Bristol is only a short hop away from Bath so I resolved to spend an evening checking out a couple of the better spots. A small bit of interwebs research later I was aboard a train for an arduous twenty minute journey. First stop was The Steam Crane. I was given a warm welcome as I perused taps and the food offerings.
There could really only be one first choice considering the location, and that was Bristol Beer Factory’s Summer Cascade. It went down fierce easily after a long days trek around the safari. ( The family had visited Longleat earlier!)
I plumped for the Ploughman’s Platter which sated my hunger nicely and featured some awesome cheddar.
I couldn’t resist the wonderful pump clip and name of Boss Beatles Juice, and happily it lived up to all of the implied psychedelic expectations. It was like a juicy summer party in my mouth. The lads helpful called a taxi to take me to my next destination which was the Grain Barge.
The Grain Barge is owned by Bristol Beer Factory and so I went for another of their beers, a hoppy Summer Session Ale called Nova.
I supped that out on deck and enjoyed the last warmth of the Summer’s evening.
I was somewhat interested to see what my next pub was going to be like, having read a few bits about it.
The Bag O’Nails has a few quirks, for example, hand written signs instructing you not to ‘…order an IPA if you don’t know what the fuck it is!’…as well as a lot of cats and kittens reclining on the bar.
I started off here with the Cumbrian 5 Hop which was decent before moving on to some rather more exotic fare.
Italian Porter and Belgian Quadruple, as you do on a Monday night. There had been a beer festival the week before and luckily for me there were a few drops of each left. The Quadruple was outstanding. Fruity, boozy and warm. The barman, Harry, who originally hails from Belfast was very entertaining company.
I hit the Small Bar last. And there found my new favourite glass, featuring my initials. Not many places have a personalised glass waiting for you!
I enjoyed the Left Handed Giant Sonny Boys IPA. It was a great finish to a fantastic evening of craic in Bristol. The lads in Small Bar were dead sound too leaving me with a very positive impression of the pub scene in Bristol. Cheers for reading!