The Pubs of Hove part 3 : Nearly Brighton

Backstreet's back!

In part 2 of my survey of Hove pubs I commented that the trend in central Hove was towards venues where the lines between pub, bar, restaurant and gastro pub were becoming increasingly blurred. The area did have some traditional pubs but they were few in number. The area between Palmeira Square and the postcode boundary with BN1 - Nearly Brighton as I call it - is different again. Along the Western Road there are several bars which either flirt with or have thrown their lot in with the craft beer scene. But away from the main road you can still find a surprising number of traditional pubs, several of them what I would call back street locals.

The unassuming Farm Road actually has two. The Cooper's Cask is a plain, single bar pub which, when I visited, had a striking display of punk photographs. I was taken aback by the sight of John Lydon's doleful face staring at me as I walked in. There was one cask - you can probably guess that it was Harvey's Best - but also a small handful of unusual kegs. As well as Laine's Source Pale there were brews from Free From and Freedom. I'd never come across Free From so I tried their Gluten Free Pale. It wasn't bad. There is food here too and the menu looked pretty decent.

The Farm Tavern

Further up the road is a proper back street boozer, the Farm Tavern. I've commented in previous blogs that even when quiet I reckon you can tell a pub's quality. The main factor is the demeanour of the staff and, when I visited, the first thing the lady behind the bar did was to apologise that the pub and staff were not at their best. The reason? They'd had a wake the night before for a favourite customer and everyone was still grieving. Well, the quality of service was fine. It's a Greene King pub and the two casks were Dark Star Hophead and Hardy and Hanson's Olde Trip. This is a well-kept and clearly popular hostelry with plain wooden flooring, grey painted walls - and a blue-painted bar!

If you are a fan of unspoilt back street locals then the other place to try is the Bow Street Runner, in Brunswick Street West. Don't come here if you like tastefully refurbished boozers; this place hasn't had an obvious makeover in recent times. But it hasn't needed one because it ticks plenty of other boxes: genteel charm - check, friendly and helpful staff - check, busy and buzzy - check. Decent beer? Well, it was Harvey's Best but they keep it better than most. 

The other two back street pubs in this area certainly look as though they have had makeovers but both are still friendly, welcoming places. The Southern Belle used to be the Iron Duke and I confess to having never visited it in its former incarnation. The furnishings are comfortable and unobtrusive and when I visited the beers were Harvey's on cask and kegs from Canopy and the excellent Howling Hops. According to What Pub? this is the oldest Brighton pub to offer accommodation. It also has a small theatre behind the main bar and an impressive food menu.

The Bottoms Rest

A couple of streets away, close to the Old Market, you will find the tiny Bottoms Rest. Like most of the bars in this part of town this pub offers food, in their case of the vegetarian and vegan Indian variety. When I visited, on a Friday evening, it was busy with a mostly younger clientele. A good half of the punters were tucking into thalis and the place had a good atmosphere. The beers are Harvey's Best and Hophead on cask, Lagunitas and Maltsmith on keg.

Before we move from back street to main street, here's a shout-out to the Big Daddy of Hove traditional boozers, the Sussex Cricketer. This enormous pub stands right outside the Sussex County Cricket ground and I have heard a rumour that it may be under threat as the cricket ground looks to expand. That would be a shame for a number of reasons. One, it's a classic of its style, two, it's a well-run boozer with a good food offering and three, it serves a good range of cask ales which it keeps well. When I visited there were two handpumps dispensing their house bitter, brewed by Black Sheep, a third had Harvey's Best (well, how could they not?) and a fourth had Young's Bitter. Leaving aside the fact that it tasted nothing like the original Wandsworth brew, it wasn't a bad pint.

Everything's coming up Laine

Mine's a pint of Premium

Nearly all the bars between Palmeira Square and Churchill Square are either Laine venues or share a similar approach. Perhaps surprisingly, the two that actually are Laine are, for me, the least interesting - the Revelator and the Freemasons. I think the ancient petrol pump shown above which faces the Revelator's wood-floored bar, is perhaps the archetypal Laine decorative feature. I mean, why? The neon cross by the bar, and the name itself, suggest a sort of Southern gothic vibe but if that was the intention then why stop there? How about some sepia-tinted pictures on the wall, showing folks in stove-pipe hats and weskits? A few voodoo bones, perhaps?

