Pints West 66, Summer 2005 - Bristol & District CAMRA

DON'TSPILL BEERPINTS WEST......................................................................................................................................................The Hope & AnchorTHE HOPE & ANCHOR nestles half way up(or down) Jacob’s Wells Road at the junctionwith Constitution Hill, on the edge ofHotwells.A genuine free house, the Hope & Anchorendeavours to support as many of the smallerbreweries as it reasonably can.There are almost always six real ales on thebar at any time and, whilst none of these arepermanent fixtures, some do feature with moreregularity than others due to popular demand.Amongst these favourites are a number oflocal beers such as those from the Butcombestables and the remarkable beers from thosenew kids on the block, the Bristol BeerFactory.Coming from further afield are such beersas the Deuchars IPA and the 80/- from theCaledonian Brewery in Edinburgh, and the everpopular range of beers from the old Palmer’sBrewery down in Bridport in Dorset.That said, these breweries (although oftenwell represented at the Hope & Anchor) dofind themselves having to make way for otherbrews such as Fuller’s London Pride, TimothyTaylor’s Landlord, Blindman’s Buff andmany, many more. The beers are served ingood condition, at the right temperature, whichis reflected in the fact the pub is a frequententry in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide.The real ale choice should satisfy mostbeer drinkers, but for those who haven’t yetdiscovered its delights, there is also a range ofpremium lagers and wheat beers.The Hope & Anchor has a very popularfood operation and owes its position upon theculinary map largely to head chef, NikkiHughes.The policy on food has never been one ofhaving pretensions above its station but,rather, more upon catering for an everincreasinglydiscerning public by being severalshades more upmarket than the standard ‘pubgrub’type of outlet whilst still giving a nod tothose dishes which have their roots in traditionalpub fare.To this end, chip butties, served in abasket on fresh crusty bread, happily sharemenu space with fresh whole trout stuffedwith prawns and lemon & dill butter.Wholetail scampi rubs shoulders with porkescalopes in a dijon sauce and lamb curry isperfectly happy sharing a dressing room withmoules frites and seafood paella.The overall emphasis at the Hope &Anchor is one of trying to create a relaxedatmosphere and the clientele, rather than being‘studenty’ or ‘locals’ or ‘suits’ are, in fact, aneclectic and broad mix of all of these and more.One of the attractions of the pub, ofcourse, is the terraced garden at the rear whichused to be referred to as the ‘secret’ garden.As it tends to get pretty packed out on sunnydays by all and sundry, however, it is now justcalled ‘the garden’.The Hope & Anchor, whilst taking thematters of beer and food very seriously (whatcould be more serious?) also exudes a sense ofnot taking itself terribly seriously. It is, as thepub’s motto states: ‘A Bent Nail On TheFencepost Of Life.’(Whose round is it?)Pete BridleTHE HOPE & ANCHOR38 Jacobs Wells Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS81DR. Tel: 0117-9292987. Open all hours.WARNINGFrom the Management of theHOPE & ANCHORExceptional Public HouseCotswold Spring BreweryM4 Junction 18. Picture it. Streams of carsheading south on the A46 to Bath, road workson the motorway and the annual snarl-uptrying to get to the Badminton Horse Trials. Apretty unremarkable motorway junction.Ah, but little do we realise that thismotorway junction is your best route to a newbrewing venture whose use of natural ingredientsis set to make it the darling of theconservationist movement. For, at the base ofthe Cotswolds, not half a mile from themotorway, is a natural spring, home to asuccessful mineral water operation and, as ofthis summer, to the newest brewery in SouthGloucestershire.The Cotswold Spring Brewery is thebrainchild of John Worlock and WarrenBryant. Given John’s background in Training& Consultancy in the Financial ServicesIndustry, and Warren’s successful career as aCarpenter and Builder, it is perhaps surprisingthat they have chosen a new craft brewery astheir next venture, but here they are.The truth is that this is a labour of love forthem. When I meet them at the brewery, theyare both positively buzzing with enthusiasmfor the project. They agree to show me around.The new brewery has been purpose-builtby Warren on the site of the Cotswold SpringWater Company. Apart from the obviousbenefits of siting a brewery at a natural spring,the decision to build from scratch has alsoenabled the guys to make sure that everythingabout the brewery is absolutely as they wouldwish it to be. For example, the brewery isspacious and well-laid out, with claddingthroughout allowing precision temperaturecontrol as well as lending itself admirably tohigh-power and hygienic cleaning techniques.The equipment itself was purchased fromthe Felon and Firkin pub/brewery in Leeds. Itis a ten-barrel plant using the local springwater in exactly the same condition as thatwhich is bottled for sale by the CotswoldSpring Water Company. The guys areconfident that customers will agree that thepurity of the central ingredient will contributeto a crisp and clear taste in the beers producedhere.Talking of which, Cotswold SpringBrewery beers will be available during thesummer at free-trade outlets and beer festivalsacross the region. There will be three brews tostart with:! Cotswold Spring Old English Rose(3.8%) – An eminently quaffable session bitterwith a light, crisp summer flavour to it.! Cotswold Spring Codrington Codger(4.2%) – The flagship bitter. This will be aclassic best bitter with malt and hops presentthroughout, and a smooth aftertaste.! Cotswold Spring Royal – The strongestbeer in the initial portfolio, weighing in at afull-bodied 4.5% ABV. Flavoursome andmoreish, this will be the big brother of theCotswold clan.Early outlets for the Cotswold Springbeers are likely to be the Codrington Arms inCodrington, as well as the George and theBeaufort, both in Chipping Sodbury; thoughthere will be plenty of other places to samplethese ales if all goes to plan.Not only that, but the Cotswold SpringBrewery will be offering ‘beer boxes’ andpossibly specially bottled beers, availabledirect from the brewery. Call (01454) 323 088or email info@cotswoldbrewery.com for moredetails.Duncan ShineNational CAMRA web site : www.camra.org.uk5