Unity Brewery (reopened)

Unity is no longer at Portswood. They have moved to:
 23-27 Princes St, Northam, Southampton SO14 5RP

Unity was a small brewery in the north of Southampton, that opened its doors to the public every Friday and Saturday.  As CAMRA say, all the draught beers are keg, there's no cask, though that shouldn't matter, as it's a pleasant experience to get a freshly made beer served to you by the brewer, Jimmy Hatherley. Jimmy also serves jugs of pretzels, which seems to be a growing fad, and is great fun. I love the idea of small breweries opening their doors at the weekend, similar to the Bermondsey Beer Mile in London, started by Kernel.  Jimmy would know about the Bermondsey Beer Mile as he used to work in the London Fields brewery  in London, "when it was good", before it became a cuckoo brewery and the brand name was bought by Carlsberg.

Unity owner and brewer, Jimmy, serving me a drink

Jimmy likes to brew to style,  keg his beers and inject carbonation, as then he retains control - keeping the beer fresher and more stable.  He feels that arguments about carbonation are pointless  anyway, as all carbonation is the same - be it natural or from a bottle. It's a good argument, and though my own preference is for natural beer brewed for a purpose rather than to copy a style, Jimmy's beers are clean and tasty, and in many cases most people would not know the difference on a blind tasting between cask or keg these days.

The brewing tanks, from right to left
(out of the picture is the mash tun where the brewing starts):
the brew kettle where the wort is boiled (usually with the hops);
the whirlpool tank where the beer is spun to clear it of hops and waste;
four closed fermenting vessels where the yeast turns the wort into beer;
a bright beer tank, where the finished beer is carbonated. 

I sampled three beers,  Congregate,  Amalgamation,  and Conflux; and then bought several bottles to take home.


Date: Oct 2017   Score: 6 

 

The end

Unity closed during the weekend of  25/26 Feb 2023. Jimmy Hatherley said it was a combination of Brexit, Covid restrictions, and the impact of the war in Ukraine. Yes, we've all felt that triple whammy. No news yet on what will happen to the brewery at Northam, though it is usual for the equipment to be bought up and taken away than for someone to move in. 

The Cloud Wine shop in Bedford Place that Hatherley bought and took over, remains in his hands. It will now be renamed Good Libations, and will offer tasting sessions, as well as the ability to drink purchases on the premises for a small fee. 

Date: Feb 2023   Score: N/A  

In April 2023 the company was bought by two businessmen, and four of the original staff have returned. Hatherley is not involved, and nor is the sales manager who is now working for Siren. The stated intention is to continue as under Hatherley with the same recipes, etc.  The relaunch party takes place all day 24th June at Princess St,  Northam. 

Date: June 2023   Score: N/A 

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Portswood

The Witch's Brew, Shirley

New pub in Shirley (as of 2017). Used to be a hippy shop, run by the same woman who, when asked,  coyly admits she is a witch. The Hells Angel pub, The Stile, is nearby - some of them have dropped in to check it out, so there seems to be a calm relationship between the two pubs. 

I've seen The Witch's Brew being called a micropub, though it didn't immediately fit my understanding of that term which was that it should be a single room. There are three rooms, unlike The Stile which only has one. However, according to Martyn of The Butchers Arms in Herne, who created the term the micropub, it doesn't have to be a single room, just as long as it's small, serves cask beer, and encourages conversation. Well OK, but that also, to a degree, fits The Stile. I think micropubs are like craft beer or punk rock, there isn't really a scientific definition that works, because most definitions of micropub would work for many existing small pubs. What seems to be the case for each micropub I have visited is that they are recent conversions to pubs, they are independently run, and they are not huge. They may be smaller or larger than many existing traditional pubs, so the name micropub is perhaps not the most appropriate. It was used by Martyn to make an association with microbreweries (which are now called craft breweries). I suspect if Martyn were starting up today, he might have called himself a craft pub rather than a micro pub. Anyway, I think that, as with punk rock, it's more about the attitude than the format. And on that basis Witch's Brew fits right in with other micropubs I've visited. 

Beer selection

There are four gravity cask beers on offer from local small breweries, and  some crisps and pork scratchings. There's space on the front pavement, which has been fenced off, to sit and watch the world go by, and there are three rooms inside, the last one of which holds the bar counter.

