Liverpool / Crosby 2019 - Saturday 12 January

A dull and windy day on Saturday 12 January again started with breakfast at the Lime Kiln with a group of CAMRA friends drawn mainly from Surrey and Sussex.

Breakfast at the Lime Kiln (Wetherspoon)

We took over the same front area of the ground floor as on Friday. Most of the group would follow Jon Gadd's plan to travel by train to Southport and work back towards Liverpool in stages visiting mainly micropubs.

However, my day would only need a one area Saveaway day ticket (£4) loaded on my Walrus card as Blundellsands & Crosby would be the furthest north for my travels on the railway line to Southport.

Liverpool Mountain (Ugo Rondinone) sculpture outside Tate Liverpool

Before heading to Crosby a return to the Pier Head area was involved for a visit to Tate Liverpool between the river Mersey and the Albert Dock.

Supermarket trolley outside Peter Kavanagh's - featured in 'Anomaly Strolls'

A highlight of this visit was a bizarre video by South Korean artists Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho - 'Anomaly Strolls' - that features a supermarket wire trolley propelling itself along the pavements of Liverpool and includes exterior and interior film of Peter Kavanagh's pub in Egerton Street.

My next destination, Crosby beach, can be reached by Merseyrail train from Liverpool to Waterloo. However, to see a bit more of dockside Liverpool first, I caught a 500 bus south, past the Baltic Fleet pub and Brunswick dock, to Brunswick station in Toxteth before catching a northbound Southport train via Liverpool Central and Bootle to Waterloo.

The walking route along South Road to Crosby beach from Waterloo station passes The Queen's Picture House, a Wetherspoon pub in a former cinema.

A footpath leads to the beach past a marine lake and through sand dunes.

A strong wind was blowing grains of sand from the beach towards me and few people braved these conditions unless they had a dog to walk or an interest in seeing Anthony Gormley's Another Place installation of multiple identical cast-iron life size naked figures spaced out across the beach and into the approaching sea.

Back in the shelter of local streets, my route heading north towards Blundellsands & Crosby station passed the Corner Post Micro Pub, 25 Bridge Road, which was shuttered and closed at 1pm.

Stamps bar

To save time I caught a bus inland to Great Crosby to find Stamps bar / brewpub.

My first half pint of the day was Stamps Brewery Flying Cloud, economically priced at £1.50.

As it was busy downstairs I carried my beer upstairs to the spacious and light room with a variety of mirrors on one wall. The montage of musicians faces next to the window reflects the regular live music events held at Stamps bar.

Liverpool Pigeon

A five minute walk south on Liverpool Road leads to the Liverpool Pigeon micro pub at 14 Endbutt Lane. Blackboards in the window give details of beers available and forthcoming. Another blackboard includes the text of Proverbs 31.7 'Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more'. A green band across the windows shows that German and Belgian beers are available here as well as real ale and cider.

A Double Diamond 'works wonders' tray, in the left of the front window, is one of a larger collection of tin trays displayed on a wall inside.

At the rear bar a blackboard gives full details of the available cask ales with the ABV clearly displayed. My first half pint was 4% ABV Mallinsons Rakau Nelson which was pale and dry.
Before leaving I enjoyed my second half pint, also £1.60, even more. The hoppy Blackjack Beers Pale Ale from Manchester's Green Quarter was again 4% ABV.

With a knowledgeable landlord, a well chosen beer range plenty of seating and no music system, Merseyside's first micro pub would turn out to be my favourite on the day.
A one mile bus ride further south down Liverpool Road took me back to South Road for Waterloo station.

Trap & Hatch

The Trap & Hatch at 130 South Road opened in October 2016.

The pub dog greeted me on arrival and appeared to have a favoured resting place in between greeting new arrivals!

I enjoyed a half pint of Cross Bay Brewing Co Sunset Blonde (4.2% ABV £1.70).

The upmarket micropub with craft beers and two cask ales has a flat screen showing a video loop of a blazing fire. Tables are made from chunky planks of wood and timber planks also features in the bar front. Music on the sound system included Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come and the Doobie Brothers Long Train Runnin'. The Trap & Hatch is big enough to host live music on Saturdays.

Stamps too / The Waterpudlian

Stamps too in Waterloo is a sister pub to Stamps in Crosby. (In February 2019 the name was changed to The Waterpudlian). It is situated almost opposite Waterloo railway station at 99 South Road. A blackboard outside lists live music acts for Thursday - Sunday nights.

The free table I found inside, near the window, had a view of the low stage.

