Bristol, beer city: where to go and what to drink on a city break to this spirited, independent English town

There are many noble reasons for choosing a city break destination: art, architecture, history, culture, shopping, climate. Personally, the local beer scene is always a key consideration. Now, with the rise and rise of craft ale, entire beer-themed weekends are possible throughout the county.

For a best-of-British beer destination, Bristol is hard to beat, boasting over 20 breweries, and every kind of bar and pub you could wish for (including some that tick good food, history and culture off the list). I spent a giddy 24 hours exploring Bristol, beer city, with a tour of taprooms the main focus of events.

Most people visiting Bristol will arrive at Temple Meads Station, which nudges into the eastern edge of the city’s tourist maps. It's not the most conveniently located station, and Bristol is lare and hilly but, despite these inconveniences, it’s a great place to explore by foot, giving you the chance to experience its unique character as you shift from one area to the next.

Bristolians: independent, strong-willed and kind

Like all good tourist cities, Bristol has embraced modernity while acknowledging its history, a town clearly shaped by the people that live and work there. Bristolians have a reputation for celebrating individuality and creativity, a strong-willed bunch that stand up for diversity and fairness. An anti-establishment streak runs through them that has led to numerous well-documented protests and riots over the centuries, including the recent toppling of the Colston statue, the slave trader who contributed much to the city’s fortunes. But besides this determined nature, they’re also a laid back bunch and incredibly welcoming. All of which helps to make it a good city for pubs, conversation and drinking.

Where to go for the perfect pub crawl in Bristol

Start in the cobbled King Street, close to the river and city centre: it's loaded with drinking history. Outdoor seating crowds the pavements. When I arrived, it was buzzing with happy drinkers enjoying the sunny weather. Where the street adjoins Welsh Back, it was rammed, mid-afternoon on a Friday. There was already a party atmosphere and barely an empty seat.

Further along you’ll find the city’s famous Old Vic, the oldest continuously working theatre in the English speaking world, and two legendary pubs – The Old Duke, a lively jazz and blues bar, and the imposing Tudor-styled Llandoger Trow. The Llandoger is said to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Steveson’s Treasure Island inn, the Admiral Benbow, besides being where Daniel Defoe apparently met Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish navy officer who Robinson Crusoe was most likely based on.

I had arranged to meet a few friends, including Bristol resident Dav, at the other end of the street it was a little quieter. The two bars we visited were the Famous Royal Navy Volunteer, a large 17th century pub that has been given a sympathetically contemporary makeover, and popular craft den the Small Bar. Both serve a huge range of beers with a strong representation from local breweries including Arbor, Good Chemistry and Ashley Down Brewery. Already we’re confronted by beer menus that cover entire walls and a mind-boggling choice of lagers, pale ales, stouts, sours and more. Beer nirvana and we’ve only just begun.

Our next stop is a vast brewpub operated by Left Handed Giant (LHG) on Finzel’s Reach in the centre of the city. They take their name from a local legends: lore has it the river Avon was carved out by two giants, brothers Vincent and Goram, in competition for the love of a Wiltshire lass, Avona. At one point in the tale, Goram drinks an ale to quench his thirst, has a few more and falls asleep. Vincent wins.

LHG’s impressive brewpub is housed in part of an old brick building that used to be home to Phillip George & The Bristol Porter Brewery, once the largest brewery in the West Country. LHG began brewing in 2017, its innovative streak quickly earning it rave reviews: it has expanded rapidly. Here there’s an incredible choice of beers, with several flavour curiosities among them, many produced collaboratively with like-minded brewers from across the land.

Exploring the outskirts of the city, where the best breweries lie

One of the upsides of the craft beer boom is that taprooms have made social destinations out of areas of towns and cities that are otherwise rarely visited. Finding large, affordable brewing space pushes new businesses out to the edges but, with the promise of quality, brewery-fresh beer, drinkers are happy to walk the extra mile to enjoy it.

Some taprooms are content to do little more than clear a bit of space for a few chairs and incorporate a makeshift bar, but our next two stops put in considerably more effort to attract customers. New Bristol Brewery, housed in an industrial building at the end of a residential street in St Pauls, has a smart bar area with plenty of seating inside, while sounds are provided by a DJ spinning discs in front of gleaming brewing vessels. Above the well stocked bar is New Bristol’s illuminated logo, an ape in a space helmet, providing some indication of the quirky nature of their brewing ethos.

A 15 minute walk south of here takes us to an industrial estate in Old Market, where Wiper and True’s brewery and taproom resides. Outside, the tables and benches are arranged within an attractively planted courtyard. A mobile kitchen sells dumplings and noodles for sustenance. There’s lots more space inside with a busy bar lined with taps. Among the many keg choices are a good selection of clean, crisp lagers and pale ales, while a cask mild and bitter keeps the traditionalists happy.

Moor Beer Co: the best brewery in the country?

Continuing our stroll south we reached the Moor Beer Co, something of an old-timer having started up in 2007, and often cited as one of the best breweries in the land. Moor’s taproom is much smaller, with limited space inside and just a few beer-tables dotted around the yard out front. Despite having the appearance of a well-worn, industrial shed, it has more of a pub-like feel to it than our previous stops: you instantly feel at home. It’s here that we had our favourite beer of the evening, a perfectly summery hefeweizen.

Now well into the evening, most of these taprooms close at 10pm, but there’s one more we managed to fit in, conveniently situated a five minute walk between Moor and Temple Meads. Little Martha Brewing, named after the first rabbit in space (what is it with Bristol breweries and space animals?), only started out in 2020, with the Brewpub opening the following year. It occupies perhaps the most typically craft-ale space of all, a railway arch, with a few hipster food businesses as neighbours.

This is a cosier kind of place, with tables laid out for smaller groups, and twinkling lights giving it a warm glow. Here they serve a few of their own beers alongside a selection from excellent breweries around the world. It’s a pleasant, quieter stop to finish our tour before catching the late train home.

Character, creativity and individualism: the Bristol beer scene

Visiting this range of pubs and taprooms gave us a great snapshot of Bristol brewing and its character. We shared drinking space with people of all ages and backgrounds and, although the taprooms veered towards a younger crowd, they were frequented by a more even mix of genders, making them a welcome change from bloke-ier pubs of yesteryear.

And Bristol’s character of individualism and creativity translated to its beers. Myriad styles were available every place we visited, with plenty of choice for the more traditionally minded drinker besides those looking for their next boozy flavour thrill. Vegan drinkers, and those who preferred beer without alcohol or gluten, were well catered for. But, most of all, everywhere we went was friendly and welcoming. And, whatever kind of city break you’re looking for, it’s the locals you encounter that make all the difference.