I finally get to the main purpose of my trip. New pubs in Bristol and Duluth’s finest noise merchants Low at Bristol Trinity (I should leave the music reviews to Matt).
On the 16.28 train from Bath Spa (devoid of incident, sadly) I got into a mild panic as the closing hours at the Bristol Beer Factory tap seemed to veer between 5pm and 7pm depending on the source.
So I phoned them from the quiet of the pasty shop on Temple Meads platform.
Couldn’t hear a thing over the announcements and with my hearing aid on the blink, so I gave up.
But then the nice lady phoned me back and assured me they’d “100%” be open if I got there by six. I prefer 110%, but it’d do. One cheer.
Google Maps said 37 minutes, but it was drizzling (Brizzle is actutally worse than Manchester) and did in 29, even with a couple of stops.
The Bell in Redcliffe is so closed it’s not even shown as closed on WhatPub. And that’s not street art.
Over in Bedminster, the Avon Packet nearly made me stop for a £2.50 pint of Courage Best, but I wasn’t taking chances.
The BBF is listed under Bedminster in the Guide, but it looks like Southville, or even Ashton Gate to me. Like sticking a Histon pub under Waterbeach to make it seem “trendier“.
After a stressful half hour, I needed a pint.
“Which one would you recommend ?”
“I’d go for the “Unplanned Nights” mate”
Just like that. A clear recommendation. No “Would you like a taster ?” or “It depends” nonsense. Two cheers.
Yes, it’s not the Kings Head or the Seven Stars, but there’s proper handpumps, great brewery tat, thick pint glasses and actual tables. Three cheers.
A few after-workers in for a quick beer, and a few folk enquiring about dogs, which seem to have replaced children as the new “must-have” accessory to take to pubs.
The photo below was taken about 127 seconds after I sat down, it was that good. Cool, rich, unfussy, easy drinking. NBSS 3.5.
Four cheers.
Time to hit the town.
retiredmartin 
“Not any more” – yes, now Brewed only at the Bedford Brewery rather than “Brewed only at the Bristol Brewery” but they’re both seven letters beginning with “B” so that must be some sort of provenance !
The “Emergency handpumps” look to be Gaskell and Chambers ones as are to be found in the Star at Bath.
Rather that “bizarrely using Bath as a base for Bristol” I shall next month bizarrely be using Bristol as a base for Bath and, from the good reports of it on here, shall seek out a pint or two from the Bristol ‘Beer Factory’ in the Arnolfini which is just a door or two from my £18.63 bed and breakfast. I remember Smiles beers in the Arnolfini thirty years ago, and in the Highbury Vaults. .
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Never mind all that, tell us more about the £18.63 B&B. Does it have a roof ?
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Bristol Youth Hostel.
£13 bed = £16 less £3 member’s discount
£5.63 breakfast = £6.25 less 10% for pre-booked
= £18.63 total.
It’s dormitory accommodation but after a pint or two during the day all that’s really needed is that roof.
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Well done.
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Ah, Smiles, fine beer transformed into undrinkable swill through overexpansion and general mismanagement. Fond memories of the Smiles Brewery Tap (a proper pub open proper hours as opposed to 90 minutes every other Tuesday when there’s an “R” in the month). It had a lovely horseshoe-shaped slate bar counter, which I believe Luke from the Bag of Nails still has somewhere.
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I think Smiles were the company that showed me the cask lottery for the time. We spent a few great evenings at the Highbury Vaults (was that the tap ?) in mid-to-late ’90s, before they sold to Youngs. I also remember their novelty beers turning up in S&N pubs in Liverpool and elsewhere in the mid-2000s, where they were undrinkable. I always assumed it was slow turnover, mind.
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The Highbury was Smiles’ first tied house as opposed to the tap, if memory serves me correctly. Got sold to Young’s together with the rest of their overextended tied estate. The Brewery Tap was the only one they kept. It won some sort of CAMRA award for best new pub sometime in the 90s. Smiles took a couple of other pubs during their death throes including the Cornubia which they ran into the ground. It was closed for several months before rising triumphantly from the ashes as a multi-beer free house full of beers you’ve never heard of. Hmmm…
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Did love the Cornubia; presumably pre-Smiles. Had a magnificent Courage Best there, only beaten by one at Millennium Dome (RIP), on its final day, bizarrely.
