Wednesday, 28 March 2007

The Dun Horse, Mannings Heath, Horsham 27th March 2007

Again went to the Dun Horse for a pint and again the Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%) was good. For further details please see the entry for this pub on 20th March 2007.

The Wheatsheaf, Bognor Regis 27th March 2007

Went to Bognor for a family meal at the Wheatsheaf.

The beers on offer were decidedly northern, as was the landlord's accent.

Bass Draft Bass (4.4%): Currently brewed by Marston's, this had a lovely golden colour but tasted a little flat.

Tetley Cask Bitter (3.6%): Marginally better than the Bass with a caramel flavour. Better than the smooth version we've come to know and hate.

It was interesting to taste these northern beers but I'm not totally convinced now that mass production has taken its toll. It would be interesting to do a taste test as it may be my preconceptions coming into play.

The staff were friendly and helpful and the food was cheap and plentiful. The TV screens were showing the cricket but it wasn't too intrusive and there were a lot of locals in residence.

Monday, 26 March 2007

Vinopolis, London Bridge 24th March 2007

Went wine tasting with a group of friends at Vinopolis in London.

For £21 we got a "how to taste wine" seminar, a taste of five wines, two beers, two absinthes, two whiskies and a Bombay cocktail.

The seminar was excellent although overcrowded and the man explaining had a very strong accent that was difficult to understand through the microphone he was using.

The wine tasting would have been much more enjoyable had there been less people but the absinthes and whiskies were excellent.

The Bombay cocktail was served in an area of the massive building that was like a nightclub, with blue lighting, white plastic walls and music playing. While this was presumably to set the scene, I found it rather intimidating.

Now, to the beer. There were two on offer, brewed in-house in Vinopolis's microbrewery within the Brew Wharf restaurant. They were served chilled to about 5 degrees, which seemed a little extreme, and they were both exceptionally cloudy.


Brew Wharf Best (4.2%): Brewed with Goldings hops. Strangely bitter over-hopped flavour and for £3.20 a pint in the restaurant, at this temperature and cloudiness, I'm surprised they sell any.
Brew Wharf Rebel (5.2%): Brewed with Fuggles hops and dry hopped with Cascade. Pleasant dark red cold beer with a rounded malt flavour and lots of strawy fuggles taste. £3.40 per pint in the restaurant should, as above, ensure none sells.

Friday, 23 March 2007

The Betsey Trotwood, Farringdon 22nd March 2007

Planned on going to the Jerusalem Tavern on Britton Street round the corner but it was full and smoky so I suggested the Betsey as I'd never been there before.

A Shepherd Neame pub, there were three beers available and we tried two.

Shepherd Neame Early Bird (4.3%): Darker and redder than I expected, this was light and hoppy tasting and was served fairly cold. When it warmed up it lost some of its flavour.
Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger (5.0%): Rounded and sweet malty beer.

Rather worryingly, the very pleasant staff did not know the strengths of the beers, although they offered tasters.

This lovely small pub has a vibrant live music scene run from the space downstairs.

Wednesday, 21 March 2007

The Dun Horse, Mannings Heath, Horsham 20th March 2007


Was given a lift and we stopped here for a swift half on the way home.

Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Tasty as always from this excellent pub.

Didn't stay long but as usual the staff were friendly and the atmosphere was great.

Monday, 19 March 2007

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 19th March 2007

Again, needed to watch England playing in the cricket world cup, so went to the pub in Horsham most likely to be showing it.

The match lasted for eight hours, so I was able to taste several beers...

O'Hanlon's Firefly (3.7%): Slightly wooly tasting and indistinct, but still acceptable bitter. Apparently this is organic bitter.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): The first pint was strangely watery tasting and not so good, but the second and third were lovely and of the standard I would expect here.
Ventnor Pistol Night (4.4%): Pleasant beer with an initial taste of bitter hops and a sweet warm aftertaste.
Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%): Very light coloured slightly hoppy beer. Good but I have tasted better pints of this.
Brakspear Bitter (3.4%): Unpleasant thick sweet beer.

The cricket was boring but the beers were ok. Unfortunately the pub was really smoky and I was coughing for a proportion of the afternoon.

NB Sorry no picture due to no camera. See the comment on the Sussex CAMRA Beer Festival entry for details.

The Horseshoe, Clerkenwell 16th March 2007

It was necessary to find a venue to watch the cricket on Sky, as England were playing, and the Horseshoe was the obvious place.

Local to work (about three doors away) and serving real ale, the Horseshoe can generally be relied upon to show cricket when it's on.

Sharp's Cornish Coaster (3.6%): Better than I remember it here, this is the house beer and lovely too. Not quite as good as Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter, but they don't serve that!

I have no idea why this lovely little pub in Clerkenwell, which incidentally has a room upstairs where the Islington Folk Club meets as well as a reasonably large beer garden, has a house bitter from Cornwall, but it's damn fine so I'm not complaining.

NB Photo from personal stock as I have no camera (see comment on Sussex CAMRA Beer Festival entry for details).

