Yes, it's me; I'm back! After nearly six weeks in California and Texas where real ale was hard to find, I am once again surveying Merseyside. In the next couple of weeks I'll "backfill" this blog with tales of American bars and breweries and even some cask, but in the meantime here's today's report:
I headed under the river to Bebington where I started in the Travellers Rest:
This wonderful gem of a pub never fails to please.
My first pint in Merseyside for six weeks, and it's White Rat, what more could you ask!
Just a few customers in at one o'clock, quiet conversation mixed with gentle background music as I admired the antique interior. Nothing much happened as I settled back into pub research routine and tried not to fall asleep. (Not so much jetlag, more that I got only twenty minutes of kip on the overnight flight home.)
The menu of pub classics looks rather good, and I noticed one or two tables had reservations displayed for later in the day.
Next, down the hill to the Acorn:
Straight down to earth beer-wise here: Doom Bar clips but they haven't got any, so a refreshing bland pint of Carling. It was strange to realise that this is the least "interesting" beer I've had for ages.
Anyway, an excellent "sizzling" pub, popular with locals seeking food or just a drink. You might criticise the decor as "chain pub" but it is well done and well looked after.
In one end of the large open room Liverpool were on the big screen, this place is big enough that you can sit in the other end and not know there was any sport.
I think that as chain dining pubs go this must be the perfect exemplar. Cheerful friendly staff, clean, tidy and pleasant interior, plenty of happy customers, live sport (but only if you want it); exactly what they are aiming for.
Next, just a little walk down the road to a new one, the Hoptimist:
A standard micro-pub, nicely done out inside with distressed wood on the walls and counter front.
Two beer engines, I selected one I've never tried from local favourite Brimstage which was pale and rather tasty.
Four other customers, one dog, and one baby were here at three on a Saturday. One or two more came in as I enjoyed my pint.
Literally across the road is another one new to me, the Cow Shed:
Another recently opened shop conversion, but completely different to the one over the way. Much larger, a big room plus a back area with the counter on which there are umpteen keg taps. I chose Hoegaarden which, unusually, came in a giant very heavy Hoegaarden glass (Actually, the glass has a line for a pint, I got a somewhat more than that!)
The eclectic interior decor is very good, rough wood walls covered with mainly music oriented memorabilia. Are those guitars really signed by Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Brian May and Keith Richards, not to mention all four Beatles? I suspect not, especially as they all seem to have the same handwriting! They've also got a K6 telephone box.
The menu looks very good in here, I was tempted but resisted. Lots of cocktails, beers and food were being brought out by the waiting staff, this operation is doing really well.
The next target was a longer walk to another new one, the recently opened Collaboration, but I decided I couldn't be bothered, and just got the bus back for a train home.
So, two brand new ticks (Bringing my total to 1,477) one gem and one good chain pub, a great result for my return to normality. As I said above, US blogs will be added soon...
Beer of the day: Ossett White Rat
Miles walked: 1.3
Maybe coming soon: Claughton, Wavertree, Kirkdale
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