December - Paramount
Paramount
33-35 Oxford Street City Centre, Manchester M1 4BH
NOTE: Now transferred to the newly formed Central Manchester Branch
Hear why Jim Flynn thinks this Good Beer Guide regular should be the Stockport & South Manchester CAMRA Pub of the Month for December.
This very busy Wetherspoons pub while buzzing with conversation and life has a more relaxed ambiance than the frenetic atmosphere found in many other city centre pubs. Around the walls are old photos of theatres and cinemas from Manchester's old theatre land in the vicinity of the pub (from which it derives its name) and aptly is very handy today for many modern day venues. The pub is extremely pro CAMRA supporting all our local campaigns such as Mild Magic and the Winter Warmer Wander but it takes more than all this no doubt positive stuff however to make a pub of the month.
So has led to this award and what makes the Paramount different from many other Wetherspoon's pubsl? The answer is clear; what really gives it an edge is the passion the managers and staff have for their cask beers. When early in 2006 real ale enthusiasts Mark and Natalie Hodgson moved from the Wye Bridge House in Buxton to take over as the management team at the Paramount they set about improving the cask beer sales and they have succeeded in a massive way, making the pub a Good Beer Guide fixture for the last four editions.
Gone are the days when you can't find anybody behind the bar who knows anything about the beers on sale, its staff are well trained and customer orientated. Above all, although the number and variety of beers (and now ciders) available has increased considerably over the years, the quality is always of the highest standard. It always has beers from local micros as well as ales from further afield, all in excellent condition and all at Wetherspoon's bargain prices. Mention a new up and coming beer to Mark and low and behold the next day one of his team is on the phone endeavouring to bring it to the pub.
The December Pub of the Month is always a very lively and very popular affair lodged as it is between Christmas and New Year when most people are off work. So why not join the local CAMRA branch to celebrate the award which will be presented on Thursday, 29 December when, I am sure, a great night will be enjoyed by all. Come down and take this opportunity congratulate Mark, Natalie and their staff for the all their efforts in ensuring that the Paramount has continued to be such a beacon of excellence.
The pub is only a short walk from Piccadilly Gardens and two minutes from Oxford Road station and the St Peter's Square tram stop so there's no excuse, come on down on the 29th!