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.
READ MORE: AA Restaurant Guide 2022: Best Hampshire restaurants revealed
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
READ MORE: The best and worst Southampton Wetherspoons according to TripAdvisor
The Southampton pubs in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2022
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.”
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.
READ MORE: Christmas hampers from The White Company, M&S, and Hampers.com
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.”
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!”
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here