
Bristol’s suburbs take a bit of getting used to, which I like. Better to be lost in a dangerous part of town than to know where you are, any day.

It turns out the Greenbank isn’t actually in St Pauls, it’s in Easton, or possibly Stapleton Road, where I get off the train.

Anyway, this is the challenging side of town, though the gritty backstreets are rather softened by the arrival of Guardian reader bistros like Dela;
“Pearl barley and British bean salad with organic Bristol leaves, charred spring onion, tomato, almond and parsley pesto (vg) (gf available) 6.9 “
I would have joined the mums and toddlers for brunch, but I fancied chips.
The Greenbank is this year’s new GBG entry in the arty east, though frankly I’ve seen better pub signs.


The What Pub description says it all; “Asset of Community Value“, “community pub“, “family friendly“, “Wiper and True“.
But is the beer any good ?

Well no. Something called the Incredible Equinox was strictly diacetyl, and £4.30 a pint (ouch), even though someone else had just ordered a pint. It was the only pint poured while I was in there. Plenty of interesting craft (see top), though everyone was on premium lager and wine, even on a weekday.
I quite liked the pub, despite “yer mam’s 70s living room” styling and incessant crying from toddlers (JUST GIVE THEM A CUDDLE !).
“OK Bud”
“Thank you matey”
I’m a sucker for new forms of greeting.
But no chips here either, with a faux Carribean cultural appropriation of a menu.

But it’s a community asset, so it clearly deserves a Beer Guide place.

The Pilgrim made progress in search of decent beer, And chips.

Is there a dangerous part of Bristol?
I just tend to wander around mosr places aimlessly, and not notice anything untoward in most places, then rely on a Scottish accent to dissuade any dubious people from trying to take things any further. Or wave a CAMRA card in their general direction to persuade them I’m completely mental and potentially dangerous.
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No, nowhere in England is that dangerous. I wouldn’t advise Mudgie to wear his Corbyn T-shirt in Maidenhead Conservative Club, though.
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I have never had a Corbyn T-shirt so that must be “the Stockie Mudgie”.
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You can wear it on alternate weekends.
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I have a long association with Bristol and I can say with accuracy there is no dangerous part of Bristol. There are no gritty back streets and nothing challenging – it’s all rather pleasant really.
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Richard,
From all the weekends I spent in Bristol, staying in Bedminster, during the 1980s I would agree.
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I lived in Bedminster for 6 months and although people said it was a rough area, I never found it to be so. Okay, the housing stock was a bit run down in parts but the people were very friendly and welcoming. Spent some good nights in the Windmill. I was working on an animal behaviour project (feral cats) and worked alone at night tracking them using radio telemetry. I never once felt threatened nor encountered anything untoward.
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I stayed in Fraser Street just a short distance from the Windmill pub.
I never noticed any cats but, first up in the morning, would take ‘Badger’ the border collie for a run in the park.
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The cats lived in the old tannery just off the main road near to the urban farm. The tannery got pulled down and the study was to see where they went – the back of the shopping centre just across the road!
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They moved “just across the road” because Stockport is 170 miles away.
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Is this what triggered your ailurophobia?
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No. I’ve always suffered from hay fever and asthma symptoms around cats.
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Try wearing away colours in streets and pubs around the Mem… not for the egg chasing when they were there, obviously… but the Gas… hmmm 😦
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There’s always football dickheads everywhere, sadly. Nowt against football neither, just dickheads.
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Not the blog to get into a discussion on football’s whys and wherefores rather than pubs and beer, but in my experience there are very few grounds (& their surrounding areas) were there’s any need to avoid identifying oneself. The Mem is one of the few.
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Another case of a pub getting in the Guide on “marks for effort” rather than consistent beer quality? 🤔
“Incessant crying of toddlers” – oh joy of joys? Where’s that Childcatcher when you need him? 👿
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Would they be Twoddlers? Has Si used that one yet?
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No he hasn’t. Or Twadults. Copyright them quick.
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I think he’s used “twabies”.
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Lots to go at. Twids, Twouples, Twiners, Twamblers, Twardian Readers (that last one a bit pointless).
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I think he may have used “twamblers” too. Will not be happy if he refers to “twudgies”.
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Tweer and Twubbers
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I would have given those toddlers the candles and some matches to play with.
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More rugby and cricket dickheads at the minute Rich…although the Telegraph probably still think it’s just rough play from the boys or handbags…
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“Real Brizzle”
As we* say over here; that’s ‘fo shizzle’.
* – well, not me but those who have an affinity for rap do.
““Wiper and True“.”
Didn’t they open for Fo Shizzle back in 2015?
“the Incredible Equinox was strictly diacetyl, and £4.30 a pint (ouch),”
Bloody hell; you’re should be up for a CAMRA award for most shite beer served.
“Excess carbonation”
That’s the same photo as the one above it. 🙂
“The Pilgrim made progress in search of decent beer, And chips.”
This is similar to the Cinderford windup, innit?
Cheers
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They’re all wind-ups, Russ.
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It’s always reassuring that you can find bad beer in the most crafty places and pay a lot of money for it.
At those sort of prices they should change the casks after 2 days and flush the lines every 3 hours…
…. (or just sell keg).
Wait – I think that could be a CAMRA manifesto….
I guess the crying babies helped to take your mind off the bad beer – but not in a good way.🙄
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I think the cellarmanship was probably fine, but homebrew and low turnover produces dull beers
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I used to go to the Cadbury House in Montpelier which was an education but I think it has the Guardian seal of approval these days.
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The Guardian knows nothing about pubs.
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It did with the “Boston on beer” column each Saturday but that was over forty years ago.
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Nice cameo from Catboy in the top pic
I always enjoy a bit of PJ Masks content
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You’re nearly as culturally aware as BRAPA, Kirsty !
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I am beginning to wonder if poor beer is attracted to you like moths to light. I was there on a very busy Saturday night and good quality cask was flying out. It’s either that or midweek syndrome. Did you get that Landsdowne done eventually?
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Midweek syndrome. And I think I’m less accepting of average (NBSS 2/2.5) cask in these days of tasty key keg. As you’ll recall, I thought Manx beer quality nearly universally good or better.
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Was the candle debris caused by you waxing lyrical?
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Five points.
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“Was the candle debris caused by you waxing lyrical?”
(slow golf clap)
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