Fifteen Hundred!

I took an uncomfortably hot bus under the river and on to Prenton.  Excitement was mounting as I walked along the row of shops and here it is, Bar 361:

A very pleasant shop conversion with bench seats and an attractive traditionally styled counter complete with gantry.  Really well done.

No real ale so I had my usual Carling, which became my tenth one on untappd.  

Anyway, this is the fifteen hundredth Merseyside pub I have drunk in.  Twenty years ago number 1,000 was MacKenzie in Birkenhead which I passed on the bus today, it is still going.  Will I ever get to two thousand?  I doubt it very much.  Sitting here enjoying my lager, I wondered what the total number of pub visits I have made would be.  I try to revisit every five years, so clearly it is going to be a lot more than 1,500.  I think maybe when I get home I'll do some database analysis, which will tell me how many visits I've logged, although before 2004 many will be missing because then I only retained records of the most recent visit.  Update:  The answer is 3,623.  Of course the figure is fairly meaningless anyway because a typical week for me will include drinking with pals in three or more pubs which I don't record in the database.  (If you look at the merseypub.com website or in the book you can see pubs recorded as "Visited" without a date - These are the ones I drink in regularly.)

Sorry, that's a lot of waffle that's nothing to do with this pub; let's get back to work!  One other customer at one on a Friday is not very good; I hope it is busier this evening.

Next, just along the road is the Halfway House:

The Cask Marque plaque raised my hopes but there was no real ale available, so it was another Carling for me.

The bar side was closed, I sat with two or three others in the very nicely done out lounge.  Nothing spectacular in the decor, it's just very well cared for.

I was pleased to see the cricket on the big screen, they were showing golf in 361.  After lunch England seem to be doing well despite the conditions favouring batting.  I must say the Sky Sports commentary is not a patch on Test Match Special, where Aggers and Tuffers and all the rest provide lots of entertainment. 

Gradually more customers appeared, keeping the place ticking over.  Most of them seemed to be older than I.

Next, on to the Mersey Clipper:

A Greene King house, this one, with Flaming Grill branding. 

On a hot Friday I nervously eyed up the handpumps, only one of the three has a sparkler fitted, and decided discretion is the better part of valour so I had a lager.  They'd run out of Carling, you don't hear that very often!  Madri was my second choice.

In my database this was called the Birch Tree, it seems to have reverted to its previous name some time since my last visit back in 2018.  Nothing else has changed, it is still an above average dining pub.  I'm not sure why but this place seems to have more character than many of the chain pubs.  At half two it was pretty quiet but not completely deserted.

Golf was on the tellies that I could see here, there's only two things more boring than watching golf on the TV, one is watching it in person, and the other is actually playing.  Oooh, controversial!  On further reflection I take that back:  On the telly you only see the exciting shots so it can be quite entertaining.  The other two are still boring, though.

Just the width of the footie ground down the road is the Prenton Park:

 

I had forgotten, or not noticed previously, what a magnificent building this is, I'm going to guess 1920s, with a bit of brewers' Tudor, large castellated bay windows at the rear, tall chimneys and so on.  Inside there has been a lot of knocking through so while it is pleasant it's not very historic. 

No real ale so I had another Carling. 

For the first time on this survey, the main sound in the pub was conversation as the customers discussed various topics, most of which seemed to be football related.  When does the season begin, it can't be long now? 

Suddenly a gaggle of women appeared, increasing the sound level significantly.  I was going to write "old" there but they were all younger than I, one or two of them much younger. 

I checked the cricket on my phone, England not doing so well this afternoon.

By the time I'd finished my pint the place was buzzing, the music completely drowned by cheerful chatter. 

Where next?  I could head down to the Sportsman's and then on to the Beehive, but there's one outlier in the other direction, so I think that is the way to go.  When I blogged a visit to Oxton a few weeks ago someone anonymous commented that I'd got the Cock and Pullet as closed but in fact it has reopened.  So let's try that one now, reverted to its former name, the Royal:

What an excellent end to today's researches, two handpumps and one was White Rat so I had a wonderful pint thereof.  Last time I was in here, eleven years ago, I noted seven handpumps.  Sadly the "Cock and" chain didn't survive, but at least in this case the pub and the fine real ale have.

Pleasantly decorated with some bare brick walls and comfortable bench seating all round the room. 

Like the last pub, plenty of customers were keeping the chatter level high.

In summary, a great survey which started with a new one and a big number, and ended with a favourite ale.  One can't ask for more than that!  Let's go home.

Pub of the day: Royal
Beer of the day: Ossett White Rat
Miles walked: 1.6
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Birkenhead, Southport

Sunlight on Bebington

Technically not a pub research trip today, just a few pubs with friends on a pleasantly sunny afternoon.  We headed to Port Sunlight and the historic Bridge Inn:

We eschewed the only cask (Greene King IPA) and had Neck Oil here.

Last time I was here I sat in the other side, I seem to recall, but that is now the restaurant area, so we settled in the comfortable bar side (Where you can also dine.) of this beautiful pub/hotel.

