Old Badger Inn

Formerly The Victoria – closed by Punch in 2010 – the pub was reopened as a free house after being sympathetically renovated, modernised and extended by the owner of the Old Spot at Dursley and (now) the Old Fox at Coaley. Acquired by Wickwar in 2018. After an interregnum when the pub was owned by Wickwar but still run by the previous management with little change on the beer range, the transition to Wickwar is now complete. Four out of the five beers on the bar are Wickwar (Moles having ‘joined the Wickwar family’ with the beers now brewed at Wickwar). Only two real ciders on tap, but the new manager has an ambition to have 15 on offer. The pub is very welcoming and has a formidable reputation for food, which is freshly cooked to order. Wednesday evening is steak night, there is a tapas menu only on Friday evenings, and traditional Sunday lunch only between 12pm and 3pm. Outside there is a covered and heated patio and a large garden. The pub is very dog friendly – water and doggie treats always available. The toilets are first class. The large single bar features a wood-burning stove, with smaller rooms on either side plus a restaurant area. The Old Spot's DNA is very much in evidence throughout. Large quarry tiles in the main bar set the tone, with exposed boards and ceramic tiles in ancillary areas. The walls are crowded with fascinating and unusual brewery and other memorabilia. It should be a pleasure to drink in a pub so sympathetically renovated and decorated, except for one feature (introduced under Wickwar’s watch) that now seriously degrades the experience – piped music that is both intrusive and inappropriate. It is no longer possible to list Wickwar branded beers under the regular cask ales section of Whatpub since Wickwar Brewery went into liquidation in December 2020. The rights to the beers were sold to the Wickwar Wessex Pub Co and they are now brewed by an unnamed contract brewer on behalf of the Pub's owners. The two regular beers are normally Wickwar BOB, & Falling Star. Opening times correct as of 04/11/2021