Cup, as I mentioned in my blog, as a decent attempt to be more environmentally friendly this year, hopefully with significantly fewer plastic cups being thrown away. The first such pub the procession passes will be The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road (website).

After passing by, the procession will then turn right and proceed up All Saints Street, where it will pass The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street (website).

The procession continues up the street and reaches The Stag Inn, 14 All Saints Street (website), just before turning left to cross The Bourne; remember that much of the Old Town will be shut off to traffic for a while to enable the safe crossing, and the safety of the procession and the many members of the public who will be watching/following.

The procession will then continue down the High Street, passing The First In Last Out, 14-15 Hugh Street (FILO - website) before reaching...

The Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High Street (website), where by now participants will need a rest, and a few ales, with about a 45 minutes break at 11.30-ish. Following the break the procession then continues down and turns right to head up Swan Terrace, passing by St Clements church (blog) on the right, and then up Croft Road, heading for the top of the West Hill. Once there, partying continues, music, food and drink (bar run by the FILO), craft wares, including the event T-shirt, and, by now, necessary facilities for those who have already been drinking, phew!

By now you may have realised, not only did I not carry on up the hill yesterday, but that I'd actually been heading in the opposite direction all the time, whilst taking my photographs. I'd decided to have a couple of drinks out of a Hastings Old Town Cup (blog), just to provide you with a relevant image. The things I do for research. 😉

Oh yes, there was dancing around the old town and at the Stade, as I suggested (blog), for example at Winkle Island yesterday (website), above image. And similar today, also drums, and much more happening too (website).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and tomorrow's procession folks, which will look something like the photograph above! 👍

Jack in the Green Procession and Old Town Pub Crawl plus!

I decided to tour the old town yesterday to take photographs for this blog, with pubs and other buildings dressed in greenery, ribbons and wreaths...

Of course the Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green Procession 2022 won't start in a pub, although many, including Bogies and attendants, may already have had a few pints of ale, but tomorrow's event (Monday the 2nd of May 2022) begins when the Jack is released from Hastings Fishermen's Museum (website) at 10.15 am. Bogies and attendants will gather around the Jack outside the museum, as he starts the dancing off, and their will be many dancing, and the procession will then start to form behind him and proceed westwards along Rock-a-Nore Road...

The first pub the procession reaches is the Dolphin Inn (website), 11-12 Rock -a-Nore Road TN34 3DW, which will have already been open for a couple of hours, and there will be a good audience outside on its balcony. The Dolphin Inn dates back to at least 1798, but was rebuilt in 1851 after, I believe, it had been damaged by fire, and further altered and extended in 1930. Situated opposite the local fishing industry beach, net huts, and fish market, and down the road from a large car park, means that it garners many passers by, and its south facing balcony is very popular, as will be witnessed tomorrow! Just past the pub the Jack meets up with the Giants and other musicians and dancers, and there will be drums and dancers aplenty!

The procession should be up to full length by now, and turns right into All Saints Street just after acclaimed seafood restaurant Webbe's (website), 1 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW. Oh yes, and Webbe's is situated in a Grade II listed Georgian property.

Almost immediately on its left, as the procession heads up All Saints Street, is the back of the Grade II listed Lord Nelson pub (facebook), 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP. The 2 buildings that merged and became the Nelson have deeds dating back to the 1740s, and the pub received its first licence by 1830, now a traditional local pub.

As the procession continues up All Saints Street it soon reaches The Crown on the right (website), 64-66 All Saints Street TN34 3BN. This was a coaching inn from 1794, but reduced in size at the beginning of the 20th century, and destroyed by fire in 1921, consequently needing to be rebuilt that year. Following refurbishment in 1985 it became a Harvey's tied house, but more recently became a popular freehouse.

A little further up on the left the procession will reach the Cinque Ports Arms, 105 All Saints Street TN34 3BE. This pub was formerly known as the Chequers dating back to 1642, but has not been a pub continuously since that time. It was first licenced as the Cinque Ports Arms in the early 19th century, but following a fire in 1925 it was rebuilt with its now 'mock Tudor' frontage and interior, indeed a very cosy pub.

The last pub you reach in All Saints Street is up, and raised up, on the right, the Stag Inn (website), 14 All Saints Street TN34 3BJ; you may have noticed that the house numbers aren't as per usual streets as they're not odds one side and evens the other side, but start up at the top on the east side with numbers 1, 2, 3 etc., coming downhill, then continuing back up on the west side of the street! The Stag is one of the oldest pubs in Hastings (see blog), in an interesting Grade II listed timber-framed building dating back to the 16th century, and is now a Shepherd Neame Brewery tied house.

