Waters Green Tavern, Macclesfield

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).

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

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.

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.

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).

This has been a long standing ,old school ale house which for years has featured in the GBG,it's still in the 2013 edition.The interior is now open plan and carpeted with the bar running down the left hand wall and two seatings areas,to the right a large banquette with a real fireplace,to the rear more bench seating and a dart board above another fireplace.To one side is a seperate room with a pool table. The eight handpumps extend to the end of the bar besides the entrance lobby which can make seeing what's on a bit tricky.However there is normally a good range with quite a few Locales and not too many national brands. The interior may be dated and a little worn but this gives it a warm cosy feel and it retains a boozer atmosphere unpolluted by food service,muzak and oppressive flat screens.Clearly The Tracle Tap and Wharf have upped the real ale competion in town and for a Friday evening the pub was quieter than I have known it,but it is well worth including on any ale tour of Macc.