WITH a blackboard of constantly-changing tipples keeping a small army of beer and cider connoisseurs refreshed, the Glue Pot deserves its reputation as Swindon’s real ale emporium.

Yet ask manager and former brewer Jonathan Crisp what keeps the historic watering hole ticking over and he will say it is simply down to being a “good, proper pub.”

Though real ale is in vogue, the Glue Pot, which is tied to the Hop Back brewery, is staying true to its roots as a working man’s boozer in the heart of the town’s Railway Village.

“The pub has always had a name for ales and traditional ciders,” Jonathan said. “Back in the days of the railways it was a cider pub, and quite a rough place, but it evolved into more of a beer pub. We have more young people coming in and drinking real ale, and that includes girls and boys.

“We have eight different types so people can always find something they like.

“It’s a living product and there’s as much care taken over creating ales as a chef takes with a dish.”

Drinkers are treated to four house ales and four guest beers.

The tipples change with the seasons – from thick, dark brews such as Downton Winter Solstice in the winter, to golden, hoppy varieties in the summer.

Always on tap are Hop Back’s Summer Lightning, Crop Circle, Odyssey and White Horse Brewery’s Oxfordshire Bitter. Anything that meets with low demand within five days isn’t ordered again.

“The Glue Pot is a pub like pubs used to be,” Jonathan said. “It’s always been my favourite pub and I have to leave Swindon to find anywhere like it to have a pint.

“It has no pretensions – there isn’t a juke box or fruit machine. It’s just a good, proper pub.”

Jonathan drank in the Emlyn Square pub for 15 years before becoming a manager for landlord and landlady Keith and Karen Britton in 2007.

The Glue Pot is a cert to feature in the Campaign For Real Ale’s forthcoming Good Beer Guide for the fifth consecutive year and has locAle status, showing its tipples are brewed locally.

There is a weekly quiz and a menu from a kitchen that received a four-star rating for hygiene – one below perfect.

Above all, though, newcomers are never left to stare in their pints. “The Glue Pot is the kind of place where you might not know someone else sitting at the bar from Adam, but that soon changes,” Jonathan said.

“There aren’t many places left where you can do that. It attracts a nice, friendly crowd. After all, you don’t get real ale louts, do you?”

The Adver and Camra have been supporting Community Pubs Month throughout April, showcasing the best venues and increasing awareness of the role they play in local life.