The standard Flaming Grill menu was selling well, fish and chips was £9.39

Next, we headed under the railway to Bebington to visit the Rose And Crown:

Another beauty, this multi-roomed place is a Thwaites house serving their own beers and guests.  We had Thwaites Gold, which was very good. 

It was pretty quiet in here at half three on a Wednesday, but I noticed a number of tables reserved for later so it obviously gets busier.

I see they have live music every Saturday.

Just up the road is the Wellington:

Another pleasant pub, this time run by Greene King.  Sadly, no cask was on so we had Hazy Day, a very tasty pale one from GK.

Again ticking over gently but not at all busy. 

Time to double back to the four o'clock opening Collaboration, a new one for me:

This is number 1,499 on my all time list of visited Merseyside pubs, and it's a good 'un.  An excellent micro pub where we enjoyed a fine pint of Farm Yard Sheaf, which has Citra hops in its delicious recipe.  A standard shop conversion, pretty busy with a mixed crowd at five o'clock.  By the time we left there were people standing because all the seats were occupied.

I am hoping to make number 1,500 something special but I fear it won't match this gem.  I guess I'll just take things as they come.  It could be this week!

Having exhausted my list of targets in this part of Bebington, we decided to head back to Birkenhead.  I attempted to lead the party back to the station via a short cut which doesn't exist so we ended up going the long way round.  I have submitted a correction to Google Maps.

Back in Birkenhead a quick visit to Wetherspoon's Brass Balance was called for.  Here we selected Bishops Farewell from Oakham, a great beer to finish our afternoon out.

This place is always busy and popular and today was no exception, but there were still plenty of places for us to find a table.

Pub of the day: Collaboration
Beer of the day: Oakham Bishops Farewell
Miles walked: 1.9
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Prenton, Southport, Birkenhead

St Helens

The weather forecast was very poor, so once again I abandoned a plan which required lots of walking.  Instead I headed to St Helens where there are plenty of required targets.

I started my survey at the Brasserie Chalon:

The name always conjures up a mental picture of a posh bistro restaurant sort of place, I wonder if it ever was like that? 

What we find now is a nicely done plain clean and tidy boozer, where I enjoyed my first Carling of the day.  Quite a lot of people in at lunchtime, and the rooms were filled with cheerful conversations.  One bloke, with two empty Amstel glasses in front of him, was asleep.  It's a bit early for that, I thought.  But why not - The place is warm, comfortable and friendly and he's not doing any harm to anyone.

Next, on to somewhere where I should get a pint of something good, the Sefton:

Or maybe not.  I chose Rev James.  I took a sip, er, that's not right.  I took a bigger swig:  Yeuch!  More suited to pouring on chips.  Now I hate taking beer back, and have often drunk dodgy pints rather than reject them, or even left them behind on the table and walked out, but this one was horrible so I stepped up and complained.  The cheerful barmaid quickly poured me a pint of London Pride which was very good albeit perhaps slightly short measure.  Even better, she immediately turned the clip round on the Rev James. 

So, the crisis over, I sat back and enjoyed my pint.  The pub was ticking over nicely with a scattered crowd of diners and drinkers.  On a Friday afternoon it really should be busier than this, though. 

The large open room decorated in traditional style was, of course, covered in euro flags, I expect many pubs will do well around the final on Sunday.  On that subject, I was somewhat surprised to find my local Wetherspoon branch extra busy on Wednesday evening, despite them only displaying sports on one telly.  All good for my shares, though! 

Next, along Westfield Street let's see what survives:  The Wheatsheaf is neglected and has a For Sale sign, Kingdom (Punch Tarmey's when I visited) is boarded up and also for sale.  On the other hand, Dreem has lost its D but is still going strong:

Nothing has changed in this plain down market corridor bar since my previous call, back in 2018.  The regulars all know each other and they just ignore the stranger fiddling with his tablet.

Carling was my choice here, only £2.60.   Good grief, this place has that rare thing, a clearly readable price list, and I've chosen an expensive beer!  Fosters, John Smith's and Strongbow are all cheaper.

The weather is so bad the central heating is on in here, and my chosen seat was in front of a pleasantly warm radiator.

Now, on to one of those wonderful things:  A new(ish) place I've never heard of, number 1,498 on my list of visited bars, Coco's:

The sign on the door says only over 35s are allowed in here, I'm not sure if that is a joke or are they serious?  Not a limitation I have to worry about, anyway.  I checked streetview to find out how new this place is and discovered it has been here for at least eight years, so I'm embarrassed to admit I must have walked past without noticing it on a number of occasions.  Oh well, better late than never.

Another small bar where everyone knows everyone else, and most (but not all) of them are older than I.  Once again, the pub ticker typing on his tablet is ignored.

The decor is very well done with black sparkle tiles in the floor and silvery walls decorated with Elvis pictures.  There's a small stage at one end of the room, so perhaps it's live music later; more likely karaoke.

Another Carling for me, £2.60 again. 

What a wonderful friendly boozer this is, everyone is cheerful and enjoying their chatter, although having said that a brief argument started while I was in the gents, I could hear some raised voices.  It was all over by the time I came out.

