Macclesfield Pub Crawl

It's been two-and-a-half years since I last set foot in Macclesfield in the rain and managed to gatecrash the Beer and Pubs forum curated day of pub exploration.
So, about time to revisit, check out the current Beer Guide entries, and hope to get some pictures with blue sky in the background.

Our lunchtime arrival was greeted with some unusual words from me - for whom food is often, regrettably, an afterthought - "I've got a plan for lunch".
Mrs PropUptheBar was equally impressed that it didn't involve the words 'Wetherspoon' or 'Tesco meal deal'.
Nope, we were heading to the food hall in the Picturedrome on Chestergate for the start of our pub crawl.

Jack in the Box (Picturedrome, 102-104 Chestergate, Macclesfield, SK11 6 DU)
This opened as a single screen cinema with seating for 700 back in 1911.  Overshadowed by larger cinemas in later years, the Picturedrome became a bingo hall run by Wild Bingo in the 70's, before being converted to offices in the 90's.
But in recent years it has taken on a new lease of life entirely, opening as a combined retail, bar and restaurant complex in October 2019.

One side of the hall is home to a number of food outlets where you can grab yourself pizza, kebab, posh burger, and scrumptious looking cakes, amongst other things.  But before you get to those, just to the side of the main entrance is Jack in the Box for all your beer and cider requirements and Restore for those of a wine-drinking persuasion.

This is one of three similar bars operated by Blackjack Brewery, the others being in Manchester and Altrincham.
Admittedly, it's not much of a pub to begin our pub crawl, with just a couple of small tables in front of the bar itself.  But if you're looking for a good choice of fodder and accompanying beer, this is a cracking place.
There were four cask Blackjack ales on offer: Irish red, brown ale, or pale ale in two varieties.  A ‘Pub Ale: Brown’ for me, £4.50 a pint, card payment only.

Accompanied by a super paneer kebab and garlic wedges.

Well, that was a successful, tasty, and sensible start to the day.  

Let's go and find some local brew and Bass.
We strolled through town; did a spot of shopping; took a couple of pictures of the tile bridge, and a snap of the Ian Curtis mural which was in Manchester last time I looked.

Then we headed to the main outlet for the local Red Willow Brewery.

Red Willow to the left, as I realise I've confusingly captured two bars in one picture

Red Willow Pub (32a Park Green, Macclesfield, SK11 7NA)
A converted former shop unit, this was bright and airy with big picture windows; very much a modern cafe/bar type of venue that's going to appeal to folks who don't normally like pubs.
The counter looks great, with a wooden bar back featuring a clock, old bits of brewing pipework, keg taps, and a TV display to peruse the available beers.

Sticking to the cask, I opted for the Red Willow ‘Sabro Simcoe’ a sub 4% super pale ale.  We settled at a table and watched the customers outdoors being driven inside by a sudden downpour.  I really do like the Red Willow beers and can remember when these first began to appear in London pubs, intriguing me as to how many more names finishing in 'less' they would be able to come up with.

Just a few steps around the corner took us onto Sunderland Street, where you'll find a fair few pubs and bars which make a bit of a crawl by themselves.

I was making a return visit to the Jolly Sailor, keeping my fingers crossed that we'd find the Bass available.

The Jolly Sailor (63 Sunderland Street, Macclesfield, SK11 6HN)
There are three distinct areas to this town pub - the locals gathered in the front section by the TV, a wonderful couple of seats by the fireplace to the side, and an area beyond the bar with shelves full of books and curios.
That's where we sat, Mrs PropUptheBar becoming engrossed in a chunky WWII historical paperback from the bookshelf behind us.  She proclaimed that if the armchair by the fire became available she was moving in for the rest of the day.

And the ales - well, it's a solid trad line-up.

I picked the...oh,c'mon, you know what I picked 😃🔺

Three o'clock being and gone, we took time out to check in to our hotel for the weekend, lightened our load, and set out on the longest walk of the day.
Our destination was the current Good Beer Guide entry and microbrewery, approximately 15-minutes on foot from the centre. 

