The Latest Hotshot in Town....

I've been back to Manchester for the first time for a while and I had a really enjoyable afternoon visiting a couple of brewery taprooms as well a number of pubs and bars where I don't regularly call....

I do miss Manchester when I have prolonged periods of absence from the place. The grand old buildings, the vibrancy, and the sheer character of the city and its inhabitants. And so, when it was the first Saturday for a while not to be affected by train strikes, the Christmas markets, or the Christmas/New Year celebrations, it was a no-brainer to get myself over there. Particularly when there was a brand new brewery taproom to visit as well!

I got the train to Victoria from Halifax, and just after 12 I was buying a ticket to get the tram over to Piccadilly. Not because I was too lazy to walk, but because I like riding the tram; it is a very civilised way to get about the city and elevates it to another level and gives the place a rather continental feel. I duly arrived at Piccadilly and then left via the Fairfield Street exit. I turned left under the bridge opposite the Star and Garter, and was about to turn left on to Sheffield Street when I decided instead to carry on and visit the taproom at Track, which I had really enjoyed when I visited last year. 

I turned right a little further up the road on to the industrial estate which is dominated by Cloudwater, and down on the right was my destination. Now I love this taproom; it is light and airy, with the gleaming steel tanks of the brewery overlooking proceedings. The staff are friendly and there is a chilled vibe, with interesting artwork on the walls, and a cool soundtrack playing over the speakers. Today there was Greek food available in the form of souvlaki, gyros, and filled pittas for when hunger struck.  I ordered a pint of the 3.8% Sonoma on cask (well it is one of my favourite beers!) and it hit the spot nicely (NBSS 3.5), but when my glass was empty I decided to venture on to the keg and had a half of No Sleep, No Dream, a 5.2% hazy IPA which was most enjoyable. I couldn't stay any longer, though; I had work to do.

Track Brewery taproom

I re-traced my steps, passing Cloudwater again (where surprisingly there was little sign of life), and turned up Sheffield Street towards the next place on my list. Now, every once in a while a brewery emerges in Manchester that everybody gets excited about. It happened in 2015 when Cloudwater started out, and a year or two later when Pomona Island burst on to the scene. Now another one has appeared, occupying the railway arch previously occupied by Track. Step forward then, Sureshot Brewing, which is led by James Campbell, whose CV includes being Head Brewer at both Marble and Cloudwater, meaning that this is no ordinary brewery start-up. This has been a long-term project, and Sureshot was actually formed in 2020, but has just come to market, and the blurb on their website says that they will focus on "what we know people love: hoppy IPAs, clean lagers, and flavourful easy-drinking pale ales." At this stage it is not clear whether cask will form part of the offer.

Welcome to Sureshot....

An A-board outside showing the opening times (listed as open every day except Monday) was at the entrance, and I walked into another pleasant taproom, although the brewery itself was out of sight in an adjacent railway arch. It was about half full, and from a range of 10 beers on tap, I opted for a half of the interestingly-named Not Ever Even Heard Of A Potato, a 4.5% hazy pale, which was full of citrussy flavour. Next up was a half of the delightfully-named Ground Control to Monty Don, which I had tried the other week at the Crafty Fox in Brighouse, and once again I enjoyed the juicy fruitiness of this 6.5% New England IPA. And, to finish off I enjoyed a Succulent Chinese Meal, another 6.5% NEIPA, with not a prawn cracker or bamboo shoot in sight! I enjoyed all the beers I tried, their interesting names not hiding a less interesting beer (unlike certain breweries I could mention!). The taproom had a good vibe to it, was full of a variety of people of all ages, and is child and dog friendly. And considering they have only been out there for a matter of weeks, the early signs are that Sureshot's arrival on the scene is going to be one of the most significant brewery launches of recent years.

The Taproom at Sureshot

Sadly, though, to put things into some sort of perspective, the news had broken earlier in the week that another brewery based nearby in a railway arch, Manchester Brewing Company, had ceased trading, showing that for all the positive signs from the arrival of Sureshot there is unfortunately another side to the coin. 

