PINTS WEST No. 120 - The new - Camra's Bristol & District branch
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No. 120
Winter
2018/19
PINTS WEST Multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District and
Bath & Borders branches of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale
The new
Fishponds Brewery
Contents
PI T
Page 8 BAD Ladies
Page 26 BADRAG (rare ales group)
Page 32 Bath & Borders news
NTS WES
Page 20 Beer and health
Page 3 Bristol Beer Festival
Page 10 Bristol micropubs by bus
Page 36 Bristol Pubs Group
Page 51 CAMRA diaries & contacts
The multi-award-winning magazine of the Bristol & District
Page 17
Page 12
Page 40
Cider pub of the year
Inn and around Portishead
Pub accreditation scheme
Bristol Beer Festival 2019
T
branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, plus the Bath Page 31 Pub Manifesto he twenty-second annual CAMRA Bristol Beer Festival will run from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd March
& Borders branch Page 22 Shine on Sodbury 2019 at Brunel’s Old Station, Temple Meads, Bristol. There will be a carefully chosen selection of around
Brought to you entirely by unpaid volunteers Page 28 Weston-super-Mare news 140 different real ales on sale over the course of the festival as well as a good range of cider and perry.
Ten thousand copies of Pints West are distributed free to Page 48 WhatPub and beer scoring There will also be a variety of food available at all sessions.
hundreds of pubs in and around the cities of Bristol and Bath Page 44 Your shout
Brewery news: Demand for festival tickets continues to exceed the Date Session Time Cost
... and beyond capacity of the venue, so we are going to try adding
Also available on-line at www.bristolcamra.org.uk Page 18 Arbor Ales
an extra session on Thursday lunchtime from 12 noon Thursday 21 March Lunchtime 12pm - 4.30pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
Page 6 Bath Ales until 4:30pm. Tickets for all sessions will be sold online
Published by the Bristol & District Branch of CAMRA, the Campaign Page 35 Bath Brew House
for Real Ale, November 2018 © (as was the case for the 2018 festival) with the option Thursday 21 March Evening 6.30pm - 11pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
Page 20 Brewhouse & Kitchen of purchasing tickets by telephone by calling 0333 666
Editor: Steve Plumridge (steve.plumridge.pintswest@gmail.com) Page 18 Bristol Beer Factory 3366. This is a telephone box office service for which Friday 22 March Lunchtime 11.30am - 4pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
Design & Layout by: Steve Plumridge Page 40 Cheddar Ales there is an additional charge to process and post the
Next edition: end of February 2019 (probably) Page 19 Cocksure tickets. It only has access to the same information as Friday 22 March Evening 6.30pm - 11pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
Printed by: JamPrint Page 42 Cosmic customers booking online and is not a beer festival
Page 15 Croft Ales help line. It is open from 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday Saturday 23 March Lunchtime 11.30am - 4pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
Subscriptions: to be put on a mailing list to receive Pints Wests (for Page 15 Dawkins Ales and from 9am to 5pm on Saturday.
UK addresses) send ten standard (not large) 1st class stamps to the Page 29 Epic Beers (Pitchfork Ales and 3D Beer) Saturday 23 March Evening 6.30pm - 11pm £11.50 (incl £5 of tokens)
editor Tickets will go on sale to CAMRA members at 12 noon
Page 24 Fierce & Noble on Thursday 31 January 2019 and then on general
CAMRA Good Beer Guide: suggestions for future entries, and Page 5 Fishponds (new)
comments on existing ones, can be made to our GBG co-ordinator, sale the following day on Friday 1 February. Details including the link to buy the tickets will appear at www.
Page 33 Frome (Milk Street) camrabristol.org.uk.
Martin Gray: marting1@sky.com Page 25 Good Chemistry
If you have any pub updates: please enter them via whatpub.com or Page 19 GWB Please note that ticket purchases on Thursday 31 January will be limited to a maximum of 4 tickets per CAMRA
email details to whatpub@camrabristol.org.uk Page 4 Incredible member. IMPORTANT: If you are not a member of the CAMRA Bristol & District
Further information on all aspects of CAMRA can be had from Ray Page 13 King Street Brew House branch and you want to buy tickets on the member sales day, you will need to
Holmes on 0117 9605357 (home) Page 42 Left Handed Giant
REAL CIDER register in advance by following the instructions on the beer festival page at www.
Trading Standards Officers: contact for problems such as consistent Page 45 Little Giant camrabristol.org.uk.
short measures, no price lists... Page 44 Moor Beer
Bristol: 0117 9223444 / S. Glos: 01454 624000 Tickets cost £11.50 and include £5 worth of beer festival tokens, which customers will
Page 21 New Bristol receive on entry enabling them to go straight to the bar. Also included are a festival
Glos: 01452 426201 / N. Somerset: 01934 888802 Page 43 Three Engineers
B.A.N.E.S: 01225 396755 programme and a commemorative half pint glass, marked for third and half-pint
Page 33 Twisted measures. There should also be a free beer festival app for customers to use on their
or visit www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Page 21 Twisted Oak smart phones.
LETTERS: please email correspondence to the editor at Page 41 Wiper & True
steve.plumridge.pintswest@gmail.com Page 40 Zerodegrees We strongly advise keeping an eye on our website at www.camrabristol.org.uk as this
or post it to Pints West Editor, Steve Plumridge, and much, much more... will feature further beer festival information including updates about ticket availability
Garden Flat, 6 Royal York Villas, Clifton, Bristol BS8 4JR SOLD HERE and the beer and cider lists as they become available.
Richard Brooks
ADVERTISE: to find out about advertising in Pints West, please email
steve.plumridge.pintswest@gmail.com
CONTACTS: for further contact details and diaries see inside back page The new
Fishponds Brewery
Views expressed in Pints West are those of the individual Page 5
authors and not necessarily supported by CAMRA
Inclusion of an advertisement does not imply endorsement by CAMRA
Thanks to this issue’s contributors:
Andy Coston
Bianca Ambrose
Bridget Andrews
Lesly Huxley
Martin Ansell
Martin Farrimond
Phil Cummings
Phil Luxton
Richard Brooks
Got any news?
Dave Graham Martin Gray Roy Sanders Do you have some specific news that you want to share
Dave Weir Marty Cummins Stephen Edmonds with the local CAMRA branch?
David Thomas Michael Bertagne Steve Hunt
Duncan Shine Mike Jackson Steve Plumridge Do you represent a pub that is holding a beer festival or a
Eddie Taberner Neil Harrison Tim Nickolls brewery that is launching a new beer?
Henry Davies Neil Ravenscroft Tim Webb
Ian Beckey Niall Hoskin Trevor Cromie Are you a member that has heard about a pub opening or
Jan Deverell Paul Gregory Vince Murray closing or a change of licensee?
