Worthing Tap Takeover 2025
Who knew Worthing was such a good place to drink beer? A rhetorical question I’d put out into the ether when we visited for the tap takeover event two years ago. The beer scene in Worthing has burgeoned since then, with several new venues opening up.
We missed the tap takeover last year due to prior commitments, so I was champing at the bit to get back for 2025 to explore some new (and old) drinking spots.
“Raising a glass to independent craft breweries across a variety of pubs, bars and shops in the seaside town of Worthing, West Sussex. Venues across the town have collaborated with some fantastic breweries from across the UK to celebrate Worthing’s vibrant beer scene.
Worthing has always had a fantastic beer scene quietly doing it’s thing, as a town we love our craft beer and think that it’s time to spread the love. So join us on the weekend of the 25/27 of April 2025 when Worthing will be toasting both local and national independent craft breweries. This is a free event so please come down and support our local independent venues.”
This year saw 19 venues and breweries combine for the tap takeover. The full list of venues and breweries, in alphabetical order of venue:
19 venues are obviously too many to conquer in a single day, so much like Hastings Tap Takeover last year, we needed to whittle the list down to a manageable amount. We had visited West Worthing over Easter as an excuse to get out of Brighton for a bit and mainly because I’d noticed it had several micropubs that all looked great. And they all were - The Foresters probably being my favourite of the bunch. As such, we ruled out West Worthing and concentrated on Worthing itself from the station down to the seafront. A mixture of new and old venues to keep it interesting, and this time I mainly picked venues based on the brewery taking over the taps, as opposed to just going somewhere new. Read on for our day crawling around Worthing.
Stop #1 - Bottle & Jug Dept. x Three Hills
The sun was shining as we pulled into Worthing train station, which immediately put me in a good mood and ready for a fun wander around. Our first stop was just the other side of the train track, so after a short wait at a level crossing, we were at Bottle & Jug Dept. less than five minutes after stepping off the train.
Bottle & Jug Dept. is Worthing’s first bottle shop and is small but perfectly formed. One side of the shop holds the beer fridges, and the other displays all the wines they offer on some shelves. The bar and draft options are at the rear, with a few tables in the middle for drinking in. I think the shop can probably only seat 12 or so people at most,t and it was already full when we arrived around midday.
We had visited during the tap takeover two years ago, but as the last stop of the day rather than the first. Since then the shop has welcomed new owners so I had a great natter with them about Worthing (they also own The Fox & Finch in West Worthing), our plans for the day and beer in general before we took a pew outside on the bench in front of the shop window.
As it was the first stop of the day and the sun was shining, I opted for Happy Pils, a New Zealand-hopped pilsner from Three Hills. It went down alarmingly quickly, and my mood grew from good to great. I returned our glasses to the counter, said our thanks and farewells and we were on our way to our second stop in next to no time.
Stop #2 - The Signal Post x Wylam
We decided to go to the venue the furthest west (that wasn’t in West Worthing) and work our way across the seafront. That meant a ten minute walk from Bottle & Jug Dept. We walked along Rowlands Road which seemed to have lots of interesting looking bars/cafes/restaurants/shops before we arrived at The Signal Post.
I’m really glad we ventured out this far because this was probably my favourite new pub this time around. The team behind Worthing’s New Amsterdam (a pub I haven’t been to yet) opened The Signal Post in 2023, converting former Ladbrokes into an excellent, welcoming space.
A bar lines the back wall with a huge deli counter taking up almost half of it (more on this in a second) before you get to the bar proper with beer lists and taps. Several high tables are found on the other side of the room before fridges containing wine and beer line the back wall. There’s an additional room in the back although I did not venture in as we managed to nab a table as another group were leaving.
The food counter looked cracking - you can choose from a selection of breads, meats, cheeses, olives and pickles and make up your own board. The first item costs £6 with each subsequent item coming in at £3.50 each. I’d not seen a menu like this before and thought it was a great (and reasonable) way of offering a wide range of delicious goods. I definitely want to come back and while away an afternoon here sipping beers and eating my own weight in meat and cheese.
