Cask Coach House, Liverpool

I think the last time I was in here, the venue was still known as the Hard Times & Misery. Now called the Cask Coach House and run by the award-winning team from the Cask micropub on Queen's Drive, this place has limited opening hours, but is still very similar to how it used to be. There is a very small bar area downstairs and a larger seating area plus toilets upstairs. The young barman was fairly chatty and knowledgeable. A couple of old blokes sat at the bar were trying to tell us about local Liverpool pubs given we said we had come from London for the day. We gave them the time of day, but we'd clearly been drinking in many more Liverpool pubs than they had! Just 3 real ales were on - Wily Fox Karma Citra & Third Star & Oscar's Top Dog. However, with so many changes in names and ownership, I can't help but feel that this place has lost its way a little. With its limited opening hours (not open until 3pm) and its slightly out of the way location, it is not particularly easy to fit it into any itinerary of Liverpool pubs. Nevertheless, if I am this way again late on an afternoon or during the evening, I will try to stop by.

Small trendy bar with seating outside and upstairs, the ground floor counter has three hand pumps two in use with Bens Brewery beers, one unused plus a few crafty keg taps.

Rebranded and much more obvious from the street than last time I was here, though inside is basically the same (don’t remember the big TV upstairs though). The music selection is great, numerous hand pulls, service good, but… I don’t know. I have been here several times during its various guises and never seen another paying customer. Plenty in at the shisha bar next door though.