With the Marble Arch on Rochdale Road being one of our favourite pubs, we had high hopes for this new sister bar being opened in the heart of the Northern Quarter. How wrong could we be? Hastily thrown together and opened without any real thought for the paying customer, this shop front bar literally has two lager pumps, one table, and three barrels of beer. The beer is not pumped and so sold on a gravity basis and is therefore as flat a witch's tit - which is pretty flat (unless the condition of the ale is bob on there will be little chance for the carbonation in there to provide a head)! Sparklers please lads, we ain't southerners; gravity makes a nice change for once in a while but doesn't do your fine ale justice. At least it was Marble beer so it was flavoursome, but people have come to expect a little more than this from an established and superior name like the Marble.
Tyson gave 57 Thomas Street a more favourable initial review but admits the teething issues this place is having. It's yet to have its official opening, so hopefully it will improve in time and we will report back after our next visit, but it's going to have to do a lot to get our trade on a regular basis. A recent Manchester Confidential article gave it a glowing review, but there's a few comments again on issues such as seating, gravity ale, portions, etc. The motto of 57 Thomas Street is simple - "Beer and Food". Marble Brewery have definitely nailed this up the road at the Marble Arch and we have every confidence they'll do the same here, provided they address the issues we and others have raised already.
57 Thomas Street advert. (c) SSM CAMRA Opening Times Apr 2010.
As I pointed out on my blog, the look they are going for is "post industrial", so quite different from the MA. I think it works and the gravity cooling system is impressive. BUT I hate gravity dispense and miss my sparkled pint!
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