Real Ale, Real Music

In which I return to this proud Lancashire city after a gap of a few years to check out the state of the local beer  scene, and at the same time have a wander around what is a very interesting and friendly place.... It takes just over an hour on the direct train from Halifax to Preston, and an early morning dental appointment meant I was well-placed to get away early. And so I duly arrived via an unexpectedly quiet Blackpool-bound train at about 11.40. I walked up the concourse to Fishergate, where across the road the Old Vic was already open. Once across the always busy road, I popped into this popular, no frills free house and got myself a half of Moorhouses White Witch, which I nursed for half an hour or so whilst I made my plans for the day. As I sat there with the January sun streaming in through the windows, there was a steady flow of early drinkers; the old guy calling for a leisurely pint or two with his pals, the couple calling for a bite to eat, the triumphant shopper wi...

We are in the first days of the New Year, 2025 limping to a close, and after a week or two of inertia over the festive period I dragged myself over to Manchester to see what was going on somewhere else.... It was certainly a change going to Manchester; I hadn't moved far over the first 3 days of 2026. The first two days I had been very local, my first pint and the only beer I consumed being Bradfield Farmer's Blonde at the Dusty Miller in Hove Edge, a beer which can often be rather bland, but is normally very good here. I did get some football in though even though there was a blank fixture list in the National League, and so it was the local derby just around the corner from me where Brighouse Town lost 2-0 to Bradford Park Avenue in the Northern Premier League East. The day was cold, the air crisp, the sunshine bright in a clear blue sky as I waited for the Victoria train to arrive at Halifax station with very few other travellers around. The skeletal trees in their winter pl...

Part 2 of my round up of my favourite beery-related things of the past 12 months in which I feature the best beers I have come across. And whilst I talked about pubs last time, I didn't have room to mention the taprooms I visited this year, so here they are.... I always find that within the period in and around Christmas and New Year when the days merge into each other that it is very easy to get distracted, even though you might not actually have that much to do in between the informal catch-ups and the pre-planned events. And so this has been the case with getting on with this blog, which I could have started at any time in the past week or so. Anyway, here we are, I've finally got on with it at last, so off we go! The Taprooms I visited a number of taprooms this year, some for the first time, along with visiting a few brewery taps which whilst not actually at the brewery were the official taps, such as Polly's in Mold and Atom in Hull, both of which had their own charms ...

As we stumble once again in to the Christmas period here's an end of year review featuring what I consider to be the best pubs I have visited during the past 12 months.... Every year it seems to start earlier. It gets to the end of September, and suddenly the Christmas ephemera starts appearing in the high street and supermarkets, followed not much later by the endless loops of Mariah Carey, Mistletoe and Wine, and Frosty the Snowman ringing in the fresh meat aisle. Meanwhile our pubs and bars are doing their bit. The decs are up, the Christmas music is playing, and the festive jumpers, Santa hats, and false antlers are starting to appear. So far I have seen very few Christmas beers on my travels, with which I have no complaints, but I have no doubt some will appear pretty soon, some probably lingering on the bar to the end of January, long after the end of Christmas, and long after the once a year drinkers have gone back to barracks. And at this time of year, as the year comes to ...