55-56 Surrey Street
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 3PB
01273 328931
In 1992 the Evening Star became a freehouse and since then it’s been the place to go for choice, innovation and quality in beer. In 1994 Rob Jones set up a brewery in the cellar and began brewing the hoppy ales that made the pub famous. Rob was already a top brewer, having won Camra’s Champion Beer of Britain award for his Pitfield Dark Star. Rob and the pub owners got together to form the Dark Star Brewery to take over the pub. The brewery went on to have a life of its own and was eventually taken over by Fullers, who then sold their brewing business to Japanese giant Asahi.
The brewery moved out of the Evening Star in 2001 but the pub continues to take three of their beers. It also continued to be a pioneering beer pub, adding unusual cask ales and keg beers from the new wave of craft brewers. There’s a good selection of bottled beers from around the world, plus real cider.
The pub dates from 1854 and is part of a terrace built for railway workers. It’s very close to the railway station but its location off the main drag to the town centre and beach means it’s easily missed. Inside it’s intentionally plain, with scrubbed tables made from recycled wood, and no distractions from the main business of drinking ale. It’s actually quite comforting and my wife and I once spent a long afternoon here reading the Sunday papers, letting several trains to London head off without us.
There’s a nice article about the Evening Star by Phil Mellows in Pellicle magazine from February 2021.
Rob Jones now owns the Duke of Wellington, just a few miles along the coast in Shoreham-by-Sea.
