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.

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 ;)

So I'm here tonight to see Jason get North Manc CAMRA pub of the year - you can probably tell I…read moreagree. It's aesthetically unique, cosy and inviting. The beer is kept in superb condition, rotated every day and it has some of the best bottles in town. It's just one of the best pubs in Manchester for beer and atmosphere!

Reopened about four years ago now, this Grade Two listed pub is really intriguing in many ways. The…read moreCrown and Kettle used to be a courthouse in the 19th century and rumours still circulate that it is haunted; its that kind of place you see. An absolute must for real ale lovers, there is no brewery attached. Instead, they have up to eight pumps (a minimum of four) of both real ales and more mainstream beers like Fosters. Both these and drinks that I myself actually drink are very reasonably priced for a pub just on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter. If you're not familiar with the area just walk all the way down Oldham Street then cross over the main road- its right in front of you. It is very quiet during the day but that is what some people want after all. No, where the Crown and Kettle really could do with improvement is the food. I think it really lets itself down as it just isn't good pub food- maybe if they perked up the menu more people would straggle in during the day. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they don't want trade to be roaring at all hours - just a thought.

This is one of my new favorite breweries in England - others include Verdant, Polly's, and…read moreCloudwater. This place makes some great quality beer and has some good cans to go. They are hitting their stride with nice collabs and starting to make some tasty stouts now. Tap room has lots of space in an industrial setting across the street from nearby Cloudwatee. Only negative I can think of is no WiFi and no food or snacks at all.

Manchester is spoilt on decent breweries close to the city who throw open there doors to the…read morepublic. We went here over the Christmas period for their independent and craft market and joint brewtap with Squawk Brewing. Only issue really is that the brewery is in a long arch under the rail line. So with some people in there and the markets tables it can be a little squeezy. I felt a little bad for the stall holders as mostly people were standing around enjoying a beer and there wasn't much room to check out the stall with ease. They had a really nice range of handmade gifts. I really enjoy Track's beers they are all very well balanced. Zoji there Black IPA was particularly good and was available on cask and keg. Lovely Choc/Caramel flavours on this beers as it warmed a little so my preference was for the less chilled cask version. They had some hot food on offer though I didn't have any it did smell particularly tasty and warming on this cold and wet day. With a replan of how they setup their open days they could make more use of the space. At any rate on this wet Winter day the brewery actually felt quite cosy.

I'm pretty sure I'd be here every weekend if I lived in this part of Manchester…read more Port Street Beer House is an unassuming little pub with a fantastic (and massive) list of brews, both local and international. Service is friendly and efficient, and even the stronger stuff on the menu won't set you back too much: a pint of most beers will run £4-5. I grabbed a pint of a super-fresh saison from Blackjack (a Manchester-based brewery) and enjoyed it in the small-ish garden out back. The only drawbacks? It get can very packed---and it's cash only.

Port Street should be high on any lover of craft beers hit list, whether living in Manchester or…read morejust in town visiting it's perfect place to pop in for 1 or 2 (and see what their amazing list of guest beers is offering this week) or spend a long afternoon in warmth working your way through their extensive range while catching up with friends. That extensive list includes around 20 beers on tap, with at least 100 bottles on offer - mainly sourced from some of the finest USA, UK and Scandinavian breweries around. Prices are fairly high but no more than you'd pay in any other city for the same craft beer - it is though always worth checking the price (and strength) before you order a pint of that rare, one barrel produced collaboration between 2 of your favourite breweries - it could be time to get a new mortgage! There's a large lounge room upstairs and beer garden out the back with ample seating for around 40. Capacity is one problem with this place and it can get very very busy at the weekends so try to get in early or go offpeak. Don't miss out on their regular "meet the brewers" nights on a Monday evening. What usually starts off as a civilised tasting of a few very good beers turns into a bit of a Monday night session - something that's no good for anyone. These monthly events have been known to make Tuesday's very hard work in the past :-) They also run nearby Common and Chorlton's The Beagle - plus Indy Man Beer con so make sure you check these out to complete the full set!

Great classic pub. Delicious beers and good looking food. Back patio had lovely seating for when…read morethe small pub area fills up. Staff handled the crowd very well. I would highly recommend.

Proper English pub. Loved it. Beer was cold and ambiance was on point. Will be back. Loved it and…read morecan't say enough great things about this place. The bartender was so sweet too.

