Manchester Trip : Port Street Beer House
The next venue on the list that Simon and I thought would be a good idea to visit is the Port Street Beer House. They’ve been open since 2011 and they have 18 keg lines and 7 cask lines, a balance that sounds just about right to me. It’s also no surprise given this heritage that the pub is listed in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one for my list.
This was a busy venue, although we found ourselves a place to stand. This is the Sun Goes Down mild from Thornbridge Brewery and this wasn’t as good as I had hoped for, it was too light and had a slight taste of charcoal. However, it’s always positive to see a mild on a menu.
Apologies for the finger in the way of the lens here, but this beer didn’t disappoint. It’s the Double Crumble – Apple, Blueberry and Maple from Pastore Brewing, and this surprised and delighted. Lots of maple, a bit of fruit and a creamy mouthfeel, just as I like a sour to be.
Richard treated himself to a fruited pale, the Specialist in the Field from Farm Yard Brew Co. I’m glad he bought it, it had a bit of a zing to put it mildly, but I didn’t find much depth of flavour in the whole arrangement. By this time we had gone hunting for a table and Łukasz has found one outside which was wet, but obstacles such as this don’t stop him. I don’t think the Polish are known for letting wet benches from getting in the way of their drinking.
This is a popular bar and judging from the positive on-line reviews, it’s a really well run operation. Where they get negative reviews, they’re like this:
“I used to come here regularly, but the last time I was there, they didn’t accept my legal tender (only card payments). This is unacceptable behaviour, and I do hope it’s now corrected. If so, I’ll change this review.”
I can’t imagine the bar shed many tears over this and it’s a reminder that cash isn’t king, but I won’t go down that line. There were some interesting beers available and the whole beer menu felt well curated. I would have preferred it to be quieter so we could get a table, but the reality is that it’s a popular and interesting place which I’m glad is doing well. And of course, it’s a worthy entrant into the Good Beer Guide.
