Hillgrove Porter Stores, Kingsdown, Bristol

This is another great alehouse hidden away in the backstreets of this unassuming part of the city. A corner entrance porch with some fine stained glass panes and an old Dawkins Brewery window above, leads into a parquet floored, U-shaped room which wraps around a centrally positioned servery. The right hand side of the room has a raised seating area with some long, comfy looking banquettes under nice ‘Smoke Room’ stained glass windows and a huge collection of pump clips. The bar has a basic tongue and groove counter and a pleasant mirrored bar back which is lined with hops and various Polaroids of past antics within the pub. Opposite the servery, hard pew seating and a few low stools run along the wall, broken only by the presence of a nice decorative fireplace with a Dawkins Brewery mirror above. More attractive leaded windows with stained glass insets, including those in the toilet doors, run around to the left, where you pass several Chinese lanterns hung above the bar counter, and a DJ booth of sorts, under a few old brewery signs and loads more pump clips. From here, access to a raised rear seating area and popular beer garden can be found. The DJ was seemingly playing to no-one in particular, but cranked out a fair few classic indie tunes during the course of my stay, so I wasn’t complaining. Beers are listed on a board to the side of the bar, which is handy given the wide selection available. Options on this occasion comprised Brewhouse and Kitchen Papa Death, Ameryck and Yankee Cabot, Dawkins Bristol Blonde and Bristol Beast, Tapstone Wild Woods, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Stealth Conceal, Electric Bear Werrrd and Big Up, S7N Pale Ale, Wold Top Headland Red, Thornbridge Jaipur and Driftwood Spars JFB. An epic line-up then, so I felt compelled to try a couple of their offerings, both of which were in excellent shape, suggesting good turnover. This is an excellent alehouse with a very pleasant, comfortable traditional interior and one of the widest cask ale ranges in the city, which appear to be kept in fine condition. I could quite easily have settled down here for the rest of the evening and would very much like to come back and spend more time exploring more of their beer range.

Excellent pub for a drink and a game of cards. Multiple hand pulls on the bar, give a fine selection of brews. Nice clean toilets and attractive decor make the Hillgrove Stores well worth the hike up the hill from the city center.

A splendid back-street alehouse, opened out to leave a 'L'-shaped bar with a further small seating area at one end. Traditional-looking interior with a mix of furniture and decor. Excellent choice of real ales and ciders from the 14 handpumps, including the? Blackberry Porter (£4.00).

Cheddar Ales Totty Pot Dark Porter, Goat's Leap IPA & Gorge Best, Three Castles Saxon Archer, Plain Ales Inspiration, Beartown Bearskinful, Goffs Camelot, Matthews Brassknocker (I have a note saying the pub owner, Mr Dawkins, also of Portcullis, took over that brewery?). Upper walls are decorated with old pumpclips, lounge area rear right has leather sofas (grrr), but not bad if you commandeer it in a group; bookcase, board games, a variety of brewery trays & other breweriana. Left to covered smoking arbor & picnic sets. Expensive, but the barmaid was very friendly & offered tasters of the beers.

Hillgrove Porter Stores page at the Dawkins site - www.dawkins-club.talktalk.net

Hillgrove Porter Stores page at the Dawkins site - www.dawkins-club.talktalk.net