Gallons of real ale...hic

Having run (@LymmFood) a Twitter account for a few months now, I have become aware of a few changes to the pub scene in Altrincham and Warrington.  Whilst I love visiting the hostelries in Lymm it is nice to go further afield occasionally.  Determined to find out more, I contacted a few ale loving friends and set off to find out more about the Warrington ones on Saturday.

We have all been to the Lower Angel on Buttermarket Street before, and love it.  (lowerangel.co.uk)  It is one of those lovely old pubs which still have tiles on both the exterior and interior, and it boasts an in-house micro brewery, The Tipsy Angel.  What's not to like?!  They generally have a range of light, medium and darker ales on offer to suit a range of tastes. 

For that reason, we decided to go to 9Gallon first (9gallon.co.uk) - located near the Cultural Quarter. 

 

 

 

The thing that strikes you as you enter is the blackboard chalked up with up to 10 real ales on tap.  There were ciders in casks, a wine list and a large selection of whiskies too.  We felt the beers were very well-kept, but some were slightly too cold.  We really enjoyed being in this kind of bar in our local town.  It has a cosmopolitan feel but isn't too modern.  The only downside to the venue, was the level of noise.  As is popular with bars these days, it had no soft furnishings, so the noise just bounced around the room. 

 

Overall, it was good to return to our favourite Lower Angel, and to try out a new place.  We would all return to 9Gallon, but perhaps on a different night when the noise levels may be lower.  It was a shame that 9Gallon wasn't supporting any of the local breweries this week.  It would be good if they always have at least one ale out of 10 from the Cheshire area since we have so many great ales to celebrate. 

 

Lisa Reid