Hove, actually

A beery weekend in the city of Brighton and Hove

I know Brighton quite well.  My other half hails from Sussex so we’ve spent a fair bit of time on the south coast in recent years.  We’ve found great pubs, some real gems, with favourites being The Evening Star, The Basketmakers and The Mitre.  On our last visit, we were staying in Hove, the ‘posh bit’ to the West of the city.  Hove originally developed around the impressive Brunswick Square, and in Victorian times grew to become the polar opposite of Brighton.  Where Brighton was showy and a tad seedy, Hove was eminently respectable.  When accused of living in Brighton, Hove residents allegedly replied “Hove, actually”.  Neither of us know Hove very well, so armed with our CAMRA beer app we went in search of new pubs, new beers, new adventures.

Our first stop, before we’d even reached the coast, was Dark Star’s new pub, The Lockheart Tavern in Haywards Heath, about 30 minutes or so from Brighton.   It is a nice bright venue but more of a bar than a pub.  Certainly a far cry from The Evening Star in Brighton, the jewel in the Dark Star crown.  The Lockheart has cask and keg beer but it seemed to be bottled beers that most punters were drinking on our visit.  To be fair they had an impressive selection, not just their own ales but also beers from Magic Rock, Wild Beer, Siren and many more.   But pricey!  A 330ml bottle of Dark Star’s Revelation would set you back £4.00.  A great little place, located along Hayward’s Heath’s trendy Broadway strip.  After a couple of pints of Sunburst Golden Ale (4.8%) it was time to head South.

Our first full day in Hove was bitterly cold, so an ideal day to warm up in the pub.  Our first hostelry was the Westbourne, a re-vamped Victorian building with a great selection of local ales.  The pub has two bars, one of which, The Cider Shack, was closed for refurbishment.  Despite this, the pub still served half a dozen local ciders from the main bar, along with a good range of cask ales.  The lovely Josie served us great pints of Downlands Old (4.4%) and Bedlam Golden Ale (4.2%), together with snacks of parsnip bhajis and cheesy chips.   A splendid way to spend our first afternoon by the seaside.

Our next port of call was The Watchmakers Arms near Hove station.  I’ve been fascinated reading about micro-pubs but until now hadn’t visited one.  This was a first.  The pub has been converted from a washing-machine repair shop, although in days past the premises did indeed house a watchmaker.  I guess The Washing-Machine Repairman’s Arms just doesn’t have the same ring to it. So the pub’s theme is clocks.  And there are lots of them.   All over the walls.   Big clocks, small clocks, wristwatches, even a cuckoo clock.  But none with the correct time!  How do they call time I wonder?  The venture is run by Ruth and Ali.  We spoke to Ruth who came across as very passionate about pubs and local ale.  As you’d expect, The Watchmakers isn’t a large pub but it is certainly not cramped.  There is room for a microbrewery on the premises, and plenty of space to sit by the window and watch the world go by.   Whilst the winter sun warmed us through the windows we supped Long Man Best (4%) and 360 Pale (4.2%) and pondered the exciting sausage roll menu.  A wonderful pub.

That night we visited The Neptune.  A good old fashioned, proper boozer, a real drinkers pub. Known to its regulars as ‘The Nep’, the pub hosts regular live music nights, more often jazz and blues by the look of things, with its walls covered with fascinating music-related posters and pictures.  We arrived quite late in the evening (The Neptune is open til 1 am week nights and 2 am Fridays and Saturdays) and found it busy with what seemed to be a crowd of regulars.  We could have stayed all night (or at least until 1.00 am!), the pub was so cosy, but we had big plans for the following day.  After a few pints of really quite wonderful Harvey’s Best (4%) we decided to call it a night, after vowing to return on our next visit down South.

Our second day in Brighton and Hove was a full-on day of culture and shopping.  Well, more shopping than culture if I’m honest, but the city is great for both.  Shopping in Brighton enabled us to visit one of our favourite pubs; The Evening Star.  This is where it all began for the Dark Star Brewery back in 1994.  It’s a basic pub, but massively popular with locals and real ale enthusiasts who travel from afar to visit.  It is bang outside the train station so it’s just about possible to get there from Norwich for a lunchtime session!   The beer selection is superb; a great range of Dark Star’s own ales as you’d expect, together with other interesting beers from near and far, including a great array of bottled and canned beers to take away.  It was the middle of the day so not the best time to sample one of my favourite winter beers; Crème Brulee.  Instead, I settled for that excellent session ale, Hophead (3.8%).  It went down a treat and set me up for an afternoon of museums and culture.  Oh, and more shopping.

For a big beery evening (well it was our last night!) we chose The Mitre.  It isn’t in the CAMRA guide but don’t let that stop you visiting.  It is another ‘locals’ pub, tucked away in a quiet back street off the London Road; no frills, just a friendly welcome and good beer.  It’s a Harvey’s pub so it was Harvey’s we drank.  The Best Bitter (4%) was in tip top condition, as was Armada (4.5%) and the Old Ale (4.3%).  This is a pub we visit several times a year, and the beer is always excellent.  And the chip shop along the road is good too.

And then it was time to come home.  Unfortunately, there was no time on this trip to pop in to The Victory or The Basketmakers Arms, another couple of pubs that we’ve got to know well over the last few years, but there’s always next time…….  

(first published in the Norfolk Nips March 2017)