End of a beer-a

Last week we packed the contents of the Hitchin home into a large removals van and completed the relocation to Eastbourne.

We bid a private but very fond farewell to our two favourite drinking spots in town:  The Nightingale which was the scene of so many reunitings and partings as well as some cracking beers over the years and the Half Moon which Howard and Wendy took from a dingy but otherwise unremarkable place to the most consistent seller of cask ale that I think I've ever come across.

We'll miss our regular fix of consistently lovely Oakham Ales, the occasional injection of Crouch Vale, Brewsters, Oldershaws and sometime Tring (as well as other great brews).

If you want to know how to run a basic, but classy, proper pub - look no further than the Half Moon.  It's a simple formula - get good beer, understand how to keep and dispense it perfectly, add in well cooked but not overly fancy food and the job's a good 'un.  We could gripe about the crowding at the bar but it would be churlish - I'll miss it.

Down here in Eastbourne pickings remain fairly slim as soon as you discount Harveys pubs (of which there are at least four in town...and then almost all other real ale pubs sell Harveys).  However, The Dolphin is going from strength to strength in the quality of their offer.  Last weekend there was a choice of three excellently kept guest ales and two of them were perfectly to my taste (no, I can't remember what they were called, sorry).  This, matched with really good food and an atmosphere (and staff) that encourages you in for meetings, coffee, lunch, dinner or drinking and it's probably the best all-rounder in Eastbourne.

Our favourite real local remains the The Crown.  The clientele are a bit lively at times; the crowd around the bar borders on infuriating and some of the facilities are a bit basic.  But the beer - ah...the beer is what matters.  The beer is the reason we go back time after time.  Perfectly kept; straight from the cask (not to everyone's taste, I know) and, invariably Dark Star Hophead and usually with a rather nice second guest at weekend.

Have to say, we're also looking forward to being able to pop back to Bristol a little more often to make the most of the rich seam of beeriness that continues to grow there.