An intriguing legend I think you'll agree and one typical of those used to explain the presence of gorges and river valleys across the UK and elsewhere since ancient times. Anyway, less of the giants for now and on to the exploring. The walk back from the Bridge was considerably easier than the walk up, largely due to being downhill and we began our day of drinking in the Harbourside area of the city, a place visited during my first ever trip down last year. Our first pub of choice was the Grain Barge.
As should be abundantly clear from the picture, this is a converted barge moored along the harbour side. The premises is operated as part of Bristol Beer Factory and it is largely their beers that are on offer, along with at least one guest. They also boast a bar in the Hold, open for live music performances. On offer on our visit were 4 beers from BBF, namely Sunrise, Malz, Nova and Seven as well as Arbor Triple Hop as a guest. Perhaps because of the gorgeous weather, I was instantly drawn to the Sunrise (4.4%). This is an English golden ale with a biscuit malt backbone followed by waves of citrus hops. Matt went for the Arbor Triple Hop which was also deliciously and, as expected, hoppy and very citrusy. The Grain Barge has an outdoor seating area on the upper deck so we decided that this was a good place to plant ourselves whilst the beers went down, which took a few minutes, during which we watched a dog jump in and out of the harbour chasing a stick thrown by its owner. Interestingly, a luminescent squid-like creature was filmed in the harbour in 2013 prompting wild speculation before being revealed to be a man-made promotional device for a TV show. Matt had again come up with an excellent itinerary for our second day and we tried to stick to this as accurately as possible.
With Matt's itinerary in mind, we took a wander further into the city centre to a place that I assured that I would enjoy, Zero Degrees.
Zero Degrees is a microbrewery nestled amongst some of Bristol's older buildings with a design that is sympathetic to the surroundings whilst incorporating the brewing equipment into the large interior. This is one of 4 venues across the UK, the other 3 being situated in Blackheath, Reading and, randomly, Cardiff. The beers on offer are put together on the premises and fill 16 handpulls with 6 main styles, including pilsner stout, wheat ales and craft lager. In essence, it's a less extreme but just as good version of BrewDog. I decided on a pint of the Wheat Ale (4.2%). This is a hefe-weizen with exotic top notes to the aromas. These aromas are predominantly banana with floral edges. On the palate the fruit notes continue with caramel coming through on the rich elegant finish. Matt opted for a 5.2% Californian Steam Lager, a pilsner style brew with a drinkable flavour and some nice aromas. We once again decided on open air heating, with the sun beaming down and my face taking the brunt of the damage. The smell of malt in the brewery added to the excellent feel to the day so far. I was very excited for what the rest of the day had in store.
For our next stop, we headed back downhill to a pub that has scene a resurgence in recent months due to a recent makeover with an emphasis on real ale and heavy metal (i.e. HEAVEN!!). The wonderful pub in question is none other than The Gryphon/Griffin.
This is a small but atmospheric pub with a narrow entrance that widens into a V shaped pub with the bar in the bigger of 2 rooms. When Matt and I arrive, the music is pure genius, heavy rock and metal with well known and obscure acts on offer. Gig posters for established and up and coming acts cover the walls. At this time of day, we are the only customers and this is not a bad thing as it means we are able to discuss the beer with the very attractive bar maid who happens to be on shift, whilst simultaneously attempting to guess the identity of the songs and artists that are playing (Battle Beast anyone?). Speaking of the beer, the ceiling is completely covered in pump clips, a testament to the pub's philosophy to never have the same beer on more than once. On offer for our delectation are 4 of the 6 available handpulls, boasting Atom Dark Alchemy, Oakham Racketeer, Caveman Brewery Si Teh Cah and Cheddar Ales Totty Pot. I was intrigued by Caveman Brewery as it was a new one on me so Matt and I went for a pint each. Based in Swanscombe in Kent, Caveman Brewery specialise in hoppy beers with big flavours. Sih Teh Cah is a good example of this. At 4.8%, this is a deep amber ale, with Ella and Rakau hops from New Zealand. A caramel malt backbone is complimented by a rich fruity hop character. We had such a good time in this pub that we decided on a second pint here, this time going for Oakham Racketeer, another of my favourite breweries. A new beer from the brewery's Oakademy of Excellence, Racketeer (5%), is a citrusy golden beer with more New Zealand hops dominating throughout. All in all, this may be one of my favourite pubs, with the possible exception of the toilets, which are in the basement and slightly reminiscent of a scene from Saw. Still, you can't have it all.
Next up, we made a quick stop off at Bristol Cider Shop, an independent local emporium that even delivers outside of the Bristol area for a courier fee. I picked up a couple of local ciders for Amy and Matt got some stuff for himself before we made our way to Bristol's oldest pub, The Hatchet Inn.
