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. 

Uttoxeter Pub Explorations

There will be Bass (again).
A sunny afternoon trip to the town of Uttoxeter on the eastern edges of Staffordshire, not too far from the spiritual home of Bass, guaranteeing a few pints.
I set off just after 10am from Stafford on the excitingly named 'Chaserider' bus 841, a £2 fare cap ride for the 60-minute journey.

 

All good days start in 'Spoons.  Okay, all days when you arrive too early for the other pubs start in Spoons.

The Old Swan (Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HN)
Not a lot of love in the recent Tripadvisor reviews for the Old Swan.  "Worst pub ever and I've been to a few Wetherspoons" said Louise K a short while before I visited.
But have you been to the Cowley 'Spoons Louise?

On the downside: convoluted route up a narrow staircase to the WCs; no-one interested in clearing away the breakfast detritus at the end of my table.
On the plus-side: I caught up with a bit of stuff on the wifi having refused to pay an extra £3 at the Travelodge.  And not a bad beer, served by a cheerful chap.

I opted for the Ilkley 'Ruby Jane', with Titanic 'Plum Porter' being the only other interesting option alongside the regular cask collection.

You can wander a bit further afield in Uttoxeter to really do the pub explorations properly.  Or you can just lazily amble around the market square, as I did, where there are a half dozen pubs to pick from.
The second call of the day for me was at the Talbot...

Ye Old Talbot (43 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HF)
This is an old inn dating back to the 16th century.
Stepping through the front door took me to the wonderful bar room, with a roaring fire going and all the tables occupied by cheery locals.
Here's the tricky beer choice...

Decisions Decisions Decisions...

I took my pint around the corner into a second area at the front of the building, past the big DJ booth and betting slips in a holder on the wall.  This didn't have the same character as the tables by the bar, but never mind.

Music-wise we got a lesser-known Free track playing on the jukebox which one chap was eager to identify, whizzing around to where I was to check the juke box. 
"I told you it was Paul Rodgers", he shouted back to the main bar..."c'mon, you know...Free...♩ awwl right now...𝅘𝅥𝅯𝆕"

Tracks followed by X (hmmm) and Bootsy Collins (oh yes!) before dodgy pop took centre stage.

I liked the Talbot.  It reminded me of the village pubs in my early drinking days.
Don't bump your head on the way out...

Ouch

My next stop was the only current Beer Guide entry in Uttoxeter, which seems pretty remarkable when I think of some of the places I've trekked around to for Guide ticks.

Night Inn (Lion Building, 8 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HP)
I did take a stroll to the Uttoxeter Brewery itself but, despite various sources suggesting they may be open on a Friday afternoon, the doors were firmly shut.
No drinking the beer at the local source then, but the Night Inn, established in July 2020, does act as their tap room.
Here's the Uttoxeter Brewing Company cask line-up to pick from... 

I went for the 'Bartley Bitter', the one with a boxer on the front named after bareknuckle champion Bartley Gorman.  Other than the casks there was a good keg choice from Salt, Vocation and Brew York.

The music is pure 80s' gold - Billy Ocean, The Police, A-ha, The Bangles, Men at Work - all the most predictable tracks and all slightly too loud had you wanted a conversation.
But, as you can see, no-one to converse with except the chap who came in and sat as far away from me as possible.  Hang on a minute...didn't that happen in the last post too?

Right, let's do another circuit of the market square stopping only at the jacket potato kiosk in the monument in the middle for some great value nourishment.
Tatty, cheese, and beans fueled me for the remaining two pub visits.
The first of which was in the Black Swan which got a bit of criticism for the modern grey paint job when I posted a picture on Twitter.

Black Swan (4 Market Street, Uttoxeter, ST14 8JA)
Like the Talbot, this is another Grade II listed building that dates back to the 16th century.  Doors to the bars are tucked down the coaching passageway.  I stepped through the first door which took me to the empty small front bar where I think I would have stood half the day without being noticed.

Now that's a proper pub carpet

The action - well, the landlady and four Carling-drinking blokes deep in concentration over a card game - was in the back bar.
Two hand pulls: two Bass pump clips.  On decent form again, matching the quality in the Old Talbot earlier.

I would have liked to have called into the micro whilst here but they didn't open the doors until midway through the afternoon by which point I needed to be back on the Chaserider bus.  So there were a few more stops on a Uttoxter tour of intoxication that I'd like to have done given more time.  But there was no way I was missing the Vaults...

The Vaults of Uttoxeter (22 Market Place, Uttoxeter, ST14 8HP)
This is a cracking 18th century red brick building with unmissable etched glass windows.
A couple of steps straight beyond the door take you up into the main bar with four tables and piano in the corner.  Through an archway is a games room to the back with darts and table skittles.
I was there about 20-minutes after opening time and got the last table, a good dozen folks looking very settled and cheery already.

There is no pondering the beer choice here - Bass rules - sipped by the landlord from a dimpled mug every time he got a break in serving people.
Jazz piped through the speakers at just the right volume, mini domestic turmoil and some dubious humour from the one chap at slightly too high a volume.

There is something magical about the Vaults, soaking in the proper pub atmosphere with a pretty superb pint of Bass in front of you.

All I need now is a rainbow over the Seeplechase pub to complete the post.
Ah...there we go...

Hanley Pub Explorations

There will be Bass.

Time to head up to Hanley after a lunchtime spent down the hill in Stoke.
Retracing my steps to the railway station, I wandered past Staffordshire University, through Hanley Park, then across some hefty roads with long-winded traffic lights to Hanley. 

I'll start with a picture of the Steel Man statue on Broad Street...

And some great street art...

Before making my way to the first pub, just on the periphery of Hanley centre...

