A Friday night pub crawl in the Stockport rain has few cultural equals, even without the frisson of excitement that comes with a venture into the wild suburbs.
Another night in Stockport, another new hotel too, with the southern Premier Inn scoring highly on cheery staff, less well on Wi-Fi, and providing a view of more underrated Stocky architecture, in the form of St.Georges;
The March Stagger takes in the pubs round Stockport Market Place, and therefore you get this iconic view on the way to Pub No. 1.
Oddly, I’d never had a beer in the Spoons before, and Eggs Benedict with coffee doesn’t allow you to tick a pub off, whatever BRAPA rules might say.
A lot of pints being poured in the Calverts Court, with just two weeks before the Wetherspoons vouchers run out. As you’ll have guessed, I’d left mine back in the hotel (six left !), so just had a half of the Lancaster Black. That’s weird logic really, it was only £2.30 odd a pint, but there you go.
One of the joys of a Stagger is the comparison of NBSS scores. I won’t spoil the excitement by revealing the group think view on the Lancaster, that’ll be in the next Opening Times, but it scored highly on my table (NBSS 3.5 for me). An unremarkable building, but top-notch beer for a change.
The most consistent beer, however, continues to be the reliable “Available Soon” (NBSS 0). The old ones are the best.
Stockport CAMRA are no slouches, 30 minutes per pub including travelling allowance, and a fair few foolhardy brave folk were already on the pints, a decision no doubt they’d come to regret when they tried to find their way back to Levenshulme later.
Next up was the pub I’d been wanting to visit since it opened late last year. The Petersgate Tap managed to be shut the first three times I walked past the door, though admittedly one of those was 8am on a Sunday.
I’d also got it down as having quite a conservative beer range (i.e. breweries I’ve heard of), but that turns out to be it’s strength with an offer including Hawkshead, more Lancaster and Blackjack, whose classic pale scored NBSS 4 with me. Some of Stockport’s hardier fellows were on the Torrside (8.5%), sensibly sold in halves only.
Even more importantly than the beer, the Petersgate was attracting a good range of drinkers, though the CAMRA contingent probably upped the average age by a decade or two. It reminded me of the newer Middlesbrough self-styled “micros”, and impressed me very much. So much so I stayed for an extended chat about Manchester metro extensions rather than follow the pack to the Boar’s Head.
Because the Great Pub Curmudgeon may never be seen from the front, here’s an attractive side-on view. Note the proper pub seating.
I finished off my own mini-Stagger in another relatively recent opening.
Remedy hadn’t looked essential enough to distract me from the Sam Smiths and Robbies on my last Big Stockport Day Out, mainly because I’m no fan of homebrew.
But their 3.8% Stout was almost as good as the Blackjack, again served at perfect temperature and with a tight head. An even younger crowd here, with as good a range of craft keg as I’ve seen in the town centre, and some artwork that Mark Crilley may enjoy.
So slow was I drinking by now, that a fair few of Stockport CAMRA actually caught up with me now, on their 5th pub. Credit to them, but surely news of the new Government Drinking Guidelines will eventually reach Hazel Grove and scupper excess such as these, so enjoy it while you can.
There you go, 3 pubs not (yet) in the Beer Guide, 3 superb beers and some great pub atmosphere. As I’ve said before, the finest pub town on the planet.
retiredmartin 
You lived to tell the tale. That is what counts.
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I am very jealous of your Stockport crawl. I believe I recognize the gentleman to Mudgie’s left. Missing the Boar’s Head must have been a difficult decision, but you will return.
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Exactly. Visiting 3 new pubs, and finding them all very good, is a result for me. The beer was better than we had when we met, possibly the Friday factor.
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Better beer makes me even more jealous. It was very good when we met! Except for the “sale” ale.
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Might have to have a visit? Up to press Stockport has only ever been ‘somewhere’ on the outskirts of the M-place which you drive through on the M60 when going to the airport. I’ve always been frightened of stopping and getting out in case I dirty my ‘holiday trainers’!
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Consistency is your strongpoint Richard ! Would be interested in your take on Remedy.
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Would gladly make one in on any organised venture. I would of course wear a non-descript hoody (not my brand new Sunbeam ales one), and develop a slightly nasal pseudo Mancunian twang, perhaps telling people that I lived near Chestaah or some other such place in the NW that isn’t readily identifiable with Liverpool?!
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You’re always welcome to a guided tour 😀
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You did take a full-face (and remarkably unflattering) picture of me on New Year’s Eve in the Boar’s Head.
The beer in the Boar’s wasn’t quite as good as it can be on Friday night, so you didn’t miss all that much. I did manage to catch Felix the cat awake and standing up, though. And there were a group of rock-type people under 50 in, with studded jackets and tattoos, so it’s not just wall-to-wall codgers. That’s just the CAMRA posse.
Both the Petersgate Tap and Remedy are more pub-like than many modern bars, and also offer more comfortable seating than the Baker’s Vaults. I’d say the Petersgate Tap is a shoo-in for in the 2019 GBG unless something goes badly wrong.
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Stockport needs a bigger GBG allocation, and I know just the large smoggy conurbation it ought to take them from….
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There is a bit of a problem with Stockport town centre taking up too much of our GBG allocation compared with South Manchester and the Stockport suburbs. Sadly the Nursery looks a long way from returning to the Guide 😥
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The sign on the pump clips in the ‘Spoons reads “Beer notes available soon”. This suggests to me that the beer notes are not yet available but does nothing to imply that the beer is anything but available. If the beer isn’t being sold, leave the pump clip off or at the very least turn it round. Have a beers coming soon blackboard if you really must.
Ouhouse, the one advantage of Stockport’s proximity to Ringway is the aeroplane thrash provided when waiting at the railway station. I heard one particularly loud one when waiting on Saturday evening.
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You’re right Tom. Simon may have cut your hands off in Southport (see Twitter) but your eyesight is fine.
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Well you’ve certainly ticked off one GBG 2018 pre-emptive there
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I don’t really understand Twitter but I can confirm I still have two hands, probably as a result of being acquitted on appeal of a breach of the BRAPA Code of Conduct.
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