David Elphick, Author at Brighton Beer Blog

The Patch Lewes

Don't be fooled by the humble cafe exterior, it belies a trove of global beer variety

19-21 Market Street
Lewes
BN7 2NB

01273 477042

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The Patch Lewes

A humble cafe offering a staggering 10 rotated keg lines

The Patch Lewes hides it’s beery bounty very well. An unassuming looking place that from the outside that appears to be a pokey cafe, in an old building, on one of Lewes’ narrow side roads.

Yet step over the threshold and before your eyes is a wall of 10 tap lines and a small fridge stocked with yet more wonderful brews. The options are incredible, with local, UK wide and worldwide options collected together.

Lines are regularly rotated to keep things very exciting for beer explorers, but expect to find a combination that might include; Sussex Milk stouts, reputable pale ales, classic Belgian beers and never before heard of regional European lagers, all on one wall, all available to try before you buy. Their Facebook posts are good at keeping you updated on new arrivals.

The venue itself is simply decorated, lots of white and green painted wood and a collection of basic wooden furniture. At the front, stools and a cafe style window bar allow you to perch and peer out. Or turn left for a mish mash of booths, tables and chairs, creatively jammed into the long but narrow space. There’s a small yard out back that again seemed basic and we hope they might do more with it over time.

The Patch Lewes is humble,and a little plain, and the fairly priced beers perhaps reflect that, but looks aside, you just cannot beat this place for beer variety in Lewes!

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Beak Brewery Lewes

A nomadic cuckoo-brewer teams up with a Susex brewer to make their nest in Lewes

Unit 14
Cliffe Industrial Estate
Lewes
BN8 6JL

01273 473094

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Beak Brewery Lewes

After traversing the country for many years, it’s apt that Beak make you wander off-piste for their tap room

Beak Brewery Lewes launched their brewer/tap-room to much hype in the Summer of 2020, and even Coronavirus couldn’t dampen the excitement as loads of people trekked down to the atypical location of Cliffe Industrial Estate for a taste.

The tap bar is located in a large unit overlooked by the chalk cliffs, and it’s cavernous. The tanks and brewing equipment are installed in full view around the room and on the rear back wall. In the centre is a small bar and at the front of the unit are rows of benches with more set up outside when the weather allows.

Beak stock a selection of their own incredible and locally renowned brews on tap; a couple of very hazy pales, a heady imperial stout, and a table beer were on offer last visit, alongside a guest Keller Pilsner from Lost and Grounded.

The tap bar opened during coronavirus and so our only experience so far has required logistical planning and booking a week in advance in order to secure a space.

We can only imagine that when social distancing and hourly slot bookings are a thing of the past, Beak Brewery Lewes, with it’s out of the way spot, will have a great communal beer hall type vibe with revellers drinking merrily into the evening.

Ladies Mile Patcham

A charming and welcoming community pub, offering art deco class and a variety of entertainment

Mackie Avenue
Patcham
Brighton
BN1 8RA

01273 554647

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Ladies Mile Patcham

A charming and welcoming art deco pub hiding in the Brighton burbs

The curved frontage and sparkly columned entrance of Ladies Mile Patcham is inviting and with a touch of fun and a colourful bench seating space on the forecourt overlooking the green opposite would be just the ticket in summer.

Inside you are met by a fine looking and obscenely long curved bar and there’s a distinctly art-deco theme. The lighting, period ceiling and curvature of the bar all give off some very 1920/30s art deco vibes, and it’s characterful rather than dated.

The pub is split into 3 main spaces; the big central bar with spacious booth seating, some high tables and a TV in the corner, a large games room to the left with ample space for a pool table, a darts board and a few high tables, and to the right a space perhaps more focussed on eating with dining tables set out for larger groups.

We counted 6 cask pumps and if just half of them are stocked with different options, that’s still decent choice. Other than that the options are focussed on global brand lagers, ciders and Guinness.

Tisbury’s kitchen run the food at Ladies Mile Patcham and offer a good range of pub snacks, burgers, pubby mains and desserts that are priced fairly and gastro expensive.

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Haus On The Hill Brighton

58 Southover Street
Brighton
BN2 9UF

01273 601 419

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Haus On The Hill Brighton

A classic but contemporary 2 storey pub run by Brighton Bier

Upon entering this wide and wood clad space you immediately meet the bar with it’s huge array of options that fill the full width of the bar and continue around the corners, so we’ll start there.

Being a Brighton Bier run establishment there’s an excellent array of 5 cask ales and, for a tucked away local, a jaw dropping 15+ taps. Much of these are produced not far away at the marina by the Brighton based brewer, but there’s plenty of other great local options as well as a Bavarian guest named Rothaus, a small brewery in Southern Germany that Brighton Bier love so much they’ve installed their big branded tap serving their Pilsner and Wiess beers.

The decor is unfussy and warm touches of modern colour to keep things contemporary, but enough retained classic pub charm. If you don’t want to mingle around the bar then to it’s right there is a side room and elevated seating space that feels a little bit more away from the action if you want your own corner.

Through the main bar there’s a rear yard with some wooden booths which provided shelter in bad weather, whereas upstairs you’ll find another decked seating area that catches the sun and a whole other bright indoor seating space as well.

With a stonkingly good beer selection, a pub as nice as this is well worth scaling any hill.

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haus on the hill brighton pub hanover outside booth seating

The Park Crescent Brighton

A charming backstreet pub and garden, and the place to find all your Badger Beer faves

39 Park Crescent Terrace
Brighton
BN2 3HE

01273 604993

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The Park Crescent Brighton

A Hall and Woodhouse connected local with a charming back garden

In a quiet crescent shaped backstreet sits The Park Crescent Brighton, easily missed if you don’t know it’s there, but a classic local to many.

The pub is charming and traditional, with wooden furniture, wooden floors, and a sleek central wooden bar which stocks many of the Hall and Woodhouse favourites in the Badger Beer range across 4 cask pumps and a tap. Other big brand largers and ciders are available.

The garden is a lovely waled off leafy retreat at the rear, bigger than it looks with a good number of tables spread out across the patio, some of which are under cover.

A good looking menu of pub faves is available and roasts are served on Sundays.

The Park Crescent Brighton claims to host the ‘best music quiz in Brighton’ which runs on the first Wednesday of each month, this must be put to a test at some point.
A definite unique quirk of the pub is it’s pinball machine. We can’t think of anywhere other than Dead Wax Social where you can get your pinball fix and a pint in Brighton.