And an excuse for me to set out early and visit a couple of Beer Guide pubs either side of Reading beforehand.
First up:The Wheelwright's Arms, located around 5-miles from Reading, within walking distance from Winnersh station which was, on this occasion, being served by rail replacement buses. Somebody had managed to search out the most decrepit double-deckers in the Thames Valley to ferry the handful of passengers through the suburbs...Gaffer tape covered the rips in the seats and possibly held the rest of the bus together too.
Once I'd made it to Winnersh it was a walk up Robin Hood Lane, across the motorway, then a left turn into a quiet lane which took me to the pub.
The Wheelwight's Arms (Davis Way, St Nicholas Hurst, RG10 0TR - web)
Being a Wadworth house, the real ale options on the bar were 'Horizon', Henry's IPA', 'Swordfish', or '6X', with two hand pumps for each making it look like there was more choice than there really was.
It's a fair trek from Reading for a pint of 6X.
Yet I was quite content sitting next to the unlit fireplace, reading the paper and sipping my beer. The old 18th century building was once a wheelwright's shop - hence the name. It has been extended to the rear to provide more dining space, but the front section has wooden beams and chunky stone walls, retaining a little bit of a country pub feel to it.
I doubt they'd pick the cricket-themed wallpaper for the gents again. Looks like some wag decided every cricketer needed additional detail adding in the crotch region, before somebody else has followed them around with an eraser, trying to restore some decency...
Being a Wadworth house, the real ale options on the bar were 'Horizon', Henry's IPA', 'Swordfish', or '6X', with two hand pumps for each making it look like there was more choice than there really was.
Yet I was quite content sitting next to the unlit fireplace, reading the paper and sipping my beer. The old 18th century building was once a wheelwright's shop - hence the name. It has been extended to the rear to provide more dining space, but the front section has wooden beams and chunky stone walls, retaining a little bit of a country pub feel to it.
I doubt they'd pick the cricket-themed wallpaper for the gents again. Looks like some wag decided every cricketer needed additional detail adding in the crotch region, before somebody else has followed them around with an eraser, trying to restore some decency...
With the pub tick done in St Nicholas Hurst, I headed back into Reading and hopped aboard the Purple 17 bus to take me out through the wild west of town.
This deposited me in Tilehurst and within a housing estates walk of 2023 Beer Guide re-entry, the Royal Oak.
This deposited me in Tilehurst and within a housing estates walk of 2023 Beer Guide re-entry, the Royal Oak.
The Royal Oak (69 Westwood Glen, Tilehurst, RG31 5NW)
Now completely surrounded by the expansion of Tilehurst, in times gone by it would have been a walk across the fields to get to this old pub. A Greene King sign marks the bottom of the steep driveway leading up to the inn.
The two main rooms, each with their own bar counter, are quite different: cosy upstairs, more spartan downstairs.
It's a wet-led pub serving two real ales from anonymous pumps with no clips attached. Further investigation revealed a blackboard advertising Windsor & Eton 'Guardsman' and Greene King's seasonal six nations brew 'Scrum Down'.
Now completely surrounded by the expansion of Tilehurst, in times gone by it would have been a walk across the fields to get to this old pub. A Greene King sign marks the bottom of the steep driveway leading up to the inn.
The two main rooms, each with their own bar counter, are quite different: cosy upstairs, more spartan downstairs.
 |
| Picking the rugby-themed beer again! GK 'Scrum Down' served in a Wild Weather glass. |
I was under strict instructions from Mrs PropUptheBar to get to the Nags Head early and make sure that nobody drank all the Coffee and Popcorn Stout before she arrived.
But I gambled that the Tiny Rebel craft wouldn't be selling quite that fast on a midweek afternoon and that I could make one more random pub visit in Tilehurst.
The Plough - that'll do...
But I gambled that the Tiny Rebel craft wouldn't be selling quite that fast on a midweek afternoon and that I could make one more random pub visit in Tilehurst.
The Plough - that'll do...
The Plough (78 School Road, Tilehurst, RG31 5AW)
This was very much a locals pub, an open plan room stretching around a long bar counter. All quite recently smartened up, but long enough ago for the tub chairs to acquire all manner of dubious stains.
Pints of Carling looked to be the norm for the locals sat at the bar, although the lone cask hand pump was serving a Loddon 'Hocus Pocus' which was a nice surprise. And not a half bad pint of dark ale either.
This was very much a locals pub, an open plan room stretching around a long bar counter. All quite recently smartened up, but long enough ago for the tub chairs to acquire all manner of dubious stains.
Pints of Carling looked to be the norm for the locals sat at the bar, although the lone cask hand pump was serving a Loddon 'Hocus Pocus' which was a nice surprise. And not a half bad pint of dark ale either.
I sat in the window alcove on the far left of the pub, with the bus stop just a few meters away, wondering if it was possible to neck my pint when I saw a bus coming down the road and get out in time to catch it.
No. It's not. You can just about make it in time to see the back of it disappearing towards Reading, but luckily they're pretty frequent.
After waiting a short while in the cold, the bus took me down along the chaos of Oxford Road where I hopped off and made the familiar trek to the Nags Head.
No. It's not. You can just about make it in time to see the back of it disappearing towards Reading, but luckily they're pretty frequent.
After waiting a short while in the cold, the bus took me down along the chaos of Oxford Road where I hopped off and made the familiar trek to the Nags Head.
Nags Head (5 Russell Street, Reading RG1 7XD - web)
It's tough to find a happy medium in the Nags - head down on a sporty Saturday and it can be uncomfortably busy - Thursday late afternoon was perhaps a little too quiet. But at least it meant I got to settle in my favourite seat next to the framed game of Risk on the wall, which must mean something to someone.
The keg lines had been dedicated to Tiny Rebel who'd concocted 8 new beers in various styles to celebrate their 11th birthday.
All with colourful pump clips depicting traditional beer ingredients such as doughnuts, ice cream, pineapple and shortbread fingers.
The letters page in the Metro covered the major issue that W.H from South Gloucestershire can't get a decent bag of crisps in the pub.
I was quite happy with my Jalapeno Real hand cooked crisps, accompanying the Tiny Rebel beers that I'd brought two at a time and gotten mixed up as to which was which.
It's tough to find a happy medium in the Nags - head down on a sporty Saturday and it can be uncomfortably busy - Thursday late afternoon was perhaps a little too quiet. But at least it meant I got to settle in my favourite seat next to the framed game of Risk on the wall, which must mean something to someone.
The keg lines had been dedicated to Tiny Rebel who'd concocted 8 new beers in various styles to celebrate their 11th birthday.
All with colourful pump clips depicting traditional beer ingredients such as doughnuts, ice cream, pineapple and shortbread fingers.
I was quite happy with my Jalapeno Real hand cooked crisps, accompanying the Tiny Rebel beers that I'd brought two at a time and gotten mixed up as to which was which.
We got hooked on the Europa league footy on the TV and accidentally tried all eight of the Tiny Rebel birthday beers before we remembered we had a train home to catch.
