The Britannia, Euston Station 20th October 2007

With some time to make my train connection I thought I’d have a quick half in the pub on Euston station.

I was so shocked by the service I received, I didn’t even write down what beer I got. I asked for a half, and although I could clearly see empty and apparently clean half glasses behind the bar, I was served in an unlined pint glass. When I asked why my drink wasn’t in a half glass I was told that there was none available.

I then said that I was happy to drink what I’d been given but I thought it might be illegal to sell beer in this fashion. The bar man, whose English wasn’t great, looked at me with horror, thought I was causing trouble, and ran to get the manager. She appeared and told him that he should have served the drink in a half glass, waived one at him, and ignored me. The beer was close to undrinkable anyway so I didn’t see what difference it made. I didn’t drink it.

The Britons Protection, Manchester 20th October 2007

Unprepossessing although not unpleasant on the outside, this pub is just stunning on the inside. This picture shows the front bar; the corridors have lovely tiling (if that’s your thing) but I’m not good enough at photography to show you those. This stunning interior is worth a visit even if you’re not into beer.

Coach House Farriers Best Bitter (3.9%): Very bitter yet creamy beer with a dense foamy head.
Howard Town Wren’s Nest (4.2%): A huge amount of elderflower and grapefruit in this immensely fruity flowery hoppy golden beer.

And if the décor and the good beer’s not enough, I counted 207 different types of whiskey behind the bar, although the bar man said they have 232. Maybe I lost count.

Although I spent 12 hours travelling for 5 hours in Manchester, I can’t help feeling that it was all worthwhile.

The Rain Bar, Manchester 20th October 2007

Had to travel all the way to Manchester for a CAMRA meeting which was held in this large pub.

Lees GB Mild (3.5%): Complex nutty mild. Very drinkable.
Lees Bitter (4.0%): Very caramelly and smooth creamy bitter. Not quite what my southern tastebuds are used to!
Lees Ruddy Glow (4.5%): Delicious red mellow beer.

I didn’t get to try the Lees Moonraker, the other beer available, which was probably just as well at 7.5% with a long journey ahead of me.

Manchester was a long was to go for the afternoon so I was taken to sample some beer at another pub in town by others from the meeting who were stunned when I admitted I’d never been to Manchester before.

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 11th October 2007

This is great time of year to be a real ale drinker in Horsham. First there’s the Horsham Beer Festival, then there’s the Horsham Old beer festival at Welton’s brewery (see various previous posts), then you turn up at the Malt Shovel and starting tomorrow there’s a five week long beer drinking extravaganza, with shirts and glasses on offer if you drink enough different beers. Lovely.

Today I tasted:
Brakspear Bitter (3.4%): Revolting, so I took it back to the bar where I was told there had been a problem with some of the glasses. It was willingly exchanged for more of the same beer in a different glass, and then it was the lovely crisp session bitter I expected.
Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter: (4.0%): A decent pint of this distinctive and hoppy beer.
Hepworth's Iron Horse (4.8%): Tasty strong bitter with a thick hoppy flavour from this Horsham brewer.

As usual I was here for the traditional music session. I even managed to get the musicians to pose for a picture this time!

Welton's Brewery "Old Friday Beer Festival" 5th October 2007

Managed to get myself invited to this free event where brewer Ray Welton opens his doors (and barrels) for some beer drinking. I did too much chatting at the start and missed out on a couple of bitters than ran out early on, but still managed to get a taste of three different beers.

The event was in aid of Ray’s daughter Shirley’s forthcoming conservation trip to New Zealand and it is likely that about £400 was raised for this during the evening. Last year’s event (see Oct 06 entry) raised over £400 for a muscular dystrophy charity.

Welton’s Horsham Old Ale (4.5%): Rather better than I remember last year, this is dark and deceptively strong.
Welton’s Bodiam Gold (4.2%): Starts mellow and very bitter but soon sweetens in the mouth.
Welton’s Old Remedy (4.8%): A very sweet and strong, with a similar background taste to the Gold.

A great evening of drinking and chat, some with acquaintances from last weekend’s Horsham Beer Festival (see 29th - 30th September entry) which was topped off with the requisite Morris dancing and revelry.

Free beer at a brewery and it’s all for a good cause. What more could you want?

Beer blog anniversary 1st October 2007

Today marks the first anniversary of this beer blog. If anyone would like to comment on any aspect of the blog, please add a comment to this entry and let me know if there are pubs you would like to see added, beer reviews you disagree with or anything else (constructive please!) you’d like to say, even just a “hello” from wherever you are.

Horsham Beer Festival 29th - 30th September 2007 (copy entry)

All the below test has been copied from a previous entry. In order to fully link each brewer with a searchable 'label' I have had to create another blog entry, as there is a 200 character limit in the labels field. So for the full version, please go to the previous entry. If this means nothing to you, don't worry, just ignore this entry and read the one two entries below as it contains the same information.

Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby (6.0%): Wonderful. I always look forward to drinking as much as possible of this mild at this festival. One of my favourites.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Well balanced bitter with a good hop taste and hints of caramelly malt.
Skinners Betty Stogs (4.0%): The name put me off a bit but this was a delicious fruity hoppy bitter. An excellent find.
Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (5.9%): A lovely delicate IPA with a big hop and honey taste.
Timothy Taylor Golden Best (3.5%): Darker than most golden beers, this was thick tasting and disappointing.
Titanic Stout (4.5%): Lovely dark, bitter, roasty stout.
Wadworth 6X (4.3%): Fresh and fruity; well balanced.
Welton's Percy Bysshe (7.0%): This tastes like it’s got apples or some other fruit in it, and is good but a little strong with a strange murky brown colour.
Westerham British Bulldog (4.3%): Smells of roasted malt and tastes like excellent bitter.
Wickwar Autumnale (4.5%): A hint of burnt flavour to this popular yet thick dark bitter.
Wells and Youngs Waggledance (5.0%): Warming honey tones with some hoppiness are present in this strong bitter.

Horsham Beer Festival 29th - 30th September 2007 (copy entry)

All the below test has been copied from the previous entry. In order to fully link each brewer with a searchable 'label' I have had to create another blog entry, as there is a 200 character limit in the labels field. So for the full version, please go to the previous entry. If this means nothing to you, don't worry, just ignore this entry and read the one below as it contains the same information.

Goddard's Ducks Folly (5.0%): Caramelly strong bitter.
Green Jack Ripper (8.5%): Excellent sweet strong beer with enough flavour to carry the alcohol.
Hadrian and Borders Gladiator (3.8%): Very malty red bitter with a crisp hoppy finish.
Hampshire Pink Elephant (5.4%): Unusual beer with a hint of the taste of red wine but no pink colour. Somehow this was voted “Beer of the festival” by drinkers over the weekend.
Hart Ice Maiden (4.0%): Pleasant bitter but with no distinguishing features.
Harviestoun Ptarmigan (4.5%): Very pleasant beer with a light spicy and zesty flavour.
Hepworth's Harvest Ale (4.5%): An excellent beer with a sharp hop taste. Almost tastes like an IPA.
Hogs Back HBB (3.7%): Mellow citrusy tones to this pleasant bitter.
Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5%): A very palatable and easy drinking stout.
Leyden Black Pudding (3.9%): Lovely creamy well balanced mild.
Moorhouse's Black Cat Mild (3.4%): Tasty mild with a mellow roasted malt flavour.
Oakham JHB (3.8%): Very fresh and citrusy beer with bitter undertones.
Oakleaf Green Gold (4.3%): Pleasant ‘chewy’ hoppy golden coloured bitter.
Old Bear Hibernator (5.0%): Seriously smoky dark beer.
Orkney Dark Island (4.6%): Dark Scottish beer with a chocolatey burnt malt taste.
Palmers Copper Ale (3.7%): Pleasant and hoppy beer.
Ringwood Fortyniner (4.9%): Tasty strong bitter.
St Austell Proper Job (4.5%): Very sweet bitter.

Horsham Beer Festival 29th - 30th September 2007

This year saw a larger festival than previously, with three sessions over the weekend.

As usual, I was serving behind the bar for all the sessions, which gave me the opportunity to sample every one of the fifty real ales on offer.

It’s always a great weekend and this year was no exception. I met up with people that I only ever see at the festival but at last I’m beginning to remember their names now, as well as lots of friends from different areas of life.

I had a tough time deciding on my beer of the festival, and in the end feel I have to mention four that particularly stood out. Skinners Betty Stogs was an excellent bitter, Hepworth's Harvest Ale was a good strong hoppy beer, and Essential Beers Festival Special was delightful golden and moorish. Of course the festival would not have been complete without Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby which is one of the best beers on earth (see picture).

After the event, Gareth, the event organiser who runs the Beer Essentials beer shop on East Street in Horsham (see link on the right), told me that about 4,100 pints were sold and only a little beer was left over from the 84 barrels delivered for the event. This is now being sold in the shop.

