More In Town

Odds and ends in town today, let's start with a new tick, Flight Club:

Behind the modern frontage is an antique-style bar on two floors. Dark woodwork, leather upholstery and even a fake brick arch create a pleasant ambience. The quirky lighting strips add to this.

At half one on a Friday there were two darts games underway, plus a group of drinkers relaxing at a large table.

My pint of Neck Oil cost £6.95, I get the feeling today's jolly is not going to be a cheap one.

I noticed they've also got a Flight Club branded shipping container on the grass outside serving drinks to outdoor customers, it is surrounded by picnic tables.

Next, All Bar One:

The real ale I enjoyed here back in 2011 is long gone, but nonetheless this is a very pleasant bar/restaurant.

I selected Jubel Peach for a change, £7.50 and very tasty.  All the tables are laid out with cutlery but the dozen customers I could see were all drinkers, both beer and cocktails. Perhaps they do more food sales at other times?

Now, literally across the road is a bar I only learned of this morning, so definitely a required tick.  McSwiggin's:

I wonder what this little building was before?  (I'll check streetview when I get home:  It has been disused since 2018, before that it some business called Reed.) Now, it is another one of the many new "Irish" bars that seem to pop up every other week in Liverpool.

I had a Guinness, of course, and it was only £3.50, that's less than half the last drink!

No real atmosphere in here I'm sorry to say, despite it being a lot busier than the previous two ticks.  I'm not sure exactly what it is missing.  Last time I did a new "Irish" bar, the Baby Temp'l, I really loved it, so is it just the randomness of judging a pub on one brief visit or is there something different?

I was somewhat surprised to see White Rat on keg in here, I've not noticed that before.  It is branded White Rat Nitro, next time I see it I'll have to give it a try.  The friendly barmaid was already pulling my Guinness before I spotted it.

I was intrigued to notice an "historic" mirror except it didn't say Bass or Guinness, it said McSwiggin's Derby Square so was clearly created this year for this pub.

I wonder where the gents is in here, I can't see a sign...  As I was looking round, another bloke asked something at the bar and was pointed towards the other entrance, so I guessed that is the answer.  And it was.

Just round the corner is Neighbourhood, and I haven't been in here for thirty years:

Wow, my notes already described this as a spectacular interior, but it really is wonderful, I'm stunned.  Formerly the North and South Wales Bank which later became part of the Midland.

Mainly a posh cocktail place but they were happy to pour me a Cruzcampo, and at only £5 it is reasonably priced (ish).

A big party received a remarkable metal tree filled with little glasses of drink, with a firework at the top.  I checked the menu, it is called a cocktail tree.  As I always say, why isn't bloody Mary on the list of classic cocktails.  If British Airways can do one at 30,000 feet, surely this place can?

On the "is it a bar?" scale, the fact that my pint came with a bill rather than me paying for it is definitely a negative, but on the other hand they don't seem to do food in here so it must be a bar.

Finally, the Castle Street Townhouse, last ticked in 2019:

Perhaps unwisely I chose Asahi here, in memory of my Japanese holiday.  I'm guessing this one was brewed in a factory in England, and it tasted even blander than in Japan, if that is possible!  The Japanese national brews, Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin and so on were all a bit boring and I was pleased when I found some more local, and interesting, brews.

This is a very well done cocktail bar and on this street it can't fail to be popular on a sunny Friday arvo.  Plenty of customers inside and on the pavement at the front.

That's enough for me, time to head home even though it's only half past three.

Pub of the day: Flight Club
Beer of the day: Jubel
Miles walked: 0.8
Merseyside pubs visited in the last five years: 1,013
Maybe coming soon: Undecided

Crosby and Waterloo

Yes, it's me, I'm back!  A month in Japan and two or three weeks when I was busy doing other things have prevented surveys, but I should be OK for a few weeks now.  (No promises!)  If you want to see what I did on holiday I am creating a record here, it is mainly trains but there are a few beer and bar reports.

Today I headed to Crosby to revisit a couple of targets, starting with the Corner Post:

This is a classic micro pub, a pleasant friendly shop conversion offering excellent real ales.  Shortly after their two o'clock opening there were only two other customers, who were chatting with the friendly barman.

