Blog Tracker
29-07-2023, 15:08
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/gales-hsb-another-blast-from-past.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vEc87VflsX6xuSSVJ6Lvxh_CqmGxh-vOYMjqV-USMuIPB1q1A8QSO_hFJGcOjzVijewZ4x66rFLtZWS5FJvOFuov GICgYRW-RxA6JEEUvz_vgQ3-mCAH4TgKRvoBj-RRbww-wgWg1M5vfXTQU4yG0303qfH5lN_2E6qOx7Zuij85LUPW7Me_EE lf90/w279-h400/Gales%20HSB%20Pumpclip.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vEc87VflsX6xuSSVJ6Lvxh_CqmGxh-vOYMjqV-USMuIPB1q1A8QSO_hFJGcOjzVijewZ4x66rFLtZWS5FJvOFuov GICgYRW-RxA6JEEUvz_vgQ3-mCAH4TgKRvoBj-RRbww-wgWg1M5vfXTQU4yG0303qfH5lN_2E6qOx7Zuij85LUPW7Me_EE lf90/s2250/Gales%20HSB%20Pumpclip.jpg)
Back in April I wrote a post about Walter Hicks Special Draught (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/Walter Hicks Special Draught)– HSD, a beer brewed by Cornish brewers, St Austell. It’s a beerthat many drinkers thought had disappeared, and without beating about the bush,it’s a real, old fashioned strong best bitter, of the type we don’t see much oftoday. The article was sparked by the appearance of HSD in a well-known Tonbridgepub – the Nelson Arms, and it is the Nelson again where another strong, bestbitter, complete with a proper traditional taste and feel, has featured on acouple occasions recently. The beer I’m talking about has a similar three letteracronym to HSD and is called HSB. This strong, English bitter, is russet incolour and is packed full of rich, soft-fruit flavours, which are definitely notcitrus in nature! Its full name is Horndean Special Bitter, Horndean being a smallvillage 8 miles north of Portsmouth, on the main A3 road from London.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsVsRf7fU9OPgfUH77_Vpj2dESNmgR8ZnMNwW6vJtr ZJuXcKKOGJFIr-MbKXR8pdKtSZN-_UoAiGeOtBBE3beOXkftmEsskU4VapWXwgVeX3Or4h2YLaYUCD Fnm0leMEbHgB3WV8uPi3cqWHHrFbu32Zd5o__0YNSCtHnM-lc1Gv-Qd4lHsWXUJsn0E/w400-h225/IMG_20230728_140431.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsVsRf7fU9OPgfUH77_Vpj2dESNmgR8ZnMNwW6vJtr ZJuXcKKOGJFIr-MbKXR8pdKtSZN-_UoAiGeOtBBE3beOXkftmEsskU4VapWXwgVeX3Or4h2YLaYUCD Fnm0leMEbHgB3WV8uPi3cqWHHrFbu32Zd5o__0YNSCtHnM-lc1Gv-Qd4lHsWXUJsn0E/s4000/IMG_20230728_140431.jpg)
Until 2006, Horndean was the home of George Gale & CoLtd, a brewery with a distinctive range of traditional, bitter ales. It was foundedin 1847 but found itself on the market when a member of the owning familydecided to cash in his share of the business. Gales was bought by well-known, Londonbrewers, Fuller, Smith & Turner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller,_Smith_%26_Turner) in 2005, for £92million, and closed the following year, after which production transferred was to Chiswick.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-oJ0VPJIvSSd6z2q8KfGQpyJGACPePq7z8cHNFaZddvQ8CXf491 gz4BdIn6oznyoamRaknryXw4jLmcMvkiW8DZFrOvjXCJipfml8 yN8lmjO4A0Iax7HDH7iDf9ue_AJKYWppxtIridAj3FaDVc0qQ9 HF_Wlz5_WpcUJzicQvMJ-JDH_2eLAz_VFj_I/w400-h270/Gales%20Summer.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-oJ0VPJIvSSd6z2q8KfGQpyJGACPePq7z8cHNFaZddvQ8CXf491 gz4BdIn6oznyoamRaknryXw4jLmcMvkiW8DZFrOvjXCJipfml8 yN8lmjO4A0Iax7HDH7iDf9ue_AJKYWppxtIridAj3FaDVc0qQ9 HF_Wlz5_WpcUJzicQvMJ-JDH_2eLAz_VFj_I/s3297/Gales%20Summer.jpg)