Laurie Gibney Pete Dommett
Laurie Jackson Pete Taberner To let us know about any such news items please send an
email to:
news@camrabristol.org.uk
2 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 3
Incredible Brewing Introducing
I
ncredible Brewing Company in Brislington
have been brewing at full capacity since the
summer to prepare for the winter months,
Fishponds
Brewery
and the fondly-remembered triumvirate of Black
IPA (5.6%), Honey Porter (4.6%) and Milk Stout
(4.6%) can now all be found in cask and 500ml
bottles, with all three already selling well at beer
festivals, shops, pubs and other events. Joining
the Incredible stable for the winter this year is
F
Winter Warmer (5.4%), a seasonal, limited- ishponds (BS16) has a new brewery! The four-year programme of
edition beer with a complex taste deriving from renovation and improvement of the Star on Fishponds Road by
the malt and spices. the Hawes family has taken a new turn this year with the opening
of a brewery on site.
As word continues to grow about Incredible’s
incredible range of beers, more and more Pictured outside the self-built brewhouse are brewer Eimhin and his
pubs and bottle shops are asking for Stephen assistant and brother Cillian. (Ignore the spare tanks yet to be fitted.)
“Mr Incredible” Hall’s beers, with his recently- Their father Eimear is the manager and friendly face of the pub, which
launched keg range of pale ales and IPAs selling is owned by his brother Oisin, formerly of Nailsworth Brewery and its
just as well as his cask ales, and bottle shops like home, the Village Inn.
Bottles & Books on Gloucester Road stocking
A passion for localism drives their free house, serving (besides their
such a large selection of bottles. In the last few
own) beers from Dawkins, Bristol Beer Factory and New Bristol
months, Stephen has been distributing further Brewery, amongst others.
afield, so it’s now not just Bristol who can enjoy
Incredible beers, but Wiltshire, Somerset and Since their successful launch on August bank holiday weekend they
Gloucester too. have been producing 10 casks a week. There is the capacity to increase
The run-up to Christmas will find Stephen at a number of markets and know that the brewery, which has been licenced for a while, is going
events, including the new Pennywell Market at Motion, in Bristol, on to be open more often over the winter, becoming a pop-up shop on
Fridays and Saturdays. See www.incrediblebrewingcompany.com for Wednesday evenings from 17.00 to 21.00. For those of you who want this to 20 in the future, particularly if they can feature their beer in
listings and details of where you’ll be able to find Stephen and his to attend but can’t make Wednesday evenings, this can be done by other pubs.
Incredible beers. prior arrangement.
Two of their regular beers are pictured: The Old Mahoney, a 4.1% pale
Whether or not you were able to make it to the brewery in Brislington Wishing you all an Incredible Christmas and New Year. ale named after a former customer who passed away (lovely idea!);
for its open day in mid-November, you’ll no doubt be pleased to Stephen Edmonds and The Red October, a 5% full-bodied red ale. Oisin’s (pronounced
Usheen’s) 11, a 4.4% traditional best bitter, completes the regular
lineup. A 4.8% rich full-bodied stout should be available as you read
this, called Black Arab. The name is very local, coming from historical
connections with Bristol Rovers and local coal mining activity.
More news to come in the spring, including growing hops, developing
a garden and recycling!
Neil Harrison
Snuffy Jack’s – pride of BS16
S
nuffy Jack’s Ale House, Bristol’s third micropub (800 Fishponds Road,
Fishponds, BS16), has rapidly become very popular with local CAMRA
members. Pictured are Leanne Jones, the manager since April, proudly
holding the Good Beer Guide – which features the pub only a year after it
opened – and Angela Sanchez.
Leanne reckons she has served over 200 different beers over six months,
emphasising local brews and taste variety. Last Mango in Fishponds was
brewed by New Bristol Brewery for their first anniversary party in the summer,
coinciding with a community festival, and very fruity and exotic it proved to
be. The more traditional amongst us can usually expect a good range of styles
including BADRAG favourites like a stout or porter.
Regular quiz nights on the first Wednesday of each month have been packed,
with quiz master Kev thinking up ever more fiendish ways of making us think for
a drink. Coming up in the calendar are a Cosmic Brewery (brewed in BS16) tap
takeover on 15 December, and in January a ‘Community Seed Swap’, a walking
tour of local breweries ending up at Snuffy Jack’s, and a Moor tap takeover.
Another micropub in the BS16 area is the newer Wooden Walls in Staple
Hill. Dave Sibley, the landlord, has had a successful first six months and has
appreciated the support of local CAMRA members. A more in-depth report will
feature in the next issue of Pints West. BS16 is the place to be!
Neil Harrison
4 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 5
News from the Hare Brewery The three founders of Bath Ales, Roger Jones, Richard Dempster and
Craig Lewis (pictured), were recently invited to St Austell to have a go
at brewing something special at the St Austell brewery. They came
up with Jewel in the Crown, an ale not unlike Gem, but packed with
N
ow that Bath Ales are getting the hang of their new brewery Corduroy Mild – 5.5% ABV – brewed by Will Ekins: “A strong ruby plenty of fresh green hops. It was available in cask in late October and
(Hare Brewery) and have solved the software teething glitches mild. Expect rich fruit cake and mild coffee notes from this malt-driven early November at the St Austell brewery visitor centre and St Austell
that all new projects seem to generate these days, they quintessential English ale.” ‘Small Batch Beer Club’ pubs.
have revamped their portfolio. The new core range comprises Gem,
Prophesy, Barnsey and Lansdown, with a couple of old favourites J.W.Pale – 5.5% ABV – brewed by James Wright: “A light golden, The Griffin Inn, an iconic venue in Bath’s city centre with guest
now being brewed as a seasonal, or on-demand (Special Pale Ale and classic American pale ale with pine and citrus notes from Cascade accommodation, has been acquired by St Austell and branded as a
Platform 3). dominating.” Bath Ales house (St Austell own Bath Ales, for those that might not be
aware). The new tenant, Jack Werner, is already the operator of three
September’s special, The Hood – a 4.3% ABV bitter brewed with Honey I Shrunk the Porter – 5.0% ABV – brewed by Simon Peacock: West Country pubs, namely the Inn at Freshford, the Cross Guns at
predominantly Minstrel, and Bramling Cross hops, and Maris Otter “Dark, roasty and fruity with a gentle honey sweetness, and an Avoncliff and the Old Crown in Kelston.
