Offering an impartial appraisal of Britain’s pubs, the Good Beer Guide 2022, backed by musician and a publican James Blunt, contains 18 Southampton pubs.

The Good Beer Guide is the biggest book of pubs and breweries in Britain, with thousands of recommendations from CAMRA volunteers across the country.

The only directory created by members of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, every pub or bar listed has been carefully selected by volunteers who have visited them and tasted the beers.

You’ll find more than 4500 listings across the UK’s best pubs, bars and breweries, chosen by local CAMRA volunteers as having the best cask beers available – or you can check out the special brewery section to discover new breweries setting the scene alight with interesting, exciting new brews.

Pubs are rated on atmosphere, quality of beer and how well they cater for real ale drinkers.


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James Blunt throws support behind the Great British pub

Best-selling singer James Blunt has thrown his support behind the Great British pub and reflected on the industry’s struggles during the coronavirus pandemic, in his foreword for CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2022.

Following 18 months of struggles for the industry in the face of restrictions and lockdowns, Blunt, who owns the 17th-century Fox & Pheasant pub in Chelsea, remarks that as both a musician and a publican, he has “pretty much chosen the worst two jobs for a global pandemic”.

However, with his trademark optimism, he highlights the importance of pubs to communities and encourages Brits to get back to the pub to support their locals.

He said: “Whilst, in recent years, there might have been a trend for people to drink cheap supermarket beer at home, those people have been locked away for the best part of a year, and now those people want out.

“They can taste real beer from the tap, and food cooked by a pro, and they can meet legally and joyfully.”

CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide App

Now fully updated with CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2022 punters can tap into Britain’s best pubs from their mobile phone.

Putting thousands of pubs, beers and breweries at your fingertips, the app uses information compiled, and continuously updated, by pub-goers all over the UK.

Letting you get social, the app allows you to follow, post and even score beers to influence the inclusion of pubs in the Good Beer Guide.

The Good Beer Guide app compiles data from more than 37,000 real ale licensed premises, over 13,000 beers and 2,000 breweries. The data is collected and maintained by CAMRA members and is powered by WhatPub, CAMRA’s online pub database.

:: The Good Beer Guide 2022 is available now through CAMRA’s website priced at £15.99


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The Southampton pubs in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2022 

 

Daily Echo: Beards & Boards, Southampton has been listed in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewBeards & Boards, Southampton has been listed in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View
Beards & Boards
Where:
33 Bedford Place, SO15 2DG
What the guide says: "A friendly micropub featuring a varied selection of real ales on three handpumps.
“There are also 10 keg taps and four draught ciders.”

Daily Echo: Bitter Virtue in Southampton has been named in The Good Beer Guide 2021. Picture: Google Street ViewBitter Virtue in Southampton has been named in The Good Beer Guide 2021. Picture: Google Street View

Bitter Virtue
Where:
70 Cambridge Road, SO14 6US
What the guide says: "Now in its 24th consecutive year in the Guide, it is Southampton’s longest-standing entry.
"Over 1,000 beers and ciders in bottles and cans are stocked from Britain, Belgium, the US, and many other countries worldwide.
“Two cask beers and a draught cider are also available.”

Daily Echo: The Bookshop Alehouse has been listed in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2021. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Bookshop Alehouse has been listed in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2021. Picture: Google Street View

Bookshop Alehouse
Where: 21 Portswood Road, SO17 2ES
What the guide says: "TBA for short, this community-led bookshop and micropub serves four cask ales and four craft keg beers, locally and nationally sourced, along with real cider – all clearly listed on a blackboard.”

Daily Echo: The Butcher's Hook, Southampton, appears in the latest Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Butcher's Hook, Southampton, appears in the latest Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street View

Butcher’s Hook
Where:
7 Manor Farm Road, SO18 1NN
What the guide says: "Southampton’s first micropub, opened in 2014 and named after the butcher’s shop that it used to be.
"It serves four changing real ales straight from the cask and around six craft keg beers.”

Daily Echo: The Crammed Inn has appeared in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Crammed Inn has appeared in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Crammed Inn
Where:
48 High Street, SO14 2NS
What the guide says: "The name is no exaggeration – blink and you will have walked by, which would be a shame as the long, thin, cosy bar has some great beers on offer.
“Three mainly local ales, often including a dark brew, are served.”

Daily Echo: The Dancing Man appears in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Dancing Man appears in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Dancing Man
Where:
Wool House, Town Quay, SO14 2AR
What the guide says: "The Dancing Man brewery is housed in the iconic 14thcentury Grade I-listed Wool House.
“Most beers are from the brewery, which promotes unfined beers and is a frequent award winner at local and regional CAMRA beer festivals.”