At the top of All Saints Street is All Saints Church (blog), one of the old town's 2 stone built Norman churches, and which was rebuilt between 1417 and 1430 following 14th century French raids on Hastings. Across from here is where the Jack in the Green procession will cross The Bourne into the High Street.

The procession will carry on down High Street, passing many interesting buildings on the way, including this house, where the Rossetti family stayed in 1836 (including the Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti and poet Christina Rossetti when they were children - blog). Oh yes, and the numbers of houses run continuously down the east side, continuing back up on the west side of the street, as in All Saints Street.

But the next pub the procession will reach, now down on the left, is the First In Last Out (FILO - website), 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY, a pub with its own brewery, which used to be contained within the pub itself, but is now just a short distance away up Old London Road. The building is from the 16th century, but did not become a pub until it was licenced in the 1870s, now a genuine freehouse.

A little further down on the left is the Grade II listed Duke of Wellington, 28-29 High Street TN34 3EY, which was converted from 2 houses, and opened as a pub in the 1870s. The Duke of Wellington AKA Major General Sir Arthur Wellesley, had lived in Hastings when commanding a brigade from here, indeed, he brought his bride back to live with him in Hastings when he married her in Dublin in 1806.

The procession will carry on down High Street and usually has a break for about 45 minutes outside the Jenny Lind Inn (website), 69 High Street TN34 3EW, with more music and merrymaking. The Jenny Lind was built on the site of a much older pub that dated back to the early 17th century, The Bell, but with a gap whilst not a pub of 200 years, before the Jenny Lind started trading in the 1850s. It's named after the Swedish Nightingale, the famous opera singer who, under the wing of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, became widely followed throughout Europe, including by Queen Victoria; she moved to England in 1855, where she lived until her death in 1887.

When the procession continues on its way again, it will continue down High Street, soon turning right up Swan Terrace, by Hastings second Norman church, the Church of St Clement (blog), then bending to the right behind the church into Croft Road, and upwards to the West Hill, passing no more pubs along the way. However, on the West Hill festivities will continue, including a craft and food fair, more music and dancing, and I believe the FILO will have a licenced bar up there too (website). 

Then, between 4.00 and 4.30 pm, the Jack is slain to release the spirit of summer...

Enjoy your day!

New Year Drinking in the Old Town

By Steve the Beermeister

Rock a Nore View This Week

Well. we've had a few gorgeous days this week, so I've been walking around Hastings, thus time to write briefly about pubs I've visited (in the Old Town) since the New Year arrived. First, the Albion, in George Street, plus they have an entrance opposite the seafront. They sell 3 ales from Sussex and Kent brewers, normally Harvey’s Sussex Best and a pale bitter and a darker beer; one usually from Bedlam Brewery. If visiting make sure you have a debit card with you (or other electronic payment device, how thinks change!) as they do not take cash. Oh yes, and great pasties too (below & blog).

I'm writing this in alphabetical order, so next the Dolphin Inn, Rock-a-Nore Road, with its balcony virtually opposite the Fish Market, and which has recently changed its ale range from 3 regular and 3 guest ales to 2 and 4 respectively. The regulars are Harvey’s Sussex Best and Dark Star Hophead (sometimes a different pale session ale from another local brewery too!), and the guest ales have been including a dark beer (Winter/Old Ale, Porter or Stout), an equivalent to a Special/Best Bitter from local breweries or Youngs Special, and usually an APA style dry pale bitter, often from Kent Brewery or Oakham Ales. Live music has returned on Saturday evenings.

The First In Last Out (FILO), up the High Street and on the right, past the old Roebuck Surgery, which brews its own ales a short way from the pub up Old London Road, and continues to sell 4 or 5 of their own beers, and 1 or 2 guest ales. Their range includes pale to darker beers, including a Porter, and had their own dark seasonal Winter Warmer when I last visited.

The Jolly Fisherman, East Beach Street, a cosy beer drinking establishment, continues to sell a good range of real ales in addition to crafty keg beers. Last weekend they had a Dark Beer Festival, with 10 Stouts and Porters on offer; outside of festivals they do sell darker beers too, not to forget some very interesting Belgian beers.

Finally, the Lord Nelson, at the bottom of East Bourne Street, sells Courage Directors and Harvey’s Sussex Best. Live music is played here on Sundays, early evening.

Cheers!

Combining Ale, the FILO, Pickled Onions & Charity!

