Curiosities

Yesterday I met some friends from the union for a few drinks in Dale Street, Liverpool. We drank in the Vernon and the Ship and Mitre, both of which I've written about before. The Vernon was rather cold, and some of our group kept their coats on. The beer was too cold as well, but that may have been just the weather as it was bitter out, although I do recall the beer being too cold in September. I had a Cambrinus beer from Knowsley (this pub sells local brews and has Locale accreditation) and a Brains Reverend James.  The food in the Vernon is quite cheap - my chicken tikka curry with rice and chips was fine for £4-50 - but one curiosity advertised on the menu was beef burger on a sesame seed bum.

As the pub was being closed for a private party of 120 surveyors who were having a buffet and quiz, we moved down the road to the Ship and Mitre, the pub with the greatest range of beers in Liverpool. This pub was warmer, and the beer was just the right temperature. I found Milestone Dark Galleon, 5.4%, and stuck with that for the evening. Milestone Brewery is in Nottinghamshire. I seem to be finding dark beers that I like nowadays ~ perhaps there is a greater range of recipes being used. On the wall, I noticed a sign advertising a free bowl of scouse when you bought two drinks at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.

This pub was designed in the art deco style (see picture), but the inside was ripped out and modernised, probably (at a guess) in the 1960s or 1970s. A few interior art deco features survive, but mostly it's architecturally a bit of a mess, although the upstairs function room is a treat as it's not been altered much at all. Still, the pub’s worth visiting for the great range of beers; there's always something on I've never even heard of before.

The Ship and Mitre is about 5 minutes walk from Moorfields railway station, and the Vernon is half way.