In the years leading up to the takeover, Gale’s beers – primarilyHSB, were often seen in the free trade, and were stocked locally, until quite recently,at the DovecoteInn at Capel, near Paddock Wood. During the early years of my association withWest Kent CAMRA, HSB sometimes featured as a guest ale, at the Little Brown Jugat Chiddingstone Causeway, but apart from those two outlets, I haven’t come across the beer in ages. Several days ago I did, and enjoyed my first pint in years of HSB at the Nelson. It was every bit as good as I remember it. Then, the following day I noticedit on sale again, this time at the famous Lewes Arms, a wonderful unspoilt pub at the top of the Sussex countytown, in the shadow of Lewes’s imposing castle. Some mightcall it serendipity, whilst others will just dismiss it as coincidence, but it’sworth noting the care that new owners, Fuller's put into this beer, as HSB isstill brewed, and with the same Gales yeast that gave it its famous flavour.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pILjpvvST80o1kEqlYljGoE8qFGa7d7LgZGgg5L6FY SJugRpxK6t4RbzrQMKLuBn3XNHJKIHKQowYiWK9CVEMiIAUl8M wVbTFLi7tkqExHWYdIg2gFdH5jC53tyqaNfWZIZm4i-7I6bmCrGb93kZK1EGfZ_1GzpnyMsu0gCYltlQU_X3K5Voq-AQe_w/w400-h225/IMG_20230728_135543.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pILjpvvST80o1kEqlYljGoE8qFGa7d7LgZGgg5L6FY SJugRpxK6t4RbzrQMKLuBn3XNHJKIHKQowYiWK9CVEMiIAUl8M wVbTFLi7tkqExHWYdIg2gFdH5jC53tyqaNfWZIZm4i-7I6bmCrGb93kZK1EGfZ_1GzpnyMsu0gCYltlQU_X3K5Voq-AQe_w/s4000/IMG_20230728_135543.jpg)
I first enjoyed Gale’s beers on a visit to a small village in Surrey. Thiswould have been in the mid-1970’s, whilst I was a student, at Salford University.A friend of mine had access to a small cottage, in the equally tiny village of Eashing,near Godalming. The property belonged to his mother, and her partner, andhaving borrowed the keys (with permission), my friend Nick and I, along with our respectivegirlfriends, headed down into deepest Surrey, to enjoy a long and relaxing weekend in theSurrey countryside. The four of us met at Waterloo station, and boarded a trainto Godalming, but not before enjoying a few pints of Brakspear’s, at the Hole inthe Wall opposite.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiokE-tQzhnOz6UvELFA5S2I6XcK4FzCb1a3Nlw1WjWyZUhjMGGzUAz_ YwQ_cWuZ3ZsAUfyR15o0vUF1ETEx_Pp8sWHTxwTQtfmFaeGiGp FHQBT0h_WyXI4IMktvnEMLHQLyQAbnVOmDELivH7xGmoJEI0vb r74jucQ61qMRyegIz17j9Q3DaoWhMqTpk/w400-h225/Lewes%20Arms%20bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiokE-tQzhnOz6UvELFA5S2I6XcK4FzCb1a3Nlw1WjWyZUhjMGGzUAz_ YwQ_cWuZ3ZsAUfyR15o0vUF1ETEx_Pp8sWHTxwTQtfmFaeGiGp FHQBT0h_WyXI4IMktvnEMLHQLyQAbnVOmDELivH7xGmoJEI0vb r74jucQ61qMRyegIz17j9Q3DaoWhMqTpk/s4000/Lewes%20Arms%20bar.jpg)
The latter was a well-known free house, occupied a railway arch opposite the station, and was renowned for offering a good selection of cask ales. This was the firstopportunity any of us had to sample a few pints of Henley’s fines, so we made the most of it, before catching our train. Withouta car at our disposal, we walked from Godalming station to Eashing, and it was getting dark bythe time we reached Nick’s mother’s cottage. There was an Ind Coope pub inEashing, serving top-pressure Ind Coope Special Draught, but little else ofinterest to budding beer enthusiasts, like ourselves. Fortunately, our host haddone his homework and knew, from previous visits, there was a Gales pub in Milford,the next village to the south, situated just off the busy A3 trunk road.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9ow7uAAawA_BogJtdm0Dbk5VLtBpI_MSsQjHmUzeZF OgNntV94hDMWcoa6_JuSg4a-GVvqUVoQQhQfl1-DDzrwIDlhR5Zupqe3wS5NzfIr0zxqY9S8LniK5b0sGgEKZG0ae 7gQX5ZIkz3gcU5BVLl3rgVDeZFiZoVA1PpMqlf6VYkfObGaBp8 tbL_Rc/w393-h400/Fullers%20mirror.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9ow7uAAawA_BogJtdm0Dbk5VLtBpI_MSsQjHmUzeZF OgNntV94hDMWcoa6_JuSg4a-GVvqUVoQQhQfl1-DDzrwIDlhR5Zupqe3wS5NzfIr0zxqY9S8LniK5b0sGgEKZG0ae 7gQX5ZIkz3gcU5BVLl3rgVDeZFiZoVA1PpMqlf6VYkfObGaBp8 tbL_Rc/s2289/Fullers%20mirror.jpg)
