The Seahorse, Shalford 10th May 2013

A quiet post-gig drink at this very old pub sadly trying very hard to be a restaurant.

Adnams Broadside (4.7%): Well kept decent strong bitter.
Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%): Served very cold with a big northern head but once it warmed up tasted almost as good as it at its best.

A good couple of beers at a friendly pub.

The Selsey Arms, Coolham 9th May 2013

Once again I was out with the Broadwood Morris Men and tonight we were in Coolham, near Horsham.  The weather was awful but like true professionals (or idiots, depending on your point of view), the dancers persisted and got soaked to the skin. The musicians were slightly better off as they sheltered in the doorway. The photographer (me) also had to brave the downpour, but not for long.

Thwaites Lancaster Bomber (4.4%): Bit of an odd chemical taste to this strong bitter.
Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%): Good but not excellent beer.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): At its usual stunning best.

I had a really nice time at this great pub that has somehow passed me by until now.  I don't often eat food in pubs but I'd missed dinner and the jacket potato was immense and delicious.  Chicken and bacon: highly recommended!

There was a good space for a music session (usually called a restaurant I'm guessing) and the staff were great too.  I will be coming back as this pub ticks all the boxes. Apart from being easy to get to.

The Plough, Rusper 1st May 2013

Out again with the morris, this time for May Day. Dancing started in Horsham Carfax then progressed to Rusper church, then to the pubs in Rusper.  We stopped at The Plough for some refreshment.

Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%): Excellent driving bitter with soft malty undertones.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Very bitter and delicious with that unmistakable Harvey's taste.

Two excellent beers at this lovely old pub.

The Malt Shovel, Horsham 21st April 2013

We were a little premature in celebrating St George's Day two days early, with our favourite local border side, Mythago.

Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Great beer in great form.

Sharp's Doom Bar (4.0%): Excellent but just not quite as good as the Harvey's on this occasion.

Fuller's London Pride (4.1%): Crisp and tangy, in a good way. Smashing beer.

Timothy Taylor Landlord (4.3%): Creamy and hoppy, another classic.

Blessed with one of the first sunny days of the year, I could have stayed here all day just checking that the beer quality didn't deteriorate.  At one stage this pub had some issues with lines but clearly that is all in the past as the beer is stunning.  I don't expect to be able to find anything this good anywhere else in Horsham... but it won't stop me looking...

The Dun Horse, Mannings Heath near Horsham 30th April 2011

Today is May Eve and we chose to kick off this year's dancing season with a meal followed by dancing and drinking at this excellent pub, as it is near where we practise.  Later on we had some tunes and songs and generally welcomed in the summer in morris fashion.

Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Lovely mellow, well balanced bitter.
Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%): Another excellent bitter, with slightly more hop tones.

I love this pub and wish it was my local. Lovely beer, lovely food, lovely staff, nice customers, great atmosphere. What more could you ask for? Cheaper beer I suppose.

The Crown Inn, Axbridge 11th April 2009

Coming to this pub has turned into an annual event. In other years we've got a big plate of lunch but the new management hadn't got the kitchen going so after sampling the beers we had to find somewhere else for lunch.

Sharp's Crown Inn Glory (3.8%): Pleasant light coloured bitter.
Sharp's Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): A good pint of one of my favourite bitters.
Cheddar Ales Potholer (4.3%): A huge bittersweet hop taste to this 'more exciting than most' golden ale. Almost an IPA.

The beer was so good we came back later for a top up and a take out. And the lovely sunny day meant we could take advantage of the large beer garden.

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.

The Downsman, Hove 15th September 2007

In order to complete the “Brighton and South Downs Ale Trail” we needed to visit twelve more pubs, many of them not easily accessible by public transport. Our solution was spend the weekend driving to each one with a container for takeaway beer, which we could then drink at our leisure at home. As I can't drive, Dan who can was able to drink as well.

First stop was the Downsman.

Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Pleasant bitter with a delicate floral aroma.

The Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court 7th August 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.

Nethergate IPA (3.5%): Stunning hop flavour and it tastes stronger than it is. 4
Nethergate Suffolk County Best Bitter (4.0%): Good rounded tasty bitter. 4
Nethergate Umbel Magna (5.0%): Made with coriander, it smells of herbs and tastes of light, delicate porter, an achievement in such a strong beer. 4
Oakleaf Hole Hearted (4.7%): Zesty, hoppy and spicy. 3
Olde Swan Original (3.5%): Smooth and fruity light coloured beer. 3
Potton Village Bike (4.3%): Decent bitter (shame about the silly name) but with a particular hop flavour that’s not my thing. 3
Rebellion Shaken Not Stirred (4.2%): From one of my favourite brewers, but first taste of this is ordinary. However it mellows into a lovely rounded aftertaste. Wonderful. 4
Rebellion Blonde (4.3%): Nasty insipid lagery tasting pale coloured beer. Not my thing. 2
Robinson’s Oldham Bitter (3.8%): Tangy, sharp and fruity. 3
Sharp’s Doom Bar Bitter (4.0%): Ordinary bitter. Usually one of my favourites but served too cold. 3
Sharp’s Eden Ale (4.3%): Dry, bitter and hoppy. Again served too cold. 3
Teme Valley This (3.7%): Straw hoppy taste to this golden ale. 3
Triple fff Summer Is Icumen (6.0%): Light and strong but not backed by hop or malt flavour. 3
Vale VPA (4.2%): A dark golden ale with zesty hop character. 3
Winter’s Golden (4.1%): Mild in flavour with a sharp finish. 3
Wolf Golden Jackal (3.7%): Tasting more like a darker beer this has an excellent balanced hop taste. 4

USA and Rest of the World
Cambridge Brewing Co Bitchin’ Bitter (4.2%): Slightly woolly tasting malty bitter. 3
Cambridge Brewing Co Tall Tale Pale Ale (5.8%): Smooth honey hop flavour but a little too strong to support the taste. 3
Dogfish Head 60 Miniute IPA (6.0%): Citrus yet mellow IPA. Doesn’t taste this strong. 3
Gardner Ale House Facelift IPA (6.3%): Very bitter to start with and served grim and cloudy. Although too strong for me, mellows into a tasty refreshing drink. 4
Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer (4.4%): Very pale coloured wheaty beer served chilled and tasting more like lager. 3
YoHo Brewing Co Yona Yona Ale (5.5%): Tasty malty beer similar to a best bitter. Very pleasant and I don’t think you’d guess it was all the way from Japan.

All the above were draft, and, with the exception of the YoHo beer, from the USA.