The Evening Star, Brighton

Quite a small & plainly decorated pub the beer is the star in this pub. Good selection of their own dark star beers & guests that included brewdog & thornbridge.Close to the station.

Whilst the quality of the beer is not in doubt the Evening Star makes absolutely no effort in making having a drink there a comfortable experience, no food other than baguettes I can cope with but torn seats, sticky tables and less than clean loos detract from what could be a fine drinking experience. For the beer I would rate it a 9 but for the pub itself it would have to be much lower - hence my overall rating

The history of this pub and its association with the Dark Star Brewery had elevated it in my mind to a level that it would inevitably struggle to meet when I finally visited it last week. The small bar, wedged into the corner of the small, single room, housed four Dark Star ales and three guests, the pick of which was the Brew Dog IPA, which was in fantastic shape and worthy of repeated sampling. In addition to this, there were a number of draught beers, mostly from Meantime and an excellent bottled beer range covering Belgian and German bases as well as a fine selection from the USA. The small room was fairly full at 6:30 on a warm Saturday with all of the tables occupied and patrons perched on stools along the window ledge and around pillars with beer shelves. There were a few benches on the front patio as well and I found myself spilling outside in the search for a seat. Aside from the blackboards listing ales and bottles and a few promotional posters, the interior was fairly bare and bland, whilst the service was perfunctory and not exactly welcoming. This is certainly a vital stop off for any visit to Brighton and its proximity to the station makes it essential for rail travellers - just make sure you lower your expectations and approach it with an open mind. I enjoyed my time here, but it wasn't good as it was in my head.

There's one major drawback to the Evening Star and that's missing one train after another, so tempting is the range of spot-on beers here. Just a quick one on the way back to the station? Don't even consider it!

I don't get to Brighton anywhere near as often as I'd like, but when I do, this is the "must visit" pub for the ale aficionado. It's really handy for the train station, and features four different ales from the Dark Star brewery, which is heaven in itself. But they also have three guest ales too.

My first visit to this temple of good beer and I wasn't disappointed. Packed out and a wait to be served through the throngs at the bar but that's popularity. Three from Dark Star, Hophead, Summer Solstice (excellent) and Mild for May, plus Lomond Gold, Milestone Black Pearl and HB Clark Heady Daze plus a cider and a rare perry. An impressive range of bottled beers from Belgium, Germany Czech Republic and the USA plus some Belgian stuff on draught. An unusual looking place from the outside, looks like two converted houses, this place serves fine ales to a broad range of discerning drinkers, as well as myself there was a stag party, a large number of ale enthusiasts, a couple of off duty binmen and even a bloke in a Dukla Prague shirt.....not sure if it was the away version! (One for the Half Man Half Biscuit fans). A must visit for any keen ale drinker and one I'll certainly return to.

Never disappoints! Just a single room full of contented drinkers. A choice of 4 beers from the excellent Dark Star brewery, plus another 4 or so from quality micros, as well as Meantime Helles, ciders and a fridge full of interesting offerings from Belgium, Germany and the States. The Evening Star proves that proximity to a railway station need not mean a pub's a grotty dive.