A weekend away from the lovely Mrs RM in Portsmouth to clear the ten Hampshire Beer Guide entries, working WiFi and a tenner for Chinese takeaway; that’s my definition of FUN. Shame that one of those ten was in Petersfield.
Some towns have a lot more Beer guide pubs than you’d expect, based on size and tourism. Faversham, Stourbridge and Stockport for instance (and rightly so, based on beer quality). In contrast, Watford or Crawley get by on a single central entry.
Petersfield had none last year, and this year it’s just the sole newbie, the Townhouse.
Oh look, a shop conversion.
This wine bar with micro-brew place will strike a chord with anyone who’s been in Quench in Burgess Hill (another GBG underperformer) or the dreaded Chime. A micro Brunning & Price, if you will.
Simon would love this one, with Dads pretending to eat their toddlers (dangling over the bar), and “I’m just lunching, Darling” , with a banter quotient of zero.
I sense I was the only drinker on Saturday lunchtime, and I also sensed I’d have to seek advice from the cheery and helpful barman.
“What would you recommend ? ?”
“It depends what style you l….”
“Oh, that one” I hurriedly point at the one saying “Progressive”
“Good choice. It’s one of their experimental range”
Yes, the big “E” again. It wasn’t experimental*, it was undrinkable, but I doubt that was Wild Weather’s fault. One chap came in, asked for a taster, pulled a face, and wisely reverted to Perroni.
Outside, Petersfield didn’t look as smart as I remember, and the Gales/Fullers pubs looked some way from their Beer Guide heyday.
The highlight was the Wetherspoons, where frankly brilliant staff dealt with the heat, OAPs who insisted on queueing, and the end of the barrel of Abbot.
“We’ve got Doom Bar for the same price”
“Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no”
And no, I didn’t see Pompey John.
*What is it with Hampshire and mucking about with beer ?
retiredmartin 
Closing times…now this… We’re feeling sorry for you at the moment.
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I very much doubt that 🙂
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There’s some truth in my statement. Until the next post…
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I feel you may be directing that question at me…
…but honestly I’ve no idea….I’m from Yorkshire…
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That’s what they all say….
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The Harrow at Steep is my favourite pub in the Petersfield area. Only just over a mile from the station by foot.
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Yes, that’s a classic (not in Beer Guide for a while), and nearby Hawksley and Compton also have corkers. Town centre thin, though.
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Often passed through it in pre-bypass days, but never really motivated to explore Petersfield in my time living down that way. Agree on the Harrow at Steep, and good to hear it’s still going, although I expect it’s a lot more foody than it was.
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Looks a fairly traditional menu, pleasingly.
http://harrow-inn.co.uk/food.html
Odd the beer isn’t good enough to get in the Beer Guide; GBG allocations very skewed toward the cities (an observation not a criticism).
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Must admit I’ve not been to the Hawkley Inn or the Coach and Horses for a while. Maybe time for a revisit. I must admit that I preferred Petersfield when it was a Gale’s stronghold, though that was in the days when HSB was potent.
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“Shame that one of those ten was in Petersfield.”
I’m guessing from the OS map just below this that Bosham Hoe is so named due to the fact that the first person coming up the channel could see Bosham in the distance? 😉
“Check shirt man”
He’s halfway to becoming a lumberjack.
“Looks fun, doesn’t it”
I think you need 3D glasses like those in the picture on the wall to fully appreciate it.
“Nope. No idea.”
Tricky that.
“Yes, the big “E” again. It wasn’t experimental*, it was undrinkable, ”
Ugh. Two for two on that score I believe. 😦
“where frankly brilliant staff dealt with the heat,”
Sigh. Finally getting that here. It’s been 15C for a high and mostly drizzle for the past two weeks, and all of a sudden we’re now 30C today and the same for the next 3 or 4 days. (and I have to walk around outside counting over 450 vehicles tomorrow).
Cheers
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I thought you counted sheep to get to sleep ?
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Does “Watford …. get by on a single central entry” have anything to do with Tim’s headquarters being in the town ?
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Can’t blame Tim for that one, just a complete lack of good pubs. The single entry (the Flag, near Tim’s HQ) is a shocker, and apparently had no real ale when someone visited recently. Another recent GBG entry nearby famously refused to change a poor pint. Dreadful place.
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The good beer guidebook should be about pubs, Not just beer. I travelled through Petersfield a couple of years ago and I never considered going into that place.
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Many people would agree with you, Morten, but not me. The sole purpose of the GBG is to point you towards reliably good beer, wherever it is (micro pubs, scruffy pubs, social clubs, horrific dining pubs etc). And I enjoy the variety !
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I suppose that was part of the revitalisation debate. In my opinion, the battle for real ale is largely won. Most pubs do real ale, even if – as you rightly point out, quality varies. I, like most pub goers, are more concerned with the decreasing number of pubs rather if some don’t do real ale. If the only places I could go out were hipster micros and cafe/bars with a couple of hand pumps, I would go out much less (if at all). I’m first and foremost a fan of good pubs.
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Me too.
I guess that 90% of pints in Beer Guide pubs (and quite a lot that aren’t) are drinkable, but I do wish more pints really were “great”.
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Always remember the knob head with the flag when Portsmouth travelled to Oakwell in the 80’s (Div 3 & 4). Portsmouth were always good value as travelling fans. Strangely enough he is not as big a dick head as he appears when you meet him in person. Quite a nice chap actually.
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I think he’s great, though not even all Pompey fans appreciate him !
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