Every Pub in Brighton #31-35
Entry seven, baby! Four Laine pubs and quite possibly the smallest brewpub in the UK! We’re about a year behind on entries now which is actually quite good for us. Here we go!
#31 // Ancient Mariner
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Address: 59 Rutland Road, Hove, Brighton BN3 5FE
Date visited: October 2022
I convinced my family that we should go to this pub after lunch at The Stoneham because ‘I needed to tick it off’. That’s become something of a catchphrase since starting this project. The promise of a post-lunch drink a mere 5-minute walk was enough of a draw but the sight of a roaring fireplace on a chilly autumn afternoon cemented this as A Good Choice. This is another pub operated by Laine so a lot of their own beers are on draft but I was surprised to see a German Weissbier on offer with its own branded glass (ABK's (Aktienbrauerei Kaufbeuren) Hefeweizen Anno 25). I had one obviously.
The Ancient Mariner is a wonderful corner pub nestled in the Poet’s Corner area of Hove and has a great neighbourhood vibe. The large wooden bar takes centre stage of the pub with the seating area wrapping around it. There is also a heated, semi-covered beer garden in the rear and sun-trap decking out front although it was far too cold to sit in either of these areas on our visit. It was decently busy when we visited and the welcoming sight of 10 draft options (4 cask, 6 keg) made me want to stay here for the afternoon in front of the fire supping pint after pint. Alas, we only stayed for one post-meal pint.
The pub dates back to 1898 and is a Locally Listed Heritage Asset (basically a listed building but decided at local level rather than by Historic England). As an aside, I looked up how many public houses are listed as a local heritage asset and there are 31 in total still operating. This is the 4th one so far after Paris House, Poets Ale & Smokehouse and The Railway Inn!
The Ancient Mariner has regular music events ranging from Irish folk, jazz, sea shanties, and live karaoke (your crooning backed by a keyboard) on Thursday evenings and weekends if you’re after something a little less chilled than pints by the fire. I’m hoping to get back here soon now it’s the season to get the fire lit.
#32 // The Mesmerist
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Address: 1-3 Prince Albert St, Brighton BN1 1HE
Date visited: October 2022
From one Laine pub to another. The Mesmerist is situated in Brighton’s Lanes and is one of the bigger pubs in the area. It boasts 4 bars across 3 floors as well as a roof garden and some secret spaces. I didn’t explore the upstairs area during my visit but this is where the retro cocktail lounge, The Flipside is found which looks pretty fun.
I saw signs advertising The Flipside and The Birdcage (the other bar upstairs) as wedding venues for hire. Being very unobservant (unless it’s a pub, obviously), I had not noticed that Brighton Town Hall is literally across the road making it quite obvious why they offer wedding-based hire.
The downstairs alone is huge - loads of booths along the windows to hole up and people watch as well as multiple other tables, chairs, and stools dotted throughout the space. I remembered I’d been here before, albeit at least a decade ago. I recall seeing an exotic beer on the menu and stumping up £6 for it (adjusting for inflation that’s probably about £8.50 now). That beer was Birra Moretti and I thought I was such a gourmand at the time. Little did I know you could get it in Spoons for a fraction of the price.
I had a pint of ABK’s Hell this time around (Laine must have some distro deal with this brewery) but probably paid about £6 for it still, if not more. Food at The Mesmerist comes from Umami Nation (Asian fusion food including burgers, wings, noodles etc.) though I did not eat here as I had food plans that evening. What I did see come out of the kitchen smelled amazing though. This pub feels like a good option for a big group as they have ample room to accommodate compared to some of the pokier pubs of Brighton.
#33 // Fiddler’s Elbow
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Address: 11-12 Boyce's St, Brighton BN1 1AN
Date visited: October 2022
We’re 3/3 for Laine venues with this classic Irish pub up next. I didn’t realise it was owned by Laine until I looked it up after our visit because it has the charm and community of an independent boozer. The pub is wooden and worn and I mean that in the best possible way. The walls are bedecked with various signs and posters (there are several Guinness signs/pictures/frames, naturally) and it makes the place feel very welcoming. The wooden central bar welcomes you as you enter with some seating preceding it and then a larger room to the rear housing the main space.
