Baron's Bar @ Scarisbrick Hotel, Southport

Famous elegant baronial style hotel bar reached either by its own side entrance or through the hotel. A fairly lacklustre range from Moorhouses and Lancaster, not in good condition and the service was pretty poor too. Perhaps a case of living on its reputation at work here.

I suppose this hotel bar does have a hint of the baronial, but the effect is spoiled somewhat by the competing background music and non-silent TV. However, its reputation is based on the real ale; and - despite some suggestions from some locals I had met earlier that things weren't as good as they had been - I found a pretty decent selection of real ales from eight of nine handpumps. My pint of Lancaster Brewhouse No 2 American Hop was also in good form and excellent value at just £2.10.

Nice formal hotel bar accessed off the side street, has the feel of a gentlemens club in a British seaside town, a square room, formal with dimmed lighting and leather seats, though not posh in that way, more eccentric, its a nice fit. Nine real ales and very good prices (£1.99) its a nice place for a visit.