Good Beer Guide Pubs - #807 to #811
Previous Bristol Pub Crawls - City Centre 1, City Centre 2
Discovering Bristol's Good Beer Guide Pubs around the floating harbour
Although I can never see myself ticking every pub in any one year of the Bible, I would settle on finishing Bristol. This is my third visit in the 2020's and although steady progress is being made, there's lots more to do.
A Geocaching trail meant I was completing a full circuit of the floating harbour (had to google, ensures the tidal River Avon maintains a constant height). And of course, the waterside is where the good pubs are - luring in thirsty sailors and the carnival that follows through the centuries.
First of the day - and it's unique for me - actually on the water. My untappd check in elicits several replies - I need to also go to Peterborough and Grimsby. The Grain Barge belongs to the Bristol Beer Factory although the friendly bar staff seemed unaware that they were in the book. Maybe some work to do on their marketing? To be fair, tickers would come regardless of advertising. Great views of river life, SS Great Britain in particular. The Independence was beer of the day. Found again later on the crawl, for confirmation.
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| All aboard the Grain Barge |
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| Bristol Beer Factory Independence - Gorgeous |
All to nearby is the Merchants Arms. The other side of a road that busy, you could describe it as "motorway". Thankfully, a pedestrian crossing allows for safe passage.
This is a small but perfectly formed traditional pub, with an even split of punters - you either had a child in a pushchair or men transfixed by Bath vs Exeter egg-chasing on the TV.
A specialist in South West Ales, I made a tit of myself by requesting a Cheddar Ales George Best.
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| Safely across |
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| Pub Life - The beer was, of course, Gorge Best |
South side, onto the Spike Island that is nothing to do with the Stone Roses. The Orchard Inn provided a clue with it's name. The real ales are gravity fed on a back wall, but the chalk board is full of 20 ciders and perries. I should have experimented but 6%-ers would put the geocaching in jeopardy. Another fine, traditional pub. Another BBF Independence.
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| Cider aplenty in the Orchard Inn |
I timed entrance into the Golden Guinea perfectly. Shortly after ordering an Arbor Ales Shangri-La, the footfall increased significantly, when 30 sombrero wearing moustachioed pretend Mexicans came in. They weren't my sort of people when they didn't laugh at my "Tequila's all round" joke. I was reminded of my first tick in Bristol. The Bag O'Nails had a handwritten sign that simply said "No Idiot Stag Parties".
I liked the wall-paper. I liked the chesterfield chairs. I liked the full size comedy venue downstairs.
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| View from a Chesterfield |
Boak and Bailey, experts in all things pub and Bristol, have recently been extolling the virtues of the Kings Head. Not in the Good Beer Guide, but I could have brought you a report as to why its not the "Whitelocks of the South". It was that crammed, I couldn't even get to open the door.
So onto the main reason I came back to Bristol. The Llandoger Trow. Who wouldn't want to visit a pub with its own wiki page? A striking, gabled timber box frame building from 1664 that has been extended through acquisition and reduced through the Luftwaffe. It shares an outside area of King Street with the Old Duke opposite, bringing a Continental drinking experience on the outside benches. But there are floors and floors of interior to explore too. I found ancient fire places, nooks and crannies and occasionally, whole rooms big enough for banquets that I could have to myself
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| Llandoger Trow at night |
They bring Bristolians beers from all around the world. 27 (!) keg lines, with the finest Bavarian, Czech and Cheltenham wares available to man. But there are also 3 cask hand-pulls. And one of those was TT Landlord.
Staring at the chalk board was futile. Old familiar, it was. Paint me boring.
Till next time, Bristol!
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