Liverpool. First of all, the building! After walking along the waterway down from Royal Albert Dock you come upon this beautiful piece of architecture. It stopped me in my tracks. Originally there were 2 different pubs, the Turner Vaults which was opened in 1853 and catered to the local community, and the Baltic Fleet was opened in 1856 and served the sailors and dock workers. They are thought to have merged in 1901. The building has a distinctive flatiron shape and the interior is decorated in a nautical theme. It is named after the crews of Siberian whaling ships who used to frequent the pub. Although closed off now there were tunnels located in the basement. One led to the dockland and was probably used for smuggling and by press gangs. The other led to the old red light district of Cornhill, providing ships crews with their most pressing needs - beer and prostitutes. The cellar was used for brewing Wapping ales until 8 years ago (they had 156 different recipes!).

There was a great selection of craft brews to choose from (you don't get that opportunity often in the UK!). After several tastes I had a pint of Baltic Mild ( a bit of a different style!) from the Black Lodge Brewery (located next to pub). A delicious low alcohol version of a Baltic Porter. The brewers were in the pub and I got to sit and have a nice chat with them about brewing.

One thing I don't talk enough about is the furniture - the table and chairs in these pubs. Their are some really beautiful pieces showcasing incredible workmanship. Check out the legs on this table. I swear that guy was staring at me as I had my pint!

One funny story about the pub involves a landlord arrested for biting the buttocks of a customer (he blamed it on his parrot!).

And you gotta love the urinals!