retiredmartin

February 2025. Manchester.

Life slowly returns to normality, with three weekends in a row in Manchester, with ticks in the GBG and the CAMRA Manc Book, the latter packed with hipster bars in the Northern Quarter, a phrase that was outdated years ago.

Stevenson Square, barely two minute walk from Matthew’s Piccadilly flat, is the largely pedestrianised run of bar for that comes alive in sun and Summer, but looks a little forlorn on this grey Sunday in February.

That’s FLOK on the corner; I’d never noticed it.

What keg delights await ? Oh.

Well I never. Cask pops up in the most unlikely places, just as it disappears entirely in many towns.

I’d always assumed Shindigger was the default keg IPA for Mancunian bars, so a joy to see them in cask, even if this could do with a bit more turnover to add freshness to taste (a non-grudging NBSS 3).

The soundtrack is exactly what you’d expect.

One photo captures the styling for you.

A fiver a pint, too, so all these tales of £8 pints my lad tells me about should remind you of the craft premium.

Talking of Matt, having told me there was no way he was getting out of bed before noon on Sunday to join me for a pint, then called back and said “But I’ll come with you to Mossley“.

What a lad.