Bath and Bristol bimble - part 1 the new Bath guide

I dont often write pub reviews as on the whole I dont think "man walks in pub, has drink, kind of liked it" is a particularly interesting narrative style of writing, though thats generally the standard fare of review you get. They can also date pretty quickly given the pace of change in the beer/pub world can mean a pub that was outstanding on one visit is rapidly left behind even if it manages to maintains its standards, whilst others might change hands or close down become part of ever bigger pub groups.

But as Id last visited Bath & Bristol 5 years ago which had just been on the cusp of a wave of new breweries,pubs and bars opening, in some cases literally the week after Id left, I figured it would be interesting to see how things had changed, had the places Id been recommending to my friends as the best places to go since, still as good or had the new places supplanted them.

'the new Bath guide'

looking back to my last visit, which I remember most from being terribly excited to see the BBC filming some of Doctor Who, I got to see Richard E Grant stand on a street corner and that was about it, I was surprised how few pubs Id visited, admittedly visiting the Roman Baths had taken up most of the day (top tip leave plenty of time to do it and avoid weekends), but Id only managed to visit 4 pubs in total. The Salamander, one of Bath Ales pubs, the Raven an atypical CAMRA GBG stalwart, Coeur De Lion one of Abbey Ales pubs and the Old Green Tree, well it was in the GBG and is 300 years old. I do remember the Star Inn,which Id wanted to visit, had been closed as it was still operating very traditional opening times and I think at that point having walked around Bath alot that day Id had enough and got the train back to Bristol, thinking there were probably better food/drink options to be had there instead.

So would the old and the new match up.

Graze 

First up of the new bars was Graze which opened just under 5 years ago and is Bath ales biggest outlet, twice the size of any of its other pubs/bars, with its own microbrewery on site. Its a 1st floor bar/restaurant which actually puts it on the same level as the platforms on the train station, but the entrance is on ground level, and as the ground level which is part of Baths "food quarter" a number of other shiny restaurants/bar vie for the attention, certainly had I not known Graze was supposed to be there I could easily have missed it or walked in any of the other venues instead, obvious it isnt.

Once inside and up the flight of stairs,though there is a lift for accessibility, its clear the place with its central lozenge shaped bar area and the rest of the space set out for dining the focus is on food, though the balcony with views over the bus station,not the greatest of views, Id have preferred to watch the trains instead, does allow you to sup your beer feeling you arent intruding on people eating.

I went for the house special Platform 3 (the train station has only 2 platforms you see) though there was a good range of Bath Ales available, was slightly taken back by the price which was close to £5 for a pint, and went and sat on the balcony, which was pleasant enough given the hot sunny weather.

I had thought at the time I might pop back in over the weekend,either to try more of the beers or even the food, and I dont think necessarily a reflection on the place, but ultimately didnt find the time to.

The Royal Oak

After decamping to my hotel, I then headed to the GBG listed Royal Oak, local branch Bath and Borders City pub of the year 2017. A quick half of Butts brewery Barbus Barbus (its a fish),which was pleasant enough, the pub had a decent selection of micro brewery beers, though it was fairly quiet, I could have stayed longer, but needed to move on to find some food.

The Hop Pole

Another one of Bath Ales pubs in Bath, though Bath Ales were bought out by St Austell just under a year ago and Id have said their influence is already being felt, both Bath and St Austell beers were available on the bar, along with a "house ale" Hop Pole named after the pub, less gastro pub than Graze, but still gastro and very clearly tenanted. Annoyingly my beer ticking instincts overrode my beer common sense and I went for the house ale. This was a mistake because like Greene King "house ales", they are generally fairly nondescript beers to begin with, but suffer through poor turnover as none of the locals ever drink it, preferring the standard ranges instead and most visitors to gastro style pubs, plump for lager or wine, and notably despite spending just under an hour there, mine was the only pint of house ale they sold. Unsurprisingly it was a little lacking in life and was vaguely heading towards an accompanying condiment to my chips, served in the obligatory gastro pub bucket, and burger, which werent much to write home about either. As I say the influence of a much larger pub group in evidence.

Electric Bear Brewery Tap

the story, which maybe apocryphal, of how Bath Ales came to be based originally on a Bristol industrial estate tells how it was down to the fact the local Bath council wouldnt give them the permit to brew beer in Bath. Clearly such problems have been ironed out as the Electric Bear Brewery are based on a Bath industrial estate, as is their brewery tap.

Yes thats right, as one of the people who had arrived by car asked "is this really a real thing ?" among the car accident repair, builders merchants, plastics manufacturers is the Electric Bear Brewing Co, in a fairly big industrial unit warehouse, big enough for their brewery kit, some benches for sitting inside and a counter from which their beer is served. Outside in the "car park" more benches provide seating which on a balmy sunny evening was a perfectly pleasant way to try 4 of their beers, NZ Pale,
Mochachocolata Ya Ya!, Drop and Werrrd! though check their website for opening times as they arent conventional.

As the industrial estate is right next to the Bristol and Bath Railway path its accessible from Bristol and a group of cyclists had ridden up from Bristol area to try it, and its a very pleasant walk back into Bath alongside the river, though Id probably not recommend walking alone along their at night, but there are buses that run out that way.

The Raven

it was turning into a busy Friday night in Bath by the time Id walked back from the Electric Bear, and several of the bars Id wanted to try were packed. The Raven, still standing room only though, was the first I could get remotely near the bar to get served. It was also the first pub Id revisited from my trip of 5 years previous and first impressions it was still a CAMRA GBG stalwart, both beers I had, Raven, the house ale but one worth trying by Blindmans Brewery Ltd, and Foresters Black by Dawkins Ales which had almost whiskey smoked barrel overtones were great beers, in fact one of the regulars at the bar Im sure I recognised from last time. Always worth remembering, though Id forgotten again, there is a bar upstairs which serves the same beers but maybe quieter.

The Salamander

another revisit pub, again nominally a Bath Ales pub, usual Bath range plus a St Austell beer and the house beer which I avoided this time opting for a Bath Ales Gem, which was fairly average disappointingly. A shame as previously Id rated the place, and the food too, which didnt look much different to the Hop Pole, whereas I remembered it used to be more uniquely home made food. Awkward setup as well for a night time, people eating meals, but not many places for people to stand/sit just for drinking.

The West Gate

A Greene King pub, atypical of the style really, but Cask Marque'd so worth visiting to get the check in if nothing else, only beer among the usual suspects that caught my eye was the Amarillo Single Hop Session IPA, which actually wasnt that bad so not a complete waste.


The Map