Hastings Tap Takeover 2

By Steve the Beermeister:

As I hinted in my previous blog, I would missed day 2 of Hastings Tap Takeover 2023 (website), but on day 3 I visited the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR (website), where I met up with a few friends, and Oliver (landlord) behind the bar, dishing out good beer and playing decent music as ever! Not many cask ales here, but all his beers were from Nottingham brewer Neon Raptor (website), consequently, my review is dominated by 'crafty keg' beers.

My first drink was my only pint, the rest were imbibed in two-thirds or halves, and the only cask ale I could drink here, as only the one left, Neon Raptor Filament (5.0%), an IPA brewed with Cashmere and Ekuanot hops. This was a very fruity, slightly hazy beer, tasting of citrus and tropical fruit flavours, I got melon particularly, drying out bitterness in the finish.

I then drank the wheat beer, their 4.7% Breakfast Club, with bananas and strawberries added. Sounds a bit too much fruit? But quite subtle in the taste, different...

Next was their 6.5% keg IPA No No Noise, a 'New England' IPA, dry hopped with Idaho 7, El Dorado and Citra hops, producing a big fruity aroma and taste, pale and hazy, with grapefruit and orange, and a dry finish. I then moved on to the 'dark side...'

These next 4 crafty keg beers were certainly on the 'dark side' with, well, I'll go into them in more detail, starting with the 5.2% Clusters, a peanut and chocolate stout, which I particularly enjoyed. The peanut I found to be quite subtle, but I got the chocolate much more in the aroma and taste, quite rich, but with a dry finish, stood out for me, nice one! 👍

Moving on up, next was the 7.4% (you get why I moved onto smaller glasses now) Total Eclipse, described as a 'Jaffa Cake Milk Stout' which does what it says on the tin! Brewed with cacao shells and mandarin oranges added, I detected a very strange addition to the aroma and taste, which no-one else got, maybe it was the garlic biltong I'd eaten. 😉 But certainly a subtleness from the fruit and chocolate in the taste, not as in your face as I expected.

Then to 2 of their self-named Crimes Against Brewing series, first the 8.0% Coffee, Caramel & Almond Double Pastry Stout, there's a mouthful, indeed! Maybe a wee bit too sweet for me, and I got a hint of chocolate in the taste too, probably from the malt used, coffee in the aroma, and in the taste throughout, and the almond was quite subtle, very interesting!

I finished my visit with the second from their Crimes Against Brewing series, the 10.0% Carrot and Walnut Cake Imperial Pastry Stout, what can I say?!? Had to be done 😏and I thoroughly enjoyed drinking/experiencing this. My notes aren't the easiest to read at this stage, but I wrote: Dark, sweet and nutty, plenty of body (surprise surprise), rich, chocolatey, and I gave it 3 ticks, which means I liked it, a lot... Well, that was an experience!

Here's looking froward to next years Hastings Tap Takeover, and cheers!

Hastings Tap Takeover 2023; Day One

By Steve the Beermeister: 

On the first day of the Hastings Tap Takeover 2023 (website), which was part of the opening weekend of Hastings Week 2023 (blog), I visited the Prince Albert, 28 Cornwallis Street TN34 1SS. However, the 'festival' was held in 16 different venues in Hastings & St Leonards, with a different brewery featured at each venue, subsequently, on the final day, I visited the Jolly Fisherman, 3 East Beach Street TN34 3AR. I was elsewhere in-between, so did not make all venues, just the two, but I know people who did go to all; I prefer to go to one at a time for thorough research. Consequently, my next blog will be about my visit to the Jolly Fisherman.

Indeed, at the Prince Albert they featured ales and lagers from Edinburgh brewery Newbarns (website), with 3 cask conditioned ales (above), 2 of which they had keg versions of, and another 8 keg beers too, taking up all their taps! I started with their cask ales, with the friendly and knowledgeable Imogen pouring a pint of Newbarns Sparkling Ale for me, a 3.8% pale ale, doing what it says on the label, though not actually sparkling. A refreshing, easy to drink, session pale, slightly sweet to start off with, but drying out at the finish.

I then moved up to the 4.8% Pale Ale, which was more complex and had much more body, and a big fruity aroma and taste, which I believe comes from the use of Citra, El Dorado and Cashmere hops. No wonder there was a predominantly tropical fruit flavour overlaying the citrus fruits, before the ale drying out with bitterness...

My third cask ale was the 5.5% Kynoch IPA, named after the brewer's grandfather, and brewed using Citra and Cashmere hops too. As you would expect, even more body, but not the same fruit 'punch' as the Pale. Surprisingly, despite it being a very pale beer, I detected a hint of toast in the taste, certainly a much more complex ale.