Daily Echo: The Duke of Wellington is in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Duke of Wellington is in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Duke of Wellington
Where:
36 Bugle Street, SO14 2AH
What the guide says: “An historic pub in the heart of Southampton’s old town with roots back to the medieval period.
“Serving a range of Wadworth beers, it is popular with tourists and regulars alike.”

Daily Echo: The Fox & Hounds pub appears in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Fox & Hounds pub appears in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Fox & Hounds
Where:
106 Pound Street, SO18 6BP
What the guide says: "Excellent two-bar community local which sells Flower Pots, Goodens Gold and Steam Town Stoke from the cask.
"This is possibly the only pub in Southampton that has a humane moth trap to help identify passing specimens.”

Daily Echo: The Freemantle arms in Southampton has been given a listing in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Freemantle arms in Southampton has been given a listing in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Freemantle Arms
Where:
31 Albany Road, SO15 3EF
What the guide says: "Handpumps can be found at both ends of the bar.
"The rear conservatory leads through to a well-established garden with a covered area for smokers.


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Daily Echo: The Guide Dog, Southampton, has appeared in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Guide Dog, Southampton, has appeared in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Guide Dog
Where:
38 Earl’s Road, SO14 6SF
What the guide says: "A beer mecca hosting 11 handpumps, hidden away in a residential back street.
"Within walking distance of St Mary’s football stadium – home and away fans welcome.”

Daily Echo: The Handle Bar in Southampton is in the 2022 Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Handle Bar in Southampton is in the 2022 Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street View

Handle Bar
Where:
69 The Avenue, SO17 1XS
What the guide says: "The bar has six handpumps serving a varied range of beers, predominantly from local breweries.
“Bar staff often have the appropriate moustache!”

Daily Echo: Southampton's Hop Inn appears in the latest Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street ViewSouthampton's Hop Inn appears in the latest Good Beer Guide. Picture: Google Street View

Hop Inn
Where:
199 Woodmill Lane, SO18 2PH
What the guide says: "Traditional 1930s pub, shaped to fit its triangular site in a residential area close to Riverside Park.
"The lounge is homely, with a central fireplace that splits the area into two.
"The public bar is more spartan, with a jukebox and the usual games."

Daily Echo: The Key and Anchor, Southampton, features in CAMRA's Good Beet Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Key and Anchor, Southampton, features in CAMRA's Good Beet Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Key & Anchor
Where:
90 Millbrook Road East, Freemantle, SO15 1JQ
What the guide says: "A friendly street-corner local dating back to 1862.
"Three handpumps on the bar serve cask ale. The open hearth fire and comfortable sofas, combined with the excellent real ale, make for enjoyable visits."

Daily Echo: Olaf's Tun in Southampton is in the 2022 Good Beer Guide from CAMRA. Picture: TripadvisorOlaf's Tun in Southampton is in the 2022 Good Beer Guide from CAMRA. Picture: Tripadvisor

Olaf’s Tun
Where:
8 Portsmouth Road, SO19 9AA
What the guide says: "Six handpumps serve a changing selection of local and national cask ales alongside eight rotating keg lines, bag-in-a-box ciders and a copious range of cans and bottles."

Daily Echo: The Park Inn, Southampton, has been listed in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe Park Inn, Southampton, has been listed in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Park Inn
Where:
37 Carlisle Road, SO16 4FN
What the guide says: "A beautiful street-corner pub from the Victorian era.
"Two or three guest beers complement the three regular Wadworth ales."

Daily Echo: Southampton's Platform Tavern has been included in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewSouthampton's Platform Tavern has been included in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

Platform Tavern
Where:
Town Quay, SO14 2NY
What the guide says: "It is built into the remnants of the city’s ancient walls (a small portion is visible behind glass in the bar).
"As well as being a popular watering hole for its real ale, the pub also serves restaurant-quality food and stone-baked pizzas at pub prices."

Daily Echo: The South Western Arms in Southampton has made the list in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street ViewThe South Western Arms in Southampton has made the list in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Google Street View

South Western Arms
Where:
38-40 Adelaide Road, SO17 2HW
What the guide says: "Adjoining St Denys railway station, this spacious Victorian establishment with two floors and a large, paved beer garden is a regular in this Guide.
"The single bar serves up to nine different national and local real ales."

Daily Echo: The Witch's Brew, Southampton, appears in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: TripadvisorThe Witch's Brew, Southampton, appears in The Good Beer Guide 2022. Picture: Tripadvisor

Witch’s Brew
Where:
220 Shirley Road, SO15 3FL
What the guide says: "Multiple connected rooms lead to the tiny bar and decked garden to the rear.
"A varied selection of quality ales and ciders are dispensed by gravity into oversized glasses, supplemented by bottles and cans from the fridge.
"A regular finalist in the local CAMRA Pub of the Year competitions."