Johnys Micro Pub, Stoke-On-Trent

This has only been going since last summer and seems to be doing well as it opened at 16:00 rather than 17:00 on my Thursday visit. It's a fairly typical shop conversion micropub with low level tables and chairs. There was some quiet music playing but the TV was turned off. There were four beers which were Bass, Dancing Duck Indian Porter, Fyne Jarl and Adnam's Ghost Ship. I went for the Indian Porter (£3.00) which was first class. This is an excellent addition to the two older pubs over the road.

Opened in July 2016, this is Burslem’s second micro pub after the Bursley Ale House and is run by some of the people behind the Marquis of Granby in Penkhull. This place is very much set-up in the traditional micro pub format, set as it is, in a shop converted unit and thus providing a simple single room space with a small servery along the far end wall. The room is fitted out with dark floorboards, purple walls and plenty of good, sturdy tables, chairs and pews down the right hand wall and through the centre of the room. There isn’t quite enough space for a third row of seating down the left hand side, so a single high table and a long drinking ledge have to make do. Lights hang from wires strung around the ceiling with various model birds perched along its length. The walls have been decorated with some smartly framed photos of the local area, cabinets full of spirit miniatures and a helpful blackboard listing the beers that are expected to appear in the coming days. Elsewhere, you can spot a TV screen next to the bar which remained off during my visit and a nice collection of mugs lined up on the bar back. There was a good crowd in on a Saturday evening, creating a lively atmosphere which Burslem’s larger traditional pubs were unable to replicate that evening. There were four hand pumps in operation dispensing Corkes Gold, Weal Moor, Titanic Steerage and Staffordshire Hoppy Bitter. A few keg taps offered some interesting alternatives to the usual mainstream suspects and there were plenty of cider and perry options in boxes stacked in the fridges. The genial landlord found time to have a quick word with most customers and poured me a well kept pint of the Corkes Gold. This is a good example of the micro pub concept done well and it was satisfying to see this reflected in a packed out pub. Places like this add some welcome variety to the local pub scene without compromising the quality or selection of beer available, thus making this an essential port of call for anyone enjoying a pub crawl in the area. I hope this place continues to do well and I look forward to a return visit some time.