Manchester in October 2025

 Hello readers,

          I was going to call this post "Liquid sunshine in the chicken boiling capital" but I didn't want to create ire with my possibly Manchester based readers....

On 26th October myself and Tash and Matt went to Manchester to meat our kilt wearing chum Mr Payne to go and see Fields of the Nephilim, whom are a popular beat combo. We had five hours prior to meet, visit a few pubs, book into our hotel and visit a couple of more pubs enroute to the gig. We were meant to meet in the Black Bulls Head but it was sadly closed so we met Martin and waddled along back roads to the Lass o Gowrie, which, sadly is definitely a greedy king pub so all the "guests" are theirs. I started on a pint of Belhaven which am fairly sure they either own or have an involvement in before heading by taxi to out hotel, accross from the Crown and Kettle. This was our next pub, where I had pints of Ghost Brewing and Neighbourhood brewing (whom may be Stockport) and possibly a half of Coach brewery 7th birthday.

Next to Bar Fringe for a pint of Oakham Citra on cask from the past and sat in a massive high backed chair before we headed possibly down Oldham Road to the Castle, a Robbies pub. In here had already ordered a rather underwhelming hopaslop or similar which I had to down as I saw a Cloudwater and Robinsons Red Rye ale collab on keg from the Current! We then got a taxi to the venue and watched the gig. It was immense. I don't recall having anything to drink in the 3 hours or more but it remains wonderful!

Afterwards - and I missed Last Exit for the Lost because I went suddenly hypogylcaemic, we struggled up to XBar or RockX where they did actually have Robinsons Trooper on cask so I had a couple of pints of that before having a sour and then returning to the hotel about 1:15AM!

The next day we went to a local Mexican place for breakfast but ended up having just cups of coffee - Matty recommended the crafty pig nearby, Martin said his mate had said it was garbage, so we opted to go for a look. Now - before I say anything else, I should point out that I recognise there is no legally binding definition of "craft". However, it does create some expectation, and specifically, I would suggest, no Molson Coors? And specifically, there was nothing but Molson Coors. Three pumps of one of their London trio, and, despite asking  a confused staff member, absolutely nothing independent. There - have said it.  We walked out, and headed accross the road and near to what used to be known as Mother Macs, before wandering to the Unicorn, a Craft Union pub selling only one beer - Bass on cask from the past at £3.40 a pint! I realise some of you may be thinking that Bass, a mass produced probably Burton Union system brewed beer, is the very antithesis of Craft, but the thing is, I still like the current version of Bass, and more importantly, the Unicorn did not describe itself as a Craft bar, as it clearly wasn't! A modicum of honesty is all I ask.

We stayed here for 3 pints - all of Bass for me - before heading for Soap Street and what might be called "This n that" - those of you who know it - including its real name, also know of its excellent value range of curries and curried items. I got a can of Dandelion and Burdock and a chicken and spinach curry with rice for about £5.50 all in! Stomachs lined and filled we walked for just a couple of minutes to the Lower Turks Head on Shudehill. I was on a pint of Bootleg Brewing Chorlton pale ale on cask from the past! The interior of the Turks is brilliant and the beer was delicious. Nearly next door is the possibly National Inventory listed Hare and Hounds, a fabulous Holts pub with their beers and one or two guests - I was on a pint or two of Osset White Rat at 4% and this was well kept and refreshing.

Next was me and Matt heading cross town to near the Co-op Bank headquarters on Balloon street before heading into the square and into the fabulous Cloudwater run Saddlers Cat, which used to be Pilcrow, and serves a range of 14 or 15 fabulous keg beers from the present, including a number of guests! We had a pint and two halves each in here, and all will have had names, and one of the halves was possibly a Cloudwater DIPA! Sadly we had to say goodbye to Martin at this point as he was getting a train back to Burnley but once joined by the lovely Tash we got a taxi to our last Manchester stop which is the excellent Northern Mon on Tarriff Street.

Am not 100% sure what it was we had in here because I didn't photograph the bar but I know I finished on a £7.80 half of a 9% collab but am sadly unable to recall the name. Either way we left about 21:20 to undertake the short walk to the train station station to trundle back to Sheffield and home!

As always I really liked my twice or thrice yearly pop to the chicken boiling capital, and really enjoyed visiting a few new pubs to me, including the Saddlers Cat and the Unicorn.