Just one more target in this end of town, the Market Tavern:

There was only one operational handpump in a mainly keg pub, but I risked a pint of Moorhouse's White Witch.  It was gorgeous, definitely pint of the day, remarkably fruity.

Although by no means packed the pub was much busier than all the previous ticks, and the background music was mostly drowned out by chatter and laughter. 

It's not often I notice a humorous "quotation" on the wall I've not seen before, but I do like "Trust me, you can dance" credited to Beer.  I have fallen for that one on occasion.

St Helens truly is a wonderful pub destination, even if you don't go looking for the specialist cask places.  All life is here, which I fear is the snob's way of saying it is all down market.  Can I put it better?  Real people in real pubs, is that closer to what I'm trying to say? 

Pub of the day: Market Tavern
Beer of the day: White Witch
Miles walked: 1.2
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Bebington, Prenton

Cains Brewery Village

The poor weather made my plan with a long walk rather unattractive, so instead today a train and a bus carried me to Cains Brewery Village where there are a number of outlets not visited since 2018 and, I hope, a couple of new ones as well. 

I started in the beautiful Brewery Tap:

On Wednesday I was chatting to a pal about beer quality and I said it was a long time since I'd had an off pint.  So inevitably my very next pint of cask, Beartown Glacier, was somewhat "on the turn" here.  I probably should have rejected it.  Another customer took back a pint of Madri and it was promptly replaced by a Staropramen.  Does that mean all the beer is awful?

The gorgeous interior is unchanged since my last visit, and the pub was doing a decent trade despite the cold weather.  Multiple conversations mixed with "grunt-bonk-bonk-bonk-bonk-applause-thirty-forty".  

Next, a new one, Cains Brewery:

One fairly small room with bare brick walls, I don't think I've been in here before.  Completely deserted at two o'clock, just two bar staff and me. 

Four handpumps on the counter but no clips, I think the small brewery which can be seen behind the servery is currently idle, which is a shame as their recreation of Cains FA was superb.

Gosh, two more customers! I glanced down at my tablet and when I looked up they had disappeared.  Maybe sitting outside?  Then another one, and he stayed. 

Looking out of the door I could see plenty of people walking up and down the street, so at least some parts of the complex must be busier.  It's a bit early for footie fans to be bagging their places, the match starts at five.  No tellies in here so this one will be a football free zone, I guess. 

Baltic Market:

This one is a giant busy food hall, I got a pint of Dortmunder from the bar and sat at the corner of one of the bench tables.  Lots of food was coming out from all of the little kitchens, very tempting I must say. 

This is where all the people I'd seen on the street have ended up, the place is packed. 

Definitely not a "pub" but somehow I like this place.  All you have to do is sit at a bench and order food and drink on your phone, and it magically appears.  My idea of heaven! 

Platform 89:

Another one new to me, once again a smallish bar; this time it seems to aim at live music or maybe karaoke, there's a large table with microphones and a big mixing desk.  And some enormous speakers.

Modern decor in here, nicely done with a "black sparkle" counter front. 

The cheerful barmaid quickly left her chat to serve me a pint of Madri, in a plastic glass.  The weather has put everyone off, she said - There were only two other customers.  Another footie-free one, this.

No one else arrived or departed while I swigged my beer. 

Finally, the Tank Room:

I seem to recall the special feature of this outlet was proper Czech lager from a large tank.  No longer the case, the special tanks are out of action although still present.  So I chose the always tasty Neck Oil.

Quirky fun decor in here, once again I like it, but it's a shame the tanks are no longer in use. 

Custom was gently ticking over.

Amusing sight of the day:  Two women ordered a large quantity of shots, I guessed there was a gang of them outside.  One was left with four or five of those little thimbles to carry, and to ensure she didn't spill any she took a sip out of each one!  Don't worry, I won't tell.  (Except here)  Of course, it's equally possible that there was no "gang" and all the shots tasted were hers, but my version is more fun, I think.

Five ticks, two new ones, time for home I think.  My total is now 1,497, we're getting close!

As I departed I passed the building which was a nightclub-style place called Black Pearl when I was here in 2022.  It is now called BOXPARK and according to their website it is a large "events space" surrounded by food and drink counters.  At four o'clock there was a long queue of people waiting to get in, presumably wanting to watch the football.

Pub of the day: Brewery Tap
Beer of the day: Neck Oil
Miles walked: 0.75
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Bebington, Prenton, Southport

The Unwritten Laws of Pub Ticking, Southport

The Northern train was bang on, but Merseyrail was in a right mess; usually it's the other way around.  Eventually I reached Southport for a short stroll to the wonderful Guest House:

The best pub in Southport?  Could well be:  Glorious interior, wonderful beer, friendly cheerful staff, what more could one desire.

I passed on my favourite White Rat and plumped for a gorgeous pint of Bass.  I think it is compulsory to have Bass when it's available - One of the unwritten laws of pub ticking.

