Places to Drink - Craft Beer Spots in Southbourne
I mostly stick to the low alcohol beers these days on account of having a toddler, and the fact that my hangovers last as long as she is old (two and a bit years). However, I am somewhat of an amateur beer aficionado, and - like an injured old veteran - I do sneak out to enjoy a tasty beverage here and there; a sort of Patches O'Houlihan of the beer world (“If you can dodge a wrench, you can drink a beer”). I love craft beer myself but I’ll also happily smash a classic bitter, or a lager. Mostly, I appreciate a good space where I can chat to my friends or enjoy a buzz when it gets lively.
I seriously love pretty much any beer from a juicy IPA to a sour or a stout. My favourite beer style ever is a Belgian style wheat beer, dry hopped like an IPA, with a super bitter finish, one of which I bought from Quaff and Tipple, mentioned at the bottom of this blog. Also, all of these venues serve a great range of low and and non-alcoholic options, which suits my constantly tired dad lifestyle, and are just lovely places to hang out.
“Sobo is not short of places to slake one’s thirst”
Way Outback - These wonderful people brew and serve everything from beautiful pilsners and lager, to a range of ales with a trademark thread of carefully cultivated and distinctive bitterness running through them, to whiskey infused stout and honey something or other (I don’t remember what it was, but it was very nice). ‘WOB’ as it is affectionately referred to (by absolutely no-one other than me), is like that celebrity you knew before they were famous. They brew their own AMAZING beer, and have a host of tasty guest beers and ciders. Richard’s homebrew beer ‘Take Me to Valhalla’ started in appearing in Haywood Wines, another high street gem, maybe 6 years back. Then, blam, he’s opened the coolest bar around with a sort of hockey bar vibe. They originally had the distillery in the adjacent room to the bar, before quickly realising they needed more space because it was damn popular. Now the whole place occupies two premises on opposite corners, and brews tonnes of amazing beer, and serves stonebaked pizza om certain nights from ‘The Tap Room’. You can see the distinctive fleet of beer vehicles (an orange van with beer taps, a black delivery van, and more than one cargo bike) constantly driving about delivering beer and attending events
Brewhouse & Kitchen - Listen, do I need to say anything about this place? What I will say is this; even though I am a pretentious arsehole, I like it. It is spacious, you can meet all your friends, and the staff are excellent. For big a chain like this, I think it’s fair to say they have won hearts on the high street. This place also has live music and gets absolutely buzzing on a weekend. They have a happy hour from Sunday through Thursday; I can’t remember exactly what time it is, but its vaguely when I get off the bus from work and can still pretend I might be working late before still getting home in time for baby bedtime bath-time.
The Wight Bear - A proper tap room, very welcoming but also exceedingly cool. This is where you’ll bump into anyone and everyone; classic ale drinkers up for a chat, and the odd hipster swapping some vinyl on a Sunday, and pretending they know what Sabro hops are (are they coconut ones?). Some people do all three of these things, including Ricky who owns the local chippy and often brings gourmet takeaway options to the Wight Bear for the patrons to enjoy, such as Mexican street food or plush roast chicken, and various baps. They do serve proper quality bar snacks, but will let you grab a takeaway pizza from Baffi next door if you like when Ricky isn’t in. This place was an already amazing when it opened, with its walls and ceiling covered in funky bric-a-brac celebrating local culture and identity. However, relatively recent owners as of a couple years back, also levelled up their events game, now hosting an amazing comedy night, fabulous live music, the aforementioned Vinyl Sundays, and more. I go here after a Thursday night kicka-about sometimes, but my wife and I used to come here twice a week for a swift half after work.
Honourable Mentions:
Quaff & Tipple Robert knows everything about amazing beer and has incredible taste. WOB and Wight Bear above also sell takeaway beers, but this is the place with the biggest range; everything from mead, to SirenCraft, Burnt Mill, Belgian style anything, classic bitters, and a range of local or specialist spirts. Also a dark horse for the coffee fans, but more on that in an another blog.
Velo Domestique Fantastic takeaway beers, and always ahead of the trends. This is probably my favourite place in general, even ahead of my own flat. You’re most likely to find two or three crowd pleasers and something you’ve never heard of that will blow your mind
by Gareth Wilson
