The Waterpudlian, Liverpool

I've visited here 3 times over the last month or so, twice with Ms CAMRA. A good selection of cask ales on the bar and a couple of box ciders. It's one narrow room that goes back quite a way. There's even a stage towards the front. Warning, don't stay around on open mic night as the last "singer" is a local and she was appalling. All the pints I've had in here have been very good and we'll be back here next time we're in Waterloo.

Along with Stamps over in Crosby, yesterday saw my second visit to Stamps Too. Only two of the six pumps were active at the time of my visit - Blackjack Milk Stout and something by Brimstage (may have been Sandpiper). This was pretty busy for 5:30pm and is obviously popular with a number of the people round the bar obviously being regulars. A nice relaxed atmosphere playing some nice 80s / 90s tunes. Not the smartest of pubs perhaps but definitely unpretentious and worth checking out. My half of the Blackjack Milk Stout was very pleasant and a reasonable £1.50. Whilst I was drinking this I noticed another couple of beers being pulled through on the pumps - these were Hophead by Dark Star and Oakham Citra.

The sister pub to the similarly named bar up the road in Crosby, this is a decent sized bar and live music venue in a shop converted premises opposite Waterloo station. The layout is very simple, comprising a deep but fairly narrow single room with an entrance porch leading you in. The room is carpeted and has a series of folding windows to the front which give it a bit of a cafe feel when opened out on warm days. High tables and stools run under these windows but soon give way to sturdy pews which run along the right hand wall, serving four tables with some chairs and low stools in support. Opposite, on the left hand side, there is a stage area with a crude graffiti style mural backdrop and a mixing board nailed to the wall. A couple of loose tables appear further into the room before the servery appears to the rear left with quite a smart counter and plain bar back. Lots of pump clips cover the canopy and run along an adjacent beam which has an Elvis Presley Boulevard road sign hung from it. A couple of banquettes formed into a booth opposite the bar round out the seating options and they have a large blackboard above listing all the upcoming live music events, which appear to be a regular feature on the pub's roster. Decor is fairly restrained but I did notice a signed Echo and the Bunnymen shirt to one side of the bar and a 'Photo of the Day' board on the other wall with some nice shots of the beach at Crosby and some copies of John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds and In My Life beneath. The pub was fairly quiet on a Wednesday afternoon, with a few locals enjoying some lively banter with the friendly landlord at the bar and another punter watching his picks come home at the Cheltenham Festival on his phone. The pub seems to be well regarded in real ale circles and there were five handpulls in action at the bar offering Dark Star Hophead and three from the Liverpool Organic Brewery - Liverpool Pale Ale, 24 Carat Gold and Cascade - plus Thistly Cross cider. The Pale Ale was a well kept drop that went down very nicely and the landlord seemed like a very cheery chap, welcoming to newcomers and happy to stop for a chat. This seemed like a pretty decent bar that probably comes more into its own during the evening, especially if there is a decent band on. I quite liked the vibe in here, even on a quiet afternoon, although the slightly unpolished shop converted feel may be off-putting to some. A solid place to find some interesting beer and a nice alternative to the local micropub fixation.