The Welly, Bath

I agree with the previous reviewer in his description of the premises and the beers. It was very quiet on my Monday evening visit, and my server had time to offer me tasters of a hand pulled tank beer (a dunkel - too sweet for me but true to style ) and a gas-delivered pilsner (too perfumy - also true to style, and rather good, but not for me). I plumped for a West Coast IPA called Prank 6.5%, which if it had been a cask beer I would have criticised it for being too spritzy, but it's keg so it's true to style? (Help me out here.) Also true to style is the price of £4.70 for a half, but we only live once, don't we. An interesting visit, and I would recommend it to anyone of the beer persuasion who finds themselves in Bath with time to spare and money to spend.

Renamed and reopened under new ownership since my previous review, this is now owned by Somer Valley Brewing located just outside Bath near Peasdown St John. It is completely unrecognisable from it’s previous shabby and scruffy incarnation, and has clearly had some considerable investment. With windows all along two sides it’s light and airy, helped by the whitewashed walls and ceiling. Flooring was a mixture of chequered black and white tiling and some rather nondescript lino, whilst a few pot plants and pine woodwork softened the space somewhat. A few stainless steel vessels were racked up next to the bar counter, although whether these are used for brewing, or just storage, I’m not sure. A semi-open kitchen was off to one side, and unusually for a tap room food seemed to be something of a draw here with many of the tables occupied by diners. Barman was friendly and helpful, and happy to talk about the brewery and the available options. Beers on tap were mostly their own as might be expected, although a number were collaborations with other breweries. They were also predominantly keg with Dawn being the sole cask offering, although there was a second pump so there may on occasions be others. Keg options were Chug, Strut, Scrump (oddly a raspberry sour, not a cider), Squawk, With Friends, Oink!, Fieldstep, Bound, Giddy and Cluck, with other brands being Drop Project’s Shifty Shifty, Anspach & Hopday’s London Black, Other Half’s Double Citra Daydream and Duration’s Maya Shines. The solitary cider meanwhile was Iford Wild Juice. All in all, a pretty decent new opening, with only the emphasis on food letting it down slightly.

Official site of The Welly - www.somervalleyfarms.com

Official site of The Welly - www.somervalleyfarms.com

Previously St Christophers, it’s now rather run-down, tired and clichéd student bar wasting a prime corner site in the middle of the town. The cages around the seating area are probably apt for the target demographic, and the rest of the décor has certainly seen better days. There was a dry handpump on the bar, and the semi-apathetic barman, when asked about cask ales, tried to fob us off with Neck Oil and Gamma Ray. No real cider, either, just megakeg, some of it badged as ‘house lager’ and ‘house cider’. There was also a variety of cheap cocktails, and for those brave or hygiene-ignorant enough to want to eat here, pizzas of unknown origin. I can’t see my coming back.