There were a couple of bikes at the cottage, so the following day Nick andI cycled to the pub, leaving the girls to their own devices. Whilst there, we enjoyedGale’s Light Mild, Bitter plus of course, HSB. I’ve been trying to identify thepub itself, as none are listed on What Pub under Milford, but a look at awebsite for closed pubs indicates that the village had two pubs, both namedafter lions, one red and the other white. Looking at the photos, I’ve a feeling it was the Red Lion, situated on the Portsmouth Road, that we visited. Thepub closed in 2009 and is now used as a Tesco Express. The White Lion fared slightly better, by managing to hang on until 2015.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyZB-heEyFPS_Mz_QO6OtWBLQ1Ppt_xy99DW5tIqtn8OBZ-nJ04_hpnODxFzU9KKCJcQjrm3p3eaWTnggnWeB5cl-P_sDtgDkhWEx6OHEG9-KkbVFe9jHrBkaKMj9dM7UoWnla4A1jmY2VM3kL4Pdlxrqm18kl PuYP1TfiWz4qHDGwtR_ZkAR_zj6-PU/w400-h225/Lewes.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyZB-heEyFPS_Mz_QO6OtWBLQ1Ppt_xy99DW5tIqtn8OBZ-nJ04_hpnODxFzU9KKCJcQjrm3p3eaWTnggnWeB5cl-P_sDtgDkhWEx6OHEG9-KkbVFe9jHrBkaKMj9dM7UoWnla4A1jmY2VM3kL4Pdlxrqm18kl PuYP1TfiWz4qHDGwtR_ZkAR_zj6-PU/s4000/Lewes.jpg)
Going back to the takeover of Gales, for a moment, the brewery at Horndean, had suffered from years of under-investment, and whilst Fuller’s had intended on keeping it open, the costs of the work required to bring it up to modern standards, would have made this uneconomical. This is the reason why the plant closed when it did. As I mentioned earlier, Fuller’s managed to save Gale’s unique strain of yeast, and as well as HSB, they produce another former Gale’s beer, this being the unique Prize Old Ale, an extremely strong, old ale, that is matured in oak casks, prior to bottling. The bottles were originally sealed with a cork, but I understand more conventional crown caps are now used instead.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTklGWhtwc098Nt5tC7a8iTG8zf4-HmWrSi1ehOcCd6viSRDQs2e_Zlvxg9o0AAFUPIo0F7_fkUJGMQ D7d5eh9IwTt8Q1ywG8ltjmQnU7_7CD87hXyxp8Dpi2xFgaF-u45FVaoggJ4oWo5cbXttsVI9r7DhXhZvgypywHaa15aAOx4iIO Aa59uH96VU5o/w400-h325/Battle%20of%20Lewes.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTklGWhtwc098Nt5tC7a8iTG8zf4-HmWrSi1ehOcCd6viSRDQs2e_Zlvxg9o0AAFUPIo0F7_fkUJGMQ D7d5eh9IwTt8Q1ywG8ltjmQnU7_7CD87hXyxp8Dpi2xFgaF-u45FVaoggJ4oWo5cbXttsVI9r7DhXhZvgypywHaa15aAOx4iIO Aa59uH96VU5o/s2091/Battle%20of%20Lewes.jpg)
Unlike its Cornish counterpart HSD, this other survivor from the past, is much more widely available, and HSB can often be found on the bar, in Fuller’s tied houses. The reason I haven’t seen it, is there are very few pubs owned by that brewery, in this part of Kent, and the only one I can think of is the George & Dragon (https://www.georgeanddragonwesterham.co.uk/) in Westerham, an imposing old inn, overlooking the green in the centre of the town. The brewery have plenty of pubs in London though, so the capital might be your best bet, it you are after that elusive taste from a largely bygone era.