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In Stafford’s Bird in Hand most Wednesday evenings through the 1980s I drank Courage Best Bitter, tastier than many of the Midland bitters, but in Bristol would have the 1030 OG “light and flavoursome” Courage Bitter Ale which was one of the last half dozen “boys’ bitters”.
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I can’t offer any help with an anagram for Bristol Beer Factory just yet, but did once get Dog On Crapper, for that stuff from Skipton.
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How about “Bristol Factory Beer” ?
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Terrify Abbot closer
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I used to love The Arnolfini. Sadly it’s just a cafe to the arts centre now, the heavy refectory benches and tables, almost reminiscent of a beer hall have gone and there was no cask ale on when I last called in (about 2 years ago). It was one of my favourite places once (circa 1983/4)
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I do like Bristol. The only criticism is that pubs tend to have very similar customers in a way that’s true.of Cambridge and Norwich as well.
Cask suffers a bit from “look at.the choice syndrome”.
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Love Brizzle. Really enjoyed living there, but that was a long time ago. Kings Arms still a favourite, atmosphere and music, but would drink cider.
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You get a very different perspective on Bristol just visiting the new Beer Guide pubs each year, compared to doing all the Guide ones including the classics or what Boak & Bailey are doing.
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Do you mean the same Duluth, which gave us Bob Dylan, Martin?
He did OK in Bristol too. They liked his hamonica.
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*harmonicol, even
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Corrected it for you. I have the power. Just like Snap !
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Who ?
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Nah, this is Bristowe, or Bristol as its now called, Martin. Why they add an “l”, or “ol” to final vowels is something of an enduring enigmol.
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Etu,
Omitting the last letter from words always sounds much better in Bristol than in France.
Someone troubled with poor TV reception didn’t understand if it was the aerial or the area.
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Yes, I had a nice night out in Bristol.
Fional, Samanthal, Alexal, and Andreal were great company.
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My mistake.
Of course, it’s a letter added rather than one missing.
You can tell how long it is since I’ve been there.
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Only 3.5, you’re a hard taskmaster, what would elevate it to a 4 or 4.5?
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Oh, go on, give it a 4 then. 3.5 is Very Good, 3 is Good Beer Guide standard, and 4 upwards are reserved for pubs with interesting arguments, manic landlords or those squirrel flavoured Pipers. All in the NBSS guidelines.
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Perhaps I’m too generous or grateful living in this here London!
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I did score a Hophead in Hendon a 4.5 recently, Paul. Beer quality in London can surprise !
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you cant go wrong with the Bristol Beer Factory IMO,its tap which it still closed Sundays right ? they do have other bars around Bristol though open on Sundays,and there is definitely one within walking distance of Temple Meads if you feel like it 🙂
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Tap open 12-7 according to website. Oddly more a daytime than nighttime venue, guess it coins it on matchday.
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Still not too sure about Bristol Beer Factory. You see it quite a bit round here in pubs you wouldn’t expect to. I really want to like it but apart from a few nice pints I have been repeatedly disappointed to the point of ‘I don’t try it anymore’.
Maybe they are trying too hard and sending beer out to ‘pubs you wouldn’t expect to see it in’ who don’t look after it. Maybe there’s quite a few brewers doing this. That’s why I like the ethos of the Church End brewery whose pub we went into the other week in Worcester. As I said elsewhere (my blog site actually!), after winning CBOB they continued walking rather than breaking out into an ungainly run.
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You were spot on about Church End. It’s a dilemma, though. Get your beer to market but risk it being left to turn tepid on the bar and have beer bloggers report inconsistencies as if it’s your fault.
Reverse of the BBF, I enjoyed Brass Castle (who face that expansion challenge) in the Bristol POTY last year. Was a tap takeover, brewer probably came down with the beer. Haven’t seen Sunshine since your 2017 Beer Fest though, which is sad.
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“From A to B”
I’m guessing the A 370 onto the B 3120. 😉
“NOT a Banksy”
Course not. It’s a former pubsy. 🙂
“You’re so Bristol, you don’t even know it”
I actually understand that a little bit.
“Emergency handpumps”
And emergency reading material for that matter.
“The photo below was taken about 127 seconds after I sat down, it was that good.”
You were sipping at it on the way over from the bar weren’t you? (j/k)
“Interesting lacings”
I see a horse and possibly a pterodactyl.
(five) cheers 🙂
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You spelt pterodactyl right.
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And without cheating. 😎
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