February - Petersgate Tap
Petersgate Tap
19a St Petersgate, Stockport SK1 1EB
The Stockport & South Manchester Pub of the Month winner for February is the Petersgate Tap at at 19a St Petersgate, Stockport SK1 1EB. John Clarke tells you all about it.
The Petersgate Tap celebrated its fifth birthday in September last year, and in those few years it has become one of the leading local outlets for quality cask beer, and, most notably, real cider and perry.
It's a stylish 
conversion of a former bookmaker's shop, operating over two floors - and so is rather more than a traditional 'micropub'. In addition, there has been a constant programme of investment in the pub - smart new windows, an outside area with an awning for the warmer weather, cosy cubicle seating and, most notably, an impressively well-stocked bottle and canned beer shop upstairs. The shop functions on two levels - not only can you buy beers to take away, you can also choose something that takes your eye for fridge-cooling and drinking in.
On the bar you'll find six cask and six keg beers. These are sourced far and wide, although particular attention is paid to the top-rank of local craft brewers here in the north-west. Dark beers are a speciality and if they are your thing you'll always find at least a couple available. The Tap also has arrangements with several brewers to get special casks of beers that are otherwise destined for keg, bottle or can. Indeed, owners Alan and Chris Gent have bought several casks themselves for this purpose. Quality is top-notch across the board and the pub is a regular in the national Good Beer Guide.
There is also great attention to detail when it comes to real cider and perry. While local producers also feature here, the accent is perhaps more on sourcing top-quality ciders and perries from leading producers such as Ross on Wye, Gregg's Pit and Hecks. All the ciders are either fridge- or cellar-cooled too. This commitment has seen the Petersgate Tap win the Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year award for the last four years.
But there's more to the Petersgate Tap than beer, cider and perry. It's something of a community hub too, with regular live music nights, poetry readings, and also charity quiz nights supporting Stockport MIND - notably the annual quiz which sees the whole pub filled with teams of regulars and local brewers who also kindly provide prizes. The last one, in late 2021, raised almost £2,000.
This very well-deserved award will be presented on Thursday 24 February from 8pm. Expect a busy night so get there early. Public transport will serve you well - not only is the Petersgate Tap less than a 10-minute walk from Stockport station, it is also within easy reach of all buses serving the town centre.