The Petersgate Tap, Stockport

A modern bar (2016) in a nasty 60's building that has got a name for itself outside of the immediate environs. A younger persons vibe inside; red and blue walls, breweriana and, as mentioned below, has a bit of a continental bar feel. Six ales on and I plumped for the Hawkshead which was fine though probably heading towards the barrel end. There were also a good selection of keykegs (more Hawkshead!) and bottles, as to be expected. I also had a rather lovely pork pie for £2.20, made locally. I’m not normally a fan of modern bars but this one had a fairly comfy feel to it and I’d happily return. 7.5

Opened in the autumn of 2016, this is Stockport’s first micropub which, rather unusually for most town centres, has taken the place of a former betting shop. The pub has quite a modern feel, reminding me more of a continental bar rather than a run-of-the-mill micropub. The walls have mostly been painted in a deep shade of red and there are sturdy new floorboards throughout. The servery is positioned to the rear along the left hand wall and has a somewhat characterless modern counter and bar back. Standard tables and chairs with a few low benches run down the right hand wall, with a few more seating options under the large front windows. The walls have been decorated with a lot of breweriana including some nice retro posters for various brands and there is already a sizeable pump clip collection behind the bar. Stairs lead up to a first floor room which has plenty of additional seating which was no doubt much appreciated by the locals when the large Pubs Galore contingent descended on the pub en masse. Food is limited to some high quality pork pies and scotch eggs sourced from an award-winning local butcher. A large blackboard on the rear wall lists the full selection of beers available, with cask options on this visit comprising Northern Monkey Sheephouse and Underdog, Hawkshead Windermere Pale, Rat Hai Karate, Thirst Class Hopfordian and Ticketybrew BBQ Red Ale. My half of the Hopfordian was in pretty good shape and the barman was a very nice bloke who stopped to chat for a bit despite running the place on his own that afternoon. This is essentially a micro pub that’s not particularly micro and bends the ‘rules’ a little to accommodate live music, occasional hot food and a few keg beers, none of which detract from what is a great little place to enjoy quality beer. A great little pub all round and a good contrast to the plethora of excellent traditional boozers around town.

Compact modern bar housed in quite a dull-looking converted shop, with relatively plain furniture and limited decor so the servery is very much the focus of attention. Six cask ales in a variety of styles are on offer, and I went for the Northern Monkey Sheephouse pale (£1.60, half) which was in good shape. There are also four craft keg beers available, plus the famous pies... So, hardly a micro-pub, but with a similar ethos and actually rather better than I was expecting.