Brizzle 2025

 Hello there  

     On Friday just gone (it was in fact 22nd August!) I went to Bristol - or Brizzle - after work, to attend the Forwards festival (Music), and also the East Bristol Brewery Trail, visiting for the first time a number of Taprooms in Bristol. On the Friday night we started in the marvelous kings Head - where owners Good Chemistry were celebrating their 10th birthday! Just the one in here, both myself and Matty enjoying a 6% Baltic  porter collab called Smooth Operator with fabulous Shefielders Abbeydale! We enjoyed this sat outside in the last of the sunshine

After booking in to the Ron Clayton hotel we headed next for BrewDog where the manager plays almost exclusively metal music, and sells a whopping range of beers as well. We had a pint of Marine Hazard Extravaganza and White Dog Will it float and finished on halves of their Habas and Fierce Very Big Moose barrel aged imperial stout. Having met Simon, Matt's dad, we finished the night in the Strawberry Thief where we enjoyed pints of Lost and Grounded Helles on draught and bottles of Augusteiner Helles and others, which I did not photograph....

The next day after a marvelous breakfast nearby we wandered through the city up to Arbor Ales Taproom for 12, once again meeting Simon at about 5 minutes before they opened. This was our first stop on the East Bristol Brewery trail and by 12 there was a hefty crowd waiting to get in! I started on Arbor C Bomb a Citra pale on keg from the current, and Simon bought me a second before we wandered off the trail slightly to a new Brewery and Tap to me.

At strength and Noble they had 6 of their beers on keg and two guests and we had 2 pints each of theirs and 3 halves to finish - we were once again sat out in the sunshine and enjoyed all of their beers, and I have to say the food smelled fantastic! Over the motorway next and down to Clark street where we walked up and into Wiper and True - this was really busy but we got a table for the 3 of us and ordered a few halves from an amazing range of 15 beers available - sadly I didn't take a pic of the line up but I know I had a fabulous pint of kaleidescope IPA on keg from the now, before we returned to the trail and headed straight for Good Chemistry Taproom for my also first ever visit!

I now I had a pint of Pure Celebration Party Pale also on keg, and at a pleasant 5.8 % and once again enjoyed that sat outside in the none sunshine! Off next back into town where we headed to Little Marthas brewing brew pub under a railway arch where we all ate delicious food, and once again sat outside as the clouds darkened the sky above us. We next went to the Portwall Tavern, which is not a brew pub and sadly, since my last visit in 2003 the beer selection seems to have gone downhill somewhat. No doubt based on it being a Craft Union pub, I had a pint of their Bonville Pale om cask from the past before myself and Matt hurried on up to Small Bar, which was not very welcoming, but  we finished on several excellent pints in the fabulous Famous Royal Navy Volunteer where we were both on pints of 8.2% Wibble DIPA on keg which was a fab collab between Balance Brewing and Cloudwater - possibly the best beer of the whole trip.

The next day was Forwards Festival and despite being the day before Bank Holiday Monday it was rather warm! Me and Matt opted to walk to the Downs in order to get some pre festival beers and we started in Zero Degrees Brewery Tap where we started on a clear lager before walking out onto St Michaels hill/Mount and despite its incline we quickly reached the comparative Darkness of the Highbury Vaults - I was once again on kaleidescope and Matt may have been on Otter Oak IPA as we sat in the back . Off next to the nearby turning for Brewhouse and kitchen where we stayed for just one, possibly a pale before visiting a new pub recommended by Simon - up a little side street past a closed pub was a marvelous micropub called Last Port of Call - a tiny 2 roomed boozer selling a great range of local beers where I started on a delicious pint of Gloucester Gold a pale at 3.9% on cask from the past and finished once again on a pint of kaleidoscope as its correctly spelled! A cracking pub to which I will return.

Beer at Forwards was once again cans from Lost and Grounded but £5.50 a can seemed lie a good festival price! We only watched about 4 bands this year, the best being Squid and Nea Archives - we were therefore back in town to make a quick final stop at BrewDog where I now we had Mad Scientist blackcurrant sour at 8.4%!

On Bank Holiday Monday I wandered off by myself post breakfast and made my first visit to the king Street Brew Pub where I sat inside looking at the busy Street outside enjoying a pint of their Hazy IPA at 4.8% before thanking them and waddling accross for my also first visit to the Llandoger Trow where I had a whole pint of their Three Acre Extra Special best at 5.4% which was a very easy drinking bitter on cask from the past.

