The Hythe Christmas Beer Survey

When, finally, that time of year arrives, we all need something to help us recover from the incessant  message from retailers (you know, the one that Christmas is all about buying things that they want to sell you), which has been rammed down our throats since the beginning of November.

However, whilst trying to ignore this entirely spuriousI meaning of Christmas, I thought a Christmas beer might help and then began to wonder what (if any) Christmas beers, Santa might had brought to the locality...

...or if not, whether the beers available would pass as a 'Christmas beer' (whatever that is).

First stop The Glen, in the principality of Dibden Purlieu (on the south western boundary of Hythe...

The Glen usually put a christmas branded beer on, in the past these have included ‘Rockin’ Rudolph and ‘A Good Stuffing’, the latter when it was on a couple of years ago now - was the source of much amusement for one of the barmaids who insisted male customers asked for the beer properly (e.g. could I have a Good S******g please).

This year however not such trauma as the beer was Scrooge, from Robinson’s Brewery...

An intersting ‘copper ale’ which was in decent form (good). However not as dark, or rich tasting as christmas beers often are - which made me wonder whether Robinson’s had deliberately made this one ‘a bit thin’ to live up to it’s name.  Anyway - top marks for a Christmas named beer, and the Christmas tree (top) not too bad either.

On then to the second stop,  The Travellers Rest, nestled in its little countryside setting on the southern edge of Hythe...

No Christmas named beer here, but there was a very suitable alternative...

Jail Ale - woolly hat enhances its ‘winter beer’ credentials.

...Dartmoor Brewery’s Jail Ale.  This fine beer is a regular here and its sturdy, malty flavour would hold its own as a Christmas Beer any day.  The beer was good, and served in proper glasses, all as usual here.

...yes...that tasted good...

Whilst it is always difficult to drag yourself away from another Jail Ale, we pressed on to Hythe village centre...

...and The Nelson...

...whose promenade front beer garden was looking quite inviting - but a little too cold for most.

Never mind, we hit the jackpot, with christmas branded beer no.2...

... ‘Blitzen’ from that fine ‘oop North’ brewery Black Sheep.

Billed as a ruby christmas ale - this seemed to have quite a roasted malt taste - not unlike a porter.  Again a good and very enjoyable beer ...

...though we had to settle for Wadworth and Ringwood glasses as it was undoubtedly too much to expect Black Sheep glasses to have made it this far South just for Christmas.

The final stop was at Ebenezers also in Hythe village centre.  Ebenezers have a wide range of regularly changing real ales on two of their four hand pumps ( as all the pump clips displayed over the bar attest). 

So I thought it would be a safe bet that we would find a Christmas branded beer - but it was not to be, with Otter Ale and Free Fall (Red Cat) available in addition to Double Drop (Flack Manor) and Abbott Ale (GK)...

The Free Fall was a good, citrusy pale ale, but had no pretensions of being a christmas beer.  Not a bad afternoon though, with 2 christmas branded beers, another one which could pass as a christmas beer without any effort, and all the beers good quality and enjoyable.  

Ebenezer’s christmas tree rounded off the afternoon nicely though.

...and for the true meaning of Christmas - you can’t beat John Betjeman’s ‘Christmas’ poem...

'Provincial public houses blaze

And Corporation tramcars clang,

On lighted tenements I gaze

Where paper decorations hang,

And bunting in the red Town Hall

Says “Merry Christmas to you all”.’

etc...