Pale, Red Crystal, Chocolate and Smoked malts – turned out to be a unmistakable smooth and spicy rum finish.”
malt-driven, classic English ale, perfect for those autumn evenings There is an idea going around Hare Brewery that they could possibly
with its spiced berry flavours. Metric Stout – 8.0% ABV – brewed by Jerry Tooby: “Big and bold, host a beer festival in early-to-mid May next year, to celebrate the first
Metric is almost an imperial stout, measured in kilograms and litres anniversary of the brewery opening. To find out if this event is taking
Right on cue for those bitter cold winter evenings, Festivity appeared rather than pounds and pints! Lots of roasted malt flavours, with a place, be sure to read the Spring 2019 issue of your multi-award-
in November and should be available right through December. For caramel sweetness and a heady, oaky and smoky aroma.” winning Pints West.
those who don’t know, Festivity is not just for Christmas, but brewed Roy Sanders
for the festive season, hence the name! This year it is joined by an Every year the renowned hop merchants, Charles Faram of Malvern,
interesting variation. Like some of their customers (pubs) apparently invite selected brewers to accompany their hop buyers visiting the
The Lansdown ‘going local’
already do, Bath Ales have kept in storage a limited number of casks of USA, to help choose the next year’s supply of hops for the whole of
Festivity brewed the previous year (in this case 2017). These casks will Britain. As one of the biggest UK purchasers of hops St Austell are
be sold to certain venues as Festivity Vintage. If you don’t manage to regular visitors on this trip, and this year Darren James, Bath Ales
locate one of these ‘selected few’ outlets, you will be able to find this senior brewer, was privileged to represent them. After a stopover
W
aged brew at the Hare Brewery tap room up until Christmas. Having in Seattle the party, which included brewers from Oakham Ales,
been privileged to taste an early sample of this special myself, I can say Meantime Brewing Company and Fyne Ales, drove the three hours to hen I bumped into Charles and Amanda, the landlords of the Bristol Beer Factory and involvement from St Austell; an example of
that it takes Festivity to the next level, with the released tannins giving reach the Yakima Valley. This area is the largest fruit and hop growing Lansdown in Clifton at their beer festival a few weeks ago how brewers and pubs can work together for the benefit of all.
flavours of port, fruitcake and even some oak coming to the fore in the area in the world, with the Seattle magazine claiming that around 150 they proudly announced, “We are going local!”
rich mouthfeel. varieties of hops are grown there. The task of the brewers and buyers What prompted these changes? Charles informed me that the lease
over ten days is to choose and visit 10 to 14 farms, from the 25 that What exactly did this mean? I wanted to clarify since the Lansdown on the Lansdown with EI has now been renewed for the next 20 years.
Like last year, Bath Ales brewed specials for the Celtic Beer Festival, currently have growing contracts, meet the farmers to collect samples, has always sourced its cask ales from local (South West) producers as We hear stories about how the pubcos sometimes take advantage
held on Saturday 24th November at the St Austell brewery, an annual and build relationships. The hops are analysed for looks, aroma and could be seen by the beers on the bar that day: Three and Sixpence of situations to their benefit; in fact CAMRA have a ‘Key Campaign’
event well worth attending. Some of the specials may still be around flavour. At the end of the visits, a blind sampling of the chosen hops is from Twisted in Westbury, Wiltshire; Lansdown Ale, the house branded to protect the rights of pub tenants, but in this case Charles has
in Bristol and surrounding areas by the time you read this. Five of the carried out by the visiting party, leading to final decisions being made. winter beer from Otter in Devon; Fortitude from Bristol Beer Factory in successfully worked with the pubco and in so doing has secured a full
Bath Ales brewers each concocted a recipe, and the following are their Considering that Charles Faram have to purchase enough US hops to Bedminster; HPA from Great Western Brewery in Hambrook; Leveret free-of-tie agreement at terms that leave both parties in roughly the
tasting notes: supply most of the UK brewing industry for the entire coming year, from Twisted Oak in Wrington; and Proper Job from St Austell in same financial position.
you can imaging the kind of volumes we are talking about, and the Cornwall. (The cask beer range here changes, but slowly; this is line-up
Uncle Samurai – 5.8% ABV – brewed by Elliot Murphy: “Light amber in importance of this activity. The bonus for those brewers who are lucky until January.) With all these changes now behind them and completed at the end of
colour, this American/Japanese collaboration has plenty of citrus notes enough to be there, is that they can choose the hops they really want October, the bar manager Stewart now has a free hand to focus on the
and a coconut finish from copious amounts of Sorachi Ace hops.” for the next year. It turns out that across the whole bar, taking the lead from the meeting needs of the local community.
handpulls, all national brands have now been changed to local Michael Bertagne
varieties. Dark ale drinkers will be pleased to know that the existing
‘well known stout originating from Dublin’ has been replaced by
Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout. The keg range is now all local and
includes an ale, St Austell Eureka; a wheat beer, Moor Claudia;
and three lagers, Bath Ales Sulis, Otter Tarka Premium and Lost &
Grounded Keller Pils. The cider offering is Westons Stowford Press
Mixed Berries, Thatchers Gold, and Bristol Beer Factory North Street
Cider.
In order to achieve this, a lot of work had to be done downstairs and
upstairs to refurbish the cellar, remove and refit the beer lines and
provide new ‘T’ bars on the bar. All this was done with the support of
35 BEERS
THIS YEAR
AND COUNTING
CONSTANTLY CREATING INNOVATIVE FRESH
CONSISTENTLY AWESOME BEERS
DRINK WITH PALS AND REPEAT...
Charles and Amanda at one of their biannual ‘Lansdown 30’
festivals, a celebration of brewers within 30 miles of the Lansdown
6 PINTS
Bath Ales - WEST
Pints West Magazine - Half Page.indd 1 15/08/2018 16:29
PINTS WEST 7
BAD Ladies explore Easton promises unusual Wheat 4.4% beer from Milk Street Brewery which we were
surprised to find wasn’t cloudy, and went down very smoothly. The
dark ale drinkers amongst us tried Raven Bourbon Milk Stout 4.3%
B
from Sonnet 43 which we agreed was interesting but Jan thought
AD Ladies are a group of Bristol and District CAMRA ladies who There has been a bit of confusion recently about the status of the Loaf.
there was a touch too much acidity and bitterness.
meet up once every two months to share a chat and a couple of This is a pub owned by Star (Heineken) but has recently seen a change
ales as we explore the world of beer and brewing. This October in management and there have been lots of local rumours about what
Our afternoon ended with a stroll further up the road to the Plough
our BAD Ladies get-together was in Easton. This area of the city happens next. We were excited to find out that Zazu’s Kitchen, the
on the corner with Easton Road (BS5 0EG). This was a warm and
remains pretty real, and is home to a pretty mixed community with outfit running the Greenbank, will soon be taking on the management
friendly pub with an eclectic collection of curated stuff, including OS
little sign of the extreme gentrification found in some parts central and of the Loaf, which they said would be undergoing some refurbishment
maps stuck to the ceiling, boot stretchers and sports trophies nailed
south of the harbour. The first thing you notice about Easton is that too. We look forward to it! We stopped there long enough to try both
to the walls and a bit of multinational flag bunting strewed around
it’s very colourful, there is plenty of street art, sparkly mosques, Asian of the real ales on offer, a Wickwar Bob (4%) and some Bath Ales Gem
for good measure. At this point we gave up on making any serious
stores and eateries, and of course some great pubs in various garbs. (4.1%).
beer notes because we were more interested in the conversation ….
apologies for a lapse in concentration!
