The Dust Hole (Railway Inn), Salisbury

Out of town and the brewery tap for Dark Revolution, this pub’s name is an exercise in duality as it’s also licenced as the Railway Inn. It’s very basic inside, with a concrete or rough boarded floor. There were just two cask beers, their New Tricks and Velveteen chocolate stout which was nice, served by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable barman. Ok I suppose, but I prefer something a little more cossetting and pubby; I also preferred the nearby Winchester Gate.

There’re are some nice etched windows and doors that make it clear the this is both the Railway Inn and Dust Hole, and also a Dark Revolution Ales’ Tap Parlour. I think this was my first time in a tap parlour; to be honest it didn’t look much different to a pub. The building is wedge shaped, as is the interior with neutral decor in the wooden floored open plan front where tables and red upholstered chairs are found around a central rug. The serving counter is found across the rear where two hand pumps were drawing DR’s Velveteen Chocolate Milk Stout and New Tricks alongside a craft keg range that is advertised on small graffitied chalk boards across the top of the bar, the actual taps being across the back bar. There’s also a fridge with bottles and cans and two cider boxes that were pouring Sandford Orchard’s Devon Mist and Ascension’s Shimmy Pineapple & Lemon. I’m not a big fan of milk stout so there was only one choice of cask ale for me, which was fine during this short visit Friday afternoon visit, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay for an extended period.

Wedge-shaped pub towards the eastern edge of the city; oddly single-storey at the pointed end but the windows further back indicate a second floor elsewhere. Quite a small space, and busy with a mostly young clientele mid evening. Now run by the local Dark Revolution Brewery, the bar-back features 14 keg taps serving a diverse range of craft beers including guests from Siren and Verdant. Two of their own cask ales on handpump - New Tricks bitter (£5.00) and Velveteen chocolate stout - and two boxed ciders in the fridge.

Official site of The Dust Hole (Railway Inn) - www.darkrevolution.co.uk

Official site of The Dust Hole (Railway Inn) - www.darkrevolution.co.uk

A little outside the city centre the pub has now been taken over by local brewery Dark Revolution. It's a one room pub with a loosely wedge shaped interior, there are two handpumps serving usually one of their own and a nationally selected guest, I had a well kept pint of Dark Revolution Legal Tender, in addition there are ten craft taps, mostly of their own with two or three guests. It was quite busy on a Saturday afternoon, attracting a generally young crowd. It's certainly worth the extra five minute walk beyond the A36.