Birkdale

Back to the northern outposts again, starting with the Barrel House in Birkdale: 

A tiny micro-pub, this, if that isn't a tautology. They've got two handpumps, and I had something very nice from Southport Brewery. In an unusual nod to non real ale fans, they also offer keg Theakston Bitter, not something you usually see in this sort of place. They also seem to be in charge of local newspaper deliveries.
Another dog-friendly place, with a jar of dog biscuits on the bar, but I note there's no equivalent for human customers!
As seems to normal in a micro, most customers know the staff and have a joke and a chat.
All along one wall is an impressive array of bottled beers for sale, including my personal favourite, Rochfort dix. (As well as six and huit.)
 
My next destination was a pub that's always been in my guide, unvisited, under the Southport heading, but actually it's only a few minutes walk from Birkdale station, so I've now moved it. (Defining the borders between areas can never be precise, but I do my best.)

The Up Steps is a hefty free-standing building containing a lively traditional local pub with three small rooms, partly knocked through, clustered round a small three-sided counter. Three handpumps, two in operation, and I had a spot on pint of Wainwright. The background chit-chat here included a lot more swearwords than I heard in the Barrel House! A giant telly above my head was showing Australia struggling against India in an ODI as I enjoyed my ale. The place filled up considerably as it approached 5pm.

Back to Birkdale, and some new entries to the guide that I spotted as I left the station earlier: There's the Allotment and the Tea Rooms which will need investigation on a future trip. But I headed for a small doorway at the side of the station that was the entrance to Birkers:

While certainly at the down-market end of the scale, I must say I quite liked the large, pleasant open 'shed' of a room, open to the rafters, with a rectangular island bar in the middle. My request for a Guinness caused some aggro as it needed changing and the landlord, who had appeared to be just another drinker when I came in, had to head off and do some work. The friendly barmaid was most apologetic about the slight delay. When it arrived soon after, my pint was a bargain £2.90. The food menu also looks very cheap. All the regulars, and there were a lot of them, were sitting at the bar, with only I at one of the high tables at the edge of the room. I was amused to note that the gents, up on the balcony, included a door to the dj's desk - I wonder what happens if the dj's a girl!

Enough for today, as I have things to do tomorrow morning, so I nipped to the station for a train homewards. Not a bad result for a short survey, with three pubs added to the guide, and three visited that I've not been to before, giving totals of 1,835 pubs listed, and I've had a drink in 1,198 of them - oo look, here's another century just coming up.

Newton-le-Willows

Off to Newton-le-Willows on the train, and then a short stroll to the new-ish micro-pub, noting on the way that the Legh Arms is surrounded by scaffolding, as it has been for ages - I wonder if it'll be a pub when (if) they finish. The Kirkfield is closed and derelict, and the Blue Lion is being gutted and refurbished - whats the betting it won't be a pub when it's finished either? Anyway, I entered the Firkin to be told it doesn't open until 5.30. Luckily I said thanks and retreated rather than giving them a rant about unreliable opening hours, because on checking whatpub I discovered I'd read the Friday hours.

So, on down the road to Greene King's Oak Tree. Nothing much has changed in the fourteen years since I was last here, a pleasant interior with dark wood floor. One change, though, is they've followed the 2010s (Is there a word for this decade? The tensies perhaps.) fashion for industrial-style lighting. Obviously aiming at diners, they were clearly missing, with a steady stream of drinkers coming in and very little food being sold. Three or four handpumps were dispensing Greene King IPA and a house beer, also by GK, which was a fine 'ordinary' bitter. By 1700 there was a hubub of chit chat around the room, but still little or no food.

Next a short stroll in the sunshine to the Pied Bull:

Another pleasant knocked through pub, with a couple of handpumps providing decent ale, this time I had Landlord. Oddly there's a large sign mounted on the end of the next door building, maybe that used to be part of the pub? A trickle of chatting regulars kept the place going while I enjoyed my pint. I could see a "residents only" door but I'm not sure whether they still do rooms. For some reason, I had a drink in here three years ago, but not in any of the other local pubs - I wonder why. It was a very tired pint of EPA, today's ale was much better.