I sat in one of the side areas to enjoy my ale.  No music just cheerful chatter formed the soundtrack here, isn't it great!

I glanced at the menu.  Fish chips and peas £6.95 - Bargain!  The meals I saw looked very generous. 

I moved on.  It is always a great bonus when I tick a bar I didn't know existed, and today it was the Olde Post Office:

A bit of a mess inside if I'm honest, I'm not sure if it is in mid re-construction or this half-built chaos is intentional.  Very clean, anyway.  The finished parts, including the bar counter, are rather nicely done in a rough wood style, if they do the rest like this it'll make an attractive bar.

A significant proportion of the beers were unavailable, in fact I'm not sure which lager I ended up with, but as an extra bonus I got a second glass with half a pint from testing the taps, the landlord said he didn't want to pour it away.  And one of the most crucial of the unwritten laws of pub ticking is that one never refuses free beer!

A rather odd place, the customers appeared to be strange and/or drunk and/or crazy.  Not scary though, they all seemed friendly.  The landlord answered a phone call from someone who'd heard the place was being raided by the police.  He assured the caller, and I can confirm, there were no police present.  And, to be fair, I could see nothing here meriting police intervention.

One down side of a place like this is that Untappd has never heard of it, so I couldn't log my pint of unidentified lager.

Literally next door is Sinclair's, which was Peaky Blinders last time I was here:

Untappd still had this as Peaky Blinders.  I tried to recall what it looked like back in 2018 but I couldn't, the basic layout of one room with a glass front onto the streets is unaltered.  The interior is very pleasant and comfortable.

More importantly, the provision of real ale hasn't changed and I had a fine pint of Bowland Gold. 

The customers here were more "normal" than in the Post Office, and there were plenty of them, not bad for a Friday afternoon with gale force winds (Slight hyperbole) 

Even though there are a number of locations around here begging for a tick (Punch Tarmey's, Bold, Corridor etc.) I moved on to one which I haven't visited since 2011, the Oast House:

Now this is what the Post Office should be aiming for.  A down market bar with a beautiful interior, I can't think of a word to sum up the decor, except "great".  Perhaps I could add "quirky" and "fun" to that.

The two handpumps are purely decorative, I think, so I had my usual Carling. 

The background music mixed with animated chatter, plenty of space in here but it was ticking over nicely.

I moved on to the cul-de-sac with three pubs that is Cable Street.  Last time I was here I visited O'Leary's, but now it has been totally transformed into Cloud 9, so let's try it:

A very pleasantly done out bar, this.  I ordered a Stella.  The barman read my mind and said there's plenty of seats upstairs, so I climbed the stairs to a rather well done room which had an open ceiling, resulting in a rather chilly breeze.

This place is really attractively decorated; I imagine, or at least hope, that it is packed later on.  Mind you, they need to close the roof hatch, it's very cold up here. 

Time for home, with my total now at 1,495.

Pub of the day: Guest House
Beer of the day: Bass
Miles walked: 1
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Prenton, Bebington

Oxton

On a sunny Thursday I ventured under the river, aiming for Oxton.  Leaving the bus at the Half Way House which I will save for a subsequent trip, I toiled up the hill to the Queens Arms:

A very pleasant plain interior here, beautifully cared for and sadly empty.  I could see only three customers and two of those left shortly after I arrived. 

My hopes were raised by a White Rat clip, the barmaids' conversation "Is it on?", "I don't know, I haven't served any today" was a little ominous and then when she tried to pull my pint it was just froth.  "Sorry, it's gone."  So I had my usual Carling.  She didn't turn the clip round. 

Actually there were more customers than I at first thought, some food went into the other side, from where I could hear conversations. 

Next a short stroll to the Caernavon Castle:

Exactly as I found back in 2018, this is a standard Greene King dining pub except that they have a wider than usual range of cask ales on, six I think it was today. 

The friendly cheerful barmaid/landlady struggled with a lot of froth but eventually managed to produce a fine pint of Landlord.  CAMRA discount was offered and given without me actually showing my card - I must have an honest face!

Much busier than the Queens with lots of customers inside and out, the majority of whom were dining I think.  Still plenty of room for more.  As I enjoyed my ale I could see a steady stream of people at the counter keeping the bar staff busy.

Football was on some TVs but I couldn't see anyone watching.  When's England's next match?  Ah, it's 5pm today, I'd better try and be finished by then.

On into Oxton village centre where I spotted a number of possible bars I'd never heard of.  I'll need some internet research to see where they sit on the bar-restaurant divide.

I ignored them for now and headed for my next planned target, the Oxton Bar and Kitchen:

I think this one looks a little uninviting from the outside, the door onto the street is only a fire exit, and you have to enter via the car park.  On the other hand, once inside it's a very well done out restaurant/pub with a great stone floor (Is it old or fake?) and rather fine understated decor. 

At the counter I found two handpumps and I was soon enjoying a great pint of Trappers Hat.  The other handpump also offered something local.

I didn't see any food but drinkers were keeping the place ticking over, most of them were sitting outside in the sun. 