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/07/gales-hsb-another-blast-from-past.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vEc87VflsX6xuSSVJ6Lvxh_CqmGxh-vOYMjqV-USMuIPB1q1A8QSO_hFJGcOjzVijewZ4x66rFLtZWS5FJvOFuov GICgYRW-RxA6JEEUvz_vgQ3-mCAH4TgKRvoBj-RRbww-wgWg1M5vfXTQU4yG0303qfH5lN_2E6qOx7Zuij85LUPW7Me_EE lf90/w279-h400/Gales%20HSB%20Pumpclip.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8vEc87VflsX6xuSSVJ6Lvxh_CqmGxh-vOYMjqV-USMuIPB1q1A8QSO_hFJGcOjzVijewZ4x66rFLtZWS5FJvOFuov GICgYRW-RxA6JEEUvz_vgQ3-mCAH4TgKRvoBj-RRbww-wgWg1M5vfXTQU4yG0303qfH5lN_2E6qOx7Zuij85LUPW7Me_EE lf90/s2250/Gales%20HSB%20Pumpclip.jpg)
Back in April I wrote a post about Walter Hicks Special Draught (http://forums.pubsgalore.co.uk/Walter Hicks Special Draught)– HSD, a beer brewed by Cornish brewers, St Austell. It’s a beerthat many drinkers thought had disappeared, and without beating about the bush,it’s a real, old fashioned strong best bitter, of the type we don’t see much oftoday. The article was sparked by the appearance of HSD in a well-known Tonbridgepub – the Nelson Arms, and it is the Nelson again where another strong, bestbitter, complete with a proper traditional taste and feel, has featured on acouple occasions recently. The beer I’m talking about has a similar three letteracronym to HSD and is called HSB. This strong, English bitter, is russet incolour and is packed full of rich, soft-fruit flavours, which are definitely notcitrus in nature! Its full name is Horndean Special Bitter, Horndean being a smallvillage 8 miles north of Portsmouth, on the main A3 road from London.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsVsRf7fU9OPgfUH77_Vpj2dESNmgR8ZnMNwW6vJtr ZJuXcKKOGJFIr-MbKXR8pdKtSZN-_UoAiGeOtBBE3beOXkftmEsskU4VapWXwgVeX3Or4h2YLaYUCD Fnm0leMEbHgB3WV8uPi3cqWHHrFbu32Zd5o__0YNSCtHnM-lc1Gv-Qd4lHsWXUJsn0E/w400-h225/IMG_20230728_140431.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItsVsRf7fU9OPgfUH77_Vpj2dESNmgR8ZnMNwW6vJtr ZJuXcKKOGJFIr-MbKXR8pdKtSZN-_UoAiGeOtBBE3beOXkftmEsskU4VapWXwgVeX3Or4h2YLaYUCD Fnm0leMEbHgB3WV8uPi3cqWHHrFbu32Zd5o__0YNSCtHnM-lc1Gv-Qd4lHsWXUJsn0E/s4000/IMG_20230728_140431.jpg)
Until 2006, Horndean was the home of George Gale & CoLtd, a brewery with a distinctive range of traditional, bitter ales. It was foundedin 1847 but found itself on the market when a member of the owning familydecided to cash in his share of the business. Gales was bought by well-known, Londonbrewers, Fuller, Smith & Turner (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller,_Smith_%26_Turner) in 2005, for £92million, and closed the following year, after which production transferred was to Chiswick.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-oJ0VPJIvSSd6z2q8KfGQpyJGACPePq7z8cHNFaZddvQ8CXf491 gz4BdIn6oznyoamRaknryXw4jLmcMvkiW8DZFrOvjXCJipfml8 yN8lmjO4A0Iax7HDH7iDf9ue_AJKYWppxtIridAj3FaDVc0qQ9 HF_Wlz5_WpcUJzicQvMJ-JDH_2eLAz_VFj_I/w400-h270/Gales%20Summer.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-oJ0VPJIvSSd6z2q8KfGQpyJGACPePq7z8cHNFaZddvQ8CXf491 gz4BdIn6oznyoamRaknryXw4jLmcMvkiW8DZFrOvjXCJipfml8 yN8lmjO4A0Iax7HDH7iDf9ue_AJKYWppxtIridAj3FaDVc0qQ9 HF_Wlz5_WpcUJzicQvMJ-JDH_2eLAz_VFj_I/s3297/Gales%20Summer.jpg)
