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The Waggon & Horses, Hook
Hartley Wintney
Postal town: Hook
RG27 8NY
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Waggon & Horses
Time for an update six years on, still pub co owned, the landord is now in his sixth year and managing to get some beers of interest on as guests, the regular beers are Butcombe Original, Gales HSB and most of the time Flowerpots Perridge Pale with one or two rotating guests. Two beers are via handpump with the remainder on stillage, quality is usually fair to good but can be variable at times.A recent development is the apperance of a craft keg tap with an ever changing beer.
It remains an increasingly rare two room wet led traditional pub of some note with an interior of some heritage importance, food is available lunchtimes, (Roger Protz visits two or three times a year for a pint and a ploughmans).The public bar can appear a bit rough and ready but is always friendly, the saloon bar is more sedate, both rooms having open fires,a secluded beer garden to the rear is covered in the winter months. The downside now is that public transport in the area is almost non existant, the nearest train station is a two mile hike away.
On 19th December 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Waggon & Horses
Update 23/12/16
The beer selection here is holding up,last night saw the pub regulars of Courage Best and Gales HSB backed up with the semi regular Red Cat Scratch with some decent guests of Red Squirrel Hopfest,Triple fff Tangerine Dream and West Berks Tamesis Extra Stout, the last three were all in top condition, from gravity dispense.
November 2016
Yes things are still good,the new landlord Kaesy has to make do with a more restricted beer availability thanks to Enterprise and SIBA holding the strings but still a good range of offerings are available, busy in the evenings with a good evening snack menu available and still a proper pub.
On 23rd December 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Waggon & Horses
Update 26/7/16
After six months or more of difficult negotiations with the pub Co the pub will be under new management as of 1/8/16, things are expected to remain much the same hopefully.
Update 1/12/13.
The Ale count is now quite often six on a Friday evening and Saturday and four to five normally the rest of the week plus a real cider.Beers on so far this week have been Darkstar Hophead and American pale Ale,Courage Best,Longdog CoALEition, Great Heck Five,Sharps Doombar, Gales HSB and Langhams Hip Hop plus a few Iv'e missed or cant remember.
Update March 2013- Just retained its title as CAMRA North Hampshire Pub of the year for 2013.
original post April 2012
Always been a "real pub" in my view,but now improving further on the beer front, sometimes has downsides, Courage Best is still the mainstay,steady but uninspiring and The now inferior to its previous self,Doom Bar is a little bit regular for my taste, having said that it sells like hot cakes so fair play.But there are often two more interesting guest available when Doom Bar doesn't take one of the slots from the likes of Dark Star,Hopback,Bowmans,West Berks and more plus another ever present in Gales H.S.B.which despite now brewed by Fullers is still very good. A worthy winner of CAMRA North Hampshire pub of the year 2012,well worth a visit.
On 26th July 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Waggon & Horses
The dull grey exterior is not overly alluring, especially the peeling paintwork on the side wall. Retains old Courage branding which is of note. Two small rooms, long narrow public bar to left and a smaller vertical lounge to the right. Traditionally decorated with low ceilings; lounge has a rug over bare boards, bells and pewter tankards hanging up and was quiet. The public bar (red walls with inlaid black wood, simple wood banquettes) was more raucous, with horse racing on TV and felt a proper working man’s room. Mention elsewhere of a rear garden but I didn’t see it. Five ales; Gales HSB (good), Plain Innocence (so-so), Doom Bar, Courage Best and Dark Star APA (tidy). Young lad behind the bar very professional. Pub fits into the vibe of the village rather well, I think. An impressive survivor, would be happy to return though my companion was less keen and felt a bit uncomfortable. I imagine it comes into its own during the winter evenings. Easily reached from Reading on the 72.
On 6th April 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5107 recommendations about 5090 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
picasso 09 left this review about The Waggon and Horses
CAMRA north Hampshire pub of the year,well deserved after being runner up last year, yet rather oddly omitted from the last two good beer guides, something wrong with the internal workings of CAMRA I feel. Usually four ales available as mentioned below,Whitehorse Village Idiot was very good this weekend.
On 29th March 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 14 recommendations about 14 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Waggon and Horses
Traditional pub,great atmosphere and importantly good beer.Courage Best and Gales H.S.B are regulars plus two ever changing guests,one of which is straight from the barrel as is the H.S.B.This pub was runner up as N.E. Hampshire camra pub of the year,and well worthy.The best pub in the area by far and well worth a visit.
On 22nd June 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Johnstone left this review about The Waggon and Horses
Low beamed, two bars...archetypal English village pub. Always a good sign when you see half a dozen beards supping halves! It's that sort of place and worth a visit to this quaint village.
On 29th April 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 98 recommendations about 98 pubs]