Jolly Brewmaster in Cheltenham

Lived in and around chelt my whole life n this place has not changed since the days my dad came here in the 70s, the hops ubove the bar have gone but the quality of the beer, friendliness of the staff n drinkers hasn’t, if you enjoy a good pint n warm welcome this is a must when in Cheltenham Hops are back 🙂

Didn't eat there, so I can't comment on the food, but it's a lovely pub. Well kept cellar, and friendly staff, it's long been a CAMRA favourite. A warm, welcoming local, where you feel you just go for a pint and a bit of company.

Great pub with lots of good cask beer

Has always been a great pub but appears to be going the way of others with a predominance of pale and golden ales even in winter time. Last evening, of the 7 pumps, 4 were pale ales. What is the point of having a large number of pumps if not to offer variety?

A great range of beers and an excellent outside space

A local pub with great staff and clientele. Food served on occasion. But snacks are available.

I don’t know about the food but a wide selection of beer in a great pub space and good pork scratchings.

This is a proper drinkers pub. Great beers, wines, ciders, plus real fires in winter, lovely gardens and a traditional atmosphere feel of a great British pub. Don't come here for food, it's a pub, not a restaurant although Sundays roasts are a monthly treat, as well a weekly BBQ during summer.

It's not the same brew master it was back in the 70s shame

A lovely pub run by a lovely couple. Everyone is really friendly. A great selection of beers and a beautiful garden.

Gorgeous pub in the backstreets of Cheltenham. A proper spot to relax. Can't tell you about the beer because I'm teetotal, but my friends said it was 'well kept'....:)

Great local pub with an amazing choice of ciders. It also has a surprising nice garden area.

I'll start with that I'm significantly biased on this lovely pub as it's my local. That being said it is one of the very few remaining independent pubs with a constantly changing roster of good drinks - ales, stout & cider. When they do food(burgers etc in summer and roasts in winter) it is exceptionally good value for money. Good honest tasty food, exactly what you need after a few ales. Service is excellent and the atmosphere is as it should be, no tvs or oppressive loud music. Just good hubbub and people enjoying other people's company. I'm sure I'll be there next week... quick note a double gin is less than an arm and a leg as is the fashion everywhere else!

Proper pub with an excellent selection of beers and real ales and a nice outdoor seating area, bbq food selection is nice and very reasonably priced. Clearly a pub that looks after its beers, the awards it has received show that. Location between tivoli and Bath road is ideal and plenty of on street parking in the evening for the designated driver. Its always busy and its quite easy to see why! Sunday Roast is the best in Cheltenham in my opinion. Everyone must have a beer at the jolly at least once in their lifetime

Great pub, good range of beers and really friendly staff.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere and loads of good beer options.

Great pub with a good selection of beers and a good beer garden

Always a great selection of beers here. A proper pub.

If you want a real ale experience or a traditional cider experience and some good larger. This is the place. It is a very friendly pub, the ambience is great. And it's a traditional pub. Give it a try if you're in the area. Or if you live in Cheltenham definitely give it a try.

I have just read a review on here that I take exception to and Lyle is completely out of order for leaving such a negative review when it is he and his partner who are in the wrong and leaving an unfair and inaccurate review. The Jolly Brewmaster is a peaceful community pub that caters for locals, CAMRA enthusiasts and cider lovers. The garden is not child friendly and there was clearly the regular sign up at the bar saying 'children are welcome if seated or accompanied by an adult at all times'. We were in the garden at the same time as Lyle, his partner and his child on Sunday afternoon. Having been asked politely to clear up his child's plastic blocks that were spread throughout the middle of the garden in the thoroughfare to the back tables as the pub is quite correctly 'not a creche' (their child was away from them playing in the shrubbery at the time) the management referred to was told to 'jog on' repeatedly in an increasingly aggressive manner with both he and her becoming very agitated. As a Jolly Brew regular I would not only NOT want to see anyone speaking to ANYONE in the pub in this aggressive manner, (we are here to enjoy a peaceful hidden treasure of a drinking establishment) the fact that someone has spoken to the management in this tone and think that not only that is alright but that they can go ahead being so much in the wrong and then leave a negative review for them whilst being in the wrong, regarding a superb small local business... it really makes me wonder! Lyle I hope you reflect on your comments and remove your erroneous and incorrect review. I would then remove mine. There are things that are fair and there are some things that are not.

