The Bridge Bier Huis, Burnley

Several years since my last visit to the Bridge Bier Huis, I made it my first port of call in Burnley on a matchday Saturday afternoon. Despite arriving shortly after the midday published opening time (I suspect it may open a little earlier), it was already busy and standing room only. This is still an improvement on previous visits when I've found it a struggle to even get in the door and have ended up drinking on the pavement. There are 5 cask ales. 2 are from Northern Whisper. For our visit, these were Yammerhouse & Blimey. Other beers on were Acorn Noel, Northern Monkey The Last Drop & Thirsty Moose Canny Canuck. Lilley's Mango Cider was also on. Craft beers were Brasserie de la Senne Schieve X-Mas, Tiny Rebel Coal Drop & Sierra Nevada Celebration Pale. The matchday experience appears to be much different from a normal day. Food is limited to pies with gravy and peas, whilst the wifi code is not made available as with the sheer volume of punters, they wouldn't be able to operate the card payment machines with the bandwidth. Given Burnley town centre offered little to no mobile phone reception, wifi would certainly be worthwhile. Probably still the best alehouse in Burnley.

Cut-off a bit from town centre and hidden behind a car park. Inside is a large, high-celinged echoey beer barn – and people moan about Spoons in the same manner! GBG listed with six cask, my Phoenix Porter a little lacking in turnover but fine (NBSS 3). Good set of the basic Belgian and German bottles as well. Friendly atmosphere. I’d give it another go if I ever find myself back in Burnley. 7.5

Formerly just the Bridge Inn now dignified as a bier huis due to a nice selection of mostly Belgian and German beers in the rear fridges, don’t fret there are six pulls, one with cider the others mainly Moorhouses but with a Lancaster brewery beer on one and Bristol Beer Factory Milk Stout on another, it gets in the 2021 GBG. A corner pub hidden by concrete car park ramps, the Charter Walk shopping centre and its car park, it’s not the easiest pub to find, probably best approached via the car park from St James’s Street. The etched windows proclaim “Bridge Inn” with newer (?) ones telling us it’s a Bier Huis. Largely open plan with the counter on the back wall, there’s a raised area to the left probably meant for diners only judging by the smell emanating from a middle aged dining couple. To the right on entry you will find a nice little snug with dark wood and bench seating. Bare boards, cream walls, grey plague woodwork and furniture, the decor is a mixture of old photos and enamelled European beer signs. In true bier huis tradition there is a beer menu with eight pages of keg and bottled beers, and there is a selection of the correct glasses. Friendly enough service but slightly cliquey locals and I’m not sure my beer today rated GBG status.