The Croft, Stokes Croft, Bristol

Facebook page of The Croft - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Croft - www.thecroftbristol.co.uk

Facebook page of The Croft - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Croft - www.thecroftbristol.co.uk

A large pub on the main road up through Stokes Croft, this is one of the original bars in the locality having been here for a number of years unlike many of the recent upstarts in the area now that The People’s Republic is suddenly becoming trendy. It was for some time something of a live music venue, but has had a chequered history of late being closed as often as it’s open, and even now it’s established itself as something of a craft beer venue the opening hours can still be somewhat erratic. The front of the pub is the cosier half having a low ceiling with plenty of beams and this opens up in to a barn like area at the rear with a high vaulted ceiling and even some old barn doors off to one side. The flooring is sanded wood boards and there is exposed stone walling on the left and at the back which adds to the barn like ambience. There is some tiered seating opposite the bar counter, perhaps left over from the days when music featured more prominently and beyond this a red velvet curtain was draped across an open doorway, although we did not investigate what lay beyond. Elsewhere the seating looks as though it has all come from a charity shop with a complete mix of styles – wire framed chairs with plastic seats, Chesterfield sofa’s, wooden tables and chairs and some wood benches. I’m all for the shabby chic look, but this was perhaps a step too far with no discernable theme or style at all. A 1970’s log effect electric fire in a wooden cabinet complete with a couple of glass cupboards either side was presumably purchased from the same source. A spiral staircase leas down to the gents, although this is not quite as precarious as the one at the White Lion on the centre. To the right was a doorway through to Gringo’s Diner, although it did not appear open when we visited. This has it’s own entrance out to the street, so presumably can open independently of the pub. As is often the case with craft beer venues, there were no draught ales available. A row of 20 small boards along the back of the bar counter corresponded with 20 taps underneath suggesting an impressive array of keg options. On closer examination however, a number of these were duplicated as well as including cider and lager, so the range is not as extensive as it first appears. Unusually I neglected to note what they all were, although I can report that the pint of Simcoe I had from local micro Wiper & True was not really to my taste, although I’m sure that’s no reflection on it’s quality, just personal preference. What wasn’t in any doubt though was that at £4.80 it was one of the most expensive pints I have come across in a long time. Ciders were Sandford’s Devon Mist and Orchard Pig Reveller.