It’s Beer Day Britain today, when folks like the Campaign for Real Ale and the British Beer & Pub Association get together to big up our national drink. The annual event, which was created by award-winning beer sommelier Jane Peyton, is a chance to celebrate the best brews in the land.
At a time when breweries in the UK are under pressure like never before, it’s more important than ever to be drinking pints. Well, that’s a decent enough excuse anyway. To celebrate this day of fine ales, how about heading out on a tour of the places which champion Manchester’s fantastic craft beer and brewery scene.
Below, you'll find our guide to Manchester's great pubs and taprooms.
READ MORE: Join our new WhatsApp community Manc Life
Cloudwater
Kick off at the beautifully appointed Cloudwater tap room, on what’s otherwise an unlovely trading estate at the back end of Piccadilly. There’s lovely furniture, great snacks and, most importantly, some of the very best beer in the world (not hyperbole).
Unit 7-8, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester M1 2NP
Track
Quite literally over the road from Cloudwater is the Track brewery’s tap room, another airy and pleasant space to sip some spectacular beer just a few feet from where it’s actually made. It’s got a great secret beer garden too.
Unit 18, Piccadilly Trading Estate, Manchester M1 2NP
Sureshot
A slightly more recent addition to the Manchester beer scene, Sureshot has made a big impression very quickly, and with good reason. These fresh IPAs, pale ales and stouts are superbly good, not to mention their eye for lovely can design.
4 Sheffield St, Manchester M1 2ND
Pelican
Formerly the Beatnikz Republic brewery bar (sadly no longer with us), Pelican is now where Manchester’s Squawk brewery is showing off its fine plumage. A great little spot, with great beers, great music (including an open decks night), board games and the occasional movie screening.
35 Dale St, Manchester M1 2HF
Port Street Beer House
Port Street has been at the forefront of the city’s craft brewing scene for over a decade now, championing Manchester’s best up-and-coming beer makers early on as well as some of the best known breweries in the UK. A pillar of the indie brewing scene.
39-41 Port St, Manchester M1 2EQ
Marble Arch
The home of the Marble brewery, this stately pub is surely one of the city’s most treasured hostelries. The pub’s floor slopes all the way down to the bar, leading you by gravity to the fine ales it serves up from the classic Marble Pint to its infamously punchy Earl Grey IPA. The food is also magnificent.
73 Rochdale Rd, Manchester M4 4HY
Bundobust Brewery
End the evening with a visit to the Bundobust brewery, and perhaps some late evening gujarati delights to go with some superlative beer selections, some of them brewed on the premises in the huge fermentation tanks you see on the way in. Like the super Manak cream ale, which is a hard jar to beat.
St James's Building, 61-69 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6EQ
Read next:
