I liked it so much I even bought the t shirt!read more

From the owner: Craft beer with 20 taps and over 150 bottlesread more

So named after its first incarnation, The Brewhouse (formerly the Cheetham Arms) seems to be…read morefirstly billed as one of three things depending on where you look online. It's either firstly billed as a hotel, a restaurant, or a pub, and not usually a combination of the three. From what I experienced, I would suggest that (especially given the venue's past), this is more of a modern pub which also serves a good selection of food. Adjacent to one of the lounge areas in the bar, you can look through a glass window to see the brewing area, still full of booze barrels, the tap labels of which are on display in the window outside the pub. A nice nod to its brewing past. It also proudly sells ales from its sister company, Dunscar Bridge brewery, located down the road. The venue itself feels like a strange combination of old-school pub and modern bar, mixing neutral tones and bright woods with dark woods and studded leather couches. Our first problem was that as we drove up to the venue, we saw nowhere to park as it's on a road. We turned left after the pub into a small yard, which obviously wasn't meant for parking, so we parked further down the road. Only on LEAVING the pub did we see a not-very-prominent sign telling us that there was in fact a car park behind the venue, accessed by turning down a road before the the pub itself. On this occasion, a group of four of us were here for lunch, having perused the menu online. Only two of us opted for starters instead of main courses. For these, we ordered goats cheese fritters, and crispy fried whitebait. Both arrived in good time and were tasty and well prepared and presented. The other two of us ordered from the mains menu, choosing pub classics of steak and ale pie, and fish and chips. The first thing we both noticed was that the chips were very tasty traditional chips. Always a plus! My only gripe is that my fish was lay on top of my chips, which seemed a little odd, meaning I needed to lift it up and move it to be able to get to my chips. The fish had absolutely perfect batter, although the fish itself was a little bland. Good mushy peas though, and the home-made tartare sauce was excellent. Sadly, although the pastry on the pie was quite nice, the actual contents of the pie were quite dry, and could've done with a jug of gravy on the side to add some moisture. At this point we had agreed that the visible staff of two young girls seemed friendly with good intentions, but not overly professional at times in how they were speaking and acting, just a bit too casual, and how we were having trouble getting their attention when they were looking at their mobile phones at the bar. When we eventually caught the attention of one to be able to order dessert, we chose to get two sticky toffee puddings with four spoons, so we could share. The puddings arrived, and looked great (admittedly on one of those big porcelain sombrero style bowls), but as the waitress walked off, we realised we weren't given any spoons, and we had to wave her over to let her know. She responded with, "didn't she give you any? She was supposed to give you some!" and a big annoyed sigh, before marching off, presumably to get the spoons. However it took about 4 minutes until she returned with spoons, leaving us sitting looking at the blob of ice cream atop the warm pudding starting to melt into a creamy splodge, with nothing we could really do. Happily, the sticky toffee pudding was really tasty, and the butterscotch sauce that accompanied it really hit the spot! My verdict on The Brewhouse is a bit mixed... I enjoyed the food, but as the place was quite a loud and busy pub, (with seemingly loud boisterous regulars at the bar) and the service was a bit lacking for a weekday afternoon, I don't think I'd go out of my way to come here again, but if I was in the area, I'd probably pop in for lunch.

Depending on your point of view, this is either a restaurant with a pub, or, as I think, a pub with…read morea restaurant. Either way, both are very good. The beers are mostly their, (excellent), own but amongst the range of handpumps, there are a couple of guests. The beers are now mainly brewed at a larger building just up the road but the original brewhouse to the rear of the bar area is still there. The #1 bus from Bolton stops just outside.

It was great to go and check out Northern Monk's centre of operations, as I've rarely seen their…read morebeers west of the Pennines. The Old Flax Store where they're based is a Grade II listed mill and located in the industrial Holbeck area towards the outskirts of the city centre. Spread over three levels: their brewery on the ground floor; The Refectory and bottle shop on the first floor and event space (Chapter Hall) on the top floor, it's been lovingly restored both inside and out. Despite how separated they are from the main hub of bars and restaurants, there were quite a few people enjoying their afternoons here with a beer, hot drink or bite to eat (they serve food throughout the day). With a small selection of board games (alas, pretty much all of them had vital parts missing), I'd advise bringing your own if you fancied entertaining yourselves in this chilled out space for a while before you ventured onwards. Tip: they have a small free car park out front for the designated drivers.

Northern Monk Refectory is a fantastic spot for food and beer. It's situated in Holbeck so it is a…read morelittle bit of a walk south of the city, about 10 minutes, but this distance at least when I've been there recently means it's not overwhelmed by the crowds you would expect on a Friday or Saturday. Those that venture out are discerning and looking for a quality beer and great food and that's what you receive from the guys at Northern Monk and their food collaboration with Grog and Grub. The bar features 20 draught beers (not sure whether this number includes their 2 on handpump) it is about 50% their own beers and 50% guest, with this number of beers they do a good job covering a range of styles so you should not be at a loss to find something you like. In fact all the beers I had were very nice Track Sonoma, Curveball Pirate Porter, and Northern Monk Salt Lime Wit.

