SOUTHAMPTON, England

Drinking In The Deep South

Every journey, no matter how long, begins with a single step and it also always starts at your own front door – unless you decide to start it by slipping out the back way. With that in mind I thought I would start my world beer tour with Southampton, England, the city where I live.

And what a place to start! Unfortunately, I don’t mean that in a good way. On the whole, Southampton epitomises what is wrong with the British pub at the moment. It took decades for small, independent brewers of quality beers to actually get their wares into the pubs of the city centre and, now that they have, there is a distinct lack of care in making sure these beers are in good condition when they reach the customer’s glass. I can see little point in listing those pubs where cellarmanship is clearly low on their priorities (but I will) and instead focus on those few that aim to please and invariably succeed.

Let us then start with the deservedly-crowned Wessex Pub of the Year 2010, The Guide Dog in Bevois Valley, winner of local CAMRA Pub of the Year several times. For many years Paul and Margaret have been building a reputation for running a lovely, cosy, gimmick-free little pub in the back streets just a mile or so from the city centre. They have been serving a seemingly never ending range of local beers in prime condition at just about the best prices in the city to a growing army of loyal regulars who travel from near and far to make it their local. Here, the only complaints I have ever heard about the pub is that it is sometimes too busy meaning seating can be at a premium – how many pubs would like to have that problem!? – Yet therein lies much of its appeal. If it were bigger, the comfortable, homely lounge feel it now has would be lost.

Like many pubs – good or bad – near the Southampton football ground the place is packed to bursting before a home game but, unlike many, it is a great choice for any travelling fans coming to St. Mary’s who have come for great beer and a real, friendly, welcoming pub. Everyone wears their team colours with pride but there is no singing, chanting or derisive banter between fans as everyone is there because of the beer – any footballing rivalries can wait until they are in the ground.

Similarly, because of its compact size, Friday and Saturday nights get very busy with standing room only but this transforms the place into a bustling, exciting venue which belies its front-parlour feel. When the thrill of the Friday night meat-draw is thrown into the mix then even vegetarians cannot help but be swept along with the fervour as Margaret announces each winning ticket with an enthusiasm rivalling announcing for the first time which country will be hosting the next Olympics. It’s not the winning that counts but the taking part – as my friend Trevor must agree as he has never won anything on the meat draw whereas Becki wins every time. C’est la vie.

The beers are nearly always from breweries within about 30 miles or so but there are always Bowman and Cheriton beers on several of the 8 pumps. There are a selection of bottled Belgian beers and a few specialist ciders too. They even sell a national lager on pump but it is rarely in action as even the staunchest lager fan can easily be swayed by one of the ales on offer as there is always a dark one (maybe, Cheriton Stottidge Stout or Keystone Porter) and always Fuller’s ESB for a deep ruby choice. There is often a mild as well but the mainstays are pale ales (such as Cheriton Perridge Pale or Bowman’s Elderado) and strong pales (such as Hopback Summer Lightning or Cheriton Gooden’s Gold).

There are no meals served but good value filled rolls are nearly always available and pickled eggs, of course, and there are takeaways nearby. By nearby, I mean about 2 minutes walk away and yet the pub is difficult to find as it’s tucked away off Bevois Valley and there is no road access to it from that main road so you will need to approach from Lodge Road by car. There is street parking but it is limited in such a residential area. The walk from the city will do you good, anyway, and it’s just off a bus route.

How they manage to fit a very good beer festival in the pub each October is beyond me but they do so very successfully with maybe 16 casks tucked in the area by the dart board and the 8 handpumps being in constant use as well.

If you have time to only visit one pub in Southampton … I think you know the rest of this sentence. If you have a bit more time then the next destination should be the South Western Arms which is on the east side of St Denys railway station so is therefore, obviously, very accessible by train. To walk there from the city is not that enticing a prospect although it is less than a mile on from The Guide Dog so is not beyond the realms of possibility.

