Pubs and Bars / Reviews
Brewhouse & Kitchen
Locally brewed beers are three words seen in more and more pubs.
Bristol Beer Factory brews travel a few hundred yards to the Tobacco Factory on North Street in Southville from their brewery just down the road, while Arbor Ales also have a short journey from Lawrence Hill to their flagship pub The Old Stillage on Church Road in Redfield.
None are more local, however, than being brewed inside the pub in which they are served – a major selling point of the Brewhouse & Kitchen on Cotham Hill, the fifth opening of a rapidly expanding chain.
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Replacing what used to be the pizza ovens when this pub was The Hill, two burnished steel fermenting tanks about six-feet tall sit pride of place in one corner.
“Take a closer look at them if you want to,” was the invitation from the bar staff.
There is plenty of piping to admire but not much action – although the end product can be sampled of course, with six beers brewed here on tap at any one time.
These include Papa Darth (named after Bristol actor David Prowse, who is carrying out the official opening ceremony next week), a smooth and rich oatmeal stout with hints of coffee; American IPA Yankee Cabot; and Hannover Cure, an unpasteurised and unfiltered pilsner made with German hops and named in honour of one of Bristol’s twin towns.
But it’s not all home brews. Nine beers on keg behind the bar include Hackney Pale Ale and Whitstable Stout, lagers from Brooklyn and Asaki, and Aspall cider.
Among the bottles not called into service as light fittings, there are selections from Anchor, Brewdog and Innis & Gunn – the latter brewery hosting a four-course dinner on March 25 with a different beer matched to each course.
Every item on the menu also has a recommended beer match, from the olives as a starter to the ‘Moreteaser’ chocolate fudge cake for dessert.
The bar may be in the same place, but everything else here is brand new, from the black and white tiles behind the brewing equipment, reclaimed wood stretching the length of the bar and beyond, a small fire in a circular grate in the middle of room, and pipes out of which protrude lamp shades – locally made ones of course.
31-35 Cotham Hill, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 6JY,
0117 973 3793
www.brewhouseandkitchen.com/bristol
Photos by Doug Jewell