The Goat & Tricycle, Bournemouth

Great looking pub with an impressive exterior. The ale choice was equally impressive with 9 beers on when I called. The couple we tried were in good nick. Well worth a visit.

The Goat & Tricycle has re-appeared in the latest (2023) Good Beer Guide, after a 9-year absence, which I found a little strange. At some point in the last 5 years, ownership has changed from Wadworth to Butcombe. The ale range has reduced slightly from 9 to 8. Butcombe Original, Gold & Adam Henson's Rare Breed are regulars, along with Liberation Ale & IPA. Additional beers on this occasion were all from Butcombe - Hair of the Goat, Haka & Bristol Basin NYC. There are now 2 Thatcher's ciders - Stan's Big Apple & Cheddar Valley. The pub still has an unchanged traditional interior and food is also served. The tiled frontage is also very impressive, albeit hidden away along a side street.

Now seems to be a Butcombe pub, the eleven pumps had six butcombe beers plus two from Butcombe owned Liberation, a guest in Titanic Plum Porter as well as a couple of Ciders, I had a couple of pints here, as I ate as well, Butcombe Hair Of The Goat and Haka, both were ok and the lasagne was decent, but I was a little underwhelmed in what I expected to be pub of the day. I would have another look in the future though.

One of my regular haunts when I'm on a training course. Our training centre is just around the corner and I'm usually in Bournemouth 2 or 3 times a year. Always a well kept pint as long as you like Wadworth beers as sometimes that's all that is available, although the odd guest ale makes an appearance. Lots of wood flooring and panelling. It's two rooms that used to be 2 separate businesses. The left hand room is always quieter. I called in here one Sunday early evening to find Chas & Dave in here in their stage clothes. It turned out that they'd done the matinee and decided they'd like a couple of pints and had come up here before the evening slot. They do roast lunches on a Sunday and when they've finished they cook loads of roasted potatoes in the fat from the joints and pass them out in the pub for free. It's a very good pub and long may it prosper.

Bournemouth’s only true nationally-known pub, so a pilgrimage here was clearly the highlight of the crawl as listed. However it was a bit of a let-down in all honesty. The interior is fair enough, a V-shaped pub with a raised level off to the left (presumably reflecting the fact that this is two obviously separate properties - both were pubs - knocked together). Hefty amounts of wood panelling in the right hand bar and a pool table in the raised area. Ten pumps at the bar carrying six Wadworth ales (the usual stagers plus a brewers creation). Not being a fan of Waddies (all that sulphur gives one the heebie-geebies next day), I needed a guest. However there were only two on (despite the beer board claiming four…) and one of those was Greene Twatting King…so I went for the only palatable option which was York Terrier which drank well enough. In addition there was Westons cider. Is it a good pub? Yes. Is it a nationally-significant pub? In 2004 it may have been but in 2014, I’d suggest not. Perhaps they’re resting on their laurels…or Wadworth are charging a ludicrous amount to supply decent guests. With the Four Horsemen down the road now open, it’s got some proper competition.