The Jubilee Tap

About

Pop in for a pint at the Jubilee Tap, after your visit to Gilbert White’s House & Gardens!

Located just across the High Street, opposite the museum, the Jubilee Tap is a familyfriendly relaxed bar, where the public can try the Gilbert White range of beers from the restored 1765 brewhouse. Brewing was a part of White's life and something in which he look pleasure in. By opening the Jubilee Tap visitors can now fully experience one of White's past times and step back into history by tasting brews inspired by his recipes. 

Drinking and Eating
The stars of the Jubilee Tap are of course the beers, as they are brewed at the 1765 nanobrewery at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens, a mere 50 metres away from the Jubilee Tap! During the Summer, the hops grown in the gardens are even used in the recipes! There’s a 
variety of flavours and styles, including golden ales, IPAs and traditional craft beers. Here’s a taste of what’s available:

Gilbert’s 1765 – A particular characteristic of this ale is a slight but subtle smokiness both in taste and aroma and based on Gilbert White’s original ale recipe. A development of the Gilbert White Bitter previously on sale at Whites. (4.7% abv)

Gilbert’s Garden Kalendar – Special Premium Best Bitter. Brewed with local green hops including from Gilbert White’s Garden. First brewed to celebrate the success of the ‘Natural Kalendar Garden’ created by White’s gardeners and Sparsholt College, which earned a Silver-Gilt medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2021! (4.2% abv)

Zig Zag Ale – The house ale favourite; a strong traditional ale at around 6% ABV gets you to the top of the hanger quickly. Having a golden amber colour, this beer has hints of caramel, light fruits and roasted malt. A classic English beer that will be enjoyed either from bottle or 
on draft from the keg (6% abv)

Hop Monster – Full on American style IPA, full of Hops and flavour. Note, this is an intentionally cloudy beer! (5.4% abv)

Six Quarters – The name is a reference to the ‘six quarters’ within the Gilbert White garden. This is an ale in the tradition of a Burton Golden Ale. Light, golden and heavily hopped. Drunk slightly chilled, this will remind you of drinking a light ale in ale in a shaded area on a 
summer afternoon. (3.9% abv).

A number of special ales are also brewed in honour of commemorative events or the change in season, such as the Coronation Mild and Christmas brews!

Other Drinks:
The Jubilee Tap also sells locally produced ciders, wines and Gilbert White’s Gin (made in collaboration with the Winchester Distillery). There are a range of soft drinks as well as cocktails, which can also be turned into mocktails. Here are some which are available:

Gilbert’s Garden Fizz – gin, prosecco, rose syrup, maraschino cherry liquor (Mocktail version — 0% gin, sparkling grape juice and no-alcohol rose syrup and grenadine).

Expresso Martini – Espresso, Vodka, Kahlua

Woo Woo – Vodka Peach Schnapps, Cranberry juice – grenadine, sparkling white grape juice Shirley Temple Mocktail – grenadine and ginger ale 

Food:
Why not enjoy a platter to share with your friends at the Jubilee Tap! There are a range of platters available:

Cheese Sharer – Enjoy a selection of our favourite freshly cut cheeses complemented with pickles, chutney, hummus and crackers.

Meat Sharer – This selection of our most popular sliced cured meats, is cherrypicked from local suppliers. Served with pickles, olives and fresh bread.

Nacho Sharer – Crunchy nacho chips with cheese, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, sliced chillies.

The History
The Jubilee Tap was previously called The Queens, and during Gilbert White’s time in the 18th Century it was called the Compasses Inn. Nestled in the heart of the village, opposite Gilbert White’s House, it has always played an important part in village life. In the 1830s it was part of the Selborne Riots, and in Gilbert White’s lifetime it was owned and run by White’s friend and neighbour Timothy Turner. Just like White, Turner brewed beer at home using hops and other ingredients from the local area.

‘Aug 26th, 1788
Mr Hale & Tim Turner begin to pick hops in the Foredown. Hale picked 350 bushels: his hops are large & fine.’
‘Aug 19th, 1789
Timothy Turner’s brew-house on fire: but much help coming in & pulling off the thatch, the fire was extinguished, without any farther damage than the loss of the roofing. The flames burst thro’ the thatch in many places.’ 

Brewing for the community today
With the hard work of both Gilbert White's House & Gardens and Derek Warwick Developments, the ground floor of the old Queen’s pub which closed in 2016 and lay empty for six years has been redeveloped into the Jubilee Tap Room. 

Chairman of Trustees, Khalid Aziz said ‘We have partnered with the Queen’s developer to help breathe new life into the Queens building. We want to celebrate its heritage in a way that is beneficial and sustainable for the village and to continue the local brewing tradition.' The idea for the Tap Room was sparked by the re-opening of Gilbert White's onsite brewery, as it provided the perfect venue to allow members of the public to enjoy the craft beer brewed over the road.

Gilbert White’s Brewhouse - built by Gilbert in 1765 and in which he experimented with different brews right up until 13 days before his death in 1793 - was officially re-opened as a brewery in 2021 and has been brewing beer since early 2020, producing over 15 different beers for sale at the museum. The various brews have been well received at beer festivals, including the Alton and Egham beer festivals and the ZigZag festival in Selborne. Couples getting married at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens can also help brew their own beer for their wedding with the brewing team.

The bar was named the Jubilee Tap Room back in June 2022 to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The royal name reflects the venue’s recent history having previously been called the Queen’s. The Brewery produces a number of commemorative beers for significant national events.

Achieving the museum's mission
The museum has a mission to tell the story of Gilbert White's life and work. Brewing was a part of White's life and something in which he took pleasure in. By opening the Jubilee Tap Room visitors can now fully experience one of White's past times and step back into history 
by tasting brews made with his recipes.

White is most famous for being a pioneering naturalist and it's his message about the wonders of our natural world that the museum carries forwards today by encouraging environmentally sustainable practices. The Brewery and Jubilee Tap Room contribute towards this in a number of ways, such as being an ambassador for reduced climate miles by sourcing the ingredients for the beer locally (including growing hops in the gardens) and brewing the beer a distance of less than 50 metres from where it is sold in the Jubilee Tap!

The brewery and Tap Room also contribute to the museum's community role. Many of the operations at the brewery are carried out by volunteers from the Selborne area and they help to support the running of the Tap Room making it a welcoming space for all.

Tours and Private Hire:

Please contact if you are interested in:
Group tours of the 1765 Brewhouse and the Jubilee Tap 
Hiring the Jubilee Tap for private events
If you are a couple getting married at Gilbert White’s House & Gardens