By Steve the Beermeister 

OK, I own up that the main purpose of my visit yesterday to the First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY (website) wasn't just to drink real ales brewed in Hastings, indeed, close by and up the road actually, but because for a number of years now I have gladly taken advantage of the rather special spicy pickled onions (above) prepared and provided by Elina (once apprenticed to Paul; see older blog), and a wonderful puller of real ales too! Elina starts work on the onions well in advance of this holiday season, and all proceeds from the sale of the pickled onions go to the charity for homeless people in Hastings, Eastbourne and Bexhill, Warming Up The Homeless (website). So, not only have I contributed to that charity, I have excellent pickled onions to go with the cold meat, cheese and bubble & squeak that I shall be enjoying on Boxing/St Stephen's Day, quality, cheers Elina!

But, also, the beers... the 4 handpumps shown in the photograph above, plus a seasonal winter warmer that was a wee bit too sweet for me to drink more than a half of, quite pleasant, liquid Caramac came to mind, and with rum added to the cask, many thanks to Adam (whose back is in the image above) for serving it up. When I first arrived the first other customer I recognised was Eddie, who, coincidentally, I have seen a few times recently after not seeing each other for ages, great to chat, cheers Eddie! 

So my main drinks were two of the above ales, the easy to drink FILO Churches Pale Ale (4.2%), a refreshing session ale brewed with one of my favourite U.S. hops, Amarillo, and the stronger 4.8% FILO Gold,  brewed with another great hop from the USA, Cascade, their 'premium ale, nice and pale and golden, good stuff!

So, a pleasant afternoon was had, good ale, good company, and pickled onions to add to the mix, many thanks again to Elina for her time and patience, cheers! 

The FILO Brewery website.

Where to buy full pints of ale in Hastings...

By Steve the Beermeister 

NOT this!

Trading standards officers have regularly found that pubs take advantage of guidelines that pints of beer can be served containing only 95 per cent liquid, allowing for a 'head.' The Weights and Measures Act 1985, however, stipulated that a pint of beer should be a pint. Indeed, in the 1970s, maybe as much as 50% of real ale was served from metered electric beer pumps into an oversized glass, meaning there was no wastage and a full pint was delivered every time. This was more regular in the Midlands and further North, notably in pubs owned by these breweries: Banks, Greenalls, Boddingtons, Hydes, Robinsons, Wards, Stones, and Gales further South. 

Nor this!

Sadly, a 1982 court ruling stipulated that a head of froth was "an integral part" of a pint, and that it was fair to serve beer provided the head was "not excessive or unreasonable." In 2000 the Government announced that pubs that sold pints of less than 95 per cent liquid could be prosecuted, facing fines of up to £1,000, and landlords were also given two years to stock up on over-size glasses, but this has never been enforced, and you often see beer wasted as it pours over the top of brim measure glasses into drip trays. Brewers and publicans, consequently, have been allowed to make the customer pay for wasted beer, and/or make extra profit that isn't taxed, for example, by selling more than 72 pints of ale from a 9 gallon firkin, so Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs lose out on tax revenue too, meaning we pay more tax!

Why waste beer?!?

Why is this so important? Well, apart from the customer, that is you and me, and HMRC being fleeced, beer in licensed premises is the only produce in the country which is allowed to be sold in measures less than advertised. Imagine the uproar if retailers were allowed to sell any other produce short, eg 18 fags in a pack of 20, 450mls of milk in a pint bottle, 18 litres of petrol and charge for 20 litres, 300g of tomatoes in a tin of 400g etc etc... Indeed, selling pints of beer that are not 100 per cent liquid enables brewers and pubs to boost profits by effectively selling air, especially in the North where a 'big head' is actively encouraged by using tight 'sparklers' and, sadly, even down South these days! 

So, where in Hastings & St Leonards can you be served a full pint of ale in an oversized lined glass? Well, the longest running pub I can think of is the First In Last Out (FILO) in the old town High Street, which uses oversized lined glasses in which to serve up real ale (see above, where I'd already taken a mouthful before remembering to take the photograph, oops!)...

...and the only other pub I can think of is in Bohemia, ie The Tower, London Road, St Leonards, Hastings, the reigning CAMRA South East Sussex Pub of the Year. Louisa, the manager of The Tower, and her staff serve up all 6 of the real ales on sale in lined oversized glasses, quality! Oh, and soon I'll be writing about the real ale beer festival that Louisa is running at The Tower from Friday 23rd of February to Sunday the 25th. One for us real ale lovers to watch out for, as there will be a planned 25 different ales available! See link for hints...

If anyone knows of any other pubs in the area who sell their real ales from lined oversized glasses, please feel free to share this information with me, cheers!