Hophead and Laine's Breaker are theoretically available on cask but neither was on when I visited. The kegs were two from Laine, two from Two Tribes and one from Boxcar. That's more variety than is on offer at the Freemasons, which is comparatively plain decor-wise. This is a massively popular pub but although it's comfortable and inviting, it doesn't float my tankard. There are two Laine beers on cask, plus Doombar, and a further two on keg. I was disappointed by the absence of guest brews. Whatever else you can say about Laine, they do usually offer some interesting alternatives to their own beers. Not at the Freemasons, it would appear. 

On the cusp of BN1 sits the Bee’s Mouth. Apparently tiny, this is a venue on several levels with regular events, including film shows and life classes. They have two casks – Hophead and Gun Extra Pale when I visited – plus nine varied taps, including Electric Bear, Cloak+Dagger and Brouwerij de Huyghe.

Halfway between the two Laine pubs is the Paris House. I guess you'd call this a themed pub and as such it's more successful than most. The Parisian trappings aren't overwhelming - Art Nouveau lettering, black and white prints on the wall showing vaguely French scenes - and the vibe is bohemian and relaxed. They often have live music and the tables outside are always overflowing when the weather's half-decent. They have Harvey's Best and Hophead on cask and Affligem Blonde on keg, plus a random selection of bottles, including brews from Vedette, Duvel, Weihenstephaner and Einstok.

The last bar in this section sits conveniently on the edge of Palmeira Square, right at the junction of Holland Road and Western Road. The Wick Inn has dark varnished wooden flooring, dark red-painted ceiling and cushioned settles and stools. The walls are covered with framed photographs and pictures that all seem to have come from a North Laine art shop. The island bar effectively divides the room in two and the overall feel is of an upmarket student hangout. There's even a quieter, more discreet, upstairs bar. There's only DoomBar on cask but the kegs are a bit more interesting. When I visited these included brews from Magic Rock, Drygate, 360, Beavertown and Franciscan Well.

If you come out of the Wick and take a left down Holland Road, heading towards the sea, you will presently fetch up at the Brunswick. I first started visiting this pub seven or eight years ago for the bi-monthly BIMM Music Quiz. In those days it served a reasonable pint of cask ale but the selection was pretty modest - Downland, Long Man, Dark Star, and so on - but at some point in the recent past they switched to full-on craft beer immersion. They still have four pumps serving cask ales but now there are nine taps serving a regularly changing selection of craft brews. All thirteen are regularly called into service to support the frequent tap takeovers, often from up-and-coming breweries like Mobberley. There is also a large fridge, invitingly positioned in front of the bar, from which you can buy a wide range of local, national and international brews.

The Brunswick has a large central bar, and two performance venues, one to the right as you enter, the other in the basement. Among their regular performers are the excellent South Coast Soul Revue. Charita and I are fans and always try to get to the band's New Year's Eve performance. Trust me, it is in every way preferable to Jools Holland's Hooter Nanny (his pronunciation, not mine). And did I mention the massive garden? You can hear it from the bottom of the road in the summer.

Drinking Vibrant Forest Metropolis Black IPA at the Brunswick

In case it isn't apparent, this is my favourite pub in Nearly Brighton and it has become one of my most frequently visited watering holes in Brighton and Hove. I'd get yourself down there as soon as you can, if I were you. You won't regret it.

Next time, I'll be covering ...

The Great British Beer Festival revisited. This year CAMRA has relented and will be allowing Tiny Rebel, Magic Rock, Siren and Wild Beer to serve their wares via craft keg. I'll be reporting on that and also on the Beer Judging seminar that I've signed up for (it's not a stout, I'm telling you, it's a black IPA!) 

I guess I'll see you on the other side!