Ambiance

I like the place, and it serves as an ideal link between the pubs in central Southampton, and Overdraft and the traditional scooping pubs of the Waterloo Arms and Wellington Arms. The owner, Mary Thornton-Smith, and the barmaid were friendly, chatty folk, and Mary's two border collies are fun and friendly, and love pork scratchings.

I had a dark beer, Arthur Brown, by a Bournemouth brewery Way Outback, and a pale hoppy beer, Tessellate, by Broken Bridge, a brewery in Upper Swanmore near Bishops Watham. I enjoyed both, and both were served in good condition. I had met the Broken Bridge brewer just a few minutes earlier when I was in Unity, as he is friends with the Unity brewer, and had popped in for a drink and a chat. I had not heard of Broken Bridge before then, and the next pub I walk into, has a beer by them! I love it when that happens!

Date: Aug 2017    Score: 6


 

Nov 2021

This is just a note that the place still exists. It wasn't open when I was walking around Shirley looking for a pub that served food, but it's still there.  

Date: Nov 2021   Score: N/A 

Ind/craft bar

220 Shirley Road
Southampton
SO15 3FL

Hours:
Wed-Sun: 5pm to 11pm

No food, and I don't think children are welcome (which, for me, limits the score)


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• Pubs in Shirley

Old Farmhouse, St Mary's (Closed)

New owners of the Old Farmhouse. This is a pub that has great potential, but hasn't yet found it's market. I feel it would work as a proper old fashioned cask ale pub serving home cooked food, but perhaps its location on the border of the multi-ethnic Nicholstown (the northern part of St Mary's) and the semi-industrial units along Imperial Road, leading to the Itchen river) is against that. I've only been here twice. First time about two years ago (2015) with a couple of friends. We sat in the garden while someone was auditioning for a stage slot. If I recall we had cheesy chips. Owners were very friendly and enthusiastic for the music slots they were doing.

Second visit was last week (Aug, 2017) with Chrissie and Phocea.  On entering  we noticed a lovely smokey cat on the counter whose name is Sky. Apparently he turned up one day, left abandoned outside in a cardboard box. There were two pump clips for Doombar, but neither available, so I had a Guinness.  The pub does all day breakfast and baguettes with chips. We first sat in the garden, and could see the potential, but also that the place was overgrown with weeds, and needs some TLC. The large stage area seems to no longer be used - it looks unsafe, and has no roof. There is a smaller area - suitable for one person doing acoustic sets.  The new owners were discussing their beer order with a supplier on the table behind us. It started to rain so we moved indoors, which is very charming with low ceilings, wood panelling, and a concealed minstrels gallery. There are two rooms - the main bar area, and a side room, which currently has a pool table. This is a lovely room, with wood panelling and a noble fireplace. It would be lovely done up as a small lounge or dining area with pictures, ornaments and flowers. At the moment the usage of the place as a student venue seems at odds with the building's character and history.

There has been a farmhouse on this site since at least 1560, though the present building was rebuilt in 1611, with that date shown in brickwork on the front wall, along with the initials E.R. There is some belief that the initials indicate the name of the builder; certainly by 1611 it was no longer Elizabeth who reigned, but King James. It was serving beer from at least 1843 when Panton's Brewery took out a 1,000 year lease. Scrase's Star Brewery in Southampton had it from 1892 - Scrase's were acquired by Strong's of Romsey in 1927, who were themselves taken over by Whitbread in 1969.  The pub is currently owned by Enterprise Inns.  Barry Short became manager in around 2005, and he cleared the back garden and introduced the live bands.

Date: Aug 2017   Score: 5


This pub was suddenly closed, but I've also heard that it's reopened. So I need to take a look. But for now I'm marking it as closed.

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Pubstops of Southampton

Enterprise Inns (Ei Group)

Red Lion, Bitterne

As of July 2020 open for food and drink - no booking required

The new Red Lion

The newest reviews are at the bottom. 

The former exterior

A former successful independent pub and local landmark. Now a Wetherspoon after a reported £1.6 million refurbishment. Not a very good one. We've tried three times, and not been satisfied on any visit. Shame, as I like Wetherspoons, and was looking forward to this opening.

