The recently renovated Hare And Hounds in London Road, Brighton, has seen some dramatic changes since its days as The Hydrant.

“At first a lot of people came because they wanted to see the change. Since then a lot more have come from word of mouth. We’ve been full every night, even Sunday and Monday nights,” says manager Sarah Perkinton.

The pub, which reopened on March 26, underwent a makeover costing more than £700,000. There was a complete overhaul of the premises, from moving the bar and redesigning the garden area, to installing artwork by street artist Arrow.

Arrow’s Mexican Day Of The Dead-style skull motif was intended to fit in with the new menu of Mexican streetfood, provided by North Laine restaurant La Choza.

Perkinton says, “I had never eaten there until they came here because I couldn’t get a table. On the first day they were here we were completely chock-a-block.”

La Choza in Gloucester Road, Brighton, won Best Newcomer at the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival Awards 2013.

The build-your-own menu includes tacos, burritos and quesadillas with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and salsas graded by heat from mild to “Xxxtra hot Naga”.

Aside from serving a range of craft beers and local ales, The Hare And Hounds is now the only place outside London you can try a pint of Meantime Brewery Fresh tank beer.

Tank beer is already popular in both the Netherlands and Czech Republic, where it is widely available in Prague in tank pubs known as “Tankovna”.

As the name suggests, the process involves transporting the beer in specially modified tankers direct from the maturation tanks in the brewery to tanks installed in the pub itself, which hold 1,000 litres – or 1,760 pints.

This keeps the beer away from contact with the air until it is poured, meaning it does not have to be pasteurised by flash-boiling, which takes away some of the subtler flavours.

“It’s served super cooled. It’s a crisp, light lager, unfiltered so it has a slight cloudiness to it. It tastes like it sounds – fresh,” says Perkinton.

Limited edition ales

The Greenwich-based Meantime Brewery is one of the largest modern craft brewers in the UK and its dispense tanks are the first to be used in the country on a permanent basis without being attached to a microbrewery.

Alastair Hook, founder and brewmaster at Meantime, says, “For a brewer, there is only one place to really drink beer: straight from the vats, in the brewery. I think Brewery Fresh means we’ve found the brewers’ Holy Grail. It tastes just as the beer does when I taste it in the brewery.”

To coincide with Brighton Pride 2014, what may be the world’s first protest beer will also be served: BrewDog’s limited edition ale, Hello My Name Is Vladimir.

The bottled IPA mocks Russia’s laws prohibiting gay propaganda, with a label depicting premier Vladimir Putin wearing eye shadow and lipstick. Half of all profits will go to charities supporting oppressed minorities around the world.

Other features of the relaunched Hare And Hounds include bookable booths and DJs playing from 8pm till 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. Next month the first floor will reopen as a live music venue.

  • The kitchen at the Hare And Hounds, on London Road, Brighton, is open Tuesday to Friday noon to 3pm and 5pm to 9pm, Saturday noon to 9pm, and Sunday 1pm to 6pm. Meantime Brewery Fresh (4.5 ABV) is served at £4.95 a pint, £2.50 a half pint or £3.30 for a schooner. Visit hareandhoundsbrighton.com or call 01273 682839