The Woodman (3 Goodson Street, Hanley, ST1 2AT)

A quick online search led me to stories that this has changed its name in the short time since my visit and become the 'Irish Woodman'.  Not the first time in its history that it has taken on an Irish identity, having been a Scruffy Murphy's at the end of the nineties. 

Since then it spent ten years closed before reopening in 2018 as part of the local Caldmore Taverns group.

Externally, it's an impressive three-storey building with a grand entrance and lovely plaster-work wood cutter picture under the gable.
In through the front door...

Don't smoke Player's cigarettes, kids

And it's a bit of gem Inside.  The pub is L-shaped, with the bar to the left-hand side, yellow stained walls and ceiling, polished wooden floor, and nice cushioned bench seating around the sides of the room.
There is a cosy room to the side of the bar, whilst to the back a couple of steps lead to further seating areas on the way to the WC's.
Speaking of which, you'll find a few pieces to add to the 'Mild Smut in the Gents' series there...

Mild smut in the gents #47 in an ongoing series

A hefty run of hand pumps served up a choice of seven real ales, dominated by Facers brewery from the Welsh town of Flint.  Bass was amongst these, but I decided not to do a full-sweep of Hanley drinking the same beer.

The friendly chap behind the bar had scooped up a pint glass as soon as I walked through the door and the pressure was on to make my pick.  As he was standing with one hand on the pump serving Facers 'Over the Bar', that's what I went for.  
"Brewed for the rugby", he told me.  Bah!

Mid-afternoon, mid-week, the clientele consisted mainly of solo blokes, half of them riveted by the tiling on a DIY show on the TV.

The snug at the Woodman
How many people have tried  to sneak out with one of those Guinness cushions under their coat?

There was an odd mix of music, veering from the emerald isle (The Chieftan's 'Marie's Wedding') to the Queen of Soul, then the Goo Goo Dolls. I left during Altan's 'Month of January', which was a million miles from the upbeat pop I'd encounter later, and which was in danger of inducing an afternoon nap.

Not far to go to reach a cracking pub on one of the main shopping streets...

 The Unicorn Inn (40 Piccadilly, Hanley, ST1 1EG)
This is a superb place, making an appearance on the Heritage Pub list.  Consisting of one single room and a one-table alcove snug at the back, this was refurbished in the mid-sixties and has remained little-changed since.
There are Mock Tudor beams on a ceiling which also features a variety of hanging brass kettles.  Old pictures of the town adorn the walls, comfy red-upholstered fixed seating around the sides and classic pub stools make up the seating.

Available ales were Bass, more rugby-themed beer - this time Castle Rock's  'Crafty Flanker',  Ossett 'White Rat', and a Tim Taylor 'Landlord'.  I did go for the Bass here, which was superbly drinkable and in good condition.

I grabbed the last small table, the pub busy with a good crowd of locals, whilst a classic soundtrack gave us Tom Petty, Springsteen, and Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl', which I don't think I've heard for ages.

The Unicorn is a lovely pub that I could quite happily had made myself comfortable in for the whole afternoon, if only I hadn't developed this weird obsession about being on the move and 'ticking' pubs.

The next tick was something completely different.
All of 10-seconds across Piccadilly from the Unicorn was craft bar Bottlecraft.
Where did that rain come from?

Bottlecraft (33 Piccadilly, Hanley, ST1 1EN)

The origins of this bar started in another nearby street in 2015 before they relocated to "trendy" (according to the Stoke Sentinel) Picadilly.
Right next door to the Regent Theatre, this used be Gemini Menswear prior to installing the craft ale lines and fridges.

There actually weren't many of the 12 taps in action when I visited and no cask, which would have the potential to upset one or two visitors drawn here by its place in the Good Beer Guide.
Three of those options were a Flensburger Pilsner, Hogan's cider, or Schöfferhofer Radler.

But that still left Neon Raptor, Buxton, Yonder and Utopian concoctions to pick from.  And my Yonder 'Dark Choc Ginger Biscuit' was - according to my Untappd check-in - "Pretty bloomin' marvelous'.

Next up, I had a bit of a trek in the rain. It was a half-mile to get to Golden Cup, situated to the north east of the centre amongst terraced streets and some factories that have seen better days.

On arrival, it looks well worth a wet half-mile walk...

The Golden Cup (Old Town Road, Hanley, ST1 2JS)

This has been restored by a chap named Steven Buckley whose grandparents ran the pub from 1952 to 1991.  He owns a popular nightclub in Hanley which has given him the means to resurrect this pub when it looked lost forever.

The lights are bright, but this does give a chance to admire just what a good job they've done of returning this place to former glories.

With limited opening hours, the Golden Cup is only open Thursday to Sunday.  Visiting on a Thursday afternoon, I beat most of the custom for the week...just one couple arriving at the same time and choosing to sit well away from me (and who could blame 'em).
A very quiet visit, but superb for the photo opportunities...

Even the toilets are immaculate...

But what about the beer?
Not quite 'Bass Only' as the frontage suggests, there is also Titanic 'Plum Porter' on offer.  But this was somewhere that I wanted the red triangle stuff and where it was on astonishingly good form...probably the best I had on this Staffs trip.

I left the Golden Cup a happy man.
Wandering back through the damp, dark streets, the shopping area had quietened down for  the day.  Time to take a quick snap of the statue of Hanley-born Stanley Matthews, out of easy reach earlier in the day behind some happy, singing church folk.

I called into the Victoria Lounge Bar for a half from Derbyshire brewery Dancing Duck.  Then into the fabulous Coachmakers Arms by the bus station for a final pint of Bass.

And then somehow, I managed to shop in the giant Tesco, find the train station, and make my way back to Stafford.
But after a long day out in the Stoke and Hanley, I'm not quite sure how.