Where’s the beer?
In between gigs at the Southport Jazz on a Winter’s weekend festival I went hunting for real ale in pubs I don’t usually go to in an effort to broaden my horizons and escape the attentions of an amorous German.
At the Wellington, on Eastbank Street there was no cask, just 3 other customers and a lingering smell of sweaty peas. Over the road at the Ship, there was also no good beer, a handful of aggressive drunks crouched over journeyman lagers and some old doll desperate for conversation. I made a sharp exit.
Both pubs had Sky Sports on, for which they will have paid handsomely. So why not invest in some proper beer, eh? Maybe then you’d get some customers.
Defeated I slunk into a packed Baron’s Bar, where there was a massive choice of good ale. I tired a pint of Whingers’ Bitter (£2.05) from the George Wright Brewery of St Helens/Rainford.
Aggressively hoppy and strong at first sip (probably brewed that way in a shut-your-mouth nod to the name of the beer), it has a sharp, fizzaway after-taste that sounds unpleasant but wasn’t bad.
With time a-wasting, I headed back to the Arts Centre and the brilliant Southport Brewery bar, where I’d enjoyed a couple the day before while watching Arnie Somogyi’s Ambulance give a breathtaking double set of modernist bop.
Cursed be all the names of the devil, the last pint had just been sold. “I knew I should have got another barrel in” said the bar-keep. Too bloody right, thinks I, settling for a bottle of Spitfire with tears in my eyes. Dozens of others were equally disappointed.
After the gig I decided to stop off for one last drink at Ainsdale’s Railway. Despite sometimes having three cask beers on, there was none when I arrived, with the barkeep giving the now usual, but still insane, complaint that customers are drinking it too fast.
With my dander up, I decided I’d walk up to The Sands, where there is always good Moorhouse’s ale on offer. But half way there, I remembered I was closer to the Arion, that unusual 60s style pub/restauraunt on Kenilworth Road.
There were three cask ales on offer there, all usual suspects, but welcome nonetheless: Jennings, Black Sheep and Deuchars.
I went for a Black Sheep, which wasn’t memorable but did the job.
Today has taught me is that Southport is crying out for more real ale, but most pubs can’t get their heads round the fact.
No wonder trade is down.
Some of the Southport Brewery’s pumpclips
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It’s like that old joke “You are the 2oth person today I’ve had to tell there’s no demand for real ale in this pub!”
Tandleman - February 4, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[...] For folk’s sake – where’s the beer? You will not be surprised to learn that there was a large number of beer fans at the fantastic Folkport folk festival at Southport arts centre this weekend, which put on a real ale bar as it had done with the recent winter jazz festival. [...]
For folk’s sake - where’s the beer? « The Southport Drinker - February 11, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I used to work in the Freshfield/Hogshead many moons ago under the scary eye of maureen with Les cowering in her shadow, and know many drinkers go out looking for real ale. However.. I now work in the Welly (different licensee to when you went in last year) and I personally don’t believe there is a massive market in this particular pub for real ales. I’ve been wrong before (just once admittedly..) but as much as this pub is getting more popular week in week out, I personally don’t see it as the mecca for real ale drinkers – ever. The Welly has identified its market and caters for them. There is usually one guest bitter on but it’s not what the majority of customers come in for.
barmaid - May 18, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Think that’s a fair point, barmaid. I used to like the Welly a few years ago for it’s characters. However, I still think they could mop up some business by putting on an unusual real ale or maybe one from the Southport Brewery. I notice that Leo’s is now going down this route.
southportdrinker - May 19, 2008 at 9:09 am