Tryanuary at the Waterloo Arms

Waterloo Arms - courtesy of Google Maps street view (as I forgot to take an outside view)

What better on an early Tryanuary Saturday lunch time than a visit to one of Hopback Brewery's finest pubs, the Waterloo Arms in Southampton.

I have only been to this long-time Hopback Brewery pub once before a couple of years ago even though it's quite near to where I live.  A lovely quiet pub with traditional decor and pub games (darts board - with electronic scorer for the mathematically challenged, and sets of dominoes and cribbage boards n'all).  It has just one main room wrapping around the bar in an 'L' shape, and a conservatory for functions/families and stuff and a rear garden (too cold to go out there today).
On this occasion I was accompanied by my son Martin.  We were dropped off (courtesy of Mrs GH) at the opening hour (12:00) and were waiting in an orderly (almost nonchalant fashion) outside when the door was unlocked.  First in!
Decision time - where to sit in an empty pub - managed that one without too much difficulty choosing a proper upholstered fixed bench seat next to the fire place, with a good view of the bar (in fact most of the pub really).  Next challenge - choosing a beer from the bar full of handpulls and pump clips (great isn't it? ).

Some of the handpulls/pump clips on the bar (no I don't have a selection of wallets - they belonged to the customers sat at the bar)

Exercising caution we opted for the 'beer festival taster' approach and went for a half pints.  Charnwood Salvation (3.8%) for Martin and a half of Titanic's multi award winning Plum Porter (4.9%) for me.  Martin seemed happy enough with the Salvation and the Plum Porter was very good.
For the next round Martin decided to have 2 halves (very considerately to save my legs in walking to the bar too many times) - Hopback GFB (3.5%) and Crop Circle (4.2%).  I took a similar 'leg-saving' approach but opted for a pint of Brewsters' Winter Draws On (4%), despite the play on words illustrated on the pump clip which made me blush (you might be able to make it out in the blurry photo above but I'll leave you to look it up on Brewsters website - it's whimsic-ale by the way not sexist).  An absolutely beautiful pint nonetheless (very good).

Winter Draws On - a thing of beauty!

No hot food at the Waterloo Arms this Saturday lunchtime and we expected that - though we were informed at the bar that hot food would be starting from tomorrow.  Not dismayed at being a day too early, we ordered a simple but tasty chicken and bacon sandwich each and a jumbo sausage roll to share (yes we certainly know how to lunch on Saturdays).
By this time we had been joined by two or three regulars - seated at the bar and a couple with a what looked like a labradoodle or some such dog.  Quaintly the man had a small tin cup hanging from his rucksack, and though we expected him to ask for a half of real ale when he handed it to the bar staff, he confounded us by asking for it to be filled with water for the pooch.
For our final flourish at the bar we returned to half pints,  Hopback Summer Lightening (5%) for Martin, a Hydes Victorian Winter Warmer (7%) for me and a Downton New Forest Ale (3.8%) (good) for both of us.  A friendly fellow customer at the bar endorsed the Summer Lightening choice whole heartedly, which was nice.

Just a half for me...  Martin almost succeeds in deftly hiding his half of New Forest Ale behind his half of Summer Lightening.

The Victorian Winter Warmer was good and a pretty effective warmer at 7% abv.  It is billed as a porter style beer seemed more like a Belgian dubbel style to me with sweet rich toffee malt flavours and alcohol leading the way.
A very enjoyable lunchtime in a pub, it really can't get much better than this.
The Waterloo Arms, in my opinion, will never disappoint with it's good old pubby character, friendly service (I even felt good about being told that they didn't do CAMRA discounts when I asked) and a marvellous variety of quality beers.