But I was intrigued that none of the Ripley pubs have ever graced the pages of the Good Beer Guide in the editions I’ve got from the last ten years. Some of the pubs must be doing something right as they can be obviously busy at times when I’ve driven through the village.

So given a fine summer Thursday evening and a friend and two bikes we went exploring.

Seven Stars

The first stop was the Seven Stars which is not in the centre of Ripley but about half a mile along the road towards Pyrford. It’s a large pub for such a remote location but a welcoming one. From the small real ale selection we chose the Hogs Back TEA. This favourite from the local-ish Hogs Back brewery was a recurring feature of pubs in Ripley as we were to discover.

Anyway the beer was in good condition and was enjoyed in the attractive garden behind the pub. I didn’t eat but my friend had a superb ham, eggs and chips. Overall a good experience and a pub to return to. I’d like to explore the food menu a bit more.

Talbot Inn

Once into the centre of Ripley we parked up the bikes and started at the Talbot Inn. The Talbot is right at the northern end of Ripley and is an old coaching inn. Apparently Nelson used to stay here too on his way to Portsmouth. The older parts of the inn have been extended with more modern dining areas and accommodation blocks.

As non-diners we weren’t really supposed to crash the patio immediately behind the pub but they lacked the will to shift us so we stayed. The Talbot may have a reputation for food (if you can afford it) but the Hogs Back TEA chosen from a conservative selection of beers was disappointing. Good job we were only drinking halves. We didn’t stay long.

Half Moon

Over the road to the Half Moon. We were practically the only customers on this Thursday evening – does it ever get busier? Full of interesting bric-a-brac felt welcoming – but empty. Bypassing the Courage Best we opted for Shere Drop from the local Surrey Hills brewery and it was not bad, but not the best pint of the night.

Anchor

After the Half Moon we strolled tp the southernmost pub in the centre of Ripley – The Anchor. But we quickly beat a hasty retreat when we realised all the handpumps were turned round. The pub looked interesting and I’ll explore another time when hopefully they’ll have some real ale on.

Ship

Last pub of the topur was the Ship – right in the centre of Ripley. Compared to the rather empty pubs we’d visited up to now the Ship seemed buzzing. Despite being strangers we were made to feel welcome by the barman and the Hog Back TEA (again) was actually very nice. Unfortunately evenings don’t last for ever so we couldn’t stay long but the Ship is definitely a pub I’d want to visit again.

Our Ripley cycle tour was a good evening and yielded a couple of good pubs – the Seven Stars for food and the Ship for best beer and atmosphere. Maybe we should have been in Ripley on a Friday night – perhaps the pubs would have been much busier. And it was good to see local beers (Hogs Back, Surrey Hills) present in amongst the more national brands.

Full reviews of these pubs will appear soon.

Ones We Missed

On the night we didn’t have time to visit the Jovial Sailor – a Chef and Brewer pub just south of Ripley. I’ve read lots of negative reviews about this place but they must be doing something right as the car park always seems to be full when I drive past. There is also the Saddlers Arms close by on Send Marsh.

Hassocks: 21st Century Station

For reasons which I won’t go into I started my train journey at Hassocks – about 9 miles north of Brighton. Hassocks is on the main Brighton line but few trains actually stop there. I expect it used to have grand station buildings on both sides of the tracks but at some point they were taken away to be replaced with some awful prefabricated structure. To call it a shelter would be unkind to other shelters. It may gleam in its Southern Railway green paint but no amount of paint is going to disguise that the fact that it looks like old cardboard boxes. The spanking new ticket gates cruelly show up what a toilet the station is – except of course there is no toilet…

The Evening Star

Gloomy February in Brighton - the station looms at the end of Surrey Street

It was extraordinarily foggy in Brighton and when I arrived it was difficult to make out the country end of the platforms. It was cold too. But the dense, prematurely dark gloom only made the Evening Star even more welcome than normal. The atmosphere was lively and predominantly male this evening. The popularity meant that we were sharing a table with two other parties – something that often happens in the Evening Star.

Dressed lightly for a gig the cold had got to me so my first drink was a coffee. You can choose from instant or cafetiere – choose the latter, it was superb.

The welcoming Evening Star

After that it was beer. The Evening Star (pub review here) belongs to the Dark Star brewery so you expect some of their beers. Tonight the cask choices were Dark Star Hophead, Golden Gate and Sussex Original, with Milton Pegasus and another couple of guests which I’ve forgotten.

Now in London (somewhere like the Harp) I’d normally opt for Hophead but here I went for the Golden Gate. After the coffee the citrus of the Golden Gate really cut through – much more so than the Hophead that Jon had.

Only a brief visit to the Evening Star this time as we were hungry and wanted to eat before the gig. So back out into the gloom.

The Basketmakers Arms

Brighton pubs are great when the sun is shining but in this dark, misty gloom they welcome you like a long lost friend. It was fully dark by the time we reached the Basketmakers so no usable pictures from my mobile unfortunately.

Delicious whitebait from a previous visit to the Basketmakers Arms

We’d chosen the Basketmakers as the food is very good – and the beer too (See my Basketmakers review). First drink was a Gales HSB while we pondered the menu. The HSB was excellent as usual although I’m sure it’s not as dark as it used to be – something I thought during a recent trip to the Royal Oak in Borough where Gales HSB is a regular guest. Comparing the colour of what we had with the HSB photo on my photo page for the Round House in Covent Garden I’d say the current HSB seems much redder.

