Bristol pubs - June 2021

 

With two nights in Bristol at the end of June 2021, there was a chance to visit some pubs near the Travelodge 'Bristol Central' in Mitchell Lane. 

The Cornubia

Good Chemistry 'Common Thread'

Where better to spend a Wednesday lunchtime than the pleasant garden space of  The Cornubia?!

The historic pub (c. 1775) prides itself on being hard to find but the effort is worthwhile! Many nearby buildings were bombed in WWII so it is surrounded by more recent neighbours. Lunchtime was not the quietest time to visit as a new steel-framed building was being erected just across Temple Street.

A blackboard near the entrance lists details of the cask beers available. With efficient table service and advice on the beers available I plumped for a pint of Common Thread from Good Chemistry brewed in the city. This was welcome refreshment after a walk from Bristol Temple Meads station via the Harbourside pedestrian route. 

The laminated notices on each table show the menu and an introduction to the protocols of the pub 'not a beerstro' that showcases 'the very best of only cask ale' and are signed by Phil and Jacki - Landlord and Landlady. They obviously know how to run a pub and were previously at the Crown and Thistle in Gravesend, CAMRA's 2003 National Pub of the Year.

Despite the noise from the building site, it seemed sensible to stay and sample a different cask ale before checking in to the hotel after 3pm. The Twisted Oak 'Cornubia SO' is the house session ale. We had spotted the Twisted Oak dray outside before arriving. The brewery, based in Wrington (North Somerset), used to supply 'Not So' to the pub as well but this has now been discontinued. 

There may be an artificial grass carpet in the Cornubia's patio garden but the flowers and shrubs are all delightfully real! We would return to this pub the following evening to sample further cask ale and cider.

A while later, revived by tea and biscuits, we would set off from the hotel to visit M Shed and see the Edward Colston statue, now retrieved from the harbour and displayed in a recumbent position after being famously dumped there in June 2020. 

Among the other exhibits at this part of Bristol Museums was a dray for George's Brewery and a model of the Llandoger Trow.

The Arnolfini Harbourside Bar, managed by Bristol Beer Factory, was temporarily closed, but provided a good spot to take a photo of M Shed, fronted by four dockside cranes, on the other side of the harbour.

LHG Brewpub

The evening would be spent at the Left Handed Giant Brewpub at Finzels Reach. There was a socially distanced queue on the curving Castle Bridge when we arrived. We hadn't expected a queue on a Wednesday but some people may have been going out to relax a day after the drama of watching the England v Germany Euro 2020 match on TV when apparently the brewpub had few customers.

A (2/3) pint always tastes better after anticipation and a further delay was necessary to navigate the brewpub's website in order to make and pay for our order. I enjoyed the Nelson Sauvin and Mosaic Pale and later 2/3 pint of Sky Above to go with my tasty vegetarian Mission Pizza.

We were glad to have a table in the exposed harbourside seating area and there was an amazing sunset 'lightshow'. Perhaps the huge opening in the wall of the building towards Castle Park on the other side of the harbour explains why one of the beers is named Sky Above!

Before leaving there was a chance to get a photo of the brewing vessels and beer tanks which are situated behind the bar.

The LHG Brewpub looks good at night viewed from Castle Gardens which are easily accessible via Castle Bridge.

Thursday 1 July, 2021

Returning to Bristol after a visit to Portishead, it was nice to find that a part of King Street has been pedestrianised. As well as the Bristol Old Vic theatre, there are several good pubs on King Street including Small Bar and the Beer Emporium. 

Llandoger Trow

At the east end of the street, opposite the Old Duke and the King Street Brew House, we spotted an empty table outside the Llandoger Trow and checked that we could sit there. The Old Duke had tables on the opposite pavement and in the road with music playing but only pavement space was left for the Llandoger Trow.

It was a relief to be able to order beers without the need to navigate an app. Under new management that also operates the Euston Tap, the Llandoger Trow has a focus on craft beer and continental lager but some cask ales are available and we ordered pints of QPA from Quantock Brewery. 

Other cask ales suggested were from further afield - Timothy Taylor Landlord and Adnams Brewery Ghost Ship. The extra pale colour and citrus tang of QPA reduced the disappointment of the beer being served in a lager glass. Perhaps the glass choice was limited due to the recent reopening or being busy in the evening sunshine. 

Bridge Inn

There was time to stop off at the hotel to brew some tea before venturing out again to find there was a free table outside at the Bridge Inn in a quieter part of the city. 

The landlord made us welcome and a new recruit took our order.  We chose a local cask ale - Hardings Pale Ale by Bason Bridge Brewing Co. 

This was a smooth and fruity pale ale and good value at £3.50 pint.

A pleasant walk along the north bank of the harbour via Castle Gardens and then past BrewDog led us to FiSH restaurant, located on a barge near Bristol bridge. We enjoyed takeaway fish and chips from there at a table by the harbour. We even managed to avoid losing any of our meal to seagulls who frequent the area. 

The Cornubia (2nd visit)

A return to the Cornubia would be our last pub visit of the trip. This time the noise was from a youthful group at the pub but we were able to sit at the furthest table away. A new cask ale had been added to the list and the Lenton Lane Brewery (Nottingham) Simcoe SM&SH (Single malt and single hop) was tasting fresh. 

As usual the service was excellent and assistance with choosing a cider nightcap was appreciated. Reader, the local Brislington Brain Twister dry cider is recommended!

Friday 2 July - Postscript

With checkout at noon, there was time for a walk to Spike Island and back. 

We passed the Ostrich, a Butcombe pub, that we had previously ruled out for a visit as it did not appear to serve any cask ale. However, it does offer plentiful outside seating with harbour views.

The massive almond croissants from Mokoko Coffee & Bakery at Wapping Wharf are recommended for anyone with a sweet tooth and make a good breakfast.

A harbourside walk passes near the SS Great Britain (Brunel's ocean liner) and the Orchard Inn, a freehouse with a good reputation for traditional cider, can be found nearby. To drink at the Orchard Inn is just one more reason to revisit Bristol!