The Antelope, Surbiton

Official site of The Antelope - www.theantelope.co.uk

Official site of The Antelope - www.theantelope.co.uk

This lively two room pub was taken over by the same people behind the successful Sussex Arms in Twickenham and has become a similar 'destination' pub with the added interest of an on-site brewery. You enter into a bare boarded front bar with an L-shaped servery directly opposite, half panelled walls with grey uppers and various beer themed items dotted around for decorative purposes. A fireplace on the left hand wall acts as something of a focal point for a front section mainly given over to standing room, although a few tables and chairs have been squeezed into the two bay windows on the front wall. The servery has a plain tongue and groove counter and bar back which contrasts with the colourful pump clip lined canopy. In fact, the pump clip collection has far outgrown the canopy and now snakes around the walls and ceiling to the left of the bar, where the room extends past a few small round tables with low stools and an impressive vinyl collection and turntable behind this part of the bar. To the rear is a lower level room with lots of mixed seating, smart decor and a bookcase in the rear corner. This seemed like a pleasant place to relax with a pint, but unbeknown to me, the pub was hosting a beer festival when I visited and the room was packed, including a few noisy children, so I retreated back to the front bar instead. The festival was taking place in the beer garden, which seemed like a nice spot and had a good deal of seating as well as around 60 cask ales on a large racking system set up in front of the in-house Big Smoke brewery. Unfortunately for me, the festival was already well into its final day and very few of the beers were left, but the consolation was that the bar still had a great selection to choose from. The Big Smoke brewery was represented with their Underworld, Milk Stout, Sunshower and Medicine Man brews and an extensive guest line-up of Long Arm Peacemaker, XT 2, G2 Vela, Oakham The Navigation, Portobello Market Porter, Dark Star Original and Sherfield Valley TBA broadened the options considerably. I fancied a darker beer and opted for the Milk Stout which was a great example of the style and served in tip-top condition. A separate row of handpulls around the corner dispensed several ciders and there was an interesting keg selection as well. I really enjoyed this place which I thought had managed to bring together a lot of elements to create a pub that appeals to a wide range of customers whilst ensuring the beer remains the primary focus. Obviously, visiting during a beer festival meant that I didn't really get to see the pub in the truest light, but it still managed to score highly in important areas such as comfort, service and beer quality. This is worth going out of your way for and I'll certainly be looking to make a return sooner rather than later.

Probably one of the best Brewpubs for beer.Big Smoke are very consistent.Nice pub.10 hand pumps but common range of beers you can get anywhere.Stuck to the own brewed beers and was rewarded. Very busy beer garden.Told they are opening a new pub in Kingston so great news.

The local area’s nationally-known ale outlet after being taken over by the operators of the Sussex Arms in nearby Twickenham. Looks a bit modern and hipstery outside but L shaped inside is a decent stab at recreating a modern take on a traditional alehouse feel - grey paint, candles, wood panelling, old pump clips taking over any spare wall space. Rear patio garden. 10 pumps at the front and 6 round the side and all micro/small regional offerings of ale and cider including three house brews (Big Smoke - these are unfined and clearly labelled as such). I tried all three of the homebrews and was pleasantly surprised by how good they were, both in taste and condition. Also a good selection of craft exotica in bottles. Not quite a classic on my first visit but a very good ale pub worth making a special trip for. I shall be back sooner rather than later. 8.5

I have always associated Surbiton with twentieth century suburbia so it came as a surprise to find an area South of the station consisting of terraced Victorian town houses more akin to Hackney or Islington than the far SW edge of Greater London. This pub is just past that area and looks to me like quite an old building. Old SW London beer guides reveal that it was probably once a Whitbread house. As you enter, the bar is to the right with a bank of ten pumps all up and running with five more on the left of the bar serving ciders. Past the bar is another room where nearly all the lunchtime punters were gathered, so I assume they had all ordered food. Through this area there is a patio garden with the Big Smoke Brewery behind. The decor is straight out of Islington with varnished floorboards, grey painted walls and worst of all candles everywhere. Candles can be a welcome sight on a cold winter night but having them all lit in broad daylight on an August day seems ridiculous to me. I was hoping to find some of their own beer today but after half overhearing a discussion I got the impression they may have had problems with their first efforts. The ten cask ales on were Jarrow Isis, Hyde's Finest, Twickenham Summer Sun, TicketyBrew Tractor Beer, Sadler's One Stop Hop, Dark Star Sunburst, Chantry Iron & Steel, RAW Appollo Summer Bitter, Brass Castle Burnout and SWB Union Pale Ale. The only one of that list that is vaguely mainstream is the Hydes one. I went for the Jarrow Isis which was in good nick but with a slight haze and the Brass Castle Burnout which was outstanding. These both cost £3.90 which seemed a bit steep to me, although they were 5.0% and 5.8% ABV. I would hope that the lower ABV beers would be somewhat cheaper and their own beers cheaper still. I asked what the price of an 8.2% keg beer by the Blackjack brewery was and they said £4.25 a half. Overall this place is a bit too trendy for my liking but makes up for it with a great beer selection. It should be even better when they get the Big Smoke brewery running.