A few short posts while I try to sort out internet. Mrs RM has been “upgrading” our internet at home. My eldest son can’t play Oculus Rift or whatever he does, which is apparently a disaster.
On Friday night, ahead of City’s “match” against Bournemouth, I saw John Murry (no “a”) at Gullivers. Manchester is a wonderful place to see live music in pubs, but you need to search it out. The local free paper’s entertainment listings would have you seeing Peter Hook murdering Joy Division songs, which really is a travesty.
Oldham Street may have lost a bit of the allure it had when Hooky and co. opened Dry Bar in ’89, but I still love it to bits. It’s about time I went back to the Castle and drank Robinsons there, but there’s just too much new to see in Manc, and I love newness.
Gullivers is a proper Lees pub with an excellent MPA (NBSS 3.5), and the feel of a city local rather than a pre-gig venue.
The small upstairs room looks straight out of Twin Peaks, and Nadine Khouri’s spooky acoustic set fitted in perfectly.
With 30 minutes to kill, I popped in Port Street Beer House to see how it was doing. It gets a bit of a hard time, though that often seems to be due to pricing rather than quality. Beermoth, Magnet and Piccadilly Tap cover similar ground, but PSBH has often been my stop-off of choice for strong beers on the way back from the Etihad.
Well I was spoilt for choice on Friday. The keg Jolly Pumpkin at £8 a half was getting the attention, and made the pretty wonderful cask Double Sonoma by locals Track a bargain at £3/half. If that’s how you make a decision on beer.
PSBH was packed with people of all ages enjoying good beer of all strengths, just as they will be at IndyManBeerCon next month. That’s all I have to say on the matter.
Back at Gullivers, John Murry strummed his guitar and rambled on about Ted Bundy, drug smuggling in Donegal and the last Arcade Fire record. “Little Coloured Balloons” is still one of the most terrifying songs ever written, and John looks like a star.
Particularly when he sings a snatch of Blue Moon half-way in.
retiredmartin 
Quiz. From what I can see nothing needs to change. Very pretty spot.
LikeLike
One glaring omission in one of those pubs near the Cathedral.
LikeLike
Indeed – no cask in Sinclairs
LikeLike
Well done John. Would be a big symbolic cask gain that one.
LikeLike
That is not the original Sinclairs Oyster House,it is a rebuild after the IRA Arndale centre bomb which blew up the Wellington and other pubs around the Arndlale centre
Ive just done a blog where my last pub of a large crawl was Seftons which was sited under the Arndale centre on the North side.
Am i right Martin as i would be well pleased in getting my first quiz question right.
LikeLike
Absolutely right Alan and a better answer than the one in my mind which was that Sinclairs has stopped selling real ale. I’ll give you the point !
Look forward to your post; I don’t remember Seftons though I suspect quite a few will.
LikeLike
Thanks for the point Martin,
I am now off the blocks and hope to get more right in the future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The first thing that would be an improvement would be a removal of the televised football poster from the outside of the pub on the left, preferably with the television set being removed from the public house at the same time.
Inclusion of a passing tram, I see two poles which support the catenary in the picture.
I’m not sure what the stainless steal tall cage type structures are supposed to be, are they some form of detention facility? They appear a little out of place.
LikeLike
I got Grade 4 CSE Physics, and you’re talking to me about a catenary Tom ?
Bonus mark for the televised football poster though.
LikeLike
Where is this catenary? I do not see one.
LikeLike
There is a black mast which supports it in the lower right hand corner of the photograph and I think another is visible just to the right of Sinclair’s Oyster Bar. The catenary itself isn’t visible, though I suspect that it would be if you magnified the picture a few times.
I forgive Martin for not including a tram as it appears the line is not actually open yet if I have placed the location correctly.
LikeLike
You’ve spoilt it Tom, you catenary exposer you.
LikeLike
Only those who truly believe can see the catenary.
LikeLike
I would like to believe but, alas, I cannot see it. I bet after a Holt Mild in December I will be a believer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gullivers looking interesting… added to the to-do list
LikeLike
Should have said more about Gullivers, a proper city local rather than a pre-gig venue. Good beer range, and quite a few takers for real ale.
LikeLike
Gullivers does have a lovely green tile exterior.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Is the missing thing cutting-edge craft beer at £16 a pint?
Agree that Sam Smith’s would do wonders for public relations by putting cask OBB in Sinclairs. But since when did they ever listen to advice?
LikeLike
Thar’s the best answer.
By the way, it’s about time someone started picking on the Old Wellington rather than Sinclairs.
LikeLike
Or maybe people should pick on BrewDog instead for the lack of cask beer.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will state with confidence that you would have got a half of the double Sonoma cheaper at various other pubs around Manchester.
Yes overheads vary from place to place but sometimes PSBH seems to just do flagrant profiteering.
I take it you’ve been in the Millstone – the uber-Lees pub?
LikeLike
I’m sure you’re right, the pricing in the Brink, for example, is very competitive.
Yes, the Millstone is the definition of unpretentious isn’t it ?
LikeLike