The Pubs of Brighton part 1: Around the Station

 The Pubs of Brighton part 1 : Around the station

Please, where is Evening Star pub?

I thought it would be appropriate to start this survey of Brighton pubs from the point of view of the visitor, and Brighton gets trainloads of them, every day and every month of the year, regardless of the weather. What pubs greet them as they leave the station? There are three pubs on Queens Road - four if you count the Royal Standard, which is currently closed. Right at the bottom of the road, just behind the Clock Tower, is the Quadrant, and on tiny Surrey Street, just off to the right, and past the bus pull-in, there are three more.

In this first part of my survey I've also included the area to the west of the station, between Surrey Street and Dyke Road, where in spite of being just a short walk from Queens Road, you will find four neighbourhood pubs that could almost be classed as back street locals.

Queens Road

Handpumps at the Queen's Head

The first pub you see as you cross the bus pull-in outside the station is the Queens Head. Because of its prime position, it's usually fairly busy, with the seating on the pavement full when the weather's half-decent, Inside you'll find a small pleasant bar, effectively divided into two drinking areas with the bar in the centre. It's an attractive space, if you're not into people watching. There is a small TV to your left as you walk in but when I visited on a Friday afternoon the sound was off. 

The beer selection wasn't terribly inspiring. There were three hand pumps visible but only one was in use (the other two were acting as props, one for the Snacks menu and one was hidden behind a container for straws). At least the sole cask ale was an unusual one - Three Acre Best Bitter and it wasn't bad at all. That said, I'd have hoped for a more interesting selection of kegs: alongside the usual selection of mass-produced lagers, there were session ales from Brewdog, Franciscan Well, Tiny Rebel and (small cheer!) Lost Pier.

Coming out of the Queen's Head, and turning right will take you past the Royal Standard, which is closed at present. Shortly after lockdown, this pub opened as a modern day craft house called Idle Hands. It boasted a fine selection of ales and, if you want a review of it, look no further than the Brighton Beer Blog*.The next open pub is some distance down Queens Road but it's perhaps the road's most striking, certainly its most idiosyncratic hostelry, the Hope and Ruin. 

The tech wall at the Hope and Ruin

If you've read any of my three posts on the pubs of Hove**, you'll know my opinion of Laine Pub Co's approach to pub decor. The Hope and Ruin is either the acme or the nadir of their approch to style, depending on your taste. I call it "hipster junk shop chic". This is unashamedly a student joint - with a music venue on the first floor, how could it not be? - so the bar's features include: a clown model, possibly liberated from a circus skip, half a caravan, which houses the kitchen area, and distressed walls throughout, including the one shown, whose adornments include a reel-to-reel tape recorder, an ancient electric heater and, of course, a ghetto blaster.

But what of the beers? Well, as I also wrote in my reviews of Hove pubs, Laine can generally be relied on to have a decent selection of craft brews. On my most recent visit, these included Laine's own Mosaic Pale, two from Abyss: their Super Pale and Dank Marvin, Beavertown's Gamma Ray (infinitely better than their mediocre Neck Oil, as far as I'm concerned), a session IPA from Brixton and Orbit's Koln lager, Nico. In the past, I've drunk Cloudwater and the Kernel brews here so, even if you're not here for a gig, the beer is liable to be worthwhile. Also, if you're vegan you'll be pleased to know that their food, served out of the "caravan", is all vegan. You may be less pleased to know that it's very greasy.

Just a few doors down from the Hope is another bar known for live music, mostly punk, the Rossi Bar. I confess I haven't yet seen any gigs there but I did visit for a beer. There is a small selection, all of it keg, and most of it from Brooklyn Brewery. When I visited, they had Defender IPA, Pilsner and my choice, their Vienna Lager. There's also Shipyard Pale and San Miguel. But this isn't really a bar for drinking beer. Now if it's cocktails you're into ...

Candelabra at the Quadrant

At the bottom of the road is a pub whose actual address is North Road but I'm sorry, it's in Queens Road. That pub is the Quadrant, and it has the distinction of being the first pub I ever visited in Brighton. That was in 1977, when I was just a visitor. On that auspicious occasion, I drank Theakston's Old Peculier on hand pump. Now only one hand pump remains, serving probably my least favourite cask ale: Doom Bar. It was off when I visited. They did have a couple of UnBarred options on tap, Joosy and Casual Pale, but if neither of those floats your boat, your choices would have been Pravha, Sharp's Atlantic Pale, Brewdog Lucky Saint, Blue Moon and Staropramen. 

There are two other good reasons for visiting the Quadrant. One is the enterprising folk club run in the upstairs room, and trading as the Folklore Rooms. They have a nightly programme of up and coming acts, often free of charge. The other is the bar itself. The actual bar is wood-panelled, with the brass mountings a particular delight. The same look is applied to the window rails and faux-candelabra. Have a half of Joosy and swoon!

The back streets

If instead of heading down Queens Road as you come out of the station you turn right and head up Guildford Road, past the Bystander cafe, you come, on the corner of Guildford Street, to the Sussex Yeoman. It's a small one-bar pub, and when I visited, the A board outside was advertising its Sunday roasts, meat raffle, quiz and Sky Sports.

The TV was on when I visited but the sound was off because it was ... vinyl night! OK, it was Duran Duran but I'm all in favour of, what should we call it - self-DJing? It was early on a Friday evening and the pub, while not packed, had a small but vociferous clutch of customers. The cask selection was a bit limited with Harvey's Best from the only one of three hand pumps in use. The kegs included most of the usual suspects, including Greene King (it is a GK tied house) and Beavertown Neck Oil.

