Nightjar, Hebden Bridge

This was the first of the Hebden Bridge venues we visited on Saturday as part of the Calder Valley real ale trail. It was pretty busy but we made our way to the bar where there were three hand pumps offering Nightjar ales - Picture House, Haka NZ Pale and Kalifornia. As has been mentioned, this is the brewery tap for Nightjar (which is either Slightly Foxed renamed, or a new brand owned by the same company). I'm pretty sure there were keg options as well as cask, though I didn't make a note of them. We found a free table in the corner near the bar but unfortunately it became apparent why this table was unoccupied. The sofa on one side was so low I felt like I was sat on the floor, leaving the table feeling ridiculously high by comparison. The opposite side had either a wooden bench or separate chairs, with a folding seat mechanism (like you have in a cinema or theatre to let people walk through). It's a nice place, if compact, and the ability to get some beers you don't normally see anywhere else is a big plus for me. I will probably be back if we visit Hebden Bridge again.

Although this is the brewery tap for the Nightjar brewery it doesn't stop it from being a proper micropub. The only real indiscretion was music being played at a reasonable level. More hard core micropubs would have slung out the bloke sitting at the bar watching the World Cup on his phone! The Nightjar brewery seems to be a reinvention of the Slightly Foxed brewery with new beers and branding. The emphasis seems to be more on the newer styles of beer rather than old school. It's a small roughly L shaped room with a stone tiled floor and exposed brick walls. Apart from the bloke watching the World Cup on his phone there were just a few sitting outside. The three Nightjar beers were Picture House Pale, Haka Pale and Klondike. I went for the Klondike (£3.00) which was an excellent old school golden ale. This is another new venue in Hebden Bridge that is well worth a visit.

A micropub owned by Slightly Foxed brewery which is at the entrance to Hebden Bridge Picture House. A couple of high tables and a couple of dining tables and that's about it. There's also a snall seating area outside. Two friendly barmaids on my Friday evening visit. 3 handpumps serving one from Slightly Foxed and two guests. It's a pleasant little place.