Just as I was about to head out to the Wirral yesterday there was a knock on the door. My copy of the latest edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide had arrived.
I can report that in Merseyside twenty-one entries have been removed and twenty-one added since last year's guide.
As I say every year, if you want to know which pubs they are you'll have to buy the book when it goes on sale on 25 September.
I dodged rain showers and Everton fans and headed under the river to visit a scattered selection of targets, hopefully including a new one. From Spital station it was just a short walk to Mississippis:
I could have sworn this place was upstairs, but no, it's on the ground floor, and always has been. A comfortable pub with well done decor.
A slight delay because the delivery van arrived just before I did, and the landlady was occupied receiving kegs and so on, but after a couple of minutes she was back on duty, apologising for the wait. On the counter were four handpumps, one of which had a Trappers Hat clip, and it produced an excellent pint.
Only two other customers at half one on a Saturday, I hope they get more at other times.
Arsenal were on the telly, they had sprinklers on at half time, don't they have rain in London? Oh, wait, have they got a roof?
Just across the road is the Three Stags:
This is an Ember Inns location so we know what to expect inside this wonderful inter war roadhouse. On the counter I found about six handpumps, one of which provided an excellent pint of Bass.
I wanted to ask ChatGPT when the place was built but it wasn't working for some reason. Never rely on these stupid computers! (I'm going away on trip soon for which I have umpteen train e-tickets. You can bet I've printed them all out just in case!)
The interior decor here is Ember Inns standard, pleasant and comfortable. Custom was surprisingly sparse at two on a Saturday, perhaps more will come in later?
I must say I hadn't really expected to start with two quality pints, I fear it might be downhill from now on!
Next, a long walk to the Village:
Such a long a walk that I had to ask the barman where the gents was and head out of the bar to reception to find it before returning to order my pint of Stella Unfiltered.
It came in an ordinary Stella goblet and was only slightly hazy. Does it taste better than the normal? I'm not sure.
This is a pleasant modern hotel bar with a decent quantity of customers at three. In one corner are a few rows of cinema style seats in front of a giant TV, what a good idea for TV sports. No one was there, I assume they can't (legally) get the Everton game, so the screen was just showing Sky Sports News.
Now, another long march to New Ferry where there are umpteen pubs I don't need at the moment, and one "new" one, the CD Pub:
This used to be a private members club, I think, which is why I've never been in before, but now it's open to all. Outside, it looks like a church hall.
Anyway, I headed in and into the big room which was dressed up for a function complete with bouncy castle and was full of families making lots of noise. I've come all this way so I'm going to get a tick, I thought, and walked up to the counter and ordered a Carling. Are you with the party asked the friendly barmaid, "er, no" I replied, expecting to be refused, but she said "you want the other bar round there". I headed along the corridor and into an empty room where she was already pouring my drink at the counter. "There's a lot less screaming kids in this side" she said. And she was right!
After a couple of minutes some other non-party customers joined me in the quiet side.
A pub which can hold a noisy function and also provide a peaceful bar at the same time is to be highly recommended. The discussion between the barmaid and the other drinkers seemed to imply that food was on offer, but I didn't see any served while I was there.
The noise ceased in the other side, is the party over I wondered? As I enjoyed my fizz more people came in, they all seemed to know each other and enjoyed chatting, ignoring the stranger typing on a tablet in the corner.
Finally, it's not that far, just under a mile, to walk to the one remaining target in this area, the Kings Arms. It'd be foolish not to:
Good grief, so different from all the other pubs today, perhaps because it is now 5pm it is very busy with umpteen groups, families and pals and so on. Food and drink is being served in a continuous stream keeping the staff working hard.
Outside this is another impressive inter war roadhouse, inside Greene King have knocked through and remodelled, creating a very good but not historic interior.
The only pump clip offered GK IPA, I decided to risk it and it was spot on.
Time for home, now, just one more trek to the nearest station. One brand new tick, three quality cask ales, not a bad score all told.
On a cold and wet Thursday I set off for a trip to Formby where I started in a new one - New to me, that is, it's been open since last year, the Auld Dubliner:
Here I discovered a very pleasantly decorated Irish style bar in which, somewhat to my surprise, I found operational handpumps. My Wainwright Gold was good.
About a dozen customers were in at two on a rainy Thursday afternoon, one group were putting the world to rights. They moved on to football, apparently Liverpool have already won the league!
This is a really nice bar, I must say, a welcome addition to the Formby scene.
Just a few doors along is one I've never heard of, Emily's:
Wow! Behind the small frontage is an enormous place with beautiful decoration consisting of millions of plants. Some plastic, I think, and some real. The interior designer here has done a really brilliant job in my opinion.
