The Siege of
Orleans…
“We then do what
we want to do”
Wander down Carters Walk and you’ll
find the Siege – a micro-alehouse that
opened on 8 May 2015 (matching the
corresponding date in 1429 when
the Siege of Orleans ended). It is the
creation of local man Chris Jones,
who researched the recent trend
for micropubs as he sought to bring
something new to Carterton. Micropubs
have been in existence for about 10
years, the first being The Butchers Arms
in Kent, opening for business in 2005.
They now number over 100 and cover
many areas of the UK. Oxfordshire,
however, has seemingly resisted the
trend, until now...
The Siege of Orleans seeks to offer
something different to local pubs. Phil
Lewis runs the bar on a day-to-day basis.
“When you go into a pub you know what
you want, be it a Guinness or a Stella.”
Phil says. “When you come through
our doors, you look at the pumps and
the products behind and think ‘I don’t
recognise anything here.’ It’s up to us
as bar staff then to educate customers
in what the products are and which
ones will best suit them, to give them
something different and – to use a
Peter Kay phrase – ‘a taste sensation!’ ”
When the Crier popped into the Siege,
Phil talked honestly about the ales,
what he didn’t like and why (it’s always
refreshing to hear people avoid the ‘I
love everything here’ route), as well as
allowing our reporter a taste before they
committed to a larger measure – a pint
of Loose Cannon Bandwagon, brewed in
Abingdon, was opted for in the end.
Phil also informs of how the Siege
refuses to conform to the micropub
trend. “To be classed as a micropub
you need to be part of the micropub
association. There are quite a few rules
that they like you to follow – no music,
no lager, no spirits, no fruit machines
and no televisions…just real ale and the
art of conversation. We thought that we’d
class ourselves as a micro-alehouse – a
normal alehouse but on a smaller scale.
And we then do what we want to do.”
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