Red Monkey, Redland, Bristol

Facebook page of Red Monkey - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Red Monkey - www.facebook.com

Renamed and under new ownership since my last review following the sad passing of previous landlord Mark Farrell, the basic layout and décor remains the same, although it has had some of the rough edges softened somewhat. I still think it could do with some low background music to improve the atmosphere though, even if that isn’t the ethos of a micropub, but when there’s only a couple of other punters in, it really is far too quiet. The suspended ceiling tiles remain unfortunately, but the walls have been plastered and whitewashed, as well as the addition of some wood panelling which is mostly a dark green colour, but also topped with white in places. A selection of bottles is displayed on a shelf around much of the permitter, and beer mats were affixed to the wall above this. The bench seating has been replaced with Chesterfield style fitted benches although the material used was curiously shiny. There was also a small selection of branded pub merchandise for sale, including tee shirts and baseball caps. Beers on tap were Wye Valley’s Butty Bach and HPA which appear to be the regulars, along with New Bristol Brewery’s Joy of Sesh, Electric Bear’s Alpha Beta and Twisted Oak’s Slippery Slope. Ciders meanwhile were North Street on keg, with boxes of Taunton Dry, Taunton Medium, South Hams Vintage and Black Dragon. The landlord was friendly and helpful, and whilst I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to visit, it’s certainly a decent bet if in the vicinity.

Micropub (well, it isn’t really that micro in sq ft) in an affluent part of town. A bit sparse and rickety-feeling inside with a servery that looked 100% like an amateur DIY job. Colourful, with what my notes describe as a ‘seaside orange and blue’ colour scheme. Bench seating. Of additional note is the lovely stained glass door. Six cask ales which made me slightly nervous given the place wasn’t exactly heaving, however my Palmers Ho Ho Ho was exemplary (NBSS 5). A little bit of a mixed bag but the beer quality speaks for itself. 8.5

This is a fairly new, shop-converted micro pub located down a side street in what appears to be a relatively well-to-do neighbourhood. As micro pubs go, this one seemed to be a pretty decent size, with a spacious, bare boarded seating area running a fair way back before the large servery appears to the rear right. A nice stained glass “Welcome to Chums” pane in the front door gives a good first impression, before you pass the long, hard bench that extends down the left hand wall, with standard tables and chairs to the right. Walls are half panelled and have some unconventional artworks on their uppers, alongside articles about the pub and a few posters for upcoming events. The servery was apparently made by knocking two holes through an existing wall, to create the two bar sections now found either side of the remaining corner section of the old wall. A large board next to the bar lists all the available beers plus details of upcoming live music events. A few pump clips and CAMRA certificates dot the walls and there was an interesting display case full of various items of pottery. The room runs past the bar, through a very narrow space to the left where a few more tables can be found. A friendly barman greeted me and two other chaps who happened to enter at the same time – the only customers on this early afternoon visit. He had four ales on the go – Wye Valley HPA and Butty Bach, Palmers IPA and Arbour Blue Sky Drinking – plus four real ciders and a mix of well known and more obscure keg options. My pint of the Butty Bach slipped down nicely after the mostly uphill walk out here from the city centre. I thought this was a really nice, smartly presented micro pub with some nice, well kept beer and a friendly welcome to strangers. The pub is obviously too far out of town to consider as part of a city centre crawl, but with other interesting pubs in the area, is well worth taking some time out to locate.

Chums is a micro pub that is situated on a very pleasant road which has more bars and pubs. Once inside there is a single oblong shaped room which runs to the rear,the front area is bare boarded,there is bench seating running down the left side,the bar is midway on the right side,there are normal tables and chairs to the front right. There were four real ales on,i had a drink of Purity Pure Gold,which went down well,the other beers were Purity UBU,Butcombe Bitter and Wye Valley Butty Bach. The pub was deathly quiet om my Saturday afternoon visit,with a few other drinkers in. Not a pub i would stay in for a few. Pub visited 4/2/2017

The easiest way to get here was from the centre of Bristol, catching a bus from College Green, which saves walking up a long steep road. This micro is situated in a small section of shops and restaurants in a residential area. The pub is basic and comfortable and offers some well kept ales, as the owner is a perfectionist for quality. The young barman on our Saturday lunch time visit was very welcoming and chatty. There was a choice of 5 ales and 8 ciders on our visit. So we went for the Birdman Flying Bird and Old School Brewery Detention, both of which were excellent. They also have a Camra Discount of 30p off a pint. They also had a range of baps at £1.50, well worth a visit this micro, would defo call again.