The Welly, Bath

Renamed and reopened under new ownership since my previous review, this is now owned by Somer Valley Brewing located just outside Bath near Peasdown St John. It is completely unrecognisable from it’s previous shabby and scruffy incarnation, and has clearly had some considerable investment. With windows all along two sides it’s light and airy, helped by the whitewashed walls and ceiling. Flooring was a mixture of chequered black and white tiling and some rather nondescript lino, whilst a few pot plants and pine woodwork softened the space somewhat. A few stainless steel vessels were racked up next to the bar counter, although whether these are used for brewing, or just storage, I’m not sure. A semi-open kitchen was off to one side, and unusually for a tap room food seemed to be something of a draw here with many of the tables occupied by diners. Barman was friendly and helpful, and happy to talk about the brewery and the available options. Beers on tap were mostly their own as might be expected, although a number were collaborations with other breweries. They were also predominantly keg with Dawn being the sole cask offering, although there was a second pump so there may on occasions be others. Keg options were Chug, Strut, Scrump (oddly a raspberry sour, not a cider), Squawk, With Friends, Oink!, Fieldstep, Bound, Giddy and Cluck, with other brands being Drop Project’s Shifty Shifty, Anspach & Hopday’s London Black, Other Half’s Double Citra Daydream and Duration’s Maya Shines. The solitary cider meanwhile was Iford Wild Juice. All in all, a pretty decent new opening, with only the emphasis on food letting it down slightly.

Official site of The Welly - www.somervalleyfarms.com

Official site of The Welly - www.somervalleyfarms.com

Previously St Christophers, it’s now rather run-down, tired and clichéd student bar wasting a prime corner site in the middle of the town. The cages around the seating area are probably apt for the target demographic, and the rest of the décor has certainly seen better days. There was a dry handpump on the bar, and the semi-apathetic barman, when asked about cask ales, tried to fob us off with Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. No real cider, either, just megakeg, some of it badged as ‘house lager’ and ‘house cider’. There was also a variety of cheap cocktails, and for those brave or hygiene-ignorant enough to want to eat here, pizzas of unknown origin. I can’t see my coming back.

A good sized pub on a corner plot just up from Pultney Bridge, it consists of a U-shape room with the bar counter at the top. Flooring is a mixture of wood strip and tiling whilst the colour scheme is maroon and cream, with the exposed air conditioning ducting on the ceiling also being painted cream. There was some dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls. The left hand leg of the U facing the street has red leatherette bench seating split in to booths alongside the windows whilst there were a few high tables and chairs at the top. Around the other leg of the U was a room housing a pool table with a rugby mural on the wall and a vaulted room off to one side with old music posters on the ceiling. This seems to be something of a rugby pub and a projector screen at the front was showing the match. We didn’t inspect the menu, but it looked to be of the cheap and cheerful variety and we spotted a few burgers being dished up. Many of the punters left something to be desired with a bunch of guys stood around the bar swearing rather loudly and kids running riot elsewhere. At least one couple walked out whilst we were there without bothering to stop for a drink. Beers on tap were Gem, Dartmoor Jail Ale and Deuchar’s IPA. Ciders were Strongbow, Magner’s Golden Draught and Bounders. The barman seemed a bit clueless serving a Gin & Tonic in a short dumpy glass, and I had to explain to him what mini cheddar’s were.