Hedgers Cider, Bristol

Located just off the A38 to the south of the airport, this is not all obvious from the main road but is worth taking the trouble to seek out. It’s not a pub in the conventional sense, but a tap room for the adjacent cidery, with all the raw ingredients growing literally right outside the pub’s front door. That said, the opening hours are considerably longer than many brewery taps, and they also offer a decent range of hot food and host regular live music. Internally it’s quite rustic albeit in a slightly more modern way than is often the case. The flooring is plain concrete screed, whilst the walls were mostly plain white or pale green plasterwork, but also just plain breeze block in places and some exposed brickwork around the door. The ceiling had a few oak beams with oversized recessed downlighters, whilst a tasselled lampshade hung above a table in the corner. The brick panelled bar counter was at the rear, and a good-sized stage area off to the left. Seating was a few large tables and chairs, with stools at the bar. A fireplace with a large wood burning stove was off to the right, and a few chairs had been arranged in a circle around this. Cider is more the focus here as would be expected, although I did spot Cheddar Ales Gorge Best being served directly from a barrel racked up behind the bar. Ciders were all their own and consisted of Cloudy Medium, Cloudy Dry and Double Fermented, again served up from large barrels behind the bar, although I suspect these were just for show and the taps were connected directly to tanks in the cidery. There was also a tap on the bar which was just badged as Hedgers Cider, and this went down well.

Facebook page of Hedgers Cider - www.facebook.com

Official site of Hedgers Cider - www.hedgersciderhouse.com