Under the guidance of landlady Hayley the Welcome has been rewarded for the quality of its Real Ale with a place in the Good Beer Guide for 2024. This is the first time ever the pub has been in the Guide. Our picture shows branch member Peter Page-Mitchell presenting trainee manager Alex with the notification of the pub’s inclusion, holding a copy of the 2024 Guide.

In the absence of both Branch Chair and his Deputy, it fell to ex Chair and Area Organiser, Peter to make the presentation to the pub of which he has been a regular visitor since the beginning of the current proprietors taking over. We were welcomed by Karen who was delighted with the award and is seen in the picture with Peter.

A total of 33 CAMRA members from both South East and North East Sussex Branches as well as a number from other branches met up at midday at the Bedford by the Central station as the pub opened. The long orderly queue which formed at the bar keeping the then sole server busy was an impressive and memorable sight. Once all were settled with drinks, Howard, Branch Contact and Social Media Coordinator, outlined the programme for the day. Thus it was the group visited the Grove Tavern, followed by the Pantiles Tap, where we were delighted to find in good form, proprietor Geoff, once head steward in the multiple award winning Albatross Club in Bexhill, who had set it off on its successful path before leaving for Tunbridge Wells. After that it was on to the Sussex from where, following branch tradition on these occasions, the group split into different factions. Many chose to remain in the Pantiles area, even returning to the previously visited pubs, while a small group, who had already slipped into the Compasses, chose to make for Mount Edgcumbe up the hill and then on to the Opera House. A successful day ended as the various factions made for home.

Following the success of the local brewery Route 21’s first KeyKeg beer at an Eastbourne Beer Festival in October 2022, the decision was taken to replace a quarter of the 60 cask beers with KeyKeg. Branch member Mark Potter of Route 21 managed the KeyKeg bar, which all but sold out by the end of Saturday evening, as did many of the cask beers. Further supplies of each were ordered, arriving in time for the start of the Sunday session. Attendance and therefore sales at Beer & Cider, (being in marquees and also relying on outside space), vary with the weather and in recent years had tailed off. However, a particularly hot sunny Saturday day session brought out many people deciding to buy tickets on the door which left us glad that we had not reduced beer and cider orders, as stocks ran low. Well done and thanks to all of our team of volunteers, particular mention should be made of festival organiser Robert, who had worked at North Sussex Branch’s festival to gain a different experience to bring to bear and along with Roger attended all sessions, set up and take down included. Also to Mark mentioned above, to Peter who selected the beers and to Phil selecting the ciders. The pictures show the three sections of the beer bar, KeyKeg, National and Sussex.

A gathering of branch members and pub regulars and fans gathered in the pub for the presentation of Branch Cider Pub of the Year. Landlord David was his usual effusive self, although he was a little disappointed that the certificate frame did not match the others he had accumulated from the CAMRA branch, but he was still delighted to accept the award with plenty of his trademark remarks generating enthusiastic audience participation. We enjoyed the range and quality of the beer and cider offerings as ever. The pictures show the presentation, those among us celebrating with cider, including landlord David, and a table with items in the foreground which Neil, (out of shot), either purchased or seemed to wish to purchase.

A gathering of CAMRA members and pub regulars came together to celebrate the pub’s tenth consecutive year in the Good Beer Guide. Preparing to make the award to Landlady Louisa, Branch Chair Peter Adams announced that he would be making three presentations rather than the one which she was expecting. He mentioned that across those ten years the pub had received more awards than any other pub in the branch area. It had been Branch Pub of the Year four times, runner up twice, Cider Pub of the Year twice, Community Pub of the Year once, which with that evening’s award made ten awards in ten years In fact it was to be eleven, as the pub was the top scoring pub in the National Beer Scoring Scheme for 2022 in the branch area, a very slim victory as it averaged just two hundredths more than the runner up. Louisa was delighted to find out that the pub had been rated in this way as she also expressed pleasure at the ten year award.



The third award of the evening was not to the pub, but to one of its regulars. Peter Page-Mitchell scored beers in 115 different branch area pubs during 2022 which was the highest by a branch member that year, 17 more than the next highest. This earned him a Special Award as a leading campaigner in the Branch. Pictures show Louisa and Peter receiving their awards and behind the bar with members of the pub’s staff.

Once again this year Phil Packham, Branch Cider Coordinator, organised a guided tour of the four venues shortlisted for Branch Cider Pub of the Year by branch members at the November branch meeting. An advantage for members of joining the tour to assess the four is they were able to tap Phil’s knowledge, particularly which ciders and perries are defined as real by CAMRA, this being important as they order their drinks. First stop was the Waterworks in Rye where landlord David reorganised the seating (and some of the other customers) so that we could sit in a large circle around a couple of tables and then kindly took this picture of the whole group. As usual there was a good choice of local ciders available.



















Next stop was the Jolly Fisherman in Hastings, where we were joined by Martin of the Brickmaker’s, a competing micropub in the Cider PotY competition, easily identified in our pictures as the only person drinking beer. Landlord Oliver was in attendance, he sources ciders from all over the country and the selection included a perry.



The third stop was the Battle Cider Bar where we were able to sample three of brothers Matt and Jeremy Eldridges’ Battle Organic Cider’s products. These have nothing added, no artificial flavourings, agents, sweeteners nor yeast. After the hectic comings and goings of the first two venues, this bar was laid back, the purple lighting adding to the effect.



The final stop was the Brickmaker’s Alehouse, Bexhill, our third micropub of the tour, where again a selection from round the country was on sale. Unfortunately as we are all very familiar with the Brickmaker’s, our Branch Pub of the Year in 2022, nobody thought to take any pictures there. Either that or after an afternoon of drinking cider, everyone forgot to complete the photographic record. The result of the Cider PotY? The time of writing is well before the deadline for submitting scores, members could still make their own way around the pubs, so there may be additional scores from members who did not join the tour. Once the result is known it will appear on the home page of this website.