The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has published its 2026 Good Beer Guide.
The guide is the "definitive guidebook" to pubs that serve great cask beer across the UK, and uses an independent, volunteer-led selection process that makes it the authoritative and trusted voice of cask beer drinkers.
Here are the five pubs from Hastings that were included in the guidebook.
The Dolphin: 11-12 Rock-A-Nore Road
The guide says: "In the same family for 20 years, expect a warm welcome in this pub dating from the 18th century.
"It has a sunny terrace looking across to the famous fishing net huts and a cosy interior."
The Jenny Lind: 69 High Street
The guide says: "Situated centrally in the Old Town, this traditional pub has a large front bar with eight handpumps and a stage area for regular live music performances.
"A cosy back bar has an open log fire and a bar billiards table."
READ NEXT: Much-loved traditional boozer goes on sale for £950,000
READ NEXT: Wetherspoons pub to remove outdoor seating area
The John Logie Baird: 29-31 Havelock Road
The guide says: "Named after the TV pioneer who made his first experimental transmission of a moving image in 1924 in nearby Queen’s Arcade, this is an open-plan town centre Wetherspoons pub with 10 real ales always available."
The Jolly Fisherman: 3 East Beach Street
The guide says: "Operating as a pub for 125 years until 1959, then undergoing several different uses, the Jolly Fisherman became Hastings’ first micropub in 2016.
"It has an attractively decorated frontage and a cosy, intimate interior with a wood-burning stove taking centre stage in winter."
White Rock Hotel: 1-10 White Rock
The guide says: "Located on the seafront, close to Hastings Pier, this popular hotel, open to non-residents, has a modern airy café bar serving up to four real ales, normally from Sussex."
However, CAMRA warns the latest figures show another drop in brewery numbers across the UK, almost all being smaller and independent operators, which the it says are vital to consumer choice.
Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA Chairman, said: "Each edition of the Good Beer Guide is a collectible snapshot of beer and pub culture that year.
"This year’s guide is a testament to the remarkable resilience of publicans, continuing to achieve excellence and choice for consumers despite a backdrop of sky-high tax bills and a lack of action from Government.
"The Chancellor needs to use the upcoming Budget to slash the tax burden on pubs, including VAT, duty and National Insurance contributions."
Read more:
Ash Corbett-Collins continued: "This really is a make-or-break Budget for the Chancellor.
"It’s time for the Government to decide if they’re pro pubs and independent brewers, or if they are going to reign over the demise of the Great British Pub."
You can buy the 2026 Guide from the CAMRA website at: https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product/the-good-beer-guide-2025/
Share