The Rose in June, Copnor, Portsmouth

A good looking two room traditional boozer, quite a hike from Fratton train station and having made the schoolboy error of forgetting to check if Pompey were home or away before doing this end of town found the pub expectedly packed in both sides, however I persevered and found a seat with a pint of Irving Frigate. Other cask beers on were Arundel Sussex Best, Fullers HSB, Goddards Wight Squirrel and Riptide. It was rather unfortunate I came to this pub during the pre match chaos so couldn't completely appreciate it to its full extent, but I saw enough to know it's a goodun.

Traditional (in a good way) boozer that was the last stop of a busy day sampling various hostelries across Portsea Island, but the beer quality here was as good as anywhere we tried. The cask ales we found were Fullers HSB, Pure Gold and UBU from Purity, Fallen Acorn Twisted Oak and King John from Andwell, and seven real ciders were listed too. Too late to take any other sensible notes, but I thought this one well worth the effort to locate.

Official site of The Rose in June - www.theroseinjune.co.uk

Official site of The Rose in June - www.theroseinjune.co.uk

A proper unspoilt pub, retaining a two room layout and still as well-described below. An excellent range of beers and ciders available; at time of visit Gales (Fullers) HSB, Ubu Purity, Fallen Acorn Twisted Oak, Hobgoblin Gold, a Marston's special and some 8 ciders. Well worth a visit.

A superb town local in a Victorian terrace, well described by PSM, below. There was a very friendly greeting from the staff, and the atmosphere was convivial. Ales on were Old Peculiar, Ubu Purity, Fuller's HSB, Bowman's Wallops Wood, Otter, Ballards Mudhurst Mild, OM Amber and Hammerpot Red Hunter, all in excellent condition. There were also 7 real ciders on. Just what a town pub should be.

A short walk up Milton Road from nearby Fratton Park, this is a quality old-school, two room boozer that was doing a brisk trade on a warm July afternoon prior to a Pompey pre-season friendly. The façade was smartly presented, with crisp blue and white colour scheme, bright hanging baskets and a sign advertising 'Allen's Sparkling Ales', although it's unclear what this is a reference to. Entering into the carpeted public bar, you find yourself in an L-shaped room with the servery running along the right hand wall. A pool table dominates the space in front of the entrance, which a bunch of fairly well behaved kids were messing around with, eliciting the occasional stern word from the no-nonsense landlady. The bar has a nice curved counter, a low shelf bar back and some excellent painted hand pumps. Seating is limited to a few high stools around the bar area and a few small tables with standard chairs squeezed in wherever space permits. A dartboard to the front right had a large collection of trophies above, hinting at the role the pub plays in the wider community. A door to the rear right leads through to a spacious, but notably less popular lounge bar where decent button backed banquettes provide comfortable seating options under the remarkably dated wallpaper. There is a lot of Portsmouth FC memorabilia throughout the pub as you might expect as well as the mandatory naval themed items. A door near the pool table leads out to a nice rear garden which was packed on a warm summer's day and a sign pointed the way to a separate function room. What elevates this above plenty of other local's boozers throughout the back streets of Fratton is the wide range of well kept ales. On this visit I was able to pick from Purity Ubu and Pure Gold, Ballards Midhurst Mild, Upham Punter and Goddard Fuggle De Dum. The latter was ordered by everyone ahead of me in the queue at the bar, so I tried a pint and found it in superb condition. I enjoyed supping this in the corner, watching the kids get a rollicking from the bar staff and listening to the local's gloomy assessments of Pompey's prospects for the season ahead. This is exactly the sort of pub I enjoy drinking in prior to away fixtures - the sort of place where you can enjoy some good natured football chat with opposition fans. With beer this good, (it's in the 2016 Good Beer Guide) I'd suggest this is well worth seeking out if you fancy a change from the usual alehouses in Southsea.

First pub, post early-match-exit Sat, and quite bizarre walking into one side of the bar which was, almost literally, empty. We joked about Lpool having been recent visitors, but the bar was back to its bones awaiting a refit & decoration. Old Hooky, Hogsback TEA, Otter Ale, Goddards Fuggle DeeDum, HSB, Pride, & Ceddar Valley cider on handpump. Other room, beyond central island bar, had dark wood tables, leather settles & seemed popular & homely, both sides carried muted skysports results. Good welcome from the bar, and the friendly guv seemed concerned at my beer inspection but it was passable, just. I'd give the place another try in the hope that the ale was more pristine, and also to see the result of that fit-out. Decent sized garden to rear may be an attraction to some come summer.