One bloke sitting at the counter had a dog which insisted on barking a lot.  Very annoying, dog owners should know when to take their animal outside or, even better, not bring them out to the pub in the first place.

A bit of internet research revealed that of the potential new locations I had seen, the Bowler Hat seems to be functions only, the Library opens at five, and Elixir is worthy of a tick.  This leaves me with a bit of a dilemma as I was planning to do the Shrewsbury Arms and new tick the Homebrew Taproom and then head for home.  If I do Elixir then I ought to drop one of those.  Or do six pints, by which time the Library will be open tempting me into number seven.  No, I don't think so, I have a long list of tasks to complete tomorrow.  And there's the bladder-stressing bus ride home to consider!  (But there's always Uber)

I eventually decided to start by getting the bonus new tick, so I headed for Elixir:

Definitely more of a restaurant than a pub, but with a very pleasant bar area at the front.  The whole place is beautifully decorated and very attractive.

No customers at all at four on a Thursday, the waitress leapt into action to greet me as I entered but lost interest when I said I only wanted a drink, guiding me to the counter where the equally unemployed barman was waiting for me.  I spotted Budweiser Budvar which I haven't had for some time, but there was a problem with it so instead I had Grand Central IPA, never heard of it but it is very flavoursome. Aha, Untappd tells me it's a Hyde's brew.  So there is a use for Untappd!  Although how this modern place qualifies me for a "Ye Olde Pub" badge I don't know.  I can think of a number of phrases that describe this place (All of them complimentary) but Ye Olde isn't one. 

I can't comment on the food because I didn't try any nor look at the menu, but this really is a very well done out place which deserves more customers than I could see. 

I wonder how these places survive, no one else but me here, and barman, waitress and chef to pay.  Perhaps it is really busy later?  Hang on, the waitress is fiddling with the coffee machine, are there some customers I can't see?  Unless she made two cups for herself there must be some people round the corner. 

Back to the original plan, and the never before ticked Homebrew Tap:

Two handpumps but no clips, I was sorry to find, so I scanned the extensive list of keg and chose Hofbrau Dunkel, a very malty brew perhaps too sweet for my taste?  I was expecting a Dunkelweiss which it wasn't.

The pillar by the bar was decorated with cask ale pump clips, it's a shame none of them were on today; I spotted favourites including Oakham Citra, Tiny Rebel Cwtch, and a number of others.

A handful of customers were keeping the place going, they all seemed to know the friendly barmaid, obviously I was the odd stranger here. 

The same barking dog I'd suffered in the Oxton was now in here, or was it a different equally annoying animal? 

Let's worry about the journey home later, and revisit the Shrewsbury Arms while I'm so near, especially as I have to walk past to get to the bus!

A mistake, of course, it was full of people watching the footie, so no chance of a seat.  Nonetheless, I stood by the counter and enjoyed my pint of Shrewsbury Arms Best Bitter, I wonder who brews it. 

A rather fine traditional pub, I imagine, when the football's not on, but it's good to see they're making some money out of the Euros, I'm guessing a number of struggling pubs will extend their lives thanks to the footie. 

Pub of the day: Caernavon Castle
Beer of the day: Trappers Hat
Miles walked: 1.7
Maybe coming soon: Prenton, Bebington, Cantril Farm

A Diverse Selection In Town

Just a few ticks in Liverpool today, I started in the Richmond Pub:

This tiny boozer with an outdoor area in the street is always pretty busy, but at one on a sunny Wednesday it seemed quieter than usual and the majority of the drinkers were enjoying the weather outside so I managed to get a comfortable seat to enjoy my excellent pint of White Rat. 

What a fine pub, all the customers seem to be regulars enjoying banter with the friendly barman.  If only it was twice the size! 

Next McCooley's:

This enormous place with entrances on Mathew Street and Stanley Street was remarkably busy, or so I thought when I arrived.  Just like the Richmond quite a lot of the customers were enjoying the sunshine outside but it was also busy inside.

I had a Carling, only £2.60 in happy hour.

One group of lads outside were playing some kind of dice game, with noisy rattling of cups of dice and the occasional cheer or groan. 

Liverpool's "hospitality" economy certainly seems to be doing well, remember it's only Wednesday.  Some kind of Euro match was starting on most of the tellies;  I don't think anyone was watching. 

On a tour of the labyrinthine interior searching for the gents I learned that my initial assessment was somewhat incorrect and the other rooms with two more counters were pretty much deserted.

Next, on to the Old Post Office:

Last time I was here I had a nice pint of cask.  The clips were turned round so it was Carling for me this time. 

Something of a classic this pub, traditional decor, traditional clientele, etc.  At three on a Wednesday there were plenty of empty seats but the room was filled with the hubbub of many cheerful conversations. 

At the counter one regular had shaved his head but had missed a bit, resulting in some friendly joshing from barmaid and customers. 

Football (Albania winning) and horse racing were on the TVs here, no one was watching.  No, wait, one bloke in the corner is studying the horses closely; in fact he's only a foot away from the screen.

