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 MicroPub, Micropub, Micro-Pub or Micro Pub - all are used, and all have the same meaning.

As such, there is no 'official definition' of the term 'MicroPub' (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 Micropub?
As the name suggests, a Micro-Pub 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 Micro Pubs also adhere to some, or all, of the following;

• No Bar - many MicroPubs 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 Micropubs do have live music events
• No 'Manufactured' Beers - where beer is concerned, a true Micro-Pub 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 Micro Pub does not sell lager (though rumour has it that a few Micropub'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 Micro-Pubs, 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, MicroPubs (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 Micro-Pub - it opened in 2005 and started the boom in the micropub concept)


On the Isle-of-Thanet, there are several Micropubs. There are also a couple of pubs that refer to themselves as Micro Pubs, but, in the opinion of this site's author, are too large to be true MicroPubs (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 Micro-Pub in Thanet and Thanet's own branch of the Campaign for Real Ale -