Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion!

Regular readers of this blog will know that there is something of an annual tradition of a trip to Bristol, at least once a year, in order to explore the many excellent drinking establishments of a fantastic city. Last week it was that time again so Amy and I headed for the South-West for 2 days of much frivolity and many beers in many fine pubs, in the company of our good friends Matt & Jess. We arrived mid-morning on a suitably grey and wet Thursday having survived the initial stages of Storm Erik, which would make its presence known in some style in the following 36 hours.
Following a tea break and a chill out, it was time to begin our adventures in Bristol. For our first day, we had a rough plan in mind that involved exploring a number of pubs along and near the harbour area, making a rough loop around the Avon before heading back. This trip would sadly be in the absence of Jess who, as well as being a tad poorly, had to work but we would at least catch up with her later on.

Matt, Amy and I got the bus into the city centre and made our way to the harbourside, a couple of locations of which have appeared in previous entries. However, on this occasion, all but one of our stops was a brand new destination and I was very excited to see where the trip would take us. Our first stop was the Good Beer Guide listed No. 1 Harbourside.


Named after it's convenient location on the bank of the Avon, this is a modern pub/diner in an excellent position on the quayside of the floating harbour. The mostly glass frontage gives way to a spacious interior with tables and chairs arranged roughly centrally in front of the bar that sits along the back room. The facilities are comfortable and modern and there are further seats available outside but those are better saved for a day that is much finer than the one on which we visit. The bar boasts 5 handpulls, offering to us a choice between Bristol Beer Factory 12 Apostles, BBF Fortitude, Sharp's Atlantic, New Bristol Brewery Joy of Sesh and Butcombe Adam Henson's Rare Breed. After a moment's deliberation, Matt and I both opted for the Joy of Sesh (4.2%), whilst Amy warmed up for the day with a Grolsch. The Joy of Sesh proved to be a delicious way to begin the day. Packed with lots of flavour and certainly very sessionable, this beer is jammed with tropical, citrus and stone-fruit notes from Mosaic and Citra as well as a delicious, clean mouthfeel from the use of both oats and Maris Otter malt. New Bristol are one of a wonderful crop of new breweries that have sprung up in the city in recent years to strong acclaim and, with beers like this in their locker, it's not hard to see why! The day had gotten off to a strong start and, with ourselves sufficiently fortified, we carried on our journey.

We now began to made our way towards the Hotwells area of the city where we intended to pick up the Avon and make our way along the bank. On the way to this area, our fantastic friend and tour guide Matt suggested a quick detour to another pub that he was a big fan of. It proved to be an excellent decision and we next found ourselves at The Three Tuns.

Located on St. George's Road and in the shadow of Bristol cathedral, the Three Tuns welcomes all-comers with it's wonderful sign that features a regal looking Nicolas Cage (yes, that one). Independently owned and with an L-shaped interior, the pub won CAMRA Local Pub of the Year in 2012 and is Good Beer Guide listed. The furniture is a mixture of scrubbed wooden tables and mixed seating and there is also a heated rear patio that features a mural from a local artist. 7 handpulls grace the bar, with 4 of them being in use when we visit. Our choice is excellent and varied with Trefforest Brewery Crazy Peacock, Tap Social 16ft Norwegian, XT Brewing 13 and Tiley's Table Beer all available. Pontypridd based Bragdy Twt Lol, known in English as Trefforest Brewery, are a brewery that I'm familiar with as I often get bought bottles of their beer for Christmas from Amy's aunt who lives near the site. Their beers are named bilingually in both English and Welsh as is everything on their excellent website. My familiarity drew me instantly to Pewin Ynfytyn/Crazy Peacock (4.8%). This is a powerful and earthy American style IPA with big hoppy hits from North American Cascade and Columbus. It's also dry hopped with Pacific Gem and Cascade for an extra big hit of citrus. It's a delicious and thoroughly drinkable beer, belying it's ABV. I'm a big fan of the Three Tuns. It's small and welcoming with friendly and enthusiastic staff, cracking beer and a real community feel about it. I cannot recommend this place enough!

It was time for our journey to continue and we made our way down the road towards the river where our next location is permanently moored. Next up, a place that makes a return visit to this blog and also features in the Good Beer Guide, maintaining the spot it's deservedly earned for many years. We now arrived at the Grain Barge.

