Hastings Arms, Hastings

George Street in the Hastings Old Town is a pedestrianised street full of independent shops, restaurants, bars and four pubs. Unfortunately, three of these are owned by Shep Neame so you visit one and you have visited all as far as ale choice goes. The first of these when coming from the High Street is The Hastings Arms, a one room pub with some limited pavement seating to the front and a covered courtyard area to the back I believe, but I didn’t explore this far to confirm it. You enter with the smallish serving area to the left and the rest of the room wrapping around it with wooden ceiling beams, a wooden floor, pine tables and chairs and the walls covered with a collection of mirrors and local art. The bar supports four pumps and for my visit one was reversed leaving Spitfire, Whitstable Bay, and Citra Smack available. First time to come across the Shep Neame Citra Smack and I thought it was a pleasant enough easy drinking summer ale, but then I am partial to Citra hops. As for the pub itself it was perfectly fine and a pleasant enough place for a beer, just nothing really special.

Old Town pub on a street with a large number of drinking and dining establishments, but near enough full (subject to social distancing) on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The bar area is quite small, as are the numerous other seating / dining areas. As a Shepherd Neame house, I was expecting more than just Whitstable Bay Pale (£4.40) being available from the four handpumps, although a reversed Spitfire clip was visible on another.