ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – CLOUDWATER BREWERY TAP

September 2024. Manchester.

The Matthew Curtis guide to Manchester is the best thing CAMRA has done since voting Doom Bar the best UK bitter (whatever) 20 years ago. Yes, that really happened, revisionists.

But it wouldn’t claim to be a guide to the best pubs; there’s nothing from Eccles or Middleton or Hyde, for instance.

That said, you can’t really DO Manchester without crossing the tram lines behind Piccadilly Station,

admiring the cranes,

pondering the art,

and nipping in Sureshot, Track or Cloudwater tap rooms before a City match.

OK, that frontage won’t compete with the Pev or the Briton or the Piccadilly Spoons, and the bench seating will feel an affront to the purist,

but over a decade or so Cloudwater have produced some of the great beer, even if none of it finds its way into, say, Kent.

5 years ago the brewery gave cask a big push for a while, putting it in a handful of the best-regarded pubs, but apart from that lightweight ABV Happy I rarely see their cask anywhere.

Perfect time to reassess it at source, a pint of Epistrophe to wash down the weekend grub from Enchilady.

Last time here the cask seemed a bit afterthought, this was a cool, crisp NBSS 3.5+,

but in truth it was the nitro stout was the star.

Good beer, but not as good as the option closest to the ground of Brentford, City’s opponents today.

But Brentford’s new ground doesn’t have a bhaji butty stand outside, does it ?

Unknown's avatar

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

9 thoughts on “ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – CLOUDWATER BREWERY TAP”

  1. Martin, it’s extremely rare to come across Cloudwater in any shape or form, in this corner of the south-east. This has led to accusations that the brewery and is beers are over-hyped – charges that are difficult to substantiate, given Cloudwater’s limited distribution.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I’m not sure “over-hyped” is the same thing as “hard to find”, Paul. You won’t find much Batham’s in Kent and that’s a beer with a high reputation that doesn’t need to go far beyond its heartlands.

      Like

      Reply

      1. Bathams is rationed because it’s so so good. I heard that the Great Western is only allowed three casks a week of it.
        Didn’t we have Cloudwater It’s A Mild in the Briton’s Protection last February ?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes, well remembered Paul (you take notes, don’t you ?), an excellent pint of Mild in an excellent but far too quiet pub that ought to be more worried about lack of lunchtime trade than the range of beers it’s allowed to sell.

        Why is Donnington rationed ?

        Liked by 1 person

      3. As for “lack of lunchtime trade” I was the only customer in the Lamb and the Vine yesterday. And £7.79 for fish, chips and peas in the Vine is quite a bargain.
        Chester was much much busier today but horses were running at the race course.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a reply to Paul Bailey Cancel reply