The Evening Star, Brighton

I have to admit that if I had randomly come across this pub whilst on a crawl I would have given it a miss as it was absolutely heaving with a queue three deep at the small bar that seemed to get longer as I waited. There was no seating and the people in seats looked uncomfortable as people bumped into their chairs and leant over the tables trying to not fall over. This is certainly not my idea of a good night out, however good the beer is. After a five minute plus wait I finally escaped with a pint of Dark Star and sat outside on one of the two picnic tables located out the front. It was whilst drinking my pint and noting the late opening times as midnight on Fridays and Saturdays when I got involved in an in-depth conversation with some pub goers about the Sussex pub scene and I ended up staying for another two pints of the DS, which were on good form – even for a Guinness drinker!!! For a pint of Guinness in comfortable surroundings watching Sky Sports with some nachos and chips this isn’t the place to go, but for quality beer and conversation it’s unmissable. Unfortunately I like Sky and Guinness so my next visit will be when no sport is being played and maybe not early evening on a Saturday when every ale drinker in the South East seems to converge on this tiny little pub.

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.