This is not a definitive list of best beers in Manchester, or best beers by Manchester breweries, this is a list of MY favourite pints, that I can get in Manchester.
Aye, there are hundreds of pints I can get in the best city in England, but these 5 are beers I know will be available on a Saturday when I ‘m out boozing (except one, but we’ll get to that later).
These are 5 pints that hit the spot every time, and make me go back for more, again and again, and sit within the city centre of Manchester.
After many hours mulling the list over I decided the only way to showcase them all would be to go on a crawl, and drink all 5 in one day.
That is what this blog is.
I dragged along illustrator extraordinaire and glassware aficionado Dave Bailey to accompany me, as he was intrigued by the idea, but mostly because he is one of the few people I know who doesn’t mind starting a full day of boozing at midday. We met on Market Street and after a belly-lining Greggs we headed over to the first pint.
Holt’s Black, Certain Holt’s pubs
Now here in lies the first problem with this list. Holt’s Black is not available in every Holt’s pub in Manchester City centre. On a previous occasion I had tried to get Dave to try a pint of the black stuff in The Hare & Hounds and Lower Turks Head, both of which serve Holt’s beer (the latter being an actual Holt’s pub, and the former just serving Holt’s Bitter it seems). Yet neither had Black on draft.
See I had first tried Black only a few months ago at The Ostrich in Prestwich, thanks to Cafe Beermoth‘s very own bar manager, Big Cal. He had harped on about it a few times, and so when I got the chance I tried it, and loved it. It became my go to at my local, The Cleveland, another Holt’s pub just down the round from my house. Thus I had assumed every Holt’s pub did it. Unfortunately not.
For the purpose of this crawl then I had to do a little research to see if a Holt’s pub in Manchester served Black. I logged into my dusty, unused Untappd and searched ‘Holt’s Black’ then scrolled down for the last Manchester City centre check-in. Boom, Jan 6th 3.25 rating from (Marvel-villian sounding) Constantine X at The Crown and Anchor near Selfridges, a pub I had never been in.
That’s where we headed at about 12:15pm. There was slight apprehension in the air though as we pushed open the pub’s door. A check-in from a week before doesn’t mean the beer is on permanently, and actually Constantine X’s super-villain power may have been adding the wrong beer to Untappd, anything was possible. As we reached the bar and searched over the pump clips we saw a warming sight right at the end of the keg lines, Black was on! I kept in an inward cheer, but Dave raised him arms in ecstasy and gave a loud ‘Yes!’, or that’s how I remember it anyway.
The Crown and Anchor is a typical pseudo-upmarket pub with varnished chairs and tables, and beige pattern carpet. It also appears maze-like in its seating arrangements. So as we carried our pints to an available table the Dad of a family of four came out of nowhere and reached the table at the same time as me. Seeing the steely determination in his eyes, and the fact he was already directing his family to sit down, even though my hand was on a chair, we opted to concede and sit somewhere else. That somewhere else was right next to a wall of black and white portraits shots of British actors, the late John Thaw being one of them. No reason given to why these pictures were up, none of them were taken with Holt’s staff in Holt’s pub, maybe it just classed up the joint, and distracted from the multiple TVs showing the Premiership game that had just started.
Anyway the beer, if Anspach and Hobday’s ‘London Black’ is the southern heir to the Guinness throne, then Joseph Holt’s ‘Black’ is the northern one.
Thick, rich, roasty, malty, it fills you up, but leaves plenty for more as the more you drink the more you realise its secret weapon; it’s only 3.4%. So sessionable. Multiple pints go down easy. It’s become a quick favourite in a very short time.
Price wasn’t a factor in the list but Holt’s keeps their beer affordable, even in the city centre. For two pints it was £8.50. At The Ostrich in Prestwich, two pints of Black will set you back £6.90.
An interesting marker for the next beer on this list.
Guinness, Mulligans
Easily the best pint of Guinness in Manchester, maybe the best pint of Guinness outside of Ireland. Whatever your thoughts on this beer, you gotta admit it bloody looks good. And the Mulligan’s Guinness looks the fucking best.
