23rd December 2019
Oldham gets a bad press, though not on this site. It’s not helped by place names like Mumps and Grot(ton) and Austerlands.
But it’s (give or take) home to the Tand and Quosh, and has those funny red contour lines us Fenfolk don’t recognise, and Saddleworth is gorgeous.
So where better to start the last burst of pre-Christmas ticking than in a shed on an industrial estate in Greenfield ?
Well, it makes a change from Santa breakfasts at chain diners.
The Donkeystone Tap has been causing consternation among GBG tickers, with what we call “a little local licensing difficulty” forcing the Tap to close no sooner than it made its debut in the Guide.
Those issues were resolved just before Christmas, in time for my visit. Hurrah ! The opening hours in WhatPub are one for the Connoisseur (see what I did there ?)
Opening Times
| Monday | closed |
| Tuesday | closed |
| Wednesday | closed |
| Thursday | closed |
| Friday | closed |
| Saturday | Midday – 6.00 pm |
| Sunday | closed |
Think it’s actually Thursday to Saturday but always best to ask your butler to phone ahead if you’re travelling from Delph.
They were thrilled to be back open before Christmas, and the whole of Greenfield had tipped up with their pushchairs and pressing problems.
It reminded me of those Stourbridge taps with “Duck” or “Wheel” in the title, a community taphouse where folk pop along to talk about DUP appeasement rather than Untappd.
I’d enjoyed their Stout in the Ashton market, this pale one was cool and crisp, NBSS 3.5+ easy.
OK, it’s bench seating, but they played “When A Child Is Born” and you can’t argue with that…
Just up/down the road in Uppermill, things get chintzy. Canals, cobbled street and cake, plus some good family brewer beer from Robbies and Lees.
Of course, the Albion Tap is neither of those, it’s a gin bar with local cask, aimed at folk who have been on holiday in Abergele and want that same ambiance back in Lancashire (am I in Lancashire ?).
Your young after-work crowd supplemented by Old Boys at the bar drinking well-priced cask.
Ooph, more Donkeystones. Who’d resist a lovely beer with a play on Ferris Bueller’s Day Off ? Not me.
All your favourite 6 Music indie as well, Charlatans and Coral but sadly no Clinic. I liked it, though I had to fight to resist the urge to climb the hill to the Cross Keys for a Moonraker.
“Shut up about the beer and music, show us the Santa video !”
retiredmartin 
Nice of some of these bars to play music in remembrance of your birthday.
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I felt honoured. They might have noticed my “Mathis Magic” T shirt, of course.
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As in Jimmy “Magic” Mathis, the unfortunate winger who couldn’t, quite, successfully follow Stanley Matthews at Blackpool?
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That’s him. Like Jeff Astle, quite a crooner.
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Donkeystone Tap have spotted a clear marketing gap, opening ‘only’ at the time other pubs have Sky football pundits phoning in updates on the telly. I approve!
That Santa, load of balls…
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Good point. Though Jeff Stelling is the sign of a Proper Pub.
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Oh yes, he’s class. It’s the hilarious recovering alcoholic ex-footballers, attempting to talk coherently whilst watching the match that drive me into the snug.
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Brown contour lines, surely.
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You’re right, of course. The red ones are the Keep Out signs.
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We had a talk tonight at our annual CAMRA bash from Rick (or was in Rob?) from Donkeystone Brewery who was a very interesting and engaging speaker. Can’t say I’d ever had their beers before tonight, but they had two on at the venue – the Moor Club in Stockport. They have also had a long-running dispute with the local council over the licensing of their taproom.
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Yes, was a bit reluctant to bring that dispute up in the blog, but understand a local complained about the noise, even though it’s well back from the road on an industrial estate and has limited hours.
Their Stout was superb, but I suspect the beers still need turnover to achieve their potential.
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You were actually in Yorkshire, btw. Greater Manchester, maybe, but never Lancashire.
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Yes I knew that, Quosh told me, but I never miss an opportunity to stoke old flames.
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