Bristol is every beer lover's dream. When it comes to beers outside of the usual Carling/Amstel offering, the city is spoilt for choice.
At the Old Bookshop, you probably won't find any beers you recognise on draught. In fact, even the most experienced beer enthusiast may be unfamiliar with the drinks menu of this North Street pub.
Co-owners Laura Guest and Neil Hemus took on the popular south Bristol venue last year after it was put up for sale in March 2021. The couple - who have a mutual passion for European beers - had their sights on opening a bar in Germany, a plan subsequently hindered by Covid and Brexit.
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Fortunately for south Bristol, Laura and Neil were led to the Old Bookshop and are now celebrating their first birthday at the venue. It fits in seamlessly among the other North Street independents, just a few doors down from wine bar, Kask, and Friendly Records, which also has a small pub attached to the shop.
The interiors are more bar-esque than your typical pub with local artists' works lining the walls and a newly-refurbished garden out back. The pub is 100 per cent vegan - which is not something they shout about - focusing instead on their distinctive drinks menu.
"We've always had a high focus on having good quality beer, wines and spirits from independents since we opened. We always have authentic German lagers on tap," Laura explained.
They have a selection of beers on a regular rotation to allow for guest spots from local breweries around the UK. Their Belgium and German beer menus run for many pages, and the team is always more than happy to help make recommendations.
Laura added: "We've not set out intentionally to do things differently but we just want to get people to experience new things. Everything we sell and offer is something we feel passionately about as well.
"We're quite a small bar so customer service has always been a huge priority for all of our team. We do get a lot of products in that you don't see often anywhere else so we really do pride ourselves on that."
Laura explained how they wanted to replicate a European atmosphere in the bar, so people can spend time perusing options, sharing beers with friends and trying new things. "That links into our food offering as well with sharing plates to encourage that approach," she added.
The kitchen started out in 2021 with Hummusapians, owned by Jasper Weinstein-Sheffield. However, they amicably parted ways this year when the street food trader turned his focus back to Bristol's markets.
Old Bookshop recently joined forces with Naasto Baasto, serving up authentic Indian street food, which marries perfectly with the venue's relaxed setting. Chef Monica Patel-Campbell is the brainchild behind the menu.
"We're from the Midlands, we have a huge love for curry," Laura said. "We've known Monica for quite a while so it seemed like a nice opportunity to try something a bit different. Like our drinks menu, Monica constantly rotates as well to get people to experience lots of different food.
"It comes from a personal part of her background and heritage, a lot of the recipes she was taught by her family. We thought it was really nice partnership and opportunity to have Monica in the kitchen."
As a way of thanks to the community, Laura and Neil are hosting the pub's first birthday celebrations this Saturday (September 3). They will have some of their favourite beers on offer on tap along with customer favourites too, with a specially curated food menu from the kitchen.
Laura continued: "It's obviously been a difficult year with omicron last year and it's the first summer in Bristol where people have been able to do everything they've liked since Covid. We've certainly found it challenging but equally rewarding from all our regular customers and new."
The Old Bookshop is located at 65 North St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1ES. You can follow the pub through their Instagram page.
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