The Chequer Inn, Steyning 21st March 2009

Stopped in Steyning on the way home to see what this grand looking pub was like.

Dark Star Best (4.0%): Drinkable but uninspiring bitter. I've tasted much better from this local brewer.

Other beers available were Arundel Sussex Gold, Fuller's Gale's HSB, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Fuller's London Pride.

This 15th century inn had two bars, one full of sports fans either watching loud rugby on a big screen or playing snooker in the back, and one laid out as a restaurant.

We had planned on eating but we didn't feel hungry enough, although the menu looked excellent and reasonable. There was also free Wifi which appeared to be in use on the table next to us, incongruous in such an old building!

The Selden Arms, Worthing 21st March 2009

This was a small "local" pub, which we couldn't get into at first because the doorway was full of excited dog.

There was a bad smell inside, which may or may not have been connected to the presence of the animal.


Cottage Champflower Ale (4.2%): Decent, rounded bitter.
Vale Black Swan Mild (3.9%): A gorgeous dark, mellow, chocolately mild.

Both were served a touch too cold for my taste.

There were about ten locals watching the rugby in the corner of the bar, but it was not loud and didn't get in the way. A lovely pub apart from the smell.

The Swan, Worthing 21st March 2009

As it was a sunny day and we had use of a car, we drove down to Worthing to see the sea and try some beer at a couple of pubs.

Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Perfectly kept Harvey's, lovely.
Hop Back Summer Lightning (5.0%): Light, hoppy and strong. A bit sweeter than I remember, but great on a sunny afternoon.

A dark, cavernous interior well decorated with horse-brasses and swan ornaments, although the music was a bit loud.

The Three Legged Mare, York 7th March 2009

Just a few yards from the Minster, this York Brewery pub was uninspiring from the outside, but felt very welcoming and friendly once inside.  The bar staff were young yet knowledgeable about the beers, a rare combination.

York Wonkey Donkey (4.5%): Dark and smooth strong malty beer.
Tring Colley's Dog (5.2%): A distinctive mellow hop character to this strong deep red bitter.

Having run out of cash and not found a cash machine in the whole of York, I needed to pay by card and round up the price of a couple of halves to £5.  The "tapas" menu sufficed and I had the most delicious bowl of cheese cubes and pickled onions for just £2.50.

Probably my favourite pub of the day (in spite of the electric pink toilet walls).  I will definitely be back next time I'm in York.

The Blue Bell, York 7th March 2009

I almost didn't make it into this pub as it was covered in "Private Party" signs.  However having walked all the way across York (all of ten minutes) to get here, I went in anyway.  As I was on my own they let me into the small front bar which was full of locals.  I think the event must have been in the rear bar.

There was an impressive range of seven beers on offer, but after trying two I didn't want to outstay my welcome.

Ossett Silver King (4.4%): Pleasant, sweet, very pale golden ale.
Tetley Mild (3.3%): Delicious smooth and dark, not at all what I was expecting.  For the first time I'm convinced that sometimes pouring beer via a sparkler can be beneficial.

An interesting small pub with a wood panelled interior.  Well worth a visit but don't be disappointed if it's full and you can't get in.  The friendly barman who served me said that this is the only pub in York which regularly has mild.

The Golden Ball, York 7th March 2009

I was looking forward to visiting a few good pubs in York as I only had a couple of hours before heading back down south, so there wasn't time to do much else.

This pub was a good local with several beers on, although the choice was not what I'd call inspired.

Everard's Tiger (4.2%): Cold and smooth drinkable bitter.

The other beers were Ruddles County, Caledonian Deuchar's IPA, John Smith's and Shepherd Neame Spitfire. There were several small rooms off corridors and I don't think I found them all. The main bar was full of a birthday party.

Brigantes Bar and Brasserie, York 7th March 2009

Came to York for a CAMRA meeting at this family-oriented pub.

York March Madness (3.8%): Very pale, sweet hoppy beer.
Leeds Special Session Bitter (3.5%): This tasted a little thin after the slightly stronger York beer.

It was good to see local beers available, and especially refreshing to see two session bitter strength beers on offer at the same time.

The Pied Bull, Streatham 25th February 2009

Managed a midweek drink in London with some friends at this decent Wells and Young's pub in Streatham.

