A mostly unsuccessful shopping trip (They'd run out of Er Guo Tou Jiu) left me in Chinatown, so a chance for a new tick nearby. I headed for Duck & Swagger:
This is part of the Baltic Hotel and the "pub" section looked dark and closed from the outside. I headed in to reception to check and in fact it is dark and open.
A good range of international keg appeared to be on offer, but Thursday lunch is pipe cleaning time and all the taps were pouring cleaning fluid into buckets. So I had to settle for a bottle of Peroni.
Only two other customers in the pleasant dark room. I sat on a repurposed pew, in fact all the furniture was old wooden stuff, no good for those with bony backsides, not a problem I have to worry about!
Next, I wandered down for a look at Camp and Furnace:
This "entertainment complex" advertises a bar, but nothing was open on a Thursday afternoon, perhaps unsurprisingly.
Round the corner used to be the Baltic Social, but my pre-flight checks revealed that it closed a year ago. So I was pleased to see a big sign for Arts Bar Baltic in the same place:
A second new tick. In the large open room with a stage at one end were a handful of customers. The taps were working here, and I tried a pint of the house lager, which was tasty enough.
Plenty of people came in and out, but not many of them seemed to be buying drinks.
Next, I resisted the temptations of the Cain's Brewery Village (especially the former Tap) and headed down past the long closed Angel:
This building is poised to exploit the increasing popularity of the "Baltic" area, and could spring back into life at any moment. I have to confess to feeling a little old when my database revealed that I last drank in there in November 1999.
On to the Coburg, last visited in 2012:
A classic traditional boozer this, two counters, three rooms, very clean and tidy, with just three or four other customers chatting with the barman. Sadly, the real ale I enjoyed last time has long gone, so it was a Carling for me.
More customers gradually came in, for mid afternoon on a Thursday they are doing quite well here.
I noticed a billboard over the road advertising the Marina, general public welcome. I haven't been in there since 1999 so clearly one to revisit soon, but perhaps not today.
So, in the direction of home or at least in the direction of a station, I headed along the busy main road to the Baltic Fleet:
This gem continues to please. In the past I have been caught out by finding it shut in the afternoon, but no such problem today and there are quite a few customers in to justify their opening.
Four or five cask ales were on (I couldn't read one clip, it might be cider) and I chose Trappers Hat which was very good.
I understand they have refurbished the upstairs making it usable as more drinking space, but I couldn't be bothered to climb the brand new open staircase to check it out, especially as the gents is now in the cellar.
This one seems to be the busiest of today's ticks, which is very pleasing to find.
Considering today wasn't supposed to be a pub survey I think four is more than enough, so it is time to head for home...
Beer of the day: Trappers Hat
Miles walked: 2.4
Maybe coming soon: Wavertree, Bold Heath, Clock Face, Sutton
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