ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – BAR FRINGE

February 2025. Manchester. Back at Piccadilly, with 3 hours till the game against the Scouse Buswreckers XI, Matt surprised me; “What next, Bar Fringe ?”. You know you’ve brought your children up correctly when they can make an unprompted pub suggestion, rather than say “You decide“. Bar Fringe is one of his and Emma’s favourites,… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – BAR FRINGE

PRETZELS, CHOCOLATE AND TIGER RUT. A RETURN TO MOSSLEY’S GILLERY

February 2025. Mossley (pronounced Mossley). I’d promised Matt lunch in Mossley, but while it’s a good pub town it’s not one for the gourmand, or even two blokes after a chip butty/bap/cob. Not on Sunday, anyway. Luckily, we had 28 minutes before the train back to Platform 1, Piccadilly, just time for pizza in the… Continue reading PRETZELS, CHOCOLATE AND TIGER RUT. A RETURN TO MOSSLEY’S GILLERY

THE BUTCHERS ARMS, MOSSLEY. ANOTHER PUB YOU’RE SURPRISED, BUT DELIGHTED, TO SEE IN GBG 25

February 2025. Mossley. Is it Moss-ley ? Or Moz-ley ? Or Moze-ley ?  Who cares ? Whatever, it’s second stop out of Piccadilly on the line to York. Matt met me at Platform 1, 1 minute before departure, while I admired the flashy ad for the Mid-Cheshire line. Matt had never been to Mossley, quite… Continue reading THE BUTCHERS ARMS, MOSSLEY. ANOTHER PUB YOU’RE SURPRISED, BUT DELIGHTED, TO SEE IN GBG 25

ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK. FLOK.

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in the GBG and the CAMRA Manc Book, the latter packed with hipster bars in the Northern Quarter, a phrase that was outdated years ago.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… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK. FLOK.

MICROPUB LOO SPECIAL AWARD – OL’S BIER, STALYBRIDGE

February 2025. Stalybridge. Right, here’s that new Stalybridge entry, a third micro within two minutes joining Bridge Beers and Cracking Pint, which was called Crafty Pint before CAMRA banned craft following the incredibly successful “Revitalisation Review”. These charming micros have successfully revitalised Stalybridge, in part, and Ol’s is a friendly all-rounder of a neighbourhood bar-cum-offie… Continue reading MICROPUB LOO SPECIAL AWARD – OL’S BIER, STALYBRIDGE

ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE CITY ARMS

November 2024. Manchester. Three hours till kick-off on Tuesday night, what on earth do you do in a rainy Manchester to kill the time ? Good idea. I’d actually fancied visiting Mulligans, the “Irish pub” in the Matthew Curtis book, but Matt reckoned it would be packed with Feyenoord fans happy paying £8 for Guinness,… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE CITY ARMS

ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE PORT STREET BEER HOUSE

August 2024. Manchester. My creaky back, which I don’t like to talk about*, prevented the exciting walk round Didsbury I’d planned with Matt on Tuesday, so I settled on a guided tour of lesser known Ancoats. I don’t like to talk about the fact Matt knows places in the Eternal City that I don’t, though… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE PORT STREET BEER HOUSE

ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE OLD MONKEY

May 2024. Manchester. There’s a parade in Manchester for City this evening, to celebrate the Blues brave performance in defeat at Wembley yesterday. 25 years ago we could only dream of going the distance with United in a cup final. I won’t be there tonight, I’m no glory hunter, oh no. But I did pop… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN THE MANCHESTER BEER BOOK – THE OLD MONKEY