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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Detail Pages
The Ale Stop, Buxton
Buxton
SK17 6HX
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Strongers . left this review about The Ale Stop
The bar of the Ale Stop is found to the left where a short serving counter faces some seating along the large front window. The left-hand wall is covered in pop art and there’s a musical theme, I enjoyed the 90s Manchester scene music in the background. A decent collection of old pump clips are being amassed up the side wall of the counter that faces more seating found to the right. The locals seemed to prefer to ram themselves into the bar area, which gave me lots of room to spread in the right. A decent pint of Brew York’s Best was available alongside Intrepid Brewing’s Stanage and Solito Extra as well as Triple Point Brewing’s Citra. There were also two real ciders and I didn’t note any keg options. This is a basic place, but it’s welcoming enough so I’d pop back in if passing.
On 6th March 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5965 recommendations about 5931 pubs]
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Ale Stop
No ravers or loud music on our Friday afternoon visit, from the disco room in the corner. This pub does attract the local characters, who were all friendly and chatty on our visit and all liked a good sup of beer. The barman was proud of his feature wall near the bar, where he had glued a few hundred iconic images. He asked me to look for images of Fred Dibnah 35 in all dotted around the wall. Another wall away from the bar area, had a decent collection of pumpclips from all the beers sold over the last few years.
Four handpumps serving Little Critters C-Monster citrus infused IPA, Dow Bridge D.B.Dark, Bowland Boxer Blonde and Leatherbritches Voodoo Child.
On 21st August 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Pub SignMan left this review about The Ale Stop
This is a very simple micropub in a bare boarded shop conversion which affords good views across the Market Square. The servery is in the rear left corner and has a timber fronted counter and modern shelving bar back with blackboards to one side listing the draught range. The end wall has been painted red and decorated with a mad collage of pop culture icons and comic book themed bits, whilst a massive pump clip collection fills the wall space in the corridor that leads to the toilets. There are hard benches under the front windows with some basic chairs in support and the right-hand side of the room has been given over to more seating in the form of chairs serving small tables. The walls here are painted white, with a bare brick section at the far end, that boasts a low fireplace and some shelves stacked with books and records. A few cool old LP covers have been framed and line the back wall, nicely complimenting the soul and funk soundtrack that was playing in the background.
There was a pretty good ale range to pick from, with options amounting to Anarchy Citra Star, Acorn Plum Porter, Neepsend Gerovit and Little Critters Bentleys Bank plus three real ciders. My pint of Citra Star was very cloudy and not really my cup of tea and I found the reception a bit frosty and the modest crowd a little cliquey.
I came away from here with mixed feelings, as I thought it was a decent space to enjoy a few pints from their interesting range, but I didn't feel all that welcome and picked a bit of a dud pint, which makes it difficult to work out whether I'd return again or not. I think on balance, I'd be prepared to give this place another try, but there were several other pubs in town that left a more favourable impression.
Date of visit - 17th January 2024
On 3rd June 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Ale Stop
Two room friendly micro. Four pumps of mainly local small breweries and no keg. The decor is a mix of standard pump clips on one wall but old comic book pages on others along with framed album covers. There’s a small room to the rear which has audio equipment and shelves of vinyl albums. It has a log burner at the far end which was very welcome on a chilly autumn day. Mix of furniture but not in the dreaded “harlequin” style.
On 22nd October 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Ale Stop
Micropub (but not really as it has music, the choice of which was quite leftfield). Red and white colours with sodium style lights lending an atmospheric dimness. Three cask; my Acorn Winter (NBSS 3) and Stancil Jarrylo (3) were decent enough without being overly memorable. Neat enough, if essentially a tight local’s redoubt. Obviously GBG'23 listed.
On 8th March 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Ale Stop
A busy little micro with live music on when I called in. I could hardly see the bar let alone study the beer choice but whatever it was that I managed to point to was excellent! The music was also good with plenty customers having a bit of a dance. I really enjoyed it and would call again.
On 20th October 2022
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1821 recommendations about 1692 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about The Ale Stop
An atmospheric micropub, just off the main road through Buxton. Very busy on our Sunday, late afternoon visit. Pump clips and old album covers all around the walls. It looked like a few of the regulars had been out all day, so not one for the faint hearted. We managed to get the last available table and settled down to listen to the very funny, if un PC banter going on. 3 handpumps on the bar and my pint of Durham Hopbound was in good nick. We both liked this place despite, or maybe because of the boisterous locals.
On 22nd December 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about The Ale Stop
I was in Buxton on Saturday evening with a friend and we had planned to visit the Ale Stop. The first thing we noticed was there were quite a few people drinking on the street outside. This was a sign of things to come as the place was absolutely rammed. There was a full on rave going on with a smoke machine in the room off to the right. We managed to work our way to the bar, there are three hand pulls, at the time offering a selection of pale beers. A large blackboard is helpfully placed to the right of the bar which confirms the beers available. But on this occasion we decided it wasn't to be, as we couldn't hear ourselves think and there was no space at all inside so we would have had to retreat to the street and stand up with our drinks, which didn't particularly appeal. This may be a nice quiet micropub by day, but by night the experience it offers does not seem to fit with the normal ethos of a micropub. We decided to leave and try elsewhere.
On 17th June 2019
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 830 recommendations about 657 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Ale Stop
This micropub is opposite a church where the landlord has placed an A board with an arrow pointing to the pub labelled "BEER" and one pointing to the church labelled "NO BEER". Inside there is an area with the bar to the left and another area to the right. All the seating seemed to be low chairs and tables. It looks like the pump clip display had expanded as they seemed to be everywhere apart from the walls with the copies of album covers. As well as the predictable Beatles Revolver and Sgt Pepper, two long forgotten covers caught my eye, Freak Out by the Mothers Of Invention and Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company.
I forgot to write down one of the beers on but the other two were Exit 33 Hoptimist and Wild Weather Motorcycle Emptiness. I went for the Wild Weather beer (£3.20) which was excellent.
On 3rd July 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
custodian 42 left this review about The Ale Stop
Good place but could benefit from being a bit bigger. Three cask ales (I had 12 Apostles IPA @ 5% ABV) and a selection of cans & bottles in the fridge. No disco to be seen but the album covers and the pump clips were still there. Worth a revisit.
On 29th January 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1693 recommendations about 1691 pubs]