Well, that depends what you make of Merseyside as a concept. I’m sure Pub Curmudgeon will have some views on that. And Ken Dodd.
I stayed in Wallasey, which is worthy of note in it’s own right, and took the train in to Moorfields. Some of my favourite ‘Pool pubs are in the commercial district, though the current closure of the Lion is a real setback. I took shelter from a Manchester-style downpour in Okells’s finest pub (actually, it hardly ever rains when I visit Lancashire’s finest).
Despite the downpour, the central area is always packed in August, as hotel prices will confirm. One of these years I’ll pop in the Cavern, one of them anyway. Mathew Street looks a lot of fun, though not my sort of fun.
Instead, I made it to the lone new Guide entry next to the Epstein. The Abbey is not your typical Beer Guide pub, but Liverpool CAMRA has spread its allocation over the whole range of places over the years, and clearly put beer quality first. Good for them.
This was a vast sports bar, with 47 television screens, one of them showing the Denmark v France handball final to a vast group of Danes in Liverpool shirts. They were probably disappointed that Faxe lager wasn’t on, but certainly weren’t on the cask. Oddly, they were told off by staff for loudly cheering their “goals”, but not for their singalong to “Love is all Around“. Wet Wet Wet is quite contemporary for Liverpool.
That task fell to me, and I’m rather surprised to tell you it was superb. I’m rather sorry to tell you I had the Peerless Knee Buckler (NBSS 4), at the sort of CAMRA discounted price you’d think cheap in Wigan.
The BrewDog bar isn’t getting in the GBG any time soon, particularly without that “live” version of the Dead Pony Club, but they make great beer by my definition.
So great I missed the train, and had time for a quick half of Brewsters Hophead (NBSS 3.5) in the Globe, which is cut from the same cloth a the Roscoe. A busy, cosy, ebullient pub, that I think might be my favourite in the city. If they moved the Bass from the Richmond there anyway.
The inevitable Chinese takeaway from the quaintly named “Fish & Chip shop” in Wallasey Village was everything you could hope for at 11.50pm.
QUIZ TIME – If the title of this blog is Number 2, what is Number 1 ?
retiredmartin 
I will take a punt and say “Teenage Kicks”, I’m guessing it has something to do with John Peel’s favourite songs. I lived in Liverpool through most of the previous decade and saw Amsterdam many times, they always put on a great show!
LikeLike
Well done. I remember John playing this a lot in the year before his death, a relatively unknown classic.
LikeLike
The beer was decent in the Abbey when I went earlier this year as well, the place was heaving as it was Sat teatime and the football was on but service was quick.
I grew up in Wallasey but crossed the mid Wirral divide before reaching drinking age, and when I head west now normally stop in Liverpool, or less often Birkenhead pre match, though you obviously have far less to go on once you’ve crossed the river.
Have made the occasional trip to New Brighton, and will take advantage of the 5:30 KO on Monday to walk down from there into Liscard and take in the Guide pubs and the Primrose, just down from where I went to school.
LikeLike
Looks like Tranmere up this year, quicker than Cambridge and Luton anyway.
Like the Queen’s Tap and Stanley’s in New B a lot, Magazine a lovely riverside pub. Not sure what’s happened to Birkenhead central, used to be decent Cains pub, not just the Stork, as well as that newer Gallaghers.
LikeLike