The Hop Poles, Brighton

Not sure this is owned by Greene King anymore despite the fine signage on the building. Inside it has the look of a traditional pub but the handpumps are gone, there are now four sets of T bars giving a total of twenty four keg taps heavily leaning toward craft beer but also providing more normal options in Lagers Guinness and Cider.Despite no real ale this is still a decent pub.

Compact Greene King pub set back in a side street just back from the seafront. Eclectic mix of furniture and decor, enlivened - like almost the whole of Brighton on Pride weekend - with rainbow flags and as diverse a range of people as one could possibly envisage. However, it wasn't too crowded and I decided to make this a late lunch stop too. Despite the ownership, there was a decent range of beers on handpump in addition to Old Speckled Hen: Landlord, Hophead, Betty Stoggs, Robinson's Dizzy Blonde and a fine St Peter's Ruby Red. The seventh cask offering was Old Rosie cider. Better than expected.

I'd expected more if this place after fighting through the rain to find it. I expected at least a few interesting bottles to supplement the pumps but there was no sign of any. One pump off, the others OSH , Golden Sheep and Darkstar APA. The £3.90 price tag didn't help.

After an interesting few years at The Spotted Dog / Cask / Hop Poles, the pub is now in the hands of enterprising local group Indigo. Each of their pubs seems to have its own theme, and I'd say the concept here is grunge / indie: the back walls seeing a lot of old newspaper & magazine covers and a graffiti wall in the back yard. That area (beer garden, I think we're supposed to call it) is west-facing and a real sun trap, by the way. At the bar, the choice seems a little more restricted than in recent times. A standard draught selection is supported by 4 hand pumps - labels suggest that Hophead & Abbott are regulars leaving two for guests; Belhaven and Elgoods I seem to remember. The latter was ok, though not great (should have stuck to the Dark Star, I suppose). Despite the location between The Lanes and the seafront, Middle Street is a quiet lane and The Hop Poles was a relaxing venue for a summer afternoon drink. I'd check it out again.

Official site of the Hop Poles, contains menu - www.hoppolesbrighton.co.uk

Official site of the Hop Poles, contains menu - www.hoppolesbrighton.co.uk