Pubs and Beer in Southampton: The Swan, Woolston

Bought by the owners of The Yacht in 2014, The Swan was repainted deep purple, and provides a venue for live bands. I reviewed it for BeerInTheEvening in April 2015:

Black and off-putting from the outside, quite light, airy and friendly on the inside. Squashed onto a long narrow stretch of land between the main Southampton to Portsmouth road and the main Southampton to Portsmouth railway line, this is also nicely placed for ending a walk along the Itchen Way. Two cask ales from a local brewery available on our visit.

Clean and tidy; perhaps lacking a bit in atmosphere and character, but a decent pub with friendly locals.

I think I meant to say "Dark and off-putting" rather than "Black..."

Local glam band Glitterbugz at The Swan

I don't think I've been back since then, so it is time for a revisit. I recall that the place didn't serve food, but they had crisps, and that they allowed our daughter in. I also remember that the place felt quite open and empty, but we didn't visit when a live band was playing. There are videos of some acts at the Swan on YouTube: Subdued, The Mafia, SO16.

Attractive hanging baskets

Popped back in today, July 2017. The place is quite bare and bleak inside - like a long shed or scouts hut. There's a pool table in the middle. An A-Board outside advertises a "lovely beer garden", so I was keen to try that. The customers were male and middle aged - quite friendly. A significant number appeared to be special needs, and were well treated by the friendly and attractive landlady.

There are two pumps, but only one beer was offered - Bombardier. It was clearly sour. On pointing it out to the landlady, she went on the defensive. I suggested that perhaps it was just that it hadn't been pulled through, and she could try that. She then said all us ale types were complaining about the beer and suggesting that she pull it through, but she couldn't afford to waste it. I then gently said that if others had complained about it then it sounded like the whole cask was sour and perhaps she should take it off. She replied that the cask was nearly full, and it cost her £125, so "that aint gonna happen". It seemed odd to me that someone would willingly continue to serve a product that was undrinkable. I didn't wish to argue with her, but I wondered how she would feel if she bought some milk which was sour, took it back, and the shop keeper moaned that people keep complaining his milk is sour, but he can't afford to throw it away. Anyway, she replaced the Bombardier with a Guinness. And for the first time in my life I had a sour Guinness. It was very cold, which helped mask it for the first few sips, but then it became apparent. I suspect there had been a refrigeration breakdown in the cellar, and in this heat all the beers had gone sour, but she wasn't insured for the incident, and was now trying to shift the product onto those customers who wouldn't complain. Given her emotional response to the Bombardier, I suspect she knew it was sour, so I just threw it away in the bushes in the garden.

The "lovely" beer garden, and as much
of the Guinness as I could drink.

Even the best of pubs have occasional bad beers, and I did get offered a replacement, albeit also a sour one. It is concerning that she knew the Bombardier was sour, and was still selling it, but sometimes desperate circumstances push even the best of people to do inappropriate things.

Date: July 2017 Score: 2