My half pint here was Liverpool Pale Ale from Liverpool Organic Brewery. A customer at the bar was listening to a football commentary which was audible to all nearby. Pop music was also playing on the sound system. Mark Geeson texted me from the Grasshoppper micropub in Stockport to say that the barman there had recommended a visit to the Volunteer Canteen near Waterloo and Crosby beach.

The Volunteer Canteen

This meant that my third and final pub stop in Waterloo was the Volunteer Canteen. It was in a residential area, half a mile away at 41 East Street, three streets inland from the coast. The light was fading as 5pm approached.

The Volunteer Canteen is a multi room community pub with plenty of interesting features inside. From the central bar with stained glass panels, I ordered Rock the Boat Brewery Dazzle, brewed in a 16th century wheelwright's workshop in Little Crosby village.

There is no fruit machine, pool table or juke box. Dogs are welcome at the pub and there were several in the dimly lit main room where I found a free table. Horse brasses adorn the top level of the dark wooden panelling. Table service was available in this bar.

A blue plaque records that the Volunteer Canteen is included on CAMRA's National Inventory of historic pub interiors. There are plenty of posters and old pictures, including some of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, in the rooms and passageways of the traditional pub.
Mark texted me again to say his group was on the way to the Volunteer Canteen so I replied that I would rendezvous with them briefly at Waterloo station on my way back to Liverpool. There would just be time for me to greet them before boarding the 17.40 train towards Liverpool and Hunts Cross.

The Welkin, Cavern Quarter, Liverpool

Jeff Evans had recommended a visit to the White Star pub in Liverpool's Cavern Quarter. After walking there from Moorfields station via Stanley Street I would delay my visit until after coffee at the Welkin, the nearby two storey, glass-fronted Wetherspoon pub.

The White Star

Brass plaques on the exterior of the White Star mention that the pub is twinned with bars in Norway (Skien and Grimstad).

Inside, I ordered a pint of Bass from the island bar, a choice that GBG pub blogger Martin Taylor would surely approve of! Unfortunately it was served in a John Smith's glass and was relatively costly (£3.80).

The White Star was busy but there was a table free in the back room and more tables became free later when the above photo was taken.

This room is famed for its 'Beatles seats' marked with individual brass plaques and with framed Beatles memorabilia above. The story is that this is where the Beatles would meet their first manager Allan Williams 'The man who gave the Beatles away' to receive their payments for playing at the nearby Cavern Club.

There are many interesting items relating to the White Star Line on display in the pub.
While I had been 'nursing' my pint of Bass waiting for Mark and others to join me, a text informed me that the group had split with some going from Moorfields station to the Ship and Mitre and others to the Lion Tavern. Mark and Trevor eventually arrived at the White Star at 8.45pm.

The Head of Steam

After a walk of a third of a mile we ended the evening at Liverpool's Head of Steam, Hanover Street, conveniently close to our hotel.

The beer I enjoyed here was Jester from Neptune Brewery of Maghull, Merseyside, with its distinctive trident logo. Neptune Brewery beers are unfined and brewed for cask, keg and 440ml cans.

The Head of Steam is spacious inside and some internal walls are decorated with industrial scenes to make the space appear even larger. We would return to the Head of Steam the next evening.

Liverpool / Wirral 2019 - Friday 11 January

Preparations for a day leading a CAMRA group to Wirral pubs included drawing a rough map and checking public transport for an itinerary.

Breakfast with unlimited coffee at the Lime Kiln (Wetherspoon) allowed our group to sit together and agree to catch the 11am Mersey ferry from Liverpool's Pier Head.

Everyone was advised to visit the shop next to the entrance to nearby Liverpool Central station. The shop sells reloadable Merseytravel Walrus cards (£1) and a Saveaway all areas day ticket (£5.40) loaded onto the card includes ferry crossings, railway and bus travel in Liverpool and the Wirral.

After breakfast I had time for a brief visit to the Double Fantasy - John & Yoko - an exhibition on the top floor of the impressive new Museum of Liverpool, near the Pier Head.

We enjoyed views towards Liverpool and Birkenhead from the 'Dazzle Ferry' Snowdrop as it crossed the river Mersey.

Sir Peter Blake designed the artwork for 'Everybody Razzle Dazzle'. As this crossing was part of the River Explorer Cruise it included a commentary and the inevitable sound of 'Ferry Cross the Mersey' by Gerry & the Pacemakers.

