South Coast Beers

 We're back down south, now, after leaving the Bristol flat in the capable hands of relatives as they enjoy a well-earned break (they're both teachers) in a city.

We (he) drove back in decent enough time and conditions but both of us felt quite wearied by the journey.  As we'd parked almost next to the pasty shop it seemed rude not to pick a couple up to eat post-journey.

So there was tea and a lovely pasty at 4pm.  After that we decided to make the most of the sunshine and stroll to the Crown to sit in the garden.

The Gun extra pale was clearly near its end and we were knackered, so we stuck at one and shuffled back home - I guess a tad disappointed, but mostly just tired.

Thursday we didn't go to the pub at all, dodging the rain and relying on the beer in the fridge.  I did, however, sort out some Bristol beers for delivery.

I was working at the "office" (or lab, or college, or whatever we choose to call it) on Friday and decided to make a day of it, checking up on some jobs I'd been meaning to do for quite a while.  When I was ready to leave, I asked the boy where he might like to buy me some beer.  He suggested town.

So it was that I landed in Ninkaci just after 4.15pm - the boy joining me about 10 minutes later.

Most of the spaces had been booked for later so I found a corner with no booking, grabbed a couple of stools and enjoyed my BBNo beer. In the couple of hours that followed we comfortably drank our way through the draught beers as the bookees gradually took up their tables.

We're becomng more accustomed to the higher prices for premium beer and, for the most point, don't object (even mentally) and we're now even less likely to go to pubs with dreary beer.  Eastbourne still has scope for more interesting places to drink for us, though.  

We mused on how long it can take to build a reputation.  We were thinking about TechResort, but I realised it applies to a culture of beer, too.
When the boy started to come to Bristol I knew all the best pubs because of my involvement in the Bristol Camra group.  But I wouldn't have said Bristol was anything like a beer Mecca.  Bath Ales had filled the local brewery gap left by Smiles (no coincidence that the Bath Ales guys had previously worked for Smiles) after an interregnum of many years.

Bristol Beer Factory then followed...then came Arbor and Moor and now, some 10 years later you really can't move for excellent breweries and the pubs who stock their wares.

Hopefully two nice craft bar plus a quirky brew pub will help Eastbourne up its beer game.  After all, Beak has opened in the home of Harveys.  Surely anything is possible?