The Ale Trail: The Crosby Coop

The Coop has been named Liverpool CAMRA pub of the year two years running so I knew I was unlikely to be disappointed. There's some pretty stiff competition in the Liverpool area so I knew this micropub, situated just north of the city in Crosby, must be doing something right. You can read CAMRA's evaluation of the pub here. 

'It's the real ale,' said the barmaid when I asked her about it. That is unquestionably a highlight. The ales rotate regularly and I was lucky to be there on the day when they had North Riding's excellent Butterscotch Porter on the pumps. The Scarborough-based brewery has become a firm favourite and today it was one of five ales available at the Coop, which more than lived up to expectations. I stayed for a pint of the Thornbridge Union as well, a sticky bitter which is more appropriate for the season, probably, and took me one beer closer to completing the set when it comes to Thornbridge ales.

And it isn't just the ale. The friendliness at the bar was matched by the welcoming atmosphere among the locals, which isn't always a given. A good micropub should feel as intimate as being in someone's front room so inevitably it's important to feel like whoever's front room it is wants you there.

Could The Coop make it a hat trick of successes in 2027? It may well get my vote. The only question is when national honours start pouring in.