I had a fine pint of Glacier from Beartown, a pleasant pale one, and relaxed on the bench seat.

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again:  If someone opened a place like this near my home, I'd be in every day and the pub guide could go hang!

Just round the corner is a more traditional pub, the Royal Oak:

A rather fine building knocked through inside with not much original remaining except for some leaded glass in the back windows.

I reverted to my usual Carling here.  I drank quite a lot of Asahi in Japan so I was used to this, and there were a couple of other boring "national" brews, Sapporo, Yebisu, and so on.  I also had some much more interesting beers from micro breweries, at up to 14%.

Only two or three customers at three on a Saturday.  Hopefully they are busier later.

That reminds me, I wonder how many pubs will be open in the early hours of Monday for the footie.  If there is one near me I might go just to say I've had a pint at half four in the morning.  Regular readers of my blogs may know I visited Smithfield Market in London especially to get a pint at 7am when the pub opened!

The plan was to head to Waterloo next, but Google Maps threw up a target of which I wasn't aware, so next it's the Oxford Bar:

The Morning Advertiser loves to go on about how many bars are closing, but they really need to count openings as well, I keep finding new (to me) ones in unexpected places, such as this.

A standard, but very well done, shop conversion, and I was pleased to see two handpumps.  Less pleased to find my pint of Kalaidascope from Strawberry Fields was a little tired.  I drank it anyway.

Three groups of customers, of ages ranging from about six to older than me, were filling the small room with cheerful chatter, the place is clearly doing well.

Rugby was on the telly, I saw lots of fans as I passed through town, is it at Anfield?  No, the match on the TV is in Cardiff.  Eventually I got Google to tell me that the fans I had seen were heading to Rugby League at Everton's new stadium.

Where next?  In Waterloo there is one pub overdue for a tick, and one never ticked, so let's start at the Liver, a long standing favourite of mine.  No, let's not.  I headed for the Bodega del Lobo:

This tiny shop conversion is really pleasant inside.  It is a special target because last time I was here they were closed for a private function, so I was really keen to get in today.

There were five taps on the bar back and I chose Mahou, a tasty lager from Madrid.  I noted I didn't pay for it, I hope I remember when it's time to leave!

Five other customers were creating cheerful chit-chat which was drowning the muzac.

I'm not sure what it is but I really like this one.  Could it be that one of the taps is Guinness which is always a good option in a bar, I think.  (I noticed the two blokes in here were both on the black stuff.)  The place is also beautifully decorated and fitted out.

Can I add my usual grumble that the cocktail menu doesn't include my favourite, a bloody Mary?  Even British Airways can do this on a long haul flight, and they have a bottle of Worcester Sauce ready!

Just two doors down is Soul Train Club Tropicana from which a lot of noise is emanating, but I think I ought to try it:

Definitely a night time place this, with a small front bar room and a larger back room.  At five on a Saturday I was the only customer.

The decor is rather good, sort of Hawaiian style I think, I imagine this place is packed later on, (and it should be) but at this time it's a bit early.

I enjoyed my San Miguel in total solitude.  Directly opposite my seat was an historic Four Tops poster.  I saw them live on Monday, not really my sort of music but I had won free tickets and they were really very good, along with The Temptations.

The "boss" was fiddling with the audio, eventually resulting in a period of silence.  Three more customers came in, maybe the peace and quiet attracted them!?

Next, there's a bar I've never ticked just a short distance down the road.  Could Bunratty's be open?  No, it isn't; is it ever?

So just one more required tick locally, a favourite of mine, the Liver:

I forgot to take a photo, it's always difficult here without getting run over especially after a few pints, so this one is from 2021.

Still a great pub but no real ale any more, I'm afraid, so deleted from my favourites list. Never mind, I enjoyed my pint of Strongbow.  Which came in a Strongbow glass, as it should.

Not packed but doing quite well at five on a Saturday, although I couldn't see anyone eating.  Rugby was on the giant screen but I don't think anyone was watching.

Well well, three new ticks, I didn't expect that.  Time for home.

