Real Ale Pub Crawl around Bristol

The first beer mission of our September 2012 holiday was to be the nearest city; Bristol. We had occupied ourselves during the day with a general walk around, up to Clifton Suspension Bridge, and a visit to the SS Great Britain. Both are creations by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and the latter is a ship museum well worth visiting, housed in a sealed dry dock in Bristol’s floating harbour.

After this we decided it would be a good time to start the days drinking and happily we were not far from a Good Beer Guide pub; the Orchard Inn. An unassuming single roomed cider pub, with a modestly sized bar that had been stocking more and more ales of late. Six were on offer straight from the barrel but being in a renowned cider pub in the heart of cider country, I felt I should at least have a half of the stuff. I should really have gone for a hand pumped cider, but being a complete novice in this area I opted for Somerset Cider (6.0%) by Thatchers. Pip was not convinced and could not resist a half of Golden Bolt (3.8%) by Box Steam Brewery, a wonderful ale that was on sale in the pub near to our holiday cottage. The sun was firmly out now and so we sat on one of the three picnic seats out the front, enjoying the corner position that the pubs occupies. The interior was inviting with tiled flooring, bench seats and the familiar iron lady round tables seen all over the country. A few locals were in attendance but as it was only later afternoon it was not busy.

We moved onto the next nearest GBG pub that would loop us round towards the city centre. The Merchant Arms sits on a busy roundabout near to the entrance of the floating harbour. It appears not to be in the GBG as of the 2013 edition but it worth a visit if you in the area. A two roomed boozer with a small bar to the left as you walk in, with wooden floors and wooden bench seats with the iron lady tables yet again in residence. John, the landlord was very friendly and asked where we were from. As I answered I pointed out a Deception pump clip on the wall and expressed my pleasure at seeing it this far south. I went on to recommend he should procure a barrel of Pale Rider by Kelham Island only to hear it had already been featured! He was aware of Sheffield’s legendary beer capital status and it’s good to hear that recognition spreads so far south. Locals were propping up the bar which was dispensing purely Bath Ales beers at that moment in time; I had a pint of the very quaffable Spa (3.7%) and Pip had a half.

 The afternoon was beginning to slip into early evening as we made our way to the Three Tuns, a local brewery tap for Arbor. An L-shaped pub with a covered decking area at the back, so much so that you’re not really outside. The amount of pump clips that adorn the walls suggests a prolific guest beer policy, although there were predominantly Arbor beers on for our visit. Past featured beers include those from breweries local to Sheffield with pump clips from Thornbridge, Raw, Ossett and Saltaire spotted. I had a beer from Arbor’s single hop series, Sterling (4.0%) and Pip had their Beech Blonde (4.9%). Both beers were far too hoppy for our tastes with the blonde not following what we would consider to be the traditional formula, even with half lager malt. We sat inside as the sun had gone in and appreciated the Chesterfield styled chairs on the wooden floor, observing that there was more of a bar feel to it than a pub. This could well be a shrewd move as its position lies close to the University, also perhaps accounting for the games machine, TV and not quite background music.

 

Our next stop was Eldon House, a trendy low lit pub on a quiet side street. There was not space to sit inside so we perched on the wooden bench seats that run along the front of the pub on the pavement. A popular food destination, decently priced and pleasing everyone from students to middle aged drinkers and diners. There is a small bar area in the room on the right which you walk into, and it is here where the five hand pump bar is. A larger room is to the right which was pretty lively on our visit, stone walls and seductively low lit it is where the majority of the tables are. Only 4 of the 5 hand pumps were in use and 2 of them were dispensing Beers from Bath Ales on that night. As we had their beers earlier we decided to have Hedonism (4.5%) from Potbelly, a brewery that is not uncommon around Sheffield. The clientele was mostly 30 something professionals and considering it was a Monday we were surprised at how busy it was.

From there we moved on to the Hope and Anchor which is coincidentally the name of an old Sheffield Brewery. It is close to Eldon House, being in the same chic inner suburban area and was also low lit. Tastefully decorated and with good use of dried hops it also had a wider range of ale to choose from, with 6 on offer from 5 different breweries. Bath Ales was featured once again and there was a feeling that this pub was also geared towards diners. Not as busy, indeed it was sparsely populated, it had a certain charm about that we liked. This was doubtless helped by the knowledgeable barman who did not hesitate to offer us samples, and the fact it offered a CAMRA discount! The pub had one room that was the width of the building and curved around the bar which was in the middle of the back wall. Candles were on every table and the local CAMRA publication was available, along with other local publications.

We now began to make towards the station, missing out a good few pubs along the way. You really need two nights to fully explore Bristol’s GBG entries but alas we only had one. But we decided to visit the Old Fish Market as it is a Fullers pub and they are few and far between outside London. 4 ales were on tap, 3 from Fullers (Discovery, London Pride and ESB) with a special from Butcombe Brewery, also popular in that part of the country. As the latter was a best bitter we opted for Discovery (3.9%) which we are actually quite fond of anyway. We enjoyed our beverage in fine surroundings, probably the grandest establishment of the night; lots of wood, decorated columns and tall plants. The large front round wraps around the bar, resulting in a long and narrow room at the back and becoming a sort of snug in the former stable entrance. A cafe bar occupies part of the back room and you can eat food from the Thai restaurant next door. It was very quiet but then it was only a Monday and in a quiet area of the city.

Next we made our way to the Seven Stars a free house positioned down a cobbled ally that narrows because of the pub itself. Happily, the part of the ally in front has been taken over as a makeshift beer terrace, making it a cosy if featureless seating area. Eight hand pumps dispense local beers and every Monday there is a beer festival that sources ales from the surrounding counties. The bar is horseshoe shaped with a larger area to the left that accommodates a pool table to the rear. The bar staff were very knowledgeable and proactively offered tasters. I plumped for White Friar by Abbey Ales (5.0%) and Pip had a half of Pitchfork (4.3%) by RCH.

Our last stop of the night was (purposefully) near to the train station and turned out to be something of a gem. Although we only just got served at 10:45! However it was a quiet Monday night so you can’t blame the barman for seizing the opportunity to get off early. The Cornubius is another pub that is tucked out of the way, down a side street, and takes its beer seriously. 12 hand pumps were in operation and pump clips covered almost every inch of available wall space in the seating area to the left as you enter. The pub is L shaped with the long part running the depth of the building, flanked by the bar on the left. Bench seats are to the right of this area with carpets all around and fairy lights here and there. The result is a very atmospheric space in which to sup, with board games, books and local pictures for entertainment. I drank Solstice (4.0%) by Glastonbury Brewery, a very nice pale ale that I also managed to get hold of in a bottle whilst away.

Overall we were perhaps more impressed with the pubs and the city itself than the beer we drank that night. Maybe we had been too spoilt by Box Steam Brewery who are very much to our tastes, and had a pub literally just around the corner from our holiday cottage. However we were also suitably impressed with the beers from Bath Ales and got the impression that they are the dominant brewery in that region. It was with much regret that we were not able to visit the Bristol Beer Factory’s Grain Barge that sits in the floating harbour, as it seemed to be undergoing some sort of cleaning.