Bass from the Jug in Bath

On a Friday morning I set out on the train to the city of Bath with the promise of fine pubs, good company and at least one pint of Bass.

This was a Southern outing organised through the Beer and Pubs forum.  It was all supposed to happen 3-weeks ago, but was scuppered as Storm Eunice was gathering pace in the Atlantic, forecast to batter the South-West.  So, attempt number two - just the rain this time, without the 80mph winds.

My last visit to Bath was at the beginning of November 2020, the day before Lockdown#2. 
I finished that trip in The Crystal Palace (10-11 Abbey Green, Bath, BA1 1NW), which just happened to be our starting point this time round.

The only two customers in the pub at 11:20 were pub crawl participants Martin and Jon.  The only person foolish enough to order a pint at this time of day was me (and I'd regret that later).
The bar gradually filled up whilst we were there as folk took advantage of the early opening and the chance to get out the rain.
On my last visit the London Pride was being sold off at a lockdown-imminent price of £2 a pint.   They made a bit more money from me today as I parted with my cash for a Fuller's 'Oliver's Island'.

Leaving the Crystal Palace, we wandered past the Abbey and through the narrow lanes to the north of Westgate.  There was a queue stretching the length of Union Passage, fortunately not all trying to get in our chosen pub, but taking advantage of Tortilla Bath's one-off Free Lunch offer.
No time to join the long line for free tortilla's, as we strode onward to Bath's smallest pub.

Coeur de Lion (17 Nortumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR - web)  
This was looking quite different from my last visit when myself and one chap reading his paperback were the only patrons sitting inside.  We found it was standing room only in the bar, so made the pioneering move of being the first customers to venture to the upstairs room where there was a bookshelf with a superb collection of Good Beer Guides to peruse.

The pub is an outlet for the local Abbey Ales Brewery, with 'Bath Best', 'Bellringer' and 'Cardinal Sin' on offer.  I opted for a half of the Cardinal Sin without realising it was 6% - after the early-doors pint this would be my second foolish beer choice of the day.

 

Paul and Mick joined us in the Coeur de Lion having made their journeys by train from Kent and Hampshire respectively, completing our small contingent for the day.
There was a brief bit of discussion about going somewhere else en-route, kyboshed by Martin who only had eyes for the Bass at The Star.  So up the gentle hill we went...

The Star (23 Vineyards, Bath, BA1 5NA - web)
This is a fantastic Heritage-listed pub that's an essential stop on any Bath pub crawl.  Dating back to 1760, it retains the fixtures and fittings from a Victorian refurbishment.  There's a little snug to the side of the bar and two dark, characterful sections to the back with wood panelled walls. 

 

We settled in the cosy front lounge, with red cushioned bench seating along either side and a fire burning in the hearth.  I figured it'd be good to nab the seat right next to the fire to dry off a bit, but managed to toast my left leg to medium-rare by the time we were ready to leave.

The choice on the bar was Abbey Ales 'Bellringer' or 'White Friar', Dark Star 'Hophead', Wye Valley 'Butty Bach', and Bass.
The Bass can be served in 3 or 4 pint measures into a glass jug, ready to be poured into your glass at the table. 

"I've got my jug - what's everyone else having?"

Was it better from the jug?  Well, the jury's out on that one.
Was Mick converted to Bass after initial flat beer skepticism? Possibly not!

Just a few minutes walk upon leaving The Star, swinging around the corner onto the next street down the hill, The Bell was our destination...

The Bell Inn (103 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BW - web)

This 18th century coaching inn, and music venue since the '70's, was looking like it may be a lost cause when it's owner put it up for sale.  But the local community gathered together to save it, a co-operative of 536 folk raising the funds to enable them to buy The Bell in 2013.  It didn't hurt that Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant lent their weight to the campaign - although neither of them were drinking there on our visit, which was very disappointing.

We headed up into the long room to the left of the bar, with it's bench seating and proper pub stools.  The area right at the front of my picture transforms into the stage for regular live music, with an unprotected three-step drop at the edge which surely someone has tumbled off after one too many.  (Remarkably enough, not me on this occasion).

Here's the beer selection for your perusal...

I picked a decent porter brewed by Parkway Brewing Co, followed by the fine tropical haze and Bristolian trip-hop pun of 'Massive Azaac' from the always reliable Arbor.

We hung about in The Bell until the clock ticked past 4pm, when the doors opened just up the road at our craft diversion.

Brewed Boy (13 London Street, Bath, BA1 5BU)
I'd made an enjoyable visit to Brewed Boy in Frome back in November, so was happy to tick off another of their micro tap room locations.  They've also got outlets in Dartmouth and Sherborne, the latter housing the Imaginary Friends Brewery.  It was their 'Cafe Con Leche', a tasty milk chocolate stout, that was my first pick here.

This was a small place - one table in the window, which we grabbed, and a little more seating to the rear.  Ten beer taps lined the back of the bar, with nine of them in operation on this visit covering a wide range of styles.

We stayed for another half, whilst a can of super-sour blueberry weisse beer from Waterbeach was shared around.  We'd progressed on the beer hipster scale since the Bass in a jug!

Fine propping up of the bar, complete with craft murk

Just time for one more pub...

The Raven (6-7 Queen Street, Bath, BA1 1HE - web)
Back in the heart of the city, The Raven is located in old Georgian townhouses, converted into a wine shop, then later a pub in the 20th century.  It's a decent ale house, serving me a good quaffable Lister's Dark Mild.

Honesty is the best policy, and to be honest I was fairly tipsy by the time we reached the Raven.  It turns out spending the afternoon drinking without eating does me no good...

"Seriously!" admonished Mrs PropUptheBar when I got home, "five grown men and none of you were sensible enough to stop for food during a day out drinking".
To be fair, Paul did raise the issue of a lunch stop a couple of times and brought a cob in The Star, so did better than me.

I managed to fall asleep on the train home and spill my crisps down my front, whilst taking 45-minutes to realise I was listening to one song on my headphones on repeat because I'd fumbled the buttons.

Good day out then!

I'll finish with a random picture of a bin in Bath, complete with bird watching tips on the side for the cities international visitors.

Will steal your chips.