A magnificent seven Southport pubs and bars have been included in the prestigious 50th edition of the Good Beer Guide.
CAMRA’s premier publication highlights the very best pubs to find a great pint in the UK.
This year the 2023 guide includes three venues in Southport town centre, one on Duke Street, two in Hillside and one in Birkdale – although none in the northern end of Southport.
Award-winning author Laura Hadland has showcased the local beer highlights across the North West of England and highlights the fantastic array of 535 pubs to visit across Liverpool, Chester the Lake District and Southport, as well as towns off the beaten track such as Chorley.
To order your copy, visit https://shop1.camra.org.uk/product/the-good-beer-guide-2023/
BIRKDALE
Barrel House
42 Liverpool Road, PR8 4AY (01704) 566601
2 changing beers (often Parker, Salopian, Southport)
Micropub that opened in 2014 in a former newsagent’s, and still sells the daily paper.
It owed its creation to a new Sainsbury’s supermarket that gave the owner the idea to change his business.
The pub is now an Aladdin’s cave of wonderful bottled beers, wines, loose-leaf teas and specialty coffees. It also sells two real ales on handpump, usually from local breweries including Southport, Parker and Salopian.
HILLSIDE
Grasshopper
70 Sandon Road, PR8 4QD (01704) 569794
8 changing beers (sourced regionally; often Heritage, Salopian, Peerless)
Micropub in a row of shops close to Hillside train station. It opened in 2016 in what was a Martins Bank branch until 1978; the Martins logo was a grasshopper.
There is outdoor seating at the front and a secluded beer garden to the rear. Eight changing real ales and six real ciders are served.
Local CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year 2022.
Pines
3 Hillside Road, PR8 4QB 07454 453090
2 changing beers (sourced regionally)
An attractively decorated bar in what was once a hairdresser’s in an area that previously had no pubs or bars but now has two award-winning outlets.
Two handpumps offer a varied choice of beers, served alongside a selection of bottled ales. Sandwiches are delivered daily. An outside seating area at the front is popular in the warmer months.
The bar can be either quiet and relaxing or noisy, depending on the time of day. Dogs are welcome, with treats available
SOUTHPORT
Beer Den
65-67 Duke Street, PR8 5BT (01704) 329007
2 changing beers (often Parker)
Southport’s newest micropub, set up by the Parker Brewery, serving two of its own beers on rotation plus two guests.
Two German lagers and an American IPA on keg complement the range, alongside a carefully chosen spirit and wine selection. In warmer weather there is seating outside at the front.
No food is served but the pub is happy for customers to order takeaway from next door.
Guest House
16 Union Street, PR9 0QE (01704) 537660
Caledonian Deuchars; Ruddles Best Bitter; Theakston Best Bitter; house beer (by Caledonian); 2 changing beers (often Bank Top, Salopian, Southport)
Located close to the station and Lord Street, this listed building has an impressive frontage and an interior with three separate wood-panelled drinking areas.
There are 11 handpumps, one of which serves a beer from a local microbrewery. A wide range of malt whiskies is also stocked.
This quiet, traditional pub attracts a mixed clientele. It hosts a quiz night on Thursday and an acoustic folk club on the first and third Mondays of the month. There is seating outside at the front and a courtyard to the rear.
Local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2022.
Masons Arms
4 Anchor Street, PR9 0UT (01704) 534123
Robinsons Dizzy Blonde, Trooper; Titanic Plum Porter; 2 changing beers (sourced nationally)
This small pub is tucked away behind the town’s former main post office and close to the railway station.
The only Robinsons pub in Southport, it has new tenants, and now has five handpumps, providing more choice in town. A roaring log fire makes it an ideal winter haunt.
The interior has been revamped with wood-panelled walls, and it has a small roof garden.
Tap & Bottles
19A Cambridge Walk, PR8 1EN (01704) 544322
4 changing beers. A micropub in the arcade between Chapel Street and Lord Street, next to the Atkinson Centre. It serves four real ales from a wide variety of producers, with a preference for North West breweries.
A huge range of bottles is also offered, not all of them real ale. A cheeseboard is available all day. The staff are knowledgeable on beers both cask and keg.
CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales, and the best outlets to find them in across the country.
“The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers.
“Whilst we experienced a boom in the brewing industry over recent years, it’s clear that the effects of COVID-19 and subsequent cost of living and cost of goods crisis has been keenly felt. I’d encourage everyone to use this Guide to seek out the very best examples of pub excellence and support these locals by visiting them.”
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