I selected Brooklyn IPA from the ten taps. In the drinking area I didn't get to see a food menu but I'm guessing it is tempting but not cheap.
At half two there were plenty of customers keeping the place busy, and the barman was constantly making cocktails.
That's it for central Formby, a walk now over the railway and into suburban streets. No danger of getting lost on the way to the Pinewoods!
Well I never. This pleasant sixties construction has three handpumps on the counter, one of which carries a handwritten Bass sign. Should I risk it? The lad behind the counter had some difficulty pulling it, which didn't exactly boost my confidence, but eventually I got a fine pint. (For those who don't know, I should explain that there is an unwritten law of pub ticking which specifies that if Bass is available I have to choose it. The previous occasion for me was Saturday just gone in the Swan and Railway in Wigan - What a great pub!)
The interior of this large pub has been knocked through, creating a large pleasant open space. The decor is unexciting but nice enough.
The sounds in here were quiet football commentary (Live? Seems an odd time.), quiet chatter and quiet music. Spot on!
Another zig zag walk involving another crossing of the railway took me to the Grapes:
This giant knocked through building is nicely done out. It has still sort of got two sides but they are pretty much indistinguishable. I was pleased to see some handpumps and while a couple were "coming soon" I still had a choice of three, and the Salopian Oracle was spot on.
It was very quiet in here at four o'clock, but a number of tables had reserved signs for this evening. The what's on board said live music and bingo, I'm not sure which, if either, was bringing people in.
This one is under the same brand as the Pinewoods, the People's Pub is a Stonegate operation. I checked the menu, which looks rather good. Fish and chips, with bread and butter and curry sauce, is £14, or just fish, chips and peas for £11.
There's one more overdue tick in this area so I'm going to head there. The weather had improved to sunshine by now, so I hid my coat in my bag as I headed off. Going back twenty odd years the Freshfield was a great cask ale destination with a dozen or more handpumps on the counter. Nowadays it is run by Greene King, so I am wondering what to expect:
And the answer is... They've still got umpteen cask ales on, and my White Rat was lovely. And in an Ossett glass. So, highly recommended!
The place was ticking over nicely, and a number of tables were reserved later on, my one at eight - I'm sure I'll be home by then.
The menu includes fish and chips for 15.75, so a bit more than the Grapes, but the beer choice is better.
Something occurred to me: I have grumbled in the past about "99" prices, do they really think charging 12.99 makes me think it is better than 13 quid? But today, all the prices I've seen have been round numbers, is it just chance or have those who decide these things come round to agreeing with me? We'll see...
What a survey, five ticks - one brand new - and four decent cask ales, brilliant! See you next week...
I started today's research with a bus ride to Knowsley, and the Derby Arms:
Thirty years ago I used to come here once a week, it was an important part of my fitness regime, after visiting a local gym.
Anyway, a major refurbishment (or two) has transformed it out of all recognition, not helped by my sitting in the "other" end this time. It's a rather nicely done Greene King food-oriented place, with quite a few customers eating at one on a Thursday.
One handpump had a clip, for Old Session Hen (A new one on me, how much further can they stretch the Old X Hen theme?) but a quick tug of the handle showed it wasn't on, so I took a Carling and retreated to a quiet side area and sat in a comfortable chair.
Fish and chips is £13 here which in 2025 probably marks it as fairly cheap, a couple of years ago that would have been expensive.
Next, just a mile's stroll away is the Copper Pot:
This is one of that breed of pubs, the "21st century roadhouse"; in this case it was a new construction opened in 2010, ChatGPT tells me. Located beside the East Lancs Road, I imagine a walk in customer like me is pretty uncommon, everyone else comes by car.
I was startled to see no less than eight handpumps on the counter, and every single one of them had a Pedigree clip. Of course only one was in use, but it produced a decent pint so I'm not complaining.
The interior is exactly what you would expect, pastel colours, fake wood panelling, even an impressive fire surround on one wall. All in all a pleasant comfortable "plastic" ambience.
At two on a now rainy Thursday afternoon there were plenty of diners keeping the place going.
Now, what's the rain going to do? I could go home now, or I could walk on a mile or more into Kirkby where there are a number of required ticks. Ah, wait, bustimes.com to the rescue, there's a bus.
Shortly after I reached the bus stop the rain became quite heavy, lucky I wasn't going the other way because there's no shelter on the other side of the dual carriageway, just a forlorn passenger struggling to keep her cigarette alight under an umbrella.
The bus soon carried me into Kirkby's Southdene area, and the Park Brow:
A classic 60s one, this. There has clearly been some knocking through inside in the intervening years but it still has two sides, only one in use on a Thursday afternoon I think. Well cared for, clean and tidy throughout, as one expects nowadays.
