Pubs to Visit #2

Another in the occasional series of pubs I like and if you don't know them - get and see if you like them too.

This time, the Evening Star in Brighton.

So much more than just a post-match beer venue - even though that's typically how we use it.

The first time I went here I didn't think I'd like it.  It was rammed to the gunwhales and I feared we'd never get to the bar through the thronging football supporters.  Not only that but there was barely anywhere to stand, let alone sit.

But the first pint of Hophead easily assuaged my fears.

So do I just like the beer there?  No, there's far more to it.  For a start, it's one of those places where tables are routinely shared.  It means that if you can see a stool next to an empty bit of table, there's a fair chance if you ask the "owners" of the time 'would you mind...?' you'll almost always be invited to sit down as the incumbents shuffle over to make more room.  This can lead to an interesting conversation or two, if you're in the mood.

It's also the only pub I've ever been to where another customer will ask if I need a hand in transporting three pints (it's happened three or four times now) to my seat.

The staff can not only lip-read...but possibly mind-read, too.  Even with a couple of bodies between you and the bar, the staff know where you are in line, and you can indicate what you want by mouthing the name, nodding in the direction of the required pump, or pointing...

To top it all off, should you arrive in the pre-match lull when it's relatively quiet it's a perfectly good place to hole up in a corner, with your pint and book and pass the time until the football supporters return and you know that if there are three pints of Hophead on the table by the time they arrive you will be declared hero :-)