Did you know that I took a real keen interest in British pubs for the better part of a decade when I was living and working in Canberra? Yeah, well, that’s a true story! And so, when you think about Australians abroad it conjures up all sorts of thoughts about how we enjoy a drink or two (not as much as the Brits, or the Irish do, perhaps).

But, let me ask a very serious question here — what’s the most cultural thing an Aussie bloke can do when visiting South America…? Visit a street food market (well, yes, but not in this context!) Have a tour of the local street art scene (correct, again! But, no…) and travel to Machu-Pichu for an epic day hike, and tour? (Ah, yeah… but, hang on a minute… I’m getting to these activities later on).

No, what’s the most Aussie thing a bloke can do when abroad, and when bored? Ah, visit a British pub, you ask? Well, yes! You see, there really is no other option when abroad, when you’ve done most, if not all of the cultural activities that a country has to offer, and you’re after a bit of downtime to truly let your hair down — So then, what do we do? We look to the ‘mother country’ for a bit of cultural intervention, of course! Yeah, except we’re in South America, and this is the land of the Spaniard colonialists, NOT the British (from a bygone era), and I’m just so happy to be in a bar that’s borrowed a little bit of Soho, perhaps? Or the nouveau hipster-ville vibes of Manchester (aka ‘Mad-chester’ according to one of this pubs aptly named brews), and I’m back again in an Old Blighty, Pommy, British, Rule Britannia! pub of sorts, except — ‘you’re not on Fleet Street anymore, Boris!’ And there’s no fake British memorabilia adorning the walls (great!) So this would be an actual, real British pub I thought to myself, Well, kind of… you see the facade looks nothing like a British pub, but the inside looks a lot like an actual London, soho sort of pub in parts, and there are hints of Old Blighty around — with handpumps to ‘pull’ as in dispense a beer, and aptly named British beers (Madchester etc). But you’re in Peru now (not England), having a brew, and drinking in a place that rhymes with ‘dicks’, as in ‘WICKS’… brew pub. What has the world come to?

And so, out of all the bars there are in Lima I’ve settled on a British (Gringo) pub? Why?! Because… that’s what a (sort of) gringo does, he visits a pub that is quintessentially (NOT) Peruvian, and drinks where the local British also happen to drink… never mind that there’s probably heaps of genuinely authentic craft brew bars in Lima, and all over Peru — but he chooses a bloody British (Colonialist) outpost to sink a few pints, and sort of remind him of home… wait, wasn’t I trying to have a bit of a change in scenery from my home country for a while? (And I am Australian, not British!) But we do have a very strong pub culture back home (just like the Brits, even though they are a bit hard to shake!) but we were very much once British, and a lot of our culture is based off of the British, so one can be forgiven for entering an ‘Old Blighty’ watering hole when you’re an Aussie, for a tipple of some bloody beer (not terrific tea). And did you know that Aussie beer culture comes directly from the British (something the ‘Aussies actually stole from the British!’ Ha, take that… Your Royal Higher-nesses (Ello, Nessie!)

But, hold up… hold up just a minute! Just what is a British pub doing in Lima, and Peru of all places anyway?! Well, it has a lot to do with the fact that Peruvians LOVE craft beer, that’s what. Peruvians just love the free flowing beer that comes on tap, and therefore they love a bit of Old Blighty, or Rule Britania in Barranco, and they love a pub visit or two as well.

Walk up to this brew pubs bar and you’ll see a couple of hand-pumped, or is it.. a hand-cranked beer line? Either way it does not matter — all that matters is that there is BEER, and that in the spirit of a British pub, you get a bit of Britain in South America (minus the Falkland Islands, of course!) So, gringo it up in South America old chap, and get your pommy arse to the Blighty Barranco ‘WICKS’ brew pub, Lima, in a district called Barranco, serving up bloody beautiful BRITISH style beer! (n.b. this is not a hipster free zone, so expect to see these people here).

So, what would do I score this British pub in Peru, in South America anyway? I would give this pub a Seven Out of Ten. Yes, yes… I know it’s a little bit generous, however, the pub wasn’t fully, and entirely British in that fake kitsch style of British pubs (if you know, you know)… And it was a pleasant experience, and one where I wasn’t expecting a British pub (to be brutally honest), and one which is no doubt a little unique for the local population too.

It’s not everyday that a British pub pops up somewhere (apart from those chain owned, memorabilia driven ‘Planet Hollywood’ style pubs, and this place was most definitely not ‘one of those’. It was distinctly craft brew oriented and independent, however they could have highlighted that a bit more, and perhaps could have promoted British food a bit more.

As you can see from one of the photos (above gallery) their focus on anything British was certainly noted, and the famous ‘fish & chips + a 1 pint’ was evidence of this, as the ‘Friday combo’ can attest to this. But I didn’t come here to eat, so I can’t testify as to the quality of the fish and chips, or the bangers & mash, or the Yorkshire puddings. I can only say that the beer was good, and that’s it.