Greater Manchester Pubs Offer £1.30 Unicorn Ale Pints 2026

Key Points

• Pubs in Greater Manchester will be serving pints of Robinsons Unicorn ale at the reduced price of £1.30 in the city on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
• The special deal will be served at 50 Robinsons pubs in the Greater Manchester region.
• It celebrates the 130th anniversary of Robinsons Unicorn, which was first brewed in the month of September, 1896.
• The ale had a different name back then as it used to be called the “Best Bitter”.
• This anniversary comes amid Cask Ale Week, which will be celebrated between September 17 and September 27.
• According to Robinsons Brewery Drinks and Brands Manager Sam Kennerley, young drinkers have now shown a keen interest in the Best Bitter type of drinks.
• The Robinsons Brewery is a 185-year-old family-owned business that operates in Stockport.
• The company has claimed that its recipe for making the Unicorn ale has not changed for over 100 years.

Manchester (Manchester Mirror) September 17, 2026 – Greater Manchester pubs will offer £1.30 pints of Robinsons Unicorn ale on September 26, 2026, as the Stockport-based brewery celebrates the 130th anniversary of one of its best-known beers. The one-day promotion will take place at 50 Robinsons pubs across the region.

The offer is linked to the history of Unicorn ale, which was first brewed in September 1896. The beer, historically known as “Best Bitter”, has become a long-established part of the North West’s cask ale culture and remains one of Robinsons Brewery’s leading-selling pints, according to the Manchester Evening News report.

The promotion will also coincide with Cask Ale Week, a national celebration of cask-conditioned real ale taking place from Thursday, September 17, to Sunday, September 27, 2026.

Which Greater Manchester pubs are offering £1.30 pints?

The Manchester Evening News article reports that 50 Robinsons pubs in Greater Manchester will take part in the promotion. The available report identifies the participating venues as Robinsons pubs across the region, although the supplied article content does not include a complete venue-by-venue list.

Customers planning to visit should check directly with their chosen Robinsons pub before travelling. Individual venues may have their own serving times, availability arrangements or conditions attached to the offer.

The promotion is scheduled for Saturday, September 26. It is intended to give customers the opportunity to try Unicorn ale at a price reflecting the beer’s 130-year milestone.

The reduced price also places the beer at the centre of a wider national focus on traditional cask products. Cask ale is served from a cellar and continues to mature in the pub, making the condition and handling of the beer important to the customer experience.

Why is Robinsons Unicorn ale being sold for £1.30?

The £1.30 price represents the beer’s 130th anniversary. Robinsons first brewed Unicorn in 1896, meaning the ale reaches the milestone in 2026.

According to the Manchester Evening News report, Unicorn was originally created by Frederic Robinson for his father at the Unicorn Inn in Stockport. The pub gave the ale its name, and Robinsons Brewery continues to operate from the same general Stockport brewing location.

The brewery describes Unicorn as a heritage beer whose recipe has remained consistent for more than 100 years. Its continued production has helped maintain a link between Robinsons’ historical brewing operations and its current pub estate.

The anniversary promotion therefore combines a price-based offer with a celebration of the beer’s background. Rather than presenting Unicorn as a new product, Robinsons is using the event to highlight the longevity of a beer that has remained part of its portfolio for generations.

What has Robinsons Brewery said about Best Bitter?

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Sam Kennerley, Drinks and Brands Manager at Robinsons Brewery, said there had been a resurgence of Best Bitter beers in craft beer venues, microbreweries and independent pubs.

Kennerley said younger consumers were showing increased interest in the style. He added that it was encouraging to see a heritage beer continue to appeal to contemporary drinking preferences.

The statement places Unicorn within a broader change in the beer market, where established styles are being revisited by independent producers and customers. Best Bitter beers have traditionally been associated with balanced flavour, moderate strength and cask service, although the exact character varies between breweries.

Robinsons’ comments suggest the brewery sees the anniversary as more than a historical occasion. The promotion is also intended to underline the relevance of a traditional beer style to current pub customers.

The brewery has not described the £1.30 offer as a permanent price change. It is a one-day anniversary promotion scheduled for September 26.

How long has Robinsons Brewery operated in Stockport?

Robinsons Brewery has a brewing history in Stockport stretching back 185 years. The business began with a small number of local pubs in the late nineteenth century before developing into one of the United Kingdom’s major independent family brewers.

