The Four Ashes, Waterloo, Liverpool

Another Waterloo micropub that I haven't been in for almost 5 years, this is probably the best locally. Although, it does feel a little more frayed around the edges when compared with the nice shining interior of the Old Tap just down the road. The toilet in particular was very messy. Somebody clearly has a very poor aim! On the cask ale front, there are 5. On my Saturday evening visit, they were Blackedge Dark Rum, Pennine Yorkshire Greens, Hophurst Raku & Spitting Feathers Special Ale & Brainstorm. The cider was Gwynt y Ddraig Happy Daze.

You really can't move around this part of the world without stumbling across a micropub, as I discovered when making my way from the Trap and Hatch to the Liverpool Pigeon and happened across this place on the way. It turned out that the pub had only been opened for a couple of weeks when I arrived in the first week of April and the place certainly had the feel of a very recent conversion. I don't know what the property was before it became a pub, but as I was sat there it struck me that it felt like I was waiting to have my hair cut! The pub occupies a corner premises with a tile floor and whitewashed walls throughout, which makes the room nice and bright but feeling very featureless at this early stage in its development. Frosted windows along two sides let plenty of light in and there is a good mix of seating available including wing back sofas, tub chairs and a few regular chairs, all of a good quality and all serving a mixed bag of table sizes. The large window sills looked they might also offer somewhere to perch should the place get particularly busy. The only decor of note during my visit was a couple of 'Four Ashes' signs painted on the walls and a few plain mirrors. A black bar counter in the rear corner stands beneath a set of blackboards listing all the various drink and snack options available to you. Some nice potted plants brighten the room up a bit and there was music playing somewhere in the background, but even with just three customers in, it was lost under chatter. The proprietors seemed like a friendly couple an had a good chat with the few of us in on a midweek afternoon, explaining that the pub takes it's name from the four members of the family who set it up. The beer range was certainly an encouraging starting point and I was able to choose from Bristol Beer Factory Twelve Apostles, Melwood Session Pale, Big Bog Morast, Raw JR Best Bitter, Neptune Amberjack and a beer called Sin Bin from an unidentified brewer. A pretty wide selection for a new micropub and it remains to be seen whether it is sustainable but I was happy to report that my pint of the JR Best Bitter was in great shape. Two real ciders were also available and there were two craft keg options from Purity and Red Willow. I found this place came across almost like a work in progress, very much in need of some bedding down time to build up a bit of character and a sense of place. I thought the beer here was very good and a wide selection to pick from will make it stand out from the crowd as long as quality can be maintained. The owners seemed like a well intentioned bunch and I really hope this place works out well for them - I'd be keen to give it another go a bit further down the line, as it was a bit too early to assess this time round.