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    Hen Do in Brighton with Craft Beer: A Taproom Guide

    Hen party sharing craft beer in Brighton taproom

    The easiest way to plan a craft beer hen do in Brighton is to book one relaxed space for the whole group and build the day around it. At Lost And Found, our taproom in Fiveways, you can hire the venue exclusively with no hire fee, serve a rotating list of Sussex beer and cider and English wine, and bring in street food. You choose the decorations and the music. Below is how to make that work, what to ask any venue before you book, and how the same plan suits a stag do.

    Lost And Found Taproom
    Make Your Brighton Hen Do Your Own
    Lost+Found Taproom in Fiveways offers rotating local beers and wines in a welcoming space for gatherings and events.
    Visit the taproom

    TL;DR

    • Lost And Found offers exclusive-use venue hire with no hire fee, on midweek and weekend options. The venue hire page explains how it works.
    • Every beer and cider we serve is brewed in Sussex by independent breweries, so the group tries things it won’t find in a chain bar.
    • Decorations, music and drinks selection are yours to shape, which suits a hen do far better than a fixed nightclub package.
    • Check group size, food, accessibility and timings before you commit, and ask about the minimum bar spend up front.
    • The same plan works for a stag do: a long afternoon of good beer rather than a night built around clubs.

    Table of Contents

    Why craft beer works for a hen do

    Search for hen do ideas in Brighton and most results point to cocktail classes, karaoke, drag bingo and clubs open into the early hours. Those are fun, but they are also loud, crowded and expensive by the end of the night. A taproom hen do is a different kind of day. You can talk, sit down, and start in the afternoon with a group that includes the bride’s mum, her friends from university and the colleague who doesn’t do clubs.

    Craft beer also gives the group something to do besides drink. Everyone can pick a different pour, compare notes and swap glasses. People who say they don’t like beer often find a pale ale, a fruited sour or a crisp lager that changes their mind. And when a taproom also stocks wine, there is something for everyone, including the guests who would rather have an English white than a pint.

    Brighton has an unusual number of local brewers for a city of its size. The council-backed Visit Brighton guide to breweries and vineyards describes pubs pouring local ales and notes that the biggest local brewer is based in nearby Lewes. That depth is what makes a beer-led hen do feel local rather than generic.

    Why craft beer works for a hen do

    What you get at Lost And Found

    We are a craft beer taproom and bottle shop at 298 Ditchling Road, in the Fiveways area of Brighton. Our whole approach is built around independent producers.

    • Sussex beer and cider. Every beer and cider we serve is produced in Sussex by independent breweries. The list rotates, so a repeat visit rarely looks the same. See what is currently available on our on tap page, where our food and beer menus are also available online. Send the link round the group chat before the day so everyone can decide what to try.
    • Wines and spirits. For guests who don’t want beer, we have a curated wine list and spirits. If you’re curious about local bottles, our guide to English wine from Sussex is a good starting point.
    • Street food. We work with street food vans and serve XXL hot dogs, so the group can eat without leaving the venue. Our post on street food outside the taproom explains how weekends work.
    • Take-home bottles. The bottle shop means the bride, or a guest travelling home, can leave with something to remember the day by.

    If you want more ideas before booking, our page on hen party ideas in Brighton covers how a taproom celebration can run.

    Venue hire with no hire fee

    Most party venues in Brighton charge a room fee, then add a drinks package on top. We do it differently: venue hire gives your group exclusive use of the taproom with no hire fee. Hire runs on a minimum bar spend, which means the money you would have paid for the room goes on drinks your group actually enjoys.

    We offer two options, midweek hire and weekend hire. Both are listed on our venue hire page. We don’t publish a price for either, so ask us for the minimum bar spend that applies to your date and group size. Do that before you tell the group what it will cost per head.

    What exclusive use means in practice:

    • The space is yours for the booking, so you aren’t sharing it with a stag party or a crowd of regulars.
    • You can decorate. Banners, balloons, a sash table and a photo corner are all the sort of thing hen groups bring.
    • You can choose the music, so there is no fixed playlist to fight against.
    • You have flexibility on the drinks selection, built around our Sussex beer, cider and wine.

    We wrote more about the thinking behind this in are venue hire fees dead and our list of ten reasons free venue hire works.

    Midweek or weekend?

    Weekends are the obvious choice because guests travel in and out of Brighton, and Saturday afternoon is when the city is busiest. Midweek hire suits smaller groups, bridesmaids who work shifts, and anyone who wants a calmer room and a less rushed pace. If your group is flexible, ask us about both. Friday afternoon often feels like the best of both worlds.

    A sample hen do plan

    Here is a simple timetable that has worked for groups wanting something relaxed. Adjust it to your guest list.

    Time What happens
    1pm Guests arrive at the taproom. Welcome drink, decorations already up.
    1.30pm Short guided choice of beers and wines. Everyone picks a first pour.
    2.30pm Street food or hot dogs, so nobody drinks on an empty stomach.
    3.30pm Games: a blind tasting, a bride quiz, or a drinks-based bingo.
    5pm Second round, or a bottle each to take home.
    6pm onward Move on to dinner or a night out, or stay for a quieter evening.

    A blind tasting is a good activity because it needs no equipment beyond the glasses. Pour three or four beers, hide the labels and have each guest guess the style. Give the bride the answer sheet and let her judge. Our guide to craft beer tasting flights shows how a flight works if some of your guests are new to craft beer.

