Owen's, Manchester

Paid another visit on Saturday night. Two cask ales are now available, at the time of my visit these were Thornbridge Sequoia and Five Points Railway Porter, priced at £3.10 and £3.30 a pint (though I can't remember which way round). Seven craft keg beers were also available from a range of breweries. It was fairly busy at 7:30pm on Saturday evening, though not completely packed out and there were a couple of tables free. There is also a row of stools at a drinking shelf in the window, though when all the tables are occupied I imagine these would be difficult to navigate to. I'm always slightly nervous about going back somewhere I enjoyed, in case it isn't as good as I remembered and I'm left feeling disappointed, but I am pleased to say this was far from the case here and I would be very happy to pay a return visit.

The Assembly opened a few months ago and offers 8 craft keg taps with an interesting and ever changing selection. I visited on a Friday afternoon in May and the chap behind the bar was friendly. I was the only customer in at that point, but as a fairly small establishment I imagine it gets rather busy at weekends. The Assembly has recently had a cask hand pull installed, with the promise of a cask ale coming soon. At the time of my visit I had a Choco Choc Choc porter by Mad Hatter, which was superb. I'm normally all about the cask ale but this place is worth a visit even before the cask ale makes an appearance. The Assembly is an Untappd Verified Venue and active on Facebook and Twitter, for those wishing to check out the beer menu before making a visit.