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The Evening Star (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Smoke |  | 1 |
| 1648 - Original |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Golden Gate | | 1 |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 1 |
| Spectrum - Blinder | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Sussex Extra Stout | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Saison |  | 1 |
| Crouch Vale - Essex Boys Bitter | | 1 |
| Hammerpot - Madgwick Gold | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Porter (aka City) | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 4 |
| Hogs Back - Utopia |  | 1 |
| Oakham - 3 Witches | | 1 |
| West Berkshire - Good Old (or Ordinary) Boy | | 1 |
| Northern (see also Blakemere) - Barnestormer |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Festival | Not Tried | 0 |
| Rother Valley - Blues | Not Tried | 0 |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Winter Solstice | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - London Porter (now use 5% entry) | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
11 Dec 2009 (Brian)
Arrived here at about 5.30pm, it was absolutely packed. The beer was great, but you had to drink it with both elbows stuck to your ribs. Standing room only.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | | Some smelly hop, some pear drops and grapefruit, slightly sweet on the end. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | As usual an excellent, golden ale. |
| Dark Star - Winter Solstice | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - London Porter (now use 5% entry) | 4.50 | Not Tried |
20 Mar 2009 (Ian)
Late afternoon and a fair number of good beer drinkers in. Matt was in too behind the bar. Free Wifi which is great. 10 handpumps on with a good range of Dark Star beers and also good Belgian, German and USA beers. I'm still amazed that you can fall out of the railway station straight into this pub. Sat typing up beer ratings, enjoying the beers and the one day cricket on the radio. Oh and then Mark Williams from The Fast Show came in and had a pint of Thatcher's cider. Cool
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Sussex Extra Stout | 4.50 | | Very good dry stout. Very drinkable, lots of fruit as well as dry dark roasted malts. Good dryness, charcoal, touch of hop on the finish. I really like it. I'm not much of a dark beer drinker, but this was extremely good I thought. Good carbonation and the dark fruits really make it. What an Irish dry stout should be I guess. Very likeable beer. |
| Dark Star - Saison | 4.50 | | More of a wheat beer to me than a saison, cloudy gold/orange colour with lasting thin white hed. Very refreshing though. Bit of soap like a Belgian wit on the aroma. Reasonably fruity in mouth, tangerine/orange, touch of herb/spice. Good bit of tingle on the finish. Good intense fruit and spice. Very good wit, not sure it's a saison. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | Bit of toasted butter. Funny my faovurite British beer and yet here in the Evening Star I very irregularly get a pint of it I like. Great sherberty hops on the finish mind, but the bits up front and in the middle let it down. |
| Hogs Back - Utopia | 4.90 | | Amber coloured disappearing off white head. Toffee on the aroma. Quite sweet in the mouth. It's a decent ESB, but the sweetness is a bit over the top. Some peppery hop on the finish. Smooth rounded toffee malt. Drinkable enough. |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried |
23 Nov 2008 (Brian)
Came down to Brighton to see the Ladytron gig but managed to squeeze a couple of pubs in before heading down to the Concorde. We arrived about 5.30 and the place was full, Fennel managed to find herself a seat by the bar and I just hung about looking suspiciously like her dad. I managed to get her to try the hophead but ended up finishing it myself. This pub was great, cracking atmosphere, pretty mixed clientele (students, drinkers, middle-aged couples and plenty of beards). Juke box was on and the bar staff were friendly.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Smoke | 5.00 | | Tastes like Frazzles according to daughter and she's not wrong. Obviously smokey, but with a depth and balance that is superb. Could have had a couple but had to move on. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | Just had to try this in this pub. Great as usual, but seemed better being here. A little thin and a touch cold to begin, but the hop flavours were still bursting out by the end. |
| Rother Valley - Blues | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Sussex Extra Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried |
03 Mar 2007 (Ian)
Saturday mid afternoon and I was lucky to get a place on a stool at the bar. This is a rather small pub for the number of people who want to use it, but it certainly is one of the best in the area. The range of Dark Star, guest, continental beers and ciders and perrys make this a must for anyone in the South East.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Chestnut colour with thin beige head. Malty in mouth. Herby dry malt aroma. Good dry malt in mouth. Slightly astringent hop finish. Great in mouth, the malt is great, lovely flavour and then arresting hop finish. I really rather like it. |
| Crouch Vale - Essex Boys Bitter | 3.50 | | Copper colour with thin off white head. Fragrant hop, very much in the Crouch Vale style. Easy drinking, bit watery in mouth, then tremendous hp finish. Grassy, fragrant and biting. Good to see someone doing a boys bitter, however the hops on this are a bit excessive I think. |
