Real Ale, Real Music

In which I return to Manchester to visit a  few places in a former stomping ground around the university and the south of the city on the same day as a repeat of last season's all-Manchester FA Cup final. Here's how the afternoon panned out.... I arrived on the train from Halifax at Manchester Victoria early afternoon, and within a few minutes I was on a tram heading towards the south Manchester suburb of Didsbury. I was re-visiting an area that I knew well from my student days back in the 1970's but in the case of Didsbury I'd hardly, if ever, been back to it since. We passed through Exchange Square, St Peter's Square, and once we had gone through Deansgate-Castlefield we were high above the canals and old warehouses passing one gleaming futuristic apartment block after another as we headed out to Cornbrook. The surroundings got leafier as we approached  Chorlton  where I'd had a good wander one afternoon a couple of years ago, and it continued that way as we p...

I had been looking forward to a day in Manchester visiting a few pubs and then finishing with a gig, but lethargy and logic aided by warm sunshine and an overgrown hedge led to a change of plan.... I have been very slow to get going in the garden this year. Aside from a spot of weeding and a trip to buy some plants and compost at the garden centre down the road, as of last weekend I had done virtually nothing. The hedge has been increasingly in need of a cut but on the occasions when I'd had the chance to do it the weather had always intervened and thwarted my intentions. So last Saturday, waking up to a bright sunny morning, I decided to seize the opportunity.  I'd booked a train from Halifax to Manchester Victoria at around lunchtime, so I reckoned I had plenty of time to get the hedge cut before I went for the train. I admit I started a bit later than I should have done and found that with it being the first cut of the year, the hedge needed a bit of extra trimming and tidyi...

News broke last week that one of the iconic and historic Burton Unions traditionally used to brew beers such as Marstons Pedigree had found a new home at Thornbridge Brewery, having recently been discarded by Marstons. Here's the story, plus an appreciation of both the brewery and the first beer that they are planning to brew using the system.... Let's just recap for a minute.  Back in January, Marstons announced that they were ending production of their iconic Pedigree ale using the last example of the unique Burton Union brewing system still operating in this country. The decision caused uproar amongst many beer drinkers, CAMRA, and supporters of the brewing industry in general. In its defence, the brewery cited the cost of operating, cleaning, and maintenance of the equipment, and falling demand. Pedigree, an amber beer, and the only one still brewed using the system, had seen its sales volumes fall from being the pre-eminent cask beer it once was, which consequently had mad...

I went over to Leeds last weekend for a wander around which took in a visit to the newly re-opened Tetley, but first I called in at one of the city's finest architectural gems.... The Garden Gate is one of Leeds' most historic pubs, with a spectacular Grade II-listed interior which is up there with the finest not just in the city but in the country as a whole. Situated in the area of Hunslet about two miles out of the city centre in the middle of an unassuming low-rise housing estate, it stands alone on a quiet pedestrianised street in what was once one of the city's main industrial areas. This large and sprawling suburb grew from the early 19th century when several mills were built for spinning flax, and other industries in the area developed including the manufacture of chemicals, glassware, and pottery, with heavy engineering becoming particularly important. And to water the workers pubs such as the Garden Gate were built, although few could match its magnificence. Desp...

It's new ground for me as I spend an afternoon beside the seaside checking out a few of the pubs and the local scene on the Fylde coast.... I had never been to Lytham St Annes in my life as far as I could remember, but I'd noticed that it was the home of several pubs in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, and with a train journey of less than 2 hours from home it was a viable option for a Saturday trip out. The town is made up of four different main areas - Lytham, Ansdell, Fairhaven, and St Anne's, the 'Ribble Riviera'. My original plan was to go first to the furthermost area, St Anne's, and then stop off at Lytham on the way back if time permitted, with both Ansdell and Fairhaven excusing themselves on the grounds of having no Good Beer Guide Pub. In the end I only did the St Anne's bit, so Lytham awaits for another visit. The journey details; I caught the train from Halifax to Preston, and then encountered the usual loud noise and chatter from the regular hen part...