April 2023.
Staying in Rye gives you access to the joys of the English south coast,
with access to new pubs at Brighton a mere 90 minutes away, if you can fathom the train timetable with its weird 10 minute step-back-in-time at Hampden Park (not Sussex).
Regular readers will recall I was at Southwick just before Covid, where the Schooner unfortunately failed to survive the pandemic.
Southwick station has lots of reminders of its power station glories,
and a politely smart marina.
It’s an attractive little place.
No, it’s really not, it’s very scruffy, home to a punk poet;
and some proper pubs.
The Proper Pubs aren’t in the Beer Guide of course, it’s the micro hidden behind scaffolding in the town’s little arcade that gets the entry.
Well, if you’re going to quote great lines from songs, quote Springsteen.
I arrived bang on opening, and of course there’s already a local with a beer. Let’s go Dark Star.
My train departs in 10 minutes and 70 minutes. Shall I neck a half or savour the delights of Southwick ?
It’s a tight call, but when the soundtrack stays with ’90s EMO I decide that necking the Dark Star (NBSS 3+) is the best course, even with Frankie Goes To Hollywood 7″s for beermats.
retiredmartin 
Hi Martin, I am almost reluctant to show my face, as it has been so long since I last left a comment: I fear I’ve shown myself to be an unreliable pub fan indeed! But if it’s worth anything, I did greatly enjoy reading this post, as always I do.
Saddened me to think the proper pubs are less likely to be in the guide than this micro, which didn’t seem to have so very much going for it, visually at least. But a devotion to Springsteen and Frankie counts for something, surely. 🙂
Hope all is well with you. I shall try to make my next comment not so woefully delayed as this one was!
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Sounds like confession Mark. You are forgiven my son etc etc
As Simon and I have been finding out this year, the new GBG is a joy, with many plain pubs entering the GBG.
But beer quality is still the criteria for entry and I suspect in Southwick the micro has the edge. And it certainly had a bit of character !
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90s emo – thought it only really peaked around 2002. For a year or two with Juliana Theory.
Suppose you did have Jimmy, the Ataris, NFG for a while…
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Everything not either Shakin’ Stevens or 2023 sad girl shred is emo in my book.
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