BAKE & ALEHOUSE

The word/term 'micropub' is a new one in the English language and, at the point this page was first written (August 2012), the word micropub didn't exist - it was neither in the OED or accepted as a 'Scrabble word'.

There is even the question of whether the term is Micro Pub, Micro-Pub, Micropub or MicroPub - all are used, and all have the same meaning.

As such, there is no 'official definition' of the term 'Micro Pub' (MicroPub is in not related to the similar term microbar - this represents a unit of pressure, equal to one millionth of a bar).

So, what is a Micro-Pub?
As the name suggests, a Micropub is generally considered to refer to a pub that is small (or very small) - but that's about it.

However, most places that call themselves MicroPubs also adhere to some, or all, of the following;

• No Bar - many Micro Pubs are often too small to even have a bar
• No Fruit Machines - these take-away the original concept of a pub (but you might find games like Shove Ha'penny or Cribbage being enjoyed)
• No TVs or Juke Boxes - again, these also take-away the original concept of a pub (a place to enjoy a quiet drink and talk to friends - or talk to strangers, who quickly become friends. Some Micro-Pubs do have live music events
• No 'Manufactured' Beers - where beer is concerned, a true Micropub will only sell 'Real Ale'.
• NO LAGER - we'll say that again as this is the golden rule of any micropub, NO lager whatsoever.
  A MicroPub does not sell lager (though rumour has it that a few Micro-Pub's have, in the past, sold 'lager types' of Ale that have been brewed to meet the standards of being a 'Real Ale' - but that is just a rumour!)
  In many true Micropubs, you cannot even say the word lager - if you say that word, then you are expected to put something (20p or more) in the charity jar in the pub (if you need to mention this drink, a few polite people might say 'the L word'. But the vast majority, the realistic and truthful people, describe it accurately and use the term 'cold, fizzy urine').

Although pubs are closing all over the country, Micro Pubs (and micro-breweries) seem to be a growing trend. That is particularly true in Kent (The Butcher's Arms in Herne is considered the original Micropub - it opened in 2005 and started the boom in the micropub concept)


On the Isle-of-Thanet, there are several Micro-Pubs. There are also a couple of pubs that refer to themselves as MicroPubs, but, in the opinion of this site's author, are too large to be true Micro Pubs (though they do meet some/most of the other requirements).


To paraphrase one of Britain's unofficial National Anthems, Land of Hope & Glory - Kent, and the whole of the UK, are the 'Land of Hops & Glory!' (apologies to A C Benson who wrote to original words for Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in 1902).


Below are links to The Butcher's Arms in Herne (the pub that started the micropub revolution), another Micropub in Thanet and Thanet's own branch of the Campaign for Real Ale -