The Pumphouse, Liverpool

Not keen on this place. Was in town for business and stopped in here on the way to meeting colleagues in the evening. If you've been to a Greene King pub before then you'll know the setup. Bland and boring, no atmosphere and full of tourists.

Cold beer is never a good sign! Strangely, we were offered a choice of 'clean' or 'dirty' (to paraphrase) Greene King Generic Beer #1. Had one of each, the idea being that one is crisper than the other I suppose. Of course there was absolutely no difference between them.

I'm sure this is great if you have nowhere else to go...

26 Oct 2010 14:37

The Poste House, Liverpool

Work colleague and I must have found this place on a bad night. Only one real ale being served in a dingy downstairs bar, and it was without doubt the most vile thing I've ever had the misfortune to drink. That is no exaggeration as it tasted like a pint of vinegar. Saying that, they were happy to swap for a pint of John Smiths.

We then experienced one of the local ladies who 'entertained' us for more than an hour with her conversation. As enthralling as that wasn't, she was a genuinely nice person and bought us southerners a pint (of Carling, sadly). A diamond in the rough, perhaps. A phrase that might well sum up the pub itself too.

On the plus side, and coming from regular outings in Surrey, the prices were a welcome change!

26 Oct 2010 14:28

The Black Boy, Winchester

If there's a better pub than this in Hampshire I'm yet to find it. Probably the only place in the world where you will find a stuffed monkey statue wearing a kilt and hugging a donkey. The choice of beers and ciders is superb, and the atmosphere in the place is great. They've even got the food and menu spot on. The bar staff are friendly and, as mentioned before, quite easy on the eye!

Can't recommend the Black Boy highly enough - definitely my favourite pub.

11 Oct 2010 13:10