There’s no jealousy between us GBG tickers, but I’ve been cursing BRAPA’s successes in the south, clearing Hampshire before me. How is that possible ? Six pubs a night for a week, I guess.
I picked Fareham as our Friday night base.
You’ll be devastated to know we stayed in a Greene King hotel, one of their Olde English chain I guess, and didn’t even try the IPA.
It was OK, and half the price of anything in Portsmouth or Southampton. I wonder why.
Mrs RM was sceptical there were any trains running on Easter Friday but apparently the rail companies save the irritating closures for football fans and protect the travel of tickers.
Mrs RM decided not to accompany me on my tour of Solent micros, she’s fed up of how fast I walk to avoid paying for public transport. She made a wise decision.
First up was a rare Fareham newbie.
No, not the Craft Union, silly.
It’s the West Street Alehouse, staking its micropub credentials with beer barrels for seats and plastic high tables.
I’m a fan of these places that get folk away from watching Netflix in their underpants while sipping Estrella, and the Alehouse is bustling.
The World Cup flags are already up on the ceiling, I see.
Now I’m sort of obliged to have a real ale in my GBG pubs, even when it’s evident that all the sensible people are on lager keg.
If there’s three (3) pumps and you don’t care what they taste like (me) or their localness (me) and have never heard of any of them (me), you MUST pick the middle one. Confidently, without hesitation.
Even if it’s called Bastion and tastes a bit soapy (like those Northern Monk beers) and is served in the chunkiest glass in chunkland. I like some chunkier glasses, the Titanic one for instance, but this is weird;
Does it make the beer taste better ? No.
In a Craft Union pub, someone is always going to talk to you, even when you don’t want them to.
In a modern town micro/craft bar, NO-ONE is going to talk to you; they’re just going to glare at a lone drinker taking up a table for four.
Time for Pompey.
retiredmartin 
That glass is a pure abomination.
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Yes, I prefer most of the energy expended in lifting a glass to my lips to be devoted to raising the beer rather than the glass myself, Bill.
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An abomination and confusing. Which of those five lines is for what measure ?
It’s £2.70 for Timothy Taylors Landlord in Craft Union’s Brighton Bell just across the road from the station.
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I think it’s telling that Craft Union pubs can sell a good TT Landlord under £3 when it’s a fiver in posher pubs nearby (I paid £2.50 and £4.40 in 2 pubs yards apart in Dereham in 2019).
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That’s mid-Norfolk for you, and as for that abomination of a glass – no comment!!
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The problem with Norfolk is that it’s the smart gastropubs selling Moongazer or Lacons, or rather not selling them, that get in the Guide, while the busier pubs in towns like Dereham can sell you a good pint of 6X/Landlord/Doom Bar (calm down !) but it won’t get in the Guide because of the beer range.
That’s an unfair generalisation but largely true.
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Martin,
That’s Norfolk ‘n not good.
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