By Fredrik Filipsson · Published Mar 12, 2026 · Last reviewed Jun 11, 2026 · How we pick bars
Cloudwater put Manchester on the global craft beer map, and the best place to taste the proof is the taproom next to the brewery. The Unit 9 room pours beer that travelled a few metres rather than a few hundred miles, which for a brewery built on hazy, hop-forward styles is the whole argument.
The taproom sits at 7-8 Piccadilly Trading Estate, M1 2NP, tucked behind Manchester Piccadilly station in the railway arches that house the brewery itself (Manchester's Finest). It is a working industrial space rather than a polished bar, and that is the point: you are drinking at the source, with the tanks a wall away from your glass.
The setup is built around freshness. The room runs 20 keg lines and two cask lines, and all 22 are drawn from a cold store held at three degrees beneath the tap room mezzanine, so every pour lands as the brewer intended (Cloudwater). The list leans into Cloudwater's signature hazy IPAs and double IPAs, with lagers, pale ales and the occasional barrel-aged release rounding it out. Cans and bottles to take home are stocked at the on-site shop, alongside glassware and merchandise.
What to order: start with a fresh DIPA, the style that made the brewery's name, then judge the cask line, which shows a different side of a brewery most people only know from keg. If you cannot decide, a two-thirds measure lets you cover more ground across a session. The beer is the entire menu here, so come having eaten or plan to bring something in.
Who is it for? Beer drinkers who want Cloudwater at its absolute freshest, ticking enthusiasts chasing limited releases on their first day on tap, and anyone passing through Piccadilly with an hour to spare before a train. It is a destination for the beer rather than a casual pub for a quiet pint, and the industrial room suits a focused tasting session better than a long night out. Cloudwater anchors our Manchester craft beer guide and earns a place on the global best craft beer bars ranking on the strength of what it brews.
The trade-off is the schedule. The taproom keeps limited hours rather than full-week pub trading, so it pays to check before you go, particularly midweek. Prices reflect specialist craft rather than macro lager, but you are paying for beer that is as fresh as it is ever going to be.
Cloudwater earned this room the hard way. Founded in the mid 2010s, the brewery climbed international rankings on the back of its hazy hop-forward beers, and the Piccadilly site grew with the reputation. The taproom doubles as the place those limited releases launch, so the ritual for many drinkers is simple: check what dropped that week, take a measure on tap, then carry a few cans home from the shop. It is a brewery-first experience, and for the people who travel to Manchester for the beer, that is exactly the draw.
Best time to go: a Saturday afternoon when the room is open longest and the newest releases are on, or an early Friday evening before a train home from Piccadilly. Confirm the opening times for your day, since they shift by season. For more of the city around it, our Manchester bar guide maps the surrounding streets.
Few British breweries can pour their flagship beer this fresh in a room this close to the kit. Cloudwater built its reputation on hop-forward beer at its peak, and the Unit 9 taproom remains the first stop for anyone who wants it exactly as intended.