They almost certainly serve the best pint of Guinness in Brighton but as well as the black stuff there’s a lot of other drinks to choose from - a great selection of ciders on tap (both still and sparkling), your classic macro lagers and some cask (I spotted Landlord on when we were there) to round it out.
Being a traditional Irish pub, you won’t be surprised to hear that there are plenty of music events here with regular open mic nights, Irish folk music, and everything in between. There was recently a Strokes cover band playing Is This It? in full!
We stopped in here before a meal so it was only a flying visit but I’d love to go back and spend an afternoon here.
#34 // Hand In Hand
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Address: 33 Upper St James's St, Kemptown, Brighton BN2 1JN
Date visited: October 2022
After three Laine pubs in row - it’s time for something different. The Hand In Hand is quite possibly the smallest brewpub I’ve ever been to. It is the definition of small but perfectly formed.
Back in 1989, the owner lifted up the roof and slotted a tower brewery inside, somehow (like Harvey’s in Lewes or Hook Norton in Oxfordshire only much, much smaller), and Kemptown Brewery was born. The brewing equipment spans 4 floors and is kept out of sight of punters but sounds equally amazing and insane - I’d love to see it sometime. The kit lay dormant for a while following the passing of the landlord until 2015 when the pub was taken over by couple Jennifer and Clark Left. A year later, Jack Tavare was recruited, and brewing recommenced - from Kemptown Brewery’s ashes, Hand Brew Co was born. When they needed to add some fermentation tanks to increase capacity, instead of lifting up the roof, they did the sensible thing, cut a big hole in the floor and lowered the vessels into the basement. They needed more space, so most of the brewing is now done at their brewery in Worthing. However, the kit at the pub is still used to brew small batches.
Brief history lesson aside, this pub is an absolute cracker. Its striking yellow/red facade immediately tells you that this is no ordinary pub. When we stepped inside, we were taken aback by how small it was given its striking outward appearance. I think I’ve been in bigger living rooms! But a living room this ain’t - it’s got a piano in the corner, an incredible patterned pub carpet blanketing the floor and the walls are jampacked with quirky paraphernalia amassed over the years, likely with a story behind each item.
We visited on a Monday lunchtime and everyone who entered was greeted like friends with everyone seeming to know everyone - apart from us interlopers. That’s not to say we were made to feel unwelcome, far from it. You could tell this was an establishment with fiercely loyal regulars who were happy to see new faces just as much as old ones.
The beers on offer are, unsurprisingly, pretty much all Hand Brew Co on both cask and keg. We happened to be here the weekend after they had launched a beer with artist David Shrigley called Toadlicker so duly obliged with ordering a couple of pints of it. Being 4%, it was a delicious grapefruit pale ale that you could drink loads of without it touching the sides. Being a Monday afternoon, I couldn’t justify that much excess.
This is definitely a pub worth making a trip to visit. It’s got all the touches of what a good pub should be. Hand say it best themselves:
“A safe, comfortable, happy place where everybody’s welcome. A place that proudly absorbs the community’s personality and shares the space for interesting, unusual and rare events.”
We couldn’t agree more.
#35 // The Victory Inn
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Address: 6 Duke St, Brighton BN1 1AH
Date visited: October 2022
Back to yet more Laine pub shenanigans with The Victory Inn and our last pub for this entry.
We popped in here for a very swift pint before heading to dinner on a Friday evening and opted to go here because it was around the corner from where we’d booked and we had a bit of time to kill.
The exterior of this corner pub is absolutely brilliant - it’s covered in classic green and white tiles with the original Tamplin’s Ales signage still on display above them (Tamplin’s was a Brighton brewery that ceased brewing after selling to Watney’s & Co in the 1970s). The interior continues the old school vibes albeit with a bit of freshening up - modern wallpaper and a more contemporary paint job. The pub still retains the traditional feel though with lots of dark wood throughout and lots of vintage pictures in antique-looking frames. The bar stretches almost the entire length of the place and it feels a bit cluttered until you realise several rooms ahead open up and offer plentiful seating.
Being a Laine pub, Laine beer is on offer. It may have been an off day but I had a pretty ropey pint of Laine’s Doubloon - a golden ale that tasted like the cask was on the turn. We holed up on a raised table on some stools and people watched out of the window until we had to depart for some much needed grub.
If you’re a fan of traditional pubs, then this one is worth popping into - its central location makes it a great option if you’re already in town like we were.
