I really liked this place and would say it's the best pub in crewe (which isn't hard). Anyway great range of beers and bottles but the chubby girl behind the bar is surly and has zero personality. She threw the pack of crisps on the bar towards my girlfriend and didn't thank us for taking the glasses back. Send this wiman to charm school or replace her with a traffic cone.I was in here last month and what a lovely unusual surprise. Very welcoming staff, lovely laid back atmosphere, good beer, and very good selection.Vying with the Borough for range of continental beer, but seems a bit cheaper. Not at all a traditional pub, quite reminiscent of bars I've visited in Belgium (hello Brugse Biert'je). Not been full when I've been in but seems well frequented. A beacon in the dross that are most of the pubs in Crewe

As many others have said, a beautiful building converted into an unusual pub. Whitewashed, bright and airy, it was was lovely and cool on a blistering day. Eight real ales on offer, all knowledgeably described by the enthusiastic barmaid. Spitting Feathers dark Velvet mild was a fine choice. Imaginative, reasonably priced menu (grilled mackerel was lip-smacking). A very pleasurable experience.Great place. Reached from the street by a set of steps, the large room has stone floor, very high ceilings, and a fantastic atmosphere.

Some of the best ale we discovered in town. Really well kept, and good quality.

Bar staff very friendly and helpful.Far and away the best pub we found in Chester.

A good 7 hand pulled pints. Of course, I had never heard of any of them. Staffed gave recommendations and a decent pint of Smoked Autumn was had.

But it's the building you really want to go in for. How often do you get to drink in a mediaeval banqueting hall? Superb.

This lovely old building in it’s canal side location houses then very good Old Harkers Arms.

Our 2nd pub after the Cellar Bar and even though it’s busy it’s nowhere near as packed as the Cellar was.

Large inside with the bar directly in front of you as you enter and 2 large seating areas on either side.

On the bar are 9 hand pumps with 9 different ales on. With all this choice I opted for a few pints of Weetwood’s Cheshire Cat @ 4.0% which were very good. There are a number of real ciders available from direct in the cellar as well as a selection of decent lagers. Quick service from the many bar staff every time I went to the bar.

Loads of pictures on the walls of many different subjects, including several of the local area.

We stayed for a couple of hours, the atmosphere in the pub was really good with a good mix of punters.

Food available but I only saw desserts being served.

Good location, Lovely building & a cracking pub. This clean and tidy canal-side pub features the cliche of some book-lined walls but others bore an eclectic pictorial mix of sportsmen, birds, old adverts, cartoon, bygone actresses and buildings of interest. I had the Brunning and Price Bitter, which was perfectly serviceable and the Brimstone Rhode Island, which was not so much to my taste. The latter was not fault of the attentive barman who had offered me a sample of these and the four other real ales on offer. Didn't eat but the food looked interesting if, like the beer, pricey. Clearly part of a chain, but a superior chain - Brunning and Price is no JDW.Nice canal side pub, with a traditional feel.

Good selection of ales (see blackboards for beers and notes). Food here was good, with efficient pleasant service.

More classic 'public' and 'lounge' style than on last visit. Plenty of ales on in good nic'.Absolutely fantastic with passionate staff who care about the ales excellent.Another pub on the Manchester road, but only halfway up the hill. Fairly long and thin, but with hardly any windows facing the main road. Like many Stockport pubs, on entering you are presented with a choice of “bar” and “vaults”. The vaults is done in red and white, and features wooden beams, some arches to separate little enclaves, and mixture of seating types. [ It was fairly full, so I had to settle for a high stool and a small round table ] The bar is lighter with more communal seating, though I was only there briefly.

The pub advertises it serves 14 beers, and I see no reason to doubt their claim. However, not all pumps can be seen at once. I chose Fyne Ales Lowlander, which was OK, but disappointingly didn’t have a picture of a South Notts bus on the pump clip !

8/10 – would be the best pub in town in many places, but not this one !

THIS PUB HAS GONE SERIOUSLY DOWNHILL !! No more popping in for a quiet pint, there are now no less that four large screen TVs blaring out Football, totally dominating all corners of the pub. Whats more it is watched by the type of clientele that , when you point out the match is destined for a nil-nil draw, urge you to “keep the faith” ! I could have won £10 in a bet, but instead downed my half of Hydes Manchesters Finest in one, and walked out.

I will not be going back to this place, and I’m not the only one. After leaving I saw another ex-regular coming out of another pub !
I popped into The Vine one Friday lunchtime on way to rail station. I have to say first impression it was one of the best pubs I've ever been in. The staff were friendly and welcoming as were the locals, and I had 2 lovely pints of Manchester bitter.. There was a lovely ambience about the place and I was just sorry I couldn't stay longer. I will next time! Visited on Xmas Eve and the place was rammed full of happy punters sporting naff yuletide jumpers! Ales sampled were good and strong. One of Natwich's better pubs.

RE rating. Yes, before I posted my review there was one rating giving it 4/10. It's MUCH better than that !

However, my maths reckons "quadrantfour" gave it 10/10 - which is almost as inexplicable. Is it really the best pub in the country ?Three of us called in The Beer Emporium on 2nd March, 2015. An excellent and varied collection of bottled beers, as well as four hand-pulled beers on the short front-end of the bar as you enter.
Owner Steve himself was behind the bar, he is a very friendly and knowledgeable chap, exactly the sort of person you'd want to be in any bar or pub which you visit. He will also pour bottle-conditioned beers for you if you're a bit out of practice. A few locals called in as well, just as friendly and made for a relaxed atmosphere.
An excellent and varied selection of beers, we took turns to select three bottles, and then pass them around between us to maximise our beer-sampling experience.
We enjoyed the three hours or so we spent there, will definitely go back again, it's too good to miss.
Very highly recommended.
Just one thing about the page for this pub - it's rated at 5.5 out of 10 by two reviewers before me - could only find one review giving 7 out of 10.
This place is in a bit of a flux. When I first visited 3 or 4 years ago it was a (very good) bottle shop. Then they pub some seating in, and a couple of beers on handpump. Now they have installed a large bar, and have 4 beers available on tap. Unfortunately, this has been at the expense of the range of bottles, which now only take up about half of the space they originally did. [ I kept looking to see if there were more hidden somewhere !]

I didn’t fancy any of the beers on tap (which were very similar), so I had a bottle of Watermill Dog’th Vader and sat at the bar. Both clientele and barstaff were very sociable.

7/10 – certainly worth a visit.