FIRST LOOK: Weston’s new ale house

The owner of Weston’s new public house hopes to attract more visitors to the town through its traditional offerings.

The Cat and Badger Ale House, in Boulevard, will open tomorrow (Friday) from noon until 11pm.

It will serve beer from West Country breweries such as Quantock and Cheddar while cider, gin and wine from the South West will also be on offer.

The pub has no website or social media channels as it wants people to ‘discover us themselves’.

Licensee Chris Knights told the Mercury: “I have always liked pubs which serve quality beer at reasonable prices in a nice environment, and I felt this is what Weston needed.

“I spotted a gap in the market and wanted to create my own pub because I believe people will travel into Weston to drink here.

“We are very traditional and cater for those drinkers who enjoy a quiet pint, we want people to discover us themselves.

“So far we have had contact from the Campaign For Real Ale and the Microbrewery Association and their feedback has been positive.”

The former Garner Lamb estate agents had been empty for around 18 months and cost around £50,000 to convert.

MORE: Former estate agents set to be turned into ale house.

The watering hole will open from noon to 11pm from Thursday to Saturday and from noon to 4pm on Sunday, and aims not to be a noisy nuisance to businesses or neighbours.

It is the second ale house to pull pints in the town, after The Black Cat, in High Street, opened its doors in November.

But Chris thinks the two micropubs are not competitors.

He said: “I think we will complement each other really well, people will come from Bristol and elsewhere to drink in both places as most times people will have a few pints in one and then move onto the next place.

“Our focus is on buying small quantities of barrels so we can change them each week, we won’t be buying in kegs, our beers and ciders are racked on view and delivered directly from the barrel.”

A snug area is located at the front of the ale house, and there is outdoor seating and a bicycle rack on the forecourt.

It has no steps or slopes and will be accessible to all drinkers, while rear access for deliveries and staff parking is available from Worthy Lane.

The Cat and Badger will operate an over-18s and cash-only policy.