please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
This pub used to be good for cask ale, but it has got worse and worse. A couple of weekends ago there was none on. Both the beers I tried this weekend were rubbish. Had to go onto the keg beer. It can still be an entertaining place, but so far as real ale is concerned - forget it.
MrKiA - 26 Aug 2018 15:58 |
So, LukeD, I'm not allowed an opinion?
I travelled to Bristol, I went in 4 public houses, two were so ordinary it was not worth leaving a comment and for two it was.
I'm sorry if that is a mystery to you. Your history on BITE is one of telling people who have left comments that they are wrong and then using a variety of sock-puppet accounts to back you up.
Did you see the fight I was referring to, were you there? I didn't think so.
Crawl back in your hole you nasty troll.
nova7 - 29 Apr 2013 10:21 |
I'm sure LukeD is correct as Nova7 has only ever commented on these two pubs and my experience is that Arbor is one of the best breweries around.
MrKiA - 10 Apr 2013 19:11 |
nova7 registered only to slag off this pub and Arbor's other pub in Bristol and has left no other comments at all. His comments appear bullshit to me and it would seem that it is somebody hiding behind anonymity with a grudge to bear.
LukeD - 10 Apr 2013 11:39 |
Odd place lots of real ale on offer but everyone drinking lager.
Wooden interior like a wild west saloon which takes me neatly to the almost continuous raging battle I witnessed between some hells angel type and (probably) Polish youths. Landlord watching but doing nothing. Felt very uncomfortable and as several others were leaving I decided to make my escape too.
Beer was nothing special, had something called Arbor but it was as flat as a pancake.
nova7 - 17 Feb 2013 14:59 |
Atmospherically as good a place to be as anywhere most nights of the week.
Beer H'mm I'd have to say I was on the guest Beer Last time I was in here and my pints of XT2 and XT6 were both flat
|
Good Arbor ales pub with the odd guest.Quality good. That said not as good in my opinion as its sister pub the three tons. Possibly suffers a bit because of location ie in an area that hasn't quite caught up with real ale yet , most people in there seemed to be drinking lager.
|
Made a special journey out to this pub (via Lawrence Hill train station) and was pleased I did. It's on a main road full of second-hand car showrooms and semi-derelict shops - there's a Tesco and Wetherspoon further up the road. Anyway, it gave me the feeling of being an ex -Oirish style pub with the type of furniture,panelling and bits of -bric-a-brac etc. Perhaps olde alehouse?
What ever it had been it is now a welcome Arbor Ales pb with a good range of their local beers available. I tried both the Brigstow bitter and a single hop brew called Bullion. Both were in fine form and I probbaly could have stayed for more! The staff were quite cheery even though they looked as though they were still getting the place ready to trade! (the pub had just opened at 12 noon). There is a pool table and a dart board and although the pub is quite dark inside it is well worth a visit. Several buses stop nearby (44/45 I think). Worth it for the beer alone.
|
@charliesmithmufc - please dont be put off by one bad experience of service - you really must have caught 'Harry' on a bad day! i've never felt like that in here - quite the opposite.
i can only say how nice it is to have such a friendly and safe local in this part of town - the people that run it are real gents and genuinely seem to want to create a real community pub - well worth checking out! had sunday lunch once also which was v. good.
|
Great beer,nice locals at the bar,nice sounds but the manager type (Harry?) had the manners of a pig. Feeding his face while chatting to his mates and pretending he didn't see us waitng TWICE. "What can I get you?" was truncated to a surly "YES" when he finally could be bothered.
The nice barmaid even seemed embarrassed by him. We would have stayed but why bother. A big disapointment.
|
A pleasant Arbor Ales pub on the main strip through Redfield. Inside you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a traditional country pub with it beams on the ceiling, dark wooden flooring, wood partitions and an ornate carved wooden bar with hops around the top. Sit in the cosy area at the front of the bar with it�s wood panelling, lots of black and white photos on the wall and a couple of button back leather sofa�s and you could almost imagine you were in an old hotel drawing room.
On the left of the pub is an old stone fireplace with a large curved metal chimney and beyond that a pool table. The flooring here was tatty lino which spoilt the look a bit. There were a couple of plasma dotted around which were initially showing the football. When this had finished it was unfortunately left on to show some mindless Saturday night TV talent show with the volume up rather too loudly.
There is a band area at the front of the pub, and it looked as though something was being set up ready for later on in the evening. There is also a small courtyard at the back of the pub. The menu was a basic offering chalked up on the board with just a few snack type dishes to keep the hunger at bay.
Beers on tap were all from the Arbor Ales stable with their Old Knobbley, Brigstow, Artisan and Metahop. There was also a pump for Hunny Beer although this had run out on our visit. Ciders were Stowford Press and Pheasant Plucker.
|
In a dodgy area of Bristol and it looks a right dump from the outside, and not the sort of place most sensible people would consider visiting, but the ales were well worth drinking, and worth a visit because of that.
|
I never quite had the courage to venture into this place when I was younger, on account of being concerned for my safety and worse still, being faced with no decent ale to quaff. Whether my fears were justified or not, there is no question that this place has been overhauled for the better, and whilst it retains a down-to-earth edginess owing to its very location, it is a welcoming, comfortable and characterful pub which plays host to a range of fine beers from the Arbor Ales brewery, which it seems can do no wrong at the minute. There was no doubting the quality of the beer supped, and all in all I left with that warm fuzzy feeling that one gets not because of excess consumption, but from having visited a pub which blew away all previous preconceptions with a very positive impression.