Before moving on to the lager beers I drank, yes, I do drink lager sometimes, notably at beer festivals like this one, I shall mention their Stout Beer, a 5.0% very dark 'dry stout' with plenty of body. Rich, full-bodied, hints of toast (as I expect in a stout), caramel and chocolate, and strangely it was quite light for such a full bodied beer! Oh yes, and for the keg beers I was now drinking two-thirds of a pint, in case you were concerned. 😉

Lagers then, of which I drank 3, first their 4.8% Haná, a German styled Helles lager (craftbeer), brewed with a Czech malt variety grown in Norwich. A pale lager, slightly sweet to taste, quite light with little hop character, easy drinking.

Then I drank their 5.0% 12 Plato Pils, similar to the previous beer, with the Czech malt variety used, indeed, apparently inspired by a trip to Bohemia, and a Czech style pilsner. However, the additional use of plenty of Tettnang and Saaz hops providing a much more complicated beer, which I found more pleasant. A light and refreshing lager that I did enjoy drinking!

The third lager I drank was their 5.7% Oktoberfest lager, Festival Bier, brewed using a blend of 10 different malted barleys, and a German style golden lager ensues. My notes say "interesting" and I found it slightly bitter and easy to drink for its strength.

I met Ben and Della here, always good to but meet decent people for the first time, amongst others that I already knew, cheers! 🍻

Anniversary of the Battle of Hastings: Hastings Day!

Indeed, today is Hastings Day, being the 957th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings (English Heritage), and, as usual, Hastings Week has been set up around this anniversary. For details of the Hastings Week events today, including a torchlit procession, bonfire, fireworks, and classic motorcycle show, go to my last blog! 🎆

Happy Hastings Day! 😕

Hastings Day and Bonfire and Fireworks too!

Happy Hastings Day! 😕Coincidentally, this year, the Hastings Borough Bonfire Society's torchlit procession is on the same day, and their bonfire will be on Pelham Beach as usual, and yes, roads will be closed to traffic near the seafront from 6 pm to 11 pm this evening. Indeed, the Hastings Bonfire 2023 celebration (website) is the culmination of Hastings Week celebrations, as usual (website). 

A Past Procession

The procession congregates from 6.30 pm by the White Rock Hotel and, meanwhile, the beacon is lit up on the East Hill at 7 pm, then Hastings Runners will bring lit torches down to Robertson Street. The procession starts from the western end of Robertson Street at about 7.15 pm, heads along Robertson Street and the America Ground, where torches are lit, then turns right into Harold Place before turning left and heading eastwards along the seafront to Rock-a-Nore Road in the old town, then turns left and goes up All Saints Street, where, at the top, it will cross The Bourne to the High Street, then back down to the seafront and along westwards to the Pelham Beach car park for the bonfire and fireworks at 9 pm, see the map above.

There are a few other Hastings Week events being held today, of course (website), including the sixth Vintage and Classic Motorcycle Show at The Stade Open Space from 10.00 am to 2.30 pm.

Enjoy the day, stay safe, and please be careful for your pets when the procession gets going and, notably, when the fireworks begin 🎆 and look after each other!

Hastings Day is the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, 14th October 1066 (blog).

Hastings Day, Week and Beer!

Hastings Week begins today and, as ever, is based around the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings on the 14th of October 1066, beginning with the opening ceremony at 10.30 today (Saturday 7th) on Winkle Island, Rock a Nore Road, and culminating with Hastings Day itself, and the torchlit procession from the America Ground along the seafront and around the Old Town, and back to Pelham Beach for the bonfire and fireworks; all weather permitting! For more details of these and other events for the next week plus, go to the website.

And beer? Well. this weekend sees a beer festival across 16 venues from the Marina Fountain, West St Leonards, to the Crown in the Old Town, that is, Hastings Tap Takeover 2023 (website). Each of the venues has its beer taps taken over by beers from different independent breweries from around the country, for example, I've already enjoyed drinking Scottish brewery Newbarns' beers at the Prince Albert, Cornwallis Street, in the town centre, and more of that soon... 

Enjoy the weekend, indeed, enjoy the week!

Railway Consultation: 680,000 Responses!

Since my last blog about this consultation, a further 220,000 people responded to the extended consultation, meaning that they have a lot to respond to themselves now! 680,000 responses are now being analysed and they plan to send their conclusions to train operators by the 31st of October (Transport Focus). Transport Focus and London TravelWatch will also publish online the public response with an overview of the response numbers, and issues raised in the consultation. 

No doubt we shall hear a few grumbles from the operators!