There’s a recent post on here I take umbrage with. With reference to the lack of a child friendly environment, The Jolly Brewmaster has always pitched itself as a pub suitable for adults only. This is evidenced by the fact that the garden is not equipped for children to be wandering round, neither are it’s regular patrons happy to deal with kids who are unruly or make a mess. If you’ve got kids who are well behaved, then they are more than welcome at certain hours but as most pubs are, this is an adults space, and should be respected as such. The pub managers are neither socially awkward nor unagreeable, however as a regular partron, i find it bonkers that perfectly reasonable requests from pub management are vilified and weaponised to try and scupper a business which serves the community as well as it does.

With reference to a previous review, I can confirm that "The Jolly" is not equipped for children and neither does it boast to be so. I can assure you all the customers are most grateful for this and it is indeed why they go there! It is a real ale and cider CAMRA award winning traditional pub. Children are welcome under supervison at all times as the garden is authentically and beautifully rustic and hazardous for little ones. It goes without saying that there are no facilities for children ie changing etc as this is a place for adults.

Told by the manager that “we aren’t a crèche” as my 2 year old was sitting outside in the beer garden playing with toys. Funnily this was after another 2 couples with 3 kids had left. Utter farce. Avoid this pub if you have children,you aren’t welcome. Manager is an socially awkward man who has not social skills. Something very wrong with him and this pub.

Average beer. Quite expensive. Card payments need to be over £5 too. Bonkers!

Best pub in Cheltenham hands down. Tucked away with a surprisingly large outside area dotted with gorgeous tables, they pull a great guiness and remain the only place I've ever seen red stripe on draught. Pints are reasonably priced for the area, and all in a great place for a quick drink or something a bit heavier!

A wonderful and charming pub 🤍 lovely selection of ales/ciders, friendly knowledgeable staff and a pretty little garden

A locals pub. Very cold and no atmosphere. Soz but that's how it was.

Not eaten here yet but it's a lovely pub. Great craft beer selection, including a gluten free option when I have been in. Lovely beer garden. Helpful and welcoming staff.

Nice atmosphere, excellent ales.

Lovely 😍 little local English pub. Super friendly staff, who happy to recommend what you might like. and you need their help as they have over +12 drinks on draft!!! SERIOUSLY excellent selection, at good prices. we had the apricot cider 😋 👌 which is just sooo easy to drink.. maybe and little too easy 😅. They also have some hot pasties, pub snacks and Non alcohol marreti. plus on a nice day you can sit out in there massive pub garden with your dog, as they also dog friendly. High recommend to get a pint or 5 lol, if your in the area! 5 stars *****

Can't go wrong with a visit to the Jolly. Always a good selection of drinks and when they have food on it is always brilliant!

Lovely pub with good selection of beet and cider! Fab garden and delicious burger.

Sweet local pub with extensive on tap selection and lovely garden doing BBQ.

Local pub with a great atmosphere, great ales and a fantastic outdoor area. Highly recommended.

Love this place and always has a great selection of real ales and ciders.

Friendly Service and a good variety of drinks! We had a great time!

Nice local pub, lovely garden - a really nice place. Has a barbecue serving burgers etc - I didn’t eat but am told it’s good.

One of the best pubs for real beer. Area outside which is nice. Real pub friendly staff.

A nice pub but what is the point of saying you are open until 11.30pm on a Thursday night only to arrive at 10.40pm to be told they've just shut the bar? Do the bar staff just fancy an early night? Not impressed.

Love the quaint but awkward beer garden style. Haven't seen that before. Very nice scrumpy too. Great customer service. I'll be back when I come back to Cheltenham.

A lovely garden for a quiet afternoon drink!

One of the best if not THE best pub in Cheltenham. Great range of beers and feels like a good pub should!

The real beers swap very fast, (virtually every day), so one is unable to buy the same beer the following day. If you ask to taste the beer first, they stop after two, so impossible to get one you like.

Fantastic service, atmosphere, surroundings, and of course, beer. Grant is the man.

Great, proper pub always with a fantastic selection of beers.

Great best pub in Cheltenham but cranky land lady

Great little pub for people of all ages. Lovely atmosphere, large range of beers/ales on tap and friendly service with a smile!

Spacious beer garden , good prices for Cheltenham and friendly staff

Great selection of ales, ciders and some staples to accommodate others. Amazing garden and real fire. Nothing for food but it is most certainly THE beer/cider destination in the area. Check ahead on which days they are open and how many CAMRA awards they have won. You also used to be able to book out the BBQ area pre COVID - hope that's still a thing

Huge selection of ales. Fantastic place, great job.

Beer in top form, as always, with a wide range. Also friendly staff.

Great dog friendly pub with a large selection of real ales and Cider.

Probably the best pub in Cheltenham, selection of real ales couldn't be better!