Here I could not decide what to have as Wylam are very rarely on tap in Sussex, so I ordered a flight of: El Topo (a Mexican oatmeal stout), Y2K (a NEIPA) and Imperial Jakehead (a TIPA version of Wylam’s flagship IPA, Jakehead). They were all great but Imperial Jakehead blew me away. So smooth for a 10% beer!
Stop #3 - Level 1 x Track
We made our way onto Marine Parade and walked along the seafront and it wasn’t long until we made it to our third venue of the day - Level 1. I thought this place was brand new but it turns out it has been open since 2021 which probably just means I’ve never been this far along the seafront at Worthing before.
Level 1 is a bar and food space on an open-air terrace at the Grafton multi-storey car park. The astroturf and colourful bunting bring a vibrancy to what is essentially a building adjoining a car park. The place was doing a steady trade with most tables full as people looked to take advantage of the sunshine.
Track were in charge of the taps here which is why we came. Because such a good brewery were here, I thought Level 1 would be more beer orientated but it seemed more of a multi-functional venue than a dedicated beer spot. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy going somewhere different than a traditional pub as it definitely added a bit of variety to the day.
There were only 3 Track beers on offer which was a little disappointing but I think that was mainly because they needed to keep the other taps free for their more regular wares as to not alienate the majority of their clientele. The Track choices were a DIPA, a lager or an IPA. I’d had the IPA before and it was a bit too warm for a DIPA so I settled on a pretty decent pint of Arosa, a classic Helles. It sated my thirst perfectly as we soaked up some sun and planned our next stop.
Stop #4 - The Goose x Sureshot
We had a few choices for our next stop but ended up at The Goose mainly because we wanted food and we couldn’t spot a free table at The Beach House. I should also mention we discounted Anchored Worthing as an option as we had been before but I didn’t realise it had moved to a larger premises with outside seating. Definitely one to return to.
The Goose (formerly The Wandering Goose) is a decent pub on the seafront, very close to the Dome cinema. We had been before but with Sureshot ruling the taps this time around, we didn’t need much persuading to return.
The bar has a large outside seating area out front with a pretty small bar area as you enter the pub. Steps lead you down from the bar to a larger seating area and also the kitchen counter where you can collect your food (more on that in a moment). Everyone was outside because of the weather and we managed to nab the last empty table, so we felt pretty smug.
I ordered 2/3s of ‘Everything Is Legal In A Dressing Gown’ which tasted resplendent with absolute bags of fruitiness that was cut through brilliantly with a decent amount of bitterness. I also had a fun interchange with someone at the bar who said his mate wanted a wetsuit and looked confused. I pointed at the ‘Small Man’s Wetsuit’ pump clip and it all made sense. I’d just ordered ‘half a small man’s wetsuit’ for my wife; something I didn’t think I’d be saying at the bar.
Food options here were from local pizza slingers Yeastie Boys (who have a spot in Brighton offering pizzas by the slice). I wasn’t really paying attention when I ordered and thought I’d paid for two large slices of pizza. I’d actually bought two whole pizzas. It was a happy accident as we shared one and had the second pie for lunch the following day. Let’s pretend I did it on purpose.
Stop #5 - Beer No Evil x Indie Rabble
We were feeling pretty full after our pizza, so we decided to walk it off with a slow amble along the seafront to our next spot, Beer No Evil. We had visited a few years ago in the middle of the week when it was quite quiet and had a lovely time and a chat with the owners. The people behind Beer No Evil and The Old Bike Store are also the people behind Worthing Tap Takeover so it only felt right to visit. It was fun to return and see the place abuzz with patrons this time around. It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was out, so every bar we passed was beginning to get busy.
Indie Rabble had control of the taps here and I was pretty excited about it as I had heard lots of positive things about them. I had been to A Hoppy Place in Windsor (where half the Indie Rabble team come from) a few years ago and had a great time so I was keen to try some of their beers.
I opted for The Mob: Reloaded, a West Coast IPA, and it was a real treat. A lot of WCIPAs seem to lack proper bitterness these days but this was like going back in time. The piney bitterness I had been pining for (geddit?) was here in spades. And look at that colour. A thing of beauty.