Your very best of health

Wee Beefy

Pilcrow

Hulloo,

        back in 2013, the happiest year of my life, and prior to heading off on my last holiday to Crete, I brewed a porter on cask from the past at Blue Bee brewery, with Jonathan Stanley Brothwell, Chris Wadsworth, Chris Bamford, Alex Corner and Robin Baker. I tried said brew in my second home and on one of my first nights out at the same with the wonderful Tash. For completely unrelated reasons, naturally, I went for the first time to the Pilcrow pub in Manchester with a trade ticket to their summer beer thing. And here is what happened.....
 
Its a few years since I went to this part of Manchester. This related lack of knowledge about where Sadlers yard actually was, is a fact I found out by asking two random blokes in a similarly obscured yard nearby,  and by following the sound of music near one of too many Co-op buildings. It was hot and very busy when I arrived. My ticket was read from my phone, and I purchased ten tokens, and sat down at a table in the sunshine with two Manchester beer scene experts, whom had names, and everything, and supped my first beer, a 6.5% sour IPA from an American brewery. Alas I did not download nor find a list of the beers, so an element of guesswork must exist. So no changes there then....  

Whilst chatting with these two Mancunian beer experts, who may, or may not, have worked for Marble, I noticed that as well as a session beers bar, there were also two bars entitled hops and more hops. I noticed that it sold a number of DIPAs, and having mis-anticipated a limited selection of oozingly bitter hop feasts I was pleased to discover that I would mostly be drinking DIPAs all day. As a tall man from Wander beyond turned up with his other half, colleague and yet another Manchestershire brewer, I moved onto a half of Boundary and Cloudwater, the taste limits went up and the talking took off once more.

About three o clock my current joiners opted to move off, not least am sure because some had been there since twelve, and I had the table to myself for a while. A young couple who may, or equally may not, have been from Bury, (the lass lived nearby I can now remember) came and joined me and I went into the actual Pilcrow pub to use their facilities, and went and grabbed some scran - curywurst sausages, onions and what may have been dill (alas I forget), served on chips covered in spicy dressing and absolutely delicious, served from one of the bars at the top end of the do.

With two beers left I tried a further DIPA and having been very kindly given some much needed sun cream I went and sat in the last of the now disappearing sunshine with a bloke who looked after my beer, and then with the wonderful Jules from Sheffield. She recommended I tried a third of the Black Iris and Track, or others, triple IPA at 10.5%. At 17.00 I bought my last drink and chatted with Jules about that and my other daily exploits and my plans for the remaining three hours. Meanwhile a DJ played some absolutely brilliant music whilst the young suppers sat in the last of the seating splashed in the last of the sunshine. Finishing my tenth third I went to hand my glass back and was told I could keep it - so three and a half hours or so after getting there I walked out happy from my first visit to the Pilcrow and headed to the Smithfield.

When we went there in 2012 myself and Scott and friends didn't particularly enjoy the pub but me and Tash did in 2013 and things appear to be much better since the year before that - I had a pint of excellent pale ale about 5.5% along with a range of, I think, thirteen keg beers, before I sat in a small chair with a table under some stairs enjoying my beer and thinking about where I should go next. This turned out to be the excellent Crown and Kettle, and I had a half of Wilde Child sour and another half on cask from the past along with an excellent pork pie to top up my lining! My final stop was in a completely packed Port Street Beer House, who may well have organised the Summer Beer Thing along with Indy Man Beer Con folks, and I got a lovely pint and a table to myself since everyone else was enjoying sitting or standing outside in the warmth!

Having thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and now being able to remember where to find it, I may revisit the Pilcrow following Indy Man Beer Con if I can go - Pilcrow is a wonderful venue, with excellent beers, and knowledgeable and friendly fellow drinkers, which I would highly recommend you visit.

Cheers!

Wee Beefy

Out o'ert Pennines

Now then,

    last year you may remember I went to the Manchester (you've seen the Manchester) with Fluff, Col, Gone John, John, Next Door John, Si, Nat, Donny and others, for a very long and thirsty four days in the capital of Greater Manchester, as well as a trundle on the rail ale trail. This year I had prior arrangements to keep to but was free, if not entirely sober, on the Sunday, so popped over to meet Fluff, Col, Next Door John and briefly Duncan, for a few beers.