Our verdict on Easton was a good one, much more like Stokes
Croft than Stokes Croft is these days, and lots of genuine pubs and
breweries to visit.
The Plough
Our next planned BAD Ladies meet-up is on Saturday
December 1st to check out south of the river, though this is
when Pints West will probably still be at the printers. The one
after that is:
l Saturday February 16th 2019 – Old Market Meander
– exploring Bristol’s Old Market quarter. Starting at the
Volunteer Tavern (BS2 9DX) at 2pm, ending around 6pm.
A full programme of events for 2019 will be published on the
BAD Ladies in the Greenbank The Chelsea Inn CAMRA Bristol and District Branch website in January, as well
as in the next issue of Pints West.
We started off at the Greenbank (Bellevue Road, BS5 6DP), a friendly We then moved on to the Chelsea Inn (Chelsea Road, BS5 6AU). This
community pub that provides space for live music, comedy as well as pub has quite a different street style and music vibe, the most colourful If you’d like to take part, no need to book or anything, just come
language classes, book clubs and baby and parent events. The pub also ladies toilet we have ever seen, and lucky for us a great range of along. It will be great to see you. If you need any more info
has a great reputation for pizza. The beer offering here was a generous beers. We tried Dawkins Gold which Lou said “slipped down easily” an
please call me, Bianca Ambrose, on 0772 302 0223.
mix of different styles, with four on cask and others on keg. We tried
Bianca Ambrose
Bristol Beer Factory Artemis edition Baked Goods, a 5% chocolate
and raspberry stout that was just sooooooo lovely, not too sweet with
a clear clean cut of fruit coming though. A pint of Autumn (4.4%) by
Prescott brewery, described as a warming amber bitter Ris thought it
was “a reasonable, solid everyday pint” but Shirley thought “it didn’t
really distinguish itself”. The view of Milk Street Brewery’s Great
Uncle John’s Bootleg 4.2% IPA from Paula was that it was very hoppy
IPA tasting stronger than she expected for a lower alcohol beer. Lucy
and Louise tried Box Steam Brewery’s Tunnel Vision 4.2 % which they
thought was nice traditional bitter but perhaps a bit flat. The one keg
we tried was Arbor’s– Shangri-la 4.2% session IPA which was rated well
by Lisa. These beers were a great start to the afternoon, and after a bit
few taste comparisons swapping notes, as well as scoffing a bit of pizza
and exchanging gossip we moved on to the Sugar Loaf on St Marks
Road (BS5 6HX).
BRENDAN'S HUNDREDS
OF BEERS
BREWTIQUE AVAILABLE
FOR CONSUMPTION
ON OR OFF THE PREMISES
104-106 Queens Road, Clifton www.brendans brewtique.co.uk
beer@brendans brewtique.co.uk
OPEN 12-7 TUES WED AND THURS AND 12-8 FRI & SAT
The Sugar Loaf Probably the most colourful ladies loo in the city at the Chelsea
8 PINTS WEST BB Pints West 190x120mm AW.indd 1
PINTS WEST 9
15/11/2018 17:43
How to visit all four Bristol hu ms M i c ro Pub
micropubs by bus in one go C FREE HOUSE Est. 2016
22 Chandos Road, Redland
T
Bristol BS6 6PF
I
here must be many of you yet to visit some or all of Bristol’s
new micropubs, all of which are in the suburbs rather than the
centre. Are you aware that it is relatively easy to get to all four
should clarify that I am not including the Fallen Tree
micropub in Clevedon for the purposes of this article as,
although it is in the Bristol & District CAMRA branch area
in one session by First Bus? All you will need is an all-day pass, at a with a BS postcode, it is actually not in Bristol itself and T. 0117 973 1498
cost of £5 if purchased on the bus or £4 by M Ticket, and this will also would require a separate journey. However, see my article
cover you getting to and from home in the main Bristol area. All of
in the Spring 2018 issue of Pints West (number 118, page 15) www.chumsmicropub.co.uk
the micropubs specialise in real ale and/or cider, no electronic music or
for how to get there via bus – either the X5 or X6 from Bristol email: chumsbristol@gmail.com
bus station pass right by.
machines, and good old-fashioned conversation. All four also offer a
generous discount to card-carrying CAMRA members. Winner
Bristol & District
For the purposes of this article I will describe travel from east to west, Pub of the Year
but the opposite way could also work. To start with you will need to
2018
make your way to Staple Hill and the newest pub of the four – namely
the Wooden Walls. To get to Staple Hill from town you can catch any
of the number 49, 7 or Y5 services. The 49 goes from Rupert Street via
Stapleton Road and Fishponds and stops opposite the pub at 30 Broad
Street – get off after the Portcullis pub. The 7 goes via Old Market,
Lawrence Hill, Whitehall, Speedwell and Siston and terminates by
the pub. The Y5 goes from the bus station via the M32 and Fishponds,
stops opposite the pub and goes on to Mangotsfield, Pucklechurch
and Yate. You can also get to Staple Hill from Cribbs Causeway, Filton,
Frenchay, Downend, Kingswood and Bath on the 19 or 19A service.
Finally the 17 bus runs from Southmead, Horfield, Eastville and
Fishponds via Staple Hill and on to Kingswood and Keynsham.
Chums: Mark Farrell receiving the 2018 Pub of the Year award
was local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2017. The beers here are mostly from
local and South Western brewers.
You need to plan the next leg of your journey by checking timings
as only the number 17 bus will do now. It is half hourly except after Before setting off to our last micropub, the more adventurous of you
around 8pm when it goes hourly. You can catch it from stops either side may want to detour to nearby Bottles & Books at 354/5 Gloucester
of Snuffy’s and on the same side of the road. Destination on the front is Road. It is on the other side of the road about 300 metres towards
Southmead hospital. It will take you through Fishponds to Eastville and town opposite the Royal Oak pub. This variation on the micropub
on to Muller Road. Get off just before the Wellington pub at the end theme (which I am yet to visit) has a selection of books and bottled
and turn left down Filton Avenue. Walk past the Bristol Rovers ground beers and ciders, plus up to six ‘craft keg’ beers on tap (mostly key keg
and on to Gloucester Road (definitely best not to try this trip when apparently) to try in house. They are sold in 2/3 pint measures and the
Rovers are at home) . With a bus stop directly outside you will find owners are noted for a passion for super strong beers. Open from 12 to
the Drapers Arms which was the very first of our micropubs to open. 9pm daily.