Pub of the day: Corner Post
Beer of the day: Beartown Glacier
Miles walked: 1.9
Merseyside pubs visited in the last five years: 1,012
Maybe coming soon: Undecided

(Mostly) Sunny Southport

No proper survey this week, for a change I decided to do some favourites in sunny Southport.  But perhaps I'll find some new ones as well?  I started in the Windmill:

I began my afternoon with a fine pint of Okell's Bitter, I don't often drink this classic bitter, usually going for a guest in Rigby's which I think is the only remaining Okell's pub in Liverpool.

This fine pub hasn't changed since I was last here, they serve decent ale and the menu of pub grub standards looks to be good value.

Not many customers at two on a Thursday, but the place was ticking over.  Some are sitting outside in the sun, maybe they are smokers, it was much too chilly out there for me.

Next, what's this?  Auberge:

Shame about the awning!

Inside is a beautifully done out bistro where the friendly staff were happy to serve me a pint of Poretti despite it being past closing time! They had a number of chatting diners so I don't think they expected to actually be empty any time soon.

They have quite a large space, room for plenty of customers, and I see from the posters that live music is on offer sometimes.  Three courses and an Oasis tribute band looks rather intriguing - 32 quid.  (26 June if you fancy it)

There were, as I and the staff expected, still some others present when I finished my pint and departed.

It's always good to get a brand new tick, another "pub" to add to the database.

Next, the wonderful Guest House:

Could this be the best pub in Southport?  I think it might!

I had a pint of, er, in the thirty seconds between buying it and writing this I've forgotten, a wonderful creamy dark one. Even untapped couldn't help me so eventually I got up and walked back to the counter to find out it was Small World's Thunderbridge Stout, from Huddersfield.  Wow, it is an all time favourite this one; so creamy and yet not too sweet.

The pub was ticking over nicely on a Thursday afternoon when the weather had changed from cold sunny to cold and raining.  It had switched back to sun by the time I left. Will I ever get my grass at home cut?

What a beautiful interior this place has, I really love it.  Am I allowed to say something negative?  The tables in the street make the frontage look a little untidy and unattractive, in my opinion.

Next, the Masons Arms:

Another gem, this one; a beautiful and popular compact pub offering real ale.  I noticed as I approached that it is no longer branded Robinsons.

I choose Bowness Bay's Swan Gold which was not very nice, if I'm being fair.  The pub was doing well at four on a Thursday, but I managed to get a table in the side room where there was a big gang of friends playing charades or something.  I must say I couldn't get anything so I wouldn't have been any help in their game.

Next, I headed towards an overdue tick at the Barons Bar, but on the way I spotted Occulo Lounge:

What did this impressive building used to be?  [Research once home shows it was a book shop previously, and I'm guessing a bank before that.]  Now it's a rather wonderful bar, the decor is quirky and gorgeous.  The "Lounge" chain includes one on Bold Street and a number scattered around Merseyside, some of which I need to visit.

I had a pint of cider for a change, Henry Weston's was good and served in the correct glass.

Not many customers at five o'clock, some were eating but most were just drinking.

Like every tick today it was quite cold in here, clearly they have all set their heating by the calendar and the unexpected cold spell has caught them out.

Now, there is one place rather overdue for a tick around here so let's try and visit the Scarisbrick Hotel and their Barons Bar.  The hotel was closed the last couple of times I tried, but not today.

This used to be a good real ale destination but sadly no more.  Six handpumps on the counter but no clips, so I had a Guinness from the limited keg selection.

The room remains a rather good, if fake, space but I was sorry to see the loss of the cask ale which made this place attractive.

At five on a Thursday I was the only customer in the room, although there were other people in the front lounge which is served via a hatch from the same servery.

Time to go home, I think ...

I'm going to be tied up with other things for a few weeks so there won't be any reports here, stay tuned for eventual updates.

Pub of the day: Guest House
Beer of the day: Small World Thunderbridge Stout
Miles walked: 1.6
Merseyside pubs visited in the last five years: 1,009

A Couple In Town

No survey today but as I'm in town maybe a tick or two.  I started in the Scholar:

I assume this one is aimed at students.  In any case, it is a pleasant spacious place with a small bar area at the front and a larger space behind with long tables for dining and a stage at the far end.

At two on a Friday there were just two of us drinking lager in the bar area, and no one at all in the big room.  Mine was the house Scholars Ruin, a bargain at only £2.50.