Food-wise I opted for a delicious Haddock and Chips – good portions, and well cooked. The girl at the next table was having a whole baked camembert which I’d missed on the menu but it looked amazing. I’d imagine a whole one might be too much – you could share it with a portion of whitebait which is also good here.

Just time for another beer so we tried the Castle Rock Preservation. Lighter in character than the HSB it’s still quite full flavoured but the hops are much more restrained than the Dark Star beers from earlier.

It’s good to see that Fullers allow two guest beers at the Basketmakers now – the other was Butcombe Bitter.

Being at two out of my three ‘golden triangle’ pubs in Brighton (we missed the Lord Nelson) of course prompted discussions about which one was best. It’s a conversation that never gets resolved but for all round appeal I’d say the Basketmakers Arms was the best pub in Brighton (that I know about). They even let children in too – a mixed blessing of course.

British Sea Power

After leaving the Basketmakers we strolled down to Komedia on Gardner Street – only to bump into a few people we’d just seen at the Basketmakers. I’d never been to this venue before but I’d definitely go again. It’s not a huge venue but it’s not tiny either. The sound and view were both superb and the placing of the bar in a separate area (like the Cavern in Exeter) makes for a better experience in my opinion. The bar sold bottles of Hepworths Sussex and Iron Horse – makes a change from Fosters etc.

British Sea Power were brilliant and they played a lot from their first album as well as the new Valhalla Dancehall. A cut-down excerpt from Man Of Aran was good too. The support – Team Me from Norway were also excellent. They weaved some amazing textures and complicated rhythms in their short set and I bought their EP.

So straight out the door after the single encore for a swift walk/run back up the hill to the station. We just made the train…

Related Items

• My pub reviews of Brighton
• Post on previous Brighton pub crawl
• Google map of Brighton pub crawl

The Brown Bear, Aldgate

The Brown Bear is situated down at the southern end of Leman Street E1, just by the railway bridge. At times since I’ve been working in the area it’s been a regular haunt and I’ve had some great times there. But pubs go down as well as up and fall out of use. I’m pleased to say though that the Brown Bear is in the ascendant again and is now a regular lunch time stop.

The Brown Bear has a horseshoe shaped bar that extends down the right hand side to a more secluded seating area at the back.

As you can (maybe) see from the photo of the outside, the pub was originally a Taylor Walker pub. I’m not clear who owns it at the moment but I do know that it offers good real ales from an ever-changing selection of guests. Only London Pride seems to be a constant, and on my last visit the O’Hanlons Yellowhammer was good. (It’s what I should have been drinking on my last visit to the Double Locks near Exeter).

The Brown Bear, Aldgate - Pad Thai and O'Hanlons Yellow Hammer

On the food side they have a standard pub-type menu with some specials on the board. But there are also many Thai dishes available as well – all priced at around £6 – £8. On my last visit I had a Pad Thai (see pic) which was delicious. There was also so much that I couldn’t finish it. In the past I’ve had burgers here and they’re good too.

Other posts tagged Aldgate

• Party at the Dispensary, Aldgate Nov 29th, 2009
• Aldgate Pub Lunch Options 4 – Hoop and Grapes Sep 11th, 2009
• Aldgate Lunchtime Options No3 – The Peacock Sep 2nd, 2009
• Aldgate Lunchtime Options No2 – The Dispensary Aug 17th, 2009
• Pride of Spitalfields, E1 Jul 2nd, 2009

Hoop & Grapes, Aldgate

The Hoop & Grapes is a Nicholson’s pub so to a certain extent you know what you’re going to get. But I think that Nicholson’s is one of the better pub chains – compared to the All Bar One, Pitcher & Piano indentikit establishments. The interior is old and woody, mainly dark but with pools of light beneath the ceiling windows half way up and at the back. You’ll be amazed how big the pub is inside given the small frontage on Aldgate High St.

I always make sure to get there as early as possible to get a table when eating lunch as it can get quite busy – especially towards the end of the week.

Tasty gammon at the Hoop and Grapes, Aldgate

The food menu contains few surprises but the prices are pretty reasonable and lunchtime deals are available on some dishes. My enormous gammon steak with two eggs and chips was £5. The food always tastes good.

Beer-wise, the Hoop & Grapes usually carries four real ales. London Pride, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, and Sharp’s Doom Bar seem pretty constant and there is one guest. Usually the beers taste well kept but some colleagues have remarked on the odd dodgy pint.

The pub’s good in the evening too – once again getting busy quickly after work. Food is not available in the evenings though. They do ale tastings every Thursday nights.

Previous posts in this series

1. Pride of Spitalfields
2. The Dispensary
3. The Peacock

The Peacock, Aldgate

Even though it’s very close to where I work the Peacock had been completely off my radar until fairly recently, but a team social after work changed that.

Three to four real ales are generally available with Harvey’s Best and Ringwood Best being regulars. The beers always seem well kept.

Bizarrely for a lunchtime recommendation the Peacock does not actually sell food at all. But they are happy for you to bring in your own sandwiches or whatever, and many people do. So head up to Kelly’s, or the Pret nearby and then pop in here for a pint.

Food is available however for pre-booked social gatherings when you can use the games room upstairs – featuring a pool table and a couple of dart boards. There’s also a table football machine but you do need to give a bit of notice for that.

Previous posts in this series:

1. Pride of Spitalfields
2. The Dispensary