For those of you who elected not to take part in Dry January… we salute your resolve and applaud your steadfast refusal to give in to peer pressure. Seriously though, if you made it through an alcohol free month, well done. Time for a celebration, eh? This month’s blog brings you our tips on where to go to enjoy your craft brewed goodness. We explore a Brighton bottle shop, a micropub in Worthing, a new pub in Manchester, a taproom in London, and a lot more besides. Enjoy!
Trafalgar Wines
23 Trafalgar Street, Brighton. BN1 4EQ
www.trafalgarwines.co.uk
Trafalgar Wines in Brighton has been promoting and selling great craft beer to the people of East Sussex for over 35 years, since long before craft brewing took over the world. This independent establishment has an impressive collection of over 600 top quality beers from all over the world and was voted the Best Bottle Shop in East Sussex 2015 by RateBeer.
We stopped by the shop on a rainy Tuesday night recently to find out what all the fuss was about. The nondescript exterior belies the impressive selection of beers held within. The staff clearly know their stuff and were able to recommend a couple of great US brewed American Pale Ales, all at very reasonable prices. Steve has a great way with customers and has that knack of being able to talk to each person at their level of knowledge.
Trafalgar stocks our full Tailgate selection - Peanut Butter Milk Stout, Watermelon Wheat and Grapefruit IPA, plus a selection of our Saugatuck Brewery range, including the Neapolitan Milk Stout, Blueberry Maple Stout and Singapore IPA. We thoroughly recommend picking up a bottle of each and taking it back for a home tasting!
www.twitter.com/trafalgarwines
www.facebook.com/trafalgarwines
www.untappd.com/v/trafalgar-wines/469511
Taproom SE8
Unit 2, 2 St. Paul's House, 3 Market Yard, Deptford SE8 4BX
Also at: 15 Major Draper St, Woolwich, London SE18
www.taproomse18.com
www.hopstuffbrewery.com
Drink craft, eat pizza. Finally, a mantra we can all get behind! Taproom SE8, child of Hop Stuff Brewery and sibling to Taproom SE18 was opened in December last year. Since then it has gone from strength to strength having swiftly beaten its investment target in it’s latest round of crowd funding. It’s easy to see why everyone wants a piece of the pie (or slice of the pizza?) when the Taproom is so welcoming to people of all types, from hardened craft beer aficionados to newbies dipping their toes into the brewing tank for the first time.
Taproom SE8 serves a range of tasty sourdough pizza, plus wine, cocktails, sodas, snacks and smiles. As well as being an outlet for Hop Stuff Brewery beers, they also carry a carefully selected range of imports, including our own Peanut Butter Milk Stout from the Tailgate Beer range. This dark, full-bodied stout is deep, dark and decadent topped by a hint of sweet peanut butter and chocolate flavours.
As the fine folks at Taproom say “Forget white table cloths and polished cutlery, grab a beer, put your feet up and get comfy!”
www.twitter.com/TaproomSE8
www.instagram.com/taproomse8
www.twitter.com/Hopstuffbrewery
www.twitter.com/HopstuffJames
Brooksteed Ale House
38 S Farm Rd, Worthing BN14 7AE
www.brooksteedalehouse.co.uk
Established in 2014, Brooksteed Ale House in Worthing proudly wears the badge of ‘Micropub’. For the uninitiated Micropubs are small drinking establishments, focused on community and conversation. They provide refuge for those who prefer their quality ales and beers without the distraction of jukeboxes, karaoke or video games.
Sounds great, right?
Since April 2017, new owners Aaron Burns and John Azzopardi have held on to the ethos of serving quality ales and traditional drinks in a quiet and atmospheric setting, while giving the pub a well-deserved makeover. The staff know their drinks and are on hand to offer advice and expertise in drink selection.
Brooksteed partners with The Pantry – a lovely bakery restaurant located right next door. Their food is on offer in the pub every evening and on Sundays, but you can also bring it into the pub yourself any time.
The Ale House runs occasional events focused on bringing the community together, for example at the Pie and Pint night on 5th Feb (limited places available, book at the bar if you’d like to go)
Alongside their tap offerings they also offer a hand-picked selection of bottles, including our own Neapolitan Milk Stout and Singapore IPA, both from Saugatuck Brewing. For such discerning clientele it’s certainly a great honour to be included in the selection.
www.twitter.com/sussexmicropub
www.facebook.com/SussexMicropub
www.instagram.com/brooksteed
www.facebook.com/The-Pantry-Bakery-1466220676939399/
Head Of Steam Didsbury
653 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 6QZ
www.theheadofsteam.co.uk/bars/didsbury
The Head of Steam, which operates pubs and bars all over the north of England, is opening it’s latest venue in the vibrant area of Didsbury, Manchester in February. The group, owned by our friends at Camerons Brewery, has undergone massive expansion in the last few years. The Didsbury site is it’s twelfth venue, built on the former site of The Sanctuary pub which closed some 4 years ago.
The Head of Steam has developed a great reputation for serving innovative UK and world beers. The Didsbury pub will have 19 keg lines, a collection of rotating craft beers, 8 cask ale lines including beer and real cider from around the region and beyond, plus a selection of premium cocktails, spirits and soft drinks.
It’s food offering will include a brunch menu plus British pub classics made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Rumour has it that they’ve invented a cheese sauce containing the Motorhead Road Crew brew as part of the Mac n Cheese dish. Burgers and 12” hot dogs are on offer to complement the impressive selection of US Craft beers.
Our own Neapolitan Milk Stout and Blueberry Maple Stout will be available on draught. Yes, on draught! Both of these award-winning stouts contain subtle yet compelling flavours and are the perfect accompaniment to sweet dishes or cheese boards.
So, if you like good food and great craft beer so stop by at the grand opening from 5pm on 1st February.
www.twitter.com/hos_didsbury
www.facebook.com/headofsteam.didsbury
www.instagram.com/hos_didsbury
www.twitter.com/headofsteamHQ
The Harp Restrung
11 Grace Hill, Folkestone CT20 1HA
The Harp Restrung is an alternative live music bar in Folkestone. Hosting local and travelling bands of various flavours as well as the occasional comedy performer it is a popular hangout for locals. As a proudly self-proclaimed ‘alternative dive bar’ don’t go expecting to see crystal chandeliers or dinner jackets, but do expect a lively atmosphere with a friendly crowd passionate about their music.
Talking of passion they’ve also got a great line in craft beer. Perhaps fittingly our most rock ‘n’ roll beers are now available on tap. Motorhead’s Road Crew developed by our friends at Cameron’s Brewery is an American Pale Ale packed full of hoppy citrus, tangerine and blackcurrant flavours. Also available on draught is Route 1, an American IPA developed by Fordham and Dominion, now brewed in the UK. This golden beer has a subtle malt taste with grapefruit and pine aromas. Both of these are best enjoyed with spicy foods, chilli nachos and great music!
www.twitter.com/TheHarpRestrung
www.facebook.com/livemusicvenue.folkestone
Run a bar or restaurant and keen to learn more about stocking any products in our portfolio? Get in touch at info@heathwick.com or tweet us @HeathwickUK and one of the team will be happy to help.