The Old Mint, Southam

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Komakino . left this review about The Old Mint

A few triple jumps along from The Bowling Green is this characterful stone building whose name stems from the premises having minted trade tokens on site in the 16th and 17th century. Like its near-neighbour, this too was busy with locals on an early Monday evening which made finding a space at the small, wedge-shaped bar a test. A little disappointing on the ale front, with two out of three clips turned around (Doom Bar - no great shame, and Salopian Hop Twister - boo), leaving Wychwood's Hobgoblin as my only go-to. Bit of a mini-warren interior-wise, with the bar off the left as you enter off the street, a pool table in a small room off to the right, and a raised dining-style area to the left of the bar area itself, with tables and chairs laid out, but no sign of any food-related paraphernalia. Whilst loud 90s rock music blared out (think Nirvana's 'In Bloom' and Radiohead's 'Creep' - the sweary version) I was able to peruse some old photos of the town, including, of particular note, a large, framed black and white photo of two old boys standing on the street outside the pub in their finery when it was an Ansells house with their pints of ale in dimpled glasses. That and the friendly barmaid were the only two highlights.

On 10^th March 2016 - rating: 4
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