| Hammerpot - Madgwick Gold | 5.00 | | Gold, huh, no kidding. Thin off white head. In the Hopback Summer Lightning, Exmoor Gold terriotory here. Some citrus hop aroma, slightly sweet in mouth. Straw, citrus hop finish. does what is says on the tin. Alcohol gives it heat and body. Competent, but not exactly breaking new ground. |
| West Berkshire - Good Old (or Ordinary) Boy | 4.00 | | Copper colour with thin beige head. Yeast, dry malt aroma, little bit toasty. Good condition, if a little fizzy. It's a slightly malty best bitter. Condition adds to the hop tingle on finish. It's a competent if not startling bitter. |
| Northern (see also Blakemere) - Barnestormer | 4.90 | | Chestnut colour with lasting beige head. Buttery beer. I'd say it has diacetyl. Slightly syrupy nutty malt. Got the last half of it apparently. Diacetyl ruins it for me. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Festival | 5.00 | Not Tried |
09 Nov 2006 (Ian)
I had been at a work conference during the day, but got here just after 4pm. I had been warned by others that it can get busy and the bar difficult to get to occasionally. I found a seat easily and was served quickly and promptly. It does feel slightly claustophobic when it gets busy, but compared with The Butcher's Arms in Herne, there are acres of space. I tried the Dark Star beers and the guests and would quite happily have stayed for the evening with the bottled range (Girardin gueuze and Schlenkerla Lagerbier to name but two), but my train was calling me. Very handy for the station.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1648 - Original | 3.90 | | Pale copper colour with lasting off white head. Lovely soft hoppy session bitter. Some tangerine fruit. Grassy citric tangerine finish. Some yeast on aroma. Some citrus hop, juicy fruit in mouth, satsuma, then nice candied satsuma fruit finish. Impressive. The orange fruit is stunning. Great tangy hop finish. One of the best session beers I've had in years. |
| Dark Star - Golden Gate | 4.50 | | Aromatic autumnal ale according to the pump clip. Copper colour with lasting beige head. Aromatic American hop aroma, bit of cat pee. Good in mouth, decent juicy malt, before sherberty earthy hop cuts in and lasts and lasts. Beautifl. Utterly drinkable. Gorgeous hop/malt balance. Resiny piney hop. |
| Spectrum - Blinder | 8.50 | | Copper colour. Thin bubbly off white head. To start with an apricot/peach fruit aroma. Candied fruit with touch of soap. Lovely finish of apricot and nectarine. Really rather super. Good stone fruit aroma. Goodish hop on end. Bit of fruity syrup. I know this is going to sound strange but even a bit of Belgian yeast flavour as it opens up. Made with a brett yeast perhaps? Tangerine as it develops. Hot hop aroma. This gets better as the half goes down. Wow. Hop, syrupy stone fruit and something odd. Dryness increases on finish. Unbelievably interesting and I love the flavours as they develop. |
| Dark Star - Porter (aka City) | 5.50 | | Now badged simply as Dark Star Porter, but with the same ABV. Deep ruby, dark brown colour with thin bubbly beige head. Full rounded porter, quite juicy. Drying hop on end. Some liquorice. Dark malt and liquorice/molasses aroma. Very mild flavours though. Warming in mouth, quite juicy, dark fruits, damsons before a coffee mocha finish with a bit of powder. Quite difficult to pin down as a porter, juicy dark fruit rather than coffee/choc. Some sourness in mid palate, bit of vinous fruit. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | I watched the landlord change this out for a new barrel. He tried it and nodded appreciatively. I could hardly contain my excitement at having fresh Hophead in the brewery tap. Gold colour with lasting white head. Aromatic hop aroma, some cat pee. Sherbert. Good, but not great. Very good hop is lovely but there was a faint trace of butteryness that I did not care for. |
| Oakham - 3 Witches | 4.40 | | Amber, lasting beige head. Moderate aromatic hop, bit of smoke. Fruity in mouth. Bit underdeveloped. Rich malt and tehn grassy strongish hop. Bit dusty too. Bit of spice. Oddly cobbled together beer, nutmeg on finish? Not sure it all works. |
About The Evening Star
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 7 |
| 78 |
| 30 |
| 17 |
| 4 |
The pub is found in Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 3PB.
One room pub near Brighton's main railway station in Surrey Street. This used to be home to the Dark Star brewery, before the beer production got too big for the pub and they moved to Anstey, West Sussex. However, Dark Star's influence remains with the draught beer range containing many of their beers. With 10 handpumps (including 3 reserved for cider) sported in total there are a several handpumps given over to other UK micros as well as taps for Dark Star keg beers, new wave keg beers and continental beers. Several ciders round off the main bar. However, in the fridge behind the bar is one of the best ranges of world beers in a British pub, with Belgium and Germany dominating. Lots of wood in evidence in this fairly small pub and the curved bar is squeezed into one corner. Tables and chairs line the walls. Live music is also regularly available. All year outside seating by the pavement. A must if you are anywhere south of the Midlands.
We have visited this pub 75 times, seen 224 different beers and tried 88 of them.
Postcode: BN1 3PB