A toddle next to the Grain Barge parked on the river where I had two beers - I know that they were both Bristol Beer factory but I forget which - before paying my first visit of the trip to The Myrtle Tree for a few excellent pints of Bass straight from the barrel - I even sat outside in the sunshine with two gents eating a cheese and onion cob, before being joined by Tash Matt and Rhodhri. Round the corner to the Bag O Nails next where not only does it smell less "feline" but also had a great selection of ales - I had Uley Guilty pleasure and something without a pump clip on keg before walking, now with Simon, up to a new pub  to me called the Three Tuns where we had a print of Bristol Beer Factory, and then walked into the Limekiln. Always worth a visit, this time it sold in its range Lenton Lane Big Dreams IPA at 6.5% on cask from the past so I was on that before me and Simon headed into town to get a burger and we all re met in the Old Hatchet Inn which used to sport a door made with possibly human skin? All I can say is that the beer selection was really underwhelming so we only stayed for one and I didn't even photograph it!

Our next to last day was quite cloudy and after our usual breakfast in Cafe Revival we went our seperate ways with a plan to  catch up later - I started by meeting a lovely lass on the bridge before walking up to see the church of the Holy Cross ruin and waling out to visit the fabulous Cornubia -a fabulous beer selection as always and I started on a pint of Burton Bridge XL Mild on cftp, then a Bobs your uncle IPA from Electric Bear at 5.4% from also cftp before walking to the Bridge on Passage Street, where the bar had a fab collection of beers on offer. I did ask the chap about Moor Brewing whose owner had posted an explosive outburst on the Friday about almost every customer and type of customer, and whom agreed not to take part in the East Bristol Brewery trail. He does sell quite a lot of their beers so I was happy to try some since he had paid for them, but I started on Newbarns Canopus IPA at just 4.5% which was delicious, then Misfit Brewing Astro Zombie IPA before finishing on Moor.

Next I headed to the Seven Stars for a pint of Hop Union Classic Gold which I enjoyed drinking outside, and then headed a trifle refreshedly for Left Handed Giant. It was really busy and in the end I was so surrounded by by shouters I opted to leave for food at the Fullers Old Fish Market where I met Tash and Matt and Rhodhri for scran whilst on Fullers Olivers Island before finishing in BrewDog on more plus 8% beers and getting cans of Chubbles for our journey home the next day.

After our final breakfast at Cafe Revival we walked together to the the Cornubia for pints of Electric Bear and then to the ruined Abbey for a look round and just got in the kings Head as it started to pee it down! Tash and Rhodhri only stayed for halves as they were off to catch an earlier train so me and Matt stayed for a few including two excellent pints of Good Chemistry kokomo weekday Hazy Pale on Keg and to finish on thirds of fabulous Vault City 7th birthday 14% stout between us, and to buy two Good Chemistry celebratory cans for our trip home.

Still time to pop in Simon's least successful recommendation, the Sidings, which sold no cask ales and sold only Beavertown mass produced beer on keg! We had halves, and I once again did not take any pics whatsoever.

So that was Brizzle! A mostly hugely enjoyable dawdle round some truly fabulous pubs and bars, mostly with fabulous ales and breweries!

Kindest regards

Wee Beefy

Brizzle

Evening all,

     whilst tackling ( and continuing to tackle) the dire horrors of trying to sell the flst of the sadly passed away Wee Fatha, me and Keith, or rather, WB and WK, decided to get a break away. Initially we thought about Glasgow, but with restrictions not clear, we opted instead for Bristol, a place where WK got his MBA degree with wee fatha back in 2019. I was keen to see what was happening down there, and having asked our friends Ray and Jessica from the blogging world, we got advice on where to go, and what to do. Here are some highlights....

The journey down was plagued by standing traffic - although we did surprisingly bump into Roger and Anne and Rachel our uncle, Aunty and cousin, as we took a break at the services. Back on the motorway we were soon in Bristol and despite having taken a wrong turn to find the hotel (and then a  2 mile detour back) we were soon booked in and headed for our first stop.

This was the Cornubia - we both had a pint of locally brewed southern seas hoppy pale ale or similar, and it was hot sat outside. Popping next to the Seven Stars, I had another locally brewed pale and WK a weaker more traditional drop - both sat outside on benches enjoying these. Next was the Bridge on Passage Street - a cracking pub with 2 or 3 cask from the past on. Me and WK were both on a pint of Purity, before I slipped in another half. Marvellous! 

