Liverpool Weekend (Day Three) – Pump House
As our final pub of the weekend, we decided to visit the Pump House on the Albert Dock. I’ve visited before and clearly shut it out of my mind because I wasn’t delighted to see that it was operated by Greene King.
There were four real ales available, with at least the Hinkypunk from Big Bog Brewery being an interesting option. The service was prompt and friendly, with the pricing being a little above the average for the area.
This was served at almost super-chilled temperatures and it suffered from that because any taste the beer might have had was entirely lost. Real ale isn’t supposed to be served at temperatures more suitable for keg beers and I have to admit to be disappointed that the pub was doing this, it’s a high turnover venue which is well financed and so basic cellar issues shouldn’t really be happening.
This was one of those pubs where it was a struggle to find a table which wasn’t wet, uncleared or had food debris on. I found a clean table for us to spend an hour gossiping about various people we know in my usual style, and the ambience was inviting enough but I can’t say the venue felt comfortable.
Ignoring the grammatical errors, I liked the effort made to explain the history of the building. There are some venues which ignore the marvellous heritage of their building, but this is a really useful effort to given information about the former use of the structure.
The reviews for the venue are broadly negative, but not horrendously so, but it’s a shame they’re so low given the wonderful location of the pub and its heritage. The reviews of the staff are generally very positive, with the primary issue being cleanliness and the quality of the food. If I might be entirely honest, and since it’s my blog I can do what I want as long as my two loyal readers persist, but I can’t help think that matters would be improved if this was run by an operator other than Greene King.
Anyway, moving back on to the Liverpool weekend. It’s now a few weeks after the weekend and I need to wrap this up as otherwise I’ll still be writing about it on the next weekend away (woooo, Hereford in a couple of weeks!). After another little walk into the centre of Liverpool, it was time for Bev and Susan to go back to their slightly odd hotel whilst I went to get a free burger (long story). It was all a marvellous weekend with great company, organised to perfection I thought with no shortage of chat about the meaning of life and all that.
