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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Ye Olde Stout House, Horsham
Horsham
RH12 1EE
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 Ye Olde Stout House
Just across the road from the Market Square, this is a fairly compact Hall & Woodhouse pub with a long but quite narrow single room interior. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the pub previously had at least two separate bars, perhaps more, and the current set-up sees two fairly distinct sections to the front and rear, as bare floorboards give way to a quarry stone floor opposite the bar and then to carpeting in the rear lounge space. The bar is midway down the left-hand wall and has a smart, modern dark wood counter with brass coat hooks, a matching tongue and groove bar back and a high shelf on the canopy above, lined with gin bottles. Some nice wing-back armchairs in the front windows are hemmed in a little by the rare sight of a bar billiards table, whilst on the other side of the room, a nice fireplace acts as a focal point, with its marble hearth and attractive surround topped with a plain mirror. Chair and low stool seating has been provided down the right-hand side of the room, including in the narrower space opposite the bar, but this eventually gives way to the rear lounge with its mix of tables and chairs and several high tables with bar stools. There is plenty of nice dark wood panelling to admire around the pub, much of it adorned with traditional framed paintings and photographs, which add some proper pub feeling to offset the modernisation and internal modifications that have taken place. A side door takes you out to a decent looking patio garden with a decent amount of picnic bench seating and some welcome greenery.
On the bar, three Hall & Woodhouse ales were available – Tanglefoot, Badger Best and Fursty Ferret. The latter was in good condition and served up by a genial barman who punctuated his duties by engaging in a long chat with an elderly couple who were venturing out for the first time since lockdown began and were clearly in need of some social interaction.
Having spent a significant part of my life living a few miles down the road from the H&W Brewery, I could quite happily spend the rest of it without ever drinking another one of their beers again, but every now and then you find a nice, friendly and welcoming pub like this which makes the odd pint of indistinguishable bitter seem bearable. A pleasant surprise all told.
On 28th September 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
I was delighted to see this place is still a ten o' clock pub as I walked through the door just after Beer O' Clock. Back in older K & B days this was a very basic place with toilets in the outside yard. K & B upgraded it more than Badger have but it remains a fairly basic drinkers pub. I looked for a TV but couldn't actually see one and would be more than happy if there wasn't one. A big plus point was that their sound system was tuned to Planet Rock.
I'd never noticed the window through to the cellar before but there is now a display of around 8 old K & B pump clips with the only one I don't recall ever trying being their Xmas Ale.
The biggest change here since my visit over four years ago was the presence of three Welton beers on the front three pumps. The rear two had the Badger Sussex and Tanglefoot. The three Welton beers were Horsham Pale, Heatwave and Spinnaker IPA. I had a pint of Sussex (£3.80) for old times sake and then tried the Welton Heatwave and Spinnaker (£4.10). These were a revelation as like the Sussex they were in immaculate condition but the Heatwave was a superb New World hop pale and the Spinnaker more of a Golden Ale but still with a very good hop flavour.
Before K & B sold out to Badger this was my favourite Horsham pub and it gives me great pleasure seeing it restored to that position. Score upped from 8 to 9.
Visit July 2014
In the days of going on the annual Ale Trail bash at K&B brewery this was always the favoured starting point and not just because it opened at 10:00.
I have to give credit to Badger for not ruining the place, it was much as I remembered it from the final K&B days. This was also my first ever taste of the Badger Sussex Bitter (£3.30) and I was pleased to note that it was coming up in immaculate condition. To be fair to Hall & Woodhouse it is a reasonable approximation of what the old K&B beer was like, it certainly has a lot more authenticity than Greene King Ruddles County or Old Speckled Hen. Two other beers were on offer, Tanglefoot and a Badger seasonal called Hopeful Hop. Overall I liked it here on my morning visit and came away with a great sense of relief that the pub was intact and that the Sussex Bitter was better than I expected it to be.
On 5th September 2018
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
I visited Ye Old Stout House not long before lunch last Saturday morning to find ten locals propping up the bar. This bar supports five hand pumps that, due to this being a Hall and Woodhouse establishment, were drawing King and Barnes Sussex (x2), Badger’s Leaping legend (x2) and H&W’s Tangle Foot. A standard keg selection was also available from the very amiable governor.
The bare boarded front section of the pub houses a bar billiards table and a television that was switched off. I didn’t see any live sport advertised, but there was a radio playing a local station, complete with adverts. The carpeted rear section of the pub continues the traditional décor and adds more seating. A right hand door leads to the side alley where a couple of tables and the smokers could be found.
This is a drinker’s pub and as such I enjoyed talking to a couple of locals during my visit on Saturday last week. Next time I am in the area I will probably pop in again, but probably not at 10am when the doors are said to open.
On 19th March 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5228 recommendations about 5196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
This is a very attractive looking old pub which still defiantly displays the former King and Barnes logo outside. Hall & Woodhouse though naturally these days, the usual Sussex, Badger and Tanglefoot were on plus a curious seasonal beer called Billy Stinger which apparently includes nettles in the brew. I tried it, very much like any other H&W beer really.
A friendly place though, I liked it quite a lot, a low beamed ceiling with a few brasses, the central bar area has an old stone flagged floor, the front is boarded and the rear section carpeted. Wood panelling here and there, lots of stuff of interest not least the see through leaded window to the "cellar" with the casks on view, a case of clay pipes, framed pictures of Lords Cricket Ground, motor racing in the 50s at Crystal Palace, the old K&B brewery, bottles and stone jars on a high shelf. The front area has a bar billiards table. A shelf contains second hand books to be swapped or taken for a small donation. Seating is of the traditional style mostly at small round tables, there is a TV, this was off, radio 2 played with Tony Blackburn on! Some outdoor seating to the rear side but not popular on a very wet BH Monday. I liked this pub a lot, I'd certainly be back if in Horsham again despite the rather dull H&W beers.
On 28th May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
Occasionally busy, has hints of atmosphere, but doesn't quite deliver. Bare boards & bar billiards at the front; carpets & bookshelves towards the rear. Not much in the way of food and the beer (Sussex and Tanglefoot, plus Hofbrau lager) comes from Hall & Woodhouse's uninspiring list.
On 14th February 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
train man left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
K&B Sussex, Badger, Tanglefoot, needless to say no proper stout (“no call for it”), I don't count guinness. Nice looking bar with sections floored in wood, stone paving, & carpet, upholstered settles around walls, busy book corner (whatever that note means?), ‘cellar' visible behind bar but a missed opprtunity for a decent tap room, wood panelled walls, beamed/yellowed ceiling, striped stools & wood tbls opp bar below tv housed in cabinet, a large games machine – out of context to the décor but mercifully unused on my visit. Radio was too loud but playlist was ok (but talky – what stn is Evans on these days?). Very nice bar billiards table nr entrance with its own suspended lighting/tassled lightshade. Large coffee maker prominent, make of that what you will. I don't mind Badger beers but don't actively seek them out, and H&W houses could be so much better if they allowed guests.
On 11th November 2008
- rating: 6
[User has posted 412 recommendations about 411 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Ye Olde Stout House
This was a decent ex Kings and Barnes pub and it was open early which was handy as we were very thirsty after the journey from Nottingham.
This was an Hall and Woodhouse tied house but there was still Kings and Barnes beers on the bar we had a drink of K&B Sussex and this was a decent drink the other beers were Tanglefoot and K&B mild.
We thought this was a decent pub and enjoyed having a drink in here.
Pub visited 26/10/2002
On 26th October 2002
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]