The decor is standard bare brickwork - I think it might be wallpaper in the big room?

What have Google done to my keyboard?  That's no good at all.  Of course, the Germans have a word for it - Verschlimmbessern - To make something worse by trying to improve it.

The other customer departed leaving just me and the barman.  I hope more people come later, if not this place won't last long.

On my way up here I spotted a "new" target in the Grand Central Hall complex.  Places in there seem to come and go, and many of them have had limited lives and limited opening hours, but this one was open as I walked past so let's give it a try - Belle's:

I'll have to check my records to see what this used to be, perhaps with help of Streetview.  Ah, wait, you can see Bar Celona in the mosaic under the windows.  And I should have recognised the Gaudi styled frontage.

Now it is a rather pleasant place with attractive decor, aiming at the cocktail and champagne end of the market.  On Renshaw Street?  I wonder how many bottles of Dom Perignon 2000 they sell at 450 quid.

On a Friday afternoon I was the only customer, and I don't think my pint of Belle's Biere will boost the profits much.  The other two lagers are 1664 and 1664 blanc so I think we can guess where the house lager comes from (Google's AI says Northampton.)

The barman busied himself getting everything ready for the (hoped for) Friday evening rush.

I don't think I've paid for my beer yet, will I remember on the way out?  I did.

Heading for home now, but I can't walk past the Crown when they've got Oakham Citra on.

Quite busy at three o'clock but plenty of seats in the back room for me to enjoy my beer.  Some of the other customers were eating, but I think this is still mainly a drinkers' place.

There's not much I can say about this lovely pub that I haven't already said.  With both Citra and Bass on regularly, the ale selection seems to be getting better and better.  And it's so convenient when waiting for a train; or, if I'm being honest, missing a train deliberately to call in for a pint.

As I said, not a formal pub survey today, but you can't argue with two overdue ticks, and a pint of Oakham Citra.

Pub of the day: Crown
Beer of the day: Oakham Citra
Miles walked: 1
Merseyside pubs visited in the last five years: 1,006
Maybe coming soon: Cains Brewery Village 

A Wirral Wander

On a sunny Thursday I took three trains to Upton from where it was an easy walk of a mile and a half to my first target, the Wirral Hundred:

I think this pub was built in the 1970s, an unusual decade for pub construction, but I could be completely wrong.  Anyway, inside it is very pleasantly decorated, one open room partly split into two halves.  If it is older than the 70s it will have been knocked through, it's hard to judge from the interior whether that has happened.

Just a handful of regulars were indoors, more of them were enjoying the weather on the pleasant terrace.

I stayed inside with a pint of Strongbow - I have decided to reduce my consumption of Carling, and in any case they don't serve it so it would have been Fosters here.  Factory cider is, I think, more refreshing and certainly sweeter than factory lager!

Next, a short walk to the Swan:

This is very much a "cookie cutter" bog standard dining pub inside.  The Landlord handpump was "back soon" so I had another cider, Thatchers Gold this time, in a Thatchers Gold glass.

At half two on a Thursday the pub was ticking over well, I think most of the other customers were eating.  There was plenty of room for more, though.  The background music was completely drowned out by multiple conversations.

The menu, under the Sizzling brand, looks good, and good value.  That'll be why the place is popular.

Next, a long bus ride to Liscard.  And it was a long bus ride!  I don't know why my taxes are wasted on buses and trains around here when everyone gets in their car and jams up the roads!

At long last I reached Scrap Yard:

A rather strange place this, I really like it.  A concrete floor and bare brick walls are softened by nicely done quirky decor and colourful sofas.  The other chairs have been stolen from Wetherspoon (Only joking but they are exactly the same as the plastic chairs Wetherspoon use outside, perhaps they bought these when the Moreton one closed.)

The service was a bit disorganised when I arrived, with people wandering about but no one serving me, but soon enough I had selected a gorgeous Vocation Chocolate Orange from the twenty keg brews on offer, there were quite a few others that looked tempting, it's really a good range.

Last time I was here, in 2018, everyone else was on coffee - for which there is a separate little counter - this time it was about 50/50 coffee to booze.

