Author: manchestercamra

A Conservative club has achieved a remarkable hat trick as it is judged Greater Manchester’s Club of the Year.

Flixton Conservative club at the corner of Chassen Road and Flixton Road is no stranger to awards, having been named top club by the local Trafford and Hulme Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) branch for a staggering five successive years. But despite a challenge from six of the best clubs across the region, an expert team of judges marked Flixton the Greater Manchester winner for the third year running.

Real Ale takes pride of place on the bar, with six handpumps dispensing a choice of beers. There are also two ciders or perry available.  Stewards Nigel and Sharon Porter have been encouraged by the club committee to promote beers from popular Greater Manchester breweries alongside beers from further afield. This spirit of adventure culminates on the last Friday of each month with a ‘Meet the Brewer’ event featuring ales from a specially-selected brewer. Continue reading “Top Tory club makes Manchester great again”

A Wigan pub opened less than three years ago has been crowned Greater Manchester’s Pub of the Year.

Wigan Central, the brainchild of the town’s Prospect Brewery has been impressing visitors since opening in the railway arch on Queen Street  adjacent to Wigan North Western station in December 2014. Owners Patsy and John Slevin saw the opportunity to provide drinkers with a rail-themed watering hole. Its success has seen a doubling in size as well as increasing its offer to include seven real ales, four craft ciders and an astonishing selection of beers from the UK, Europe and beyond.

Recognised by the Wigan branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) as its pub of the year, Wigan Central was pitted against eight other exceptional pubs nominated by other Greater Manchester branches. An expert team of volunteer judges drawn from the 9,000 members in the region visited unannounced and evaluated the qualities of each. They scored the pubs on a variety of weighted features including quality of welcome, value for money, community focus and – most importantly – the quality of beers and ciders. Continue reading “Wigan Central leaves the rest in its tracks”