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The Apple, Bristol

Pub added by elizabeth mcgraw
Bristol Docks, Welsh Back
Bristol
BS1 4SB
Phone: 01179253500

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Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) Add Review see review guidelines


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Blackthorn _ left this review about The Apple

Located on an old barge moored up at the end of the popular King Street strip, this is very much a cider house as you might infer from it’s name, and in addition to the boat itself there is a good sized outdoor area on the quayside with plenty of picnic benches, which is a lovely spot in the summer when it has it’s own outside bar and tends to get very busy. Even on our mid-March visit there were a few hardy souls braving the weather, but we sensibly ventured inside.

It's all one single, open plan room, which is naturally fairly long and narrow. Dark, varnished wooden boards are on the floor along with more wood cladding on the ceiling interspersed with the iron girders of the ship’s hull, and further white wood panelling on the lower part of the walls with structural steelwork above which had been painted a suitably nautical shade of blue. Padded bench seating is down one side along with a number of sofas and low tables on the other. Overall it’s got quite a cosy ambience, even though it might perhaps be described as fairly basic. A pile of board games was on a table, and there were one or two pictures on the wall and a row of brass lined portholes down one side. A curved wooden bar counter is at the far end.

As mentioned, cider is very much the focus here with a chalkboard next to the bar listing the current selection which were arranged in order from sweet to dry. The choice on this occasion was Old Bristolian, Rich’s Sweet, Harry’s Corker, Iford, Wilkins Medium Sweet, Rich’s Medium, Somerset Sahara, Kingston Black, Tricky Wizard and U.F.O #5. A selection of Harry’s fruit ciders meanwhile included Elderflower, Blackcurrant, Orange & Pineapple, Rhubarb and Mango & Lime, along with Heck’s Perry. If your tipple is beer though, you might be out of luck – certainly nothing on tap, although I think there were a few cans lurking around behind the bar.

On 17th March 2023 - rating: 8
[User has posted 1937 recommendations about 1850 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Real Ale Ray left this review about The Apple

An interesting cider boat or barge, parked up along the quay. We couldn't refuse our cider drinking pal a visit here, so we gave it a go. This was a busy venue on our Saturday afternoon visit, with the majority of the drinkers on the top deck, and a good few drinkers on dry land along the quay. The first thing we noted, was that they only sold real ale in bottles. So two of our party went for the Bristol Beer Factory Southville Hop, only realising later that it was 6.5%. I went for a Cider mixed with sloe berries decanted from a clear glass bottle on the bar at 7.5% and I have to say it tasted delicious.

On 12th October 2016 - rating: 7
[User has posted 3378 recommendations about 3378 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Malden man left this review about The Apple

I'm not really a cider drinker but as I was passing by, I decided to have a look out of interest. The bar is below deck, at the end, and has around half a dozen ciders and a perry on handpump plus plenty more in bottles. There is no draught beer, but Bath Ales Gem is available in bottled form, and there was quite a selection of rums to choose from. I chose a cider using my random pointing technique but the barman enquired if I had had the particular one before as it is "an acquired taste". It was from Cheddar, full name unknown, however fair play to the barman who was dead right, and suffice to say I won't be attempting to "acquire" that taste at all. I ended up with a half of something very pleasant if seriously dry. Food seemed to consist mainly of various interpretations of ploughman's lunches.
More seating on the deck with plastic curtains to shield the wind and a couple of serious patio type heaters to keep the chill off. Lots of seating also on dry land where there is the biggest jumberella I am yet to see.
Certainly worth a visit if you like cider, and as I did, for a bit of a novelty too.

On 21st February 2012 - rating: 6
[User has posted 1707 recommendations about 1681 pubs]


Please Note: This review is over a year old.


Quinno _ left this review about The Apple

A neat concept mirroring the Grain Barge further up the dockyard system (btw it's a nice walk between the two if you stay dockside). This is basically a boat that sells cider - the proper stuff.

It does have a couple of drawbacks - the bar is stupidly small for such a large potential capacity and the food is too expensive. The interior also seems rather gloomy to me, whereas the Grain Barge does well at letting the light in. I wouldn’t fancy it here in the winter or a gloomy day

However if you're after a real cider in interesting surroundings (there's dockside seating available as well as inside the boat itself) you could do worse than come here for a couple and then pop over to the Orchard (Bristol’s cider daddy) for a late evening session.

On 10th May 2009 - rating: 7
[User has posted 5043 recommendations about 5026 pubs]