Gardeners Arms, Stockport

The Gardeners Arms has a central bar that supports standard keg and Peroni alongside four hand pumps, three of which were in use drawing Deuchars, Brightside’s Odin and Beartown’s Kodiak. The barmaid had a real struggle with the pour of my half of Deuchars and I ended up with a very short measure. I didn’t see the point of complaining because I don’t think she had the capacity to remedy the situation and she already had a face on. The public bar is served to the left where there’s a mix of standard and high tables as well as a pool table and dartboard. The right-hand bar is larger with more comfortable seating. Televisions are found throughout the pub, Euro24 football was airing via BBC. Sky Sports and TNT Sport are both advertised. There was a decent sized crowd in to watch Spain go through to the final so there was a good atmosphere, but I’m not sure I would do the walk from town for a revisit.

On a pub research trip I had spotted this as my first pub as it opened at 11:30. At least, it was certainly open when I turned up at 11:37 on 7th December, and this was no coincidence, but maybe it was a Christmas thing - there was certainly a Christmas party going on - as when I checked before writing this, the pub is reckoned to open at 12 noon (WhatPub, Facebook and the pub's own website all agree for once.) It was so noisy in the front part of the pub that I took my drink into the sports bar-type room at the side and rear. My drink, a half of Greene King Yardbird, was not in good condition. The person who served me had struggled with the frothiness, but this was not the overexuberance of a beer that was still conditioning; rather, it was the final throes of a beer that has to all intents and purposes given up the ghost. I didn't want to spoil the party by making a fuss about it - assuming I could make myself heard or understood anyway. Just put it down to experience and move on.

Official site of Gardeners Arms - www.johnbarras.com

Official site of Gardeners Arms - www.johnbarras.com

The Gardeners Arms is still very much the same as when Alan paid a visit all those years ago.There were a few locals in drinking and chatting and the beer was from the nearby Robinsons Brewery although there was also Doom Bar to go at.