Beer Geek | Beer Blog Beer Reviews & Bar/Pub Reviews

I try not to drink too heavily during the week; it does nothing for my productivity the next day. But when I heard about Swedish brewery Omnipollo taking over Buxton Brewery’s Tap House for the day I just had to be there, despite the fact it was a Thursday. I don’t have a single favourite brewery but Omnipollo are always around my top 5 ...

It’s not been easy coming up with a shortlist for this regular ‘best beers’ post in previous months but this time has been particularly difficult. With another trip to Magic Rock Tap and the fabulous Grove pub in Huddersfield as well as a takeover by Swedish brewery Omnipollo at the equally excellent Buxton Tap House and finding an amazing craft beer bar whilst ...

When I planned a trip to fine-dining restaurant Van Zeller in Harrogate I initially intended to drive. But upon realising there’s a ‘Tap’ in the train station it was no longer an option. As a huge fan of both Euston and Sheffield Tap it was the obvious place to start the weekend. I knew it was a wise decision form the moment I walked ...

Following in the footsteps of Blackedge Brewery, Bolton’s latest microbrewery ‘drink up brewing’ (aka dub) are also from the small town of Horwich. I’d tried one of their first beers, dubSUMMER, at Great Ale a few months ago and was keen to try more after hearing exciting talk of IPAs, Gose and wheat beers. The perfect opportunity to do just that was ‘dubfest’; part launch ...

* Read about the 2016 BrewDog AGM here. * Q: What do you get if you cross a beer festival with a street food event and a rock/pop concert? A: BrewDog’s annual Punk AGM.  Okay, there was about 45 minutes of an actual business presentation too, but in typical BrewDog style they’ve turned what for most companies is a boring corporate event ...

Following on from last months inaugural ‘The Best Beers I Drank In… JUNE 2015‘ here’s the next in the ongoing series. July was another great month with trips to Huddersfield to the new Magic Rock Tap and Leeds, including new BrewDog venture ShuffleDog and my second visit to Northern Monk Refectory. I also got through a lot of fantastic bottles ...

It’s no secret that I’m a pretty big BrewDog fan, they were the first brewery to make me take notice of proper beer so I’ll always have a soft spot for them. Unlike many of their fans, I don’t think they’re the be all and end all of beer. But they do brew some very interesting and good quality beers. Not just the ...

May saw the first ever ‘Manchester Brewery Expo’, a collaborative event held over two days by eight Manchester craft breweries. I couldn’t make the Sunday when three ‘Green Quarter’ breweries – Marble, Blackjack and Runaway – opened their doors for tours, tastings, talks and of course, drinking. But I attended the Saturday where five Piccadilly (ish) breweries did their best to replicate the Bermondsey ...

I know I promised not to review every beer I drink, and I stand by that. But I did want some sort of reference to the best of them. There’s Untappd of course but it’s not so easy to refer back to. So I decided to make a regular feature, cleverly named ‘The Best Beers I Drank In… <insert month>’. It’ll ...

Despite being a pretty big BrewDog fan (and AGM attending shareholder) I was a bit disappointed when I heard about their new beer Born To Die. The uber hoppy double IPA is designed to be consumed super fresh and comes with an expiration date just 35 days after bottling. I know what you’re thinking; ‘Don’t Stone already do that with their ...

Pretty soon it’ll be quicker to make a list of ingredients that haven’t made their way into a craft beer than those that have. Recent years have seen beers containing everything from the relatively normal green tea, blood orange and yuzu to the slightly more adventurous peanut butter, bacon and cucumber to the frankly quite ridiculous, including an actual margarita pizza. Rogue ...

The Marble Arch Inn is a special place. Situated on Rochdale Road, a short walk from Victoria Station in what’s now known as ‘The Green Quarter’ it’s one of the oldest pubs in the city, dating back to 1888. The beautiful Grade II listed building retains much of its original Victorian fittings; mosaic floor, exposed metal and tiled ceilings. From the moment ...

Unless you’ve recently come back from the moon or have been living under the proverbial rock you can’t have missed Cloudwater Brew Co’s arrival. Manchester’s newest brewery haven’t exactly introduced themselves quietly. They’re not starting small with borrowed equipment or in somebody’s shed as most new craft breweries do. They’ve gone out and bought themselves a brand new, state of ...

Since beginning my craft beer journey a few years ago my tastes have gotten increasingly more elaborate (and expensive). While at first I was happy with the best that local breweries had to offer, I now can’t resist seeking the biggest and best beers from the UK and beyond. There has been one constant throughout that time though, Marble Brewery. As arguably Manchester’s finest ...

It’s hard not to get excited when one of your favourite UK breweries teams up with a BBQ champion to host a one off event at one of your favourite restaurants. It happened in March when Solita held a kitchen takeover to launch the sale of Beavertown beers in their restaurants. I’d have been up for it anyway had they ...