Crown Hotel, Liverpool

Visited back in March on a Friday daytime. Seven hand pulls at the bar, all on, not with a mega exciting line-up (TT Landlord, Landlord Dark, Doom Bar, Tribute, Wainwright, Bass) with Jack Back by Stewart Brewing being the only one tempting me. This set me back £2.30-ish, so not outrageous especially considering the location near to the station. The building itself is a very traditional, grand old place, tiled floor with bare boards in front of the bar, a mirrored bar back with green tiles in the centre, showing the pub name and that it was established in 1905. There is an old fireplace with a wood burner, not in use at the time of my visit, an arched fireplace with old tiling, mirror above and wood panelling along the rest of the wall. The ceiling is very impressive, white/cream with gold highlights. My first time in here (as far as I am aware) and I couldn't help but be fascinated by the interior. No sign of food in the main bar but a dining room was signed to the rear - spotted on my way to the toilets, which were clean and pleasant. Could easily be an 8/10 for me with a better beer line-up, but well worth a visit just to marvel at the interior.

Another Liverpool pub that I've been to before but somehow missed reviewing for this site. I'd forgotten how beautiful it is, one of many in Liverpool, and said as much to the lass who was serving me. She agreed with me on both points, and I'm glad she hadn't become blasé about it, as can happen with the grind of a long shift behind the bar. Speaking of which, there was a decent and varied line up, though mostly well known national brands: Landlord, Titanic Plum Porter, Salopian Shropshire Gold, Doom Bar, Bass and a new one to me, Attic Centro Session IPA. I swerved the Attic and went for the Bass, and I'm glad I did, as it was not only the beer of the day (NBSS 4.5, £3.90/pint), but probably the best Bass I've had since I started doing beer scoring. Not to mention one of the cheapest pints in Liverpool, and it's right next to the station. This has got to be a must visit if you're on a train that stops at Lime Street.