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Detail Pages
Poets Ale & Smoke House, Hove
Hove
BN3 5BF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Poets Ale & Smoke House
Close to Aldrington station, this is a cracking two bar, backstreet pub that has branched out with its own smokehouse which helps them churn out smoked meat across an American comfort food style menu. Of the two bars, the left-hand side is much larger, occupying quite a large open space with high tables and stools to the front and through the centre, chairs, and low stools along the left-hand wall and to the rear and the servery over to the right. The bar has a typical wood panelled counter front, albeit painted blood red, with a nice dark wood bar back topped with two matching ceramic lions. The room is bare boarded on the bar side, but carpeted elsewhere, whilst the décor comprises lots of blackboards, a few quirky beer themed items and lots of World Cup bunting. Two TV screens were showing the evening’s fixture with loud music in place of any commentary. A passage behind the bar connects the two rooms and gives access to the beer garden as well. The other room is a little more compact and quieter, with a similar servery to the left, plenty of seating around the perimeter and more of the same décor, including what appeared to be butcher’s hooks on the ceiling and some art that ties in with the whole smokehouse theme.
They had three Harvey’s beers on cask – Sussex Best, IPA and Old Ale – plus a real cider on the final handpull. The IPA was okay – not my favourite from the Harvey’s range but in good nick at least. The barman was extremely friendly and the pub was absolutely rammed – not a free seat in the house – on my Saturday evening visit.
I was a little apprehensive about this place, as the name suggested it might be a little too food focussed, but on a Saturday night at least, it was very much dominated by drinkers, which made this a pleasurable visit. Some well-kept beer and interesting food options add to the attraction, and I’d say this is worth a look if you’re on a crawl around the wider Hove area.
On 20th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Poets Corner
A large and impressive building, with lots of interesting external features (see photos). I get the impression that the current owners and operators would like to be able to rename it something more hip and modern, but the name is firmly applied to the fabric of the building. Inside they have been more successful, if judged by the fact that I didn't like it very much. It certainly looks modern, but whether it is hip or not is not for me to say. There are two rooms, the bar counter of the room in which I found myself had a number of hand pumps with four of Harveys' range, including Old Ale, and a guest beer whose pump clip had been turned round. I enjoyed my half of Old, but with its loud background music and darts on the TV, this is not my sort of pub. Good beer though.
Date of visit: 22nd March 2018
On 27th April 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Poets Corner
An old Sussex CAMRA guide says that as the Eclipse it was a Bass Charrington pub named after the famous racehorse.
I've not always been impressed with Harvey's urban outlets but they seem to have done a good job here. It's a back street corner local that has retained two completely separate bars. I went in the right hand saloon bar as the public sounded noisy and busy. This was a nice traditional carpeted room with wooden-panelled walls and a roaring fire. The bar is on the left and had five hand pumps offering Harvey's Best, Old, IPA, Wild Hop and Armada. I went for the Armada (£3.90) and was shocked to find a beer with a big hop taste. Have they changed the recipe? It was probably the best beer I had all day in Sussex. It was expensive but I wouldn't expect anything else in the Brighton area.
It's well worth a visit if you can afford it.
On 9th February 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Poets Corner
This Harvey’s pub was previously known as Eclipse before closing for a refurbishment and reopening as Poet’s Corner in March 2010. This area of Brighton is known as Poets Corner due to the adjacent roads being named after famous wordsmiths. The two bars in the pub also follow this theme with the Byron Room to the left and the Wordsworth Lounge to the right. In the Byron Bar there is a wood burner at the rear with a few lounge chairs around it. There is also a large plasma screen that was turned off during my recent midweek evening visit and there is no Sky at this venue. The bar supports six hand pumps for drawing Harvey’s products but the Dark Mild, Porter and Armada were all off leaving Best, Old Ale and Hadlow as the ale options. Blues music was playing in the background and the previously mentioned plasma screen has a piano under it which is probably used during the advertised live music on Friday evenings. The Wordsworth Lounge has the same traditional furnishings and décor as the Byron Room, but the music is a little quieter and there is no television. Both sides have real fireplaces that I imagine create a cosy atmosphere on a cold winters evening.
There is an advertised patio garden out the back that I didn’t visit, but I did note the three picnic tables on the path out the front.
This pub seems to be aimed at the older more well-heeled inhabitants of the area and jazz seems to be the main music of choice. I’m not a big fan of jazz and I thought it a little sterile in here as I’m not within the customer base that the management are aiming at.
On 12th April 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]