Monday, 12 March 2007

World Beer Tasting, Storrington 10th March 2007

Had the chance to taste some world beers in Storrington, so couldn't really pass this up. Unfortunately it was the morning after I'd tasted 38 beers at the Sussex CAMRA beer festival, so I wasn't as bright as I could have been.

We tasted 16 beers and I was very excited to see Goose Island IPA from America on the list. This is a beer I've been wanting to taste for a long time. It was, as I had thought from written descriptions, my ideal beer in a bottle. Fairly strong (5.9%) and incredibly hoppy. Lovely.

Sussex CAMRA Beer Festival, Hove 9th March 2007

Thought it was only right to go down to Hove to see what the Sussex CAMRA beer festival had to offer.

I tried a total of 38 different beers, and, amazingly, I managed to write what reads back as fairly sensible tasting notes about each one. As it was a festival and I was on official duty, I marked each on a scale of 1 to 5.

There were two bars: a National one and a Sussex one. Here are my notes on all the beers, in the order they appeeared in the programme rather than the tasting order, as that seems to have slipped my mind.

Sussex Bar Beers
1648 Brewery Saint George (4.5%): Lovely light beer with an incredibly hoppy taste. 4
Fallen Angel Caribbean Lime Lager (4.5%): The most revolting real beer I have ever tasted. The person serving it suggested it tasted like "a real ale version of an alcopop". 0
Fallen Angel Kama Sutra (4.0%): Good dark malty beer with a hint of coffee. 3
FILO Ginger Tom (4.4%): Initial taste is rather unpleasant but it warms into a tasty drink. 3
Harvey's 1859 Porter (4.8%): Stunning dark, mellow yet hoppy beer with a coffee aroma. 4
Harvey's Tom Paine (5.5%): Delicate floral hoppy bitter. Could easily be 3.8% and therefore dangerous. 4
Hepworth Prospect (4.5%): Interesting bitter that I can only describe as tasting of straw (Is it fuggles hops I taste?). A decent pint. 4
Rectory Traditional Sweet Stout (4.2%): Incredibly yummy stout with a distinct taste of pineapple. My beer of the festival. 5

National Bar Beers
Archers Spirit of the Sea (4.4%): A lovely hoppy sparky bitter with a heather aroma. 3
Arran Ale (3.8%): Very dry bitter beer with a tangy taste. 3
Brentwood Honey Bunny (4.1%): Very light beer with a hop flavour. 3
Brentwood Rollaway the Stone (4.5%): Interesting best, with a bitter hop taste. 3
Butcombe Bitter (4.0%): Tasty fuity hoppy bitter. 3
Enville Saaz (4.2%): Deceptively light coloured bitter with a huge malty flavour. 4
Farnham Sniper (3.8%): Very unusual. Reminiscent of bad breath. Someone else described it as cheese flavoured. Not good. 2
Grand Union Honey Porter (4.9%): Caramelly but bitter. Not the greatest porter. 3
Goffs White Knight (4.7%): Hoppy bitter but lacking other flavour. Drinkable but not notable. 3
Great Orme Orme IPA (3.8%): Nothing special but pleasant. Very weak for an IPA. 3
Greenwood Icicle (4.2%): Flavourless hoppy beer. Not hugely impressive. 3
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Mellow best bitter. The best it's tasted outside Lewes.
Hidden Pint (3.8%): A well as a clever name ("mine's a pint"), this had a hoppy taste and was tangy, smooth and refreshing. 3
Hogs Back T.E.A. (4.2%): Decent well-hopped bitter with a nice, rounded flavour. 4
Hopdaemon Skrimshander IPA (4.5%): Nice hoppy bitter. A good choice for a pint. 4
Itchen Valley 1644 Battle of Cheriton (4.4%): Very hoppy pale yellow brew with a tangy after taste. 3
Malvern Hills Priessnitz Plsen (4.3%): Tangy sweet lager style beer. 3
Mayfields Auntie Myrtles (5.0%): A big hit of banana flavour and not enough bitter hops to make this a really good beer. 3
Milton Neptune (3.8%): Delicious beer with a clean hoppy aftertaste. 3
Nethergate Bar Fly (3.9%): Very drinkable golden bitter with a gorgeous explosive hoppy fruity taste. 5
O'Hanlon's Wheat Beer (4.0%): Very sharp although pleasant and hoppy. 4
Oakleaf I Can't Believe It's Not Bitter (4.9%): Someone had to, didn't they? Zesty lemony beer that I can easily believe is lager, not bitter. 3
Palmer Best Bitter IPA (4.2%): Very warming yet hoppy smooth beer with a delicate aftertaste. 3
Pilgrim Excalibur (4.5%): A sweet mellow bitter which doesn't quite taste its strength. 3
Rebellion Deserter (4.2%): A warm creamy malty beer with a deep red colour. 4
Rebellion Roasted Nuts (4.6%): Yummy, warm and rich but not quite up to this brewery's usual standard. 3
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Pleasant crispy hoppy bitter. 4
Skinner's Heligan Honey (4.0%): Tasty and unusual. 4
Water Mill Dogs Dinner (4.0%): Very bitter beer with a strong bitter hop taste. 3

If that's too much to read, the two that really stood out were the Traditional Sweet Stout from the Rectory brewery, and the Nethergate Bar Fly. And the one I wouldn't recommend is the Carribean Lime Lager from Fallen Angel.

