Even though the new edition will land on the doorstep soon, inevitably finding a gastro in a West Berks village with no public transport and an obscure cricket club bar as new entries.
My current goal was to visit the Delphic Brewery Tap in Newbury.
Delphic have upscaled a bit since I last visited the town, at which point they brewed beers in a garage in Thatcham and the Wheatsheaf was your best bet to sample their wares.
The relatively new taproom opens 4 days a week, confusingly at a different time each day. Hence I arrived a bit too early, glanced at what else was nearby and ended up in the Dolphin.
At first glance, this looks like a proper traditional town pub, but it had a revamp around 2018 to turn it into a "boutique pub hotel". Their website also promises it is "fun filled". Uh-oh.
You probably need to visit on a weekend evening for optimum fun, unless the dolphin in the fireplace counts...
The pub itself is a vast open-plan place, with a conservatory and pleasant courtyard beer garden to the rear. The route to the upstairs WCs rivals the longest of long distance toilet treks within the Wetherspoon estate, highlighting just how far back from the street the Dolphin stretches.
Cask options on the bar were two familiar brews from Yorkshire.
Cask options on the bar were two familiar brews from Yorkshire.
I took this to the front room which they've named the Batholomew Bar. In an open-plan layout, why does this bit need it's own name? At least it's reasonably pub-like with some proper seating.
I declared it was time to drink up and move on when Catfish and the Bottlemen came on, strolling back to the old auto parts shop that now houses the brewery tap room.
Delphic Brewery started out in 2017 as a home brew project, then properly established themselves two-years later with an upgrade in equipment and capacity. The icing on the cake is the town centre tap room which opened in 2024.
No surprises within - it's a little bit cavernous and industrial, the brewing vessels lit up by coloured lights and set behind the bar and a ledge which divides the room.
Both super beers.
I took these to the sofa in the corner which I sank far too far into, the rest of the furniture made up of a mix & match of regular pub surplus, plus one particularly intriguing tabletop...
This small and comfortable bar is run by a chap who was previously landlord of Newbury's Clock Tower pub in the early 2000s.
It has been set up in a unit which previously housed a Mr Moo Juice shop. Things are looking up for beer drinkers in Newbury, but not so rosy for those wanting moo juice.
On the bar were four cask ales, all priced at £5.50: 'Old Hooky' from Oxford, Electric Bear stout from Bath, and two Arbor Ales brews from Bristol,
The Arbor 'My Little Sabrony' for me - very good.
The keg, for £1 more a pint, was a little less inspiring, the inclusion of Hawkstone lager stretching the definition of 'craft'.
The outdoor weir-side seating is minimal - no chance for me of a seat on the tiny outdoor terrace overlooking the water at the back of the pub. Inside there are two rooms with the last free table being in the larger of these at the front. It was doing a good trade and was certainly proving a popular place to be early on a Friday evening.
Backtracking on myself, I'd spotted somewhere en-route that looked rather interesting...
The outdoor weir-side seating is minimal - no chance for me of a seat on the tiny outdoor terrace overlooking the water at the back of the pub. Inside there are two rooms with the last free table being in the larger of these at the front. It was doing a good trade and was certainly proving a popular place to be early on a Friday evening.
Backtracking on myself, I'd spotted somewhere en-route that looked rather interesting...
Parched opened in October 2025 in premises which were previously a Japanese restaurant.
It's a typical smart modern bar which has already built up a large collection of pump clips on a beam above the bar suggesting an ever-changing range.
Current offerings included lager, pales, hefty IPAs, porters and a sour, from craft brewers you've (mostly) heard of.
But actually, sensibility REALLY went out the window with the Tempest/Sudden Death collab, 'Doom Scrolling', an 11% imperial stout. It was gorgeous though, and worth every stumble on the walk down the road afterwards.
Looking back, I wish I'd returned to a couple of other pubs in the town, but - y'know - 11% stout... It seemed wise to head to the train station and at least get one step closer to home.
Breaking my journey at Reading, I strolled up Station Road for my bi-annual check that the Bugle hasn't reopened as the best beer bar in town.
Nope.
Then trekked around onto Greyfriars Road to call in to a pub that's had a name change.
The Railway Tavern (31 Greyfriars Road, Reading, RG1 1PA)
I've passed this hundreds of times, yet never set foot inside when it was called The Gateway. I've only known it as an Irish bar, but as of the end of 2025 it's had a refurb and rebranded to the original name.
I guess back in the 19th century, when it first opened, this was the closest pub to the station. The name seems a bit odder now, being as you pass two other pubs and the railway club before reaching this mock Tudor corner free house.
Adding to the interest: relatives of Kate Winslet ran the pub in Victorian times; and in 1972 a group of University students set up the Reading Gay Alliance here.
Unfortunately, my Timothy Taylor 'Landlord' was very ropey.
I did much better in the Three Guineas at the Station.
I've passed this hundreds of times, yet never set foot inside when it was called The Gateway. I've only known it as an Irish bar, but as of the end of 2025 it's had a refurb and rebranded to the original name.
I guess back in the 19th century, when it first opened, this was the closest pub to the station. The name seems a bit odder now, being as you pass two other pubs and the railway club before reaching this mock Tudor corner free house.
Adding to the interest: relatives of Kate Winslet ran the pub in Victorian times; and in 1972 a group of University students set up the Reading Gay Alliance here.
It's had a smart makeover, but still offers a pool table in the back and provides a friendly welcome.
I did much better in the Three Guineas at the Station.
But inevitably found I had 3½ minutes to polish off a very pricey half pint before my train departed.
Next up: Wokingham
Next up: Wokingham
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