Latest reviews from Middleton
| 50 /100 330 GRIMSHAW LANE “Almost opposite the J.W. Lees Brewery in Middleton, it's pretty much a locals place with a fullish selection of regular ales from the brewer, although I did sample Lees Bitter from a keg for the first time ever in this place. It's a large open plan room with the bar in the middle of the room on the right hand side. There is a garden area at the rear although it's half paved and half grass and is essentially just the back yard to the property, which is at the end of a row of terrace houses. There's a car park at its side. The only reason to come here would be to sample JW Lees ales, but if you are visiting the Lees Brewery you might end up in here before or afterwards.“ |
| 58 /100 110 BOARSHAW ROAD “Suburban JW Lees pub in a nice area of Middleton. It’s not a place you’d seek out as it’s too far from the centre of Middleton to warrant a pub-crawl visit, but if you do happen to be in the area for any reason you should find enough Lees ales to keep you going including their current seasonal brew. it’s a two room affair with the bar extending to both sides and it is very comfortably decked out and easy to relax in.“ |
| 58 /100 Minders Arms (J.W. Lees) (Bar) 5 JOSHUA LN “Although this is just a stones throw away from the brewery it receives its ales from, this is only the second closest of JW Lees pubs to its brewing premises. It’s in a fairly odd position facing a ’S’ bend in a road that goes under the railway tracks at this point, it therefore faces the brick wall on which the tracks are elevated above. It’s also a very small pub which hits you on entry as the serving area that greets you as you walk in is only big enough to fit a couple of ale pumps, one of which will be their signature bitter and the other something from their range, however there’s some keg options from the brewer too. There’s a couple of seats in front of the bar, but the main and cosy lounge area is to the right of the entrance, although only big enough for small tables rather than larger group furniture. There’s a part partitioning wall between here and the back room that has a pool table, but it’s all open plan in reality. Given its size it’s a very friendly place and easy enough to get chatting with strangers in.“ |
| 66 /100 Hare & Hounds (Thwaites) (Bar) 228 OLDHAM ROAD “Middleton is by far the best place in the country to sample JW Lees ales or go on a tour of that brewers pubs, but if you’re looking for an alternative then this is certainly a destination you’ll want to look out for. It’s a Thwaites pub that rotates its own ales including from its own craft brewing arm, but the decor inside is a fine pseudo-period style in several defined areas. It’s extremely cosy and there’s early 20th century signs that invite you to ’Ring for Service’, with doorbell type buttons throughout the pub for this purpose. It’s a fine and rare feature in this day and age.“ |
| 60 /100 Hopwood Arms (Bar) 753 ROCHDALE ROAD “Easily found just a couple of hundred metres north of the Middleton Junction of the A627 motorway, this is a large pub in its own building that has a very familiar durable furniture style that is aesthetically pleasing in the traditional sense. There’s plenty of room to find your own space inside that includes a pool table area towards the rear. The car park is larger than the patio area but this provides a nice spot for drinking in the summer months. The cask ale available here regularly rotates.“ |
| 66 /100 Jolly Carter (J.W. Lees) (Bar) 321 OLDHAM ROAD “Refurbished and reopened in December 2013 under new management, you can’t help but feel this is the future look for the traditional local boozer. It has an extremely refreshing look to it with some plush furniture and exposed brickwork around the two original fireplace areas of this red-brick building. It’s probably the fact that from the outside this looks like your ordinary run-of-the-mill pubic house that their is a welcome surprise factor after walking into this place. There’s a couple of defined rooms to drink in although it’s all open plan now. It’s off the beaten track but worth a look if you’re in the area and the new people running it are very friendly. JW Lees ales available including seasonals.“ |
| 62 /100 Gardeners Arms (Holts) (Bar) 266 HOLLINS LANE “Middleton is the domain of JW Lees and you can’t fail to find one of their pubs if you spend some time in the area, however one of their main Manchester rivals, Joseph Holt has had a presence here since the 1990’s although they are pretty much stuck to the northern end of the conurbation. This pub is however quite close to the M62 motorway so it is a feasible stop if you want to sample some of the brewers ales. The pub itself is a large detached building that naturally has a large ground floor drinking area split into two sides with the long serving area stretching into both. The bar side has a pool table and dartboard and is a good place to watch the live football. You can also watch it in the lounge area which in true Joseph Holt fashion has had money spent on it and it’s a very comfortable well furnished affair that makes for a relaxing area to drink.“ |