Methinks I shall get back in here at some point.
|
Yob contingent seems to be at around 50% of what it used to be (and this was a |Friday night), and there was evidence of a different type of punter starting to give the place a go. The Arbor ales were all excellent and there was a sublime guest ale from Plain Ales.
|
nice sort of wooden interior , a beef festival was taking place . good selection , friendly landalord and landalady, as awas once said , normal beer selection , heavy arbor ales presence, good beer , nice place 8/10
|
nice sort of wooden interior , a beef festival was taking place . good selection , friendly landalord and landalady, as awas once said , normal beer selection , heavy arbor ales presence, good beer , nice place 8/10
|
Idiot level seems to have dropped to nearly zero but with the obvious outcome that sometimes there are few in. But in time this pub will get better-the ale is always tip top,the outside is getting a bit of Valspar and the inside is on the menu for a bit of attention. Worth persevering with.
|
Idiot level seems to have dropped to nearly zero but with the obvious outcome that sometimes there are few in. But in time this pub will get better-the ale is always tip top,the outside is getting a bit of Valspar and the inside is on the menu for a bit of attention. Worth persevering with.
|
The Oyster stout is excellent but the bar staff are less than good. Friendly locals though and bands on occasionally. It can improve no doubt.
|
Finally a decent real ale pub in Redfield. Even better its at the end of my road!!! The hunny bitter is a particularly good pint closely followed by the Brigstow. Hopefully this pub will just get better and better.
|
Just dropped in last night for a quick pint whilst waiting for a chinease....... and Arbor Ales at the bar (Beach Blonde was excellent)...... Thought I'd hit a jackpot! When did they get this place?
Last came in about a years ago, its much cleaner now and the beer is good..... not really sure what everyone is on about with regards to the "locals", the place was busy and all seemed friendly, bar staff very chatty. If you wanna talk about locals, take a walk into the "Redfield" just down the road :-(
Barman was talking about live music, food etc in the pipeline, looks like a place definately on the up, will have to go back and check it out
|
It's not closed and is still being run by Arbor Ales. Can't comment on the normal clientele as I visited late afternoon when the pub was almost empty but it's much nicer inside than the outside appearance would lead you to believe.
Tried 3 of the four Arbor ales on offer (Brigstow, Beech Blonde and Oyster Stout) and all were in superb condition as one would expect from a brewery tap with the Oyster Stout being exceptionally good.
Early days but lets hope Arbor can continue to lift this old pub from its past reputation?
|
Was definitely open Friday night,there was a reasonable rock band playing. The Oyster stout was good though one barman was more attentive the other which soured things a bit. The clientelle was the usual mongrel contingent. I so want this pub to work for the brewery but the jury is still out.
|
If the previous post is correct, then it's a pity but not unexpected I hope that Arbor Ales find suitable premises as an outlet for their fine ales, and when they do I will be visiting again. It is a sad fact that pubs in the Redfield / St George areas leave a lot (and that's A LOT) to be desired, and I thought that on our last visit, Arbor were going to struggle to turn this one around. Give the scum their pub back and leave em to their own devices (and lager), and I look forward to a decent pint with you folks another time.
|
Currently closed, probably due to the previous noted problems and the fact that there's a Wetherspoons just a couple of hundred yards away?
If this re-opens as a Pub, I'll be really surprised. Currently on the market, Freehold, for �350,000!
|
I'm afraid AEM has got this about right. We have been back a few times now, and although the new owners seem genuinely decent people, it looks like unless they make some serious changes, the place will remain uncomfortable to visit if you are seen as an 'outsider'. I mean, why continue to show football on the big screen when it attracts such psycho's as were there a few weeks ago. (the nutter who was shouting and screaming at the TV for a start and being hostile to the LL, going on about how it is a local pub for local people). I've never run a pub so don't know how you go about getting rid of the locals you don't want coming anymore. When I asked for ale at the bar, it felt like the Bill Hicks sketch when he's asked 'what are you reading FOR?' - generally unpleasant locals, and the mrs is scared to go to the bar on her own. Enough said.
|
Visited a few times while on cat-sitting duties in the vicinity! The staff were pleasant-the ale was excellent,in particular the Arbor Festival Mild. However the clientelle left a lot to be desired. The pub bears no difference to how it was before the takeover so I feel it will be difficult to advance the customer base. I'm brave but it couldn't appeal to many with its current punters. Which is a pity. Close it,paint it,ban Blackthorn,Stella and Kroney and all who have ever drunk the aforementioned products and that'll be a start. Will revisit in hope.
|
So far so good - two perfect pints of Oyster Stout and Beech Blonde were had and excellent service by friendly barman. Landlord also hopes to have guest ales on in future. Quite early in the evening so not sure how it is for local undesirables later on. Hope this pub is a success as it is just what the area needs. Will be interesting to see how it goes for them but I wish them well and will certainly be dropping in.
|
Been bought by Arbor Ales it seems. Surely only an improvement can occur.
|
Visited to shelter from the english summer. Actually a decent pt of Courage best for �2.50 was had. Used to be in Camra beer guide. Sign on khazi door saying illegal substance users will no longer be made welcome. 2 blokes with colds doing a lot of sniffling in the cubicle though. And i don't think they were gay. Exit Padre Jack with pee on pants.
|
A good "pub" pub, friendly service, nice mix of people and good atmosphere(well anything was a warm welcome after stepping foot in the redfield before!!) 7/10
|
Mint pub, met my WIFE in there!!! Friendly, good mix of people and Vince!!! Can't say I have ever seen any agro in there and as for skank heads, what pub doesn't have it's fair share of them!!
|
Fun quiz on Thursdays, limited choice of real ales, VERY smokey!
|
Funny pub, plenty of agro around and skank heads!
|
