The winner of our Autumn Pub of the Season award is the Rising Sun on Queen Street in Manchester City Centre.
The presentation took place on Thursday 21st October. Barrie Sneyd was ready and waiting for the presentation to take place together with David Grant from Moorhouses brewery but where was all of his family. His wife was held up coming home from work, in Dubai and his parents had been despatched to the airport to collect Natalie. They arrived thinking that they had missed the presentation of the first award that Barrie and his team have been presented but for such an important event we waited so that everyone could enjoy the achievement together.
Barrie and his team are very keen on real ale, indeed he has just won his 8 month long battle with Punch Taverns to get a sixth handpump fitted which were sporting the full range of Timothy Taylors beers the last time I visited on yet another Meet the Brewer evening.
In the last four years this pub has gone from having one handpump to five. They have recently put real Cider on one pump so a sixth pump is soon to be installed to take the beer on offer back up to its previous level.
Barrie Sneyd who is at the helm both in the cellar and behind the bar, has proven that he has real ale in is heart. He joins in with Cask Ale Week every year, holds Meet the Brewer evenings and is actively supporting the LocAle Campaign and the new Local Pubs Week recently held in the City Centre.
This pub is in a building steeped with history. It is very long and narrow and has one door on Queen Street and another on Lloyd Street making it one of the City’s few through pubs. Meals are available every lunch time during the week. Be aware that they are not always open on Monday and Tuesday evenings after around 7pm.
Barrie and his team have worked really hard to achieve this award. Trafford & Hulme now have so many excellent pubs that getting any award from us is very difficult and always a close match. Indeed they pipped the Waterhouse and the Bar to close joint second for this award but they lost out on a couple of occasions to other pubs by one point so it was on the cards that it would be their turn soon.
Well done to all of his team and keep it up please.