Phil Wieland

Chicago

Reporter at The Times of Northwest Indiana

Born 1 day after Bill Clinton. Cleveland State grad. Lived in NE Ohio until 1984. Now live in NW Ind. Award winning writer seeking a publisher for books.

Articles

Merseyside Pub Guide

1 month ago | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

I began a Friday jaunt with a long bus ride towards Greasby. Respect for the dead is all very well but mile after mile of main road at ten miles per hour is a bit much, I feel. Eventually I reached the Gravesberie Inn:From the standard Greene King offering of Scrumdown, Landlord, Abbot and Old Speckled Hen I selected long standing favourite Abbot.
Merseyside Pub Guide

2 months ago | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

Let's head off to Southport on a sunny Thursday; my second visit here this year. I began my research at George's Place:This is a tiny shop conversion, mainly aiming at coffee drinkers at half past one, but there are four keg taps on the counter, so let's have a Brixton Reliance. The very attractive decor features lots of greenery, both real plants and wallpaper, along with rough bare brickwork walls.
Lord Street, Southport

Jan 4, 2025 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

For the first survey of the year I headed up to Southport where there are umpteen targets awaiting my attention. I walked northwards along Lord Street, noting and photographing (It'll be dark by the time I get back) various targets, until I reached Mavericks:Here I found a very stylishly decorated bar with an American theme, in one long room. Being a former shop on a corner, two walls are almost entirely glazed, giving the place an airy ambience.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Nov 14, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

I was in town for some shopping but it I couldn't resist visiting a pub which only opened yesterday, so I headed up Seel Street to 1936 Pub Co's newest outlet, St Peters Tavern:Wow! 1936 have outdone themselves with this one. The interior on three floors is stunning. Almost all fake, I think, except for the stained glass windows which look original. The usual stag's heads (Where do they get them all from, I wonder?) decorate the walls.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Oct 23, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

Another sunny October day saw me taking multiple trains en route to Heswall. I started with a glance at the Glegg Arms which is no longer a pub:On the other side of the roundabout is the Devon Doorway:Inside the attractive building with thatched roof is a very well appointed up market restaurant. However, one side of the room is allocated to drinkers and the waitress guarding the door transformed into a barmaid when I said I only wanted a drink.
The Last Pub in Stockbridge Village

Sep 21, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

With, I have to admit, little optimism, I caught the bus to Canny Farm. Would any of the pubs have survived, or was I on a hiding to nothing? Locals will already have realised that my use of the names Cantril Farm, Canny Farm or even Cannibal Farm is pure affectation, as the area was renamed Stockbridge Village long before I first came to Liverpool.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Sep 13, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

A really impressive thud alerted me to the landing on my doormat of the latest edition of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. I can report that in Merseyside twenty-one entries have been removed and twenty added since last year's guide. As I say every time, if you want to know which pubs they are you'll have to buy the book when it goes on sale on 26 September.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Sep 7, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

An opportunity arose when friends visiting me were heading off to Bryn, so would be driving through Billinge. Normally this is a train ride followed by a bus ride away, so it would be foolish not accept a free lift. Thanks to Tony and Karyn I was soon dropped off at the Eagle & Child:Sadly this plain pleasant pub has lost its real ale since I was last here, in 2018.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Jul 30, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

Tuesday is not the best day for an afternoon survey as in these post-COVID times lots of places will be shut, but with so many targets in the city centre overdue for a tick I'm sure I can find somewhere. I started in the Caledonia:Three pump clips were visible and I chose Urban Shaker which was a delicious creamy stout from Carnival Brewing, just a mile and a half away. How's that for beer miles!Only two other customers at two o'clock, and I think they were having coffee.
Merseyside Pub Guide

Jul 12, 2024 | merseypub.blogspot.com | Phil Wieland

The weather forecast was very poor, so once again I abandoned a plan which required lots of walking. Instead I headed to St Helens where there are plenty of required targets. I started my survey at the Brasserie Chalon:The name always conjures up a mental picture of a posh bistro restaurant sort of place, I wonder if it ever was like that? What we find now is a nicely done plain clean and tidy boozer, where I enjoyed my first Carling of the day.