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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Lewes Arms, Lewes
Lewes
BN7 1YH
Pub Type
Fuller'sReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Tris C left this review about The Lewes Arms
The Lewes Arms is grade II-listed, with a CAMRA historic listing with ***.
As below with as mentioned "…home to the world pea throwing champion (call it the world championships because we don’t think anyone else does it and we once had a guy from Germany so that counts as global), it’s held late summer annually"; there’s also Spaniel Racing, toad-in-the-hole and Dwyle Flunking.
At £2.75, a very nice half of Dark Star APA was another welcome break from the Harvey’s.
This is certainly one to visit when in Lewes, the Norman Lewes Castle as a backdrop is a bonus.
On 16th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Lewes Arms
A very interesting 220 year old pub close to Lewes Castle. As mentioned from BF below, the World Pea Throwing Competition is held here. They also hold Spaniel racing and Dwyle Flunking which involves two teams in a circle, whilst the opposing team tries to fire a cloth soaked in beer at you. Anyway is was a little back street oasis and is defo worth a look in.
On 16th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Lewes Arms
Tucked away in the back streets and opposite the former Star brewery,this curved frontage pub is really charming with lots of original features.There is a small front snug to the right of the entrance corridor where all the handpumps are on display.Limited seating here.The island bar also serves a rear room with traditional furniture including some bench seating where the Pubsgalore crowd gathered.There is a seperate front section with a window to the left side.Good etched glass,and glass panels around the island bar.The pub is home to the World Pea Throwing competition,trophy on the fireplace ledge.
Although there is no brewery signage ,essentially this is a Fullers tied house with ale produced in Chiswick despite carrying original brewers names such as Gales HSB,Dark Star Hophead and American Pale Ale (NBSS 4) together with their Seafarers and a guest in Harvey's Sussex Best.
A most pleasing pub and a must visit for its authentic vibe and unspoiled interior.
On 12th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Lewes Arms
An iconic pub for its stand against Greene King, many years ago, which resulted in a change of beer policy which is still seen today, with quite a few GK pubs not stocking any of that company's beers. We went for the HSB, a former Gale's beer now brewed at Fullers which is owned by Asahi. Whatever, this was a decent beer in good condition, but not one that I would normally indulge in while on a pub crawl, at 4.8%, so I made amends by going for a 3.4% Hophead next, which is a beer that I think has improved since dropping from 3.8%. Regardless of which beer, this is a fine pub with a comfortable feel to it, and worthy of an extend stay.
On 11th April 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
David Walton left this review about The Lewes Arms
Visited 04/10/24. First ticked on here on 01/12/18 and regularly returned to in between and since)!
Cask choices Harvey's, Seafarers. Rosie's Pig rhubarb cider, HSB, Five Points XPA, Dark Star Hophead and the American Pale Ale. Plenty of decent keg choices, Guinness, Cornish Orchards cider, Fullers Frontier lager, London Cider W9, Verdant Light Bulb, Tiny Rebel Easy Livin, Cruz and Veltins Pilsner.
I think this generally has the best ambience of all the Lewes venues and typifies Lewes pub drinking with the characters you are likely to encounter here. It is off the main drag and has a nice area to stand outside away from traffic. Inside the front bar where the taps and hand pumps and is a very cosy affair with just tall stools at the bar and a banquette along the window wall. The bar counter also serves into the back bar area which is a little larger and has a mixture of tables and chairs and a corner banquette. There is even a small serving hatch that makes it easy for those standing in the corridor to get a drink without having to pop into the front or back bars. The other side of the hallway (to call it that) is another cosy room with densely packed tables and chairs. There is live folk music in here every Thursday evening that packs the venue out. There is a really top-notch pizza offering here that makes it unquestionably the best place to get a pizza in Lewes. The bar staff can be a little surly on occasions and so I do recognise the comment made by the, relatively recent, previous reviewer on here.