First time in Pie and Ale, which in itself is astonishing given they are two of my favourite…read morethings. But now I know why, even though it's not hidden, it's listed as being on Lever St but in reality it set back from the road slightly down Faraday St. So it's not immediately visible from Lever St unless you're looking for it; which is really my only reason for not giving it 5*. Pie and Ale doesn't bound head long towards the current fashion of ultra trendy scrounged and up-cycled interiors that so many bars are doing, it's interior is very clean and simple but also warm and inviting and won't age or go out of fashion as quickly as some of the other bars in the NQ. It's also got several different space so you can choose to sit in the open seating area with the large glass windows, next to the bar at high benches or walk around the corner and up the stairs for a more cosy intimate set of booths above the bar; this means the location can suit a lot of different situations. They have a good selection of ales for the likes of myself, but have a good range of bottle beers and your general assortment of keg beers, wines etc. The pies are on the pricey side (£9.95-£11.95) especially compared with the likes of Pie Minister (£7.95 for the Mothership) only a few blocks away, but they are big and hearty as you'd hope and with the availability of cask beer (Pie Minister only has bottles) improves the experience for me. In my opinion it's always nicer having a fresh well kept pint than having bottled beer. I had the Moufflon and Minted Chocolate which was spot on as far as I'm concerned the chocolate and stout sauce went fantastically with the well cooked steak. Overall I really enjoyed the relaxed feel of Pie and Ale and will be most likely to return now I know where it is.

I think I've found my new favourite place!…read more Ok so I've been here before for our Elite event a few months back (and that was a flying visit) and I've had many friends spreading the gospel about this place being super amazing for beer, food and general 'good time' ambience but on Saturday night everything came together to really make me say "yeah I get it now" So without going into all the boring details - they do pies very well, they do ale vey well - the pies coming from a selection of about 12 (I had the steak and 3 cheese with peas and mash - £11.95) and a pretty similar sized range of craft beers, cask and real ales on tap. I really thought the selection was excellent (and well priced - a flight of 3 thirds was £3.40 of cask ale) and their bottles are a good mix of what America and Europe has to offer! This place is going to be amazing for the world cup with a big screen up in the main bar showing all the matches (they were actually showing the Champions league final on Sat night, adding to the ambience) - and the music was just the icing on the cake - what a fantastic selection of reggae, dub and hiphop for the 3 hours I was in. Really looking forward to going back and having some great beer with a phat ass pie soon! *extra note should go to all the waiting staff - amazing friendliness and table service all night - nice job guys!*

A Sunday brew tap welcomed me to the Manchester Brewing Co for the first time. It was a real family…read moreaffair with children enjoying themselves with face paint and toys while their parents sampled the beers. These local breweries are becoming increasingly popular and the brew taps offer a great way to sample the local produce. The beer was great - interesting flavours. The ladies serving were delightful and smiley - particularly welcoming and clearly enjoying themselves. Let's hope their location quite far out of town doesn't keep people away. Definitely another positive addition on the Manchester drink and food scene

Good beer, welcoming people, can't wait till The end of the…read moremonth to go again maybe this time have some of the street food.

Biggest issue with Runaway Brewery we'll get out of the way straight up and that's simply finding…read morethe place. It is hidden behind a block of buildings on the opposite side of the road to it's map location if you look up their address. If you stand on Dantzic St at the convergence of Aspin Lane and Irk street and look North across the road you will see a large metal fence and a sign for the brewery which unfortunately isn't very visible in the dark winter months. You go through the gate behind the railway bridge and you will find Runaway Brewery right at the ned of this section of arches. Once there the cavernous arch is actually a great spot, though not the warmest so rug up if going in Winter.

I came to the Runaway Brewery recently for a Brewtap event where they had teamed up with their…read morenearby rivals the Blackjack Brewery. Having been to a Blackjack Brewtap previously, I was excited at the prospect of double the choices of craft ale to sample. We got there shortly after the event kicked off, so there was no issue getting a table inside - I went for the one right by the heater. Once we'd settled in and found somewhere to pile the coats, it was off to the bar! I can't recall all of the beers I drank that afternoon... but I do remember starting off with the Xmas Cracker which was a brilliant pale ale from (I think) Blackjack. From there I made my way to the Runaway bar for their Oatmeal IPA, which was great. Very smooth, easy drinking and would make a great session beer. Other beers we tried included Runaway's Double IPA, which was a fairly hefty ABV, as well as a brown ale from BBNo. Food for the afternoon was provided courtesy of Nila's Burmese Kitchen. We tried both the pork roll and the tamarind pork curry, which were tasty and excellent sources of starch to extend the session. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes peeled for Runaway beers when I'm out and about drinking, and if they do another Brewtap I can see myself returning.