"Any time is a great time for a pint" Michal Schindler
This is first of planned multi story article about where to go for beers, shots or cocktails in and around Liverpool city center. I would later like to start another series about places to get great food as well – yeah, it is possible in UK after all! This first of series will be around pubs, a.k.a nice places where they serve good beer.
You can get into several completely different type of pubs here in Liverpool. Each is different, each has its own specifics and is great under different light and angle of view. There are few places which serve bad and overpriced beer with close to none of real atmosphere as well, so I hope that this article will help someone to pick one they would really like.
First category is historic pubs, often with splendid Victorian interior, even worth to visit if drinking alcohol is a swear word for you. Example of those are The Philharmonic Dining Rooms aka The Philly or Phil, Baltic Fleet, Pumphouse or Doctor Duncan’s. Often there is some historical background or nice story behind those. I’ll mark those with hashtag #traditional
Another type of pubs are the Real Ale pubs. Sometimes they have nice historic interior as well, but mostly these are a bit of worn down dive pubs full of regulars with one big highlight, great traditional real ale. They can sometimes intersect a bit with first category (like Doctor Duncan’s). Fine examples of those are Roscoe Head or The Ship & Mitre. I’ll mark those with hashtag #realale
What is real ale? In the early 1970s CAMRA coined the term 'real ale' to make it easy for people to differentiate between the bland processed beers being pushed by the big brewers and the traditional beers whose very existence was under threat. Many pubs and brewers use the term to describe their beers, but, just to keep you confused, they are also called cask beers, cask-conditioned ales or even real beer! In the pub the huge majority of real ales are served using traditional hand-pulls, rather than through modern fonts, but there are some exceptions to this, so if in any doubt, just ask. Real ales may also be served direct from the cask, often called gravity dispense. read more here
Next ones are students pubs. Unfortunately, here in Liverpool that does not necessary mean they will be cheap or even cheaper then other places in the same area. Actually, #realale ones are probably cheapest as per price of pint. Students pubs are generally very lively, full of young people, when the school is on. Bit of dead and quiet during the breaks. Usually you can encounter some music or other gig, great pubquiz night or something else interesting. Best example are The Shipping Forecast or Sound Food and Drink. #student
Quite obvious type is Irish pub. With Liverpool being only across pretty narrow Irish sea from Dublin and with lots of Irish people living or visiting there and plenty of Irish or mixed origin, you bet there are few great ones, comparable with any around the world. But, if you don’t like Guiness, fiddles, (occasionally bad) singing and really packed pubs, those are probably not the perfect match for you. Best one by far is Pogue Mahone. Nice friendly and neighbourgh feeling has Shenanigans. #irish
Last type are those which I call hip or hipster pubs. Those could be even beer bars instead of plain old pub. Usually quite new with great design interior and interesting range of craft beers from small breweries. Possibly the most expensive of all, with a price of pint can be in range of 4 or 5 pounds easily. However they are totally worth going and some of these are my actual favourites when I am spending time in this home away from home. Typical ones are Grove Beer Tap & Grill, Kazimier Garden, Brewdog. #hipster
All places on the list bellow are my favourites and I am visiting them at least couple times a year with a great joy.
Baltic Fleet
33A Wapping,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 8DQ
#traditional
This pub is last house left from row of houses close to old docks. It was a pub where merchant seamen and sailors went for pints and bit of fun. There were even two secret tunnels right from the cellar, one directly to the docklands and one to red light district. All what sailor need – beer and girls easily reachable! It have retained some of that old time charm until nowadays. Even couple years ago, this pub just lived of its former glory and most of beers was just plain undrinkable. However recently there was a refurbishment and somehow, even the tap quality went up.
You can even bump into some cool laidback random gig over the weekend or in the evening. They serve their own beers under Wapping brand. I however would recommend not local Freedom Four from Staffordshire – good unpretentious craft lager from . They have as well solid and cheap Scouse and Sunday Roast.
Brewdog
Manolis Yard,8 Colquitt St,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 4DE
#hipster #craftbeer #student
This is part of chain of beer bars across the UK and now slowly becoming worldwide thing to go. It serves beers from Brewdog Craft Brewery in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, boasting with a title the world first ever crowd-funded brewery. Their moto “Craft beer for the people” will say it all basically. It is financed by beer lovers and sympathisers over scheme Equity for the punks. It is well designed modern place combining old warehouse with modern stuff. They have some vintage arcade machines and pinball in the back. They organize tastings like beer and chocolate or pairing beers with food sometimes. Only downside for all that goodness is price, beers don’t come very cheap in here.