Young's Bitter (3.7%): A good session bitter.
Young's Special (4.5%): Creamy smooth and strong.
Young's Mixed: A delicious way to enjoy the flavour of the Special without the full strength - it's about half and half Bitter and Special, and works surprisingly well. Always my choice when both are available.
Young's Waggledance (bottled, 5.0%): The alcohol is very well hidden in this tasty but not exceptional beer, although I couldn't pick up the honey the bottle advertised. Shame it was kept in the fridge.

As the quality of the pubs in Streatham is not as good as it used to be, it's good to know about this large Young's pub near Streatham Common station.

Bottled beers 21st February 2009

I wouldn't normally write about bottled beer here but the two I drank this evening were both local and both excellent, so I felt compelled.

Hepworth's Sussex (3.5%): Pale, crisp, hoppy and very bitter. A lovely beer with a bite, great with curry!
Welton's Sussex Pride (4.0%): Dark, warming and mellow. A hint of sugar but overall a very tasty mild style beer.

Both brewed in Horsham and although very different in style, neither had that unpleasant fizzy taste which is common in bottled beer. The Welton's was bottle conditioned, the Hepworth's not.

The Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell 15th January 2009

Popped in for some lunch as I'd been told there was a good "pint and a sandwich" offer on.

Thwaites Nutty Black (3.3%): Pleasant but bland dark mild. The best thing about it was the jolly pump clip!

The hot steak and mushroom sandwich was excellent and I suppose I should have stuck with the Fuller's London Pride which was the only real ale in the offer. Still, a bargain at £5 and the offer runs until the end of the month, maybe longer.

The Mitre, Holborn 13th January 2009

Continuing the theme of celebrating my birthday, I was taken to this amazing little old pub down an alley off busy city streets.

Harviestoun Haggis Hunter's Ale (4.6%): Citrus overtones to this crisp, tasty, golden ale.

The pub was in the middle of a Scottish beer festival, but as it was lunchtime and I had to go back to work, I was unable to try any more. Regular beers here are Caledonian Deuchars IPA, Adnams Best and Broadside. The pub is clearly very old, with a tiny front bar and a not much bigger back bar, a small alcove and a function room upstairs. It serves sandwiches and scotch eggs, which we also sampled.

And I didn't have my camera with me so it's a great excuse to come back in the near future, maybe with an afternoon to spare. This is truly one of London's hidden gems and I'd encourage you to try it, but get there early because it is very small.

The White Horse, Maplehurst 10th January 2009

My first surprise birthday party, and it was held in the small front bar at this excellent pub.

There were four real ales on so I decided to sample all of them, starting with the weakest and working my way up.


Hogs Back HBB (3.7%): A good standard session bitter.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Not quite as good as earlier in the week, but still a fine pint.
King Old Ale (4.5%): Pleasant old.
Scattor Rock Devonian (4.5%): Sweet and fruity strong bitter, great on a cold winter's evening.

The open fire made the front bar very cozy, and once I got my head around what was happening it was a lovely evening. Lots of food was provided and I got an opportunity to ask for the gingerbread recipe (see post from 5th January). And as most of my close friends are musicians there were some tunes played, as well as fantastic cake.

The Lynd Cross, Horsham 9th January 2009

Elgood's Thin Ice (4.6%): Thick dark bitter with a chewy, tangy taste. A little past its best.

A nice quiet weekday afternoon drink to celebrate my birthday (in advance, two days to go!).

The White Horse, Maplehurst 5th January 2009

Another regular feature in January is wassailing the apple trees at JB's cider orchard in Maplehurst, followed by beer drinking, music and merriment at the White Horse. All of which the White Horse does exceptionally well.

JB's Dry Cider (8.5%): Well you have to have some when you're wassailing. Mighty fine but dangerously strong. Tends to make you fall over.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): A perfect pint from a great brewer served at a fine pub.
Hepworth's Pullman's First Class Ale (4.2%): Zesty and fresh with a gorgeous light hoppy aftertaste. Another perfect (but very different) pint.
Ballard's Wild (4.7%): Tasty ale with a rounded caramelly malt flavour - is it a porter? Yet another excellent beer.
Hepworth's Classic Old (4.8%): Well balanced old, fruity without being too sweet.
Hogs Back HBB (3.7%): Slightly more sensible alcohol content in this tasty session bitter.

This year a special mention goes to the gingerbread which appeared part way through the evening. Wow, I've never tasted anything like it. I will be investigating the recipe.

Overall a really good beery evening at one of the best pubs I've ever been to.

