Hidden down Kitchen Street in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, the walk to Black Lodge Brewing is more 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. read more