We met at Piccadilly at noon then walked to the Port Street Beer House. It was nice to see the place in daylight, and to get some semblance of an idea of where it was. I started on a pint of the Wild Brewing Co's red, which had a name and everything, a lovely tasty dark brown ale with the distinctive red malt characteristics found in Rapture and other examples. This was swiftly followed by a rather heavy pint of Dark Star Espresso, and another half of the Wild. We had to leave Duncan here (oh the horror for him!) and head off, as he had a train to catch.

I tried my best to take us to the Mark Addy, knowing that if I could hit Deansagte it would be easy to find the Sawyers Arms and thus Bridge Street. A few minor direction changes took place until we found the end of Deansgate and headed Sawyer-ward, but my looking at the map twice spooked Fluff and Col and before you could say "The Museum of ordinary life" we were passing the gas lamp and were dropped off over the Irwell at the Mark Addy.

Just as last time it was banging it down but this time inside the pub was also completely rammed with fans of association football team Newton heath, or whatever. It was hot, loud and difficult to get served but at least I managed a pint of Old School Brewery Blackboard, which was very nice,  but Col and John seemed to be enjoying their Red Willow wheat beer even more.

Next we walked (they trusted me with the bit I'd done before) to the New Oxford. The plan was to stay here until 5ish and then for the others to head back to Manchester and for me to meet Dimpled Mug and head of to the Racecourse Hotel. Alas this plan went awry. I somehow managed to console myself with pints in the New Oxford instead....

I started on a pint of Brewhouse Java and moved onto a pint of Blackjack Mild as we put a modest 30 songs on the jukebox. Col and John were on the Java and loving it, but I moved onto Townhouse Mai bock (a couple) before finishing on a palate cleansing Budvar Yeast, which was every bit as tasty and refreshing as I'd hoped.

We hopped in a taxi back to the Port Street Beer House next where despite having been offered a taste of the 10% Kernel Imperial Brown Stout, (it was £8.00 a pint, but no Pivovar penny pinching here) we decided it was probably a very bad idea, and opted for rather more sensible beers.  A pint of Magic Rock Curious woke my palate back up before I paid a not inconsiderable amount of cash for a bottle of Green Flash/St Feuillien Friendship Brew, a 6.0% Black Saison.

I can't say that I completely get the black saison concept especially since the St Feuillien saison is supposed to be a classic (according to them!) but it was an interesting taste experience. After this my companions headed back over the Pennines and I set about getting lost.

I remembered where there was a dodgy burger joint and got just that in there before I headed off on a somewhat mazey hazy walk - all the way back to the Gas Lamp, near the Mark Addy. Here there were two Red Willow beers on and it was easily the quietest venue I encountered all day. The Red Willow Heartless was very nice though.

A mysterious memory gap appeared next, one which doesn't just affect my memories of the day now, but affected my already rather crap memory of where to walk to find Thomas Street. Luckily I happened across some kind folks who pointed me in the right direction - as I was about 5 minutes away.

At 57 Thomas Street there were only two casks of Marble on so I had what was one of the best pints of, um, "pint" I've ever had. Unfortunately, I became Wee Sleepy in here, despite the cunning plan of drinking halves of water, and had to sup up and escape in shame after the barmaid came to see why my head was lolling to one side.

Moving on, and via a series of confusing turns and guesswork I mysteriously arrived at the Smithfield, so at least I knew where I was. Not that I particularly fancied going in after last time. So I headed for my final Manchester pub the Crown and Kettle, where I had a half of beer which was beer coloured, and stared in admiration at the ceiling and the deepening blue dusk light, highlighted by the tall windows at the front.

After a long sleep on the bed on wheels, it was off to the Sheffield Tap, almost refreshed, for a packet of needlessly spicy chorizo flavoured crisps and two halves, of Hawkshead Windemere pale and dry stout respectively  Both were in excellent condition, although I would have preferred the dry stone to have been a little less dry.

So ended a boozy Sunday in sort of the North West, heralding great pubs, beers and company, and serving as a rather neat practice for tomorrow - when Wee Fatha and I are off to the Racecourse Hotel in Salford, plus a few other gems. Please note - the Racecourse is due to close a week tomorrow - so if you want to experience the promised magnificence of this giant mock Tudor road house I suggest you expedite your  plans.

Cheers

Wee Beefy