Bristol beer uk

[britzum]

Hi Can anyone tell me about a Bristol Beer Firm called "smiles"?
I maybe wrong on the name, it maybe abeer they brew called smiles. Oh & this is Bristol England,ok. Any help would be nice as I hope to be in England for a holiday some time this year. Also can anyone tell me of good Southwest beers that I should try when I'm in England. Ta

[Richard English]

Smiles is a newish brewery, founded in Bristol in 1977. It has a good range of beers, all good.

There are very many smallish breweries in England and you can find a complete listing at http://www.quaffale.org.uk/.

In Avon (the site still shows it under the old country name of Gloucestershire) there are 12 breweries listed.

Some tips for the first-time visitor:

1. If you've seen the beer advertised in the national media it's probably not worth drinking (Fuller's is probably the only exception)

2. If the beer is served from a shiny tap, it's probably not worth drinking. All Real Ale is served from a beer engine or straight from the cask.

3. The louder the music and the bigger the TV screen in a pub, the less likely is it that the Ale will be worth drinking.

4. Hotel bars very rarely serve anything worth drinking and are always expensive.

5. Any J D Wetherspoons pub will offer a good choice of beers at a fair price (there's one in Bristol near to The Nails). That's not to say that other pubs won't be as good or even better - just that Wetherspoon's is a good first stop until you find your way around.

6. Enjoy your stay and don't believe what you see in the media about our services and facilities - we love to castigate ourselves!

[HomebrewinAr]

Hello, my wife and I are planning a trip to Wales sometime, maybe next year. She has family there and I think I have some ancestors from Scotland. We homebrew and enjoy drinking craft beers. I spent three days in London several years ago and enjoyed London very much. There are some bars and Brewpubs around here,(In Northwest Arkansas), That serve English style ales, stouts and what have you. We are looking forward to our trip, whenever we get to take it. Later