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The Bridge End Inn (McGivern)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Hardknott - Dark Energy |  | 1 |
| Rat - Lab Rat | | 1 |
| Stonehouse - Cambrian Gold |  | 1 |
| Salopian - Icon | | 1 |
| Dunham Massey - Big Tree Bitter | | 1 |
| Facer's - Republic | | 1 |
| Weetwood - Old Dog Premium Bitter |  | 1 |
| Facer's - Flintshire Bitter | | 1 |
| Marston Moor (brewed at Rudgate) - Thunderdog | | 1 |
| Ossett - Brigantes | | 1 |
| Phoenix - West Coast I.P.A. | | 1 |
| Brecon - Gold Beacons | | 1 |
| George Wright - Pipe Dream | | 1 |
| Tatton - Yeti | | 1 |
| Oakham - White Dwarf | | 1 |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Autumn Kiss | | 1 |
| Mordue - Radgie Gadgie | | 1 |
| Offbeat - Kooky Gold |  | 1 |
| McGivern Ales - Ruabon Red | | 1 |
| Peakstones (formerly Peakstones Rock) - Alton Abbey | | 1 |
| McGivern Ales - Bridge End Cascade |  | 1 |
| Facer's - Clwyd Gold | | 1 |
| Ossett - Big Red | Not Tried | 0 |
| Great Orme - Cambria | Not Tried | 0 |
| Facer's - North Star Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wood's - Shropshire Lad | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hobsons - Twisted Spire | Not Tried | 0 |
| Northern (see also Blakemere) - One-Der-Ful Wheat | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
27 Nov 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Superb pub with good atmosphere created by nice people. Thoroughly deserves its last four - What's Brewing national pub of the year - nominated status. Good Luck!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stonehouse - Cambrian Gold | 4.20 | | The best of the lot today. Always a class act and this was well kept and presented (as all beers are in this pub). Nicely fruity and malty in good balance. Superb. |
| Brecon - Gold Beacons | 4.20 | | Silky smooth maltiness with a well balanced hoppy finish. A hint of vanilla or was that me? Not bad. |
| Tatton - Yeti | 4.50 | | A nicely odd tasting maltiness that gives way to a little bitter finish. Very smooth and well balanced. |
16 Nov 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Quite busy in the bar, good chat going on.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ossett - Brigantes | 3.80 | | A deep golden bitter with a nicely balanced hint of chocolate. Medium body, well kept and presented. |
| Facer's - Clwyd Gold | 3.50 | | Didn;t like this at all. Thin body, slightly tart, metallic and dry. Similar to many other beers of this genre, difficult to classify but not a bitter and not for me. |
07 Nov 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Seemingly usual, busy 'early doors' friendly atmosphere. Helpful staff and friendly locals.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | | Not a great fan of wheat beers but this is one of the better ones. Pleasantly light and refreshing but you will know what I mean when I say 'typically Oakham'. |
| Mordue - Radgie Gadgie | 4.80 | | Some strange things going on in the glass. Complex flavours reminding me of heather ales. Quite an intense taste that gave way to a biscuity malt and lingering sweetness. Unusual but oddly moreish. |
| Facer's - Flintshire Bitter | 3.70 | | In my opinion not a full bitter, but none the worse for that. Nice hints of malt and a little fruit. Good body at 3.7%, well balanced and smooth leaving a slight bitterness at the end. |
30 Oct 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
A very busy afternoon session. Apparently been busy all weekend in celebration of the new brewery opening. Good band playing and nice atmosphere, pleasant and helpful staff.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offbeat - Kooky Gold | 4.10 | | Pale golden colour. Fair body, biscuity malt and a decent bitterness. Nothing special. |
| McGivern Ales - Ruabon Red | 4.00 | | Deep reddish brown in colour. Nutty and dry and thin on body. No depth of flavour and not to my taste. |
| McGivern Ales - Bridge End Cascade | 4.20 | | A little malty and slightly bitter. Thin on body and accompanied with an unpleasant acidic and metallic taste. Not for me. |
28 Oct 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Very busy early evening - also a tour of the brewery thrown in. Ales from McGiverns brewery available from tomorrow. Great atmosphere, good reading and nice people.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix - West Coast I.P.A. | 4.60 | | Not sure about the IPA tag, this to me was a quality, no nonsense bitter. A little one dimensional but none the worse for that. |