The Hatchet is named for the tools that local woodsmen used in nearby Clifton Woods. Grade II listed, the building dates from 1606 but has undergone significant alterations since. The pub has a pool room upstairs and a beer garden at the rear that faces the nearby O2 Academy. In the 18th Century, there was a rat pit at the rear of the building. The pub is notorious for being one of the taverns frequented by the infamous pirate Edward Teach (Blackbeard) who is alleged to haunt the building. The bar is U shaped and almost opposite one of the 2 entrances. The 3 handpulls feature Hobgoblin, Doom Bar and a charity Help for Heroes ale. Thatcher's real cider is also available. Matt and I decided upon the Help for Heroes ale (4.2%), brewed by Marston's on behalf of the charity with a percentage of the cost of each pint going towards this noble cause. The ale itself is copper coloured with nice malty, hoppy balance and an easy drinking flavour and mild aroma of biscuit. We were starting to flag a little by this time but were not about to give up easily.
Our next move was to a pub that Matt has raved about for a while. Nicknamed the 'Cat Pub', for reasons that will become clear, we next headed to the Bag O' Nails.
The nickname given to the pub, mostly by Matt, is due to the landlord's fondness for cats, of which at least 6 roam the premises. Only one of these is present in the bar area during our visit, curled up in the window on a copy of New Scientist. There is even a sign on the way in warning customers to be aware of the kitten to prevent any risk of her reaching the busy road outside the pub. The pub itself is certainly atmospheric, fairly small inside with 8 of 9 handpulls in use. These offer a regularly changing range of real ales. During our visit, beers are available from Hop Kettle, Bragdy Heavy Industry, Naked Beer Company, Ashley Down, Flying Monk, Left Handed Giant and Red Squirrel. I decided on a pint of Bragdy Heavy Industry's 77 (4.9%). This is a big amber IPA with dark Seville marmalade and piney peppery bitterness. Matt decided on Hop Kettle's Kia Ora which was very sweet and smooth. As we took a seat and enjoyed our beers, I took a moment to admire the long list of landlord's rules, scrawled on a pillar at the bar. Some of them are reasonable: Rule 11: No skipping a record once it has started. Others are tongue in cheek: Rule 12: Rule 11 does not apply to the landlord. Whilst simultaneously flicking through the magazine I'd extracted from under the cat (that's a strange sentence), and attempting to photograph said feline, Matt was engaged in conversation with a gentleman across the room. This began as a chat about Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits, segued further into music and then got strange when the gentleman told us about his 'innate ability' to identify a person's ancestral background from facial features alone. Interestingly, he couldn't work mine out until I told him, at which point it all apparently became clear. Worst superpower ever. We decided that this was probably our cue to leave.
We intended to only visit one more pub before I sadly had to depart for the station and the train back to the Midlands. This plan changed slightly when I became distracted by an interesting looking place that I'd never seen before. We decided to change tack slightly and made a quick trip to Beer Emporium.
Situated in a series of brick vaults beneath the streets of Bristol, the Beer Emporium is also a restaurant and a bottle shop. The interior is very modern with low ceilings and dark alcoves off to the side. The bar is well stocked with both handpulls and a variety of bottled products. 6 of the 12 available handpulls are in use, with beers from a variety of breweries local to the area and further afield. With time of the essence and finances running low, we decided that halves would be a better option here. I went for yet another beer from another brewery that I love, Abbeydale Cosmology (5%). This is a premium blonde bitter with crisp fresh-hop aromas and soft pineapple notes due to a blend of 2 Australian hops, Galaxy and Ella. Matt decided on a half of a beer from Nottingham's own Blue Monkey brewery. I feel that Beer Emporium is definitely worth a further visit when we have more time in future.
We had time for one more pub before my inevitable departure. This led to another change of plan as we swapped a pub that I've not visited for one that we thoroughly enjoyed on a previous visit and that happens to be closer to the train station that I would soon require. So it was, with heavy hearts and fuzzy heads, we made a return to The Cornubia.
The Cornubia is a much loved ale house, tucked away on Temple Street. It has featured in this blog before but I can't remember whether there was a picture but there is now at any rate. Amongst the quirky features of this great pub are various decorative flags and a turtle tank, complete with turtles which I took care to notice this time. Of the 10 available hand pumps, 7 were in use with their usual strong range of beers from all over the place. Between us we decided on Mantles Gold and Peerless El Dorado respectively. The El Dorado was excellent. At 4.8%, it is a full bodied malty amber ale with a distinctive, peachy fruit finish, derived from the hops that give the beer its name and provide a medium hop bitterness. It's a great beer with which to end a great couple of days.
Sadly, the time had come to make my weary way back to Temple Meads station for the long journey back to Nottingham. I always manage to have fun in the West Country. The beer and the company is excellent and I genuinely believe that a lot of regions would struggle to beat it for this. It's always increasingly hard to go home after so many hours of fun experiencing what this beautiful part of the country has to offer. But, never fear, I am intending to go back. As long as this part of the world keeps impressing me, it will be too hard to stay away.
With my work situation now more conducive to regular trips, expect to see further updates, on an almost weekly basis fairly soon. Until then, keep drinking!
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