Retrospective?

 Lots of people are doing retrospectives of the year with various themes.  My year in beer wasn't actually very "interesting" - in that we did what we do.  We love the beer scene in Bristol and we definitely make the most of it when we stay here.  The scene in Eastbourne is considerably, and sadly, so much less attractive but we know where you get good beer, and we make the most of it:

Crown on Thursday - Saturday.  Andy typically puts a new guest on for the weekend and sometimes there are absolute crackers.  The beer is ALWAYS well kept and Andy is fanatical that it stays that way.  He also does great beer festivals 3 times a year.  Sometimes there are sports, sometimes it's noisy but it's as good a local as it's possible to get in Eastbourne.

The Lamb - when we want to go to the pub near home but we've already been to the Crown, typically on a Sunday. Beer is only Harveys but usually well kept and have some of the range that isn't "Best".

The Hurst.  Rarely, but usually in the evening after a working day - especially when there's one of the seasonal brews on (think Thomas Paine, Star of Eastbourne, Bonfire Boy...).

Ninkasi when we haven't been for a while and are craving good keg beer or when there's a good reason to drink near the station.  We've introduced so many people to this place that we're probably due a commission.

Beerarama - usually after work at HQ, always good beer and lovely owners - particularly good on a hot day.

And, to be honest, that's just about it.  As a result we try to make the most of imperatives to be out of town.  St Leonards, Hastings, Seaford etc all have places we know and like but we go too infrequently to feel the push to experiment too much.

In Bristol this year, there haven't really been too many "discoveries".  The new Wiper and True taproom and the Kings Head have been added to our relatively frequent destinations for a variety of reasons.  We're still keeping our fingers crossed that the Arbor Brewery tap might open a little more in future.

What we remarked on yesterday afternoon as we had a couple of early beers hoping to avoid crowds (which was largely successful) and watching a troupe of youngsters walk into the Kings Head, turn tail and walk out again (it really is that small) and head off to somewhere else on a crawl of some sort - that we don't want to go to more than one place unless that place doesn't have a variety of beer for us.  We find a comfortable corner, settle in and try all the beers.  And that's how we like to do our beer - it's a pattern that has evolved over a number of years, and maybe we're settled in our ways.  But I don't care.

Meanwhile - come on, Eastbourne, surely there's more space in town for some interesting pubs and bars...!