Woodside: Jon Gadd with CAMRA group by an historic submarine

We were allowed to stay on the ferry from Seacombe ferry terminal to Woodside ferry terminal where it is only a short walk to Birkenhead's Hamilton Square station.

We passed the closed Pier Hotel, once owned by Birkenhead Brewery, the brewers of Peerless ales and stout.

A 27 minute train journey took us from the underground platform at Hamilton Square to the terminus at West Kirby. Having come this far, we made a slight detour to gain a view across the Dee estuary to Wales and to see Hilbre island, accessible on foot at low tide over the dunes.

West Kirby Tap

The West Kirby Tap was only five minutes walk from the coastal viewpoint.

A board behind the bar has eight slots for strips of blackboard chalked with changing cask ale details.

The bar is on the left and a wood burning stove is on the right of the large room with an exposed roof space above. Blackboards have details of food, gin and events. The floor is formed of squares of polished concrete.

My first beer was Spitting Feathers Thirst Quencher, a 3.9% ABV pale ale. The first Spitting Feathers Brewery Tap opened in Chester in 2008. The West Kirby Tap opened in 2014. The friendly staff looked after us well and the wood burner made this part of the room cosy.

Wall-mounted candle holders and wood panelling are among other design features to give the large space some character.

Before leaving I enjoyed a Triple Blond by Peerless Brewing from Birkenhead. Typically for this part of the country, the beer takes a while to clear after being served through a sparkler. The 4% ABV beer is brewed with wheat, lager and pale malts and hopped with Admiral, First Gold and Cascade to give a citrus finish.
The size of our group now halved as Jon Gadd would lead some to West Kirby's micropub, the Homebrew Tap where cask and keg beers were available. Our core group caught the next train back over the flat countryside as far as Birkenhead North. Crossing to the other platform by the footbridge we then caught the New Brighton train to its terminus.

A mermaid combing her hair on the corner of Atherton Street and Victoria Road was a surreal surprise! An information board names her as the Inked Siren of Black Rock, the second mermaid in an unusual trail.

The Bow-Legged Beagle

In a change from the mapped itinerary after new information of a micropub in New Brighton, we continued along Victoria Road until we reached the Bow-Legged Beagle at number 88.

A 'contemporary timber' look inside with exposed filament light bulbs.

A tall beer fridge contains tall (440ml) beer cans from Loka Polly, Top Rope and Neptune Brewery.

I enjoyed cask American Dream, dry hopped with Citra, from Liverpool's Top Rope Brewing.

The Stage Door Tap

From here, it was downhill to sea level where we found the Stage Door Tap bar of the Queen's Royal hotel. The Stage Door has six cask ale taps and bar food is available every day.

By now it was almost 3pm but we were still able to take advantage of the bar food menu in comfortable and friendly surroundings.

Later, the 'stragglers' from West Kirby caught up with us here and found space on high tables at the other end of the room.

Framed photos comprising the 'all star gallery' adorn the walls of the Stage Door Tap.
The beer I enjoyed here was Hawkshead Iti, a 3.5% ABV NZ Pale Ale named after the Maori word for little and served in good condition.

Before leaving, the Stage Door's lovely Vicky humoured me by posing with a copy of Ullage, the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine, that I had brought with me to leave at the pubs we visited.

New Brighton lighthouse and Fort Perch Rock

From the Stagedoor Tap, I led one group to walk along the promenade to the Magazine Hotel while another group would head to the Lazy Landlord micropub by bus.
Immediately we noticed the New Brighton Lighthouse (also known as Perch Rock Lighthouse and called Black Rock Lighthouse in the 19th century) which is near to Fort Perch Rock built in the 1820's to protect the port of Liverpool.

About ten minutes later, after turning south to follow the west bank of the river Mersey we noticed the Black Pearl pirate ship / play project.

The Magazine Hotel

After about another ten minutes walk we reached the Magazine Hotel, set back from the promenade and in an elevated position.

A hat tip to Good Beer Guide blogger Martin Taylor who messaged me from @NHS_Martin on Twitter recommending a visit to the Magazine 'a Bass stronghold!'.

However, I chose a 'LocAle' pint from the other permanent cask ale on the bar - Brimstage Brewery Trapper's Hat. Taking advantage of the CAMRA discount, a pint cost £2.88.
The front bar has an unobstructed view across the river Mersey towards Bootle and Liverpool.

Knowing that Martin appreciates beer glass lacings as well as Bass I took a photo for this blog post with his readership in mind.
Music playing at the Magazine on this visit included Human by the Killers.

