The Borough Arms, Crewe

It doesn't look much from the outside,but this is a mecca for the real ale drinker.The side entrance leads directly to a section of the bar with a very wide range of keg taps with many continental lagers and foreign beers,so you have to squeeze around to the side counter to view the nine handpumps on the go.There was a wide range of both styles and strenghts and some leading microbrewers featured on my trip with two from both Dark Star and Sarah Hughes.All pints sampled by the crew were in top condition.There is a small brewing operation here but none of the house ales featured on our Saturday evening trip. The interior is quite modest and winds around the servery,with a small back section to the right of the entrance.Breweriana covered the walls and a long bench behind the handpump bar was popular with the locals,with a good mix of age groups.It has a proper boozer atmosphere,friendly and with two attractive barmaids enough to perk up any old soaks.We had intended to crawl around the other 2014 GBG entries for Crewe but this pub was so good we felt there was no reason to move on.A must visit when in Crewe if you care about well kept real ale,a fine example of a thriving community local.

Edge of town real ale pub, simply a must to visit. Nine ever changing cask ales, many Belgium and continental beers on, many more seciality bottles. Does not do food but this pub is just so friendly and welcoming, a top quality pub.

Visited in May 2010 Enterprising free house situated just outside Crewe town centre close to a road bridge over the main railway line. Outside, the pub advertises itself as offering "Traditional real ales and Belgian beers" and tells us that it was established in 1867. There's a comfortable, but rather unremarkable, single bar interior which has low ceilings, but has a reasonably light and airy feel and is decorated largely with German/Belgian beer posters. Stairs lead down to a lounge bar below street level and a pleasant outside drinking area. Although the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide tells us that the on site Borough Arms Brewery is "now brewing regularly", disappointingly, none of their beers were on when I called in on a Sunday evening. My disappointment was tempered somewhat by the splendid range of other real ales on - 9 in total - beers from Box Steam, Blakemere, Banks and Taylor, Breconshire, Bushy ( IOM), Manchester Marble, Abbey Ales Restoration plus 2 from Hopback. The Abbey Ales Restoration - £ 2.60p - was a fine, light coloured hoppy pint. The pub is in the 2010 CAMRA Good Beer Guide and is South Cheshire Pub of the Year for 2009. Crewe doesn't strike me as one of the nicer towns that I've ever been to, but I'd be happy to call in her again, irrespective of whether their own beers are on or not. Finally, do note that the pub doesn't do lunchtimes between Mondays and Thursdays, not opening until 5pm on those days.