Why the gap?? And Manchester's beers pt.1

Well hello everybody! Its been too long I know (well that's if you ignore the short post from a few days ago, so lets just pretend for the sake of the story that it never happened), but a lot has happened in the last few months that I've just been too busy to blog about it.....also taking in to account the fact that I split beer over my laptop keyboard and knackered most of the keys and thus making it a real pain in the proverbial arse to write with and in the end I just couldn't be bothered to use it.

But I'm back now baby, and I'll give you a little update about what's going on. Basically, you remember the fantastic pub that was my place of work and my home away from home?? Well......its not any more. I wont go into details but there were some management changes, some work issues and a few other problems that I decided it was probably the right time for me to leave and move on with my life. I loved that job, I loved the people and I would just like to say that I wish them the best of luck for the future and I hope that all goes well for them.

Well that explains that then, but why the trip to Manchester I hear you ask?? (well that, or I'm hearing voices in my head again) Well as some of you may of read in my last post (yes, the one I just told you to ignore) I'm up here to visit my wonderful girlfriend (who fucking rocks and is really pretty :D), but also wile I'm up

here, I'm going to hopefully land my self a job in one of Manchester's many great pubs.

Now one of the first things that surprised me as me and the beautiful one made our way around the various pubs and bars of Manchester, was just how many places were not only stocking a great range of cask ales on at the bar, but were also keeping a fantastic range of bottled beers as well. American, Belgian, Scottish, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and they most probably had a beer from the moon if I'd asked for it! It was amazing, it was beer heaven, and it suddenly made leaving the pub not seem so bad after all. The establishment with what was probably the most impressive range was the Port St. Beer House. choosing from their bar was like trying to choose who would win a fight between Mr T and Chuck Norris......a bloody tough decision, but either way the result was sure to be awesome. The place was heaving, with not a seat available in sight, but yet the service was fast and the staff were pleasant and seemed more then happy to help me choose what to drink. The only real downside there was to the place was that it was pretty darn pricey, even for bottled imports in a city centre, its prices were high, but to be fair, there were cheaper drinks available if you just went for a more standard beer.

Other places of epic beeritude (its my own word, I just made it up then. It means "lots of beer available") was The Marble Arch. Serving as the brewery tap for the Marble Brewery, and being situated in a wonderfully old building decorated on the inside in beautiful tiles and some historic Manchester breweriana, it looked and felt like a proper pub. Again the range of beers was really interesting and the staff were very helpful, so with it also having a pretty tasty food menu and having a really enjoyable atmosphere on a rainy Sunday afternoon, makes it a bloody good pub in my book and its well worth a visit if your in the area.

There is just so much to write about here in Manchester, that I'm going to have to stop for now and tell you more about it in my next blog post. I hope it wont be as-long of a gap as it was before, but thanks for reading and take care! :D