There are quite a few other pubs in Liscard, but only two are overdue for a visit.  I checked Apres Ski but it was shut as expected, opens 19:00 on Thursday.  So, skipping the Wetherspoon and the Wellington I headed on to the Tower:

A proper classic boozer this one, full of (mainly) blokes drinking mostly lager.  I reverted to Carling in order to fit in, but a Strongbow would also have worked.  There were two handpumps on the counter, I bet they haven't been used for many years.  Someone has put some effort into polishing them, anyway.

One big open room knocked through, I suspect, with an l-shaped counter in two parts where two barmaids were kept busy serving lagers and ciders and the occasional Guinness.  Sitting quite near the counter, I noted a Carlsberg being poured in a Carling glass, tut tut.

As is standard in "plain" boozers nowadays the whole place was clean, tidy and well maintained. (And so were the majority of the customers!)

Four required ticks is pretty good at the moment, I'm finding it very difficult to get a cluster of wanted pubs within walking distance, hence the long bus ride.  Never mind, today puts my pubs visited in the last five years up to 1,005.

Pub of the day: Scrap Yard
Beer of the day: Vocation Chocolate Orange
Miles walked: 2.5
Maybe coming soon: Undecided

Out In The Countryside

Not intended to be a full blown pub survey today, but a couple of long overdue visits in a rural part of Merseyside were beckoning.  A train to Garswood, where I noticed the Railway wasn't open yet, and then a very pleasant ride through the sunny fields in a minibus took me to the village of King's Moss.  The 157 does a remarkable three point turn in the street right by my first objective, the Colliers Arms:

This well done out pub has, I'm pleased to say, not changed much since my previous visit in ... Checks book ... Good grief, 2007!  Of course, I'm sure there has been redecoration since then but it is still a splendid village pub with multiple rooms.  Nicely decorated throughout, and the stone floor is great.

Three real ales on, I chose Purity's Bunny Hop, a hazy pale which wasn't to my taste, oh well, you win some you lose some.

At three on a Thursday the pub was fairly quiet but ticking over steadily, of course everyone except me was a regular.

The menu looks good in here, and they were selling some food even mid-afternoon.

Next, a pleasant walk through the rural scenery to the Red Cat.  Some of the roads had no pavement but all the cars gave me a wide berth.

Another attractive country pub not visited since 2007, again it is ticking over on a Thursday afternoon.

At the entrance I chose Bar against Dining, and found myself alone in a small pleasant bar room.  I selected Landlord from the two handpumps, and it was very good.

In due course a couple more people joined me in the bar, but the pub remained quiet throughout my visit.

I didn't see a menu here so I can't comment on that.

Now, there is one more overdue tick in this general area because it was unexpectedly shut last time I tried it, but it is nearly three miles away and I can't be bothered.  On further consideration, anywhere is a long walk from here unless I wait ages for the bus back to Garswood, so perhaps it is time for the lazy option...

Have I mentioned before in this blog that I am a great fan of Uber?  We have all experienced the taxi driver who goes the long way round at a quiet time to maximise the charge, and so, even though that is rare, it is so much better to know the price before you book.  I made plenty of use of them when I was in America a couple of years ago, and regularly in the UK since then.  Today, my cab arrived promptly and on time as usual, and quickly took me to the Windle:

Not visited since 2018, this place hasn't changed much but it has clearly been well maintained and cared for over the intervening years.

I went in the small bar side which is nicely done out, from what I could see the lounge side, more aimed at diners, is also pleasant.

No cask in here so I reverted to my standard Carling.  Three other customers, clearly regulars, were propping up the counter while I sat on the long bench seat under the giant telly showing golf.

Something of a classic, this place, a popular friendly local's pub in a fine late 1950s building.

What next?  There are plenty of buses around here so no more Uber, but due to the rebuilding of the bus station I will end up some way from the station.  Perhaps a call in to the 'spoons to finish my day off?

And so after the bang on time bus carried me to the temporary bus station, I headed in to the always busy Glass House:

Elgood's Golden Newt is an "ordinary" pale one, rather good I must say.

This Wetherspoon is very popular in my experience, perhaps even more so since the other branch closed.  Still, I found a table to sit at and enjoy my third cask ale of the day.

