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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 17th March 2024) with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Wednesday, 28th March 2018
With picture contributions to 11515 other pubs
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Detail Pages
The Watchmakers Arms, Hove
Hove
BN3 3RU
Served areas
Reviews of The Watchmakers Arms (Average Rating: 8½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Watchmakers Arms
Micropub with its own microbrewery set in a parade of shops just down from Hove railway station.
The bar is set at the far end of the room, with a cool room behind it from where the ales and ciders are dispensed. A board to the left of the bar lists the real ales, ciders and craft beers.
The pub was reasonably busy, but didn't quite have the friendly feel of most micropubs. In fact, a cluster of locals near the bar seemingly all had dogs which would bark and attack customers heading to the toilets. Although, I've seen bigger cats than the most agressive one!
Ales on were Moor Old Freddy Walker, The Watchmakers Arms Bezel Best, Siren Liquid Mistress, Good Chemistry Sub Four & Arbor C Bomb. Ciders were SeaCider Medium & Hardcore, Ascension Unless You Think, Hallet's Heartbreaker, Gwatkin Yarlington Mill & Sandford Orchards Devon Red. Craft beers were UnBarred Stoutzilla & Pentrich Floor Pie.
Probably the best pub Hove has to offer. I have many more to explore in the area. So, there's a good chance I'll return here one day.
On 10th May 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2442 recommendations about 2441 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The Watchmakers Arms
Just a short way down the hill from Hove station, this is a very nice, welcoming micropub converted from the usual former shop unit. As such, it’s a typically narrow, bare boarded space with large shop windows to the front and rows of tables served by high stools and benches down either side of the room. There’s a small servery to the rear with a timber fronted counter and pump clip lined bar back, alongside some tankard strewn shelving to one side, whilst large quantities of hops hang from above. The room has been quite eclectically decorated, which helps give the place a lot more character than your average micro of this ilk. A bookcase to one side was stuffed full of old CAMRA Good Beer Guides and board games and the walls are covered with lots of unusual art prints and random bits of obscure breweriana as well as plenty of timekeeping themed bits and bobs, such as loads of old watches hanging from the ceiling, hinting at the shop’s former use. There are also some deer antlers being used as a cap rack and a boar’s head wearing a sombrero, which added a quirky, off-beat feel, contrasted by a popular Toad in the Hole table that some locals were loudly playing with great enthusiasm near the entrance. The room extends a short way past the bar, where a drinking ledge and high stools offer overspill seating options in an intensely pump clip lined space. Pavement seating is available outside in the summer months, but there was no sign of this on a cold Winter’s evening.
Beer boards listed a healthy selection of ales, mainly from the South East, comprising Vibrant Forest Kick Start, Watchmakers Bezel Bitter, Long Man Wolf Man, Burning Sky Plateau and Fallen Acorn Ooof! With a bit of a wait until my onward train, I had enough time to sample the Plateau and the Ooof!, both of which were in excellent condition and served to me by the genial landlord. There was a good crowd in, generating a nice buzz on a Saturday evening and I would have been more than happy to have stayed and tried their full range.
I thought this was one of the better micropubs I’ve visited over the years, having been fitted out with some decent seating, interesting décor and providing the crucially well-kept range of interesting, local beers. Its proximity to the train station makes it an obvious place to dive into before or after a journey and I’ll hope to find myself back out this way again to do exactly that.
On 20th March 2023
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3093 recommendations about 3093 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Watchmakers Arms
Very busy on Friday lunchtime, but it is spacious enough to remain comfortable. Five cask beers on and a couple of keg,my cask Vibrant Forest Ekunot was in fine fettle.
A nice place with a good feel, handily close to Hove Station.
On 10th August 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1853 recommendations about 1827 pubs]
View more reviews of The Watchmakers Arms (8)
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- Official site of The Watchmakers Arms - www.thewatchmakersarms.co.uk
- Facebook - The Watchmaker's Arms
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Watchmakers Arms - whatpub.com
Aldrington, 0.81 miles, 15 min walk (show)
Preston Park, 1.32 miles, 25 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Beer Garden : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 06 December 2015 by paulof horsham
- Car Park : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Darts : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 07 May 2015 by hondo .
- Function Room : No last updated 06 December 2015 by paulof horsham
- Hot Food : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Jukebox : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Karaoke : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Live Music : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Micropub : Yes last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Pinball : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Pool Table : No last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 02 May 2015 by Aqualung .
- WiFi : Yes last updated 20 March 2023 by Pub SignMan