All draught beers and ciders are £4.70 or under
The Hop Union brewery is just the other side of the glass wall in the Taproom(Image: Bristol Live)
It’s small, hard to find and only opens for 18 hours each week but The Taproom is quite simply one of the best bars in Bristol – although it takes quite a bit of effort tracking it down.
If you’re walking from the Flowers Hill part of Bath Road, which is what I did, it takes around ten minutes and it’s an interesting route following the fringes of under-threat Brislington Meadows.
It’s a walk that incorporates two very different faces of Brislington as you pass the entrance to an old farm and the beautiful, timeless meadow before trading estates housing businesses offering laminating, MOTs and catalyst testing.
And then you suddenly stumble across a colourful hidden building that’s the home of Hop Union, an award-winning brewery with a small bar and yard with benches.
The Taproom only opens Thursday (4pm-9pm), Friday (4pm-9pm) and Saturday (1pm-9pm) although there are apparently plans to extend these hours, including possible Sunday opening.
As well as beer buffs, it’s popular with workers from the local businesses and also attracts cyclists.
Hop Union brewery tap in Brislington(Image: Bristol Live)
The bar is a straightforward room with one glass wall looking straight into the brewery with its shiny stainless steel tanks.
All the beer on tap in the bar is made on site and there were nine chalked up on the board on the afternoon I visited.
Many of them are small-batch brews sold exclusively in the Taproom so this is the place to try out new beers for the first time, perhaps before they end up being produced in larger quantities for other pubs to stock.
One of the new beers on tap this time was the Pitt Stop, an apricot IPA, and there was also Bees Knees honey pale ale and the Saint Arnold Belgian IPA.
On a baking hot afternoon when the bar’s fantastic air conditioning was on full blast, making it pleasingly cool, I tried a cold pint of clean and refreshing Two Steppin’ lager (£4.50) and the cloudy, zesty Bloody Nora blood orange IPA (£4.70), both of which seemed to be the two best-sellers of the afternoon.
Also on tap was the Scallywag premium bitter, Maiden Voyage best bitter, Alpha Centauri Galaxy IPA and the Bonville Pale.
Inside The Taproom at the Hop Union brewery in Brislington(Image: Bristol Live)
For cider drinkers, there’s Bristol Cider Co Cloudy Cider and the flat and dry Brislington Brain Twister.
There’s also a small selection of spirits, wines and soft drinks including no/low-alcohol alternatives such as Bristol Beer Factory Clear Head and Thatchers Zero.
Apart from the high quality of the drinks served, what strikes you most are the prices – every draught beer and cider is between £4 and £4.70, which these days is a remarkable feat and only achievable when the beer travels a few feet from the brewery (and it’s a lot cheaper than Left Handed Giant’s taproom).
Small, friendly, convivial and serving some of the best beers in Bristol, The Taproom is one of those genuine tucked-away gems you want to keep to yourself but also want to share with everybody as it’s such a great find. Personally, I can’t recommend it enough – it’s practically perfect.
The Taproom at Hop Union Brewery, 20 Bonville Road, Brislington, Bristol, BS4 5QH.