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.

Bath Pub Explorations

Wednesday 4th November - the countdown had started to pub door closure at 10pm, with 'Lockdown 2' about to kick-in.  
Wanting to make the most of the day, I set off into Somerset to visit the city of Bath.

With all it's wonderful architecture and the golden Bath stone looking glorious in the sunshine, you may ask why I started the day in a dull modern leisure complex.
£3.98 for breakfast and a pint...that's why.

The King of Wessex (5-10 James Street West, Bath, BA1 2BX - web)
Yep, it's a pretty identikit modern Wetherspoons, in a complex that also includes an Odeon and Nandos.  But it's not quite as bad as suggested by Trip Advisor user Suejtay who proclaims "this has to be the worst weatherspoons (sic) ever".

Suejtay obviously hasn't been to Cowley.

The press widely reported on Spoons selling their beer at discounted prices to prevent having to pour stock down the drain come lock-down.
Most of the casks had been drunk dry already, but they still had a Box Steam 'Ghost Train' left, at a bargainous 99p a pint.
Add this to a Rishi discount for the breakfast and you had a happy pub ticker, early doors in The King of Wessex.

Spoons Brekkie

It was around a 10-minute walk into the centre, where my next pub of the day was tucked down an alleyway.  I'd read that the Couer de Lion was "probably the smallest pub in Bath, and always busy", so wanted to get there as soon as possible after the 11am opening time to ensure getting a table.

Coeur de Lion (17 Northumberland Place, Bath, BA1 5AR)
There were a fair few folk for such an early hour, but most of them had opted for the outdoor tables in front of the pub.  Good for getting a seat inside; bad for getting a picture of the wonderful stained glass window.
There was a choice of two Abbey Ales brews on the bar: 'Bath Best' or 'Bellringer'.
I grabbed a pint of the Best and settled on the red cushioned bench seating at the edge of the small charming bar.

Hotel California played quietly in the background, whilst the chap at the next table told the landlady "Howard's been barred from the Green Tree".
But he was very diplomatic when asked what for, answering intriguingly that he'd done "that thing again".   I shall never know what Howard did wrong.

Backtracking a short distance, it wasn't long at all before I was sitting inside another Beer Guide entrant...

The Salamander (3 John Street, Bath, BA1 3JL - web)

This is a lovely backstreet pub, a 1950's coffee house that became licensed in the 60's.
By far the friendliest staff of the day, without knocking those anywhere else.
From the couple of Bath Ales beers that were left I picked the 'Prophecy', light and easy-drinking and on great form.

I could have revisited the Raven, but the 30-second stumble down the road from the Salamander would have been far too easy.  I needed a bit of a stroll, so headed uphill, passing some of Bath's elegant architecture on my way to the Heritage-listed Star Inn.

The Star Inn (23 Vineyards, Bath, BA1 5NA - web)
Situated in a Georgian terrace, the Star first became licensed in the 1760's.  It was refurbished and extended in the 1920's and little has changed since then.
It's an absolute delight of small rooms, partitioned with wood panels and featuring basic bench seating around the sides and proper pub stools.
I sat in what's known as the Glass Room, a cosy spot with fireplace and fold-down shove-ha-penny board, settling down with a pint of Bass served straight from the barrel.

Another dose of fresh air and sunshine, as I made a 15-minute walk, crossing the Avon on my way to another of the cities Good Beer Guide entries.

The Pulteney Arms (37 Daniel Street, Bath, BA2 6ND - web)
It was fortunate that I didn't leave the Pultenay Arms 'til later, as I discovered they were about to close early for lock-down at 3pm. 
One customer left in a huff when he learned the Peroni was sold-out, not accepting that any other beers still available could match the Italian fizzy magic.
The lack of Peroni didn't put me off, I was quite content with my second Box Steam beer of the day.  'Soul Train' this time, supped in the corner, whilst the Righteous Brothers, Manfred Mann, and The 5th Dimension provided the soundtrack.

Walking back toward the centre along Argyle Street, I popped in to crafty Beercraft (3 Argyle Street, Bath, BA2 4BA - web) for a quick half of something hoppy and murky and to weight the backpack down with a couple of bottles of beer and Somerset cider.

I take this picture every time I visit Bath...

Five venues in, and with a plan for a last blast before closing-time at the Royal Blenheim back in Oxford, it would've probably been best to call it a day in Bath.
But I had one last stroll through the quiet touristic historic streets around the Abbey and Roman bath houses, stumbling across the Crystal Palace pub by accident.

Well, it's another 2021 Beer Guide tick, so why not?...

Crystal Palace (10-11 Abbey Green, Bath, BA1 1NW - web)

Possibly named to commemorate Bath City's 1931 FA Cup victory over Crystal Palace.
Possibly not.
A Fullers house, this is in a charming location on a leafy square.  The interior is smart and modern, obviously a popular spot for a pub lunch and bottle of Chardonnay.
I seem to have had a lot of 'London Pride' this summer, and that was the only ale on offer here.  But it was a decent pint and just £2 as they tried to clear their stock before closing for the month at 10pm.

What a wonderful trip to Bath - looking unbeatable in the Autumnal sunshine.
What a shame that I can only browse wistfully through the new Good Beer Guide, planning where to go next, whilst stuck at home during next month of lock-down.