Acorn Old Moor Porter (4.4%): Traditional porter. Very good.
Adnams Bitter (3.7%): Lovely dry hoppy session bitter.
Archers Farmers Boy (3.8%): A bit sharp with a hint of smokiness.
Arkells Kingsdown Ale (5.0%): Very malt heavy; rounded and smooth.
Arundel Sussex Mild (3.7%): Gorgeous and creamy if a little sweet.
Bateman's Valiant (4.2%): Very pleasant bitter.
Bath Gem (4.1%): Lovely malty bitter. Tastes stronger than it is.
Brains SA (4.2%): Creamy caramelly taste to this bitter. Very good.
Burton Bridge Golden Delicious (3.8%): Mellow and not too strong. A good beer to drink all night.
Caledonian Deuchars IPA (3.8%): Hoppy but weak beer.
Cotleigh Barn Owl (4.5%): Strong with a bitter flavour which continues to the aftertaste.
Cottage Metropolitan (4.7%): Fruity well balanced mellow bitter. Good but not dark coloured as described in the programme notes.
Downton Red Hop (4.3%): Pleasant malty red coloured bitter.
Elgoods Black Dog (3.6%): You’d have to do well to find a better mild than this at this strength. Even people who profess not to like mild were happily consuming pints of it.
Essential Beers Festival (5.0%): As always an excellent pint. One of my favourite beers.
Essential Beers Festival Special (4.2%): This gorgeous beer was made for the festival by blending Dark Star Hophead (which it tastes similar to but a little stronger) and Dark Star Sunburst. Fantastic beer.
Everard's Original (5.2%): Far too much alcohol and not enough flavour.
Exmoor Gold (4.5%): Slightly citrusy golden beer. Very tasty.
Felinfoel Best (3.8%): A delicate hop flavour to this Welsh session bitter.
Fuller's ESB (5.5%): Good flavour which copes with the high alcohol content.
Garton's Liquid Lobotomy (8.0%): A challenging black beer with a smooth start and tangy aftertaste.
Goddard's Ducks Folly (5.0%): Caramelly strong bitter.
Green Jack Ripper (8.5%): Excellent sweet strong beer with enough flavour to carry the alcohol.
Hadrian and Borders Gladiator (3.8%): Very malty red bitter with a crisp hoppy finish.
Hampshire Pink Elephant (5.4%): Unusual beer with a hint of the taste of red wine but no pink colour. Somehow this was voted “Beer of the festival” by drinkers over the weekend.
Hart Ice Maiden (4.0%): Pleasant bitter but with no distinguishing features.
Harviestoun Ptarmigan (4.5%): Very pleasant beer with a light spicy and zesty flavour.
Hepworth's Harvest Ale (4.5%): An excellent beer with a sharp hop taste. Almost tastes like an IPA.
Hogs Back HBB (3.7%): Mellow citrusy tones to this pleasant bitter.
Hop Back Entire Stout (4.5%): A very palatable and easy drinking stout.
Leyden Black Pudding (3.9%): Lovely creamy well balanced mild.
Moorhouse's Black Cat Mild (3.4%): Tasty mild with a mellow roasted malt flavour.
Oakham JHB (3.8%): Very fresh and citrusy beer with bitter undertones.
Oakleaf Green Gold (4.3%): Pleasant ‘chewy’ hoppy golden coloured bitter.
Old Bear Hibernator (5.0%): Seriously smoky dark beer.
Orkney Dark Island (4.6%): Dark Scottish beer with a chocolatey burnt malt taste.
Palmers Copper Ale (3.7%): Pleasant and hoppy beer.
Ringwood Fortyniner (4.9%): Tasty strong bitter.
St Austell Proper Job (4.5%): Very sweet bitter.
Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby (6.0%): Wonderful. I always look forward to drinking as much as possible of this mild at this festival. One of my favourites.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Well balanced bitter with a good hop taste and hints of caramelly malt.
Skinners Betty Stogs (4.0%): The name put me off a bit but this was a delicious fruity hoppy bitter. An excellent find.
Thornbridge Jaipur IPA (5.9%): A lovely delicate IPA with a big hop and honey taste.
Timothy Taylor Golden Best (3.5%): Darker than most golden beers, this was thick tasting and disappointing.
Titanic Stout (4.5%): Lovely dark, bitter, roasty stout.
Wadworth 6X (4.3%): Fresh and fruity; well balanced.
Welton's Percy Bysshe (7.0%): This tastes like it’s got apples or some other fruit in it, and is good but a little strong with a strange murky brown colour.
Westerham British Bulldog (4.3%): Smells of roasted malt and tastes like excellent bitter.
Wickwar Autumnale (4.5%): A hint of burnt flavour to this popular yet thick dark bitter.
Wells and Youngs Waggledance (5.0%): Warming honey tones with some hoppiness are present in this strong bitter.

The Alma Arms, Uckfield 16th September 2007

We originally arrived at this pub early afternoon to find it closed, even though we had been told it didn’t close on Sunday afternoons, but we found our way back to it at the end of the day, and it was open then.

Harvey’s Sussex Pale Ale (3.5%): Tastes just like the Sussex Best Bitter from the same brewer but with a slightly lower alcohol content.