Next door is Brass Monkey:

This is a fun place, quirkily decorated.  I can't come up with a phrase to describe the style so I think I'll stick to "fun"; it really is. 

No customers that I could see (But remembering my previous visit there might be some in the back rooms). 

Crash bang wallop as a delivery of kegs were rolled to the cellar door.

I looked around.  There's still a table where the seats are suspended by ropes from the ceiling.  I imagine there must be a lot of spilled beer there!

I had a pint of that tasty brew Madri.  In case you don't know, it is brewed in the UK and has no real connection with Madrid or Spain.  Nonetheless, I think it is an above average lager with a more malty taste than most. 

The barman disappeared into the cellar to sort out his delivery; I resisted the opportunity for a free top up!

OK, today wasn't supposed to be a full blown survey, I think four is enough so let's go home.  I might do a "proper" research outing tomorrow.  Or I might be lazy and stay at home.  Either way I'm in Scotland on Saturday and Derby on Sunday, so perhaps there will be some updates to the Rest of the World Pub Guide.

Pub of the day: Richmond Pub
Beer of the day: White Rat
Miles walked: 1.5
Maybe coming soon: Oxton, Cantril Farm, Bebington

Rain in Crosby

As I left home I noticed a few spots of rain.  By the time I got to Lime Street it was raining steadily, all the swiftys were donning cagoules.  Welcome to Liverpool! 

A second train carried me to Crosby where I was hoping for some overdue and some new ticks.  I started at Inside No. 4:

This is mainly a cafe/restaurant, but they have a comfortable bar area as well so drinkers are welcome.  It was surprisingly busy on a wet Thursday, although I was the only one in the bar. 

Very nicely decorated throughout, what else is there to say? 

After bringing me a pint (It's table service here) of Camden Pale in their "bucket" wide glass the barmaid/waitress was busy making cocktails and coffees for diners.

Something I've not noticed before, a contactless gizmo by the exit just for tipping.  Tap your phone and give them a fiver.  Or you can set another amount.

Next, I headed off in the gentle rain.  I was diverted on my way to a planned brand new tick by another brand new tick, I'd never before heard of Hampsons:

I must have been yards from here last time I was in Crosby but I didn't spot it.  I seem to remember it was raining that time as well. 

Anyway, this is a shop conversion with excellent decor, how can I describe the style?  Bare brick walls, large chandeliers, it really looks good.

Sadly I was the only customer at half two on a Thursday, which is a shame.

I've not seen a "Card payments £10 minimum" sign for a while, I think they need to move into the 21st century!  Under the circumstances I paid cash.

As I neared the end of my lager another customer came in, he wanted a small breakfast and a coffee.  Obviously a regular, so we can conclude that the breakfasts, at least, are good here.

Two more arrived, so the bar is now ticking over rather than dead.  Good. 

Am I permitted a grumble?  The answer is, of course, yes, since this is MY BLOG.  So, I hate attractive looking wooden tables which don't have a flat top, so you put down your goblet of Krombacher and it wobbles.

So, on to the new tick for which I was aiming, the Queen's Nook:

Another shop conversion, perhaps not as stylish as Hampsons but certainly pleasant, comfortable and attractive.  Actually, on reflection that's not fair; it is just as stylish as the last one.

There were three customers here when I arrived, so again not much custom.

I scanned the menu, it looks rather good, fish and chips was fourteen quid, and a number of items were not "pub standards".  I wonder who cooks it?  Does the barmaid disappear into the kitchen.  Some of the menu items looked like they would require a proper chef, is he/she sitting in the back waiting for my order?  Or maybe I am underestimating what commercial frozen food can produce.  I was tempted to order something sophisticated just to see what happens!  Suddenly my mind wandered to a bar in Dubai with a menu of Chinese food where ones meal came from a nearby takeaway.  I seem to recall it was rather good.

As I drank my Neck Oil more and more people came in, so it was doing alright by the time I left.  Still not busy, though.  All the other customers seemed to be regulars and to know each other.

Next, just a short walk down the road in the continuing rain is Pioneer:

This also counts as a shop conversion but it is a very large corner location.  Once again very well done out, green ceramics, lots of plastic flowers, pale wood flooring, altogether very pleasant.

No sign of anyone eating at four o'clock, in fact only three other customers and the couple I could see had a bottle of water and a can of Fanta. 

I had a pint of Madri here, in a Madri goblet of course.  Is it always this malty?  Very good! 

I set my course back towards the station, with the opportunity for another new tick and possibly some cask, at the Coop:

At last, real ale.  Once I'd spotted Jaipur I didn't need to look further.  The landlord had some trouble pouring it due to excessive froth so he took the money and I sat down.  Only a few moments later he brought me a lovely pint.  In an oversized glass, to boot.  [When I was young I was told off for using the phrase "an' all", and told that "to boot" was more correct.  I was slightly surprised to learn, on consulting Google, that that is true.]

Another shop conversion, of course, nicely done with attractive plain-ish decor.  Plenty of customers were keeping the place going, there was room for a many more, though. 

As I enjoyed the pint of the day more and more people came in.  Still not packed, but certainly doing well at five on a Thursday. 

