Since our last trip to Bristol was dogged by the damnable c-plague and recovery took a little while, we hadn't really ventured very far for beer for a while.
So, Thursday had me planning a trip on the newly restored full ferry timetable. It was lovely to be on the water. We landed at the Cottage (no, we didn't go there) and planned to walk to the BBF taproom. The city is really trying to encourage use of public transport and active transport like cycling but, it seems, it's forgotten the wayfinding elements for pedestrians. So we got a tiny bit - well, not lost but not quite going the way we wanted to.
Anyhow, we arrive and settled into the taproom. We've observed before that this is the taproom most like a pub. We had a lovely chat to the ex-bar manager of the Barley Mow who was enjoying his new role on the sales side of the business. The place was full by the time we left and it's nice to see such a lovely venue thriving.
We decided we'd try the Old Bookshop as this has been a Christmas Day favourite. I knew it had changed hands and the beer list is now vastly different.
There are no beer names on the pumps which means buying the first round is difficult and makes you look like a ditherer (neither of us like that, especially in the busy place) and whilst the choice of beer was interesting - it wasn't quite what we wanted. However, with a beer in hand and a chance to read the full (VERY full) beer list we decided it might be worth another visit another day for something really different. We also took the opportunity to try their small plates of indian food (or, chickpeas 27 ways) which had promise.
We also mused over revisiting The Strawberry Thief in town and in doing a short crawl between the Grain Barge, Bag of Cats, Three Tuns and the Lime Kiln.
A fairly painful bus journey back had us bickering about the various merits of buses. But it was a small thing.
Friday had already been planned because we needed to run some errands in town. So after the chores we strolled up to "Basement Beer" who have been in place for a year or so. It's a one-man band and we had a good chat to him. Beer was tasty and we picked up a few cans, to boot.
After that a stroll around the corner to New Bristol Brewery. There were a few people outside but it was pleasantly quiet inside. NBB has a very homespun feel to it and I find that particularly lovely. We had a little chat with Noel following a minor incident with leaking coolant. He outlined his plans for the space now that he has acquired some extra storage space nearby. I was struck by the fact that part of his decision not to pick the whole brewery up and move it to another site was largely motivated by his loyalty to his existing landlord. I hope the local residents see it as an asset to the their neighbourhood. I like the fact the space is an old industrial space but he's making it a place for people to want to visit. Really looking forward to seeing his plans for the new-style taproom coming to fruition.
Our last beer of the day was a 7.4% IPA - delicious but far, far too drinkable!
We strolled home on a fuzzy high.
The beer culture in Bristol doesn't seem to have any indication of slowing. I love it.
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