Raise A Glass | Cask Castlefield
The OG and big sister premises of Cask Ancoats, Cask Castlefield has been serving its loyal clientele with quality continental and locally-sourced beers for a great deal longer than its counterpart has.
Easily one of Manchester’s most endearing drinking destinations, the listed building, powder coated in an unmissable shade of blue from the outside, offers weary day shoppers and regulars alike a welcoming refuge, to sit and drink, converse and relax, in a low-key environment that’s rarely found in the inner city.
Situated off Manchester’s busiest thoroughfare, Deansgate, down an unassuming side street less than a 10-minute walk from Deansgate Train Station, the ideally located pub is unpretentious at its very core, bordering on traditional. Its fuss-free interior, void of any industrial-chic embellishments found ten-a-penny in bars, clubs and pubs these days, bestows a homely sense on all who enter through its distinct double doors, with the barkeeper’s focus lying solely on the high standard of beverages listed on Cask’s plentiful menu.
Stocking a selection of both bottled and tap-poured refreshments (Manchester Union included), patrons are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a bevvy to savour. From German wheat beers and potent Belgian imports to uncommon Dutch lagers, there’s something to suit all tastes with most drinks found at Cask hard to come by anywhere else in the UK. Over a dozen keg lines flank the surprisingly long bar of the deceivingly spacious venue (We’re convinced that it’s actually a Tardis), supplying a split of UK-crafted and internationally-produced beverages all year long.
Food, much like the decoration of the bar, isn’t of major importance to the owners at Cask Castlefield and thus, there is no menu, or kitchen to fill a menu for that matter, to be found on site. However, the proprietors understand that guests will at some point need some sustenance to soak up all those strong beers, allowing punters to bring their own food into Cask, given that all rubbish is properly disposed of.
Typical pub snacks such as crisps, nuts and pork scratchings are, of course, available from behind the bar, whilst the fish and chip shop next door provides a lifeline late in the day, when the booze inevitably takes its effect.
Providing even more reasons to visit this charming venue, the bar also boasts its own dainty out-back beer garden, fully decked and scattered with places to sit, not to mention one of the best jukeboxes in Manchester, loaded with records from the local musical icons that have helped to put the city on the map over the years.
If you’re looking for somewhere to watch the world go by over a cracking pint of beer or ale, or you find yourself in the area and in the market for a swift one, Cask Castlefield is definitely the place to go.