I apologise for the poor quality photo, but after trying so much beer, photography is not so easy.

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 8th March 2007

This was the last monthly music session in the Malt Shovel for the winter, for some complicated reason I don't fully understand to do with morris dancers.

Anyway, even though I was really tired and not in the mood for a night out, I thought I better make the effort.

Wood's Parish Bitter (4.0%): Delicious bitter with a crisp hoppy taste and mellow undertones. Refreshing.
Brakspear Bitter (3.4%): Absolutely revolting. Tastes like burnt hair. The first time in a long time I've taken a drink back to the bar. Apparently others were drinking it without complaint so maybe it was the glass.
Adnam's Bitter (3.7%): Tasty as ever although possibly a little past its best. Unlikely in this pub.
Flower's Original (4.3%): Creamy smooth with a very sweet thick and heavy aftertaste, with a hint of Caffreys and other smooth beers. The beermad.org.uk website suggests it is brewed by Badger. I can't imagine what they do to it.
Fuller's Gale's HSB (4.8%): Refreshing and far too drinkable for a 4.8% beer. Dangerous!
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Decent bitter but in no way reminiscent of how it tastes in Lewes.
Caledonian Deuchar's IPA (3.8): Tangy lemony light beer. Lovely.

Needless to say neither of the bar staff knew what the Brakspear was supposed to taste like when I took it back, but they were pleasant and happy to change it for me.

Another good evening out with lots of musicians, lots of listeners (who actually clapped), and plenty of free beer.

Monday, 5 March 2007

The Foresters Arms, Horsham 4th March 2007

Got a lift back to Horsham from the future in-laws and somehow ended up in the Foresters. Today seems to have turned into a bit of a pub crawl!


Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Had this once already today and it tastes just as good here. Lovely.

Another jolly landlord at another cozy pub. I am enjoying living in Horsham.

Sunday, 4 March 2007

The Dun Horse, Mannings Heath, Horsham 4th March 2007

Had a hour to kill in Mannings Heath so it seemed sensible to do some beer testing in the Dun Horse.

Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%): Crisp hoppy bitter straight from the barrel. Lovely!
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Wow. The fourth excellent beer today. There are some really good beers to be found in this area.

A lovely cozy pub with an open roaring fire and a landlord who seems to care about his customers. Would make a stunning local if you lived nearby.

The Plough, Rusper, Horsham 4th March 2007

Popped in for a swift lunchtime pint and stayed for three because the beer was so good.


Hepworth Old Ale (4.7%): Smooth dark beer with plenty of flavour. Delicious.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): A stunning pint of excellent bitter. Caramel flavoured but not too sweet with a hint of delicate bitter hoppiness.

A beautiful old pub with a open fire and lots of beams. It's only downside appeared to be the claustrophobic feeling at the bar. The landlord certainly knows how to keep beer!

The Bridge House, Copsale, Horsham 3rd March 2007

Although when we first arrived the pub was very smoky and smelly, this turned out to be quite an exciting night. The beer was better than expected, the company was great, so was the band, and we got to watch the eclipse of the moon.

Badger Best Bitter (4.0%): A decent pint of tasty bitter. Ok, several pints of tasty bitter. So good I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to try the Sussex bitter also on offer.

It strikes me that Hall & Woodhouse AKA Badger may be trying to phase out their "King & Barnes Sussex" beer by making it less pleasant while maintaining the good standard of their best bitter. Now that would be a shame.

Saturday, 3 March 2007

The Crown, Farringdon 2nd March 2007

Work colleagues persuaded me into a pub which is usually far too busy for me to frequent. It was only 4pm and relatively quiet.

Adnam's Bitter (3.7%): Delicious 'proper' bitter which on a Friday afternoon was very welcome. I do like this beer.

I suppose I have to face the fact that this is a very good pub. The beer is kept well, they have a range of malt whiskies as well as a range of Belgian beers.

As long as its not Thursday or Friday after about 5.30pm, you might even get served within a few minutes.

Oh and there's a great space to sit outside on Clerkenwell Green in the warmer months.

The Blue Ship, The Haven, Billingshurst 1st March 2007

This interesting old pub served bitter on gravity. We were here to play in the music session but the front bar was so full we could hardly get a seat (two people were sitting in the fireplace), and I'm not convinced the regulars, some of whom were eating dinner, were terribly enthusiastic about the intrusion.

Badger King and Barnes' Sussex Bitter (3.5%): Having had this a couple of times before I wasn't expacting much. And I was pleasantly surprised; this was the first time that I can say this beer has tasted palatable. Still a long way from being a great pint.

Badger Best Bitter (4.0%): Tasty decent house bitter.

Having enjoyed a pint of Badger Best and played a few tunes, we didn't stay long.