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| ...Steam not shown... |
So back to Southampton town centre for a quick one at a pub near the revamped cultural and educational quarter by the civic centre.
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| Place of learning MkI... |
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| Place of learning MKII... |
...and is owned by the country’s leading pub retailer and brewer (their words, not mine), Greene King. Unfortunately they’re not leading the TripAdvisor rankings with this pub, but I suppose being ranked 249, out of 985 pubs in Southampton could be a lot worse.
Inside the pub is a large single space with a raised area on the left and large bar on the right. It is a generic eating pub, like Brewers Fare, and all the rest (too numerous to mention)...
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| Big bar... |
At the bar, as you might expect, there’s a fine selection of beers from the country’s leading brewer...
...but you don’t need a photo of those.
After a short deliberation, I decide to have a half of IPA, rather than the Abbot or Scrum Down (no idea why really...)
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| Not an Italian beer... |
The heavily tattooed barman, fully understanding the subtleties of ‘the proper beer glass’, served the half of IPA in an worryingly thin, but beautifully decorated Peroni glass. Having done my best to dispel any thoughts that I was drinking a European lager, the IPA was drinkable, good, but uninspiring and not a great example of an India Pale Ale...
Multiple TV screens were showing Sky Sports upcoming schedules, adverting loops or just staring blankly at the few customers who were spread thinly about, eating or just having a drink...
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| Blank screens.... |
...the piped music competed with gentle hum of background conversation to make the place seem welcoming...
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| View to the front - piped music and conversation not shown... |
...but the standard design, drinks offerings and pre-packaged menu just makes it seem bland.
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| Who me....?! |
There wasn’t really any incentive to stand (or sit) still for very long here, and I finished my half of IPA, and said thanks to the barman as I left...but the quote...the song and the original video kind of struck a chord...
...We don’t need no India Pale Ale...
...We don’t need no thought control...
...No dark sarcasm in the taproom...
...GeeKay leave them pubs alone
...Hey!...GeeKay! - Leave them pubs alone....
....All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.....
etc...
To be fair there’s nothing wrong with this pub, it is functional and perfectly adequate, a lot of people who visited it liked it on Trip Advisor and...and...
...all in all it’s just another GK pub...
Beer Mat Moment.
Ok I couldn’t resist a fine example from the country’s leading brewer...
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| A Side - Greene King ‘Your IPA' |
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| B Side - Greene King - ‘Your IPA’. |