Situated at 447 Gloucester Road the pub is open 5-9.30pm Sunday to
Thursday, 4-9.30 Friday and 12-9.30 Saturdays. Expect a selection of Whether you include Bottles & Books on your itinerary or not, your
The Wooden Walls is easily visible on the main shopping street and is
usually five real ales, a selection of wines and gins but no cider this
time. Plus of course the customary micropub warm welcome. This
next bus is the number 72 towards town from the Drapers / Royal Oak
side of the road. This runs half-hourly to Bristol Temple Meads. Get Mumbles Brewery M
open from 12pm Saturdays, 2pm Friday and Sunday, and 3pm other off at Redland station for the short walk to Chums in Chandos Road,
days. It close at 10.30pm except Sunday which is 9.45. Expect a warm the local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2018. From Redland station walk
welcome, five or six cask ales, real ciders and a couple of keg options. along Kensington Road and take the fifth right up Lansdown Road Supplier of award-wining ales
Real ales are a mix of local beers and some from further away. which comes out on Chandos Road near Chums. Opening times here
are 4-10.30 Monday to Thursday, 12-11 Friday and Saturday, and 12-
to Bristol Free Houses – also
Your second port of call, Snuffy Jack’s Ale House, is a short and easy
bus ride away at 600 Fishponds Road. On the same side as the Wooden
10 Sunday. Six real ales are normally served with four from regular available through our online shop
breweries – Butcombe, Wye Valley, Palmers and XT – plus two guests.
Walls walk back to the Portcullis and cross over the traffic lights to A similar number of ciders also feature plus wines and spirits. Simple
the next bus stop. All three buses from here – the 49, 17 or Y5 – will bar food is served and live acoustic music sometimes features. This is
take you straight to Snuffy Jack’s, the third Bristol micropub to open. the only one of the four micropubs to serve via hand pump rather than
Get off straight after the Cross Hands pub on your right and walk on gravity.
about 100 metres – the pub is on your left opposite a traffic junction.
It is only open from 5pm to 10pm weekdays, but all day from 12 to
11 Saturday, then only 12 to 4.30pm Sunday. The Sundays should be
To get home from Chums you could pick up another 72 from Redland
station or I would recommend exiting the pub to the left and walking
01792 792612 0
expanding some time soon. Expect up to eight cask beers, several real along Chandos Road, crossing Hampton Road and turning left down
ciders and a few gin options, plus another warm welcome. Real ales Hampton Park. At the end you will come out by Brewhouse & Kitchen
www.mumblesbrewery.co.uk w
here are increasingly coming from all over whilst strongly supporting (handy stop-off if time permits) just off of Whiteladies Road with its
local brewers too. multiple bus routes back to the City Centre. Then with your well-worn
Garvan Hickey and Vince Crocker, your hosts at the Drapers Arms bus ticket still firing off you go home!
Mumbles Brewery M
Vince Murray
10 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 11
Inn and around Portishead King Street Brew House
T
he 8th of November 2018 saw the 45th anniversary of Vic Long As mentioned, Vic seems to know most things about Portishead
200th brew
opening the Ship Inn on Down Road in the Redcliff Bay area of and has a brilliant memory. Indeed, when you’re asked to leave the
Portishead. Now 75 years young, Vic shows no sign of retiring premises for some misbehaviour you’re excluded long term as some
and remains firmly in charge of the Ship, assisted by wife, Debbie. The local residents who returned sheepishly after 20 years or so only to be
anniversary was marked by Vic’s customers turning out in numbers. turned back will confirm.
Vic and Debbie generously provided free food for the night and drinks
were free between 6 and 9pm. Representatives of Bristol and District
R
CAMRA arranged a special trip to the area to join the celebrations and a Ra Rasputin was a 1978 hit for the Euro disco band Boney M.
to award Vic with a certificate to mark the occasion. Fortunately for Simon Perrett, head brewer at King Street Brew House in Bristol,
them, they arrived before 9pm. hopes that his beer, given the same name (though hyphenated,
so Ra-Ra-Rasputin), will also be a hit, if not world-wide as Boney
The first thing you will notice about Victor when you meet him is that M achieved, then certainly in the Bristol area. Simon, who started
he suits his name, standing 6 foot 7 inches tall in his stockinged feet brewing in King Street in March 2016, has recently racked up his
– or more likely in his shoes. Traditionalist, local historian, comedian 200th separate brew for this city-centre pub with its very own on-site
and sometime contrarian, Vic keeps traditional pub hours, opening microbrewery.
at 11.30am (12 noon Sundays) and closing at 2.30pm and reopening
5.30pm (7 on Sundays). Closing time is 11pm (10.30 Sundays). Food is As he did for his 100th (Strong IPA) and 150th (Double IPA) brew,
available lunchtimes. Above all, he keeps a cracking pint of real ale, Simon has done something out of the ordinary and is hoping that
three ales being available, including a Bass that people travel a long this unusual brew will appeal to Bristol’s drinkers, and help showcase
way for. the range of beers that he can produce. The 200th brew is a Russian
imperial stout and contains no fewer than eight malts1. The result is a Simon Perrett making Ra-Ra-Rasputin
strong stout with an ABV of just over 10%. As well as pints, the beer
will be sold in smaller volumes (down to a third) to reflect the strength. lacks in alcoholic strength it makes up for through aroma and flavour
from a dry hop2 with plenty of body too! This session ale provides
Half of this 400-litre brew was available for sale in November, whereas a strong contrast with the 200th brew, Ra-Ra-Rasputin. There are
the other half is currently being barrel-aged in a Bourbon whiskey also a couple of gluten-free offerings, at least one of which is always
barrel, obtained from the Heaven Hills distillery in Kentucky. This aging available.
Bristol & District CAMRA branch chairman Richard Brooks presents process started in mid-October and will run for two to four months,
Vic Long with his special award meaning that the barrel-aged brew will be available for sale early in In other news, the Brew House has been running a series of homebrew
the New Year. (A small amount of the original has been kept to allow a competitions in conjunction with the Brislington homebrew store
direct comparison between that and the barrel-aged brew.) ‘Love to Brew’. The third competition took place in September and
W e are blessed in the Portishead area to have a number of
landlords who have been at their pubs a long time. Monica Smith
has been at the Phoenix for getting on for 28 years (Derrick Robertson
Simon’s first brew in 2016 was Socks and Sandals (a best bitter – which
October with contestants being asked to enter their brews in one of
three categories: New England IPA, Irish Red Ale, and Kettle Sour.
has been succeeded by Oh Vienna, a 3.9% amber ale), and in the Winners in each category were determined by a judging panel chaired
only recently left the Plough after 33 years). Nick and Jane Evans have following 2½ years among his 200 brews he has produced 63 different by Simon, with the overall ‘Best of Best’ getting the opportunity to
been at the Black Horse, Clapton in Gordano, for 26 years and Jimmy ales and lagers. These vary from the most popular White Trash (a 5.8% brew his/her beer later in the year in the King Street Brew House under
Pelengaris has run the Royal for 13 years now. But, the daddy of them American IPA) brewed 25 times, and Liberty (a 4.7% American pale ale) Simon’s guidance. The competition winner was Simon McBride with
all is Vic Long at 45 years and counting! brewed 13 times, to one-offs such as this stout. his Raspberry Kettle Sour – a 4% sour ale conditioned on raspberries.