The former interior

Though Wetherspoons have made the most of the space, and have opened up the upstairs. the place is usually crowded. Smokers are allowed in the seating area outside the front of the pub, and smoke does drift inside, especially on the balcony upstairs.  Beer selection is not as wide as in the other 'Spoons in town, yet on our last visit both of our selections were sour and had to be replaced.  As, on the same visit, we had to chase up our food order, and it was then delivered so cold that we returned it and had our money refunded, I suspect that the manager was away that day, and the person in charge was not familiar with how to run a pub.  I'll try the place again in a few months time to see how it's developing, but at the moment I like it less than the previous independent pub.

Date: July 2017   Score: 2


I've tried again, as I like Wetherspoons - decent value food, and a decent range of keenly priced beers in a family friendly environment. This is just what is needed in Bitterne. But each time I go (sometimes on my own, or with my family)  there's a problem - either with the beer or the food, and sometimes both. On the last visit there was also problems with pricing up the bill.

It appears to a lottery if you are going to get your food served at your table or if you have to go and chase it up. And it's a lottery if the food will be as ordered. It is unlikely to be served hot.

Complaints are accepted silently - there is little attempt to make up for mistakes, or to offer compensation. On a previous visit we simply asked for our money back because the food was served late and cold. They offered to cook it again, but we'd already waited long enough. On the most recent visit the bill was priced incorrectly, and it took two members of staff five minutes at the till to make the adjustment down, and even then it was still 10p too much. The food had to be chased up, and was wrong. A man at the next table sent his meal back three times, getting increasingly frustrated.

I keep hoping that whatever organisation or management issues they have here will be sorted. I have never known a Wetherpoon to have such a prolonged period of problems, and it has to be resolved at some point!

Beers drunk here include Everards Ascalon,

Date: Feb 2018   Score: 2


OK. I've been here several more times since my last review and things have settled down. Improvements include moving smokers away from the entrance into a lower front area. Meals have been delivered quickly and accurately - though I do avoid the upstairs as that is where problems occur. Beer choice is not large - generally two or three non-regular beers. But they are always served in good condition.  Place is still popular, but seating can usually be found.  Yeah. It's OK.

Date: June 2019   Score: 6

The Lads Who Lunch descend on the Red Lion during lockdown

The Lads Who Lunch, that is me, Myles and Stephen, walked over to the Red Lion for lunch on the hottest day of the year. We had to have outside seats as we are from three different households. Limited but acceptable selection of cask beers.

We chose the Flack Manor Romsey Gold, but it was in tired and slightly too warm condition so wasn't a pleasure to drink. I had a new veg curry which was very tasty, though had selected on the app the simple version which should have come without stodgy bread and crisps, but they were delivered anyway. Indeed, we all felt that the portions were rather over generous on the stodge, but there was no option on the app for requesting no chip or no onion rings, or a healthier option. It's no wonder we are the most obese nation in Europe, and as a result have more deaths from coronavirus. Anyway, yes, very good value meal, but please Mr Wetherspoon, we need healthier options. Seriously.

While the open eating area does have a smoking and non-smoking section, smoke does drift over from the smokers. Please Mr Wetherspoon, and all pub owners, simply ban people from smoking anywhere on your premises. If you weren't aware, 1.2 million people die every year from breathing in other people's cigarette smoke. If people want to kill themselves that's their affair, but their ignorance and selfishness shouldn't be killing over a million people every year. Funny enough, that's more than Covid-19, and look what we've done to stop Covid-19, yet we allow smokers to kill over a million people a year. These are preventable deaths, but we do nothing.  Rant over, we now return to the new normal.

Yes, this is a mostly OK pub. It appears to have got over its early teething problems.


Date: July 2020   Score: 5


448 Bitterne Road
Bitterne
SO18 5EF

Open 8am to Midnight
Food served.
Children welcomed.

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***

Pubs in Bitterne

The Roll Call, Butlocks Heath (Netley) (Closed)

Closed March 2022. Lease expired, and the owners decided to retire rather than renew.

Small and homely food focused pub serving three cask beers. On my Friday lunchtime visit almost all tables had been booked - there were only two free inside, though I had the option of sitting in the family friendly beer garden.