A few regulars were chattering, ignoring the pub researcher on his own in a side area. With a Carling, of course, and only £2.80 if I remember correctly.
The pub was ticking over well and at three o'clock there was a steady trickle of customers in and out, the older ones (including me) on John Smith's or Carling, younger ones choosing Poretti. (Going by the glassware, that is)
Not too far down the road is another sixties classic, the Kingfisher:
The "other side" was out of use on a Thursday arvo, I think, I drank my Carling in the pleasant bar side, with just five regulars.
As I always say - because it's always true - the room was clean and tidy. If I am allowed a criticism, the bench seat along the front wall was too low for me, but I suspect my shorter friends would disagree.
Judging by the pictures around the wall this is a red pub, no sign of the people's club at all. Of course it might be that the other room is blue.
Where next? There are three other required ticks in Kirkby, the most desirable (last visited 2016) being the Peacock which is a mile and a half away. I don't think I can be bothered to walk that far in the rain today, perhaps I should just Uber home?
OK, lazy option chosen.
I set off on what was going to be a rather hot day, perhaps I was unwise to plan a ticking mission which involved long walks. But maybe it won't. I took the train to Maghull North from where it was an easy stroll to the Old Post Office:
Last time I was around here it was unexpectedly shut, no such problem this time and I entered a pleasant single room shop conversion. Nicely decorated in the currently fashionable shades of grey, plus some bare brick wallpaper on one wall.
Five regulars were chatting and the friendly barmaid soon poured me a Carling.
It's happened before and it'll probably happen again: Why is that bloke staring at me, I wondered? Of course I was sitting underneath a screen on which the racing was being shown, and he was filling in betting slips. I must learn that it's not always about me!
Next, a bar I walked straight past without noticing shortly after it first opened. I'm hoping for some decent ale in what is effectively Neptune's brewery tap, the Neptune Beerhouse:
Surprisingly empty at two o'clock, with only two other customers who were chatting to the barman. My pint of Neptune Abyss was wonderful, as expected. And it came in a lined Neptune conic.
Next comes a long walk, or so I thought until I fired up Google Maps to tell me how far it would be, and it showed AJ's Cocktail Bar, just a few steps down the road. I'd never even heard of that, so let's give it a try first:
What I found was a tiny shop conversion, probably only one quarter of the space Neptune had. The decor, dark colouring, is very attractive, someone has obviously put a lot of effort in to the styling of this small space, and it shows.
Only two keg taps offering Estrella Damm and Poretti, I chose the former and it came in the correct glass. No sign of any other customers, just me and the young barman who was keeping busy cleaning and tidying up. Reading back what I've just written, I need to add that the place was already clean and mostly tidy, he was mainly sorting out cocktail menus and putting them on each table, and wiping the already clean counter.
If I'm allowed a minor negative comment, the array of mops, buckets and cleaning sprays in the front window would be better hidden out the back somewhere.
I chatted with the barman about why I was here and where I was going next, he asked the question I often hear, "Which is your favourite pub?" and I remembered the smart answer, which is "the one I'm in".
Now, just across the road is a rather odd looking place called Milly's which has been in my database, unvisited, for umpteen years. It has limited opening hours, I think, so I'd never been in. But it is open now, so let's go:
Well, that wasn't what I expected at all: A large bar, plus a roof terrace, I imagine it's packed late evenings but at half three on a Saturday it is ticking over with about half a dozen customers plus me.
The decor inside is totally over the top, sparkly ceiling and walls and lots of neon signs, and I have to say, rather well done.
Now, four pints to the good, do I trek miles across the desert in the blazing sun (Hyperbole) to the next target or do I choose the lazy option and go back to the station for a train home. I think you know me well enough by now; I took the easy way. I was particularly pleased with three brand new ticks bringing the grand total to 1,569.
Clearly my FOMO and consequent monitoring of local events is not working because when I arrived at Huyton station I was startled to find it and the train were packed with Everton fans. Has the footie started already? The internet soon informed me that it is a friendly, the final test event for the new stadium. Once the train from Central got to Sandhills it emptied out, and I proceeded as planned to Crosby town centre.
Or, at least, most of the way there. As I approached I spotted what could possibly be a bar I've never heard of. Round Eight:
And indeed it is. Concentrating on wine and cocktails, but with eight keg taps offering a good range of beers many of which I'd never heard of. I should have had something new but instead I stayed safe and boring with Paulaner.
The bare brick, rough wood, and dark green tiling make for a very attractive interior.
Only one other customer, who was sitting at the counter and chatting with the barman, later they were joined by another regular, and then four more came in, not bad for two on a Saturday.
Continuing on my planned course, I headed for ... Oh, but wait, here's another one I've never heard of, Winners Wine Bar:
In here I found a plain but well done shop conversion, bigger than it at first appeared with a back room off to the side.