The Dog and Bacon, Horsham 1st January 2009

As has become customary in my household, New Year's Day means drinking at the Dog and Bacon in Horsham.

Badger King and Barnes' Sussex Bitter (3.5%): Reasonable mellow drinking bitter. Quite a decent pint considering this isn't one of my favourites.
Badger Pickled Partridge (4.6%): This winter offering from Hall and Woodhouse starts like its going to be a deep rich beer but doesn't quite have the flavour to back it up.

A jolly start to the year with morris men, sword dancing, a traditional mummers play and some tunes and songs to finish. I attempted to capture the essence of the play in the photo, but to properly experience it you'll need to go to Rusper village on Boxing Day or of course come here next New Year's Day.

CAMRA Beer Tent at Crawley Folk Festival 29th and 30th June 2008

As usual I was at this festival mainly for the music, but that didn't mean I wasn't interested in the beer. This year I managed to taste every single brew on offer (except the ciders and perries...).

My beer of the weekend was the West Berkshire Maggs Magnificent Mild. Definitely magnificent!

Bowman Eldorado (3.7%): Delicate and fruity with a distintive elderflower taste. Lovely. 4
Castle Rock Harvest Pale (3.8%): Beautifully balanced pale yellow bitter. 4
Church End Grapefruit (5.0%): Disappointing. I couldn't detect any grapefruit in this strong beer. 3
Copper Dragon Black Gold (3.7%): Very fine dark fruity mild. 3
Dark Star Festival (5.0%): One of my all-time favourites, strong and perfectly formed, possibly not at it's best today. 3
Dark Star Summer Meltdown (4.8%): A very strong ginger taste to this popular beer. 3
Dark Star Summer Solstice (4.2%): Zesty and hoppy, perfect for a sunny afternoon. No wonder it ran out in record time. 4
Hammerpot White Wing (4.0%): Excellent fruity bitter. 4
Hanby Cherry Bomb (6.0%): Apart from the colour there's no clue this is actually beer. Very pleasant tasting cherry flavour drink. 3
Hepworth Iron Horse (4.8%): Another old favourite not quite at its best, a bit tangy. 3
Hepworth Summer Ale (3.4%): Zesty fruity golden beer. Lovely. 4
Hornbeam Black Coral Stout (4.5%): Dark, gritty and warming. 3
Humpty Dumpty Porter (5.4%): Decent strong porter. 3
Leeds Midnight Bell (4.8%): Rich and complex unusual mild. 3
Leeds Yorker (4.0%): A massive hop taste to this light-coloured beer. Very similar to Dark Star Hophead, but the Yorker is made with Slovenian hops. 3
Mighty Oak Simply The Best (4.4%): Fresh with quite a bitter taste. 3
Oakleaf Nuptu'ale (4.2%): Golden, sharp and hoppy. 3
Ossett Wot No England (4.3%): Pleasant drinkable bitter. 3
Pictish Alchemist (4.3%): Very sweet hoppy beer. 4
Purple Moose Madog's Ale (3.7%): A little sharp but with a lovely smooth malt taste. 3
Spectrum Light Fantastic (3.7%): Gentle bitter. A little earthy. 3
Spectrum Old Stoatwobbler (6.0%): Strong, dark, sweet and malty. 3
Thornbridge Brother Rabbit (3.7%): Good bitter, similar in flavour to a golden ale. 3
Vale Best Bitter (3.7%): Well balanced bitter; very light in colour. 3
West Berkshire Maggs Magnificent Mild (3.8%): Mellow and dark, exactly as its name suggests. 4
White White Gold (4.9%): Almost tasteless pale beer, although with a pleasant aftertaste. 2
Whitstable Wheat Beer (5.2%): Lemon and grapefruit hoppiness to this delicious wheat beer. 3

Some fine beers available over the weekend. This year the beer tent opened on the Friday evening of the festival, which meant there was not a great selection left on the Sunday afternoon. Good for keeping wastage down but not so good for thirsty morris men!

CAMRA Beer Tent at Crawley Folk Festival 29th and 30th June 2008 (copy entry)

In order to index the breweries using the label field, I've needed to create a copy entry as I drank so much beer here they don't all fit in one entry. So all the text below is a direct copy of the following entry.

As usual I was at this festival mainly for the music, but that didn't mean I wasn't interested in the beer. This year I managed to taste every single brew on offer (except the ciders and perries...).

My beer of the weekend was the West Berkshire Maggs Magnificent Mild. Definitely magnificent!