A bit of a wander followed - down to the quays and Hotwells and along a disused railway track and through a gap in the fence to the fabulous Orchard pub. Here I had a pint of Arbor IPA from the cask, along with a pint of Otter 4 Paws and a half of delicious cider - Hecks, possibly, but only a half. This was a truly fabulous pub, and from here we went to the Merchants Arms at Hotwells. My beers in here are sadly a little unclear - but the pork pie and mustard was much appreciated! A short walk away we went to the wonderful Myrtle Tree - still selling Bass from the cask, so I had a pint and WK a half, before we finished at the Bag of Nails.

I had heard plenty, including from WK, that it certainly smelled of cats, and worse. To be fair there were only 3 cats in when we arrived and no smells - as it was busy we went upstairs - I think I had a pint of Wickwar, but am not entirely sure. The beer was flat and delicious - am going to blame that half of cider for my rant on the walk back to the hotel...

Next day we walked up St Michael's Hill towards the park where the Bristol Comedy Garden was being held. Arriving 55  minutes before it started we queued for about 20 minutes to get in but once sat down there was a bag of goodies and snacks and in the end the gig went quite quickly. Highlight for me was probably Rachel Parris - assuming that is her name - and also later on seeing Rosie Jones in the Highbury Vaults.

We took a quick walk to the Clifton Suspension Bridge and crossed it both ways, before following google maps through the back roads to come out at the Highbury Vaults. Here we met up with Rosie in the beer garden and also the lovely dog that her chums had brought along. A cracking pint of St Austell Proper Job for me, although sadly WK once again had to download an app just to order beer.

Next we sat accross the road at Beerd and enjoyed the dark lager from Lost and Grounded, and a Lost and Grounded pale - both were on excellent form. We then walked down a side road to come out at the Kingsdown Vaults, a cracking pub with a range of real ales on, of which I had a pint of Butcombe - according to the glass! From here we took a walk to Cotham Porter Stores where I had a pint of the excellent Wickwar B.o.B - just like I remembered it.

A short walk down hill and we found ourselves at the marvelous Hare on the Hill. On my last visit this was a Bath Ales pub but now was a  fabulous free house with a grteat range of beers on both keg and cask. Highlights included a beer brewed there, and one each from Good chemistry and Anspatch and Hobday. We could have stayed for many more but were quite hungry as well as a trifle refreshed.

Walking into town we stopped off at a Greek deli for some dolmades and chips before finishing on some frankly ludicrous beers in BrewDog near the hotel. A truly cracking day!

Our next to last day included a walk from the hotel underneath the Clifton suspension bridge to Pill. There are about 4 pubs in the village but we turned up at 1400 - and none opened on a Monday until 1600! After buying scran we hopped in a taxi back to the hotel. 

A quick wander back to King Street brought us to Small Bar - here WK sadly had to download his 5th different app to order and pay for beer - to be fair to them, as they pointed out, they would love to be back in a situation where customers could simply see what was available and ask based on that. I had two thirds of Good Chemistry Jam sesh a fruited pale, followed by 2 thirds of a pale ale which had a name. Soon we were up the hill and steps to Zero Degrees where I had two pints of their Parallax Effect at 5.9%  and Keith included a half of heir Mango ale, before walked down to Steak of the Art for some Bristol Beer Factory and two marvelous meals!

Our penultimate stop was at Beer Emporium where I finished on a pint of super cloudy Electric Bear gluten free pale ale at 4.2%. Our final stop was in the mighty joy of the Left Handed Giant brewery tap. I started on a strong IPA at about 7%, two pints of, before we had two finishers - one imperial stout which was about 10% and one called woodlands or similar which was 11% - really really enjoyable, although, it absolutely destroyed us. And is no way related to my spending £35 on three take out bottles from their aged beer collection...

I realise that we missed a good few of the pubs we really wanted to see -  one behind the town halll and in the market place, possibly called the vines inn? Along with the Wiper and True and Moor brewery taps (although these may have been a way away) along with the Grain Barge. Despite this - I have to say that Bristol was a joyous place to visit, and there are loads of reasons for us to pop back and enjoy them and other places again!

Cheers

Wee Beefy