On 7th April 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 631 recommendations about 631 pubs]
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Lewes Arms
Seems to be a theme in this town, the barmaid here out the front chatting up a smoker and uninterested in working. After 5 minutes of waiting at the unattended bar gave up as a bad job! Shame as it looks an interesting building
On 31st August 2024
- rating: 2
[User has posted 1542 recommendations about 1519 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about The Lewes Arms
The Lewes Arms is a multi-roomed town classic with a bit of a roof garden going on as well. There were 3 ales available on my visit - Harvey's, Hophead (both £4.30) and HSB. Unfortunately, I wasn't entirely convinced about the quality of my pint which is a bit of a shame given the status of the place.
Nevertheless, I'd return, as there's definitely a good feeling about the pub and I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt this time.
On 26th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 554 recommendations about 516 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Lewes Arms
A little difficult to find if you don't know the town, which I didn't, but well worth the effort. A fine looking pub with a curved exterior, traditional and multi-roomed inside. Its a Fullers owned but the beers were reasonably varied, London Pride, Gales HSB and the affiliated Darkstar Hophead, along with Adnams Ghost Ship and the almost obligatory (in Lewes) Harveys Sussex Best leaving two vacant handles. A very nice pub indeed.
On 17th July 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
BRUMMIE STEVE left this review about The Lewes Arms
Not the easiest of pubs to find but when'ever I decide to have a crawl around Lewes I always start off here. Very quirky pub once inside with several rooms in which the bar is proberly the smallest of the rooms.Always a good selection of beers on offer plus they sell a selection of Fullers bottled beers including one of my favourites Bengal Lancer. I've not tried the food but it seems very popular. One of the better pubs in Lewes.
On 20th November 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 39 recommendations about 39 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Lewes Arms
In a narrow back street near Lewes Castle is The Lewes Arms, a pub which, according to a sign outside, dates back to circa 1798.
A striking curved frontage, on the bend in the road, leads into a compact three roomed pub with a small basic locals bar – imaginatively named “The Front Bar” – as you come in on the right hand side which features several bar stools and a fixed wooden bench seat under the window. On the wall a display cabinet features several small pipes found during excavations in 1989 and which are believed to date back to the 1830’s. The wall also features a prominent painting of the Lewes Coat of Arms. Several framed photographs show Lewes racecourse, which closed back in 1964.
Behind this room, but served from the same bar, is a slightly larger room which features traditional benches, circular tables and stools packed as close together as is reasonably possible. In this room is the usual large Fuller Smith and Turner mirror over a fireplace. Of interest in this room is the crest of H M S Lewes, a 4 stack destroyer which saw active service during the World Wars. Note also the large collection of whiskies on the back window ledge.
The largest room is on the left of the central corridor and service to this room is from a hatch in this corridor to the main bar. In this room are standard tables and chairs. The walls are decorated with some people playing pub games outside the pub and also some photos of the famed Bonfire Night festivities. Note also the painting of The Basketmakers Arms, a former Gales pub in Brighton. This room is popular with diners, but room is still found for a dartboard and a Toad in the Hole game.
In overall terms, it’s a fine traditional pub, pleasingly free of games machines and music, although I did feel that, principally due to the cream coloured walls, the interior felt a bit bright. There’s further seating upstairs in a room which doubles up as a function room. Here we see part of the riding tackle used by the former Beards Brewery dray horses. On the same level, at the back, is a pleasant roof terrace set flush against the castle walls.
Formerly a Greene King pub, it’s now owned by Fullers, although, pleasingly, in this historic part of town, the external branding is discreet and there’s a notable absence of any “corporate” pub feel. As part of a reciprocal trading agreement between Fullers and Harveys, The Lewes Arms stocks Harveys Best and The Royal Oak in Borough – Harvey’s first London pub – stocks a Fullers beer.
On my recent visit, as well as the Fullers brews and Harveys Best, Adnams Ghostship and Castle Rock Harvest Pale Ale were on. The Harveys Best was in good form and the pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular. Probably because it’s in Lewes, the Harveys Best was easily the best seller, with the one pump working overtime to keep up with demand, with several of the Fullers pumps virtually redundant.
Staff are keen and enthusiastic with, on my visit, one youngish lad going way beyond the call of duty in recommending other Lewes pubs to visiting Wednesday fans coming back from Brighton
It’s a fine pub this, striking a fine balance between catering for the numerous visitors to Lewes, yet still appealing to the traditional pub goer.
This is one pub definitely not to miss on any Lewes crawl.
On 11th August 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]