I was very pleased to get the opportunity to taste this beer as I haven’t seen it before.

All in all an excellent weekend where we discovered some good pubs and a few new beers.

The Abergavenny Arms, Rodmell near Lewes 16th September 2007

Again, the bar man was friendly and chatty at this big pub on the main road. The cars were racing past so fast in the 30 mile an hour speed limit outside that I almost got run over taking the photo.

Hogs Back England's Glory (4.3%): Tasty well balanced light bitter with honey tones.

The Rugby World Cup is on at the moment but this beer was allegedly brewed for the Football World Cup, so I was a bit confused. It’s good beer though.

The Jolly Boatman, Newhaven 16th September 2007

Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Tastes a bit metallic and only slightly like it should.

This small, town pub was busy and full of loud people. The man behind the bar was enthusiastic and told us we had to come back, which was friendlier than in a lot of places, and the drunken customers I talked to were jovial. It was a shame that the beer let it down.

The Trevor Arms, Glynde near Lewes 16th September 2007

One bar in this cosy pub was full of people while the rest of the pub appeared empty. The bar staff were friendly and chatty.

Harvey’s Longman IPA (3.5%): An interesting bitter citrus hoppy beer although far too weak to qualify as an IPA in my opinion. Very pleasant with the distinctive Harvey’s taste.

Never having had this beer before I was very pleased to get the chance to taste it.

The Cock Inn, Ringmer near Lewes 16th September 2007

By the time we arrived here we were ready for lunch and we were not disappointed. Clearly a popular Sunday lunch venue, the pub and garden were full of diners.


Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): A good pint of this fine bitter.

The food was excellent although a little pricy and the staff were very helpful.

The Laughing Fish, Isfield near Uckfield 16th September 2007

Arriving at lunchtime on a Sunday, this pub was full of the smell of roast dinners and although we weren’t eating here, the massive platefuls looked very appetising.

Greene King Swing Low (4.3%): Pleasant bitter without a strong flavour. Reminiscent of LBW by the same brewer.

The Fireman's Arms, Five Ash Down near Uckfield 16th September 2007

A large pub with two bars, the customers were friendly and the man behind the bar was extremely helpful.

1648 Signature (4.4%): In the pub it was chilled and didn’t taste too bad, but by the time it got home it had warmed up to normal beer drinking temperature and was sour and unpleasant.

I'd like to give this pub another chance and try other beers at the pub.

The Station, Preston Park, Brighton 15th September 2007

For the first time in any Sussex pub I felt distinctly uncomfortable walking in here. The customers at the bar were rude and made stupid comments, although the woman behind the bar did her best to be welcoming.

Arundel Sussex Mild (3.7%): Incredibly sweet mild. A little too sweet for me but good and smooth.

There was an unusual mural on the outside wall but I didn’t want to spend any more time at the bar, so I didn’t ask for any details. You can just see it in the picture above the bonnet of the white van.

The Neptune, Hove 15th September 2007

This small local was very difficult to find and the parking was so bad I had to jump out of the car and take the container in on my own.

Dark Star Hophead (3.8%): Delicious seriously hoppy yet not too strong golden ale.

The customers gave the impression that they spend a lot of time in the pub and mid afternoon on a Saturday were quite vocal yet very friendly. They told me that taking away pints of real ale in a plastic container was no way to drink beer, which I agree with to an extent but it was the only way for a driver to taste it.

The Stanley Arms, Portslade 15th September 2007

We turned up to find a beer festival in full swing. What a delight! There was also a barbeque in the back garden so we stocked up on sausages, burgers and salad which went down well with the beer.

Kemptown Kemp Town (4.0%): Just had to have a taste of this to make sure Wednesday was not a one-off (see The Hand In Hand, Brighton 12th September 2007) and again, it tasted bad. Not like off beer this time, but distinctly of fag ash. Maybe there’s a new secret ingredient.
Goddard's Ale of Wight (3.7%): A mellow yet hoppy pale golden ale.
Langham Hip Hop (4.0%): A very drinkable light golden beer but with far less hoppiness than the name suggests.
Langham Halfway to Heaven (3.5%): Pleasant bitter but slightly lacking in the flavour department.
Hop Back Hopfest (4.6%): The hoppiest beer I’ve ever tasted from the UK although not quite at the level of some of the new IPAs from America. Tasty and bitter but I’m not sure I could manage a whole pint.

This really is my kind of pub. The staff and management were friendly, the beer was good, the food we had was good and the standard menu also looked appetising. Of course a beer festival on the day of our visit may have enhanced my impression.

The Romans, Southwick near Shoreham 15th September 2007

Harviestoun Ptarmigan (4.5%): Very sweet but slightly too strong for its fruity and interesting flavour.

An immense pub where most of the patrons were sitting outside on picnic benches eating.