How about that!  Three new places, bringing my total to 1,492; I can see that fifteen hundred getting closer!

Time to go home.

Pub of the day: Crosby Coop
Beer of the day: Thornbridge Jaipur 
Miles walked: 2.25
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Bebington

All New in Meols Cop

Today I had a rather special plan; to scoop in no less than four pubs never before visited.

So, three trains carried me to Meols Cop station in the outskirts of Southport, from where it was just a short stroll to the Thatch & Thistle:

Another member of the exclusive group of thatched Merseyside pubs, I can only think of three others. Inside is a bog standard food led operation, pleasantly done out but nothing special except, perhaps, for the old stone floor.

The bar staff were having trouble with the ordering system, requiring five minutes and two tills to sort out a simple food order. Eventually one could serve me with an excellent pint of Theakstons.

The pub was doing a gentle steady trade at two on a Friday, almost everyone I could see was eating, the menu of pub standards included Fish and Chips for £11.20.

On to the Richmond:

This pub belonging to Holt's concentrates on dining but serves a fine pint of Two Hoots.  The friendly barmaid asked what I was doing this afternoon and before I knew what was happening I was showing her the Merseyside Pub Guide book, and soon it was being passed around bar staff and regulars, to the admiration of all.  Where are you going next was the most common question, and once I'd told them, some asked, "What about the Old Duke?".  That one was missing from my database so could I make it five new ticks?  I wondered if it was in Merseyside, we're not far from the border here, but the maps say it is. 

Anyway, back to the pub.  I think it was only built fairly recently, maybe since 2000, but it does seem to have some old features inside including some old timber in the ceiling so I could be wrong about that.

Custom was fairly thin at three o'clock, I gazed across vast expanses of empty tables as I enjoyed my ale. 

So, let's try the Old Duke next:

An enormous twenty-first century roadhouse built by Marstons in 2017 or 2018, with their standard plastic very good decor inside.

Worryingly quiet at three on a Friday with just a few diners scattered around the enormous space.  Bombardier and Wainwright were on tap, my Wainwright was spot on.  

Talking of beers on tap, I have been playing with the Untappd app for the last few days, logging all the pubs I have been drinking in.  As I wrote this I had eight pubs and eight beers on the scoreboard.  But what is the point?  I don't see what I am achieving, especially as almost all the pubs I visit are "not verified", whatever that means.  Looking back, perhaps I should have been doing this when I was in America, twenty brewery taps would certainly look good on any stats.  I'll keep going for the time being but I don't really understand what I am producing with all my check-ins.  Perhaps I'm too old to grasp the concept of this social media lark.

Thank goodness my fans in the Richmond told me about the Old Duke, if I had done the other four and not this it would have been a real pain to come back for this one.  Actually, it wouldn't have been a pain because I wouldn't have bothered.  (See Beer Den which will have to wait until that end of Southport comes round for another visit.)

What I didn't realise as I sat in the Old Duke enjoying my Wainwright was that this pub marked a milestone in the Merseyside Pub Guide, as it was entry number 2,000.

So far, so brilliant:  Three never visited pubs, three quality cask ales.  I predict I won't get any more cask, but I'm still hoping for two more new ticks.  Let's see...

Hickory's:

My new friends in the Richmond told me what this was called when it was a pub, but I've forgotten.  (A quick Streetview scan once I got home shows it was The Pageant.)  Anyway, an enormous food oriented knocked through place.  I was captured by a waiter at the entrance but when I said I just wanted a drink he pointed me towards the bar counter and what was clearly the non food end of the room. 

No handpumps so I scanned the taps until I spotted Hickory's Pale Ale - I always like to choose the house brew.  Despite the name it wasn't very pale, a hefty sweet beer, very good.  It was also hazy, I'm not sure if that was intended but it didn't spoil the taste: I would say it was a wonderful keg beer!

Once again, a large space with no one in, how do these places survive?  It's after four on a Friday and I suspect there might be more staff than customers.  As I typed that a family came in, so now there's more customers than staff.  I must say the delicious wafting odours of barbecue were very tempting here - luckily my table didn't have a menu on it, or I could have ended up eating.

I must stay I was impressed by this restaurant/pub, excellent decor, quality service, tempting food.  If there was a branch near me I would be a regular customer I think. 

I recall some time ago going to the Hickory's in West Kirby, also a conversion of a pub, it used to be the Moby Dick.  I checked my own blog and found I had Hickory's Pale Ale there as well, back in 2018.

One more target on the list, Forty Seven:

This is a really beautiful shop conversion.  No real ale so I asked for 47, he offered two different beers from which I selected the Pilsner style one which was really good. 

It could be the effect of the four previous pints, but I couldn't get untappd to work here, because it didn't have the beer I was drinking on the list.  How do you add a new brew? I couldn't work it out. 

About half way down my pint two other customers left, leaving just me, one other drinker and the barman.  Soon, two more regulars with a dog came in, so the place was ticking over. 

