Brewhouse & Kitchen, Gloucester

A good sized interior with the bar facing you as you enter. Their microbrewery was positioned in the corner on the right hand side and there was an open plan kitchen along the back on the left hand side of the bar, with the majority of this area set up for dining. The staff were pleasant and chatty and I got some helpful info about the latest beer pitchers which hold 8 pints of beer and are placed in the table centre, where you pour your own beer from a small tap underneath. Four handpumps along the front bar, so we went for the Shedhead, which was fine.

The post-industrial interior is well described by Blackthorn, below, though our experience was somewhat different.  The menu was very much reduced, only a couple of pub staples on offer foodwise, and my meal was rather disappointing.  The staff were untrained, although admittedly easy on the eye.  The beer was good, as you would expect from this chain, and it was overall an enjoyable visit. We had SSBanner, Stevedore and Shed Head between us, all fairly enjoyable.  I’d be happy to come back, but I’m not convinced it offers the best value for money around here.

A new build pub in a prime spot on the Quays development overlooking the canal, there is an outside terrace to make the most of the views (not that it’s the most scenic stretch of canal in the world to be honest) and a good sized interior split over a couple of levels. Inside, they’ve done a reasonable job of making it feel a little more rustic than many new builds, and whilst there are cable trays and air conditional ducting clearly visible, if you don’t stare up at the ceiling it’s actually all quite pleasant. There are sanded wooden boards on the floor and exposed brickwork down one side, whilst the two other sides have full height glass windows and it looks as though these can be opened in the warmer weather. As it’s name suggests, the pub brews it’s own beer and there are a number of copper brewing vessels clearly visible to one side of the pub, and a few punters were enjoying a “Brewery Experience Day” when we visited. To emphasis their brewing credentials, a glass case of hops was just inside the door and a couple of the plasma screens were showing an animated version of the brewing process. There was also some very industrial looking pipe work around with gauges attached, although I suspect this was more decorative than functional. Elsewhere there was an open kitchen at the rear with a mezzanine floor above and numerous light fittings made from old beer bottles. One table had a small fire in the middle of it, and the chimney above looked to have been fashioned from the top of a brewing vessel, complete with inspection window. The menu offered a decent selection of pub grub dishes, with options such as steak, chicken & ale pie, rack of ribs, fish & chips, and so on, as well as a number of salads, burgers and sharing platters. Main courses were mostly somewhere around the £10 - £12 mark. We both opted for the New York Burger with a beef patty, pulled pork, cheese and relish. It was a generous portion and pretty good overall, with the accompanying fries and slaw also being very tasty. Beers on tap were all their own as might be expected and on this occasion consisted of Stevedore, SSB, Down a Pegg, Shed Head, Easter, Longshanks, Propulsion and Unite. In addition to this there were a number of keg options available. Ciders meanwhile were Aspall’s Suffolk and Orchard Pig Reveller.