Raising a glass to The Salty Dog

THE Salty Dog is enjoying the sweet taste of success after being selected for CAMRA’s 2019 Good Beer Guide.

The independently run Northwich pub has earned a spot in the popular guide that champions real ale and is one of just a handful of local venues to make the grade.

For Chris Mundie, who runs the High Street venue alongside Tatton Brewery’s Gregg Sawyer, the listing is testament to their passion for serving great tasting craft ale.

He said: “From day one, we’ve been really clear that the quality of the ale we serve is the most important thing. And we have been lucky to have customers who appreciate that.”

It’s no mean feat to have made the cut. To be in with a shot of featuring in the guide, a venue must have been open for a minimum of 12 months, and it can take years to be included.

Chris said: “We’ve only been open for 18 months or so, so it’s brilliant to have been included so early on.”

For Chris, the key to success centres around keeping the ale as fresh as possible and looking after your customer.

He said: “It’s not rocket science, but there is a knack to how to serve decent ale. You’ve got to keep it at a constant temperature. Once it’s opened you can’t have it sitting in a barrel for days – it must be fresh.

“A lot of businesses get it wrong, but your customers vote with their feet and we must be getting it right because ours keep coming back.”

It’s been a busy year for the pub which was chosen to host some of the most talked about gigs of The Charlatan’s North by Northwich town centre take over in May. And there’s more to come next year as the venue is in the throes of organising gigs as part of Independent Venue Week in January.

Chris added: “It’s busy but exciting time – we’re really looking forward to the next few months.”