The Hobgoblin, Brighton

I think I’ll start this review by getting a few things off of my chest. Firstly, I think that it is great that students with an NUS card should get a discount, but charging them £3.10 for a large glass of white and then charging us mugs that work £4.30 for a small glass is disgraceful. Also the barman was very amiable, but blaming the high prices on the recent VAT hike is somewhat insulting my intelligence. Finally, if I order a cheeseburger I expect to receive a burger in a burger bun rather than an almost raw piece of meat in between two pieces of dry untoasted focaccia. Anyway, this is a surprisingly large bare board pub with the bar in the centre creating a front and larger back bar. There is also a large paved beer garden out the back that is lined with picnic tables and has some covered seating at the rear. The bar supports six hand pumps which were drawing Arundel Sussex Gold (which was very good), Ballards Best, Iron Horse, two from Dark Star Brewery and Adur’s Ropetackle. I spotted an advertisement for live music in the downstairs bar (not visited) on Thursday nights and there are lots of fliers in the toilets that were advertising what I think were more live music nights, but I couldn’t really understand what they were trying to convey to me – this was probably because they were not directed at me which is fair enough. I did spot another advertisement for the open mic night that is held every Wednesday night also in the downstairs bar. Sky Sports is advertised, but the cricket that was in progress during my visit was not being shown. I still have a sour taste in my mouth five days after my visit and I will not return here whilst the current management are fleecing unwitting people that happen to pop in.