The publog goes west. I spent last weekend in Bristol and of course took in a couple of its pubs. Just a couple because the first one I was in I liked so much. The Brewery Tap is very near the centre of town as defined by the bus station and not obviously a pub from outside. It has the ramshackle look of a shop – one which sells tools or a picture framer. Inside you are presented with a tray of rolls which helpfully have no provenance and a selection of ales from Smiles. Which is unsurprising since the Smiles brewery is just next door.
Brewery pubs are usually pretty fantastic. After all if anyone is going to sell their beer right it should be them. But the low key nature of the Tap is what sells it – it isn’t bigging up its ales. That said you’ll be hard pushed to find a table without a pint of their bitter on it (The Old Russ Ale was very nice) This lack of CAMRA heavy oppression was nice, it was a perfect Friday night session pub. WHich is pretty much why it is unlikely – unless I visit far flung parts of Bristol – that I’ll be going to many others.