Taking a Butcher's at Bitterne

The Butcher's Hook Alehouse

The craft beer vanguard in Southampton is led by the Butcher's Hook Alehouse. This micro-pub is barely a year old and yet already has a loyal following. Beyond the bottle shop, Bitter Virtue, it is one of a very small handful of places in Southampton to sample the output of smaller breweries, such as London-based Partizan, the Kernel, Pressure Drop, as well as locals Vibrant Forest. 

The Butcher's Hook is on Bitterne Triangle, but the frontage to the Alehouse is so inconspicuous that you would be forgiven for walking right by. With the door open, there remains only a solitary '7' to guide you in. On entering, you are likely to be welcomed by a friendly smile, perhaps even from the waistcoat-sporting owner, and a floor-to-ceiling Blackboard of Choice. With four keg, four cask and a slew of bottles, dithering in the doorway is inevitable. 

There is an impressive range for such small premises, due partly perhaps to the lack of any kind of recognisable bar. Eschewing a tap-strewn bar set-up for racks of kegs, the limited floor space can be given over to two large wooden tables and some comfortable corner benches in the window surrounding a circular table. This lends a convivial atmosphere to the bar and ensures that even lone drinkers will soon find themselves in conversation with their neighbours.

On the Saturday that we visited, the bar caught the afternoon sun and bathed ourselves and our glasses in a golden glow. The late-summer sun was a perfect accompaniment to our selection, which included a surprisingly tasty Raptor IPA from Czech-based Pivovar Matuška, an excellently complex and fruity wheat beer from Pressure Drop (Wallbanger), and a superb use of herbs in Partizan's Lemon and Thyme Saison. 

Although slightly off the beaten track for those not resident in Southampton, the Butcher's Hook is well worth a detour during a visit. I hope to see more such establishments popping up around Southampton, especially around Portswood and Bedford Place.

Special mention must also go to Portswood-based burger joint 7 Bone, which offers the Kernel's IPA and pale ale. Owing to the constantly rotating hop selection by this particular brewery, this can mean a different (albeit predictably excellent) drink on each visit. This restaurant makes a convenient stop-off point on a walk to Bitterne for some tasty sustenance.