Features / Beer
15 things you probably didn’t know about the East Bristol Brewery Trail breweries
East Bristol Brewery Trail returns on August 25 and 26, with five breweries once again rolling down their shutters from midday to 8pm, offering some extra special beers and some extra special treats.
The breweries are all within an easy walk or cycle ride of each other, and are all located conveniently close to the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
Here are just a few of our favourite facts about the breweries taking part:
is needed now More than ever
ARBOR
181 Easton Road, BS5 0HQ
1. Arbor started as a one-man operation and slowly expanded to the current team of eight as demand, production, brew house and premises size have increased
2. Founder Jon Comer gave up his job as a network design engineer in 2006 to start the brewery
3. The brewery were commissioned by Marks & Spencer to make two bottle conditioned M&S beers: American Pale Ale and American India Pale Ale
DAWKINS
Unit 2 Lawnwood Road Industrial Units, Lawnwood Road, BS5 0EF
4. At this East Bristol Brewery Trail, Dawkins are launching a new beer brewed in partnership with Aerospace Bristol. 10p per pint from all sales of Supersonic Mach 2 will be donated to the museum.
5. Next month sees the third harvest of Dawkins’ locally-grown hops and their Easton Promise green hop brew in collaboration with the East Bristol Hops co-operative of amateur growers, whose wet hops add a fresh vibrancy to the beer
6. Dawkins’ bestselling brand Easton IPA but was never meant to be sold in Bristol. It was designed as #6 IPA for Dawkins’ new Scottish bar, Steel Coulson Tap in Leith. However, the opening overran by several months so it was sold in Bristol in the interim.
GOOD CHEMISTRY
Unit 2, William Street, BS2 0RG
7. The signatures of Good Chemistry co-founders Kelly Sidgwick and Bob Cary are printed on every bottle and can of their beers
8. Before setting up Good Chemistry, Kelly ran The Festival Elderflower Company and Bob worked at breweries including Wiper & True in St Werburgh’s
9. Good Chemistry’s first beer in a can was released this summer. Roar Power was brewed in collaboration with record label Holy Roar Records.
LEFT HANDED GIANT
Unit 8 & 9, Wadehurst Industrial Park, St Philip’s Road, BS2 0JE
10. Left Handed Giant in-house designer James Yeo paid tribute to his father-in-law Alan on the can and pump clip for Compulsory Fun, made in a three-way collaboration between LHG, Magic Rock and Deya. Alan (“not known for his love of parties,” as James told Bristol24/7) has been immortalised on the can, a small party hat balanced on his bald head.
11. LHG collaborated with Copenhagen’s Dry & Bitter to brew this year’s Bristol Craft Beer Festival’s official beer, Cycle the City, a juicy IPA
12. Following a crowdfunding campaign in which they raised more than one million pounds, LHG hope to start work on a new brewery and brewpub in Finzels Reach next year
MOOR BEER
Days Road, BS2 0QS, UK
13. Moor released their first ever lager last month. SIMPils (Single Infusion Mash Pilsner) was brewed in collaboration with acclaimed pils brewer Agostino Arioli, founder of Birrificio Italiano.
14. The brewery, originally on the Somerset Moors and Levels, was purchased in 2007 by Californian Justin Hawke – who decided to keep the name but completely reinvent the brewery
15. Moor is the first brewery in the UK to be accredited by Camra for their canned craft beer
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