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Detail Pages
North Laine Brewhouse, Brighton
Brighton
BN1 4AA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
paulof horsham left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
As I was in the area, and had time for a last pint before leaving town, I decided a revisit was in order. Oh dear! A bit of a disappointment. The handpumps were unclipped, so I had to peruse the keg taps. Wanting something different to the Laine's offerings (most of which I've sampled in various venues in recent years), I opted for Bedlam's "Wilde" East Coast Pale Ale, and this turned out to be a bit of a struggle.
While the pub was as busy as usual (this being a Friday afternoon), I'm sure I'll be hesitating before returning.
On 16th August 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 453 recommendations about 425 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
This is a huge pub and brewery located in a former nightclub opposite Victoria Gardens and on the fringes of the eponymous Laines. The pub has an enormous L-shaped layout comprising a large raised front seating area and the main bar space which runs to the rear down the right hand side. The front seating area has dark floorboards and bare brick walls and sees curved banquettes skirt around the front bay windows, with pews and fixed benches around the rest of the perimeter plus some low stools through the centre. The walls have been decorated with a selection of seemingly random paintings, drawings and photos, a huge sign for Source Pale Ale and an old cash register. Some pillars dotted through the space incorporated some elaborate stone angels and were quite an imposing sight. The bar is to the let as the pub runs to the rear and has a plain counter and bar back with a couple of large conditioning tanks to one side and the brewery plant visible in the space behind. canteen-style bench seating fills as much of the the space opposite the bar as possible, but it's such a cavernous room that there is still ample standing room throughout. Passing under a huge model bird, you reach the darker rear section of the pub where some more interesting statues can be seen along with some big wall murals and loads of regular tables that look best suited for diners.
The Laines Brewery operates out of the pub and four of their beers - Best Biter, Doubloon, Brighton Blend and Hop Bomb - were on handpull with several more available on keg dispense. My Doubloon poured okay but was flat before I'd got even a third of the way through it, which was a shame. The staff seemed relentlessly upbeat and the pub had a funky jazz soundtrack playing happily away in the background for much of my visit.
I thought I would really like this place but it really struggled to generate much of a pubby feel and left me a bit cold as a result. Efforts have clearly been made to create a relatively warm, comfortable feel, but the place is just far too big and empty for that to properly work. This, coupled with some dubious beer quality, left me with more questions than answers by the time I left and I'd hesitate to add this place to future crawls.
On 24th July 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
Is a bit of a barn with an unloved feel about it.Friendly barman and a good beer from Laines -hopbomb 5.0 for a change.Went to the toilets stopped to talk to the two other customers with the twins and hey presto I had lost the rest of the pub crawlers
On 13th April 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
I really wanted to like this one especially as it would usurp the King and Queen as the only place worth visiting on Gloucester Place.
Perhaps it different in the evening with a few in, but sadly on a Friday early afternoon with only a couple in, this barn of a place was fairly soulless even with the chirpiness of the helpful young serving staff. My experience was also not helped by the fact that my half of Hop bomb had gone largely flat on me by the time I reached the bench seating by the front window. Now it is a fair trek from the bar to the front window but that still shouldn’t happen.
Like others far better this guise than the former Gloucester Nightclub and hopefully I just caught it at a wrong time and I will make a point of checking again when in Brighton next.
On 4th April 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
It’s hard to imagine that this was once a purpose-built pub called the Gloucester Hotel. The interior has been completely stripped out and is probably large enough to house the R101.
On entering from the left side, you drop down a few steps to the main floor which is modern shiny bare boarded, like a dancefloor. Furniture is mixed, comprising converted barrel tables, fairly conventional circular tables with stools and long benches. A huge wooden sculpture of a bird hangs from one wall. It was completely empty apart from two mothers, both with babies in prams which looked a bit incongruous in a place like this.
The industrial-looking concrete bar runs along a fair stretch of the rear, above there are oversized industrial lights. To the rear are the brew tanks for the Laine Brewery. Ominously, there was a DJ’s double-barrelled gramophone to the rear and paraphernalia which hinted at nightclub usage. In short, the place looks like a student union bar, all the more so due to the presence of games machines.
Ales: many, I opted for the Laine’s Best Bitter at a reasonable £2.15 a half and very nice it was too.
To my mind great beer maketh not a great pub, that’s if this place can even be described as such - I’d not like to be in here one bit if dance anthems kick off and glow sticks come out, but better this than being sorted for Worthington Es.
On 1st April 2018
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
After visiting traditional pubs around town and walking into this large urban style brew pub, it took me a while to settle in at the bar and get my bearings. Even the front lobby entrance was larger than a cinema entrance. I have to say the young barmaids in here were very welcoming and nothing was a problem when handing out a few samples of their Laine brewery beers on handpump. I went for the Hop Bomb IPA which was slightly hazy. This was a fleeting visit as we were pushing on to the next pub on our PG crawl.
On 30th March 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
A very large pub at a busy road junction,the interior feels massive and stripped out with not a lot of character.I would imagine it would be deafening when busy,when quiet it feels unloved.This is the tap for Laine with the brewing vessels high above the bar.The options from the 8 handpumps were their Brighton Blend,Doubloom Golden Ale,Best Bitter,Single Hop,Amber ,Breaker Pale Ale and Hop Bomb,which was poorly kept and I barely finished my half.There was also an Orchard Pig real cider.I was on a crawl but didn't hang around for long.Despite its 2018 GBG listing,I may well drift past next time I'm in town.
On 25th March 2018
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
Quite a large, modern brew-pub with all the kit prominent behind and to one side of the counter. The bar itself is a slightly split-level 'L'-shape, not over-filled with furniture. Also has some outside seating for the better weather, but not today... The two banks of four handpumps were filled with an interesting selection of their own beers, from which I went for the stout (£4.10).
On 13th November 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about North Laine Brewhouse
The North Laine Brewhouse is home to the North Laine Brewery so it wasn’t surprising to see lots of brewing equipment up behind the bar. I counted twelve hand pumps in amongst the standard and premium keg range so I think that all bases are covered on the beer front. Whilst waiting for my pint to be poured by a very friendly barmaid I had a nose through the menu to mainly find ‘lite’ shares and burgers, the latter of which were priced around £10.
The bar in this very large pub faces some seating that sits under the side windows. To the right of the bar is a seating area full of benches (think Octoberfest) and to the left is more seating on a raised area. From this area access can be gained to outside seating under a couple of awnings at the front of the pub. This area was heaving during my recent Friday afternoon visit.
I didn’t spot any televisions, but there was some background music playing. I must admit that I hadn’t heard any Nirvana songs for quite a while. There is a quiz every Wednesday from 20:00. On a pillar behind the bar are lots of pooch pics so I imagine that our canine friends are more than welcome here.
This is a decent pub that is well worth a look and should be included in in any crawl of Brighton.
On 13th September 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The North Laine
Very large pub but doesn't seem to suffer from this and seems to maintain a certain atmosphere in a good way,plenty of Laines beers on offer, all were new to me , I found Laines Copa 4.6% very drinkable,a worthy stop off on the expanding pub scene in Brighton.
On 18th July 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]