The underground NQ beer hall gives us a boozy tasting tour
WE dare you to pop into Cooper Hall, Manchester’s largest basement drinking floor and demand a Milko. Baffled? That’s not quite the ‘pint of’ you were fancying? Would you settle for a Šnyt then? The Czechs pronounce it shnit – it’s another ‘pour’, part of their drinking culture that showcases the flavour range of their fresh, unpasteurised Pilsner beer.
Cooper Hall will scrupulously refuse to serve the beer after five days have passed.
It doesn’t get much fresher than at Cooper Hall, where every Monday at 9am two tankloads of Pilsner Urquell Tankovna – 1,600 pints’ worth – are delivered to their door straight from Plzeň in the Czech Republic. A little blackboard beside the pump charts the arrival date.
All part of the service, the long distance draymen meticulously clean the pipes and inside the gleaming copper tanks before ‘refuelling’ them.
En route all that bottom-fermented blond lager has been kept chilled and Cooper Hall will scrupulously refuse to serve the beer after five days have passed.
“We are prepared for wastage rather than sell beer that has lost the freshness that is its big selling point,” bar manager Danni Beard tells us. “Not that it will get to that point, we’ve usually sold out before then,” she adds.
No wonder when most punters head straight for the Urquell (our own Camden Lager is the next biggest seller). Cooper Hall can hold 300 folk comfortably in the former Copacabana salsa club, now utterly transformed by its owners, whose stable includes nearby bars Noho, Dusk til Pawn and Wood & Co. For mustard and red and Cuban motifs now read exposed brickwork and industrial touches, benches and cushioned banquettes.
So how about the ‘Milko’ you mentioned? “Nobody’s requested one yet but we are ready,” says Danni as she frets about the absolute freshness of the Tank Beer we are drinking, four days in.
“The Milko is virtually all head and has a very moreish creaminess, giving a different texture and almost a sweetness.”
I’m trying the shallow end first before diving into the Milko. The Šnyt pour in front of me is two fingers of beer and four fingers of foam. The remaining fingers are empty glass at the top. Danni can’t explain the mysteries of all this, but it does taste different to the standard pour, less bitter but equally satisfying. They just charge you for a half, by the way!
What we needed after all this was nibbles. They are on their way soon. The venue, which only opened in December, has invested in a pretzel machine to create the ultimate European Beer Hall bar snack. Cooper Hall’s pumps offer a range of German beers and some choice UK craft brews. On tap when we visited were Wild Beer Co’s Pogo and Magic Rock’s Surreal Dark Arts Stout. There’s also an eclectic global bottle collection in the fridges. Anyone for a Hitachino Nest White Ale or a Schofferhofer Grapefruit?
Since it was Happy Hour we couldn’t resist trying a cocktail from the impressive list (shortly to be refreshed for spring) – a deliciously citrussy Honey Negroni.
Over Easter the Happy Hour offer of two for the price of one (£7.50) will be extended across all opening hours. That might take some pressure off the beer tanks. Maybe not. The usual, very competitive price of £4.80 a pint of Pilsner Urquell is also down to just £4.
Cooper Hall, Sevendale House, 7 Dale St, Manchester M1 1JA. 0161 228 6430.
