In the Feels

 Yesterday we decided to stroll a short way and revisit a pub we'd not been to for a while:  The Swan with Two necks.

On the way we passed The Crown which we've not been to since its refurb and reopening.  We knew it offered Bass (not our cuppa, thanks) but were hoping that they'd have something else too.

The only handpulls on the visible bar were Bass and Lilley's cider - so, sadly, it wasn't for us.  Maybe they have more obvious choice at other times of the week?  We didn't really want to walk in and then out so we walked on by.

We walked around the block to the Swan and went in.  It was empty save for the lady on the bar, and an older bloke sitting at the bar.  It was also quite chilly in there.

We looked at the cask offering and were a little disappointed that they only seemed to "older" beer styles - but we ordered two pints of Burton Bridge Gold.  She started to pour them but then said "sorry, it's gone".  She did offer the part poured pint on the house but the BBB tasted it and confirmed it was off.

We didn't fancy the other beers on - classic bitter types so we ordered a couple of pints of keg beers: LHG Sky Above for me, Deya Steady Rolling Man for him. Both were good - we know them well.

Music on vinyl (Bob Dylan) was good as a backdrop but the pub's quietness and it's temperature meant that it wasn't cosy experience so we decided not to stay for another.  To be honest, for a pub which has a sign saying "local beers" on the board outside, we were also a bit disappointed that Burton Bridge and The Kernel were very heavily represented. 

It may have been an off day, or the wrong time but we left a little sadly whilst not really being able to articulate why we didn't want to stay.

The walk back to the flat takes us past the Old Castle Green and a few times we've wondered about going in.  This time, we decided to give it a go.  We tentatively opened the door and were immediately cheered - it felt much warmer and the lighting gave the place a cosy feel that immediately made us want to sit down.

There was a range of a few cask beers on the bar but we wanted something a little stronger.  The signage on the keg pumps was lacking but the lady behind the bar obligingly gave us a run down and both settled on a NZ IPA by Fierce and Noble.  They only do pints and halves so we had pints.

We found a pleasant corner and settled in. The BBB reminded me of when he was new to Bristol and I could take him to a new pub every time he came down - he's now been a demi-resident for over 10 years now but it's nice to know we can still find a nice place that's new to us. It probably won't be a main destination but it'll definitely be added to the list.

Today, we're thinking about retrying the Golden Guinea and maybe venturing to The Collosseum.  Let's see what happens.