Haus on the Hill, Hanover, Brighton

Side-street pub at the top of the hill in Hanover (one of many other good pubs in the vicinity), with a L-shaped, alehouse-style interior with a covered rear patio to the rear. The slightly quieter raised area back right was busy with those dining from the Caribbean-themed menu. Four cask ales from Brighton Bier on the five handpumps, including the Mildred mild (£4.50), plus Lost Weekend from Downland (£4.80).

Another pub in this student-friendly part of town, this place appears to be operated by Brighton Bier and attracts a good mix of locals. The pub has a bare boarded, U-shaped interior with the bar in the centre and lots of fixed bench seating around the perimeter. The bar has a nice, curved counter with a tongue and groove front and simple bar back, whilst the benches have been supplemented with loads of low stools, which also fill a somewhat cosier raised space to the rear right, which looked like a decent spot despite being a little isolated from the rest of the room. There’s also a small seating area to the left of the bar where a single, large table stands in a bit of a void space behind a partitioning wall of sorts. The half-panelled walls have dark uppers decorated with lots of old adverts, clocks, photos and beer themed bits, including a beer board to one side of the bar, although these didn’t seem to be particularly up to date. Hot food was advertised, but despite the place being packed, I didn’t spot anyone eating. I also noted signs for the beer garden, a function room and a sun terrace, none of which I managed to explore. There were three ales available across five handpulls – Brighton Bier American Pale Ale, Downlands Best and Hammerton Penton, plus a real cider option. Service was insanely slow, thanks to a packed pub being served by a lone barman, but the APA was worth the wait – one of the better conditioned beers I found on a thirteen-pub crawl around Brighton and Hove. I liked this place, which seemed rightly popular with the locals and clearly looks after its ale, providing a few interesting options to keep you interested in returning. The interior was comfortable enough, without really sticking in the memory and the service could obviously improve with the addition of some extra staff, but overall, this felt like one of the better options in this part of town.

Facebook page of Haus on the Hill - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Haus on the Hill - www.facebook.com

Official site of Haus on the Hill - www.hausonthehill.pub