A last pub in Bristol for Monday night, leaving an irritating loner a couple of miles to the north-east to do (Duncan will have been there before breakfast).
The Crofters Rights (YOU argue about apostrophes) is an entertaining walk to Stokes Croft, the east Berlin of the West Country.
It’s good to see the Hillgrove still proudly displaying the Ushers livery; surely Lost & Grounded or BBF can revive this classic beer ?
In two words, the Crofters is “very Bristol“.
If I’m honest, the pubs on Stokes Croft tend to merge into one another; this one could well have been Canteen across the road.
And the beer taps along the wall could have come straight from the Volunteer.
It was nigh on impossible to distinguish the cask from the keg from the ciders along the wall, which matters to the hardcore 27%.
More urgently, it was impossible to get served as a large group of Japanese ladies spread out across the bar, passing successive tasters between themselves.
Now, I’m delighted to see a diverse crowd in our pubs, but there was one overworked barman offering tasters and advice, and it was a good ten minutes to serve the group above.
But the thing was, they then all had pints of the strongest ones. Respect due. I felt a real weakling nursing a half of Under Current (Siren again) which was decent but a bit chilled (NBSS 3).
So why had the entire population of Japanese under-25s tipped up ?
I was tempted to stay, and it was hard enough climbing the stairs from the loos,
but my Low ticket had cost me rather more than the fiver being asked for Big Stink, and I wanted to see some more graffiti art in Hepburn Road.
Low are the band most likely to take the “Always changing, always the same” mantle from The Fall. You’ll notice my gig photography is as good as my gig reviews.
Good acoustics, duff beer at the Trinity, so I had coke. A successive wave of cancellations due to a fatality at Paddington had me scurrying back to Temple Meads at 10.20, arriving 2 minutes before the last train of the night back to Bath. If there’d been a Bristol Tap I’d have chanced it, mind.
retiredmartin 
You’re stuck on that Minnesota music aren’t you? First Dylan…now…
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And Prince and Husker Du ! Good grief.
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Well, he wouldn’t be the first, now would he?
Incidentally – I’m sorry, I’ve said this before – where are the Blues Brothers, now that they’re really needed?
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Partly dead. Sorry to break that to you. Leo Sayer is still about though, if that helps.
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Sadly, not just in the literal sense, maybe.
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Hepburn Road AKA Crack Alley! Brave man.
Only been to the Crofters once just for the sake of form. It was ok but the Hillgrove’s a better bet I think.
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Brave = Stupid.
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“it was impossible to get served as a large group of Japanese ladies spread out across the bar” –Had to read this bit aloud to my wife, all the way through to “Respect due.” We both had a good chuckle, though she did apologize on behalf of her (younger) counterparts. 😉
Seems an unusual sighting in the history of your blog; do you often come across groups of Japanese people in pubs?
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Nothing to apologise for ! Those pubs encourage tasters, and there’s no way they’d have a clue what they were. Their round would have cost about £50 too. And that is possibly the FIRST time I’ve seen a group of younger Japanese folk in a pub, except perhaps the Eagle in Cambridge. Oddly, the bands on didn’t appear to be Japanese (I know a few groups). Odd but encouraging.
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Once saw a very well heeled Japanese tourist spend about £75 on takeout in Camden Brewdog, really expensive esoteric stuff. He knew his stuff and had obviously come for what he wanted.
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Did this one on a Saturday night and it was absolutely heaving. Plastic glasses only. No crofters or Japanese women in sight though, spread out or otherwise. Interesting area!
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