What was planned as a trip to Macc's Food Festival turned into a very pleasant tour around some of Macclesfield's growing gaggle of micro bars - the Food Festival that had already been moved from earlier in the year due to Covid was unfortunately cancelled (not sure exactly why?) after I had bought some well priced train tickets so we decided to take a trip anyway - Macc is a place we use to visit a bit when we had a canal boat but we had not been or some years and is a place you tend to wizz through on the train etc - its a valley based town where rail, river, canal and road all squeeze in along the bottom of the valley - but in terms of rail and canal make it a great place to visit as it is a matter of minutes to the town centre - there are three pubs directly opposite the railway station- didn't visit this time but all get a decent write up on What Pub
Queens - Josephs Holts
The Old Mill Stone which is adjacent to the Nags Head a Robinsons pub - the Nags is also next to Maccs Whitby like 108 steps up to the very prominent Church which dominates Maccs heritage skyline.
There are also two very good newish micro bars with 5 mins walk of the rail station and the others are fairly close.
This journey started off in Titanic's BOD on Stoke railway station - based in the former 1st Class waiting room this small venue has only recently emerged out of lock down
It was busy as Stoke City had an away game at Derby - God knows how all those fans got on the Bus on wheels that runs the Crewe to Derby service - but it was all good natured - Limited choice at the bar - sign of recent reopening or a wider beer shortage that still seems to be around (Brexit, Covid and lack of lorries) my Titanic beer of choice would now be a White Star unless its really dark and cold and them Plum Porter - went for my old favorite Iceberg which was on good form if not a little frothy - also took the opportunity to pay for my + 1 for the Titanic 1st Class day in October - normally a great day (mainly due to the free beer and food)
Unusually, hadn't done a great deal of planning for this trip - quick look at What Pub highlighted that there were quite a few entries for Macclesfield - had hoped to be pottering around food and drink stalls at the Food Festival - The Rugby Club in Macc appeared to be running a mini food and beer festival so that could be a possibility - but having played there a few times knew it was a bit of a hike from the town centre - they only place i had looked up was the Treacle Tap a micro bar just down from the station so we decided to head their and then just how the fancy took us.
Boarded a very busy train heading towards Manchester - lots of City fans (not from Manchester of course) off to their game with Southampton - its only 14 mins to Macc so we were soon heading out of the station and into a very Sunny afternoon
Treacle Tap is a great micro bar - unfortunately has had to remain pretty closed over lockdown as it is micro - a former Saddlery shop its good to see it open again - was quite quiet on an early Saturday lunch-time but looks to have a range of interesting events on throughout the week - book clubs and even a Stitch & Bitch session! A bit early for food for us but the only other couple in were having some very good looking pies which appear to be a house specialty. I started with a very nice pint of Roosters Buckeye - wasn't long ago that I was supping this at the brewery on one of our MalTravAle podcast away days and ten followed up with half of Bristol Beer Factory Fortitude - an English Bitter - seen quite a few of their beer around and about recently the beer rep must be doing good business. Got very excited for a minute when I spied a couple of local camra Ale guides - one of the other things that Covid seems to have killed off - however these were heritage copies both pre covid - still it was nice to have a quick flick through - just like in the olden days!
Really enjoyed our time at the TT - the name by the way relates to an old nickname for Macclesfiled - Treacle Town - though I always thought Silk men (as with the football team was the towns alter ego) ((and have also heard Nuneaton called Treacle town as well) - the legend suggests that a wagon full of treacle overturned at the top of the towns hill and treacle ran down the streets and was scooped up by the towns folk. Macclesfield's other claim to fame include the birth place of bread makers Hovis, David Dickenson (orange TV Antiques expert) both Bryan Redhead and Nick Robinson of radio 4 Today fame, footballer Peter Crouch, cricket legend Aggers, Yachty Olympian Sir Ben Ainslie (Maccs a long way from the Ocean) and Mr Methane AKA Paul Oldfield the world's only currently performing flatulist!
A bit more research identifies that the Treacle Tap is part of the Beer Parlours group and they have a second similar venue in a former Toy shop in Congleton - the Young Pretender - one that's gone on the top do list!
From the TT we walked up into town and started to look for some lunch - had had a quick trip advisor search in the TT - Macc appears to have lots of small independent restaurants and hardly any chains - lots of tapas style places lookd good and we made our way initially to Tempranillo which unfortunately wasn't doing lunch but looked nice and a couple of 'authentic' beers on including Alhambra. Just across cobbles on Maccs Church Street (think the Hovis Hill) is Salt Bar - a Scandinavian themed cafe bar with some beery option - I plumped for a Swedish Back yard Brewery Shedhead - an American Pale and this very nicely washed down quite an interesting
Scandi platter - very different but we did quite enjoy
Heading back up the cobbles - with a view down top the station on our right spied the Wet Led bar that looked a good place for a final drink before heading back to the station and home
and next door a very inviting traditional butchers that had a fine display of pork pies in the window - of course one was duly purchased and I did very well of not eating till the following day.
Heading back up through the Treacle Market and ubiquitous classic northern town hall our next stop, on what was now a very sunny and warm afternoon was the Five Clouds Tap and Bottle Bar
The Five Clouds Tap is next door to the Beer Vault looks like both venues have clubbed together and persuaded the council to let them have an extensive run of outdoor seating - looked like you could sit anywhere and both bars were doing table service - as it was sunny all the out door seats were taken but we got a very nice window seat in the Five clouds tap - a good range of beers - so much choice that I could decide and plumped for two halves instead - a Polly's Pale and a North Brewing American Pale - an enjoyable half hour was spent people watching
Final stop was back down Church Street to the Wet Led yet another shop converted micro - which was pretty rammed for a Saturday afternoon - where a fine pint of Ossett White Rat was downed, down the cobbles and back to the station and Stoke where there was just time to tick one more off my pub must visit list -
A Yorkshire pint in a Cheshire glass at Wet Led
This was Bru in Stoke town centre - you guessed it another former shop micro - this was a cobblers shop and now a tardis like bar with range of beers, gins and rums - it was fairly steady - tried another brewery for me Six Towns and we had a very nice chat with the landlady
All in all a top day - really worth a visit to Macclesfield - little bit under the radar but we were impressed with the range of independent food and drink venues - its a nice compact town centre and plenty of heritage around as well.
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