Bowman Eldorado (3.7%): Delicate and fruity with a distintive elderflower taste. Lovely. 4
Castle Rock Harvest Pale (3.8%): Beautifully balanced pale yellow bitter. 4
Church End Grapefruit (5.0%): Disappointing. I couldn't detect any grapefruit in this strong beer. 3
Copper Dragon Black Gold (3.7%): Very fine dark fruity mild. 3
Dark Star Festival (5.0%): One of my all-time favourites, strong and perfectly formed, possibly not at it's best today. 3
Dark Star Summer Meltdown (4.8%): A very strong ginger taste to this popular beer. 3
Dark Star Summer Solstice (4.2%): Zesty and hoppy, perfect for a sunny afternoon. No wonder it ran out in record time. 4
Hammerpot White Wing (4.0%): Excellent fruity bitter. 4
Hanby Cherry Bomb (6.0%): Apart from the colour there's no clue this is actually beer. Very pleasant tasting cherry flavour drink. 3
Hepworth Iron Horse (4.8%): Another old favourite not quite at its best, a bit tangy. 3
Hepworth Summer Ale (3.4%): Zesty fruity golden beer. Lovely. 4
Hornbeam Black Coral Stout (4.5%): Dark, gritty and warming. 3
Humpty Dumpty Porter (5.4%): Decent strong porter. 3
Leeds Midnight Bell (4.8%): Rich and complex unusual mild. 3
Leeds Yorker (4.0%): A massive hop taste to this light-coloured beer. Very similar to Dark Star Hophead, but the Yorker is made with Slovenian hops. 3
Mighty Oak Simply The Best (4.4%): Fresh with quite a bitter taste. 3
Oakleaf Nuptu'ale (4.2%): Golden, sharp and hoppy. 3
Ossett Wot No England (4.3%): Pleasant drinkable bitter. 3
Pictish Alchemist (4.3%): Very sweet hoppy beer. 4
Purple Moose Madog's Ale (3.7%): A little sharp but with a lovely smooth malt taste. 3
Spectrum Light Fantastic (3.7%): Gentle bitter. A little earthy. 3
Spectrum Old Stoatwobbler (6.0%): Strong, dark, sweet and malty. 3
Thornbridge Brother Rabbit (3.7%): Good bitter, similar in flavour to a golden ale. 3
Vale Best Bitter (3.7%): Well balanced bitter; very light in colour. 3
West Berkshire Maggs Magnificent Mild (3.8%): Mellow and dark, exactly as its name suggests. 4
White White Gold (4.9%): Almost tasteless pale beer, although with a pleasant aftertaste. 2
Whitstable Wheat Beer (5.2%): Lemon and grapefruit hoppiness to this delicious wheat beer. 3

Some fine beers available over the weekend. This year the beer tent opened on the Friday evening of the festival, which meant there was not a great selection left on the Sunday afternoon. Good for keeping wastage down but not so good for thirsty morris men!

The Windmill, Littleworth, Horsham 5th June 2008

Went out to see some dancing at this pub which once was my local.

Badger Tanglefoot (4.9%): Lovely well balanced strong bitter.
Badger King and Barnes Sussex Bitter (3.5%): Better than I remember, although tastes a bit weak after the Tanglefoot.

Very impressed with the Hall and Woodhouse "Badger" beers which usually I don't rate. Must be well kept at this lovely pub.

Sherlock Holmes, Dinan, France 27th May 2008

At this very English style pub we found a beer expert who was able to discuss the finer details of French brewing in English, as well as try some interesting beers.

Lancelot Blanche Hermine (4.0%): Sweet, cold light-coloured beer with an elderflower floral smell.
Lancelot Bonnets Rouge (5.5%): Similar to the white, but with a distinct pink colour.
Brasserie Artisanale du Tregor Dremmwel Rousse (6.0%): Lovely malty beer with a definite bitter taste, although stronger, colder and fizzier than the traditional English variety.

We also managed to negotiate a visit to the local brewery, Brasserie Artisanale des Remparts, with tastings and lots of bottles to take home.

A La Truye Qui File, Dinan, France 27th May 2008

Specialist beer research in northern France meant we came here and tried some:

Brasserie Coreff Stout (4.8%): As in the previous pub, this tastes like flat lager, but this time with stout flavouring added. Right consistency, no real flavour.
InBev Leffe Blonde (6.5%): Cold, refreshing and tasteless.

Still remain to be convinced.