Brighton Visit - Brighton Beer Dispensary, Royal Sovereign, North Laine Brewhouse

So I had a work function down in Brighton and decided to make the most of the trip and researched pubs to visit. Luckily I was based right on the seafront near to the i360 attraction, which meant I was only a short walk from the high street and a big selection of pubs.

When I arrived in Brighton and walked from the station to the hotel I was surprised at the vast number of pubs I passed, and hadn't expected this town to yield so many establishments. Though sadly I wouldn't be visiting any of these places as I had already determined the places I was going to pop into.

As 5:30 rolled around and the meeting drew to an end, I knew I had till 7pm to visit one or two places before having to come back for a group dinner. I immediately decided to head to the Brighton Beer Dispensary (BN1 3EG) just off the high street and about 10 minutes walk away. The pub itself was easy to find and was thankfully not too busy, which is one thing you can always be unsure of at that time on a Tuesday. Sometimes locations are absolutely empty or surprisingly packed. I was soon to learn that Tuesday's are a very busy affair in Brighton due to it being Student Night.

Brighton Beer Dispensary

Upon walking in I was presented with a much larger selection than I had anticipated. There were keg taps and ale pumps on the bar along with keg taps on the back wall, ales on gravity and cider. I noticed the blackboard showing there were 15 beers and 3 ciders available for selection. I opted to go for Freshman which is brewed by Brighton Bier, the owners of the pub, at £5.10 for a pint. I wasn't expecting to see that type of pricing outside London for a local produced beer but then it is the whole craft market, and if I'm okay paying that in London then why shouldn't I pay that elsewhere. The beer itself was hoppy but within my drinkable range, as I'm not one for overly hop beers (prefer my malts).

I took a seat in the conservatory extension due to the main bar all being full (hence no photos). There were at least 30 people in the main bar area and the conservatory was beginning to fill up as well. The first drink after a long meeting always goes down well and this one was no exception. I studied the menu and decided to buy two halves from two breweries I'd never actually heard of before. I order half of the Best Bitter Bramling Cross from True North Brew Co. and half of the Poker Face from Blackjack Beers. The first was not a very powerful bitter, and was quite weak in the flavour sense but was nontheless easily drinkable. The Poker Face was much better: Floral and light, and I could certainly have had another, but I needed to be making my way back closer to the hotel and perhaps pay a visit to another pub.

On my way from the hotel I had passed a few pubs but one had caught my eye with its frontage, this was the Royal Sovereign (BN1 2HE). Walking in you are presented with the rear of the horeshoe bar, and a feeling it is more restaurant than pub. Walking round to the side and front of the bar where you finally see the beers on offer I seen they had four ale pump but with only two on (With two ales that I hadn't heard of before). Alongside this there was a selection of 7 keg craft beers and 5 lagers however, not so mainstream but more along the lines of Cobra, Pravha and Staropramen. I opted to try one of the ales which was B-46 from Greyhound Brewery, I believe the other ale was Amber Eyes.

There was a massive fire roaring away to one side of the pub which everyone seemed to have gathered around so I headed to the quieter seating area on the opposite side. It then struck me that the lighting in the pub was very...red, and I noted the thai food menus, so  i wasn't far off with the restaurant feel. The pub itself had a mixed age groups and was quite large. There was a big outside area for smokers and inside they had put pump clips along the walls and sheet music for famous songs.The beer itself was fine though not one I would rush back for. Sadly I didn't have an opportunity for any further beer 'tasting' as I needed to show my face for the dinner.

After the dinner I headed out with some of the others from the meeting to catch the second half of the European football matches that were on. We were aiming to go to Molly Malones but ended up at Yates. I haven't been in a Yates for years (Leicester Square) and this one was decorated and ready for Christmas and looked quite bright and inviting though still looked rough around the edges (Wooded chipboard on part of the floor that must have been broken). I had a pint of Revisionist Craft Lager which I've had before and forgotten that I was not a fan of, so stuck to the Guinness thereafter. Instead of playing the football match sound they played club music mixed with some Christmas hits. I left shortly after a fight nearly kicked off between two lads, over what, I've no idea. I had one more place that was on my must visit list and it was 15 minutes walk away, North Laine Brewhouse (BN1 4AA).

The Brewhouse itself has ample seating, and could easily hold a few hundred. When I arrived it had just turned 11pm and there were a few large groups of university students on the bench seating nearest the bar, but they left shortly after (Hope it wasn't me that scared them off). The Brewhouse was open till 00:30 though I wasn't planning to stay till close. Behind the bar and slightly up above eye sight you can see all the brewing equipment, still looking nice and shinny.

Time Hope

Black Rock Stout

On tap there were a selection of ales from the brewhouse along with beers from other breweries. The pump clips for each in-house beer were polaroids of staff which didn't quite grab the attention of the eye.  I decided to try two halves of their own brews: Black Rock Oatmeal Stout & Time Hop (£2.15 each). The Black Rock was a solid stout but I wouldn't consider it sessionable. The Time Hop didn't seem to have much hop kick but was very citrusy and went down a treat.

The Brewhouse at this stage was emptying out and only 6 other customers were drinking. I seen a poster advertising £3 pint nights for every Friday in November, which certainly seems a bargain price, and is no doubt when the place is rammed.

I decided to call it a night and head back to my hotel, but not without taking a walk along the coast to get some sea air to help give a good nights kip.