| 62 /100 KIRKWAY “To the south of Middleton’s commercial centre amongst a low-rise semi-detached housing area. This is probably the biggest of the numerous JW Lees pubs in the town but it’s worth seeking out if you are after JW Lees ales as it also has a wider selection than most with three cask ales including seasonals. The building itself is an ordinary 20th century structure but inside it’s large and spacious with well-kept good-looking furniture. There is a function room here too as well as a large car park and some picnic tables outside the main entrance.“ |
| 58 /100 KEMP STREET “This is very much JW Lees territory and there’s several options for finding their various ales and other brews in the Middleton area, but this one is notable for being the closest to the town centre, indeed it is directly next to the shopping centre. Named after a group of Archers who fought at Flodden Field in the 16th century there is a model statue of one outside the entrance. The pub building itself is nothing to shout about but the traditional pub design and well-kept furniture that’s had some money spent on it make it a welcoming place to sit and sup. The bar and lounge room both take on an ’L’ shape and there’s plenty of rooms and places to frequent - the walls have some nice modern photographs of the area all framed.. The back bar room includes a pool table. JW Lees ales available on 2 cask pumps.“ |
| 62 /100 Crown Inn (J.W. Lees) (Bar) 2 ROCHDALE ROAD “Perhaps this is the lesser of three very close JW Lees pubs just north of the main commercial centre of Middleton, but this one is not without merit. The small pub with a couple of rooms but a main large open square room is comfortably decorated and there’s clearly been an effort to give it a country feel. The wooden beam effect has been painted onto the walls but it works, coupled with a warming carpet and soft furnished furniture with part of the room under a low-ceiling to enhance the cosy feel it’s worth a stop. There’s a number of artistic paintings of the British countryside past on the walls. The ales are from their own brewery and the latest craft, MPA, from JW Lees was also available. This is a meeting place for Manchester United and City supporters club when traveling to games but it does not look like a typical locals football pub - it’s a nice place to enjoy a quiet drink throughout the week.“ |
| 60 /100 NEW LANE “This JW Lees pub doesn’t quite beat its brewery pub neightbour down the road in terms of ambiance, but what the Olde Boars Head can’t quite match is the location of this similarly historic inn. On top of a hill it directly faces Middleton Parish Church that stands tall above the town centre. It’s a leafy and pleasant area to enjoy a drink with parking located right in the middle of both buildings. The pub itself is reached by a set of steps leading up to the small front door that immediately brings you into the one room pub. That room is partially separated by a wall and the bar also serves both sides. The cask ale selection is an a short row of pumps and includes regular and occasional brews from their own brewery. There are some keg ales from JW Lees available too. The decoration is soft furnished with traditional tables but it appears thoroughly modern compared to the actual date the building was founded, but the building itself has clearly been renovated a few times too, that said you’ll find a traditional warming pub atmosphere in here and often some live entertainment too.“ |
| 64 /100 111 LONG STREET “Fine Tudor-style timber building just to the north of the commercial centre of Middleton. This is a historic inn and its features undoubtedly point to its relevance as local hub through the ages with wooden beams and Victorian fireplaces. Inside the large building the ground floor space centres around the central bar which services several different defined drinking areas that include themed sections including an Anglers Room which displays some very large fish in cases presumably caught by locals and their angling association. It’s an extremely pleasant and atmospheric place to drink although depending on what night of the week it is is it may be a quiet affair. The beer garden areas are nicely kept and there’s a large car park here as food is served and there’s a large function room available too. As a J.W Lees pub its own ales are served in both cask and keg form including the ’Light’ version of Greengate that is 2.8%. Easily walked from the town centre and hard to miss on the main road.“ |
| 70 /100 Harbord Harbord (JDW) (Bar) 17-21 LONG STREET “A chain pub prone to the odd power cut, as was the case when I was there. Judging by the amount of people being turned away this can be a popular place, despite the fact there are plenty of other pubs on the same town centre row and area. This is a relatively small Wetherspoon outlet with an slightly cosier elevated area opposite the bar. There are ales on two rows of hand pumps.“ |
