A Bohemian Rhapsody

By Steve the Beermeister 

On the corner of London Road and Tower Road is one of 3 good pubs in Bohemia, though this one is the 'bees knees', a CAMRA Good Beer Guide entry for a few years now, ie the excellent and very friendly Tower; so named as this was the last pub before the former toll gate and tower on London Road. 

The Tower Hotel first opened in 1866 with 12 rooms, 2 parlours and a bar. In 1943 the Tower was hit by an unexploded thousand pound bomb, that landed in the cellar, miraculously causing little damage. It was defused and lifted out through the cellar doors, a photograph of which event can be seen opposite the bar, to the right, as you enter. 

Now, the only danger is being a wee bit too 'merry' here, as the Tower is the best value real ale house in the Hastings area, with prices of their very well looked after cask conditioned ales starting at just £2.60 a pint, and rarely more than £3 a pint! 

The family-owned Tower was purchased in the 1990s, with Louisa the manager for 5 years now, and has been converted into just the one large room, with a lovely warm real fire in the winter. Over recent years, the different ales on offer have grown from 4 to 6 (4 usually regularly changing), with the addition of a sixth handpump just before Christmas. 

Being free of any tie to brewery or pubco makes this an ale lover's paradise, with at least 3 Sussex ales, sometimes all 6! Regular ales are from East Sussex Dark Star Brewing (website), and today they have 3 Dark Star ales: the virtually ever-present Hophead (3.8%) and American Pale Ale (APA, 4.7%), and a 'special' Hophead Vic Secret (3.8%), brewed with an Australian hop, 'Vic Secret', giving a hint of backcurrent aroma, but less fruit in the taste, pale and bitter. Both 'Hopheads' are just £2.60 a pint, nice one. 

There are also another 2 Sussex-brewed ales, the 1648 Hop Pocket (3.7%), a light pale bitter with a citrus hoppy aftertaste (website), and the most expensive pint today from Baseline Brewing (website), the strong 5.5% Dark Matter at £3 a pint, a darker full-bodied ale, with a fruity dry finish. 

The 6th ale came up all the way from one of my old abodes, Cornwall, St Austell (website) Proper Job (4.5%) at £2.80 a pint, a pale bitter brewed with malted Cornish-grown Maris Otter Pale barley and Cornish spring water. 

A great selection of ales there, and Louisa always a pleasure to meet, cheers!