The Ministry of Ale, Burnley

Handily located next to Burnley Manchester Road station, this is a somewhat shabby brewpub in a nice stone building which was previously the Nelson Hotel. This fact is evident from the mosaic tiled floor in the entrance corridor, with the words ‘Nelson Hotel’ still in place, if a little damaged now. There is a room to the right of the corridor which houses the brew plant for the pub’s Moonstone Brewery and you can get a glimpse through the front window as you walk past the pub, although there didn’t seem to be much going on in there and I was a little disappointed to find that none of their ales were available at the bar. The corridor takes you left into the main bar, with tatty vinyl tiles and some laminate flooring. Tables have been made from the ends of casks, whilst seating is available in the form of low stools, sofas and a few decent looking chairs. This all fills the space opposite the bar, which is located to the rear of the room. Walls are half panelled and have modern art pieces on show as well as some boards covered with various pump clips. The servery has a curved counter and rather boxy shelving unit on the bar back and you can move past the left hand end of the counter to reach another corridor which runs behind the bar to the toilets and has another board full of pump clips. In the rear left corner there is access to a back room with quite a bit more seating in what appeared to be a relatively smartly presented lounge, although it was left in darkness on a Saturday evening, which makes you wonder if it ever gets any use. There was a TV in the front corner of the pub, which remained off throughout my stay, whilst the Pet Shop Boys played quietly in the background. The lack of Moonstone beers was compensated to a degree by three guest ales – Elland Dobsons, Brecon Gold Beacons and Great Corby Stout. It was a little tricky to see what exactly was on, as the locals were, to a man, lined up along the length of the bar counter, having a good laugh with the barmaid, but I eventually figured out what was available and enjoyed a decent pint of stout for my troubles. A board in the corridor listed a good bottled beer range which included plenty of British brewers and a few continental beers. This place felt a bit like it had seen better days – the seemingly unused brew-plant, the shabby interior, the relative lack of custom all pointing to a potential decline. Having said that, I still very much enjoyed my visit, as I thought the place had a certain charm and I enjoyed a fine final pint here before my train home. This is a slightly odd place that I couldn’t fully get to grips with, but I’d say it is still worth a look if you’re in the area.

A disappointing visit to this pub for me. No Moonstone beers on the bar at all, the landlord (and brewer) told me that he hasn't brewed for a while as he's "done his back in". It's all one room really with a lounge area at the front with the walls covered in old pictures of Burnley and pump clips. There's a small rear area as well with not much in the way of features. The brewery can be seen from the bar. It's all a bit shabby really. My pint of Yeovil Summerset was in good nick though. Only half a dozen people in the pub at about 7 on a Friday. I was expecting so much better, it's living on its past reputation I'm afraid. No longer in the CAMRA GBG2015.

Official site of The Ministry of Ale - www.ministryofale.co.uk

Formerly the Nelson Hotel, the compact interior comprises a small bar with a side lounge beyond. Very basic furniture and decor, but a comprehensive temporary exhibition about old Burnley pubs (as photographed by Clifford Scott) proved very interesting. Home of the Moonstone Brewery, and its Pale (£2.20) was one of three beers available from four handpumps (with the others being Moles Best and Plassey New World Pale). NB - Limited opening hours, so worth checking first.

Official site of The Ministry of Ale - www.ministryofale.co.uk