This pub oozes character being a riot of bare brick and wood but is certainly no relic from an ancient time. It seems to hark back to earlier times but has evolved to be what it is now. Is that what timeless is? It does have the traditional sideshows for a pub but seems to do it here with some panache: the pool table takes up much of the mezzanine floor above and is certainly the most distinctive area I have ever wielded a cue. There are a couple of dart boards dotted around and the various artifacts on walls and just lying around add to the eclectic style.

But now, to the important part; the beer. For many years this was the pub to seek out for its dedication to choice, variety and quality of its beers but I have to say that this has waned a little over the last few years which has served to highlight just how expensive the place is – as much as 50p more for an identical beer in The Guide Dog which I struggle to rationalise other than its target clientele being maybe that bit younger than your average back-street boozer. Therein lies an anomaly itself as a new generation of drinkers are loving The Guide Dog’s genuine welcome – a real pub how it used to be but still is – whereas the South Western, like others of its ilk, are actually less appealing to many of the potential customers it is aiming at: Who wants to drink with drunk students except drunk students? Yet a community local appeals to all by its very nature; even drunk students when they want a quiet and good value night out.

So many real ale drinkers are put off this place by the prices but this was not such a problem until the range became less adventurous than in the past. It had always championed local independents but during my last visits I noticed how the same beers seemed to be on more regularly – possibly permanently – and some of these are the standard regional and national beers that I know some people like but are not the sort to draw people especially to that place when there are more diverse choices available. Remember, I am approaching this from my ‘Blogs perspective which is that the beer has to be great above all else, not just good. I have noticed on reviews of pubs on various sites describing a beer range as ‘okay’ or ‘decent’ or, probably the most damning of all, ‘standard’. I know these places do get custom but how they retain that custom is a mystery when their half-heartedness to the very reason people go in pubs – to drink – remains seriously flawed if not non-existent. I still don’t know how long people are going to continue paying four times the amount for exactly the same beer they can get in a supermarket – and in the case of national lagers especially as it really is EXACTLY the same drink – and I think the government realise this too so are therefore keen to let it continue or legislation would have been put in place by now to prevent it - but that is for another time.

Meanwhile, back at the bar of the SWA, as it is often abbreviated to. The staff are usually friendly and helpful and the atmosphere convivial but it doesn’t have the cosiness of a back street local but, then, that isn’t what it is going for. It can get very lively at times so compared to a city centre revelry spot maybe the prices aren’t that extreme. The Platform Tavern*  by Town Quay in the city centre is similar in that respect - and charges extra per pint when there is live music on in lieu of there being no door charge - but that is a smaller pub with a character more like a London bar.

The SWA has regular beer festivals but insists on a convoluted method of bags of tokens purchased at the bar with a festival glass needing to be purchased (unless you are willing  to drink from a plastic beaker) then you use the tokens at the temporary bar – about 3 metres away – to exchange the tokens for beer. There is no refund on the festival glass or on any unused tokens. The beer choice and quality is good though but I haven’t been for a while because I find the whole queuing twice thing in a packed bar a little less than relaxing especially as the chances of getting a seat are thin.

For all that, I still maintain that this is the second best pub in Southampton. I just find it difficult to go to it when the Guide Dog is only a mile away from it. Aside from these two, I truly couldn’t recommend any other pub within the entire city on beer choice and quality alone. There is certainly choice at the Waterloo Arms (Hopback Brewery tied) and Wellington Arms (free house with a dozen handpumps with usually at least 4 from local independents) in Freemantle but to say that the quality is variable is a euphemism for mostly poor. Many of the beers are serve too green so have not developed their proper flavours yet and the sheer array of beers means that they don’t all sell well enough to remain in top quality. I never enjoy Russian (stout) roulette so it is always with trepidation that I set foot in these pubs now. Do not confuse the Wellington Arms with the Duke Of Wellington, an historic old Wadworth’s pub in the Old Town which has everything you could want from a traditional pub – except great beer.

