Vernon Arms, Liverpool

GBG 2023 entry. Last review sums it up - slightly shabby un-chic. Busy on a sat afternoon and I'll put this down to the prices. A perfect Ossett White Rat had to be complimented by 2 packets of dry roasted to meet the £5 min card spend.

Single roomed high ceiling pub, seen better days but still pushing trad pub comfort

The Vernon Arms still remains a worthwhile stopping point on any Dale Street crawl. From the corner entrance, the front room slopes upwards towards a larger and more comfortable room at the rear. The real ale range is always fairly reliable. Brain's The Rev James is a regular beer. Guests were Coach House Christmas Pudding, Wychwood Bah Humbug, Ossett White Rat & Brimstage Oyster Catcher. The real cider is Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon. Still a Good Beer Guide regular and deservedly so.

Really enjoyed our visit to this 2019 Good Beer Guide pub. Our chosen beers were Big Bog Balmy Bog and Stamps Rum Porter, both of which were fine.

I wasn't expecting much before I opened the door into this tatty looking boozer, but was very pleasantly surprised to see seven handpumps, all clipped. I went for a rum porter called Gitone Zarack’s (if I’ve read my notes correctly, which doesn’t always happen) from Stamp’s Brewery, at £1.60 a half. A fairly ordinary and unpretentious bar faces you, and a bit of screening on the left suggests that there was once a snug in that corner. Furnishings are the traditional upholstered bench seating and normal tables and chairs. A shelf on the bar back sported a range of CAMRA awards; always a good sign. A doorway at the back on the left leads through an erstwhile entranceway to an area called the Latham Lounge, which is a bit more sumptuously furnished than the main bar. This is the sort of down to earth locals’ boozer that I like. Seven real ales helps enormously as well.