You can borrow one of lots old board games and play those for free when sipping beers.My favourite there is their perfectly and dangerously drinkable Punk IPA.
Grove Beer Tap & Grill
#hipster #craftbeer
This place is quite new in perfect central location. It is more a hip beer bar with some food then pub. I love the interior with central wooden sculpture twisted from roof decoration into central table. They have good selection of craft beers, both from Liverpool and abroad (mostly USA, but some far away places like Japan and Hawaii. On tap is usually around 6-8, rest are in bottles. They have quite nice smaller plates and pub snacks. Again this is not cheap place and some beers even not come in pints, but schooners, which is 2/3 of pint. For those few days with sun and no rain, they have quite nice courtyard garden, little in Zen style, which is quite rare in Liverpool (not just Zen, but generally beergardens and even the great weather). The place is connected to multistory dance club called Level, so it completely changes mood after 11pm. There is quite quirky male toilets with one way mirror just above dance floor.
Kazimier Garden
32 Seel St,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 4BE
#hipster #student
This place is something else really. I’ve never seen anything like that anywhere. It is well hidden of main street and if my friend haven’t found it randomly on his way from Tesco, it may stay hidden forever for me. What shame it will be. It is not pub building but small courtyard with wall around and various hard to describe hip décor. The entrance have even small bell tower. Inside is podium for live music and occasional DJ, outside bar, mulled wine station for winter and small grill for little bite. There is even some inside seating above bar and inside old railway car which someone somehow managed to drag in.
This place definitely does not have best beer, but it has great atmosphere and feel good factor. It is perfect as meeting point when weather is nice, before continue night somewhere else.
The Philharmonic Dining Rooms
36 Hope St,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 9BX
#traditional
This is place about which John Lennon once in NY said that thing he is missing the most from Liverpool is beer at Phil. What a strange name for a pub, you will say. Well the Liverpool Philharmonic is just across the street, so figure out. The Victorian décor inside a Grade II building build over turn of 19th and 20th century for local brewer Robert Cairns is therefore magnificent and beat any other pub in town in splendour.. They even have original Victorian men toilets with original pisoárs! Worth to peak in for this work of art, even for girls. Worth to go to sit down and sip your Sunday early afternoon beer pub in biggest room in the back, which looks like some old English Gentleman club from old movie.
Pogue Mahone
77 Seel St,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 4BB
#irish
Best Guiness in town. Period. Do I have say more? Proper, not fake Irish place, with lot of Irish guests. Couple of times they play live Irish music, which can get crowd first sentimental, then maybe little rough. However the place is not dangerous. If you want a pint of best stout beer, you now know where to go now.
Pumphouse
Albert Dock,Liverpool, Merseyside L3 4AF
#traditional #realale
This pub is all about the setting and historic 1870 Grade II pump house building for Albert Dock. When the weather is good, it is great sit outside and watch the docks and Liverpool skyline. We even introduced a term for this – “A Pumphouse weather”. Basically you need at least 17 degrees sunny and not very windy. If the weather is worse, I would recommend back room in first floor, which have big window overlooking part of Albert dock and River Mersey. They serve solid light ale Greene King and sometimes one brewed just for them Pumphouse Ale – I recommend to give it a try. Food there except solid fish&chips is bit of subpar, better to have pint and go somewhere else – not in Albert Dock.
Shenanigans
77 Tithebarn St,Liverpool, Merseyside L2 2EN
#irish
This little pub in little green house last left standing in block after either WWII or some other disaster is a bit of hidden gem. They don’t have mouthwatering Guiness like at Pogue, but they ave something else. As this place is a bit off beaten path, it has genuine small Irish village pub friendly atmosphere. Just go there have a pint or two and have some chat with locals, you will see what I mean. A bit of worn down but cool interier with a lot hanging random stuff at the walls and from roof will add to teh charm.
Sound Food and Drink
#student
This dive place on lower Duke Street is interesting where there is some live music. Which is most of the time. They have Open Mic Night on Mondays, when anybody from the street could come and play a song or two, which is really brilliant idea. Surprisingly good Guiness on tap as well. Don’t eat there.
The Shipping Forecast
15 Slater St,Liverpool, Merseyside L1 4BW
#student #hipster
This two story pub has great amount of draft beer to choose from and relaxed student vibe. Very hipster interior from converted old warehouse. There are often concerts and very famous and blasting Monday pubquiz night. Monday is as well Tappy night with £1.00 off every thing on tap. Tuesday is two burgers for price of one which is decent deal. They have some vintage ship and old arcade stuff inside as well. Beer is generally good there and place is dead central to be meeting point before moving for meal or club later on.
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