Until very recently the newest kid on the block has been Andy Holian Overall there is a wide and eclectic range of cask and keg beers, Pop into the Brew House early in 2019 (check on the website for
at the Siren’s Calling, Portishead Marina. Andy keeps a massive range suitable for all tastes. Direct feedback from customers (made that availability) for a taste of the unusual barrel-aged imperial stout and/or
of bottled beers alongside an interesting selection of keg beers, ciders much easier because the brewer is on-site), allows him to meet the wide range of draught beers.
and lagers, plus, of course, cask ales and still ciders. After hosting a emerging and varying customer needs, with some beers available Paul Gregory
series of tap takeovers, plus Belgian and German beer festivals, Andy all year round, and others just for the batch. For example, Simon
has come up with a new wheeze to help the flow of his cask ales. has recently produced a new 3.2% citrussy Table Beer in response 1 Best Ale, Carafa III, Chocolate, Crystal 150, Crystal 240, Melanoidin, oats and
Football fan Andy has invited 16 independently-owned breweries in to comments from drinkers who wanted a session beer without wheat.
the Bristol area to compete in a ‘Beer-Off’ competition. Each brewery sacrificing the taste associated with higher gravity beers. What this 2 Ekuanot, Citra and Vic Secret. Also using oats, wheat and dextrin malts and
chooses one beer in the first round to compete against the beer from fermented with London ESB yeast.
the other brewery it is drawn against and the one whose 72 pints
sells first goes through to the next round. In the second and third
rounds, each brewery has to field two barrels each holding 72 pints
at the same time and when one of the two breweries’ 144 pints sells
out, they go through. The final sees three beers from each brewery
up against the other as the competition intensifies. Andy has cleverly Redfield, and the White Hart, Bedminster. Ei own the pub and have
Vic Long at the Ship overseen the tasteful refurbishment. In recent years, draught real ale
timed the launch of the competition – the first two round-one matches
The next thing you will notice about this young man is that he is to coincide with the first two days of round one proper of the FA was not on offer in the Plough so it was a relief when I visited to see
immaculately presented, always sporting a collared shirt and a tie. Cup. Never one to rest on his laurels, I can imagine Andy is already three real ale pump clips on the bar in the form of Courage Best and
I cannot recall ever seeing him without a tie, even outside the pub. considering the idea of the winners then challenging opposition from Brains’ Reverend James – which are the two regular beers – along with
He recently admitted to never owning a pair of jeans or a T-shirt. Vic outside our area or some kind of Champions League. The cup draw Butcombe Original in the guest slot. Ales are very competitively priced
was born locally and grew up in the town. His formative years were looks to have all the usual excitement; minnows against (relatively) at £2.90 a pint for Courage Best and Butcombe Original and £3.10 for
spent working in most of the local pubs before he moved into owning big time charlies, big city against small town clashes, local rivalries Reverend James. There is a 20 pence discount on these prices Monday
pubs himself and chairing the North Somerset Licensed Victuallers and potential upsets. All good for sales, hopefully. Most of the first to Thursday. Opening hours are 10am till 11pm Sunday to Thursday
Association. If there is something you would like to know about the round’s matches will be over by the time this edition comes out but the and 10am to 12 midnight Friday and Saturday. There is also a range of
town, Vic is a good starting point. It is clear Vic and Debbie care about competition is expected to run through to February so you will have ciders including a still cider. This is not going to be a food-driven pub
the local area. Vic is a leading light in Pride in Portishead – for people plenty of time to take part in the event. Full details of ties will be on but rolls may well be available in future. Three television screens offer
from outside the town, I would point out that this is not a reflection on the Siren’s Calling Facebook page. It is possible there could be the odd sports viewing from BT and Sky. The Plough will be family and dog
his sexual preferences but is a group of local people who collect litter postponement or date change so please refer to Facebook nearer the friendly and Andy and John told me they are aiming to present a clean,
in the area. In his own way, Vic is a bit of an eco warrior and only uses date of your visit. well-run pub with a safe, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
biodegradable drinking straws.
Moving on to the landlords who are the most recent arrivals in town. Good luck to our newer landlords at the Siren’s Calling and the Plough.
Don’t expect a touch-screen computerised till any time soon at In October, the Plough in Portishead High Street reopened under new Let’s hope they will have similar longevity at their pubs as young Vic at
the Ship. You will hear Victor adding up the bill as he serving you, landlords, Andy Mills and John Murphy. This is the fourth pub they the Ship.
sometimes having to put up with local wags who enjoy interrupting his have taken into the fold of their ‘No Hope’ bar company, their other Neil Ravenscroft
flow. pubs being the Hope and Anchor, Shirehampton, the Fire Engine,
F New landlords at the Plough
12 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 13
There’s a party brewing in the Croft
C
roft Ales’ first anniversary celebrations in October once again
proved that the Stokes Croft brewery are as adept at holding a
party as they are at brewing beer. Revellers packed the tiny tap
room in upper York Street and spilled out into the streets, fortified by
a cask of something truly individual – a one-off barrel-aged version of
Belgian dubbel Tempête infused with cherries and blackcurrants, at a
hefty 6.8% to mitigate the effects of the autumnal chill.
Hot on the heels of this celebration came another launch event,
conveniently timed for Hallowe’en, to herald the arrival of a new
seasonal beer, Amber Island. This 4.7% ale, paying homage to a local
landmark more notable for white cider consumption than beer, uses a
judicious mix of English and American hops alongside a confident malt
backbone to create a beer with resinous and citrus peel notes and a
distinctive bitterness. Next up from the mash tun, by popular demand,
is coffee-infused stout Bean and Gone, brewed using Nicaraguan
and Guatemalan coffee beans supplied by nearby independent coffee
roasters Blind Owl.
Anastasia, Mati and brewery owner Brendan preside over the
And there’s never too long to wait until the next celebration at the tap cutting of Croft Ales’ first birthday cake
room, with the usual mixture of beery delights and DJs spinning top
tunes. The star turn at Croft’s Christmas party, for beer aficionados off licences such as Corks, Grape & Grind, and the new Brendan’s
at least, will be the welcome return of Tempête, a co-creation with Brewtique on Queens Road in Clifton. Sales are promising, to the
Simon at Zerodegrees that Croft brewer Pedro promises will be “the extent that excellent stout Black Books (5.2%) may soon also be en
darkest beer you’ll ever find”. route to the canning line. However, we all know that beer always tastes
better in the pub, and alongside the Tap Room (new winter opening
But if you’re after a more reflective environment in which to drink times are 4-9pm Friday and 3-8pm Saturday) you can continue to
your Croft ales, you can now take home Croft in cans. Hoppy American find Croft’s beers on tap, in both cask and keg, at the Hare on the Hill,
pale ale Westide (4.5%) and best seller BS2 (4.0%) are now available Elmer’s Arms, Bridge Inn, and the Volunteer Tavern, among other
in 330ml cans, from the brewery tap room and local independent discerning Bristol establishments.
