99 Reasons, Manchester

99 Reasons is a small café bar with seating under an awning out front and then inside there is seating across the front windows before some steps lead up to the bar counter on the left wall that faces another bit of seating. My visit was early on a midweek evening when there was some background music playing. I spotted an advertisement for open mic on the upcoming Thursday. Breakfast menus still on the tables remind that this is very much a café during the day. The full English is £10, which seems like a lot to me. A chalkboard at the end of the bar lists the available draught, which is all craft keg. I counted eight fonts that were drawing such brews as Beavertown Neck Oil at £5.50 a pint, Deya TPA at £6.50 a pint and Hawkes Cider at £4.70 a pint. The friendly service made me feel welcome, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was drinking beer in a greasy spoon.

Visit on Saturday evening. As with other shop conversion type bars, it is quite small. There is a seating area to the front and the bar at the rear, but once all the seats are taken there isn't really much in the way of standing room. There are four hand pulls at the bar, on Saturday these were offering Hogan's French Revelation (cider), Tatton Blonde, RedWillow Headless and Blackjack Session IPA. Food was being served.

I ventured in here a while ago and was pleasantly surprised. Now normally, I'm one who begrudges paying over the odds for a pint,but on this occasion, I had no objections to paying £4.76 for a pint of really nice Dutch beer,the name I can't remember.Yes,this place is a bit pricey but the sheer range and quality of ales and lagers on offer make paying that bit extra more than worth it in my opinion.I shall definitely be calling in here again in the not too distant future.

Small double levelled moody cafe bar, lit with dim red lights and candles. The bar is at the top end, all wood floors. Four real ales of good quality. Bring a torch