The Magazine is a multi-room pub but one additional photo which shows the bar must suffice for this post.
The light had gone from the sky when we left in time to catch the (last) 5.30pm bus (106) from Magazine Brow, opposite the Pilot Boat pub to Liscard. We decided to forego a visit to the Lazy Landlord and instead caught a second bus from Liscard to Woodside Interchange, our arrival point on the Wirral from the morning ferry.

Gallaghers Traditional Pub

From here it was only a three minute walk to Gallaghers Traditional Pub at 20 Chester Street, Birkenhead. The moustachio'd face on the pub sign references its former dual purpose role as a pub that included a barbers shop.

The frontage may be narrow but the pub stretches back a long way inside with two steps up to the bar area which is situated half way along.

Interestingly, the pub is decorated with bunting and a variety of naval and military uniforms, pictures and paraphernalia.

As grapefruit flavours appeal to me, I enjoyed a pint of Salopian Brewery Hop Twister (£3.30) here.

Glen Affric Brewery & Taproom

We left at 7.30pm to walk to Glen Affric Brewery & Taproom, less than ten minutes further up Chester Street.

Unlike Gallaghers Traditional Pub, Glen Affric was brightly lit inside.

There were no cask ales but a range of twelve Glen Affric beers served from a tap wall.

Faced with this wide choice it was easy to choose Hop Projections, a New England IPA, my current favourite style with low bitterness (20 IBU). For a 6.5% ABV beer this was reasonably priced at £3.75 for 2/3 pint. Music played in the Taproom appropriately included R.E.M. Shiny Happy People.

Thanks to tankard, I was privileged to be invited to join a table in a booth next to the brewery with Trevor McCormick and learn more about the family brewery that also involves his sons Craig and Calum and wife Alison.

Trevor McCormick (Photo: tankard)

I passed Trevor a copy of Ullage magazine mentioning that if features Wild Weather based in the West Berkshire CAMRA branch area. Trevor kindly offered a brief impromptu tour of the Glen Affric brewery and tankard and Mark were keen to take up his offer which included a look at the whisky barrels to be used for barrel aged beers.

After the tour we were also treated to a taster of some freshly canned beers - Payload Pale and Atomic Orange.

I had noticed that there was a Wild Weather / Elusive Brewing beer - Led Balloon - in one of the fridges at the Taproom. Some prior Facebook research had also showed that Iain Clarke of Wild Weather had been on a panel of brewers with Glen Affric's Angus Morrison at the #UKBeerDebate held at Green Duck Beer Co in Stourbridge on 2 December 2018.
Tornado Top Hat (banana split hefeweizen) and Thunder Trilby (grapefruit sour IPA) are previous Wild Weather / Mad Hatter Brewing Co collaboration beers. Angus Morrison was head brewer at Mad Hatter until October 2018 when it closed.
It was a pleasure to be introduced to Angus who is now Head Brewer at Glen Affric brewery later in the evening. Angus is an afficionado of Belgian beers and recommended a visit to Het Anker in Mechelen. In turn, I suggested a visit to Hof ten Dormaal.

Ss Brewtech pilot kit and Angus Morrison (Photo: Mark Geeson)

(In the months after this visit, Iain Clarke and Mike Tempest of Wild Weather would brew a collaboration passionfruit and mango sour beer at Glen Affric Brewery on 1 March 2019.)

A visit to Birkenhead's Stork Hotel had earlier been mooted but based on the latest reports from some who had visited the ornate pub before arriving at Glen Affric we decided instead to head back to Liverpool at 9.15pm.

Birkenhead Town Hall, eastern end of Hamilton Square

The Baltic Fleet

Our walking route from the taproom to Hamilton Square station was via Hamilton Square, the Georgian square that boasts the most Grade 1 listed buildings outside London (Trafalgar Square).
We caught a train under the river Mersey to James Street, the next station. From here we walked south, passing Salthouse and Wapping docks, to the Baltic Fleet at 33a Wapping.

The Baltic Fleet's unusual unusual triangular shape, with a curved apex facing north, provides plenty of windows.

It was busy inside but we found tables on the east side of the central bar near a warming stove.

My pint of Commando, from Southport's Parker Brewery was even better value when the CAMRA discount was applied (£3 pint).

Note the Northern style creamy head and appearance of the beer just after it had been pulled through a sparkler for dispense.
The Baltic Fleet was a good final pub of the evening where the knowledgeable bar staff were happy to answer our questions and provide information about local breweries.
At closing time we only had a ten minute walk from here back to our hotel.