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Detail Pages
The Black Bulls Head, Belper
Openwoodgate
Postal town: Belper
DE56 0SF
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Black Bulls Head
I visited this pub on 23rd February as part of a walking plus bus tour I did of some outlying Belper pubs. I got chatting to the landlord and he told me that the Bedlam Bar, the shed mentioned by Ray in his 2017 review, is no longer in use, because of the decline in business since the pandemic and the cost of running it. (He told me that the name derived from the fact that horses or mules pulling waggons up the steep hill from town would sometimes collapse near the top, which caused bedlam - but I doubt there's any documentation of this.)
As others have noted, there's a large range of beers and they all seem to be in great condition. The landlord said I should try the White Hart, just over a mile away, next time I was in the area, which I did - but it wasn't as good as this one. I was back here on 6 July and again two weeks later (I organised a pub crawl for some friends, but two of them couldn't make one of the dates, so I decided to do it twice). On the second occasion the landlord got chatting to one of my party and said he had recognised me from my visit in February, which is a feat of memory after five months. Or maybe he's just good at his job. The pub itself, rebuilt in 1901 and clearly altered inside since, is nicely presented, with an open feeling to it that makes it seem light even on dull days, and the view through the large windows is somehow appreciated even though it's full of houses. Well worth the walk here, or there are buses, though not so much in the evenings.
On 28th July 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3748 recommendations about 3484 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Black Bulls Head
Good Beer Guide pub located on the eastern edge of Belper with a refurbished multi-room interior with a semi-traditional look and feel. Also has a separate 'Public Bar & Wine Shop' door on the side, although this just leads to the same space. With a total of ten handpumps on the counters on both sides of the central servery, most of the beers come from Oakham - e.g. the Waimea (£3.50) - plus the regular Landlord and Abbot.
On 6th April 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Black Bulls Head
We took a walk downhill from Bargate to this pub in Openwoodgate. Waiting for the irregular bus service would have meant a lengthy wait here for the next one to arrive. So, the walk would allow us to visit a couple more pubs in Belper itself.
This is another pub in the 2022 Good Beer Guide and it certainly deserves its entry. We chose to sit in the larger rear room underneath various articles about the RAF.
Oakham Citra, Bishop's Farewell & Green Devil, Timothy Taylor Landlord & Greene King Abbot are the regular ales. Guests on our visit were Abbeydale Daily Bread, Dancing Duck DCUK, Marble Lagonda & Thornbridge Market Porter. In addition, they had a range of Lilley's ciders served from boxes in a fridge - Cheeky Pig, Peach Cider, Rhubarb Cider and possibly a fourth one.
Worth the effort of seeking out.
On 13th December 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2466 recommendations about 2465 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Black Bulls Head
A two roomed free house with the Bedlam bar at the back, which is only opened at weekends. The interior of the pub consists of two good sized lounge areas served from a central bar. I especially liked the front room with its two large bay windows. The colour scheme was in red and cream and one of the locals said it was very similar in style to Hardy and Hanson's pub back in the day.
The main pub had a choice of 10 ales with a further 4 ales served on gravity in the back shed.
The Badlam bar was a brick built shed and has no lighting in the winter months, apart from an old street lamp, mounted over the doorway and some candles dotted about. There was also three small lights across the bar front, which were placed there, so the customers can see their change. A small log burning stove also heats this small out building.
I went for the Marble Brewery Extra Pale in the Badlam Bar and Blue Monkey Simian Summer in the pub.
On 11th August 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]