Marty Cummins
OPENING TIMES: MON-SAT FROM 12PM. SUN FROM 1:30PM.
passage street, Bristol BS2 0JF
Enjoy a warm welcome
and a pleasant atmosphere
News from Dawkins
T
his winter the Dawkins Brewery Tap in Easton will once again be To counter the ‘Dry January’ campaigns that so hurt the pub industry
The Annexe Inn hosting Christmas markets featuring an array of independent
stalls for vintage clothing, crafts, food and, of course, beery gifts!
Customers will be able to order party beers by the case to take way
in what is already a month of thin gruel, the brewery is working on
plans to add liveliness to the month – “Watch this space,” says brewery
founder Glen Dawkins. One element he can reveal will be a special
Seymour Road, Bishopston, Bristol straight away or by the cask/bag-in-box to order. collaboration between Dawkins’ Edinburgh sister company Steel
Tel: 0117 9427525 Coulson and a local microbrewer; part of a long-mooted plan to make
The bar and shop itself continues to evolve and is now under the rarely-seen Scottish beers available to the West Country and vice-
A Real Ale Pub supervision of Donnie, highly successful landlord of the Miner’s Arms,
a mile over the M32 in St Werburghs.
versa.
6 real ales – including 1 guest ale.
The brewery has just released a limited batch of the locally-grown
Large conservatory with disabled facilities. hopped brew Easton Promise in bottles – the fruit of around a hundred
Enclosed garden, open throughout the year. Easton back gardens and allotments. The result is a super-fresh tasting
beer, fruity and fascinating.
Lunchtime and evening menu – including
children’s menu. Joining it in cask are the three winter specials; Chocadee is a 5.3% ABV
Handmade, stone-baked, build-your-own pizzas chocolate milk shake of a stout; Ho Ho Ho is a brandy-infused winter
served 4pm - 10.45pm. £6.95 each or 2 for £12. warmer at 5.8%; and Holy Mole is a 5.3% chilli chocolate stout. The
Sunday night to Thursday 2 for £10. first two beers are made in conjunction with ‘South West Silents’, a
local group dedicated to preserving and promoting silent film.
All TV sports events covered.
30p off a pint of real ale for over 60’s Head brewer Dave has been tweaking some of the recipes giving
and CAMRA members favourites Bristol Gold and Bristol Best yet more flavour and balance.
Supersonic, the brew for Aerospace Bristol – the new home of
Quiz night every Monday with rollover jackpot. Concorde in Filton – now has a bigger hop presence; 10p per pint is
You can also enjoy various promotions and donated for every pint sold. Unfined, naturally hazy Galaxy and Mosaic-
special offers throughout the year. hopped Easton IPA is now firmly the best-selling beer across the
range and goes from strength to strength – in sales that is; it remains a
Open: 11.30am - 3pm then 5pm - 11pm sessionable 4.4% ABV!
All day Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays Across the Dawkins pubs December is the last month for Bristol
students to gain a free brewery tour in 2019 when they complete Some of the hops – grown locally by over a hundred amateur
the ‘Discover Dawkins’ pub trail. This has worked well and there will members of the East Bristol Hops co-operative – which went into
something similar for the wider public sometime next year alongside a the green-hop special Easton Promise
regular schedule of tours (which are currently only ad hoc).
14 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 15
Make friends
with an Otter
01404 891 285 otterbrewery.com Advertise in Pints West
Orchard Inn named Cider Pub of the Year
10,000 copies printed quarterly and distributed to
A5 Generic Ads x 6.indd 2 07/02/2017 16:03 hundreds of pubs throughout the region
Also available on-line at
www.bristolcamra.org.uk
I
Contact: steve.plumridge.pintswest@gmail.com t’s success once again for the Orchard Inn. In early September
members the local CAMRA branch assembled at the Orchard Inn on
D a rtmo or ’s Fi n e s t Spike Island, to make its presentation to the winner of the Bristol &
District Cider Pub of the Year 2018.
The UK’s highest brewery
at 1,465ft above sea level,
Dartmoor Brewery creates
The Eldon House f
CAMRA’s South West regional cider coordinator Bob Southwell
presented the award, which recognises the quality and variety of the
ciders kept, the cider knowledge of the bar staff, and the friendly and
welcoming atmosphere cider drinkers find there.
handcrafted cask conditioned
real ales with authentic Receiving the certificate was Sam Marriott, who has taken over the
Dartmoor character from its Open from midday every day tenancy of the pub (from early December) with his partner, Stephanie
Iles. After more than 10 years at the helm, Stuart (“Cyder Sunday”)
heartland in Princetown. Marshall has left to pursue his other interests of landscape gardening
5 handpulls plus 3 rotating kegs and vintage car restoration in Devon.
Sam’s previous experience includes two years as events and taproom
manager at Moncada Brewery in Notting Hill in London, and Steph has
Quiz night every Monday Sam Marriott and Stephanie Iles now in charge at the Orchard Inn
previous strong links with the Orchard, having worked there over the
Live Music every Sunday course of several years during her time as a student.
Apart from the installation of a card payment facility and possibly the
CAMRA and student discount introduction of a few ‘craft’ beers, a subject about which Sam is very
knowledgeable, Pints West is informed that it will be ‘business as usual’
at the Orchard. Their famous range of farmhouse ciders (usually 20 or
more) and good selection of real ales served straight from the cask will
remain the hallmark of this little harbourside pub, and their selection
of rolls, pies and pasties will also be on offer.
Bridget Andrews
Dartmoor Brewery Ltd, Telephone: 01822 890789
(presentation photo by Tony Durbin)
Station Road, Fax: 01822 890798
Princetown, Devon www.dartmoorbrewery.co.uk The process of deciding the branch’s Cider Pub of the Year for 2019 will be
PL20 6QX
getting underway shortly.
Please contact cidercamrabristol@gmail.com if you are a member and
would like to be involved.
