Was able to walk round the corner from home to get here.
Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Very tasty beer. This is usually top choice at the Foresters and this evening was no exception.
Young’s Bitter (3.7%): Pleasant session bitter but not very exciting.
Another evening of good cheer in an excellent pub. It’s great to have a local serving such fine beer.
Was persuaded out on a quiet Wednesday evening to this excellent village pub.
Oakham JHB (3.8%): Incredibly pale tasty beer
Dark Star Golden Gate (4.5%): Beautiful light beer with delicate honey overtones
Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Absolutely at it’s peak. As good as any in Lewes I’ve tasted
This was a great evening at a great pub with great beer and super-friendly staff and locals. Who could ask for more?
With a slightly dark, mysterious interior and a more soulless upstairs area, this is a decent “local” pub. It was smoky downstairs too, but this won’t last much longer! In the evenings they host live music and Monday is quiz night.
Greene King Morland Old Speckled Hen (4.5%): Pleasant although uninspiring strong bitter.
Fuller’s London Pride (4.1%): Slightly tangy tasting and not as fresh as it could be, but still drinkable.
More of a city bar than a traditional inn, this Fuller’s owned pub had two real ales on and a wide variety of whiskies and wines. It was fairly empty when I visited late afternoon although muted Sky TV played alongside quiet dance music.
Fuller’s Discovery (3.9%): Appealing to the lager market this was served chilled at about 3°C which was a shame as it lost some of its flavour.
Fuller’s London Pride (4.1%): Tasty well balanced well kept session bitter.
If football and a pint is your thing, then this is a great place to go.
This is a lovely, cozy pub in the middle of nowhere, or so it appeared when we arrived having got lost on the drive from Horsham!
Hog's Back TEA (4.2%): Rather bland with a hint of maltiness. Not as good as I've tasted it before.
Arundel Gold (4.2%): Beautiful crispy hoppy beer. I've only ever had this from The Beer Essentials shop in Horsham (see link on the right hand side) so it was interesting, and not at all disappointing, to buy it from a pub.
Tasty beer, pleasant staff and a bar that felt like a sitting room.
So this time I have no excuse. It was pouring with rain. I had no way to get there apart from cycling... but I still went out and watched the dancing and played in the music session afterwards.
Badger First Gold (4.0%): Pleasant if bitter beer.
Badger Stinger (4.5%): Made from stinging nettles, this was disappointingly bland.
Badger King & Barnes Sussex Bitter (3.5%): Quite a pleasant malty beer and drinkable at this strength. Much better than it normally tastes.
Very welcoming pub although I only ventured into the front bar where the locals were happy but loud. The beer was well kept.
A friendly pub I've not been to before, we stayed for a few drinks and a few tunes.
King Horsham Best Bitter (3.8%): I hate to have to say this about a local beer (and I've had it before and it was fine) but this for me epitomised was is bad about beer.
Ringwood Best Bitter (3.%): A tasty, drinkable beer which could easily help an evening to slip by before you'd notice.
Was persuaded out on a miserable Bank Holiday Monday to watch maypole dancing at Rusper.
The only antidote to the weather was... you guessed, some beer.
The nearest pub to the maypole was the Plough, where I did a little drinking just a few days ago (see entry for 1st May 2007).
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Lovely sharp, hoppy beer. What a joy!
Hepworth Iron Horse (4.8%): Interesting bitter-tasting beer with a complex hop taste.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Mellow beer with a distinctive hop aftertaste. The best of three excellent beers.
The beers were great; the dancing was fun to watch; shame about the weather.
I was really here for the folk club (Martin Carthy was playing) but I managed to taste just one real ale.
Sharp's Cornish Coaster (3.6%): Served very cloudy but tastes very good. Hoppy and moorish. The quality of the beer at this pub continues to improve.
The gig was very good and it was a shame I had to leave early to catch the last train home.
Pic to come
After a very tiring day, we all descended on the Frog and Nightgown.
Most of the dancers had cycled some distance but this didn't dampen their enthusiasm for dancing on the road before another music session took place inside.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Tasted pretty good for Harveys but not special. A very decent pint.
I just couldn't make it to the end of the evening and left early after a long day.
After leaving the village stores the morris men, musicians and bemused followers adjourned to the Star across the road for a few beers and some tunes.
Fullers London Pride (4.1%): Pleasant, hoppy and very fresh.
Shepherd Neame Spitfire Ale (4.5%): Compared with the other beers I've tasted today, this tastes very strongly of honey.
Greene King Abbot Ale (5.0%): Very strong bitter tasting beer with not much flavour. Disappointing.
Badger King and Barnes' Sussex Bitter (3.5%): I wasn't expecting much but this is probably the best I've tasted this beer. Served rather cold but with a good flavour and refreshing too.
The London Pride and Spitfire ran out (what with all those thirsty dancers) so we had no choice but to try the Sussex and the Abbot.
After a long music session and plenty of beer, the party wended its way to Lyne House, once home to Lucy Broadwood (see previous entry, the Plough, Rusper).
Arrived here after a special May Day church service at Rusper church where the Broadwood Morris Men danced and a wreath was hung on the monument to Lucy Broadwood, a local folk song collector.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): The first pint out was not so good (it may have been the first from the barrel). After that it was extremely tasty sharp hoppy beer.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Another excellent bitter.
A few tunes were played by the assembled musicians, then eveyone moved off to the village stores, where there were a few more dances.
To celebrate "May eve" it was necessary to visit the White Horse and participate in some traditional English customs (any excuse for a beer or three).
Hogsback HHB (3.7%): Very pleasant drinkable bitter.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): As usual, an excellent pint.
So there was morris dancing, drinking, music, eating and more drinking. A very jolly evening.