I headed back towards Piccadilly from where I made my way to my first pub of the day. I had decided to visit a few places that I haven't been to for a while, and the first of those was The Molly House. This is situated on Richmond Street, on the edge of The Village, and is back in the Good Beer Guide for the first time in a number of years. I walked into a pleasant bar, which has something of a chilled, continental atmosphere to it. From a range of 4 beers on hand pump, which included two from Mallinsons, I ordered one of the 2 from Black Edge Brewery from up the road in Horwich. I went for their 4.5% Blonde, described as Ultra Pale on the pump clip, and then sat at a table which had a reservation for a little later, at 4 o'clock. The beer was refreshing and enjoyable (NBSS 3). The bar got busier, and a guy asked if he could join me. It was the day of the Manchester derby, and he was on his way back from seeing United beat City 2-1 at Old Trafford in an early kick off, and had called in for a pint before getting his train back to Birmingham. So we chatted about football and beer, before I finished my pint, and headed off from this pleasant, relaxing bar.

The Molly House, Manchester; chilled atmosphere

I had considered visiting a new bar, North's recent opening in the city, which is over towards Oxford Road, but with one eye on the time of my return train I decided instead to leave it for another visit. I headed instead for another less-regularly visited Good Beer Guide a few minutes walk away, the Grey Horse on Portland Street. Now the contrast with the relaxed atmosphere of the Molly House could not have been greater! I walked into this tiny, narrow-fronted Hydes pub and it was very busy. Not only that, I saw a friend of mine from Halifax at the bar. He'd been over to Old Trafford as he is a United fan, and he was here celebrating the victory with his mates. As you can imagine, they were in high spirits after their win, and the beer and lager was flowing. The place was buzzing. Jon bought me a drink, a 3.8% Hopsters Pale Ale which is the latest addition to Hydes' core range, but unfortunately it was rather undistinguished and lacking in any flavour (NBSS 2.5). Rather better though was the Dark Ruby, a 3.5% deep red beer which had bags more flavour than the Hopsters, plenty of roasted malt and caramel which gave it a sweet, toffee flavour (NBSS 3). The Grey Horse was certainly the liveliest place I'd been to all afternoon, and I enjoyed my visit there, my first since calling in before I went to see Fontaines DC at the Ritz, a few months before lockdown when it was similarly packed, but with Irish voices who had come to see their heroes from the homeland.

I walked through the streets of Chinatown, passing the famous arch in the fading light as I headed towards Spring Gardens. After a quick detour to Fopp nearby to browse through some music, I wandered in to Cafe Beermoth which I suppose I do actually visit quite regularly when I am in Manchester. It was busy, with most of the tables and seating taken, so after ordering a half of Beyond The Firs from Suffolk-based farm brewery Burnt Mill I hung around the long bar and watched the action. The beer, which was a 4.2% hazy pale with Citra and Centennial in the brew, dry hopped with more of them plus Idaho 7 and Simcoe, had a wonderfully fresh citrus aroma with an underlying piney bitterness. It was the best cask I'd had all day (NBSS 3.5).

And then I made my way to the final pub of the trip. It was into the Northern Quarter for the first time of this visit. I passed the Arndale Centre and crossed over and went down Turner Street, where the Abel Heywood lay in wait. This is another Hydes' establishment, and is very much the flagship of their 40-odd pub estate. As well well as being a smart pub, it is also a boutique hotel with 15 rooms, and is named after a former mayor of Manchester, who also lends his name to 'Great Abel', the grand old bell in the Manchester Town Hall clock. The pub opened in 2014 following the conversion of an old building from its previous use and with its stylish retro decor featuring dark wood flooring and panelling, exposed brick walls, comfy seating, and old pictures, it is an attractive place to go for a drink or something to eat. It was pretty busy when I got there with a mix of ages, but it was less manic than had been the Grey Horse earlier. From a range of 6 Hydes' beers on hand pump, I ordered a pint of their premium golden ale, Lowry, named after the famous artist and first brewed when the company re-located from the old brewery in Moss Side to a new state-of-the-art facility in Salford. It has an ABV of 4.7% and is a well-balanced, full-flavoured beer made with pale malts and Chinook and Citra hops. It was the second best cask beer I had had over the day (NBSS 3.5), and it was a great beer with which to finish my day in Manchester.

It had been good to be back....

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