There was ample seating both inside and outside, but we opted to sit at the bar along the window so we could people watch and enjoy our beers. Everyone was having a lovely, old time and I could’ve happily stayed here for several more. Alas, we had places to be!
Stop #6 - The Old Bike Store x Overtone
We didn’t originally plan to come here as we’d been before but as it was (sort of) on the way home, we figured we might as well. Plus, Overtone had the taps, so it felt rude not to pop in. Similarly to Beer No Evil, as co-founder of Worthing Tap Takeover, it felt fair that we drop in. As with Beer No Evil, we had only visited earlier in the day before, so it was great to experience the bar with more people supping beer and having a good time.
Formerly a bike shop (no way!), this bar has been slinging beers and championing local independent breweries since 2018. It’s a much larger place than it looks from the front with the building stretching back much further than you’d expect. There’s only a few seats out front in the sunshine so we had to make do with a table inside and a reprieve from the sun.
I have a long-standing thing with a friend where we lament the lack of brown ales these days so whenever we see one, we have to have it. That was no different here as I chose Baseline as my beer of choice. A fantastic brown ale with all the classic notes you’d expect - toffee, malt, caramel and a sweet edge amongst the bitterness.
As the only natural light is at the front of the bar, it did feel a little dark, and so we were raring to get back outside before the sun went in.
Stop #7 - The Selden Arms x Black Iris
Our penultimate stop saw us visit what I think is probably the best pub in Worthing - The Selden Arms. The sister pub to The Hole in the Wall in Brighton, it was sort of inevitable this pub was going to be great. We’d visited before (obviously) but when I saw Black Iris on the taps I made sure we called in before heading home. Black Iris are another brewery that are rarely found down here and I really like their beers so it felt like the perfect marriage.
Here we noticed a guy we had seen in several other pubs due to his very vibrant Hawaiian shirt (he took our table at The Signal Post as we left and appeared at a few of the others too). We were stood near the bar as he was heading outside for a smoke so I had a fun chat asking him if he’d been following us which he seemed to enjoy. He did advise we skip The Railway Hotel and go elsewhere but as it was right by the station and we hadn’t been before, we had to tick it off.
We also spotted two old boys sat at a table each with their own files where they were taking extensive notes on the beers they were drinking. It was a beautiful sight and I told my wife I can only dream of reaching their levels of beer geekery.
The pub has an ever-rotating list of both cask and keg options so you are always spoiled for choice. I plumped for a ‘Nail In The Coffin’ a lovely mahogany brown Extra Special Bitter. Flavours of deep caramel, spice and orange made this very moreish.
I was close to staying for another but as we didn’t have a seat and I was interested in visiting one more new pub, we sadly had to hit the road.
Stop #8 - The Railway Hotel x Gipsy Hill
Our final stop of the day saw us visit The Railway Hotel. Mostly because it was right by the station, so we could time getting a train home from there quite easily.
The building looks fantastic - I think it’s Victorian. This pub itself is massive with a huge range of seating options both inside and out. As we wanted to catch the last of the sun, we made a beeline for the beer garden, but I’d love to return and explore the inside as it looked beautiful.
Gipsy Hill were on the taps here with the barman pretty much telling me not to get the sour as it wasn’t very nice. I nearly ordered it out of spite but went for Swell, a lager, which was pretty standard.
What I did enjoy, though, was sitting in the beer garden as the sun began to set, discussing our day and how much fun we had. I was also feeling very smug because it was around 8pm, and as I knew this was my last beer of the day, I was almost definitely going to avoid a hangover. Start early, end early is my new mantra.
We finished our drinks, got on the train and headed home via a drunken Tesco shop involving random yellow stickered items because… well, drunk.
Summary
Worthing Tap Takeover 2025 was an absolute delight. Perfect weather, great venues, cracking beer and excellent vibes. If you haven’t been to Worthing for a beer trip before, I would highly recommend it. I am tempted to try and conquer all the venues over a few days for Worthing Tap Takeover 2026. It’s in the calendar anyway.
Also, I avoided a hangover. I had some self-congratulatory leftover pizza for lunch the next day and felt very pleased with myself.