The Duke of Wellington, Brighton

Right opposite the Yeoman, still on Guildford Road is the Battle of Trafalgar. When I walked in, on a Friday evening, I struggled at first to spot anywhere to sit. It was packed. It's a dark, L-shaped room, and the age range went from teens up to, well, my age! They had a fine selection of cask options too - Gun Extra Pale, Dark Star Hophead and APA, Harvey's Best and Robinson's Trooper. The kegs were less inspiring, the only crafty option being Neck Oil. They do food too, Caribbean stylee.

Crossing back to Guildford Street and heading along it, at the far end is the junction with Upper Gloucester Road and here, to your right, and on the same block, are two similar - and similarly popular - tiny locals. The first one you come to is the Duke of Wellington. Brighter and quieter than its near neighbour, the Eddy, this is a smallish bar but with plenty of corners, all with their own vibe, as well as a small games area, which housed a pool table and dart board. One of the corners has a TV but, as with most of the pubs in the area, the sound was off. Instead, there was music. Now, I have to confess that I have mixed feelings about recorded music in pubs. Hypocritically, I approve when it's music that I like. On this occasion, Erykah Badu was playing when I arrived and she was followed by d'Angelo. Now that's how you do it when you want my custom.

Of course, music is only an issue if you can hear it. The Duke was quiet for a Friday evening so I could definitely hear it, but I did enjoy my visit, largely because one of the two cask ales was Deuchars IPA, which I haven't drunk in a long time, not since Caledonian were taken over by Greene King. The other was, of course, Harvey's Best. The kegs included Camden Helles, Brixton Lager and Neck Oil.

The Eddy or Edinburgh, to give it its full name, is smaller than the Duke but it was much busier. It was also darker which, on a Friday night, felt appropiate, especially as a band was setting up as I waited to be served. The only cask ale was Harvey's Best, and the kegs were similarly limited - Camden Helles, Blue Moon and Neck Oil among them but one small cheer for the inclusion of Gamma Ray. 

If you leave the Eddy, cross the road and head back towards the station, you'll pass a road on

The Caxton Arms

your right called North Gardens. I suggest that you don't walk past it but instead head down the road where, on your left, you will find the Caxton Arms. The Caxton is, in my view, the pick of the back street hostelries in this part of town. It does have much in common with some of its neighbours - it's friendly, homely and there is a TV - but it's also an entertaining rabbit warren of a place, with an enclosed outdoor area and an events room which hosts regular comedy nights. Also, it has Shepherd Neame ales on cask. When I visited Spitfire, Cobnut and Whitstable Bay Pale were all available. The kegs are the usual mass-produced lagers, and Neck Oil.

Surrey Street

Your final option, leaving the station, is neither to head up Guildford Street, nor to venture down Queens Road but to cross the bus station to where you will find the first of three pubs in the tiny throughfare that is Surrey Street. That first pub is the massive Grand Central which has two downstairs bars, one for dining, one for drinking, a roof terrace and even an upstairs theatre, the Nightingale. 

I visited on a Friday evening when it was quietish. I spotted two TV screens, both showing sports, and the beers were London Pride and Dark Star Hophead on cask, with two pumps out of action. The kegs were OK, with Neck Oil, of course, but also session ales from Tiny Rebel, Deya plus, to my delight, Siren's Soundwave. Guess which one I chose.

Right next door to the Grand Central is the Railway Bell. This, by contrast, is a small, rowdy sports bar. Two screens were showing soccer and snooker. In addition, there was a dart board and various fruit machines - something of a rarity these days. Better than all of this was the beer selection - Harvey's Best, of course, but also Oakham Citra and - loud cheers all round - Timothy Taylor Landlord. Not only was it excellent but a pint cost a mere £3.20! Top marks, chaps.

Aurora, what else?

Well, I've saved, as I tend to do in these surveys, the best till last. If you've ready any of my beer blogs, or read my posts on social media, you will likely know that I'm a huge fan of - and regular visitor to - Surrey Street's other pub, the legendary Evening Star. The Star is, of course, where Dark Star brewing began life. It's also is where Burning Sky founder Mark Tranter got his start. The Star is a small, square pub with an utterly unique vibe. It is a destination pub, for one thing. Beer fans come to Brighton, on the train, and head straight for here. Just spend time and you will hear - what can I say? - pretentions beer talk. (It's those beer tourists!). But hey, when I go places, that's exactly what I am. And it's full of locals, and beer fans like me from all around the city.

The above description gives you some clues as to why I love the place so much. But that would count for little were it not for the beer. There are seven hand pumps regularly in service and two of the beers are always Burning Sky Aurora and Downlands Revival APA. The others will include a dark ale - stour, porter or mild - plus guest ales from breweries such as 360, Kent, Siren, Elusive, Hand Brew, Three Legs and Vibrant Forest. But what the Star has that most other Brighton pubs don't, is an impressive selection of European beers on tap. You will often find saisons available, bocks and doppelbocks, every kind of Belgian beer and even, on occasion, American brews. For me though, the best thing about the Star is that on about 90% of my visits they will have an imperial stout available. And they are almost always superb.

**The Pubs of Hove, part 1: Not quite Hove 

The Pubs of Hove, part 2: Hove actually

The Pubs of Hove, part 3: Nearly Brighton

*The Brighton Beer Blog have (has?) also reviewed many of the pubs included in this survey, but in much greater detail.