The barge was originally built in 1936 and converted into a floating pub in 2007 by Bristol Beer Factory who still run the premises. Views can be had of the SS Great Britain moored nearby as well as passing boats and the floating harbour. Accessed down a flight of steps, the main bar area takes up the lower deck with toilets and a performance space in the hold. Seating consists of wooden tables at each end as well as an extended wooden shelf that runs throughout the length and overlooks the water. The exposed upper deck acts as a beer garden as is a sun trap on summer days. The bar is just inside and to the right of the main entrance and features 5 handpulls, 4 of which were in use on the day in question. 3 of the beers are, unsurprisingly, from Bristol Beer Factory, namely Fortitude, Nova and Force of Nature. The 4th pump is occupied by Zero Zero from Arbor, another local brewery. Craft lager and cider are also available namely Korev from St. Austell and Sulis from Bath Ales as well as Caple Road and North Street ciders. It seemed only fitting to try one of BBF's own beers in one of their establishments and I decided that the Force of Nature was a worthy choice. How right I was! Brewed to celebrate the brewery's 14th birthday, this is best described as a hop bomb. Brewed with Ekuanot, Simcoe, Galaxy and Citra, the beer is bursting with tropical fruit and flavours of grapefruit, passionfruit, papaya and peaches. The taste is well rounded and smooth with all the punchy fruit you'd expect and a more than drinkable ABV of 4.2%. Matt had swung for the craft lager in the form of Bath Ales Sulis and Amy had tackled the North Road cider. Both seemed very pleased with their choices and we enjoyed our drinks as we watched the boats go by and the rain come down.

The afternoon was in full swing by the time we disembarked and headed down the river bank to our next location, which sits adjacent to a road bridge over the river. We had now reached the Pump House.

This Grade II listed building was constructed around 1870 by Thomas Howard in order to house a hydraulic pump that powered bridges and lock gates around the harbour. It was replaced in this function by the current hydraulic engine house in the 1880s and is now a pub and restaurant renowned for serving excellent food produced by an award winning chef. The building is owned by Bristol City Council and sits at the spot where Bristol Docks meet the Avon. Inside, the décor is comfortable and features exposed brickwork, bric-a-brac and breweriana. The ceilings are high and the bar is roughly central and very well stocked with the entire back wall made up of several shelves of a very substantial gin selection. The bar also features 5 handpulls. 2 of this proffered the choice of Moor Beer Confidence and St. Austell Cornish Best Bitter. Being a big fan of Moor Beer, I was instantly won over by this choice. Confidence (4.6%) is styled as a red ale with flavours of rich caramel and toffee malt and a burst of fruity, juicy hops. Moor Beer are doing cracking things and I've yet to try a beer of theirs that I haven't enjoyed. This beer is no exception and is yet another reason why Bristol is one of the best beer cities in the UK, nay, the world.


It was over the road bridge and onto the opposite bank of the docks for out next location as we began the return loop of our beer tour. Our first stop on this side of the water saw us visit the Nova Scotia.

A pub since 1811, the Nova Scotia started life as 3 terraced cottages situated on the area known as Spike Island adjacent to the Cumberland Basin at the very end of the Avon Gorge. Formerly a coaching inn, the building is Grade II listed and still retains features of it's previous life, including lanterns and the entrance to the coach yard. The single bar to one side serves a small lounge area, a more basic strip by the bar and the 'Captain's Room' behind a Victorian screen. The décor includes photos of old Bristol and pleasant furnishings whilst seating is largely wooden tables and chairs. There is also a jukebox with an eclectic variety of genres prompting much conversation amongst ourselves. On the bar sit 5 handpulls, with a choice on this occasion of Courage Director's, Charles Wells Bombardier, the house Nova Scotia Ale, Caledonian Deuchars and Box Steam Golden Bolt. I decided on the Bombardier and this proved to be in excellent condition. Conversation turned, amongst other things, to what Extreme sound like when they're not singing More Than Words and the upcoming festival season with an emphasis on Download. Before we knew it, our glasses were empty and it was time to move on to yet another pub.

Our next location was handily nearby and we paused momentarily to observe the Clifton Suspension Bridge, resplendent on the distant hillside, before we entered The Cottage Inn.

Famed for its suntrap location, especially in the afternoon and early evening, this is a Butcombe owned premises located in Baltic Wharf with excellent views of the aforementioned bridge. Ferries to the centre depart from right outside the pub so it's a perfect place to visit for a pint before a scenic waterborne journey back into town. Cosy and quaint inside, The Cottage is decorated with bric-a-brac and other memorabilia as well as old photos of the area and the city as whole. The 4 handpulls offer Ashton Still Cider, Liberation EPA and 2 beers from Butcombe, namely Butcombe Original and Butcombe Gold. I'm an enormous fan of Butcombe's beers so decided to have the Gold and, as usual, it was marvellous with its fresh, earthy and herbal notes. Thoughts here turned to our experiences of flying, brought about by mine and Amy's recollection of particularly awful turbulence we encountered en route to Florida in September. Flying of a different sort was on our minds next as we left this excellent pub behind and flew on to our next destination.

Our next stop was one that a Bristol City supporter had recommended to me during a recent visit to the Nottingham pub where I work. It seemed only fair to take his advice and visit the Bristol Beer Factory Tap Room.