At last, across the road to the Firkin:

It's been here since 2014, so well overdue for a visit. They're busy even at 6 on a Thursday, although half the regulars seem to be dogs!  No less than ten handpumps on the bar and I had a gorgeous porter from Salopian. I could have had a top-up on a pint I'd already swigged, but I was too honest! You should have kept quiet, said one of the locals. Typically for a micro, everyone else seemed to know the staff, the one next to me at the bar was delivering Scotch bonnet chillies he'd grown to the landlord! The new GBG was officially released today, so I'm allowed to say the trigger for today's survey was this place's appearance in the book. The new tenner's out today as well, but I didn't see one.

Finally, Stocks Tavern:

No real ale here, a plain two-sided boozer, clean and tidy but perhaps in need of some new upholstery on the bench seats.  There were quite a few regulars in here at seven on a Thursday, with a background chatter filling the large open room. I had a bit of a dilemma here, either swig the black stuff quickly, or hang around for a hour for the later train. I chose the quick option. It's pleasing to note that a dining pub, a real ale only micro, and a keg pub can coexist in a small area, and all are doing a reasonable trade.

Time to go home. I marched back to the station, and the rain which had been intermittently threatening finally started as I passed the Legh Arms and reached the railway, comfortably in time for my train to Huyton.

Back In Time on Townsend Lane

I started this research trip at the Farmers Arms in Clubmoor:

A bit of a gem, this one.  Built for Bent's Brewery in 1925 and extended and remodelled in 1930, the exterior is pretty much unchanged since then, and people more knowledgeable than I describe it as a striking Neo-Georgian design.

Inside many original features remain although the layout has been altered.  I especially like the archway linking two rooms on the lounge side which is typical of the work of the architects, Harold E Davies and Son, and similar ones were found the Gardeners' Arms in Broad Green by the same architects.

Back in the 21st century, the pub was ticking over nicely at 4pm on a Tuesday, with most of the customers known to the bar staff.  Umpteen televisions were showing two different racing channels and a music channel.  No real ale, so I had a pint of the black stuff.

Moving along Townsend Lane, the next pub is the Clubmoor:

Another product of the same architects, built in about 1932, this one has a rather plainer exterior.  Inside on the lounge side I found a wood-panelled room with two further side rooms off it.  To my untrained eye much of the interior decor, wood panelling, decorative ceramic panels, fluted lampshades and ceiling plasterwork could be original.

Only myself and one other customer occupied the lounge, which had a distinctly un-cared for and tatty appearance, a new carpet and some re-upholstering of the seats is long overdue - Not to mention a few replacement lightbulbs.

Last time I was here, in 2002, I had a fine pint of Cains, but there's no real ale now so another pint of Guinness had to suffice while I enjoyed such classics as "Save Your Kisses For Me" on the speakers, just about managing to drown out the squawking baby in the other bar.

Just across the road, the Edinburgh Park Dockers Club, which was a classic working men's club with a small bar and a giant function room when I visited in 2002, stands derelict in a fenced off demolition site.

Next along the road is the Canon, a plain traditional corner house with two bars plus a back room.  The inside is well looked after and tidy, and all that's needed to take me back to my previous visit in 2002 (or probably to 1970!) would be the thick fug of cigarette smoke.  It would probably have been a lot busier back then, as well, but it was doing OK in 2017 with a hubbub of chit-chat all round the pub. 

No real ale, of course, so the gorgeous and cheerful barmaid provided another Guinness.  One of the regulars, seeing me taking notes, commented "You're writing for England".  Goodness knows what he would have said if I'd been using my tablet to record my notes, as I sometimes do.  He went on to say that it was very quiet in here and twenty years ago they would have been three deep at the bar - Had he read my mind?

Final port of call, a little further along, was the Elm House:

Only one half of this formerly two-sided pub was in operation, a few regulars and I spread out in the spotless front room.  Like the Canon, it was ticking over but would have been much busier and much smokier years ago.

Smooth Radio is not my idea of background music, the adverts, competitions and London travel news seem to take longer than the actual music.  After some difficulty with the remote control while trying to get racing on a different TV, we got Radio 1 instead.