In the years leading up to the takeover, Gale’s beers – primarilyHSB, were often seen in the free trade, and were stocked locally, until quite recently,at the DovecoteInn at Capel, near Paddock Wood. During the early years of my association withWest Kent CAMRA, HSB sometimes featured as a guest ale, at the Little Brown Jugat Chiddingstone Causeway, but apart from those two outlets, I haven’t come across the beer in ages. Several days ago I did, and enjoyed my first pint in years of HSB at the Nelson. It was every bit as good as I remember it. Then, the following day I noticedit on sale again, this time at the famous Lewes Arms, a wonderful unspoilt pub at the top of the Sussex countytown, in the shadow of Lewes’s imposing castle. Some mightcall it serendipity, whilst others will just dismiss it as coincidence, but it’sworth noting the care that new owners, Fuller's put into this beer, as HSB isstill brewed, and with the same Gales yeast that gave it its famous flavour.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pILjpvvST80o1kEqlYljGoE8qFGa7d7LgZGgg5L6FY SJugRpxK6t4RbzrQMKLuBn3XNHJKIHKQowYiWK9CVEMiIAUl8M wVbTFLi7tkqExHWYdIg2gFdH5jC53tyqaNfWZIZm4i-7I6bmCrGb93kZK1EGfZ_1GzpnyMsu0gCYltlQU_X3K5Voq-AQe_w/w400-h225/IMG_20230728_135543.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pILjpvvST80o1kEqlYljGoE8qFGa7d7LgZGgg5L6FY SJugRpxK6t4RbzrQMKLuBn3XNHJKIHKQowYiWK9CVEMiIAUl8M wVbTFLi7tkqExHWYdIg2gFdH5jC53tyqaNfWZIZm4i-7I6bmCrGb93kZK1EGfZ_1GzpnyMsu0gCYltlQU_X3K5Voq-AQe_w/s4000/IMG_20230728_135543.jpg)
I first enjoyed Gale’s beers on a visit to a small village in Surrey. Thiswould have been in the mid-1970’s, whilst I was a student, at Salford University.A friend of mine had access to a small cottage, in the equally tiny village of Eashing,near Godalming. The property belonged to his mother, and her partner, andhaving borrowed the keys (with permission), my friend Nick and I, along with our respectivegirlfriends, headed down into deepest Surrey, to enjoy a long and relaxing weekend in theSurrey countryside. The four of us met at Waterloo station, and boarded a trainto Godalming, but not before enjoying a few pints of Brakspear’s, at the Hole inthe Wall opposite.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiokE-tQzhnOz6UvELFA5S2I6XcK4FzCb1a3Nlw1WjWyZUhjMGGzUAz_ YwQ_cWuZ3ZsAUfyR15o0vUF1ETEx_Pp8sWHTxwTQtfmFaeGiGp FHQBT0h_WyXI4IMktvnEMLHQLyQAbnVOmDELivH7xGmoJEI0vb r74jucQ61qMRyegIz17j9Q3DaoWhMqTpk/w400-h225/Lewes%20Arms%20bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiokE-tQzhnOz6UvELFA5S2I6XcK4FzCb1a3Nlw1WjWyZUhjMGGzUAz_ YwQ_cWuZ3ZsAUfyR15o0vUF1ETEx_Pp8sWHTxwTQtfmFaeGiGp FHQBT0h_WyXI4IMktvnEMLHQLyQAbnVOmDELivH7xGmoJEI0vb r74jucQ61qMRyegIz17j9Q3DaoWhMqTpk/s4000/Lewes%20Arms%20bar.jpg)
The latter was a well-known free house, occupied a railway arch opposite the station, and was renowned for offering a good selection of cask ales. This was the firstopportunity any of us had to sample a few pints of Henley’s fines, so we made the most of it, before catching our train. Withouta car at our disposal, we walked from Godalming station to Eashing, and it was getting dark bythe time we reached Nick’s mother’s cottage. There was an Ind Coope pub inEashing, serving top-pressure Ind Coope Special Draught, but little else ofinterest to budding beer enthusiasts, like ourselves. Fortunately, our host haddone his homework and knew, from previous visits, there was a Gales pub in Milford,the next village to the south, situated just off the busy A3 trunk road.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9ow7uAAawA_BogJtdm0Dbk5VLtBpI_MSsQjHmUzeZF OgNntV94hDMWcoa6_JuSg4a-GVvqUVoQQhQfl1-DDzrwIDlhR5Zupqe3wS5NzfIr0zxqY9S8LniK5b0sGgEKZG0ae 7gQX5ZIkz3gcU5BVLl3rgVDeZFiZoVA1PpMqlf6VYkfObGaBp8 tbL_Rc/w393-h400/Fullers%20mirror.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9ow7uAAawA_BogJtdm0Dbk5VLtBpI_MSsQjHmUzeZF OgNntV94hDMWcoa6_JuSg4a-GVvqUVoQQhQfl1-DDzrwIDlhR5Zupqe3wS5NzfIr0zxqY9S8LniK5b0sGgEKZG0ae 7gQX5ZIkz3gcU5BVLl3rgVDeZFiZoVA1PpMqlf6VYkfObGaBp8 tbL_Rc/s2289/Fullers%20mirror.jpg)
