The Trafford & Hulme Pub Of The Season for Summer 2015 is Pi, Shaw's Road, Altrincham.
Pi opened in October 2012 as the third outlet for Chorlton based Pivo Inns. The original Pi on Manchester Road in Chorlton was Pub of The Season for Spring 2010 with Pi(Rose Lane) in the Liverpool suburb of Mosley Hill joining the family in 2011.
The Altrincham bar follows the same basic formula as its siblings - specialising in beer with a basic but hugely successful food menu based around the products of Bristol's PieMinster. The concept of Pi was born out of owner Andy Ingham's desire for a local bar that he would want to drink in - as nobody else was opening the kind of place he liked, he did it himself.
There are two handpumps on the bar, one selling permanent beer Tatton Blonde. The guest pump serves an ever changing range of guests with regularly featured breweries including RedWillow, Saltaire and Brightside. The cask ales are complemented by a wide range of distinctive draught beers - there are no national brands here - and a massive range of bottles from the "beer bible". Essentially it's a beer heaven.
Although relatively small, the pub has plentiful seating - even when the downstairs bar level is empty, seating can normally be found on the first floor. In summer months you can enjoy the beer garden to the rear of take a seat in front of the pub looking down Greenwood Street. The daily range of four PieMinster gourmet pies changes regularly to over different combinations of flavours, with two options usually being vegetarian. The accompanying options of creamy mash, minty peas and onion gravy all make great accompaniments individually or combined.
The pub is managed by Ben Reynolds who doubles as Operations Manager for the Pivo group overseeing all three bars. Having previously taken the Chorlton and Rose Lane branches into the Good Beer Guide, Ben made it a hat-trick when Altrincham was selected for inclusion in the 2015 Guide - one of only three Altrincham pubs to be so recognised. Over three years, Pi (Altrincham) has established itself a reputation for well kept cask and good customer service drawing people to the area even before the redevelopment of the adjacent Market Hall. It is this consistency which has seen the pub awarded Pub Of The Season for Summer 2015.
The presentation will be held on Thursday 23rd July from 8pm. All are welcome to join the celebrations.