My pal from the Canon came in and gave me a smile of recognition as I swigged a pint of Carling for a change.

So, four pubs ticked off, and it's pleasing to see traditional local boozers are still surviving.  In many areas this sort of pub has died out.  I'll have to head back here before too long, there's plenty more pubs to go at and I want to see if the splendid ballroom still survives at the Willow Bank.

Good Beer Guide 2018

It arrived today, and I can report that in Merseyside 21 pubs are out and 25 are in.  As always, if you want to know which they are you'll have to buy the book!

With such a turnover, it's not surprising that there are no less than nineteen which I haven't visited.  That should keep me busy for a while.

New Book

At last, the ninth edition of the Merseyside Pub Guide is published.

Two hundred and forty three pages listing over one thousand eight hundred pubs.

You can buy a copy for just £8.00 plus p&p from the printers.

Good Beer Guide 2017

It's arrived!!  In Merseyside there are 21 removals and 21 additions but, as I always say, you'll have to buy a copy to find out what they are.

Irritatingly, or perhaps I mean pleasingly, no less than eight of the new entries are pubs I've never visited.

The University and The Georgian Quarter

Time for a pub survey in Liverpool with a couple of friends.  We met up in Wetherspoon's impressive North Western, conveniently located at Lime Street Station.  At 2pm on a wet Wednesday it was pretty busy but we found a table and enjoyed 'Spoons usual food and drink.

Next, a walk in intermittent rain through the university (I've always used the main road in the past and so hadn't seen some of the impressive buildings here before.) to the Augustus John.  We all selected the same beer from the two or three handpumps and sat down.  The pub wasn't busy and the TV showing cricket was over my head and so not too distracting.  Unfortunately the beer was somewhat past its best, and rather cloudy - Probably the end of the cask.  This was particularly disappointing as I've always had excellent ale here before.

As we were finishing our drinks an enormous number of young students came in, and they were queueing six deep at the bar as we left - Thank goodness we didn't arrive then.

The next call was the Cambridge, another student pub.  I was a little worried in case the other half of the throng at the Augustus John had got here before us, but fortunately they didn't come this way and this small plain boozer was pretty empty.  The one hand pump served a rather bland Marston's Bitter.

On to the Caledonia.  In my experience this place has always been a bit of a dump, both before and after the fire, and today was no exception with a smell of mouldy floor-mop about the place, and a floor which could have benefited from the attentions of the same.  In contrast, the beer, selected from a small range of uncommon ones, was excellent as always.  In my opinion, dogs in pubs, if permitted at all, should be seen and not heard.

The problem with the Belvedere, our next port of call, is that it's way too small, so you always seem to be squeezing past people just to get served.  A bit of an architectural gem this one, but it seems to be looking a little threadbare in places.  Not so the beer, which was excellent.  And it came in a lined glass - I think this might be the only pub left in Liverpool that still automatically gives you a full measure, by using oversized glasses.

Next, the Pilgrim.  My beer guide notes an incident where I was refused a top-up on a very short pint here, but to be fair that was back in 1999 so I think it's time to forgive them, as I've had no problems subsequently.  Anyway, down the steps in to a dark cellar with a small bar in one corner, fairly empty with just a few other drinkers in the place.  No complaints on the measures this time, and good beer.

Not far away is the Grapes.  Well known for its wide range of quality real ales, this is another place where a bit more care on the cleaning and maintenance front is required.  We sat in a quiet corner which had a tiled floor with a number of the tiles missing or loose.  In fact the whole place has a tatty feel, and would benefit from a lick of paint.  As to the beer, I didn't like mine, I forget the name, at all but I think this was a matter of personal taste rather than there being anything wrong with it.

To finish the day out we decided on somewhere more predictable than the last few pubs, so headed to Wetherspoon's Lime Kiln for a pint of Abbot at only £1.99.  Last year this place appeared on a Wetherspoon's list of branches to be closed, but I gather they have now purchased the property and reprieved it.  The prices are much lower than in the other city centre 'Spoons.  It was certainly doing a good trade at half past six on a Wednesday evening, and we had to go upstairs to find a place to sit.