| George Wright - Pipe Dream | 4.30 | | I wouldn't normally mention the head on a pint, but this was lush and lasted from start to finish. A floral and fragrant opening led to a super bitter finish. Well kept and presented. |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Autumn Kiss | 4.50 | | Not a great York fan but I enjoyed this. A little sweetness leading to a balanced, smooth, hoppy, bitter finish. Not bad and well kept as always at this pub. |
14 Oct 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Nice to see a real ale pub in such rude health. Plenty of people enjoying good ale.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salopian - Icon | 4.20 | | Flavoursome, a malty bitter with a smokey, blackcurrant finish. |
| Peakstones (formerly Peakstones Rock) - Alton Abbey | 4.50 | | A little light on flavour for me despite the ABV. Some light citrus but little else. Smooth with medium body and well presented. |
12 Oct 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
Quite busy at early doors. Still unable to sample one of McGiverns Ales as the brewery is not back back online until the end of October 2011. This was more than compensated for by two of the best pints of beer I have ever tasted. Friendly staff, friendly locals and friendly atmosphere.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardknott - Dark Energy | 4.90 | | This is the best beer of its type (it was referred to as a stout) I have ever tasted. Don't bother with Christmas dinner, this pint has it all - turkey and stuffing, brandy and Christmas pudding, mince pies, walnuts, vanilla and more. Not overpowering given all the different flavours. |
| Rat - Lab Rat | 4.60 | | I have never given five stars to a beer before and then two in one night. Superbly well kept and presented, this beer was a revelation. Whilst admiring its smoothness, body and subtle flavours, you would be forgiven for thinking 'nice but nothing exceptional'. Then WHACK!!! A great chunk of refreshing, satisfying bitterness, A class act. |
31 Jul 2011 (Bear & Ragged Staff)
This pub came highly recommended by several friends and I wasn't disappointed. Quiet at first, but as the afternoon progressed it got busier and busier. Popular with locals, tourists and real ale enthusiasts. Locals and staff were incredibly friendly. Unfortunately there were no McGivern Ales on tap, however there were five other excellent brews available.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weetwood - Old Dog Premium Bitter | 4.50 | | Not sure why this is labelled as bitter because bitter it definitely isn't. It was a beautiful medium golden ale that was well balanced and with good body and a little roast malt. Very smooth, very nice. |
| Marston Moor (brewed at Rudgate) - Thunderdog | 3.80 | | A pleasant bitter ale, good at 3.8%. I got slight maltiness and bitter orange which was not too sharp. Very nice. |
09 May 2011 (ChrisE)
Superb. A most enjoyable visit, with a very welcoming and enthusiastic family running this great pub. A micro-brewery is currently being installed at the back of the pub, and brewing should commence in August 2011.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facer's - Republic | 4.10 | | |
| Northern (see also Blakemere) - One-Der-Ful Wheat | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Ossett - Big Red | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Great Orme - Cambria | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Facer's - North Star Porter | 4.00 | Not Tried |
21 Aug 2010 (pavorossi)
Quite busy with a good mix of customers. I failed to make a note of the two McGivern ales which where available, both on gravity.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunham Massey - Big Tree Bitter | 3.90 | | Splendid pint. |
| Wood's - Shropshire Lad | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Hobsons - Twisted Spire | 3.50 | Not Tried |
About The Bridge End Inn
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 15 |
| 110 |
| 239 |
| 36 |
| 5 |
The pub is found in Ruabon, Denbighshire, LL14 6DA.
Traditional pub located close to Ruabon railway station in Bridge street. Home to the McGivern Brewery. CAMRA National Pub of the Year for 2011 which meant it entered CAMRA’s history books as the first ever Welsh pub to win its National Pub of the Year competition, but having only been re-opened by its current owners in March 2009, became one of the most remarkable success stories in the competition’s history. At November 2012 was selected to be in the last four contestants for the 2012 competition too.
We have visited this pub 130 times, seen 298 different beers and tried 293 of them.
Postcode: LL14 6DA