Two nights in Heaton Chapel, and a choice between the Manchester Beer Fest or a trundling train trip to Knutsford in the company of posh school children. We knew we’d made the right choice when young “Monkman” announced that a “Slag” was someone who liked slagging someone off. That’s the education you get for your £25k a term.
We were only here last Summer sampling Belgian beers, which made it mildly irritating we’d missed out Tap & Bottle back then, but there’s always the hope of spotting Peter Crouch in Knutsford.
And a chance for Mrs RM to pick her next Tesla. At least in the one below she’d have nowhere to put her sweet wrappers.
Yes, Knutsford is very much the Glossop of the West, packed with posh frocks and craft kegs. Mainly the craft kegs you find in Marstons and Spoons, but still.
The lanes off King Street are inviting as dusk falls, and places like Freemasons offered tantalising glimpses of wall-backed pipes, possibly dispensing Amstel, possibly dispensing Cloudwater DIPA v12.
Plenty of bars in town, fewer pubs, and Tap & Bottle is the only Beer Guide entry this year.
I’d say it looks like a Beer Guide cert, but that’s true of nearly every shop conversion in smart market towns these days.
WhatPub says the downstairs bar is compact, but no-one wants to be the first to sit on their own in the upstairs room with its R&B jukebox. Fortunately we got to the communal table first before a succession of folk began the “excuse me/sorry” rituals at the door.
Compared to Stockport’s or Dulwich’s bottle shops and micros this isn’t cutting edge craft, but we did find it very welcoming and unpretentious, attracting a good mix of early evening Knutsford youth and oldies.
Rather than picking one-off beers you’ll never see again from home-brewers, the Tap has reliable cask from Salopian, Dark Star and Okells. No duffers, and we picked Shindigger on keg and a stunning Manx Pale Ale (NBSS 3.5), poured just before I remembered to ask for a straight glass. Decent prices too.
A place for quality cask and chat, with the topic of debate being opportunities for local folk to bid for construction of a certain large wall.
With trains to Manc only hourly, I couldn’t stop Mrs RM popping in to the Lost & Found, which looks like the sort of Kew cocktail bar that Simon and I love so much.
The Old Town Hall is a stunning setting from which to serve £7.50 cocktails, Peroni and Rekorderlig to folk scared of real pubs. An old chap at the bar rather overdid the “How much ?!!!”, faced with £10.20 for a pint of Oxford Gold and a glass of wine. That’s a bargain by Clapham standards mate.
Don’t you love those handmade pumpclips ?
retiredmartin 
Have the Mancs folk decided to stick a wall round the Scousers now?
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Keep the Woolybacks away from the craft at all costs.
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I am a proud Woolyback, and I steer clear of craft whenever possible ! The Lord Eldon is my “go to” pub when in Knutsford, (for free parking when visiting nearby Tatton Park) – pity it has dropped out of this years Guide in favour of a Micropub. The less said about that the better…
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I’ve a new Guide pub in Newton le Willows to do, hopefully craft free. May need an armed guard now !
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You won`t need an armed guard Martin; just put a flat cap on thi yed and borrow somebody`s Whippet for effect. Folks will be wary of approaching you then…
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“And a chance for Mrs RM a chance to pick her next Tesla. ”
A bit chancy putting that many chances in one sentence. 🙂
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Ta ! Was listening to Chance by Big Country when I wrote that, which provably counts as an excuse.
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I often find that the upstairs, or back room, in these shop conversion micro pubs is almost always a disappointment, an after thought, a soulless place; unless there is a large group of people together.
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Exactly, and no-one wants to be the first to go upstairs, preferring to squash downstairs. Piccadilly Tap in Manchester a good example.
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Leaving aside my thinking that the first word in the title was “dogging”, I can only echo Micheal’s comment about the Eldon being ejected and replaced by a not-very-interesting micro; IMHO it’s not even the best micro in Knutsford.
The Eldon couple probably do with a spring clean to be honest, based on my last visit.
Interesting thoughts on the Lost &Found, the third such Marstons venue but the first outside a city centre.
Still, the Prosecco consumption per head in Knutsford could probably give Mrs RM a run for her money and should ensure success despite some negative comments locally around service.
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I have to admit I thought it said dogging, but that’s more Wilmslow, isn’t it ?
I prefer trad pubs, and I enjoyed Dexter and Jones last year, but obv Beer Guide is about beer quality and the Okells was spot on.
Mrs RM preferred the Lost and Found, and it is a classy venue
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