Pubs and Bars / Beer
Small Redland pub in former convenience store named best in Bristol
It does not allow any form of electronic entertainment. So no flatscreen TVs, no jukebox and no music; just contented chatter and the clink of glasses.
And this resolute commitment to the traditional pub experience has won Chums on Chandos Road in Redland the title of the CAMRA Bristol & District branch pub of the year.
“I’m totally overwhelmed,” landlord Mark Farrell told Bristol24/7 soon after picking up the award on the first day of the Bristol Beer Festival at the Passenger Shed.
is needed now More than ever
Chums is a micropub, a new breed of pubs taking things back to basics which are defined by the Micropub & Microbrewery Association as “a small freehouse which listens to its customers, mainly serves cask ales, promotes conversation, shuns all forms of electronic entertainment and dabbles in traditional pub snacks”.
Chums is part of a buoyant food and drink scene on Chandos Road
Bristol currently has three micropubs: Chums, the Drapers Arms on Gloucester Road and Snuffy Jack’s on Fishponds Road, with the Drapers Arms winning CAMRA’s Bristol pub of the year in 2017.
“I must admit, with the Drapers getting it last year, I didn’t think they would give the award to a micropub again,” added Farrell, who opened Chums in April 2016 within a former convenience store. “Long may the micropub revolution last!”
The award for the best local ale of this year’s Bristol Beer Festival went to Forresters Black oak milk stout by Easton-based Dawkins, with runner-up Espresso Martini – another milk stout – from Bristol Beer Factory on North Street in Bedminster.
Glen Dawkins (left) of Dawkins and Mark Farrell (right) of Chums celebrate their wins
The festival, which continues until Saturday, March 24 at the Passenger Shed next to Temple Meads, is organised by unpaid volunteer members of CAMRA and is a showcase for real ale, cider and perry from the Bristol area and across the UK.
There are still some tickets available for the Saturday evening session. For more information, visit www.camrabristol.org.uk/festival.html
https://www.facebook.com/bristol247/videos/10155816791164807/
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