We made the short walk over to the pub, and even at 12:45am, we were a little unsure if we’d get it. Reputation has grown and grown for this place, and you’re lucky to get in at most times of the day, but it’s worth it. As we walkthrough the red doors there’s no spare seat in sight and the bar area is nicely full. It’s seems almost sarcastic when the bar staff ask ‘What you drinking?’ as the place has become so synonymous for one pint in particular, ‘Two pints of Guinness, please’ is usually the reply. I then make an hilarious crack to Dave and ask if he wants a pint of Forged instead and we both laugh so, so heartily.
As the bartender spends a good 30 seconds inspecting the glasses before pouring, Dave and I give a knowing nod to each other. Mutual admiration for a lost art. The glasses are good to go though, and the two-step pouring begins. Apparently decent pints come to people who are patient, and we watch the two pints settle with baited breathe.
Now for the one downside of this beer; paying. Two pints of Holt’s Black in the pub near me, £6.90. For two pints of Guinness in Mulligans £13.80. So it’s feasible to get two pints of Black for the price of one Guinness.
With prices like that though you’ve got to ask yourself one thing; ‘Is it worth it?’ and the answer after paying and taking that first sip is always ‘Yes’. You’ve all had Guinness, I’m not going to describe it (mostly because it’s fairly indescribable), I’ll just say this is a very, very good one (and we didn’t even attempt to split the G.) They look after it so well at Mulligans. Bores will tell you there is no difference, Guinness to Guinness, don’t listen to them, there is. And you can taste the difference at Mulligans.
Tank Bar Intermission
I had planned to do the Top 5 beers in one single run. Five different locations, five superb pints. Yet Dave had other ideas, and mentioned that The Oast House had just installed Budweiser Budvar tanks. It was close by so we walked over.
I hadn’t been in years, with the last time being when I’d taken back a pint of Jaipur for tasting like watered down vinegar. (I dont take back beer lightly ok, I’m not that much of an arsehole.) It seems since I last went they have just kept building randoms things around the original structure. A triangular brick stage, at least I think it was a stage, fire pit, angular covering for outside seating, and the most noticeable of all, a ‘shanty town’ as Dave called it. An outside/inside space that was once two yurts that they then they just haphazardly expanded with a big wooden building around the yurts. I’m sure it’s very structurally safe, but the planks of wood look stuck on with PVA glue. It just looks a bit shit. Especially on a drizzly day.
Inside the main bar area (thankfully made of brick), it’s all exposed copper piping and singed wood panels.
We spy the Budvar tanks in the corner. Big bright white things, the look like the Acme Corporation made them for Wile E. Coyote to try and blow up Road Runner. We order two pints of it and sit outside next to the ‘street food’ add-on building with no prices on the menu.
The beer tastes a bit flat, wasn’t poured great, and is pretty underwhelming. We sip them as I sit perplexed by the place and as to why the lad near us wearing a McLaren gilet. A discussion on tank bar begins though and we both decide we need to compare and contrast this with the tank Pilsner Urquell at Albert Schloss round the corner.
(Oast House isn’t bad, it’s just not for me. How it’s survived being surrounded by Spinningfields I’ll never know, but I’d rather it be there then some faceless glass fronted bar saying its craft because it has bottles of Brooklyn Lager in the fridges. At least Oast House is trying.)
I don’t think I’ve ever been in Albert Schloss before. I’ve tried it’s just always bloody packed. It feels and looks like Oast House in a broad sense. Same exposed copper piping, brickwork and ‘original’ tiles, but Schloss is way more up market. Cleaner, more legit. We just about find a seat and sit down with our tank Pilsner Urquell. The place is rammed, and reminds me of somewhere all office parties would go for their Christmas-Do. It is ‘nice’, and has lots of options for everyone, but it’s also bland and sterile. Dave and I decided this is where your brother-in-law/sister-in-law likes and insists your family goes to when you go for a meal. They talk about their new-build and their cockapoo, while you endlessly try to chime in with ‘well, actually what you’re drinking is tank beer…’.
Both agreeing Pilsner Urquell tank beer at Schloss is way better than the Budvar tank beer at Oast, we also agree we have no idea of the benefits of pouring straight from a tank. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
My favourite thing about Albert Schloss though was the decorative tankards all round the place; stuck down and filled with cement so punters couldn’t nick them.
Enough tank beer though. It’s was time to get back to the top 5, and for our first pint of cask.