The beer selection

Lunch meals are around £6 - £7, while main meals are around £10. All home made and freshly cooked. It is the sort of food your gran would make - homely, simple, a bit overcooked and tasteless, but sometimes that is just what you want. It is comforting, undemanding and unsurprising.

The staff on my visit were all female, and all friendly and helpful. This is a place to take your gran or other elderly relatives. It's not a place for a special occasion, but is ideal for a low key casual old fashioned school dinner. Take it for what it is and not for what it is not, and you should find it a pleasantly homely and old fashioned experience.

The ambiance

I had the Flowerpots bitter, and it was served in perfect condition and temperature. I like the place. It's not as warming, traditional, and charming as The Cottage nearby, a Wadworths pub, but it is its own place, and has its own charm, and it does food, which The Cottage no longer does. [As of 2021 The Cottage is under new ownership, and is again doing food.] 


Date: July 2017   Score: 6

Woolston Road
Butlocks Heath
SO31 5FJ


Monday - Wed: 3pm to 11pm 
Thurs - Sun: Noon to 11pm 

Meals Thurs to Sat: Noon to 2.30pm and 5pm to 7.45pm; Sun: Noon to 4pm

***

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The Frog & Frigate, Ocean Village

This is a somewhat legendary pub on Canute Road alongside Ocean Village which reopened in March 2015. It's only open on weekend evenings as it's a party pub where people dance on the tables. Two to three cask beers available.

The ambiance. Girls just love my hat. 

I love this place - but you have to go on the right night. I've been on a Friday with my son, and the band was playing golden oldies, and everyone was having a right ol' time. Good mix of ages. Good mix of men and women. Brilliant atmosphere. This is how all pubs should be.

I been here with Ian on a Saturday on the November Beer Crawl, and it was again a good atmosphere, though it was more crowded than on the Friday, and the average age of the customers was probably nearing 50. A woman asked me to give her a lift up onto a table, and I was somewhat concerned because of her size as I have a back injury, but we somehow managed it. Phew.

I have been here on a Thursday with my wife. And it was pretty dead and dull. All students. All listening earnestly to someone playing original folk music. Eyes all looked at us as we came in. Nobody smiled. And there was some sense of perplexity and irritation at our interruption.

I recommend going on a Friday or Saturday.

There are now comedy nights on the first Monday of the month. See the updated events list here.

Date: July 2017   Score: 10


Popped in with the boys after seeing The Costellos at The Joiners, around 10.30, and the place was surprising quiet. There was the usual acoustic busker belting out great singalong oldies in his alcove, but the place was half empty, and nobody was dancing.  We ordered some beers (can't remember what, even though it was just last night!) and bunch of people came in, which upped the mood a bit. I did a bit of line dancing, but only four people joined in, so it more of a hyphen than a line. Yeah, the music was good, and I still love the place, but the actual ambiance will vary depending on what crowd are in.

Date: Aug 2019   Score: 8.5


33 Canute Road
Ocean Village
SO14 3FJ
Open 7.30pm Thurs, Fri and Sat. - These times may not be reliable. It appears that these days the Frog only operates regularly on Friday and Saturdays with rather late opening hours - after 11pm on Friday, and after 9pm on Saturday. The comedy nights are now few and far between. The last I am aware of was in May 2019, and it cost £3 to enter.

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November 2016 Pub Crawl

Common Rooms (previously Chalk Valley), Bedford Place (Closed)

A "grass fed" burger bar and minimal modern restaurant on London Road which expanded into the space next door in 2016, and created a cafe and bar serving four casks and eight kegs.  I visited with Ian on the November 2016 beer crawl, and we both liked the place. We had the Red Cat Strata, and a few others. I intended to come back with the family because as well as meat they also do egg dishes, so veggies are not turned away.  Came here July 2017, and the place is closed with a notice on the window saying they are undergoing refurbishment, and will open again in September. The place looked fine in November, so I wonder on what scale is the refurbishment to take place!

Date: July 2017

Ambiance

Casks

  

And kegs

Ian relaxing

Closed for refurbishment sign

Re-opened as Common Rooms - but now closed again....

The beer selection in Common Rooms

Update: Chalk Valley reopened in March 2018 as Common Rooms with 16 kegs and four cask handpumps (mostly inactive), serving burgers and chips. But closed in October 2018.


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Pubs in Bedford Place

November 2016 Pub Crawl