Salisbury
Wiltshire, England
Most real ale pubs in Salisbury have Wadworth 6X, which many people regard as superb, though I find it merely quite pleasant. Ringwood brewery is commonly seen as well. Ringwood Forty Niner is a classic. Ringwood Best is too light-tasting for me.

The Village - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Village is my current local. It's very much a beer drinking mens' pub, though the number of women in there seems to be on the increase. There are six handpumps, with two to three regular beers which might change once or twice a year. The rest are regulars. A seventh real ale is drawn from a barrell sitting behind the bar, currently the regular Downton Chimera Gold. The regulars are friendly and I've had many a good conversation in there with people I'd never met before. They don't serve food, but a sign says that customers are welcome to bring their own in. A big screen shows Sky Sports, mainly Rugby, but this is in a corner and usually doesn't intrude on the rest of the pub (this doesn't always hold true for big games though).

The Rai d'Or - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Rai is a lovely little pub with a very cosy atmosphere. There are two handpumps, for Bunce's Pigswill and Great Bustard. The landlord, Simon, is very conscious of the exact qualities of his real ales. He also has a well-stocked chiller cabinet including Japanese lager Asahi Super Dry. Being a man of good taste, Simon has recruited a staff made of of young ladies from many different parts of Asia. Excellent Thai food is served in the evening, cooked by a real Thai chef.

The Wig and Quill - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Wig has about six handpumps, including Henry's IPA and the omnipresent Wadworth 6X. It's one of my main Salisbury pubs, a good place except for the fact that the bar staff are often more interested in talking to their mates than in serving customers.

The Haunch of Venison - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Haunch has a very good restaurant upstairs, and some say that the management want to discourage drinkers who aren't there to eat. I've never seen any evidence of that myself. But the pub is very small and can get very crowded. There are two handpumps, with Wadwroth 6X and Courage Director's.

The Haunch has a reputation as a gay pub, which is entirely untrue. It once had one gay customer and one gay barman several years ago, but this time is past.

The Wyndham Arms - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Wyndham is the brewery tap of Hop Back brewery. It has about seven handpumps with many superb Hop Back brews, and more in bottles. Interesting conversation abounds there, especially with the many archaeologists who drink there.

The Old Ale House - review last updated Feb 2004.

The Ale House has four pumps including the superb Ringwood Forty-Niner, the rather tasteless Ringwood Best, and the usual Wadworth 6X. The clientele is young with many people in their twenties, including quite a few Goths and similar reprobates. Live rock can be heard on Thursdays.