23/03/19 - Drinking in Macclesfield

Bars / Pubs - 5
Good Beer Guide Ticks - #375, 376


Regular blog fans will know that if I am alone and in a strange place, I will be ticking off all the Good Beer Guide Pubs in that strange place.   Tonight, I am with two friends, who as much as they like their beer, are not as obsessed by lists.   It will be interesting to see if they agree with the bible.

First off, our accommodation.   Meticulous research (and budgets) has us in the Travelodge.   Google Maps shows that parking is directly opposite the hotel.   Normally.

The Carny have come to town

Its carny carnage.   Gangs of teenage kids, vaping the middle of the road.   Incoherent PA announcer presumably saying things like "Scream if you want to go faster".   Over a Craig David back beat.   I have to take the photo from inside the foyer, in case a youth screams paedo at me.   Paul and Gav do the honours.

We need a drink.

The Treacle Tap, Sutherland Street, Pentrick Brewing Soma

I'm fairly sure that Paul and Gav have not been to a Micro Pub before.   It's kind of nice to see how they handle it.   A stare at the bar pumps, provides no inspiration.   A longer stare at the chalkboard to read the kegs.   Paul buckles first and says "I'll have what your having".   Gav goes off piste and orders a German Wheat Beer and then has his confidence shattered by being asked if he wants a half, a 2/3rd or a pint.   He settles for a half, as the 2/3rd is the same as the pint - due to till error.

We enjoyed the complementary nuts.

Inside a former Saddlery Shop

George and Dragon, Sutherland Street, Robinsons Unicorn

These two visits were on the way from where we eventually parked to the hotel.   Tiled flooring led us to a standard pub experience.   Robinsons is never the most exciting of beer ranges, but the Unicorn was in perfect condition and the chat was centered about the collective noun for three of them.

A blessing of Unicorns.

Waters Green Tavern, Waters Green, Barnsley Bitter

All 5 Macclesfield Good Beer Guide entries are loaded into Google Maps.  We've ticked off one at the Treacle Tap and this is the 2nd. 

A traditional boozer, with traditional punters offering a wide range of ales.   No chalkboards offering descriptions but little jam jars showing the colour.

In the Midlands we have a range of pubs under the stewardship of Black Country Ales.   This no nonsense approach to pubbing reminded me very much of them.

Last of tonight's photos.

Voodoo Cocktail Bar, Mill Street, Brooklyn Lager

This is where things get a little odd.   We stopped at a functional but instantly forgettable locals pub (White Lion?) and then, having googled best Indian in Macclesfield, had our tea at the Gurkha Dining Rooms.

Embolden by hot spices and replacing the sweat lost from a 12 mile walk with real ale, my companions demand that I do not drag them another mile to the Park Tavern for what they suggest might be another "old mans pub"

Ever keen to maintain morale, I put myself in their hands.

This is the first time I have been to a bar that bases its decor on a hybrid between the Mexican Day of the Dead and Voodoo.   To make sure all religious bases are covered, a number of the walls have upside down crucifixes.

Black magic is indeed at work.   My lager was brown.

Mash Guru, Black Wallgate, Marble Arch Brewery Bitter

It's good to open yourself up to new experiences.   This is an absolute cracking little cellar bar, where the promise of live music seduced us.

And who would have thought it would also have Pint of the Night.    Most respectable beer fans have Manchester's Marble Arch as a destination visit.   It was a surprise to find one of their brews in a club setting, kept in such great condition.

The band came on at 10:30.   They did not disappoint.  An eclectic and appreciative crowd covering a broad age range made for a cracking atmosphere.

We stayed long enough to ensure they had turned the waltzers off back at home.