The Brewery Tap, Liverpool

Part of the Cains brewery site, in a rather downtrodden part of Liverpool. I don't think I'd want to be walking around here at night. It's a pretty basic one roomed boozer with a couple of raised seating areas to the right as you enter and tables and chairs dotted about the place. A few decent bits of wood and glass that are probably remnants of it's previous incarnation, but it's certainly nothing special inside. On Saturday all the handpumps were on the go with the full Cains range available including the seasonal. I had a pint of the IPA which was good and the other half had a glass of rose wine that she thought was much better than she expected. It's OK but it's not the best Cains pub in Liverpool.

Part of Cain’s magnificent victorian tower brewery, occupying a corner of its massive bulk. A traditionally styled interior with some stained glass, decent woodwork and a good coffer ceiling. These are the remnants of its former incarnation as the Grapes. There are big, modern, etched windows advertising Cains but looking a little out of place here. It is decorated mainly with Cains advertising and brewery artifacts, that is mirrors, framed beer labels, paintings of the brewery etc, and a display of merchandising available at the bar. Sadly for a brewery tap the beer quality isn’t up to much, the full range of Cains on the eight pumps plus four more keg taps are available. Doctor Duncan’s is a much better flagship for the company. It seems to have a local following as a pub rather than just being a tourist destination like any number of breweries "visitor centres", on the other hand the punters seem to be mainly bar-flies.