Pubs and Bars / Pub of the Week
Pub of the Week: The Barley Mow
“It’s £5.20 a pint and 7.2 per cent. That might influence your decision.” The barman was at least being honest as a visitor to the Barley Mow weighed up his options from the eight real ales on cask and decided on an Old Freddy Walker from Moor Beer Co. brewed less than a mile away.
His decision was swayed but only to try the same beer in a two-thirds glass. Although it’s not the regulation size here like at Small Bar on King Street and now also the Adam & Eve in Hotwells, it’s recommended for some of the strongest brews, which included on a recent Friday night the Torpedo IPA from Sierra Nevada on keg – also at 7.2 per cent and costing an eye-watering £5 for a two-thirds.
The Barley Mow is the flagship pub of the Bristol Beer Factory (founded in 2004 by mayor George Ferguson), and their beers feature strongly both on keg and in cask, including on our visit their seasonal beer, the wonderfully named Bristletoe – which uses rolled oats and traditional brown porter malt to produce a rich bodied and full flavoured beer.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol Beer Factory sadly didn’t produce their 12 Stouts of Christmas last year like in festive seasons gone by, which saw some tremendous hits like beer with a hint of whisky, and some tremendous misses like what tasted like bad whisky with a hint of beer.
They all used to be sold in bottles, and if you miss that there are 10 different BBF beers in bottles here at the Barley Mow including their award-winning classic Milk Stout and Ultimate Stout, a Belgian stout with hints of coffee, chocolate and dark fruits.
It may be a bitterly cold Friday evening but the sound of punters sat in the outside courtyard permeates inside to this cosy pub tucked away in the Dings, opposite a school playing field, near a former walled Jewish cemetery and next to one of the few former industrial buildings in the area yet to be transformed into modern flats.
“I love you, will you marry me?” Not a proposition to the barman, just one of the fine beers; this one brewed by Thornbridge from Derbyshire.
Yet another pint of Nova from BBF was poured, followed by a Bristletoe, the two most popular cask beers tonight from a commendably local selection which also includes Arbor, New Bristol Brewery and Wiper & True.
BBF used to be the leaders of the pack when it came to craft beers in Bristol. In recent years, they have slightly lost their sparkle as that pack has grown considerably. But the Barley Mow remains one of the best places in town to sample some of the best beers our city has to offer.
The Barley Mow, 39 Barton Road, St Philip’s, Bristol, BS2 0LF
0117 930 4709
Photos by Darren Shepherd