Hollins Mill, Sowerby Bridge

I wasn't as impressed with this place as others have been. The open plan design of the pub makes it rather noisy. On the bar were several Timothy Taylor beers, Greenfield Bag O' Jack (according to the Perfect Pint site Greenfield brewery is in Oldham Yorkshire!), Rooster's Wild Mule, Brewster's Decadence, A beer from Salamander brewery, Durham Brewery White Crystal and a house beer called Works Wonders. I'm not sure if they are being ironic with the house beer name or if they are completely unaware that there was once a rubbish keg beer called Double Diamond that utilised the advertising jingle "A Double Diamond Works Wonders". I went for the Bag O' Jack (£3.30) which it transpired had reached the end and what I tasted had gone sour, so I changed it for the Brewster's Decadence (£3.10) which was in decent nick. This place is more expensive than nearby opposition and quite honestly I see no justification for it.

A little further down Hollins Mill Lane,the building is well described by other reviewers.The interior is large and airy,with the very high ceiling and wooden floor causing noise to reverberate around leading to less atmosphere than at the other two excellent real ale venues nearby.However no complaints about the ale choice from 10 handpumps with four TT beers,namely Landlord,Boltmaker,Golden Best and Dark Mild,together with Acorn Sur Votre Velo,Saltaire Elderflower Blonde,Goose Eye Chinook,Oldershaws Heavenly Blonde and a house The Works Wonder brewed by Phoenix. The crew sampled widely from this list and found all pints in top condition.There is a lot going on here,comedy,acoustic nights,a quiz and food until 8pm,so this inclusive pub is used by a wide cross section of the community,everyone and anyone is welcome.The rear library room may be the best place if you want a quiet existence but otherwise join in. I will be back,and this is another real ale venue well worth a visit.

A large ex-industrial building, a joinery I believe, with a long L shaped counter holding 12 pulls, six of which were doubled up and one with a draught cider. The beers were mainly from micros and there were also a couple of keg taps. There's a function room at the back with leather walls and a second one upstairs on the mezzanine floor. The decor is modern light wood and stripped back brickwork, not bad but a little of the canteen atmosphere about the place.

The Works is a large open plan pub with a marked industrial feel, which is hardly surprising as it was converted, in 2005, from a joiner’s workshop. Exposed beams, bare floorboards and brick walls dominate the space and all add to its slightly quirky, but enjoyable, atmosphere. Seating is pleasingly based on solid ‘old school’ tables and chairs, plus a scattering of leather sofas, without which no modern drinking space seems to be complete. There is a stove opposite the bar, various bits of breweriana dotted about and a sizeable balcony area which is used for various music and comedy nights. The large L-shaped bar houses twelve pulls, of which two sets of three are given over to Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, Golden Best and Best Bitter, leaving room for six guest ales. The two I tried – Blue Monkey ‘Marmoset’ and Captain Cook ‘Black Porter’ were both in excellent nick. Service from the staff was pleasant enough, if slightly on the cool side. Food features highly, is of a good standard and represents excellent value for money. I ordered a ‘doorstep’ roast chicken sandwich, which was delicious and although I consider myself a bit of a trencherman, it nearly defeated me. The accompanying side-salad would have passed for a main in some places. Our visit was on a Saturday afternoon and the atmosphere was very relaxed, undoubtedly helped by the airy, spacious feel of the place Overall, I really liked it here and would definitely call again when next in the town.