Wolf At The Door, Manchester

Very lively atmosphere on the Friday night I visited and the interior decoration is interesting and colorful. This is definitely a venue for the younger crowd. It gives the impression of trying to be slightly bohemian but feels like a commercial copy of something else, I can't quite put my finger on it. It would have been nicer if the one hand pump in here actually had an ale on it, or the bar person serving could actually have been bothered with me trying to purchase anything interesting. I can't imagine how this place even got in The Good Beer Guide, perhaps it was on off day. If your passing pop in, apparently when they do have a cask ale on it is usually a nice one, but no need to go out of your way.

I don’t know what this bar is like during the day, but during the evening it becomes very raucus and lively. This is the sort of bar I wouldn’t be seen dead in in London, but there again a bar like this in London would never have a decent ale on – but this one had on Kelham Island Best when I visited the other evening, which is definitely an ale worth drinking. For some reason I quite enjoyed my visit here; I wouldn’t say that it’s a must visit bar by a long chalk, but if you’re looking for a lively venue then this one is worth a punt.

Odd Bar is part of a small Manchester grouping (alongside Odder, on Oxford Road, and Oddest, in Chorlton). I've been to Odder, and against my better judgement always thought it was quite reasonable, stocking a couple of decent ales. There was just one in Odd on my visit - Abbeydale Aledritch (£2.95) which was in fair nick. Odd is in much the same vein as its little sister, with bright colours, funky lighting and a vaguely scruffy film-poster decor. Its not bad, and probably one of the better ones in this part of Manchester city centre, but I think I prefer Odder, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.