Sublime, Bristolback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
I'm not quite sure what to make of the Small Bar. It's one of these modern craft beer places that dispense expensively-priced beers in third and two third glasses. There's a large beer menu behind the bar and there's no indication of which beers were cask and which were keg. Nevertheless the full selection was Left Handed Giant/Verdant Headlamp Stillwater Saison, Magic Rock Salty Kiss & Hire Wire Grapefruit, Cloudwater Old Garde Red Wine BA, Custard Porter & Clauseni Imperial Stout, Left Handed Giant Pilsner, Pale, USPA, Lactose Tolerant & Kolsssh, Northern Monk True North, Vocation Chop & Change, Tool Reparationsbajer, Rogue 7 Hop & Dead Hop Ale, Vibrant Forest Nova Foresta, Left Handed Giant/Wylam Ctr-Alt-Del & Kernel Dry Stout. Ciders were St Paul's Cidery Lucifer Dry & Sandford Orchards Devon Mist. The interior has a number of rooms spread over 2 floors. It's certainly not small. This was our first stop in the Beermuda Triangle.
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Since my previous review this has changed hands yet again and is now known as Small Bar and is one of a burgeoning number of craft beer venues in the vicinity. Hopefully this will prove to be more successful and long lasting than it’s many predecessors. The venue’s strapline appears to be “Small Bar, Big Beer” and this was prominently featured on the staff’s tee shirts and etched on to the windows at the front.
The basic layout is largely unchanged but has been smartened up considerably. The smaller bar to the left houses the bar counter and has a rough wooden floor with dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls and cream plasterwork above. There was a small fire-place to one side with a brick chimney above it, although it’s a shame that this was not lit on a cold December evening. The tables were all old beer barrels which seemed appropriate and the light fixtures were unusual consisting of old pallets suspended from the ceiling and then a selection of pendent lights dangling from them. Church candles on all the tables added a cosy atmosphere.
The larger room to the right has dark wood panelling covering the entire right hand wall except for a small section of exposed brickwork at the front. The flooring is again wood strip with some flagstones at the front. At the back was what appeared to be another bar counter, but with no pumps or anything else on it. Behind this were three stainless steel vats. Whether this is a micro-brewery of some sort or just storage, I’m not sure. Stairs lead up to something described as the library, but we did not investigate this. Food is not currently offered, but it would appear that there are plans to offer a couple of sharing platters and a selection of Tom’s Pies in the near future.
Beers selection was extensive as would be expected, although as seems typical with craft beer it was almost entirely keg. The current beer choice was chalked up on boards above the bar, and these were divided in to four sections – Pale/IPA, Red/Stouts/Belgian, Sours and Crazy Shit. The latter category contained three beers all between 8% and 10% ABV. On this occasion the beers were (deep breath): Kernel Table Beer, Williams Draught, Moor S’Hop, BBF Independence, Tiny Rebel Full Nelson, Black Rocker, Arbor Amber, SB Rocket Science, Williams Black Bull, Kernel Biere De Table, Buxton Dark Knight, Siren Broken Dream, Redchurch Export Stout, Levian Frankenbeer Ryesour, Mikkeller Spontanframboos, Dark Art Raspberry Sour, Westbook Citrus Ninja Exchange, Moor Fusion and Tempest Old Parochial. At least, that was the initial selection. By the time we left, a couple of these had been replaced with BBF Southville Hop and Cromarty Happy Chappy. In the unlikely event that none of them appeal, menus on the table listed a further 65 available by the bottle. After that lot, the cider selection was perhaps a little disappointing with just a still and sparkling option from Burrow Hill, somewhat unusually served in two thirds of a pint glasses.
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For many years this was known as The Bunch of Grapes. Since then it has had various incarnations including Dr. Thirsty�s Surgery and Indigo before ending up as Sublime. It seems to be closed as often as it�s open, and even in it�s current guise I have been past on several evenings and it�s all been shuttered up. Eventually though I found it open on a Saturday afternoon, and ventured in.
The left hand bar, which is also where the bar counter is, is a smallish, square dual aspect room, with some large, arched windows to the left. Both bars have rough wooden flooring and an old fireplace, with the larger bar on the right having a few flagstones at the front. This bar stretches back further, and here the seating is mostly low leather sofas. The paintwork is a cream with chocolate brown detailing to match the sofas, and there are a couple of wooden pillars for support. There is a further room upstairs, although this appears to be �work in progress� at the moment.
The solitary beer on offer was Doom Bar, although unfortunately even this had run out on a recent visit. Ciders were Thatcher�s Gold and Stowford Press.
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This" BOG" has been Mulligans,Indigo and is now Sublime since it was last the BOG about 15 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Usually for sale as it is at present and doesn't ever know where its going or what it wants to be. My bottle of lager that I had to drink in the street due to the heat inside wasn't cheap and I wouldn't be ever attracted to revisit.
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Not having a good day, have also done my review for pub in denmark st, clot
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beers theakston dark smooth ' doombar , deuchars ipa , and bombardier . , standard choice of lagers , pub slightly above average ,slightly .
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Agree with the previous poster - this is for the BOG in Denmark Street not King Street.
MrKiA - 23 Nov 2008 23:51 |
The review below is for the wrong pub.
Have beena sking the site tro take it down (it was just an honest mistake) for the last year, but still it sits here...
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Can't believe no reviews posted.
Opposite stage door of Hippodrome, and decorated with lots of old show posters randomly pasted on the wall.
Staff and clientele tend to the goth, though plenty of other types in as well.
Popular for pre-gig drink, as close to several venues.
Also does 'open mike' talent nights, wherein the deluded but confident strum and caterwaul.
Excellent stuff!
Beer is fine (someone else will have to tell us what) and the atmosphere is pretty friendly.
Suspect a few people were put off when the 'G' fell off the name lettering and wasn't replaced for somje time.
basically, the B O G is a good thing.
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