The microbrewery was started in 2006. They have won lots of prizes for their beer. Partly because…read moreof this they are so popular that they can only manage to supply pubs on a local basis. Their aim is to brew quality real ale appealing to as many palates as possible. Most of their range draws from one of our local heroes - Stan Laurel. Using the Laurel and Hardy connection the beers are named in their honour - the award winning Stout Ollie, Another Fine Mess and Laughing Gravy to name but three. No doubt the comedy duo would be delighted to have a pint or two whilst warming up for another vintage recording. As a real ale drinker, I am excited that we live in their area.

Ulverston Brewing Company has now opened the doors of The Old Auction Mart to visitors. There is an…read moreattractive seated viewing area in our Laughing Gravy Bar that affords a panoramic view of the state of the art 12 barrel plant. Visitors can observe the process of converting those aromatic raw ingredients into the flavoursome pints available in our Laughing Gravy Bar then sample the real thing as they enjoy a mix of short films featuring brewing, local attractions and, of course Laurel & Hardy. The Brewery shop adds the finishing touch to your visit browse amongst the full range of Ulverston Beers, Guest Ales, preserves and unmissable gifts something for everyone. The brewery is proud to support the Furness Oncology Appeal, with 20% of all craft sales going to this worthy local charity.

American brewery hoppers in Liverpool. We like this place! They're so nice, their beers are good…read moreand it has a nice, chill atmosphere. Be warned, it's really hard to find! Maps will misdirect you. It's at the end of Kings Dock across from the timber place that says "Beers" ironically. Cheers

Hidden down Kitchen Street in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, the walk to Black Lodge Brewing is…read moremore than worth it. If anything, it's part of the charm; you feel like you're discovering something new, something hardly touched or visited, when you first glimpse the small black and white sign outside. Located in a large warehouse (and as expected of a working brewery) there are very few airs and graces, the main decor being that of essential equipment and the large white tiled back bar. Three large vats of current brews is a great addition, listing the ingredients and dates they are expected to be on tap on a large chalkboard suspended from the ceiling. As the only people there when we arrived, I took the chance to have a chat with the guy simultaneously doing stock take and serving us. Although they're new, open since the beginning of December, they're stocked in couple of bars in the city (including BrewDog) and have recently launched a Mikkeller running club, an excellent way to engage with the local drinking community. I tried some of their Blackberry IPA and eventually ordered a schooner, Josh going for a South Coast Pale, which we then took over to a table. The taps were all around £3.50 per 2/3 and, although not an overpowering fruity taste, the Blackberry IPA was very refreshing with a subtle finish. They have a deck of beautifully branded playing cards on each table so we played a few hands of Karma and Rummy, paired with a few more drinks. They have a selection of cans and bottles behind the bar which they're more than happy to talk through, helping me to expand my beer knowledge with a can of Magic Rock Hire Wire Grapefruit. Tabs are taken and written on the white tiles; a simple and multi-purpose solution to this bar's requirements. We could have happily spent the whole evening here and explored the meat and cheese boards, but the pull of local exploration won. A great addition to Liverpool and hopefully we'll be seeing plenty more of them in future.

Awesome beers at great prices. Watch out for the special beers they often produce in really small…read morequantities. I've never had a bad blue monkey beer! The shop also sells great merchandise such as t-shirts, bar mats, bottle openers etc. you can ask for some free blue monkey beer mats with your purchase!

Called in here for a quick beer over the weekend. I didn't know the pub before but has been…read morecompletely refurbished in the last year. Its very nicely done out now, modern but still welcoming. They have a huge range of ales most of which are brewed at their own brewery. They also had imported Mahu Spanish beer which happens to be my beer of choice when on holiday. I tried a pint and it was great, immediately transported to my favourite bar in Marbella!! The landlady was very pleasant and gave us some good tips for other pubs and restaurants in the area. I can recommend this pub and I shall definitely be back. One thing to add is no food served but they are fine if you did want to order in etc.

Harrogate brewing is a great local pub. They didn't have a chef at the time I visited so they only…read morehad prepackaged snacks. Beer is great and that's what matters. A proper pub atmosphere. Try there Nib mild my favorite

From the owner: Independent, award winning Micro, brewing in the beautiful North Yorkshire Spa Town of Harrogate,…read morein North Yorkshire. ​ We also run a fun, cosy taproom inside the industrial unit of the brewery.

The Brew Room is a fantastic, comfy pub north of Blackpool city centre. They make their own beers…read moreon the premises [5 hand-pumped ales available], and there's also a decent selection of guest ales. All beers are modestly priced, and kept fresh. It's a family-friendly place, kids are allowed until 8 p.m. The décor is fairly stylish and very comfortable, with a number of designated sections to sit and relax. Home-made smoked sausages [Excellent, and only 4.5 UKP] and oven-baked, freshly made pizzas are available at all times. On Monday nights they have a pub quiz, which can be very lively [I "ran" into one]. The staff are friendly and competent [in sharp contrast to the nearby The Hop!], food was served quickly. I actually visited the pub *twice* that same day - as Blackpool doesn't offer very many options for real ale lovers. Highly recommended for this town, it's only a short walk from The Blackpool Tower and The North Pier.