Heswall, Chesire:
Micropub recommended to us by staff at The Red Lion.
Generally a great pub: fantastic choice of cask, keg, and cans/bottles, nice barman, pleasant customers, typical micro atmosphere. The only bit that took the shine off was the arrival of a small child- not a badly behaved one, and, I suspect, the barman’s kid, but the chatter and playing that are inevitable with a small child doesn’t fit a pub atmosphere.
Burntwood:
This is Sankey’s Taphouse reborn, with new owners. The old place was great, so this had a lot to live up to.
It’s not massively changed inside, but that’s no bad thing. Very busy, at early evening on a Friday: we had to sit on stools.
Pleasant staff and locals. My first pint was, however, clearly knackered, but changed without any issue, and the replacement was great.
It’s much nicer than the name suggests: to me the name suggested a load of hipster wankery, in actual fact it’s a nice micropub with a good range of beer and a nice atmosphere.
It’s been 4 years sine we went here, and it’s changed a little.
The layout has changed a bit, it’s been decorated and refurbished. There’s two toilets now, not just a single one. The proprietor has settled in to the place and now seems entirely at ease: our first visit was very early on and he was getting to grips with it.
What hasn’t changed is that said proprietor is really friendly, the beer is still fantastic, the music is still present but not too loud.
It has continued table service after the lifting of Covid restrictions, and I feel this suits it well: the benefit of not having crowds around the bar.
Basically, it was great in 2017, and it’s even better now 🙂
Hest Bank, Morecambe:
Micropub right next to Hest Bank Level Crossing, so one for trainspotters, with frequent trains on the WCML.
When we were last here this was a cafe. Lovely micropub with pleasant, friendly owner and great beer. It’s bigger than it looks at first, with a back room. There’s some outside space too.
Bare Village, Morecambe:
The first totally new PubBlog entry for around eight months, and a cracking micropub.
This was actually open last time we visited Morecambe, but we didn’t know about it 🙁 , so we thought we’d better remedy that error.
Great beer, a really pleasant proprietor, and a nice atmosphere. The owner stated he’d tried to make if feel a bit less like a bar in a shop, and he’d hit the mark on that. Nice, under-cover outside space too. A really good example of how to do a micropub well.
Llandudno:
Got in at our second attempt! The problem with a micropub in a busy town and covid is getting in.
Great staff, great beer, great atmosphere. Simple, well-run track and trace. Sensible policy, adhered to by customers and owners. Only problem is sheer popularity!
Lichfield:
[edit: now closed, and re-opened as a Black Country Ales pub, The Bridge Tavern.]
A micropub that almost isn’t! It’s larger than some non-micro pubs, with 2 rooms and proper toilets, and outside space. What did make it feel like a micro was the welcome, the absence of noisy, awful music, the conversation, the shelf of Good Beer Guides, and the excellent beer.
This was a micro that was like pubs were and should be like; a comfortable, welcoming place with great beer, great staff, and social interaction if you wanted it. Very close to the bus station and Lichfield City rail station too.
Bognor Regis, West Sussex:
Micropub in a back street close to the seafront. We should have really liked this: the staff were really friendly, and the beer (straight from a cask by gravity) was in great nick, I got asked what glass I wanted (perverts can have a dimpled mug) and there was no loud music, but…
The beer we picked wasn’t great (just poor choice on our part). All the seating is those awful tall chairs, and the place rapidy filled with gobshites.
Brownhills:
Just within sight of Morris Miner and named after his official name, this is a new micropub (it opened a week ago) in a old photography shop on Brownhills High St.
Brownhills does have good pubs, but the only ones right near the centre are the Shoulder of Mutton or Smithy’s Forge. I quite like the Shoulder, but there’s no ale there, and the nearby Smithy’s Forge is a fairly dreadful family feedbag, so the best chance of a decent pint of ale has either been Backyard’s taproom or The Swan. The taproom has limited hours, and the Swan, while excellent, is a walk out of town, so a the new micro is very welcome, being very close to the bus.
Inside, it’s typical micropub, but a bit larger than some. Unsurprisingly there’s Backyard beer on, and I think I overheard the landlord say he’s intending to keep one on permanently. That and the HPA were in excellent condition. There’s music, but it’s bearable and not loud, rather like The Turtle’s Head. No food beyond snacks and cobs.
All in all, very pleasant. I’d held off visiting last week as I thought it might be rammed, and it was just pleasantly busy (but filling up) as I left.
Sankey’s Corner, Burntwood, Staffs:
Brand new micropub in former council offices at Sankey’s Corner. I wanted to go to Backyard’s Tap Room, now open until 8pm, so continuing our journey into Burntwood seemed logical, so on we went.
It’s handy for the bus, and it’s pleasant inside. Like other micropubs, it doesn’t quite have the traditional pub feel, but also like others, it has great beer and wine, a great welcome, and the opportunity for conversation without loud music, so it’s a nice place to sit and drink. A great place, I hope it does well.