Ye Cracke, Liverpool

John Lennon's old watering hole and I'm not sure what it was like in his time but this pub hasn't changed for years. A nice feature is the 'Guest Ales' blackboard at the side of the bar which very rarely is in unison with what is actually on.

This is another Liverpool pub on CAMRA's Regional Inventory of pubs with historic interiors. Although this pub has been much changed, and expanded, over the years it does retain some original features. You enter into a very small room that was the original public bar. Around to the back of the servery is a much larger room, which is where I found the landlady and the pub's only other customer. Leading off the corridor that to some extent dissects this room is a very small snug, known as the War Room, and which certainly dates from the Victorian era. As you would expect, there's some Beatles stuff around the place, but I guess you could say that about most Liverpool pubs. There were four ales on. For some reason I didn't note them all, but I did note that I had a decent drop of Salopian Blond. I did have a conversation with the landlady on the merits, or otherwise, of the use of sparklers and she said that whenever she's in a London pub she asks for a sparkler to be used. Best of luck with that; or do London pubs keep a sparkler handy just in case someone from somewhere up north drops in? I'd be surprised if many London bar staff would know what you were talking about. Anyway, this seems to be even more of a locals' boozer than the other Liverpool pubs I had visited. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

Not immediately obvious or enticing, set-off down a small (and quite dark at night) side street. However persevere as inside it’s a characterful, multi-roomed, old school boozer. Plays on its Lennon connection (the Dissenters mirror in the far room is very nice). Also in this room is a modernist wall mural depicting a Georgian battle of some sort. Impressive jukebox with plenty of old school Indie and 60’s classics that was being pumped with cash. Décor is sparse and a bit knocked-about in places, though as a popular student haunt (nearby Art School) perhaps that’s to be expected. A decent ale selection - five in all - and my Preston Oyster Stout was fine. Also Old Rosie cider (at least). A nice buzzing atmosphere in here and it was voted Mrs Quinno’s favourite of the entire Liverpool trip.