The Firkin Tap, Warrington

The Firkin Tap is a small shop converted bar with an L-shaped counter that supports a premium and craft keg selection, alongside Guinness and Asahi Lager. There are also four handpumps. During my visit last week one of these was unused which left Ossett’s White Rat, Dartmoor’s Jail Ale and Spitting Feathers Old Wavertonian as the cask ale options. The interior is J-shaped and the bar stool lined serving counter to the left of the entrance faces tables that run along the front windows. High tables run down the right hand wall that is covered in, what looked like, pallet wood. There is a television for airing football, but this was muted in favour of some background music off the jukebox. The impressive and growing collection of beer clips stuck on the walls around the windows show that there is an everchanging ale range. The service was very friendly and I liked it in here so would return.

I spotted three ales and an Old Rosie cider in here, it’s just a basic wooden microbar with loud pop music playing. I was the only one drinking the cask ale and to be honest it didn’t taste great. a very basic place, friendly enough though. I overheard that the owners are moving on and selling up soon so you’ll need to try it soon if you want to tick it off.

New(ish) micro-pub at the east end of Buttermarket Street, and being right in the centre of town one might imagine that it would be horrendously crowded early on a Friday evening. However, in these strange coronavirus times, it was pleasantly busy so no drama but glad to see it doing well. Apart from that, the main feature is the proper gantried bar counter with an amusing slogan above. With four real ales on handpump, I went for one of the regulars - Yorkshire Mild from Mill Valley Brewery (£3.10).

Visited yesterday (Thursday) around 5pm. Although described as a micro pub on here and on WhatPub, it really feels more like a small bar to me. There are four hand pulls for real ale, plenty of keg fonts and bottles of spirits at the back of the bar, with bottled mixers in the fridge. Wine also seems to be available. The real ale offering consisted of Doom Bar, Weetwood Cheshire Cat, a house bitter and Mill Valley Yorkshire Mild. Not the most exciting of line ups but there is at least a local-ish connection with Weetwood and Mill Valley both being Cheshire breweries. I couldn't see any clues as to who the house bitter was brewed by, which is always a bit of a red flag for me. On the keg side there were several Orchard Thieves ciders, the most interesting beer wise appeared to be by Goose Island and Beavertown - so again not exactly going all out in terms of excitement and adventure here. The place itself is pleasant enough, light and bright with big windows looking out onto what is the end of the pedestrianised shopping area. The bar had stripped back wood and there was plenty of seating, comfortable tub chairs at tables to the front and more canteen style tables and chairs over to the right and heading to the back of the establishment. Some customers seemed to think it was fine to take chairs from my table without asking first, and as I had a full drink and had only just arrived I could easily have been waiting for someone. Many customers seemed to be regulars as the barman knew them by name. One chap propping up the end of the bar had a striking resemblance to Frank Gallagher from Shameless, both in terms of physical appearance and sobriety. My Yorkshire Mild was £1.60 for a half, so the prices are reasonable, the beer was in good nick, but I would have welcomed a more interesting line-up. However it is early days, I think it has only been open a month or so, and the beer selection may well rotate in the future. It's a new business and I wish it well, especially as it is competing with Wetherspoons directly opposite, but I wasn't really that taken by the place and it was the beer selection that really let it down for me. Nothing to rush back for but I daresay I will end up giving it another go at some point in the future.