RedWillow’s Feckless, The City Arms
Not Pictured: Redwillow Brewery ‘Feckless‘
Here lies the second flaw with this list; Redwillow ‘Feckless’ isn’t always on at The City Arms, it’s on a lot, but not always. So as we shuffled through the little saloon doors I prayed to the dray gods that we’d see the green pump clip staring back at us. Alas we did not. That was fine though, I told myself, it gives this list a bit of jeopardy, a little game aspect. Gotta Catch ’em all! You can’t just get what you want all the time, and that makes the times you do get it all the more special.
A very acceptable substitute though was the pint of ‘Katsura’ we had, a collaboration from Thornbridge and Five Points. A cask red ale that went down real smooth with some bacon and scampi fries.
A little on Feckless though. It’s the best modern bitter. So fun and enjoyable to drink, but one you don’t have to think about. It’s consistently on point, especially in The City Arms, and is always THE go-to pint when it’s on. Many a-time I’ve been ready for home, happy with my day’s boozing, when ‘one last pint’ is whispered round. Then it’s off to The City Arms. Despite a gut full of beer that pint of Feckless, is always welcome. It’s easy drinking at its bitter best, without having to tone down on taste. It’s a solid pint for solid drinking, and I love that.
The top 5 had deviated a little here, but we powered on. With the next pint on the list not even being a pint.
Sidenote: My Dad went into The City Arms the day after we’d been in and he’d enjoyed a lovely half of Feckless.
We had missed it being on by a day.
Balance Brewing & Blending’s Saison De Maison, Balance Taproom
No, it’s not a pint, it’s 2/3rds of a pint, but hear me out; it FEELS like a pint. That glass is damn heavy.
Since the Balance Brewing and Blending taproom opened last year I can’t get enough of their Saison De Maison on draft. Here’s another point that flies in the face of this list; the beer changes. As Saison De Maison is their ‘House Saison’ (it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure that out) they have different blends on all the time. And will continue to have different blends on forever more. That is why as we entered their lovingly decorated railway arch we spied two different blends on tap. Blend 5 and Blend 2. As we were deciding which to go for, James, one half of Balance, kinda jokingly said ‘why not have half of each, make it a Blend 3.5?’ Not one to look a gift horse(blanket) in the mouth I agreed for both me and Dave, and that’s what we got. A special one off blend of Saison De Maison 5 and 2. The 2 had actually been aging in a keg for a year so we did feel a little bad, then we tasted the 3.5 blend and we had no regrets. Fresh, and clean, spritzy with a little apple maybe. After the heavy beers we had previously that day this felt light and refreshing. The saisons Balance are doing are always so chinnable.
The stocky glass is basically a pint (in my mind) and so it makes the list no problem. A big jug of saison that keeps me coming back over and over. I can’t wait for it to continue to evolve and grow over the coming years.
It was time for the fifth and final pint in my top 5. By location you’ve probably guessed where we went next. This beer had to be on the list.
Track’s Sonoma, Track Taproom
Probably the most obvious choice of all my picks, but it’s just so bloody dependable. Like some old slippers; aye I’ve had um a for years, and I could try something new, but they’re comfortable and reliable and satisfying.
A lot has been said about how good Track Brewing’s taproom is, and it’s all correct. One of its main pulls for me though is I know I can get a pint of cask Sonoma, and I get it every time. So much so, the excellent Track Taproom barman Al, started pouring one for me as I walked in the other week. To which I had to embarrassingly say ‘Erm can I have the Sonne lager instead please, because that’s the name of a Rammstein song? My mate will have the pint of Sonoma though.’ What a dickhead I am. I always wanted ‘a usual’ and when I get one I choose something else. Muppet. Anyway, Sonoma is a modern legend that I will continue to drink as long as it’s being made.
Dave and I sat by the pump clips at the end of the bar, with our dimpled mugs of cask Sonoma and felt content with the world, and it was tasting particularly on form that day. So much so we got another right after. Washing down our Slice Culture pizzas.
Conversation is a blur at this point. We had pinted well, and with delicious pizza in our bellies we stumbled on for a good few more hours at various places, but that’ll be for another time.
That was my Top 5 Manchester Pints (atm).
Let me know if you agree, or think I’m full of shit.
Have a think about your own favourite pints near you. One’s that you go back to whenever you can. Those pints are the glue that holds together a day of boozing. Don’t take them for granted as they you may rock up to your favourite spot one day and they’ll be gone.
I’m ready for a pint now anyway, cheers.
Pints Of Cask Make You Strong 
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