In summary, not the four brand new ticks I hoped for, but five!  My score is now 1,489, that fifteen hundred milestone is getting closer!  Time for a bus and two trains to take me home.

Pub of the day: Richmond (But they were all good.)
Beer of the day: Two Hoots
Miles walked: 2.7
Maybe coming soon: Canny Farm, Bebington

Allerton Road

Today I headed to Allerton Road, where I might be able to get a new tick or two.  I started at the Blackburne Arms Allerton:

I ordered a pint of Tetley.  "Mug OK?" asked the barman.  He reported he'd had a group of people in last night who had objected to the dimples.  I told him I slightly preferred a straight glass but it wasn't important, the beer still tastes the same. 

A pleasant shop conversion, nothing like the main branch in town.  Modern styling including a steel staircase and the usual exposed air conditioning ducts.

I haven't had a pint of Tetley Bitter for years, it was very good.  Where is it brewed now? 

They are aiming more at the diners here, with cutlery on every table, but I was welcome to order a pint at the bar and sit at one of the tables in a comfy chair (Some tables have bench seats, but not this one.)  There is also space upstairs which I didn't look at.

At one on a Saturday trade was slow, with only about three other customers, I suppose it's still early.  More came in as I enjoyed my ale.

Just a couple of doors down is the Allerton, but the shutters were down.

Is it still operational, I wonder?  Google says it opens at twelve on a Saturday, clearly it didn't today.  So that's my second new tick of the day failed.

So, over the road where I skipped the John Brodie because I was there last November.  Next door is the Allerton Oak:

I've not been in here since 2000, so I think we can say it's overdue.  Back then it was called New York and had an American theme, pleasantly done.  The only things I can remember is that it was peaceful after being deafened in what was then Yates' next door, and there was a long rotating shaft along the ceiling with multiple blades providing an unusual and effective fan for the whole room.

Moving back to 2024, there were only two other customers in the nicely decorated room, and there's also a mezzanine with lots of tables, but a velvet rope prevented access to the stairs.

I was surprised to discover a pint of Carling costs 50p more at the weekend.  Is this common, I wonder?  Ninety nine times out of a hundred I wouldn't know, I only discovered it here because the barmaid told me the price and then corrected herself with "no, wait, it's Saturday".

This is a down market pub but in line with the 2020s norms, it is clean, tidy and well looked after, with not a hint of the scruffiness one might have found in this sort of place twenty years ago.  Well done, keep it up.

I looked around, could I be the youngest person in the pub?  (Not if you count the barmaid who is significantly younger than I.)

Next, the Square.  This one is either closed or I walked straight past it.  My scribbled pre-flight notes already said "Not a pub? May be closed" so I won't be panicking about this failure.

On to the Penny Lane:

Previously known as the Penny Lane Wine Bar, I was last here in 2018, when I seem to recall it was a little tired.  I also noted that no one was drinking wine.  In 2024 the outside and the multi room interior are very well done and maintained.

The Beatle memorabilia on the wall seems to include some handwritten lyrics to Penny Lane, complete with crossings out.  Surely a fake or reproduction, I would have thought if genuine it would be worth six figures at least.

I had a pint of Penny Lane lager here, I wonder who brews it.   The tap badge is silent on that subject, and doesn't give a strength either.  More flavoursome than my usual Carling, and a somewhat paler colour.  I noticed they also sell a Glen Affric brew called Bevvie Across The Mersey, I don't often see beers from this Birkenhead brewery when I'm out and about.

Now, along the world famous Penny Lane to the Dovedale Towers:

The wonderful interior here, all "fake" I think, but great fun, is looking a little tired in places and the seat I sat on was certainly in need of re-covering.

The two handpumps were not in use, so I had a pint of one of my favourite "common keg beers" Beavertown's Neck Oil.  I noticed they also had two other less often seen beers from the same brewery.

A steady trickle of customers approached the counter, but not enough to keep the four bar staff busy.

I perused the menu; breakfast looks good (Served until three, maybe I should have one!) and after that the pub standards include fish and chips, £15.50.  I'm always a little suspicious of a place that serves fish and chips with "pea puree", this is just affectation in a failed attempt to seem POSH, I'm sure everyone knows what mushy peas are.

One more?  Back on Allerton Road, or is it Smithdown Road by now, is Arthur Guinness:

Formerly Jalons, Grog House, and Dirty Nellies, this place doesn't seem to have changed to any great extent under its latest name although I've not been here since 2018, two names ago. 

A pleasant multi-area boozer with a subtle Irish theme, a lot busier than all my previous ticks with a couple of large pub crawl groups (The one with a number of young ladies departed as I arrived, I'm sorry to report) and plenty of other customers.

Given the name, I could only have Guinness here, of course.

The background music moved on to an instrumental version of Iron Butterfly's In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.  I'm ashamed to admit I'm only familiar with this rock classic thanks to the Simpsons!  I really must add it to my "record" (or CD, download, etc) collection. 

Time for home I think...

Pub of the day: Allerton Oak
Beer of the day: Tetley Bitter 
Miles walked: 1.6
Maybe coming soon: Cantril Farm, Bebington