Bit late i doing tis hut had a few good days in Chester and York over two months ago now - Some recommendtions etc herewith!!!!
CHESTER –
Brewery Tap Pub, Bridge Street, Owned by Tossing Feathers Brewery.
Very good food menu and six hand pumps on all the time 2-3 of their own beers and guests, visited and ate twice there. Friendly knowledgeable staff.
Beers –
Tossing Feathers Farmhouse Ale 3.6%, - very refreshing flavoursome session ale.
Thirstquencher,- hoppy pale ale / bitter 3.9% - again very good.
Old Wavertonian, 4.4% stout – robust and very flavoursome. A very good stout – had a few of these on my two visits here.
Heritage IPA – brewed by Tossing Feathers under licence I believe – a good IPA.
Hawkeswood Red ale – a guest beer –a very good red ale.
Overall a very nice bar in an old historic building. All buildings within the city walls have preservation orders on them. Definitely. worth a visit. Very nice food menu as well – lot of the veg, eggs etc come from the brewery’s own farm.
TheAlbion Inn-
This bar came highly recommended as a local institution. A no nonsense bar serving good beer and food, no shots, no chips, no stag parties hens etc. Four casks on at all
Despite great write ups my visit was disappointing. It was only on my third attempt I found the bar open having first tried at about 5.30 and 8 on a Sunday evening. Arrived on Monday evenoing at 5.30 to find it just opening. Only two beers on cask, a bitter and Golden Hooky from Hook Norman which I had before on bottle and was happy to try on cask. Barmaid not at all friendly.. Food menus just thrown on the tables in front of you. Maybe I will try it again but not sure. Not a patch on the Brewery Tap.. The owner who has the licence for over 30 yrs is supposed to be a bit of a character so perhaps he adds to the the place, Lots of WW1 memorabilia on the walls. Situated in old workman’s house near city walls,.
Plumbers Arms –
I went to this pub because it had Thwaites beers on cask. I wasn’t disappointed Had a pint of Twaites Original and Lancaster Bomber on cask. . Thought the latter was better. Nice beers and friendly staff and punters. Karaoke session going full belt between 6 – 8 on the Sunday evening when I was there - a regular occurrence.
Bear and Billet –
This bar is just almost next door to the Brewery Tap. Very old building and an O"Kells bar. Just had a pint of some Okells ale which was unremarkable. Also had a pint of Northgate ale which was pretty good also - do not know where this came from but apparently this was the name of an old ale in Chester some years back. . Friendly crowd and interesting building. Definitely worth a look.
Lot of other nice bars in Chester which I did not visit but hopefully another time. Also highly recommend one doing the walking tour of the city from the Tourist Office at 10. a.m. every day..
I found the CAMRA guide to pubs in Chester invaluable. On a future visit must try the Pied Bull Pub near the Town Hall, met a guy who was commencing brewing there – brewery in the basement of the pub. Only starting off so hopefully in the near future or maybe even now is up and running.
Chester is easy reached from Liverpool, Manchester and Manchester Airport. Lots of retail therapy and history for those who want it as well.
Well worth a visit!! .
YORK –
I don’t have my full notes with me but spent two lovely days and nights in York in early April. Booked accommodation just five mins walk from the City Walls which meant getting in and out of good bars was very convenient.. I went armed with my York City centre Camra Guide and Dr. John’s article from this site.
I had been in York twice before but this time I was far more prepared beer wise and the highlights of my visit were the following;-
Brigantes –
This is a great Food and Beer bar. Had lunch there on both days, the best mushroom soup I ever had!!! At least four handpumps on at all times. The highlights I had were Timothy Taylor Best Bitter and Rantan, a nice dark ale, very flavouosme. I also had a msple of a pale als which was superb also. I do not have my notes from Brigantes with me so only going on memory nearly six weeks later. I also had a pint of Marston’s Oyster stout which was not a patch on Porterhouse Oyster. The highlight drink here f rme was a cider from a Rioja cask. It was alsolutely fantastic altogether. I think it was from a cidermaker called Millwaites or some name like that. Apparently they also do some of the ciders in rum casks, maybe another time I go there that might be on. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The Maltngs –
A very busy bar with very good selection too. I only had a pint of a Dark Horse Ale which was vey nice. Had hoped to go back to try a 6% stout from a local brewery in Malton I think but unfortunately time caught up on me! Well worth exploring.
Yorkshire Terrier bar (owned by York Brewery),
My firat time in this bar. Had been to the brewery and bar at the brewry before. As I was there at the start of my second evening’s drinking I just stuck to halves, Had half a Guzzleir, freshing pale ale fromYork as well as a special called Blonde Imposter, brewed by a female homebrewer, prize beer of their homebrewer’s competition. A very pleasant blonde ale. Well recommended. I could have stayed but had other places to go!!!
Pivni –
If I lived in York this would be my regular bar – absolutely superb range of international and and local UK beers, four on casksat any tiem. Very friendly knowledgeable staff. I sampled the following, Mahr’s Bock from Bamberg,. 6.6% on draugh – a lovely savouring beer, maybe very slighty smokey flavour but nothing .like Bamberg Marzen I had in the past, half pint of Barnard Cerne pivo, black lager 5.1% - lovely malty lager from Czech Republic – I believe this can be got in the Czech Inn in Dublin at times – a superb black lager. Darkstar original dark ale from near Brighton on cask was next – lovely alo. I finished my visit here with Meantime Brewery\s London stout – my first tme on draught and sure not didappointed.
Regrettably I only had half pints of all the above but it sure was a most enjoyable visit and when I go toYork again this bar will definitely be on the list for a full night’s drinking. They rotate casks from different breweriss so never the same replacemnt beer so cask.Great Bar!!!
Stout Taste-off at the Punchbowl, (Weatherpsoons),
On my way back to base I popped into the above bar just outside the city walls. There was a cask ale festival on Instead of ordering a pint I opted for half pints of the following and did a taste-off with copious amounts of water too may I add!!
Mauldon’s Blackberry Porter from Mauldon’s Brewery Suffolk 4.8%
Saltaire Liquorice Stout, 5.1% by Saltaire Brewery Yoskhsire 5%
Both of the above were brewed specially for the festival. On initial tasting I preferred the Liquorice stout but by the end Blackbetry Porter had won me over even though I never thought it would! Most interesting and enjoyable drink-off.
As per Dr. John’s article there are 60 breweries within 25 miles of York city and many bars operate a LocAle scheme where the are accredited with a LocAle sign from local Camra Branch if they have a locally produced cask ale on at all times.
Overall a most pleasurable two nights also whilst in York went to thr National Railway Museum and did bit of other touristy things as well. Next time hopefully I will pick somewhere outside of York sity as well.
Yorkshire –defnitely beer heaven!!!!.
