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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Fortune of War, Brighton
Brighton
BN1 1NB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
David Walton left this review about Fortune of War
Echo all below, particularly from the Steve’s visits of over 10 years ago. I decided to venture to the upstairs seating area as the tables outside (given this is June, at least in name) were rammed. Instead I had all of the upstairs frontage looking over the beach at an elevated angle to myself. With the windows open and a gentle breeze coming in it was a really nice place to have my first beer on hand pump of the day. There is no inside seating on the ground level, that is all a large collection of benches stretching between the covered bar area and the beach. Have passed this place many times in very inhospitable conditions when I have imagined returning to actually stop for a beer here. The upstairs area accessed by a small flight of stairs to the right of the bar downstairs is materially the front part over the top of the ground floor bar. There is a bar upstairs but it was non operational during my end Sunday afternoon visit.
There were three hand pumps, one dispensing my selection of the Babylon Project pale from the Gun Brewery. The other two were dispensing ciders from Westons’s the oft seen Rosie’s Pig and Old Rosie. Plenty of keg choices, Sonar and Mangolicious from Laine, Guinness, Cruz, Brixton Coldharbour, Gamma Ray, another keg cider and Heineken.
Enjoyable place to spend 30 mins whilst waiting for my wife to emerge from the nearby location of the first day of her course. Will pass many times in less hospitable parts of the year whilst walking on Brighton seafront and fondly remember that day in early summer where i sat and enjoyed a pint of decent cask beer away from the masses present at the location on the day!
On 9th June 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Fortune Of War
Fortune of War is a bar that faces some beach front seating. There are stairs to the right of the bar that climb up to an area that I didn’t visit during my visit on a sunny Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks ago. Standard draught is available from the bar which surprisingly supports four hand pumps. These were drawing Laines Best and Dark Star’s Sunburst alongside Weston’s 1st Quality cider and Thatchers Heritage cider.
I found the service to be friendly and thought that this was one of the better bars along Kings Road Arches.
On 13th August 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5970 recommendations about 5936 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Fortune Of War
Having opened its doors way back in 1882, the Fortune of War is a bit of an institution in Brighton as far as seafront watering holes go. For me the main attraction of the Fortune of War remains its extremely large exterior beer garden, otherwise known as Brighton beach, and it is best experienced on a balmy summers evening when the outside area throngs with relaxed punters..
Popped in again a couple of weeks ago when the weather was not so good and actually utilised the upstairs section and it was equally pleasant sitting by the large top open window section overlooking the beach with a gentle sea breeze coming through, and some very decent sounds being played at a sensible volume.
Was also surprised to find a couple of real ales on with two pumps on the beach side bar and one upstairs dispensing Laines Brewery Best, although it only turned out to be a false hand pump and the barman had to run downstairs to get the pint.
This Brighton Institution will not be to everyone’s taste, but is certainly worth popping into to experience it at least once..
On 27th June 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Fortune Of War
Describing itself as “Brighton’s legendary beach bar”, The Fortune of War occupies a position under the arches of Brighton’s seafront promenade.
Outside, we learn that it was established in 1882 and we see prominently the phrase “The fortune of war, I’ll tell you plain, is a wooden leg and a golden chain”. As you might expect, there’s no hanging pub sign. There’s a smallish bar counter at promenade level. Upstairs, and stretching back under the promenade, is a large area that is done out to resemble an upturned wooden boat. The walls are decorated with nautical memorabilia, but, on fine days like my Friday visit, the attraction is sitting outside on the very edge of Brighton’s pebble beach.
There’s an emphasis on live music with “funky DJ’s on Friday, Saturdays”, and, in an attempt to attract a lively, youngish beach crowd, there’s an emphasis on cocktails, sangria and the like. There’s a rather cosmopolitan Euro – style feel to the place.
Remarkably, against the above background, real ale and cider are available and are actively promoted on the sandwich board outside. 2 pumps were offering W J King’s Brighton Best and Blonde, but the former had run out. An enjoyable pint of Blonde was enjoyed, however, in the inevitable plastic glass and at a rather pricey £ 3.50p.
This is probably one of the most unlikely places where I’ve ever found real ale. Even though there’s not much in the way of choice, if it’s a nice sunny day and you fancy gazing out to sea and being a beach bum for a bit, you might want to look it out.
On 19th July 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about Fortune Of War
I'd walked past the Fortune of War before and dismissed it as just a commercial daytime beach bar. However the upstairs bar was buzzing on an evening visit and it was a real good atmosphere. No cask beer but they seem to specialise in ciders, seven of them, and I had a bottle of Aspall Blush the blackcurrent cider.
On 27th January 2010
- rating: 6
[User has posted 780 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Michele Baker left this review about Fortune Of War
This pub has previously been titled 'Busiest Pub in England', for in the summer months, it is a veritable hive of activity. People come from all over the country to party on Brighton seafront, and Fortune of War is very much a part of that party atmosphere, with its friendly, quirky and fun staff and a wide variety of clientele, from true Brighton Bohemians to the screeching banshee cry of hen nights and stag do's. Definitely a great place to get drunk and meet a hundred new best friends, before staggering into one of the seafront clubs or onto the beach to watch some fire poi or jugglers, or just some wrecked students singing Louie Louie at the top of their lungs. This pub caters for everyone. Expect to have a blast.
On 2nd July 2005
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1 recommendations about 1 pubs]