“Hampshire ? Just pick half a dozen in Southsea, surely ?“
Not quite. Remember this vast county contains such great pub towns as Basingstoke, Aldershot and Farnborough.
Actually, one of those does have a shoe-in (or is it shu-inn ?)
Farnborough – Prince of Wales (last visited in 2023)
When I was hurtling towards GBG completion I’d have headed to the new Guide pub, had a half, and shot back to the station. Now, I can stay overnight in places like Spoons, have a pint in the newbie, unwise craft cans in the Spoons, and realise just how great the Prince of Wales is.
A classic cosy multi-roomer in the smarter part of town, teachers and students and rugby players and the beery folk all together.
In the ’90s Hopback Summer Lightning was for a while THE beer. Here, it still is.
Winchester – Eclipse (last visited in 2019)
A personal favourite in a great pub town. No, it really is. Even the Timporium is a corker.
I’m sure Mrs RM would have preferred a G & T in the legendary Spoons, but I was making her partake in my beer experiment. I made her taste the Doom Bar in the Eclipse.
“Try this! Guess what it is”
No response.
“Well? Well?”
Flat and complex, rich and chewy. The best Doom, bar none. Would I lie to you?
Gosport – 33 Green Bottles (last visited in 2023)
Gosport isn’t a smart place.
but it’s rapidly becoming the Stockton of the south, packed with quirky beer places.
Blackpool Jane loved this next one, and she’s never wrong.
Actually, Jane makes this bottle shop/craft bar/ music venue/local’s boozer sound even better than I did, as she arrived during the meat raffle.
My own visit was lively enough;
“I held the door open for the mobility scooter.
“What’s your phone number ?” asks the Old Boy.
Well that’s a bit presumptuous. Or perhaps he wants me to follow him round Gosport pubs opening doors.
“NO, not your number, this pub’s !”.
Oh.“
Southampton – Giddy Bridge (last visited in 2023)
There are so many micropub type places that it’s now illegal not to live next to one in St Mary’s. So to irk the purists I’m picking the Spoons that the away fans take over before the football.
Lovely, tolerant staff, excellent cheap beer, and a rare opportunity for home and away fans to mix.
This is the place the City fans head before their annual defeat at Southampton, singing songs about the toilet facilities at Old Trafford and the Ya Ya/Kolo song. I highly recommend it on a cold January night.
I couldn’t leave the last one out. Citra wouldn’t tell me where the best Doom Bar venues in Basingstoke are again.
South Wonston – The Wonston Arms (last visited 2017)
But also, the Wonston is in Watership Down country, has high quality cask (NBSS 4.5), family friendly,
and on my visit the year before it became our National CAMRA Pub of the Year the landlord was clearly a gem of a man, welcoming and enterprising. Caribbean curry on Bank Holiday was bringing in the village, not the Untappd tickers.
But, but…where’s Portsmouth ? Well, it was just too difficult to pick one. You do it. Or vote for that Spoons in Basingstoke. You know you want to.
NB The Coal Exchange in Emsworth is worth a vote, too.
retiredmartin 
Number 6 has to be the Pembroke Arms in Portsmouth – traditional, tiny, regulars helping visitors solve hiccups, two ales on and one is Bass
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In many ways, I prefer the North, but the area south of London really has a great climate. People down there who moan about the weather don’t know what they’re talking about. Some good pubs, too, even if a lot has gone to gastro or country inn.
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Yes, the yachting places along the Solent do have a very balmy micro-climate. In the early 80s I had a friend who lived down that way and I spent a few weekends there. Have fond memories of a number of pubs but can’t say what they’re like now. A lot of traditional Gales pubs back then,
Agreed on the Eclipse.
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Agree on the Solent, and also fond of the Chichester Harbour towns like Emsworth, which have some good Fullers (Gales) pub.
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Yes, and it was his love of sailing that prompted Peter Austin to move to Hampshire in 1975 after leaving the Hull Brewery, a year after I worked for him, and that’s why he set up a brewery in Ringwood. And the rest is history as they say.
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Two in that part of the world that spring to mind are the Coal Exchange in Emsworth, and the Royal Oak at Langstone, which has a stunning setting overlooking Langstone Harbour, and where my friend used to aim to sit outside on the south-facing terrace in every month of the year.
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The Coal Exchange is the Emsworth pub I was thinking of, Peter. I’ve added a picture at the foot of the post.
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I like the Eclipse artwork, but why make the sun Sajiv Javid?
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Probably sacrilege to suggest a mainly foodie pub, but I love the Still and West in Old Portsmouth, a Fullers but decent ale, great fish and chips and I could watch the water all day.
Far too many too many to choose from in Southsea so I’ll go for the very lively 5th Hants volunteer arms.
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Portsmouth/Southsea is surely the last great stronghold along the south coast of unreformed not-tarted-up 70s/80s style wet led “Boozers”. Almost all called The (insert something military/naval) Arms, I’m picking one that defies that naming rule: the Sir Loin of Beef *.
(* Not been in a decade so trusting it hasn’t changed.)
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