Barnaby has put together the Alton Beer Mile, a pub trail which has ten of Alton’s town-based pubs on a downloadable map alongside bios of each pub and their history.
His hope is the Beer Mile will unite locals, visitors and beer lovers in an effort to rejuvenate Alton’s High Street and keep the town’s pubs afloat once they are allowed to reopen from Saturday, July 4.
Barnaby said: “The pub is a symbol of community. Any pub that closes down anywhere is a tragedy, but for Alton I’d argue it means even more.
“Even before the crisis, Alton had just lost the Hop Poles and Kings Head, two great independent pubs in my opinion.
“Ten Tun Tap House literally had just opened and looked a fantastic addition to Market Square.
“I had to include Tap House on The Mile because it’s a new independent business that as a community we should all try to support.
“For me, during lockdown I’ve missed pubs so much, especially when it’s a sunny day. You dream of sitting in a pub garden with a cold beer.
“I think we all deserve a drink after this!”
Alton is fortunate to have ten pubs in a square mile, borne out of the town’s historic brewing community, and Barnaby is exploring ways of partnering with the town’s pubs to offer punters a prize for completing the Alton Beer Mile.
You can visit the Alton Beer Mile website and download the map at https://alton-beer-mile.webnode.com/