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Image posted by Quinno _
Submitted on Friday, 13th August 2021
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Detail Pages
Black Horse, Bristol
Clapton In Gordano
Postal town: Bristol
BS20 7RH
Served areas
Reviews of Black Horse (Average Rating: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Black Horse
Still a beautiful pub, the interior of which will take your breath away. But…
Three ales on the other day; the Otter had a sight nose to it and didn't fully clear, yeast critters floating about but was just about drinkable (NBSS 1.5) but the Exmoor Stag was truly off (0.5). Exchanged for a Butcombe (3.5) but had to remind them they owed me 20p differential. Combined with the constant in and out of Chelsea Tractors from the car park and the ensuing snare-ups as one met another whilst people milled inbetween with their drinks, it was not a pleasant visit as I spent a fair amount of time outside. Portishead is increasingly a cider town and I only saw a couple of other Butcombe being sold during my stay which might well explain the poor quality on the other barrels – simply too many on compared to demand and a lack of quality control at the staff end. They need to get a grip else this is in real danger of living solely on its historic reputation.
July 2012
Things tick nicely along here, though it’s becoming almost too popular now the moneyed Marina mob have discovered it. A good ale selection is maintained and it's usually a decent drop, if somewhat variable in temperature. Worth diverting off the nearby motorway for. Rated 8
November 2010
A super timewarp country pub that takes some finding but is well-worthwhile. On entering a corridor takes you through to the bar area which hosts a huge log fire (which has apparently been lit continuously for many years), flagstone floor, low beams and bare stone walls. Seating is wooden stools, settles and pews. To the rear there is more of a lounge area. Back out in the corridor there’s a little-used side room for particularly busy days. There are usually five real ales (often fairly mainstream choices like Courage/Butcombe/Shepherd Neame but they now have a guest, I saw Skinners in there the other day; also they stock Websters Green label?!?) and almost as many ciders, all from gravity. Ale can sometimes be rather cold in the winter but condition is usually pretty good. There’s some car parking round the back but it can be a bit of a squeeze. Food is available at lunchtimes only. Patrons are an interesting mix of locals, country yahs, bikers, cyclists and pub explorers. This is a pub I’d urge all readers to try once. Rated 9
On 1st September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Black Horse
Tucked away down a small lane just off of the main road through this village, it’s not the easiest place to find and is unlikely to attract anything in the way of passing trade, but is nonetheless well worth making the effort to track down.
There’s a good sized car park at the rear, and if entering from here you come to an unheated flagstone corridor with the main bar off to the right. This is all together much cosier with a large stone fireplace just inside the doorway that had a log fire blazing away on our recent Sunday afternoon visit. A single chunky joist runs across the ceiling, and this had been painted black as had the supporting pillar and other timberwork, such as that around the windows. Flagstones lined much of the floor with along with some red quarry tiling, and the walls were cream plasterwork that were liberally adorned with plenty of black and white photographs of the pub, village and a number of portrait photographs including couple of The Wurzels. Seating was mostly wooden benches, and some of these could be quite a squeeze to get in to. A smaller snug around the corner was broadly similar in terms of décor, with plenty of wooden beams on the ceiling and a large collection of china jugs hanging from them. Other essential country pub accruements such as horse brasses and a collection of guns were all present and correct. Only the TV up in the corner looked somewhat out of place, but fortunately this was not in use.
Beers on tap were Otter Ale, Tribute, Bristol Beer Factory’s Quartet, Brains SA, Courage Best and Butcombe Original with the latter two being served directly from barrels racked up on stillage behind the bar. Ciders were well represented with Ashton Press (still and sparkling), Thatcher’s Haze, BBF North Street, Stan’s Traditional and Rich’s Farmhouse. All in all, a really great pub.
On 28th January 2019
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
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- Official site of the Black Horse - www.thekicker.co.uk
- Facebook - Black Horse
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Black Horse - whatpub.com
- Historic Pub Interiors - pubheritage.camra.org.uk
Avonmouth, 5.6 miles, 1 hr 48 min walk (show)
Shirehampton, 5.77 miles, 1 hr 51 min walk (show)
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Beer Festivals : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Beer Garden : Yes - blighted by cars - last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- CAMRA Discount : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Car Park : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Child Friendly : Yes - Not in bar. - last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Darts : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Dog Friendly : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Function Room : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Hot Food : Yes - lunch - last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Jukebox : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Karaoke : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Live Music : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 29 September 2013 by Quinno _
- Micropub : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pinball : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Pool Table : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Quiz Night : Yes last updated 05 July 2015 by Jonathan Wilde
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Real Cider : Yes last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- Wheelchair Access : No last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
- WiFi : Yes - Code on post it note on pin board - last updated 01 September 2021 by Quinno _