    Beer for people who say they don’t like beer

    Every hen group has at least one guest like this. A few pointers help:

    • Start with something light and fresh before anything dark or bitter.
    • Offer a fruited or sour beer, which tastes closer to a cider than a pint of bitter.
    • Point wine drinkers to our guide on wine for beer drinkers, which explains styles in beer terms.
    • Remind everyone that a half or a taster is fine. Nobody has to commit to a pint.

    What to check before you book any Brighton party venue

    This applies to us and to every other venue you consider. A good venue will answer all of it plainly.

    1. Group size. Ask for the real capacity, seated and standing. Smaller groups usually feel better in a taproom than a big impersonal room.
    2. Minimum spend. Ask what it is, whether it applies to food as well as drinks, and what happens if the group falls short.
    3. Food. Find out whether food is cooked on site, brought by a van, or allowed to be brought in. If there is a food van, check the days it operates.
    4. Accessibility. Ask about step-free entry, toilets and seating for guests who can’t stand for long.
    5. Timings. Confirm the start and finish times, and whether you can arrive early to decorate.
    6. Deposit and cancellation. Get the terms in writing before you tell the group.
    7. Music and decorations. Ask what is allowed. Some venues ban confetti and tape on walls.
    8. Menus. Look at the drinks and food menus online before booking. Ours are on our on tap page.

    Do you need a licence?

    If you book a licensed venue such as ours, the venue’s own licence covers the sale of alcohol. You don’t need to arrange anything yourself. The question only arises if you plan to run your own event somewhere unlicensed, for example hiring a village hall and selling drinks.

    In that case, Brighton and Hove City Council explains that a Temporary Event Notice allows small-scale events involving alcohol, regulated entertainment or late-night refreshments without a full premises licence. The council states a capacity limit of 499 people including staff, and says a standard notice must be given at least 10 clear working days before the event. The Home Office’s guidance under the Licensing Act 2003 adds that sales authorised by a TEN do not need to be made by a personal licence holder. For a normal hen do at a licensed taproom, that is more detail than you will need, but it is worth knowing if a group is tempted to take a private room elsewhere.

    Temporary Event Notice limits for small events

    Looking after the group

    A good hen do ends with everyone getting home happy. A few habits keep it that way:

    • Order food early, not late.
    • Ask for water on the table from the first round.
    • Include alcohol-free beer or wine for anyone pregnant, driving or simply pacing themselves.
    • Nobody should be pressured to finish a drink because it has been paid for.
    • Agree a plan for getting home. Brighton is easy to cross by taxi or bus, but guests heading to London or Gatwick should know their train times.

    If you want live entertainment as well as drinks, a party band with proper live event production can handle lighting, staging and a dance floor for larger celebrations. For a taproom hen do, a good playlist and a space to dance is usually all you need.

    Making the day more Brighton

    A taproom is the base, not the whole day. Many groups combine the hire with a stroll through the North Laine, a seafront walk or a short trip out to a brewery. Our guide to East Sussex breweries lays out day trips for taprooms, tours and events. If the group is more interested in the beer than the bar, our article Brighton beers: 20 local brews to get you started is a good primer to read in advance. Our post from Sussex with love explains the independent breweries behind our pours.

    We are in Fiveways, a short bus ride from the centre. That has a benefit: you get a neighbourhood feel and avoid the West Street crowds, and it is a natural starting point before moving into town later.

    A stag do works the same way

    Stag dos in Brighton tend to default to bars and clubs, but plenty of groups want something calmer. The same approach applies: exclusive use of the taproom, a rotating list of Sussex beer, street food, and your own music. Add a pub-style quiz, a darts-style tournament or a blind tasting with forfeits, and you have a day that is lively without being chaotic. Mixed groups, or a bridal and groom combined party, can use the same space equally well.

    Our perspective

    We opened Lost And Found because we wanted a taproom where independent Sussex producers are the point, not an afterthought. Every beer and cider we serve comes from an independent Sussex brewery, and that focus shapes everything else we do.

    When a hen party asks us about a venue, the honest answer is that the best celebrations are the ones where the group feels at home. That is why we offer venue hire with no hire fee. You get the whole room, you decide the music and decorations, and the drinks do the work.

    We would rather a group spent an afternoon trying six beers they have never heard of, with good food and a room to themselves, than shouted over a playlist they didn’t choose. Community is not a slogan for us. It is the reason the doors are open.

    Author

    Book your hen do at Lost And Found

    If you want a relaxed, beer-led celebration with a room to yourselves, start with our venue hire page. Tell us your date, group size and whether you prefer midweek or weekend hire, and we will tell you how the minimum bar spend works for your booking.

    Lost And Found Taproom

    You can also look at what we are pouring on our on tap page, or visit us at 298 Ditchling Road and see the space before you decide.

    FAQ

    Is venue hire really free at Lost And Found?

    We don’t charge a hire fee for exclusive use of the taproom. Hire runs on a minimum bar spend, so the cost of the day is what your group spends on drinks and food. Ask us for the minimum that applies to your date and group size.

    Can we bring our own decorations and music?

    Yes. Decorations, music and the drinks selection are flexible for hire bookings. Tell us what you plan to bring when you enquire, so we can agree what suits the room.

    Is there food for the group?

    We work with street food vans and serve XXL hot dogs. Our food and beer menus are online, so you can check them before booking and plan around the days vans are with us.

    Do we need a Temporary Event Notice for a hen do at your taproom?

    No, because you are using a licensed venue. A TEN is only relevant if you run your own event in an unlicensed space, and Brighton and Hove City Council sets out the rules on its temporary event notices page.

    Can we do a stag do here too?

    Yes. The same exclusive-use hire works for stag dos, birthdays and other group celebrations. Choose midweek or weekend hire depending on your guests.

    Sources

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