Happy Valley Pizza & Tap (73 Oxford Road, Macclesfield, SK11 8JG)
This sits on a road junction with a nice triangular green in front of it, the pubs A-boards out on display to promote the pizza and beer.  Although I'm not sure you need A-boards when the sign on the corner of the building is quite so big.

Step inside and it is an L-shaped pub with the bar in the rear section.  Several tables of Friday afternoon customers were in the front room, a chap with a beer and Don Winslow book waited for his takeaway pizzas, and a few folks were in the back garden making the most of a little bit of sunshine between the rain showers.

There were three cask ales available - mild, stout, and pale.  But here's the problem: in, as the menu stated, "Macclesfield's only brewpub", all the customers were drinking continental lager.
The stout was so-so, the mild dreadful.
Why oh why do I get half way through a pint before concluding 'I think this is off'.  It had a really odd taste to it which I initially mistook as being intentional before deciding that couldn't be the case.  Oh well, never mind.  I popped to the bar and procured a half of the pale ale on tap to make up for my Mild disappointment.

We set out on the walk back towards the town centre, returning to Sunderland Street where the Treacle Tap is a short way down from the Jolly Sailor.

Treacle Tap (43 Sunderland Street, SK11 6JL)
This micro bar has only been open since December 2023, but is surely going to challenge for a beer guide place in the future.  It is run by Derbyshire brewer Buxton, located in a one-time equestrian shop, and named after Macclesfield's nickname which comes from a barrel of treacle running down or something.
One narrow room with tables along each side and the bar one-step higher at the back.  Top marks for the really friendly staff who were keen to make recommendations to assist us picking from the three cask ales and half-a-dozen keg options.

I went for the sensible choice - Buxton ‘Hatchet’ a very light, 3.4% session IPA.
Then the inevitable foolish return to the bar - Buxton 'Double Gatekeeper' an 8.2% impy stout.

  

I was going to make the Castle the next stop, but this turned out to be packed to the rafters with no comfortable space to stand or perch on this occasion.
Instead, we made a ten minute walk over the railway lines and up Brook Street.

The Wharf (107 Brook Street, Macclesfield, SK11 7AW)
Whilst the Castle had been ridiculously busy, the Wharf was a bit worryingly quiet with just a half-dozen in.
There was a decent range of casks, including less usual picks from Osset and Abbeydale.  It was the Brewsmith 'Rule of Three' that I went for - a really enjoyable pint on top form.

I really liked the Wharf, a lovely pub that I do hope gets the number of customers it deserves at other times.

We gravitated towards the darts boards in the back section of the pub where table skittles occupied us for most of our visit.  Also known as Devil Amongst the Tailors in some parts. 
I'm amazed to find we were playing it within the rules (just about).  Although not with a great deal of high scoring success.

I think the chap who came in just as I was nearing the end of my pint wanted to challenge me at the skittles, but I scuttled off shyly, in fear that we were playing it completely wrongly. 
I wouldn't mind having a pub like this close to home - I'd be down there trying to master that game right now, with another cracking pint within arms reach.

Back by the station is the dominant red brick Queens Hotel, with some great Joseph Holt signage at roof level.

The Queens (5 Albert Place, Macclesfield, SK11 6JW)
This is a large pub, with several parts to it: a spacious main bar, games room with pool table to one side, and a separate room through a door to the side of the bar, occupied by some kind of board gamers on our visit.

We picked the cushioned bench seating under the window with a view of the bar and some European footy on the TV screen.

Just the Holt's bitter on offer for cask drinkers, at a very agreeable price, and very quaffable.
This is a great traditional old pub that I was very happy to have found time to visit - a satisfying place to end an evening.  

And that brings to a close our Macclesfield pub explorations - a town with plenty of variety and choice to keep the beer and pub enthusiast happy.
I missed the Silk Trader and never did get to see the Bet Shop Boys with a pint of Robbies in the Nags Head. 
I've omitted the Castle from this post, but did make it back there on Sunday evening - a wonderful old pub that you must visit if you find yourself in this neck of the woods.