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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Waters Green Tavern, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
SK11 6LH
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Old Boots left this review about Waters Green Tavern
GBG listed pub in brewers Tudor and older brick, L shaped interior with the counter inside the front left corner of the building. The interior is part traditional with off white anaglypta and traditional furniture but semi stripped to a worn look. The counter is in a sort of short plank finish but it has eight hand pumps, half in use during my early evening visit, Townhouse, Storm, Titanic and Mallinsons being on parade plus some possibly craft kegs on a low T-Bar, there was one from Salt. Good quality as expected given its GBG status. Banquette seating throughout with stools or wheelback chairs at wooden tables, proper carpet, mainly beery and old photo decor and an open fire in a deco fireplace add to the pleasant semi traditional ambience. Music from local radio.
On 13th February 2025
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about Waters Green Tavern
This lively community local had been recommended to me by a punter in another pub I'd visited earlier in the evening, and it was absolutely packed when I rolled in late on a Tuesday night, in stark contrast to almost everywhere else I'd been to around town. You enter into a carpeted main bar area with the servery to the left and a good seating area to the right. The bar has an unimpressive timber fronted counter and white shelf, mirrored bar back, which has been given some character by a great Toby jub collection as well as a few other ceramic knick knacks. An amazing display of framed pump clip collections covers the canopy and some ancient looking CAMRA certificates are hung from the opposing beam. Pew and chair seating fills the area to the right, with a tiled fireplace on the end wall under a large, plain mirror. More seating can be found to the rear, including lots of low stools, but this part of the pub is dominated by the dartboard on the back wall, which renders the right-hand side banquette useless when a game is being played, and is flanked by some trophies. From here you can move through to a rear right room, dominated by a pool table with very limited seating around the perimeter. Pop tunes were fighting a losing battle to be heard over the general cacophony of a full house.
Such a crowd needs a good draw, and the ale range seemed to be a plausible contender, with Fyne Ales Jarl, Oakham JHB (£4.00 a pint), Bass, Abbeydale Deception and Ossett Superdelic all on handpull. The bar staff were very nice and seemed to have a great rapport with the locals as well, which would also help bring punters through the door, and my JHB was pretty much faultless, so they clearly know how to look after their ale.
Whilst this probably isn't the sort of pub I'd normally be drawn to, the cracking atmosphere and great beer made this a very pleasant visit. I think there were more people in here than in the five previous pubs I'd visited combined, so they must be doing something right, and with a location opposite the station, it would be daft not to pop in and give it a try.
Date of visit - 16th January 2024
On 12th May 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Strongers . left this review about Waters Green Tavern
The Waters Green Tavern has a bar counter to the left of the entrance and L-shaped seating up the right. On a recent Monday evening Greatest Hits Radio was being piped through some very low quality speakers. Three of the eight hand pumps were in operation drawing Fyne Ales Jarl, Abbeydale’s Serenity and Acorn’s Barnsley Bitter. The landlord wasn’t there when I walked in so one of the regulars served me. Made me feel like a bit of a criminal to be honest, wouldn’t put my half on the bar until I had handed over the money. I think he thought I was going to down it and run out of the door without paying. I’ll not be returning.
On 11th March 2023
- rating: 2
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Waters Green Tavern
Standing in splendid isolation due to clearances. Fairly dull L shaped pub inside; wine coloured fabric bench seating, a modern wood plank bar and a few old prints. Log fire on the go. Three cask, the Barnsley Bitter was undrinkable, replaced by a below-par Abbeydale Moonshine (NBSS 2). Only two other customers. Not hard to see why it's no longer GBG, looks like there’s been a change in Der Management?
On 20th February 2023
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Waters Green Tavern
Located somewhat on its own near the station, following clearance for redevelopment, this is an unexpected pleasure. The mock-Tudor facade encompasses an alehouse-style interior with plain furniture and limited decoration. On the beer front, I found five real ales available from the eight handpumps, with a good range of styles from smaller breweries, and I went for the Caskade from the local Whim Ales (£3.60).
On 5th July 2021
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Waters Green Tavern
Good Beer Guide 2019 Entry.
Very traditional pub - multi-roomed, with separate Pool table.
Plenty of Cask choice - all with little jam jars so you could get a feel. Barnsley Bitter in good condition.
Visit Blogged: http://bit.ly/2U9fMNa
On 26th March 2019
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Waters Green Tavern
A very neat ale house, very popular with the locals. The place was really buzzing on our Sunday afternoon visit. The bar is to your left as you enter and there's a small area just past the bar where cards and doms were being played. There's another seating area to the right along with a pool table. Lots of B & W pictures on the walls and a fine selection of ales on the bar including a real cider. Both the beers we tried were in very good condition. We'll definitely call in this one again.
On 5th March 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Waters Green Tavern
An excellent pub. Serves 7 real ales. An L-shaped room with a pool room to the rear as you walk in. A beer yard is out back where you can admire the managers car.
On 15th July 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about Waters Green Tavern
As described below this is an old school pub with the emphasis on beer choice and quality. I paid two visits here, once just before Saturday afternoon closing time of 16:00 and again when they re-opened at 19:00. Inside it is a carpeted open plan room with the bar on the left as you enter. On this were seven hand pumps with one unused and a cider leaving Dark Star Hophead, Osset Pridewood Progress, Deep Vale DV8 Stout, Acorn Barnsley Bitter and Kelham Island Pale Rider.
I went for the Hophead (£3.00), the DV8 Stout (£3.10) and the Pale Rider which I think was around £3.50. All were in excellent condition and the Hophead was outstanding, far better than the pint of it I had last summer in their Partridge brewery tap.
My biggest gripe with this place is that it stops serving at 15:00 weekdays opening again at 17:00 and 16:00 weekends opening at 19:00. I really don't see the point of that at all especially on a Friday and Saturday. It's still well worth a visit (if it's open).
On 26th January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Waters Green Tavern
The Waters Green is the established real ale venue in Macclesfield which is now facing more competition on the beer front than previously.
It's a traditional pub, centrally located just around the corner from the station but inside it feels more like a comfortable and lived in local than a town centre pub.
The welcome from behind the bar was friendly and the knot of drinkers at the bar melted away with good grace when they realised our urgent need for ale. It's an amiable atmosphere with many exchanging greetings on entry.
There's a wide range of beers on over the 7 handpumps which were on our visit: Allgates Tutti i Cencelli Tipo, George Wright Pipe Dream, Ossett Yorkshire Blonde, Acorn Barnsley Bitter, Buxton Kinder Stout, Pheonix Arizona and Dry as a Desert cider. Everything I tried was in decent condition and the Kinder Stout was surprisingly good but there wasn't anything there which would have prevented me from moving on.
A comfy spot for a quiet quaff.
On 23rd October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 683 recommendations about 682 pubs]