The Brew is The Brew. It's a Cheltenham institution. It's cosy, tucked away out of sight in a residential area, and has a lovely outdoor seating area. The decor is getting a little tired but it's a parochial place with customers that are as much part of the furniture. It would probably look and feel wrong were it to be refurbished. The Brew always has a good selection of cask beers and it's dog friendly. A proper old English local boozer with friendly folk

Great local pub , great selection of ales ,

Lovely proper old school pub. Wide range of proper beers and a beer garden that should've won many awards.

Excellent beer pub. Big selection of beers and ciders. Friendly service. Lots of space and seats. Notable mobile signal deadspot if such things matter to you.

Excellent choice of Real Ale and Ciders. A proper pub.

One of the best bars in Cheltenham. Very good choice of beers, staff were very welcoming. Shame it was too cold to venture out to the lovely beer garden, but the log fire was appreciated on a winter day!

Proper drinking pub. Great beer choice, good atmosphere, good service. Nice outside area in the summer as well.

First visit on a race day and the atmosphere is warm and homely.

Lovely little 'pints and papers' sunday pub

The bar staff were welcoming and friendly. The bar was clean and presented well and the choice of beers was very good. Good choice of bar snacks to help the drink go down as well. Two of my friends rated the Guinness as one best served locally (this includes an ex-pub owner). We will be returning in the near future.

A great local pub with an excellent little garden space that offers a venue for live music and summer drinks festivals and food. 100% recommend

Good spot in Cheltenham with decent selection of beers.

Super pub with friendly staff and excellent selection of ales and cider.

A Beer Garden any Hobbit would be proud of and Top Real Ale cracking Top ale selection 🤓 Now the prices have increased .... But still worth a visit .... Maybe make sure it is not your round .. . Only kidding Enjoy. Hobbits our us 👩‍❤️‍👩

Very friendly staff; great choice of hoppy ales

If spending less than £5 ensure you have cash. Mobile signal is difficult here and no WiFi. Great local traditional pub with an ever changing selection of ales and a superb beer garden.

Great range of beers and very friendly hosts.

oi this pub has a well good garden out back, definitely one of the best i've been to to be honest, cant argue with it really

Great seting and friendly and great choice beers and ciders 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

Wonderful pub with excellent selection of beer. Friendly atmosphere and great service.

Great pub, great selection of ales and ciders and most importantly it has an awesome beer garden - check it out.

A fantastic traditional pub great beer selection and lovely staff

Really popular place. Huge selection of Ales and Ciders.

A place buzzing with conversation and a good selection of beers. Well worth a look.

Fabulous range of beers, good atmosphere.

Cracking cask ales, really well kept

Went to the jolly brewmaster after coming from another pub on Bath Road what a hidden gem only wished I knew about it when I lived nearby back in the days me and my husband and Friends were very happy with the staff and great service and selection of ales 🍺 we normally would of been at the Tewkesbury winter beer festival on this weekend but like many things it was cancelled due to covid 19 so we made the best of it in Cheltenham .

Cosy, old-school pub which runs a good pub quiz!

Great local pub - really good selection of beers with service to match

Excellent beer choice, friendly service great atmosphere 👌 👍

Nice place and good beer but very expensive

Lovely pub, great gaffer, Grant. Knows his stuff, and really nice to chat to. Great beer too.

Fabulous cask beer choice, friendly, highly recommended

Lovely local pub with great staff

Cracking pub, great beers and atmosphere.

Fantastic non-chain pub, serves local ales and has a great changing roster of drinks.

Good feeling much to do with the smart decor, happy to return

What more do you need it's a real pub. It does what it says on the tin it's a real pub 10 star's

Great beer garden area and super friendly staff. Also a great selection of ales and a chap who knows how to help you choose in charge.

Delightful pub with fabulous beers and ciders, particularly loved the Cidersmith. Lovely outdoor courtyard with unusual wooden tables and stools, and very dog friendly. Nice chatty landlord, very knowledgeable about his beers and ciders. We will return!

Nice, quiet pub, friendly staff

Good choice in beer..& great staff?

Great pub with a decent garden. Good selection of beers and landlord is good to chat with about beer!

Beer list a little limited, but I'll assume that's covid related. Lovely pub and a great garden too. Will have to return to try a better range of beers!

Can't believe it's the first time I've been here this year. Still the best!!!

I've been here a few times in the past and it's always been a great real pub with a fabulous atmosphere. I feel very blessed as, having recently moved house, the JB is now my local 😁 Great, welcoming staff, fabulous range of beers and ciders, delightful courtyard garden and the place is very dog friendly.

We love to visit the Jolly, a local pub but with such a good range of beers and ciders on offer. Great to see it back open again and bustling with people. The BBQ is super tasty and the staff knowledgeable about drinks on offer. Lovely and covid safe, and with a garden to enjoy the fresh air too.