Located in the Bedminster area of the city, this is a very comfortable brewery tap room in an old building that was previously used as a tobacco factory and now also doubles as an event space. Seating inside consists of tables with benches, stools, chairs and even a 3 piece suite. The furniture itself is scattered throughout the room, which has an almost school hall feel to it and includes a small stage at one end with curtains obscuring whatever may lay beyond. The bar is known to get busy at weekends due to its proximity to Ashton Gate, home to both Bristol City and Bristol RFC. The bar, which sits in one corner, features 6 handpumps, most of which tend to be those of the owners BBF, although there are guests. During our visit, the available options were Fortitude, Nova and Independence, all from BBF as well as Quartet, a collaboration between BBF and another local brewery, Wiper & True. The 2 guest ales were Good Chemistry Future Shadow and, from distinctly further afield Saltaire Triple Choc Stout. The Quartet was my choice for the occasion and a great it was too. At 4.2%, this is a citrus and lactose session IPA with the big hop notes and balanced maltiness of an IPA combined with the sweet creaminess of the lactose for a beer that hits in all the right places. Bristol does beers right!

Our next plan was to begin to head back towards the water and check out some more pubs in the area of Wapping Wharf. On our way, we decided to pop into a pub that would help to break up what was otherwise a fairly long walk. To say we took a punt on the next pub we saw in close proximity would pretty much sum it up! Either way, we had a quick pit stop at the Avon Packet.

Décor-wise, this pub turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Single roomed, with a central bar and seating situated around, the Avon Packet boasts a number of unique internal and external features. As well as a bridge over a bear pit in the back garden, there is also a duck pond and a children's play area, a collection of toy buses behind the bar and walls covered in vintage photographs. As this was just a pit stop, we had time for a quick half of Doom Bar, the one beer available amongst the 4 handpumps and warmed ourselves by the log fire, although perhaps a bit too much as it felt like my face was melting. The pub was moderately busy for a Thursday although it was close to finishing time for local businesses so I suspect it may have been the after work trade and was definitely made up of regulars. 

Moving on from our unscheduled stop, we headed back towards the Redcliffe area, where Wapping Wharf is located, to visit a pub that Matt has mentioned many a time, a pub and music venue known as the Louisiana.

Standing out due to its Mississippi-style exterior, this landmark pub is well known locally as a popular an vibrant live music venue which has showcased lots of bands, both before and after they were widely known. Scottish indie band Travis has previously played here, amongst other more decorated acts. The downstairs bar area is decorated with softwood tables and cushioned chairs. The bar is to the right as you enter and curves around the room with the seating arranged between the bar and an area to the rear where the toilets can be found and where carvery stations appear to be on standby, albeit minus the food. On the bar, 2 handpulls feature a choice between Butcombe Original and Bath Gem. Having not had any Bath ales thus far, the Gem seemed like a good way to go and I'm pleased to say that it was. Once again, Bath Ales is a brewery from which I've never had a bad pint. 

We had time for one more venue before tiredness and hunger dictated the rest of the evening. It was decided that we'd venture to Wapping Wharf to explore a bar that showcased yet another of Bristol's fantastic breweries, one that has been doing excellent things with barrel aging and wild yeast strains for a while now. I speak of course of Wild Beer.

Officially known as Wild Beer at Wapping Wharf, this is a new bar in a brand new development. This may upset the purists amongst you to know that, whilst the venue has 20 beers on tap, these are all on keg and served in quantities of 2/3 or smaller. Still, it would be rude to investigate the place further, especially when it's now managed by somebody I worked with many years ago. The interior consists primarily of low bench style tables, with the bar at one end and the kitchen at the other, some parts of which are visible. There was almost too much to choose from here but I did manage to make a note of the full list, the majority of which featured beers from Wild Beer themselves. Wild Beer offerings included Sleeping Lemons, Shika, Dirty Boots, Sleeping Limes, Bibble, Funky Dory, Pogo, Epic Saison, Sour Dough, Millionaire, Yokai, Et Tu?, Redwood, Fresh and Taras Boulba. 2 guest beers came from Siren in the shape of Cradle of Future and Suspended in Cascade, whilst a 3rd came from Good Chemistry with Wit's End. Pilton Stickleback Cider and Perry's Barn Owl cider were also available. More than a little overwhelmed, I played it safe and went for the Bibble (4.2%), a fruity and hoppy session ale with a good, solid malt base. Truly, Wild Beer are wizards and this place is a sight to behold.

We were now truly starting to flag and, with the prospect of another day of drinking the following day, took the decision to head home via a takeaway to fuel ourselves for a good night's sleep and more of the same. I can never reiterate enough how amazing Bristol is. Every time we go back, I discover new and amazing beers and pubs. And this was just Day One! Stay tuned for a full report on Day Two which featured several return trips to some old favourites as well as some brand new pubs and some great laughs had by all. Watch this space! Until then, I must bid you adieu!