Saturday in the Crown

Part of the reason we felt our Eastbourne house would be suitable for us is that it's a 12 - 15minute walk from The Crown.

Other places we looked at didn't have pub-proximity and we rejected them, in part, because of that.

We already knew The Lamb (Harveys) which is about the same distance but we decided, the day we viewed the house on a miserable November and thought it would do (that's all we really wanted in a house at the time),  that we should at least check The Crown out to see what alternatives there were if we decided to move there.

It has to be said, it looked a little bit "locals pub" with smokers hanging around outside the door (they still do that a bit) and in the right hand room as you go in, the facilities felt a bit basic (the loos still are basic, though clean).

We can't remember what cask beers were on the bar but we remember we ordered Harveys and it was served on gravity from the "cellar" (cool room next to the bar).  This wowed us both, especially as it was super-fresh and cool, which is not always a given for Harveys in town.

There was quite a long delay until we actually bought the place (for...reasons)  but we revisited it only once we'd completed the purchase some 8 months later.  We went back to The Crown and were ecstatic to find that Dark Star Hophead was now a regular beer and was served on gravity (Harveys had been put on handpump).

We've been drinking there ever since - some 13 years.  Same landlord, we've seen his son and friends grow up from primary school kids to working behind the bar and the beer is still the best/most interesting cask offering anywhere in Eastbourne.

We've been back around 6 days and hadn't yet visited but had learned that they had Thornbridge Ravenna on. Once we'd completed a couple of strenuous garden tasks, we walked down.

Saying hi to a few regulars, catching up with the bar staff, watching sport on the TV - it's just as relaxed an experience as going to the Barley Mow.  Beer of the same high quality, though sadly not the same range.

We were home. 

 

Pub is a collaborative thing

 We were going to go to Unwins so that we could try a game they have (Arboretum).  Sadly, we arrived to find it closed.

 Because rain threatened, we went to the BM instead.  It was about 5pm when we arrived and, what appeared to be a bunch of teachers had taken up residence in the Best Corner.  No matter.

A slight misjudgement by the chap on the bar led to one of our pints very nearly hitting the deck, but for the reflexes of the BBB catching it (left-handed, he wanted to make clear) as it tipped off the bar.

It spilled about a quarter of the beer on the BBB's jumper and the floor. "Oh my god!  I'm so sorry" said the lad and, indeed, he did appear mortified.

I grabbed some roll wipe I could see on the bar to mop the BBB down and the lad returned with a full roll. He apologised another 12 or 13 times, and topped the beer up.  We assured him that no harm was done and that it could happen to anyone, etc, etc.

We genuinely felt it too.

We enjoyed our first pints and nattered about nothing much.

The group on the adjacent table were a bit noisy and the BBBs ears are playing up at the moment but he didn't let the noise bother him.

People came and went and the pub was still pretty busy at 6pm.

A slightly awkward looking couple came in and looked a bit horrified at the busyness of the place. They looked at the other half of the table we were sitting at...and tentatively started to ask if they could sit.  We waved them in.

After a while the teachers left and so the couple jumped ship to the corner.  He returned to reassure us it wasn't us that they were moving from - but rather the noisier other table.  We smiled, as you do.

When he went to get another drink he came over again - "is there an event or something?, it's really busy".  Turns out they'd just moved in locally and were sussing out the area.  I got the distinct feeling that he wasn't that comfortable and was, somehow, disappointed in the Barley Mow - it was the slightly non favourable comparison with the Old Fishmarket, I think.  He said that his wife really liked ESB so the BBB urged him to try the ESB-like beer on the bar.

We felt the need to go into bat to promote all the lovely local places, but when all's said and done, these folk will find places that suit their needs and, like as not, their needs won't be the same as ours.

I mused on the fact that the day we arrived for this trip I was totally a recipient of the BM's care and, for want of a better word, support.

Today, now I'm a little bit less stressed I hope what we did was gave a little bit back.