Best craft beer bars in Manchester

Manchester's craft beer scene grew up in two places: the Northern Quarter in the early 2010s and Ancoats from about 2015 onwards. Today it's spread across the whole city, with proper craft taps now showing up in Chorlton, Stockport, Levenshulme and even some of the older suburbs. The defining feature of a Manchester craft bar is the rotating tap list - most of these places will have 10–20 keg lines and a handful of cask, and the lineup changes weekly.

The Ancoats triangle of Cloudwater's bar, Pomona Island's taproom and Sureshot's brewery tap is the densest concentration of brewery-owned outlets in the city. All three pour their own beer fresh and at brewery prices, which is usually £5.50–£6 a pint for a 5% IPA - not cheap, but cheaper than you'd pay for the same beer at a NQ bar. Port Street Beer House on Port Street remains the connoisseur's pick: 18 rotating lines, a proper bottle fridge, and staff who actually know what they're pouring.

If you want to drink craft beer cheaply, do it earlier in the week. Most of these bars run some form of locals' hour, brewery showcase, or fresh-keg promotion between Monday and Wednesday - typically £1 off a pint, or a free taster paddle if you order a few halves. The Beer Nouveau taproom in Ardwick does Monday evening cask deals; Track at Piccadilly East does a Wednesday tap takeover most weeks.

Be aware that 'craft' isn't a quality stamp in itself - there are plenty of mediocre 6% IPAs being charged at £7 a pint in bars that look the part. Stick to brewery-owned taprooms or to bars with a known buyer (Port Street, Pie & Ale, Cafe Beermoth) and you'll have a much better time than wandering into anywhere with reclaimed wood and an Edison-bulb installation.