Casketeers, Manchester.

Yesterday I was meant to go and watch the new French crime caper A Prophet, me being late instead of the train - for a change (Pph) scuppered those plans, so if in doubt get the ale out.
I make no apologies for being a real ale geek, and it's been a while since I last mentioned it.
Manchester was foggy and there was a nip in the air. My Stansfield car coat kept me nice and toasty. Post match on a Man United home game everywhere seemed slightly busier than normal, a couple of usual haunts were forcibly swerved due to the volume of footballing tourists and the first port of call was the Knott, where a couple of very quaffable Manchester Bitter's 4.2%. From the outstanding Marble Brewery. Along with a pint of Salamander Cockfighter 3.8%.


Manchester's tallest building the Beetham Tower disappeared into a foggy skyline.




Next up I lost three consecutive games of pool as three pints of old fave Copper Dragon's Golden Pippin 4.2% gave me a rather hazy glow. Two quid went in the jukebox and an eclectic mix of The Style Council, Smiths, Van Morrison, Fleetwood Mac, Derek and the Domino's and the King himself provided the soundtrack. Finding a reliable place where I could belatedly check what score my team's game finished was the next task, a pint of Wild Hop O.P.A 3.8% was slowly guzzled as a goalless draw at Carlisle flashed up on the screen. Perhaps that isn't the best of results, but it's pretty welcoming when you've had fourteen points since what seems like the beginning of time and thankfully halts a God awful albatross of a losing streak, twelve in a row if you must insist.
The last pint before a hectic scramble for drunken hungry tit bits in Sainsburys and a pathetic jog for the late train home, was another of Marble's offerings a pint of Pint 4.3%, a lovely pale bitter.
The perfect antidote to the wet and miserable piss fest that is late January.