16 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 17
Bristol Beer Factory: ‘a journey in cask’ News from Great Western Brewing
“T G
WB were invited to run the bar for the at Round Table Fireworks
hey go left, we’ve gone right” – Kazbek City Shuffle is the held in Downend for the fourth year running. They report being
Bristol Beer Factory’s antidote to the yearly, seasonal cry kept very busy during the evening, selling GWB ales, lager, cider
for strong ‘Christmas beers’. Apparently no cinnamon, clove and wines. It was another very successful event for the organisers and
or Christmas pudding were harmed in the making of this beer. Taking GWB will be donating to their nominated charity, which this year was
inspiration from one of the great world beer styles, the Belgian dubbel, SANDS (the stillbirth and neonatal death charity).
they have brewed what they describe as an authentic cask version, at a
strength of 5.4% ABV, with three strains of authentic wet Belgian yeast Back at the brewery, located in Hambrook, GWB’s new bottling
and three central European hops, their favourite among them being machine is fully installed and has been busy filling 600 bottles every
Kazbek. hour, and this has made a huge difference to production.
Their Artemis Series of beers was reportedly “a blast” over the late There is a new range of beers coming from GWB, under the name
summer period and finished with Baked Goods, a sweetish, bitter, Hop Union. They describe it as: “Uniting ideas, cultures and, most
raspberry chocolate treat. This led to questions being put to them such importantly, tastes. The oldest techniques and traditional equipment
as “When can we have more White Milk Stout?” and “When’s the next meet cutting edge technology and processing knowledge.”
Artemis Series?” The brewery considers the four beers of the series
to have been “a journey in cask, for which the ideas, beers and events They are currently kegging their first IPA in this range; at 5% ABV it is
took much work and planning.” They say that they do not wish to risk unfiltered and unpasteurised and “will be placed between a lager and
diminishing the series in retrospect by trying to repeat it. Rather they an IPA – big on hops and taste.” It was made available in November.
intend to continue “the journey” and over the forthcoming winter and It has already been trialled at the Rising Sun in Frampton Cotterell
spring, so keep an eye out for “3 Beers, 3 Speeds”. A scene from the recent Factoberfest
(effectively their brewery tap) where they report having had great
feedback from their customers.
Launched late November in keg, Stairway To Brussels is their second be appearing in cask at 4.8%. There are further returning beers in the
Belgian-inspired beer of the winter, following recent trips to Brussels. shape of Pale Blue Dot, an uber-pale marriage of Galaxy and Cascade Nitro Milk Stout is also in the Hop Union range, with nitrogen being
It is a 5.5% Belgian Red and the brewery say is made with US and hops, and Low Rider, a full-flavoured Citra and Amarillo hopped used in place of CO2 to create smaller bubbles and a creamier head;
Aussie hops and Ardennes yeast to create that classic Belgian flavour: session pale. it is available in 330ml bottles and will be made available in a 30-litre
phenolics, mild fruitiness and a complex spice character. European kegs.
hops and Cara Red and Crystal malts give some sweetness, toffee And look out for a Bristol Beer Factory and Wiper & True cask beer
notes and a gentle red hue. US Cascade hops create a more floral hop collaboration, appearing in independent pubs and bars early January. Another new addition to GWB bottle range is their Christmas ale,
finish and Australian Galaxy hops add tropical passion and peach notes. Sleigh Rye’d, available in 500ml bottles. It will, of course, also be
Other beers to keep an eye out for include Beam Me Up, an all Aussie- available in cask, so get your orders in now.
Optimist is the newest permanent edition to the bottled range and hopped pale ale at 4.2%, new for December. The beer is apparently a
they claim that it is the best bottled beer they have ever brewed. It’s peachy, citrusy showcase for the exciting Aussie hop Melba alongside Their brewery shop is well stocked for the festive period and orders are
available now from various independent bottle shops. They have also Ella and Galaxy. This will be followed in mid-December by two more now being taken.
decided to brew seasonal specials for bottle to mirror their invention new beers including a brand-new stout known at the time of writing
and seasonal offerings in cask and keg. For the first seasonal, silky only as ‘Project Fudge’!
double chocolate stout El Choco (5.5%) is being bottled, and it will also Richard Brooks
Cocksure moves to Totterdown
News from Arbor Ales N
ot quite two years ago, Dan and Calum at Cocksure Brewing
set up their business in a large, former agricultural unit, out in
the sticks at Oldbury on Severn, near Thornbury. Starting with
A
a five-barrel mash tun and boiler and a forest of fermenting vessels
s I approached the stairs leading up to the office at Arbor Ales Londoner who is designated lead packager and brewery assistant. The occupying a small fraction of the cavernous space available, there was
on my right were two large oak barrels, one of which had an total strength remains the same at ten. plenty of room for growth. The first brew hit the streets in January
air-lock plugged into it. This proved to be the cask of Belgian- Henry Davies 2017. The five-barrel brewhouse became a 10-barrel brewhouse by
style Lambic, referred to in my last report (Pints the summer of 2017 and plans for an on-site tap room were set into
West 119) and now ‘hibernating’ – should be very motion.
interesting when ready!
Realistically, being out on a limb – practically in the Severn – meant
On the subject of barrels, a new consignment of missing out on the vibrant Bristol beer and brewery scene, and a
Italian wine casks from Abruzzo in central Italy longish journey from centres of population to the planned tap room.
has arrived; these will supersede the Amarone So this September just gone, Dan and Calum took on a new location
casks previously used. for the brewery, this time in Totterdown, and planned a several month
long transition to the new brewery. However, the effects of the hot
The promised American canning machine is now summer combined with problems in the distribution network gave rise
in full production turning out 568ml (1 pint) cans to the opportunity of fast-tracking the move. After just four weeks,
of unfiltered Arbor favourites. The complete they’re back in production again in the new, more compact premises,
range is the same as that also available in and have even found time to re-clad the six fermenters in new timber,
bottles, although owner Jon Comer thinks install the chilling and control equipment, and build a bar and seating
that the cans may, in time, replace the bottles area upstairs (not quite finished yet). The old cladding has not been
entirely; probably accounting for 20 per cent of wasted; it has now been put to good use as the bar, complete with the
total production. original ‘FV’ printing still proudly on show.
Expansion is now inevitable, the supply Their latest beer, Latest Haze, a 5.2% New England IPA is, sadly, a
situation, especially with regard to cask ales, one-off, and even more sadly, has been specially brewed for Barworks
having become critical. A new fermenter, now UK and has all gone up to London. Apart, that is, from the cask that’s in
on order, should alleviate matters somewhat by the brewery and which I was privileged to sample during my last visit.
increasing capacity.
The core range of beers have all had some tweaks to their recipes and
Now some staff news: Emlyn James has left the are (in my humble opinion) better than before. These are Pale Ale at With the move to a more central Bristol location, let’s hope their beers
brewery to return home ‘up North’. His place 4.2%, Amber Session at 3.9%, Session IPA at 4.9%, IPA at 6.5%, and find their ways to more local outlets.
has been taken by Hester Boyce. Hester is a Cold Brew Stout at 5%. Martin Farrimond
18 PINTS WEST PINTS WEST 19You can also read
