Vine Street Tap, Brighton

Not wishing to stray too far from Brighton station, we tried visiting this bar late on our Saturday evening. We were concerned as we approached, as there were no visible lights. However, we soon found the pub to be open and quite busy. Unfortunately, their Facebook account invites people to book the place for a private party and sure enough it was booked out on a Saturday night! It seems strange to me that places can book themselves out completely, especially on the busiest night of the week. Maybe we'll get back here one day, but we won't hold out much hope that it will be open to the general public. It was off to the more reliable Prince Albert instead.

Official site of Vine Street Tap - www.vinestreettap.com

Official site of Vine Street Tap - www.vinestreettap.com

This hadn't been on my to-do list, but the barman at the Evening Star said there might be some interesting beers on. Which there were. Though not really to my taste and anyway I prefer cask beers. Whatever, I had a very friendly welcome, first from the dog and then from the server, telling me it was only 10 minutes until closing, which I knew. I had a swift third (in an actual "third" glass) which was too sweet and lemony for my taste. Plenty more of the same in fridges and on shelves. A good place for those who like these kind of beers. Makes me feel so old.

This is a small back street craft beer bar located in some sort of former garage or workshop, on a residential street that runs parallel to some of the busier thoroughfares in this North Laine area. Wide front folding doors were opened out on a warm summer’s day, with a couple of high tables and stools positioned in the doorway, half inside, half on the pavement. Inside, it’s a bare concrete floored space with whitewashed walls and a plain ceiling. More high tables and stools can be found to the right, under beer boards listing the draught range, with hops hung beneath the ceiling. Meanwhile, hard bench seating is available to the left, with a few basic chairs in support. The bar is to the rear and has a simple timber fronted counter and a modern bar back that looks like it was made by the local carpentry school. The keg taps are all mounted back here, and more hops have been used to give the space a bit more of a pubby feel. A pizza menu was advertised on most tables and R&B tunes were playing quietly in the background. There were seven craft keg beers and one cider option listed on the beer boards and fridges were full of interesting bottle and can alternatives. I tried a pint of Gamma Cahoots - a hefty 5.8% Pale Ale which had a hefty accompanying price tag. The beer was okay without really justifying the price and my other half tried one of their fruity beers, which was also a bit underwhelming. I was looking forward to checking this place out, having heard a few good reports, but was a bit disappointed with what we found. It seems a bit basic, with no real character and yet very expensive beer. If you’re a ticker looking for something you’ve not tried before, this seems as likely a place as any to find it, but for me, there are much better bars a short distance away and I’ll be knocking this one off the revisit list.

Facebook page of Vine Street Tap - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Vine Street Tap - www.facebook.com

This is a comfort-free keg-only zone in a quiet North Laine street. The Tap is a small industrial unit with the beers listed on a blackboard and dispensed from a row of taps behind the bar. You're looking at around £6.50 for your pint (or slightly more if you insist on something strong). On my visit, a couple were from the host Good Things Brewery, with Deya & Lost and Grounded amongst the seven offerings. A fridge full of craft cans expands the options. Seating is provided solely on unpadded stools at high tables, so it's not a place to linger, but there's no shortage of places nearby to move on to. Have to say the service was excellent, so I can foresee an occasional return visit.