Duke of Wellington, Shoreham-By-Sea

I was expecting this to be the highlight of our trip to Shoreham. Whilst it was a close call, I marginally preferred Piston Broke. Nevertheless, this is a great traditional pub with a single room stretching around the bar and a stage for live music on the right-hand side. The atmosphere was convivial and whilst we were there, a guy started to sing and play the piano. He had a good voice and helped to create a really nice ambience. Gun Zanzama IPA is the regular beer (at 6.5%, I saved this one until last). Other beers were Gun Scaramanga, Burning Sky Plateau & Fallow, Cellar Head Fuggle Rock & Flapjack & their own Duke of Wellington Brewhouse American Pale, which seemed to be really popular with the locals. There were also a couple of ciders - Healey's Flattler & Lilley's Peach Cider. Gun NEIPA was a craft beer and they also seemed to have a fridge full of German bottled beers, which were also listed on a laminated sheet. Presumably this was some kind of Oktoberfest.

Dark Star Hophead, Sunburst, & Original, Crouch Vale Top Sail, & Thatchers cider occupied the 5 handpumps, an impressive line-up. Piano on far side of bar, but apart from that and the very attractive original windows, an otherwise very modern, rather bland appearance, which was a shame. Note on wall states that ‘anyone mentioning a brewery with the initials GK, or a football team CP' will pay a forfeit to the lifeboat charity box. Needs to be busy to hide the lack of character, but fantastic beer.

Official site of The Duke Of Wellington - dukeofwellingtonbrewhouse.co.uk

Official site of The Duke Of Wellington - dukeofwellingtonbrewhouse.co.uk

The Duke of Wellington was rammed with a crowd that was listening to a live band when I visited on a recent Saturday evening. Live music was also advertised for Fridays and Sundays so this seems to be the choice pub at the weekend for music fans. There is a dartboard around to the right of the U shaped bar and on the opposite side to the left is table football and bar billiards. Just outside the rear exit is a covered seating area complete with log burner and beyond is a large beer garden. As it was so busy it was a bit of a problem moving around the pub as there were a few bottle necks, but the service was prompt and friendly. I counted seven hand pumps that were drawing Thornbridge’s Jaipur, Ramsgate Brewery’s Dogbolter, three Dark Star brews, Green Jack Brewing Company’s Trawlerboys Best, and Rich’s Cider. I went for a pint of Jaipur which was well received. I would have enjoyed my visit more if it was a little quieter as I couldn’t really get settled, but that’s my fault for visiting on a Saturday night. The next time I’m in the area I will endeavour to return for another pint or two.

This pub has quite a striking external architecture (look out especially for the hanging wellington boot) and the promise of Dark Star ales within. However, once inside, there really isn’t a huge amount to write home about – the interior is off-putting , it seems rather half-arsed and done on the cheap; laminate flooring and bright colours really doesn’t make one feel cosy. A lot of the light from the coastal setting also seems to be purposefully filtered out by the stained glass windows, making the place seem very gloomy on a summer’s day. Most of the raw ingredients are there – bar billiards, darts, piano etc but it really just doesn’t pull it off. Beer wise, there’s usually four Dark Star ales which of course come out very well, alongside a cider (usually Thatchers). I’ve been here a couple of times now and I really wasn’t that enamoured on either occasion. Great beer but I wouldn’t go out of my way to do this one again unless I happened to be nearby.