From the array of standard keg brews I selected Shipyard.
In the back room were a number of people enjoying fish and chips, creating a hunger inducing smell throughout the place! There were also seven of us in the front room, so the place was ticking over nicely.
Can I finally reach a planned tick? Yes, Murphy's Tavern:
This used to be Blue's bar, but it doesn't look the same inside, so have I got that wrong? What we have here is a very attractive open room with gentle Irish theming. In line with the theme I had Guinness. Not packed but ticking over well at nearly three.
The menu of pub standards looks rather good, and well priced.
My recollections of Blue include a pizza oven, but I can't see that now. The more I look around the more I think it's not the same place? Or perhaps they've just totally gutted and redone the space. Studying my photos and notes when I got home showed that the former Sports Bar side has now been split off as a coffee shop. And there was, indeed, an open kitchen with a pizza oven.
Immediately beside Murphy's is a little door labelled McNamara's Sports Bar, so I entered and climbed the stairs to find a surprisingly large pool hall, with just a few customers paying pool and also darts. I'm not sure if you are supposed to play, but the barman seemed happy to sell me a pint of Carling so I'm getting the tick!
Of the half a dozen customers at just after three, I was the only one not participating, but there are a few tables and chairs near the counter for us drinkers.
Next, maybe another new one I didn't know existed, what is Piloto Lounge?
I hesitated for a moment at the "Please wait to be seated" sign and was quickly captured by a friendly waitress. "Can I just come in for a drink?" I asked, "Yes of course, order at the bar" was the welcoming reply.
So, moments later I was enjoying a pint of Cruzcampo in a quiet corner of the busy restaurant.
I examined the menu, I must say it looks rather good.
I rather like the decor in here, bare bricks and naked beams with umpteen old lampshades makes for a quirky fun style.
All the unexpected new ones have rather messed up my plans, and there are three more overdue ticks around here, one of which is just round the corner. Maybe I should tick six? After all, it's only a quarter to four. (I would like to head for home before the footie kicks out)
OK, Larkins it is:
A down market but still spotlessly clean and tidy boozer to finish my Crosby survey, I think the Endbutt and the Edinburgh will have to wait until next time.
All except me were clearly regulars who knew each other and the friendly barmaid.
I sat at the back of the small room, and enjoyed my pint of Carling while all the locals chatted and ignored me.
Remarkably, they managed to fit a pool table into the tiny room. No one was playing while I was there.
A sign over the servery says the name of the bar is in memory of the late Keith Larkin. I can't think of a greater honour than that, what a fine tribute. Maybe in the future you'll be drinking in the Merseypub Arms? Or even the Phil Wieland Hotel? Somehow I doubt it!
Six ticks, four new to me (Total now 1,566), that's more than enough for a day out - Time for home...
I ran out of Er Guo Tou Jiu on Tuesday so it was time for a visit to Chinatown to replenish my supplies. It continues to pain me that the exact same bottle that cost me about 50p in Beijing is twenty odd quid here. Anyway, while I'm in this end of town it would be foolish to miss some required ticks. I started at the Garden Bar & Cafe, more commonly known as the Bombed Out Church:
A little way along Berry Street we find Red Door:
This place has had a number of different names since I last was here as long ago as ought three. Back then, or was it even earlier, there was a brewery in the front of the room. Apart from that I can't remember what it looked like. Anyway, in 2025 what we find is a large open room with very pleasant slightly quirky decor. Five keg beers were on tap, I had Camden Hells. I took a look at the extensive cocktail menu on my table. Why no bloody Mary?
At two on a Friday the place was deserted, I think there was only one other customer. The barman was busy chopping up limes for later cocktails. Good grief, how many slices does he need?
Next, from Red Door to Red Dog:
This place advertises Austin TX barbeque food and I must say it smells and looks good. Not busy at three on a Friday but ticking over nicely. (I must confess that in my visit to Texas last year I didn't eat as much barbeque as I would have liked. And none in Austin.)
I had a pint of the house lager which was good. It came in a frozen glass which, in my opinion, just makes for a puddle on the table and doesn't improve the flavour. The cynic in me says it masks the lack of flavour.
There's a decent stage for the live music, but no one performing at this time. It occurred to me after a few minutes that there are a number of bars around Charlotte Street that will have someone on stage at this time on a Friday, I think this place is missing a trick there.
Finally, I'd just missed a train at home, so it's time for a swift White Rat in the wonderful Big House. This pub doesn't get mentioned in the blog as often as it deserves, because I come in here every week with friends so it never gets a visit on an actual survey. Until today. What can I say? Architectural gem, excellent ales, CAMRA discount, what more could one ask for?
