Really shocked to find a wide variety of IPA's, East Coast and West Coast styles. Each one tried…read morewas delicious. Many English brewed IPA's are too malt forward, but, this brewery has done something different and you can taste it. Best beer in Manchester. They had a food vendor, but, we didn't try it. But, nice to have the option when drinking beers.

If you are near Manchester, England, it is definitely worth a visit to Cloudwatwr which raised the…read morebar for craft brewing in the UK. They make some crazy IPAs including some solid hazy varieties. The tasting room is large and it has a stage indicating they may have music at times. They have a small amount of snack items / food. The staff were friendly and eccentric. Oh and be sure to visit Track Brewing across the street. I'll definitely return someday.

It was great to go and check out Northern Monk's centre of operations, as I've rarely seen their…read morebeers west of the Pennines. The Old Flax Store where they're based is a Grade II listed mill and located in the industrial Holbeck area towards the outskirts of the city centre. Spread over three levels: their brewery on the ground floor; The Refectory and bottle shop on the first floor and event space (Chapter Hall) on the top floor, it's been lovingly restored both inside and out. Despite how separated they are from the main hub of bars and restaurants, there were quite a few people enjoying their afternoons here with a beer, hot drink or bite to eat (they serve food throughout the day). With a small selection of board games (alas, pretty much all of them had vital parts missing), I'd advise bringing your own if you fancied entertaining yourselves in this chilled out space for a while before you ventured onwards. Tip: they have a small free car park out front for the designated drivers.

Northern Monk Refectory is a fantastic spot for food and beer. It's situated in Holbeck so it is a…read morelittle bit of a walk south of the city, about 10 minutes, but this distance at least when I've been there recently means it's not overwhelmed by the crowds you would expect on a Friday or Saturday. Those that venture out are discerning and looking for a quality beer and great food and that's what you receive from the guys at Northern Monk and their food collaboration with Grog and Grub. The bar features 20 draught beers (not sure whether this number includes their 2 on handpump) it is about 50% their own beers and 50% guest, with this number of beers they do a good job covering a range of styles so you should not be at a loss to find something you like. In fact all the beers I had were very nice Track Sonoma, Curveball Pirate Porter, and Northern Monk Salt Lime Wit.

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.

Harrogate brewing is a great local pub. They didn't have a chef at the time I visited so they only…read morehad prepackaged snacks. Beer is great and that's what matters. A proper pub atmosphere. Try there Nib mild my favorite

From the owner: Independent, award winning Micro, brewing in the beautiful North Yorkshire Spa Town of Harrogate,…read morein North Yorkshire. ​ We also run a fun, cosy taproom inside the industrial unit of the brewery.

The microbrewery was started in 2006. They have won lots of prizes for their beer. Partly because…read moreof this they are so popular that they can only manage to supply pubs on a local basis. Their aim is to brew quality real ale appealing to as many palates as possible. Most of their range draws from one of our local heroes - Stan Laurel. Using the Laurel and Hardy connection the beers are named in their honour - the award winning Stout Ollie, Another Fine Mess and Laughing Gravy to name but three. No doubt the comedy duo would be delighted to have a pint or two whilst warming up for another vintage recording. As a real ale drinker, I am excited that we live in their area.

Ulverston Brewing Company has now opened the doors of The Old Auction Mart to visitors. There is an…read moreattractive seated viewing area in our Laughing Gravy Bar that affords a panoramic view of the state of the art 12 barrel plant. Visitors can observe the process of converting those aromatic raw ingredients into the flavoursome pints available in our Laughing Gravy Bar then sample the real thing as they enjoy a mix of short films featuring brewing, local attractions and, of course Laurel & Hardy. The Brewery shop adds the finishing touch to your visit browse amongst the full range of Ulverston Beers, Guest Ales, preserves and unmissable gifts something for everyone. The brewery is proud to support the Furness Oncology Appeal, with 20% of all craft sales going to this worthy local charity.

I went here for the private party before Shebeen Festival, courtesy of the generous guys at…read moreBlackjack and Yelp. I'll just copy over what I said on the talk thread: What an amazing night having free access to the taps! I tried 7 different beers and they were all brilliant. And the food from Yakumama was outstanding - spicy beef empananda, crackling with guacamole, mushroom & quinoa croquetas and avocado and chocolate brownie...I cannot wait until they move to The Kitchens at Spinningfields this summer! Only downside was that it was absolutely freezing, definitely a space heater would have been in order! I imagine this is not a problem at all during the summer and it's a great place to spend a couple of hours below the railway arches listening to some good music and trying the beers right from the source!

When you combine great local beers served outside where they're brewed, delicious local street…read morefood, a DJ pumping out tunes that make you dance on your reclaimed timber bench under vertical gardens made of pallets, you get the Blackjack Brew Tap. The micro-brewery under a railway arch off Irk Street opened its doors to the beer-thirsty public at the weekend with both cask and keg options available. Wine, spirits and soft drinks were also on offer. Just outside the 'bar' were the dynamic duo Arepa!Arepa!Arepa! cooking up tasty Columbian food for the punters (http://arepaarepaarepa.blogspot.co.uk/). Their maize-based flatbreads complete with vegetarian or meat-tastic fillings are certainly a crowd pleaser - they can often be found at Levenshulme Market selling their wares. With the DJs twirling on the decks, the atmosphere was really buzzing, we all loved whiling away a good few hours there. As Nic R mentions, rumour has it that there will be more regular events taking place around the newly coined 'Beer Quarter', with other breweries due to move in soon. Watch this space, there's going to be a new hot-spot in our fair City of Mancunia ;)

Seven Bro7hers has been set up by, you guessed it, seven brothers (Keith, Kit, Guy, Luke, Daniel,…read moreNathan and Greg McAvoy) and is one of the newest Manchester craft ale ventures. Their microbrewery, in the Worsley area of Salford just a short distance from MediaCityUK, recently began producing beers which you can buy at nearby bars The Dockyard (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/the-dockyard-salford) and Lime (http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/lime-salford?osq=Lime+Bar). At the moment they have their flagship beer, an India Pale Ale, plus a Watermelon Wheat beer. Their intention is to eventually sell seven staple beers, with a range of seasonal brews to be launched throughout the year. They have big ambitions, if the popularity of their launch evening was anything to go by. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open for their bottles, knowing fully well they've been filled less than 20 minutes' walk from my desk!

A fresh new business run by a super friendly family, based in Salford. There are - surprise…read moresurprise - seven brothers (and incidentally, four sisters too) in the family and the brothers got themselves together just eighteen months ago and decided to set up their own brewery. Why not?! Each last Friday in the month, their in-house tap room opens to the public with beers and bands a-plenty creating a relaxed yet thoroughly entertaining afternoon and evening.

Samuel Smith's perhaps my favorite brewery ever…read more They uphold a long tradition of independent breweries brewing excellent brews and everything they produce is top quality. Tadcaster, FTW! I'm a major fan of the Oatmeal Stout and the Taddy Porter. The Nut Brown Ale is very fine as well. They even brew organic beer and most of their beers are Vegan. Drink up, drink up. Good beer here. (I just realized the above address is incorrect for the Old Brewery, right? Manchester's not very close to York, is it? Oh, well. My assessment still stands. Samuel Smith is top notch.)

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.