I'd have said this was more of a surprise than Southampton. While I've had one or two deent pints there in the past, most notably in the Hospital Arms, I usually come away disappointed.
Southampton is not such a surprise to me - The Wellington Arms, Duke of Wellington and Guidedog are always consistently good and there are a few other gems in the surrounding villages.
I will be doing a bit more rail travel this year, so might find a few more surprises - a different perspective, I guess.