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.

This is the pub you are looking for. Live music, boss ale…read moreand boss staff. You want more?

The best bar in Crosby by a country mile. Fantastic atmosphere, live music most nights, internet…read moreaccess, interesting food, cracking range of beers somehow shoehorned into a living room size space. Comfy couches upstairs, regular music clubs. Just a great night out.

Happy to Have as My Local…read more Just a short walk from home, this is part of the Wetherspoon's chain, soreasonable prices, reliable food (if a bit predictable) and lots of very reasonably priced lagers. Very friendly - it's definitely a gathering spot for locals. Can be a bit busy later in the evening on Fridays or Saturdays, so come a bit earlier if you want to be guaranteed a table. Friendly wait staff - great service - fun crowd. Highly recommended. Good fish & chips (as to be expected) and a nice chicken tikka. There are food and drink specials daily.

This used to be the notorious Rose&Crown. Now, it is as tranquil as they come and good for families…read moreand work groups

We literally stumbled along this place while walking the streets of Liverpool as American tourists…read more We saw malt bags in the entrance and were pleasantly surprised to find this great little spot with delicious craft beer! We tried the red ale and stout on cask -yum!!! Great inexpensive beer and nice service and rock music. Cool atmosphere with creaky old wood floor, brick walls and wood burning stove. En

Before I begin I just want to say WOW ! I've been on a few distillery and brewery tours now and the…read moreone at robinsons blew me away ! Tucked away in the back streets of central Stockport on top of the hill near the church and market you will find robinsons brewery. They have brewed beer here for decades since they upscaled out of the first robinsons pub and it is a brilliant place. They have a brand new visitors centre where you are greeted by friendly staff, light open space, wonderful displays, interactive screens and old fashioned brewery kit. You can also nip in here to buy some great gifts from their shop. You are greeted and given your free beer tokens for the end of the tour, asked to read some health and safety info as you will be wondering around a working brewery, and are then left to your own devices to explore until the tour starts. Tours are brought together in quite small numbers, there were about 15 people on our tour which was great as we could move around easily, hear the tour guide and answer questions as and when we wanted to. The tour lasts about an hour and takes you through the entire robinsons process. Be warned. The process starts at the top of the building so there are LOTS of stairs. There was a man on crutches on our tour though and he managed just fine, but if you aren't confident in your ability to navigate stairs, this unfortunately may not be for you. Once you eventually reach the top, you get an insight into old and new as they have cleverly kept all the original copper brewing kit and have installed the new kit (only since 2010 ish can you believe!) on the same floor levels. This is brilliant as you are effectively learning about two processes, old and new. You are taken down through the floors through each stage of the process, if you are feeling brave you can taste the different Malts and hops (be warned again - some of these are delicious but also some of these are Gross with a capital G) and you eventually end up in the fermenting room. A great vast room which has a beautiful strong aroma of your favourite beers, you can see the yeast working away in each of the huge vats that each batch is kept in. The tour guide we had was brilliant, she kept us all very entertained and knew the answer to every question asked. She told us all the back stories to every beer brewed by robinsons and why changes occur in the market and how robinsons react to these changes. The whole thing was really interesting and she really was very good at keeping everyone engaged, it was fab ! At the end of the tour you finish up in their own bar and restaurant. You can either select 3 1/3 pints from a selection of robinsons beer (we got to try their brand new trial beer voodoo dawn as one of our choices) or you can trade up for a glass of wine / fentimans products which are partially brewed here / tea / coffee etc. To accompany your drink they have also opened a brilliant little restaurant, it isn't huge so if you were planning on coming for a meal it may be worth booking. The menu looked great and the prices were incredibly reasonable (see the photos). We ordered a few things to share which came very quickly and everything was cooked to perfection. They try to incorporate their beers into a lot of the cooking and tend to have a different special or two on each day. If I was to come for lunch in Stockport at any point I would hands down be heading here, it is easily one of the nicest places about ! Overall 5/5. I would give it more if I could. Thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to all ! Brilliant place :)

Amazing tour, worth every penny and a great rainy day activity with friends! We booked a 3.30pm…read moretour on a Saturday, and although it took a little longer than expected (about an hour and a half) it was a really enjoyable experience. The tour guide, Barry, was engaging and funny - he clearly loved his job and that enthusiasm rubbed off on everyone else. Great insights into brewing past and present, with lots of useful facts and fun stories. At the end of the tour, you get taken through to the bar where you get your choice of three 1/3 pints from the Robinsons collection, so great to try the brews Barry had talked about along the way! There is a restaurant too - menu looked tempting and reasonable prices. Finally, there's a gift shop at the end where you can buy gifts and booze - again very reasonable prices and a good selection of gift ideas. The tour costs £10 each and there's free visitor parking. Would thoroughly recommend.

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.