Brigg & Stow, Bristol

This is not a “pub” in the strictest sense of the word as you have to be flying out of Bristol Airport in order to be able to access it, but it does nonetheless offer the thirsty traveler some sustenance, and serves beer brewed just a couple of miles down the road in Wrington which I’m sure is more than can be said for most airport bars. It’s built on a mezzanine floor and is split in to two halves both with a broadly similar feel. The right half has a tiled floor and the left half some dark laminate, but other than that there is little to distinguish them. There are plenty of tables and chairs, plus numerous high stools, most of them finished in a faux brown leather. A large circular pod with an enclosed ceiling and some atmospheric blue lighting was an unusual feature. The bar counter itself appeared to be constructed from some type of formica, and had a trendy, illuminated backdrop showing a large selection of bottles. Being a mezzanine floor, the edge of the balconies gave good views over the departure lounge or duty free shop. A couple of plasma’s were showing the football, although the volume was either low or off. A smaller lounge area further round to the right had some colourful modern artwork on the walls. The food offering appeared to be a typical “pub grub” affair with options such as Fish & Chips, Hunter’s Chicken, Sausage & Mash, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chilli Con Carne, etc., and most of these were priced at around the £8 mark. A number of options were available as part of an express delivery offering, whereby they were guaranteed to be delivered to your table within 13 minutes. Beers on tap were Butcombe, Adam Henson’s Rare Breed and Greene King IPA, which to be fair is better than might be expected in an establishment such as this. The Butcombe connection was a prominent feature, with a “Fly Global, Drink Local” advert at the end of the bar highlighting both Butcombe Bitter and Ashton Still cider. Unfortunately though, the latter was not in evidence. All I could see on the bar was Strongbow. This seems a wasted opportunity to highlight a superb local delicacy, especially when they are already pushing Butcombe’s beer. Perhaps it was there but I missed it – even their website mentions Ashton Press, but then shows a picture with Strongbow in the background.