The Wharf, Macclesfield

Not my first time in the Wharf, in fact I was here with Ray (see review below) in August 2015. Then as now I was on a crawl, in fact towards the end of a crawl, when note taking has lapsed into illegibility and brain cells are at their least able. I wrote no review on that occasion, and on my more recent visit my notes read, "Corner pub near canal. 4hp. Good beer." I'll expand on that last point to the extent that I know I had a half of Landlord, which I rated NBSS 3.5, but I've no idea what it cost as it was someone else's round. Note to self: must do better next time.

The Wharf has a seating area in the front left with banquettes and a fireplace with burner in the left wall. A U-shaped bar from the left wall serves this front seating area as wall as standing room to the right and a smaller seating area at the rear not dissimilar to that already described. Two dartboards are on the rear wall to the right and there is a small seating area front right. My visit was on a quiet Monday evening so there was little going on other than a bit of background music. I think the dart team must have been playing away. Standard and premium keg was available alongside five hand pumps, four of which were in operation. These were drawing Storm Brewing’s Force, Abbeydale’s Serenity, Pictish Brewing’s Galena and Bridge Pale. I liked it in here and plan to return at a busier time to see what it’s like.

Quirky pub on the ‘wrong side’ of the rail line. The interior is opened-out in a disjointed manner. There’s a pretty painted lower servery, wood floor and fabric patterned seating; red is the main colour scheme. Five pumps with an ambitious four cask on a monsoon Tuesday evening. My Osset Blonde was served in a silly goblet glass but just about passed muster (NBSS 3). Something about the place just didn’t sit right with me for whatever reason. The local CAMRAs like it, branch POTY in 2022 so I read and GBG23 listed. 6.5

A proper pub, with a real community feel - very busy on a Saturday evening, with live music (a loud pub-rock band, just like the pre-pandemic days!) starting their set when I was there. Opened out at some stage to leave a two-part U-shaped bar, with some further seating out back. Five real ales on handpump in a range of styles, with the Abbeydale Heathen (£3.70) catching my eye.