Sorry to have not contributed to this thread before. Hope there is still time for some suggestions / recommendations.
I’ve not been to Liverpool for a long time, as my friend who used to live there has now moved to Birmingham. However, he tells me that the Ship & Mitre has gone downhill a lot recently. Also Dead Crafty is known locally as “Dead Pricey” …
The only place I’ve been to in Ormskirk is the Wetherspoons, and that was years ago. If you want Lancashire ticks, I would suggest you go to Preston instead. I’ve not been for a while, but the Black Horse is a must in terms of the venue, and the Guildhall micropub was good. There was some discussion recently on the Lancashire county thread. County Stat Attack Week 39 - Lancashire - #22 by AshtonMcCobb
The other good thing about Preston is that you can stop off at Wigan on the way there / back. The best place there is Wigan Central which is literally underneath the station ! Some other decent pubs around, but I can’t remember details.
The information given by @Minutemat for Chester is a pretty good summary, but is a bit out of date. The Cellar Bar has undergone a refurb, and appears to have lost most / all of it’s bottle range. Still a good selection of cask / craft though. And That Beer Place is due to move soon, but don’t seem to have done so yet. [ New place is just around the corner from the Cellar ]
If you want to meet up, I can certainly guide you around Chester. I could do any time / day provided you give me enough notice. We could either do the standard pub / bar / shop hopping, or I could take you on the Chester Walls Beer Crawl. [ Walk round the walls, popping off at every exit for a beer ]
Any chance of bringing over a few decent Latvian craft beers for swopping ? [ Labietis / Malduguns / Nurme etc. NOT Arpus ! ] I could give you a few in exchange.
Incidentally, you seem to be doing the Anfield stadium tour, but not actually going to a match ?!
