On a cold and wet Thursday I set off for a trip to Formby where I started in a new one - New to me, that is, it's been open since last year, the Auld Dubliner:
Here I discovered a very pleasantly decorated Irish style bar in which, somewhat to my surprise, I found operational handpumps. My Wainwright Gold was good.
About a dozen customers were in at two on a rainy Thursday afternoon, one group were putting the world to rights. They moved on to football, apparently Liverpool have already won the league!
This is a really nice bar, I must say, a welcome addition to the Formby scene.
Just a few doors along is one I've never heard of, Emily's:
Wow! Behind the small frontage is an enormous place with beautiful decoration consisting of millions of plants. Some plastic, I think, and some real. The interior designer here has done a really brilliant job in my opinion.
I selected Brooklyn IPA from the ten taps. In the drinking area I didn't get to see a food menu but I'm guessing it is tempting but not cheap.
At half two there were plenty of customers keeping the place busy, and the barman was constantly making cocktails.
That's it for central Formby, a walk now over the railway and into suburban streets. No danger of getting lost on the way to the Pinewoods!
Well I never. This pleasant sixties construction has three handpumps on the counter, one of which carries a handwritten Bass sign. Should I risk it? The lad behind the counter had some difficulty pulling it, which didn't exactly boost my confidence, but eventually I got a fine pint. (For those who don't know, I should explain that there is an unwritten law of pub ticking which specifies that if Bass is available I have to choose it. The previous occasion for me was Saturday just gone in the Swan and Railway in Wigan - What a great pub!)
The interior of this large pub has been knocked through, creating a large pleasant open space. The decor is unexciting but nice enough.
The sounds in here were quiet football commentary (Live? Seems an odd time.), quiet chatter and quiet music. Spot on!
Another zig zag walk involving another crossing of the railway took me to the Grapes:
This giant knocked through building is nicely done out. It has still sort of got two sides but they are pretty much indistinguishable. I was pleased to see some handpumps and while a couple were "coming soon" I still had a choice of three, and the Salopian Oracle was spot on.
It was very quiet in here at four o'clock, but a number of tables had reserved signs for this evening. The what's on board said live music and bingo, I'm not sure which, if either, was bringing people in.
This one is under the same brand as the Pinewoods, the People's Pub is a Stonegate operation. I checked the menu, which looks rather good. Fish and chips, with bread and butter and curry sauce, is £14, or just fish, chips and peas for £11.
There's one more overdue tick in this area so I'm going to head there. The weather had improved to sunshine by now, so I hid my coat in my bag as I headed off. Going back twenty odd years the Freshfield was a great cask ale destination with a dozen or more handpumps on the counter. Nowadays it is run by Greene King, so I am wondering what to expect:
And the answer is... They've still got umpteen cask ales on, and my White Rat was lovely. And in an Ossett glass. So, highly recommended!
The place was ticking over nicely, and a number of tables were reserved later on, my one at eight - I'm sure I'll be home by then.
The menu includes fish and chips for 15.75, so a bit more than the Grapes, but the beer choice is better.
Something occurred to me: I have grumbled in the past about "99" prices, do they really think charging 12.99 makes me think it is better than 13 quid? But today, all the prices I've seen have been round numbers, is it just chance or have those who decide these things come round to agreeing with me? We'll see...
What a survey, five ticks - one brand new - and four decent cask ales, brilliant! See you next week...
Beer of the day: White Rat
Miles walked: 3.8
Maybe coming soon: Southport, Bebbington and Bromborough
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