Certainly, the Hop Inn has started serving a Bowman beer regularly in good condition but the pub is way out of town near Riverside Park in Bitterne Park (at least another mile on from the SWA) so few visitors would venture this far on the off chance that it was on. If you are in the area though – and the walk along Riverside Park is certainly worth the trip – then do call in this lovely, homely little pub a little up the hill on Woodmill Road.

Oh, and even though there are four Wetherpoons in Southampton don’t think that they are a fall back option as real beer is not the main concern in any of them. Don’t be fooled by The Standing Order serving straight from the cask during their beer festivals, either, as they are not kept well and the chances of a great pint is very low whereas the chance of a warm, flat, vinegary less-than-a-pint is a near certainty. Shame really as just serving up to a dozen beers direct from the firkin shows willing but no prizes for effort, unfortunately, only results (boy, am I strict!) Please pass.

There are still many nice, old fashioned pubs in Southampton, as there are all over the country, and the world, and I don’t wish to disparage them, but their omission from my blogging is because they don’t serve great beer. It is not always their fault - it is usually because they are tied to what beers they can sell by the company that owns the pub – so they may keep the beer well and serve it in optimum condition but if it’s just not a very nice beer in the first place then I’m not interested. Sorry. Similarly, if a pub sells a dozen beers from great craft brewers but they all taste like gravy then, again, I’m not going to drink there and nor shall I advise you to. Hopefully, the day after I publish this one of these pubs will gain a publican that changes those shortcomings*. Until then, I won’t waste your time with them here although I will mention pubs of outstanding interest, by and by, just because some are worth seeing even if they are not worth drinking in currently.

I will add, though, that The Park Inn in Shirley  (about 5 minutes walk from the precinct) is a lovely, old-fashioned, street corner local with a welcoming relaxed atmosphere  but is a Wadworth brewery tied house and I cannot recommend their beers but they do have a very nice beer festival each year where they sell a dozen or so interesting beers well kept.

And that’s it, save for a mention for the wonderful Bitter Virtue off-license just off The Avenue towards Portswood. Not just an off-license, really, but the heart of beer drinking in Southampton ran by beer enthusiasts, (probably an understatement), Anne and Chris. They have hundreds of the best bottled beers from mostly breweries in the south of England but also an enviable range of Belgian, American craft and German beers as well. Breweriana and guide books abound too. Also, there is always a cask of something nice that you can get a four-pint carry out of – always a very good local beer at a very reasonable price. They supply the Southampton Beer Festival (each June) with international bottled beers and serve them there so are on hand to offer near encyclopedic knowledge of all things beer.

The Southampton Beer Festival sells out every session so it’s not like there isn’t demand for great beer in Southampton but there just aren’t many pubs that sell it. Yet. A big, old, untapped market just ready for the right outlets. Are you reading, Brew Dog, et al? (Probably not, actually).  So don’t come to Southampton for great beer but, if you are here, these are your best options. Sorry.

Where to get Great Beer in SOUTHAMPTON:

The Guide Dog, 38 Earl’s Rd, Bevois Valley SO14 6SF (Free House) [ESSENTIAL] www.theguidedogsouthampton.co.uk
South Western Arms, 38 Adelaide Rd, St. Denys, SO17 2HW (Free House) [WORTHWHILE]
Bitter Virtue, 70 Cambridge Rd, SO14 6US (Free House) [ESSENTIAL] www.bittervirtue.co.uk
Hop Inn, Woodmill La, SO18 2PH (Free House) Woodmill Road, Riverside Park, Bitterne Park [WORTHWHILE]
Wellington Arms, 56 Park Rd, Freemantle, SO15 3DE (Free House) [POSSIBLY]
Waterloo Arms, 101 Waterloo Rd, Freemantle (Hopback Brewery) [POSSIBLY]
The Park Inn, 37 Carlisle Road, Shirley SO16 4FN (Wadworth) [ANNUALLY]
Platform Tavern, Town Quay, SO14 2NY (Free House) [POSSIBLY]  www.platformtavern.com   Brews its own craft beer under the Dancing Man Brewery name. I will do a post on local breweries sometime and update then.