Bootleggers, Burnley

Bootleggers is a converted chapel with small raised seating areas either side of the entrance and a stool lined serving counter across the rear that faces some high tables. A staircase up the left of the counter ascends to a mezzanine above with more seating and a pool table. A large projector screen on the balcony overlooks the seating below, but this was off leaving the sports to be shown on televisions behind the bar counter, and probably upstairs. Standard keg was available alongside Cruzcampo and Heineken and two of the three hand pumps were in use drawing Reedley Hallows Brewery’s Old Laund and Pendleside. This is a weekend bar so there were only three other customers during my recent midweek evening visit. There are better options within a stone’s throw so I’ll not be returning.

This converted chapel looking and named like a nightclub, is actually a pub and with three hand pumps. It does have less pubby fittings and the grey plague, the upholstery on the benches and stools is black vinyl. For a small downstairs space there are a lot of screens, one huge one fixed to the gallery, yes there’s an upper gallery where the women and children would have worshiped, plus a small screen next it plus one each side of the bar back plus, well you get the idea. I went in at lunchtime and the music was at night time levels ie deafening, fortunately turned down by the older chap behind the bar as the punters were four old men. In such a place you might be worried about beer quality but calm down, it was fine, I had a Reedley Hollows beer but could have tried another smaller brewers wares or er Courage Directors and it was good.