There's not much to report about a Wetherspoon that you haven't already read, except to note, as I have before I think, that in St Helens almost nobody eats in the pub:  I looked around the room and could only see two tables with any food.

So ends a rather good mini-survey, I'm meeting a friend on Saturday so won't be able to do any pub research then.  (Of course, that doesn't mean I won't be drinking, just that it'll probably be in my local Wetherspoon.)

It was only after getting home that I realised I hit a milestone with today's trip:  For the first time in a long time I can say that I have visited one thousand different Merseyside pubs in the last five years.  This is a sort-of target which means I am near to visiting every open pub every five years.

Pub of the day: Colliers Arms
Beer of the day: Elgood Golden Newt
Miles walked: 1.5
Maybe coming soon: Cains Brewery Village

Around St Helens

Avoiding the city centre on Grand National day I headed away, to St Helens for a long walk.  I marched eastwards in the blustery wind to a long standing target never visited before.  Would it be open this time?  The Church Inn:

Yes, it is.  Inside the old building I found a pleasant pub knocked through but retaining separation between the areas.  It was nicely decorated, and clean and tidy inside.

I noticed a number of signs in the windows and doors call this "The Tav".

Football and racing commentary mixed, and one or two of the handful of customers were watching the racing.  I sat on a comfy sofa to enjoy my Carling (In the correct Carling glass) trying to ignore the footie.

On the way back to St Helens I have to walk past the Queens Arms so it would be rude to skip it:

A proper two sided boozer this, very popular at two on a Saturday, I sat at the last free table in the bar side.

I couldn't see any Carling so I had Fosters, as it was poured I spotted the Carling tap which was right in front of me!

Now this is a true classic pub, the racing commentary completely drowned by animated chatter from the regulars.  A steady stream of bets went to the nearby bookies.  Aintree was on the telly, of course.

I've already walked three miles, how much more can I do in the strong winds and intermittent rain?  The required ticks are almost all miles away on the other side of the town...  What a wimp, let's go for it.

I headed across the town centre and westwards.  Not the prime target out this way but let's give that one time to open and call in first to Perry's Bar:

Previously ticked in 2018, this is a plain pleasant shop conversion filled with with a decent quantity of regulars.  Rugby on the telly here, this is a rugby town after all.

I particularly like the tiled floor in here, that's what I want for my kitchen, I think.

At the front of the room is a small stage so I imagine the atmosphere will be rather different later, much noisier and more lively with live music or karaoke perhaps.  A place that can be a quiet boozers location in the afternoon and a lively place later on is to be admired, I think.

An addition to my list of amusing signs, I rather like "Give your brain the night off!  Ice cold beer"

Next, a very desirable tick last visited in '04 when it was a large pub called the Orange House.  I'm struggling to remember exactly what that was like all those years ago.  Streetview tells me that a part of the imposing building is now Cinema Bar:

To be honest I've no idea how this relates to the large interior of the Orange House, but what I found today behind the small entrance was a well done bar, very impressively decorated.

One part of the room was reserved for a private party, and their buffet looked very good, but no problem for walk-ins to use the rest of the space.

I moved a little up market and had Erdinger here - It came in the proper glass of course.  No Carling on offer, the only "ordinary" beer I could see was Guinness.

Next, according to my database there is one new tick right in the middle of town, so, since it's on the way home let's have a go at Imperial Quarter.  I wasn't unduly surprised to find that it was shut, as it was last time I tried, clearly the Google opening hours are rubbish.  So, on towards the station but I must visit the refurbished Royal Alfred:

Only one handpump in the new place which I must say looks pretty much the same as it always did, although very well done out. Anyway, my pint of Landlord was spot on.

This one was packed; initially I had to stand at the end of the counter until a table nearby was vacated and I managed to grab it.  The whole pub was full of cheerful groups of drinkers, the majority of whom were ignoring the racing on the telly.  The menu on my table looked good, especially the all day breakfast.

The Grand National is over, I must say I was rather amused to note that the BBC web site says it is run at 16:00 GMT.  They need to learn about summer time.

A good day out, one brand new tick and one from 2004, and five in total, that'll do.

Pub of the day: Cinema Bar
Beer of the day: Landlord
Miles walked: 4.3
Maybe coming soon: Crank