Heaton Hops

7 School Lane, Heaton Chapel, SK4 5DE

Heaton Hops Such is the success of the Heaton Hops on School Lane in Heaton Chapel, our April Pub of the Month, that if Damian O'Shea ('The Aleman') and his partner Charlotte wanted to display all their awards they’ve won since they opened 11 years ago this month, they would probably have to move to larger premises. The bar is a regular in the Good Beer Guide and, of course, our Pub of the Year back in 2024, writes Jim Flynn.

The bar is based in converted shop premises with just two small rooms (the second is downstairs) and an extensive outside pavement drinking area which, in the summer especially, gives a continental feel; so let’s hope for a warm spring evening when we make the presentation on 23 April to Damian and his team.

There are three changing cask beers, traditional cider and keg beers, along with bottled and canned beers from the UK and around the world. The aim is to promote local beers, although not to the exclusion of high-quality products from around the country; one of the cask beers is normally supplied by Timothy Taylor’s.

Damian has become one of the most enthusiastic supporters of CAMRA initiatives such as the Stockport Beer and Cider Festival, Winter Warmer Wander and of course Mild Magic, which will be up and running when we make the presentation.

To say that the place has captured the imagination of local drinkers is an understatement, and it is packed out almost every night (don’t go on Mondays – it’s shut). So get there early to join the local CAMRA branch to celebrate the award, which will be presented on Thursday 23 April. The pub is on the 7 and 42A bus routes, the 192 stops round the corner, and Heaton Chapel train station is only five or six minutes away, so there is absolutely no excuse to miss this night!

The Pub of the Month award is sponsored by Stephensons, a local family firm that has been supplying the local pub and catering trade for over 150 years.