A SMALL micro pub in Worthing is clearly making a big impression.

Brooksteed Alehouse, which can squeeze in around 50 customers, has been named Sussex Pub of the Year 2016 by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) after already being awarded its Arun & Adur Branch Pub of the Year.

The micro pub on South Farm Road was given the title for the quality of its beers, ambience, its customer service and welcome, and its sympathy with CAMRA’s aims.

Founded and run by husband and wife Nick and Paula Little, Brooksteed Alehouse sells cask products including real ale, cider, perry and wines.

“There’s no music, no TV, no sport – it’s not that kind of environment,” the former IT manager said. “The way we have the bench seating introduces people to each other, which promotes good conversation and good relationships. It looks good too.

“We are not trying to appeal to everybody - a lot of pubs think you need to provide sports and do everything to keep people happy, but we’re not that kind of environment. It’s more laidback. It’s not a male domain – we do have a good mix of men and women.”

The couple, who live near Chichester, decided to change careers two years ago and to run a business. As Nick already had a knowledge of beers, they loved the idea of opening a micro pub and visited micro pubs in Kent, where the concept originated, to pick up ideas.

“Worthing is a great place for a micro pub,” said Nick, 45. “It was affordable and the demographic was there, and the premises are near the railway station.

“I choose the beers and try to get ones you can’t get elsewhere. I’m trying to have a range to suit all palates.

“Our customers range from beer enthusiasts to locals who come for the social aspect and middle-aged professionals."

Among its bottled beers are Hefe, a German-style wheat beer with a rich banana and clove aroma, IPA and Hopwired, possibly the first bottled new world India Pale Ale, while its cask ales include Fugg Life, which is made from British hops, the tawny-coloured Castle, and Madgwick Gold, a golden ale with a fresh citrus spice hop aroma.

The micro pub, a very small one-room public house defined by the Micropub Association as “a small freehouse that listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks”, won its latest accolade in competition with four other Sussex pubs, which Nick attributes to its laidback atmosphere.

The establishment will now go through to CAMRA’s regional round, competing with pubs from Surrey and Sussex. The next rounds are the super regionals and then the nationals.

Visit brooksteedalehouse.co.uk.

PINT-SIZED BARS GO BACK TO BASICS - OTHER SUSSEX MICRO PUBS

The Anchored, Worthing

The Anchored was the first micro pub to open in Worthing. The one-room pub in West Buildings opened in 2013 with a “back to basics” approach to drinking. It has a regularly changing selection of ales from the “myriad of micro breweries” in Sussex currently including Beachy Head, Legless Rambler, Bedlam and American Graffiti, plus bottled beers, perry, wine and mead ciders. Visit anchoredinworthing.co.uk.

The Watchmaker’s Arms, Hove

The first micro pub to open in Brighton and Hove was the Watchmaker’s Arms in Goldstone Villas. It was set up in 2014 by two couples from Hove, Rick and Ruth Evans and Dave and Ali White, who fell in love with the idea after visiting The Tankerton Arms in Whitstable. Focusing on local beers, there’s also a micro brewery at The Watchmaker’s, run by local brewer Jack Tavare, who produces a range of beers in cask and keg under the Beercraft Brighton brand. Visit the watchmakersarms.co.uk.

The Old Star Ale and Cider House, Shoreham

Based in The Star Inn, which closed its doors almost a century ago, The Old Star in Church Street describes itself as a “genuine micro pub” that sells cask ales and cider and quality wines – but not “fizzy bland lager, alcopops or spirits”. It aims for an ambience that revolves around “good old-fashioned conversation” without the distractions of loud music, televisions or fruit machines. Visit oldstarmicropubsussex.co.uk.

The Stanley Ale House, Lancing

The Stanley Ale House was the “dream” of father and son Steve and Steven Bennett, opening in a former laundrette in Queensway. Offering “a new drinking experience in Lancing” with its real cider, wines, bottled ales, spirits and soft drinks, it is a “haven of real ale, good company and conversation” with no background music, TV or gaming machines, instead offering a selection of board games, books and daily newspapers. Visit thestanleyalehouse.com.