‘Today’s offer - buy any 2 drinks and pay 4 them both’ - that’s the cheeky deal chalked on the blackboard next to the bar of The George. Another sign nearby reads ‘wine - now cheaper than fuel - drink, don’t drive’.
The tongue-in-cheek signage is guaranteed to bring a smile to any drinkers visiting this Knowle pub. But then so are the prices.
My pint of Amstel was only £4.30 - much cheaper than I pay north of the river - and a pint of Inch’s cider is £3.60. Were I to go down the Jagerbombs route, £10 would pay for four of them, and bottles of wine start at £14.
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Some might say they are prices mad enough to justify the hanging sign of ‘insane’ King George III. But then so are some of the other ‘crazy’ bargains to be found at this Wells Road pub.
Every Tuesday, between 5pm and 9pm, there’s free pool and landlady Bev Gardner-Ponting has also lowered the price of the new pool table to 50p to encourage more people to use the pub on other days. As well as local residents who have been drinking in The George for years, an increasing number of students moving into the area are also starting to use the pub.
A large corner pub with mirror disco balls hanging from the high Victorian ceilings, the spacious room wraps around the central bar. The pool tables are on the lower level at the back and there is a function room for ‘birthday parties, anniversaries or wakes’.
Other drinks on offer include Foster’s, Birra Moretti, Kronenburg 1664, Courage Best, Guinness, Thatcher’s Gold and Natch. If you don’t fancy crisps or a Peperami to soak up the booze, there’s a small heated cabinet on the bar counter filled with hot pasties and sausage rolls.
On the afternoon I popped in, a few locals were standing at the bar chatting and breaking off to answer questions on The Chase on the TV screen above them. A few others were enjoying a post-work game of pool and pint at the back.
Bev has been running the pub for the past eight months and she tells me she’s ‘enjoying the atmosphere and enthusiasm from all the locals’. She’s certainly doing her best to attract more customers.
“At the moment, we have a darts team and are currently running a poker night every Thursday at 8pm. We are hoping very much to be able to start a pool team ready for the next season along with an in-house skittle team.”
Bev has also made the jukebox free every Friday and there is live music every Saturday night. On Sunday evenings, there is a quiz night with an ‘open the box prize’ for the winning team.
“We are also planning a pop-up kitchen on a Friday night, run by a local chef, and hopefully that will become a regular thing,” says Bev. “We are just trying to help and support our local businesses.”
The George, 228 Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 2AX.
