Life Begins at the Hop (Inn)

In which we explore a handful of Swindon's pubs in the Old Town/Devizes Road area.

Hopping off the train on a sunny morning, we made the 20 minute walk uphill to the Old Town area and straight on the hunt for craft bar...

Stylish finger over corner of lens effect.

The Tuppenny (58-59 Devizes Road, Swindon, SN1 4BD - web)

As we arrived the solitary staff member in the bar was

apologetic that things weren't going well this lunchtime.  The mishap, it turned out, was a snapped key in the cellar door.
This meant he had to explain which beers were 'pouring' and which weren't, as they needed the magic tweaking that beer professionals undertake in the cellar.
The till drawer was also locked up somewhere down there, so he politely asked if we could avoid paying by cash.

What's cash?

One of the two hand pumps on the bar dispensed West Berkshire 'Good Old Boy', but we were dazzled by the array of craft taps, which included a sour by Double Barrelled and strong IPA from Verdant.
I started on the dark stuff, with 'Voodoo People' a dry Irish stout brewed by Leviathan of Birmingham. 

The Tuppenny opened in 2016 after being converted from a hairdressers.  It's a intriguing place with musical instruments and gig posters on the wall and it's own little stage in the corner.  

Just around the corner and along Wood Street, lined with appealing cafes and eateries, our next pub was impressively shrouded in foliage at the end of the road.

The Goddard Arms (1 High Street, Old Town, Swindon, SN1 3EG - web)

In size, layout and style I couldn't stop thinking that the Goddard Arms had an air of a Wetherspoon's about it.  Albeit without the cut-price deals of Wetherspoon's.
Even our burgers were similar, except that the chips were served in a nice little bowl instead of being plonked on the plate, and we got posh sauces, which I guess was what we paid the extra fiver for. 

There were multiple different areas in this grand place, meaning the modest number of punters were spread out across a range of rooms and the pub garden.
Regrettably, the beer choice wasn't very inspiring, especially after the crafty offerings we'd left behind us at the Tuppenny.  So, I found myself with a rather dull pint of Ringwood 'Forty Niner'', which I'm not sure why I picked as I always grumble about it.

I also grumble about excessive displays of mirrors

Next up, we walked back to Devizes Road and to the Tap & Brew.
The picture chosen for the bar on WhatPub left me intrigued as to what the bottom half looked like...

Where's the rest of it?

Here it is!..

Tap & Brew (51 Devizes Road, Swindon, SN1 4BG - web)
I'm a bit of a fan of the Hop Kettle brewery - not least because they always seem to manage to supply something strong and/or unusual to the Oxford Beer Festival.
The brewery started behind a pub in Cricklade, with a Swindon site followed as demand increased.
The Tap & Brew is the latest addition, a modern bar with it's own micro-brewery, opened in December 2019.

It's simple and functional inside, chunky wooden tables, blackboard listing the beers, fridges for takeaway bottles and intriguing bit of brewing wizardry at the back of the bar.
They have a nice outdoor area to the rear, but we decided to stay inside, grabbing a table by the window and enjoying a tasty 'Supernova Mosaic' hoppy pale.

They also pride themselves on experimental lines here.  I can't resist a Russian Imperial Stout and, as luck would have it, this is what 'Experimental #10' was.  A delicious and decadent 9% sipping beer.  And my head would feel every bit of that 9% clouding my vision by the end of the day!

When it's pouring with rain and I want the next pub to be 30 seconds across the road it never is.
When I would benefit from a bit of fresh air and the opportunity to walk off the strong stout, the next pub is straight across the road...

The Hop Inn (8 Devizes Road, Swindon, SN1 4BH - web)
This attractive pub dates back to 1847 when it used to be the Britannia.  I think it's safe to assume that they'd gone downhill over the years by the time it became the dreadfully named Pig on the Hill.
The Hop Inn, meantime, was a micropub a couple of doors away, which got an upgrade, moving into the pub premises.
The micro's still there operated by the same team and called Little Hop, but was closed on this particular visit.

The Hop Inn offered up a heck of a lot of beers to chose from.  I was happy to switch from the imperial stout to a much more sensible mild, brewed by the local Kettlesmith Brewery.

As one last attempt at adventure, I spotted the chance to take a bus ride out to the south of Swindon into the village of Wroughton.
There were a fair number of pubs in Wroughton, probably worthy of further exploration, but by this stage we just stuck to the beer guide entry...

The Carters Rest (57 High Street, Wroughton, SN4 9JU).
This turn-of-the-century building with a bit of mock tudor on the first floor wasn't especially enticing me from outside - not helped by the roadworks slap bang in front of it.

Within, though, it's a fine, basic, welcoming ale house.
According to the guide you can sometimes find a choice of up to 12 beers on offer, but this was reduced on our visit.  Still, no complaints about another local brew - Ramsbury's 'Belapur IPA' is always an enjoyable tipple and was on top form.

This is where we called it a day.
But we promised to return soon and tick off a few more Swindon pubs - and that's what I'll report on in the next post.
Cheers!