There were a couple of bikes at the cottage, so the following day Nick andI cycled to the pub, leaving the girls to their own devices. Whilst there, we enjoyedGale’s Light Mild, Bitter plus of course, HSB. I’ve been trying to identify thepub itself, as none are listed on What Pub under Milford, but a look at awebsite for closed pubs indicates that the village had two pubs, both namedafter lions, one red and the other white. Looking at the photos, I’ve a feeling it was the Red Lion, situated on the Portsmouth Road, that we visited. Thepub closed in 2009 and is now used as a Tesco Express. The White Lion fared slightly better, by managing to hang on until 2015.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyZB-heEyFPS_Mz_QO6OtWBLQ1Ppt_xy99DW5tIqtn8OBZ-nJ04_hpnODxFzU9KKCJcQjrm3p3eaWTnggnWeB5cl-P_sDtgDkhWEx6OHEG9-KkbVFe9jHrBkaKMj9dM7UoWnla4A1jmY2VM3kL4Pdlxrqm18kl PuYP1TfiWz4qHDGwtR_ZkAR_zj6-PU/w400-h225/Lewes.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuyZB-heEyFPS_Mz_QO6OtWBLQ1Ppt_xy99DW5tIqtn8OBZ-nJ04_hpnODxFzU9KKCJcQjrm3p3eaWTnggnWeB5cl-P_sDtgDkhWEx6OHEG9-KkbVFe9jHrBkaKMj9dM7UoWnla4A1jmY2VM3kL4Pdlxrqm18kl PuYP1TfiWz4qHDGwtR_ZkAR_zj6-PU/s4000/Lewes.jpg)
Going back to the takeover of Gales, for a moment, the brewery at Horndean, had suffered from years of under-investment, and whilst Fuller’s had intended on keeping it open, the costs of the work required to bring it up to modern standards, would have made this uneconomical. This is the reason why the plant closed when it did. As I mentioned earlier, Fuller’s managed to save Gale’s unique strain of yeast, and as well as HSB, they produce another former Gale’s beer, this being the unique Prize Old Ale, an extremely strong, old ale, that is matured in oak casks, prior to bottling. The bottles were originally sealed with a cork, but I understand more conventional crown caps are now used instead.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTklGWhtwc098Nt5tC7a8iTG8zf4-HmWrSi1ehOcCd6viSRDQs2e_Zlvxg9o0AAFUPIo0F7_fkUJGMQ D7d5eh9IwTt8Q1ywG8ltjmQnU7_7CD87hXyxp8Dpi2xFgaF-u45FVaoggJ4oWo5cbXttsVI9r7DhXhZvgypywHaa15aAOx4iIO Aa59uH96VU5o/w400-h325/Battle%20of%20Lewes.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTklGWhtwc098Nt5tC7a8iTG8zf4-HmWrSi1ehOcCd6viSRDQs2e_Zlvxg9o0AAFUPIo0F7_fkUJGMQ D7d5eh9IwTt8Q1ywG8ltjmQnU7_7CD87hXyxp8Dpi2xFgaF-u45FVaoggJ4oWo5cbXttsVI9r7DhXhZvgypywHaa15aAOx4iIO Aa59uH96VU5o/s2091/Battle%20of%20Lewes.jpg)
Unlike its Cornish counterpart HSD, this other survivor from the past, is much more widely available, and HSB can often be found on the bar, in Fuller’s tied houses. The reason I haven’t seen it, is there are very few pubs owned by that brewery, in this part of Kent, and the only one I can think of is the George & Dragon (https://www.georgeanddragonwesterham.co.uk/) in Westerham, an imposing old inn, overlooking the green in the centre of the town. The brewery have plenty of pubs in London though, so the capital might be your best bet, it you are after that elusive taste from a largely bygone era.
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