First stop was at Brewdog Bristol - just a short walk from the end of King Street. I don't think I have ever been in here and struggled for a beer choice. As ever there was a buzzing atmosphere and the delicious smell of pizza filling the room is enough to make anyone hungry! After scanning the boards I decided to try an Elderflower Sour by Chorlton Brewing Co. for my first beer. Normally I don't like elderflower but I do enjoy a sour so thought I’d give it a try and it did not disappoint. Slightly floral on the nose as you would expect but a punchy sourness on the tongue. I felt that the elderflower helped mellow out the astringent nature of the sour flavour which made it much more drinkable and perfect for a warm day. I could have stayed longer but there was more pubs to visit and more beer to drink.
Next we moved to the top of King Street which I would say is the busiest end of the pub crawl. Theres a few bars here I have never been into, one of which being our next destination - the King Street Brewhouse. We had to try some of this brewpub’s own beer so opted for the Simcoe Pale Ale. First impressions were not great as our beers were served in plastic cups and it smelt like a barnyard - but not in a saison kind of way. Unfortunately the flavour was not much better as it was thin and tasted like a poor home brew. I’ve been to the Bath Brewhouse, which is within the same pub group, a few times before but always order from the guest taps which I realise now is a wise decision.Moving swiftly on we avoided The Llandoger Trow as it serves a majority with a steady flow of commercial fizzy lagers which are not on my radar. We also skipped past the Duke and Kongs, again because it didn't suit our beery needs.
The Beer Emporium is one of my favourite stops in King Street. I like the concept of the bar being underground in the cellar with the low ceilings and archways giving the feeling of intimacy. First cask beer of the evening had to be from local brewery The Bristol Beer Factory with their Milk Stout. Dark and chocolatey with a milky sweetness, it tasted like the last drop of a hot chocolate. The bitter notes of this beer help keep the milk stout from tasting too sickly so is far too easy to drink! Just next door is the The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer which was our next stop. Last time I came to The Volly with my partner we had to walk out as there was nothing particularly jumping out to us from the beer list. On this day the boards aren't terribly inspiring but I went for a safe option, the Biere De Saison by The Kernel Brewery. To coin a phrase - “there’s no such thing as a bad Kernel beer” - and it is absolutely true! We didn't stay long here as whilst the beers available were good there was nothing radical on the taps.
At the end of our King Street crawl was Small Bar. I feel like there is a gravitational pull here every time I come to Bristol. I really like how the beers are presented on the boards with sections for the different beer styles - pales, sours and lagers to name a few. I remember when I first started drinking beer that this made it so clear and easy to choose at the bar. There is even a list called Crazy Stuff if your feeling more adventurous! Small Bar has the closest thing to a permanent line of beers from local brewery Left Handed Giant and you’ll quite often see the LHG team helping out at the bar. I’ve come to Small Bar for the Rainbow Project launches as well as other tap takeovers. It’s a firm favourite of mine and I will continue to make this a definite stop every time I come to Bristol. What a great ending to my King Street pub crawl!
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