The company now operates a substantial pub estate, with the article reporting approximately 250 pubs across the North West and surrounding areas. Robinsons remains managed by the fifth and sixth generations of the Robinson family.

The brewery’s long association with Stockport is central to the identity of Unicorn ale. The beer was named after a Stockport inn, while the brewery’s continued presence in the town connects the product with the area where it was first developed.

In 2025, Robinsons moved brewing operations from its historic Lower Hillgate site to a modern facility in Bredbury, a short distance away. The move transferred production to a newer site while retaining the company’s connection with Stockport and the surrounding area.

The Bredbury facility has also been used to produce Trooper, a 6% ABV India pale ale developed by Robinsons in partnership with Iron Maiden in 2013. Trooper is one example of the brewery combining its established production background with newer product development.

What is Cask Ale Week?

Cask Ale Week is a national event celebrating cask-conditioned real ale. The 2026 event runs from September 17 to September 27 and overlaps with Robinsons’ Unicorn anniversary promotion.

The campaign was established in the early 2000s by Cask Marque and is supported by industry organisations, including the Campaign for Real Ale, commonly known as CAMRA. More than 10,000 pubs and numerous breweries across the UK participate, according to the Manchester Evening News report.

The event promotes beers that are served fresh from pub cellars after continuing to mature in cask. Cask ale differs from many keg beers because it is traditionally conditioned in the cask and served without the same level of artificial carbonation.

Cask Ale Week provides participating pubs and breweries with an opportunity to promote the variety of traditional beers available to customers. It also gives breweries a platform to connect historic products with current interest in local, independent and traditionally produced drinks.

The timing of the Unicorn promotion means customers will be able to experience Robinsons’ heritage ale during a national campaign focused on the same serving method and wider beer category.

What does the £1.30 offer mean for customers?

For customers, the promotion offers a limited opportunity to buy Unicorn ale at £1.30 in participating Robinsons pubs. The deal is available on one specified day rather than as an ongoing reduction.

Availability may depend on each pub’s stock and operating arrangements. Customers should therefore confirm details with the individual venue, particularly if they are travelling specifically for the promotion.

The offer is likely to attract established cask ale drinkers who already know Unicorn, as well as customers who may be interested in trying a traditional Best Bitter. Its anniversary connection may also appeal to people interested in Stockport’s industrial and brewing history.

The event could generate additional footfall for participating pubs, especially where venues combine the beer promotion with their own food, music or community activities. However, the supplied report does not confirm whether all 50 pubs will run supplementary events.

Customers should drink responsibly and consider transport arrangements before attending. The £1.30 price applies to the promotional pint but does not remove the need to follow the pub’s normal licensing and service policies.

Background: the history of Unicorn ale

Unicorn ale was first brewed by Robinsons in September 1896. The beer was originally associated with the Unicorn Inn in Stockport, where Frederic Robinson created it for his father. Its name came from the inn.

The beer was historically described as a Best Bitter, a style that has long been associated with British pub culture and cask service. Over the decades, Unicorn became one of Robinsons’ recognised products and continued to be sold through the company’s pub estate.

Robinsons Brewery itself has operated in Stockport for 185 years. Its history began with a small local pub operation and expanded into an independent family brewing business with around 250 pubs, according to the Manchester Evening News report.

The brewery says Unicorn’s recipe has remained consistent for more than a century. Although production moved from Lower Hillgate to a modern Bredbury facility in 2025, the company continues to maintain its Stockport connection.

The 130th anniversary promotion reflects both the age of the beer and the brewery’s wider effort to keep traditional cask products visible during Cask Ale Week.

Prediction: how could the promotion affect Greater Manchester pub customers?

The promotion is likely to increase interest in participating Greater Manchester pubs on Saturday, September 26, particularly among cask ale enthusiasts and customers looking for a low-cost way to mark the anniversary.

Some venues may experience higher demand than usual, which could affect seating, service times and the availability of Unicorn ale later in the day. Customers who want to take advantage of the offer may benefit from checking venue details in advance and arriving early.

The event may also introduce Unicorn to younger drinkers and customers who usually choose craft beer or other modern beer styles. Robinsons’ comments indicate that the brewery views renewed interest in Best Bitter as an opportunity to connect a traditional product with a changing audience.