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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Victorian Craft Beer Cafe, Halifax
Halifax
HX1 1LN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
From the outside, this place doesn't look very Victorian. Inside, there is plenty of character, but as has been said below, it's far more modern than Victorian!
This was another place where queues to the bar were almost out of the door. As in many venues in the town, an orderly queue had been formed instead of having a scrum at the bar.
There was a large range of both cask and keg beers. On cask, the selection was Anarchy Blonde Star & All Torque, Yorkshire Heart Ghost, Vocation Cognac Barrel Aged Imperial Ruby & Bread & Butter, Lune Brew Summer Sessions & Meanwood Meanlove. Ciders were Lilley's Mango Cider & Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon.
Craft beer options included Vault City Capri Crush, Runaway Session IPA, Portobello Polari, Cloudwater Happy & Left, Then Left, Then Left, Brew York Flamingo Bingo, New Invention Pina Colada & Peanut, Caramel & Chocolate, Moorsleutel Toffee Bricklayer and something from Left-Handed Giant.
This was probably the best selection of beers we'd seen in Halifax. I chose the Barrel Aged Imperial Ruby, which at 11.2% was very tasty.
Split into several large sections and over different levels, it is a relaxing drinking environment, despite the number of customers. There was something a little bit different about this place that edged it above most of the other bars in Halifax. Whilst not having the feeling of a proper pub, the excellent beer selection and the interesting surroundings made it my second favourite pub in the town centre.
On 15th July 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3040 recommendations about 3038 pubs]
Tris C left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
Established in 2014, describing itself as a ‘Craft Beer Café’.
TARDIS-like as explained below, this is obviously a modern place with much wood; of note is the very attractive field panelled ceiling which may be maple.
A half of Brass Castle Bad Kitty was £2.60 and good.
One for fans of modern bars over traditional pubs.
On 10th July 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2208 recommendations about 2165 pubs]
Moby Duck left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
An interesting pub space with a multitude of drinking areas with a traditional Victorian feel albeit a very well re-created one as described ably below. A good range of beers and the Vocation Heart & Soul was good. Certainly on a revisit list should I ever return to Halifax.
On 7th July 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2151 recommendations about 2118 pubs]
Bucking Fastard left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
An amazing internal space,very tardis like it keeps on giving.You enter into a cafe style interior,all small tables and cane backed chairs with the bar ahead.But as you walk around you notice some steps up to a vast upper area of several sections,with more bench seating still with a traditional feel.Many nooks and crannies off this mezzanine area.A clever interior designer has been at work here.
The handpumps were offering a Lilly cider,Sandford cider,Vocation Heart & Soul and Bread & Butter,Lunebrew Bitter,Summer Sessions and Session IPA,Brass Castle Bad Kitty and Playbrew High Roller (NBSS 4.5).If that not enough there are also 18 keg taps.Top quality pork pies and offered from a glass dome on the bar.
This was a brief crawl stop but next time I'm spending a lot longer here .It's a must visit when in this fine drinking town.
On 30th June 2024
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2936 recommendations about 2936 pubs]
Steve of N21 left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
Very impressed with this one. The main bar is ok but then the seating spaces to the left of the main bar room are really interesting. Over several different levels when you think you have found them all, another turn reveals yet another seating area. Slightly different decor in each but a couple very much have a library feel to them due to the number of books and bookshelves being used.
The beer choice in here is a bit overwhelming and the large chalk board at the side of the main bar is indeed a bit bewildering, detailing 18 keg options and 10 real ale and cider options.
Fortunately for those after a real ale it’s easier to inspect the line of hand pumps on the bar top. A good range of different styles with Vocation, Lune Brew and Play Brew well represented with at least two of their beers prominent, but I went for the Brass Castle Bad Kitty Chocolate and Vanilla Porter and absolutely gorgeous it was too. Pork pies were advertised at £2 a pop and the black pudding one I went for was equally as good. I can fully understand why this one has won multiple awards
On 22nd June 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
A shop conversion but bigger than your average micro and a very pubby interior.
A bewilderingly lengthy beer board and after reading it for 10 mins, I plumped for the first entry. A fine Budvar Dark in ceremonial challice.
They have a lot of themed beer events here with "dark beers" starting in late November 2023.
Great beer choice.
On 22nd November 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
Nicely done, and certainly more bar than cafe. Higgledy-piggledy interior with many discrete drinking areas with a quasi-rustic Victorian feel. Eight cask and a cider on over 10 pumps which seemed a bit extravagant to me on a quiet Friday afternoon and so it proved as my Vocation Bread & Butter was pump tired (NBSS 2.5). As expected, an array of craftykeg and foreign bottles which probably accounts for a fair chunk of their trade. Scouse barman seemed put-out when I politely declined his professed expertise in finding Halifax’s best pubs and I don’t think he ever really forgave me. I’d like to try this one again on an evening – it felt very flat during the daytime. It's GBG'22 listed. 7.5
On 25th June 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Brainy Pool left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
nice place, bigger than you initially expect with several different rooms/areas to sit, and a couple of very Victorian bookshelves too. At least six ales on, but my eyes went no further than Titanic Plum Porter on this occasion. Well worth a visit, though hard to judge the atmosphere from this late Saturday evening visit. Seemed friendly and relaxed, more pub than cafe.
On 18th September 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1174 recommendations about 1136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
A quick visit before attending the rugby at nearby Shay Stadium, so the crowd made it difficult to obtain an accurate impression. Amidst the controlled mayhem it was interesting to see a couple sat in what are likely their accustomed armchairs in the window and reading the Sunday papers. This is a very attractive conversion of the previous premises - the wood panelling on the ceiling must predate the pub - and I would like to come back at a quieter time. They seem to be very proud of having not quite won the Yorkshire Pub of the Year (the George and Dragon at Hudswell bears that honour) and there was a poster advertising a celebratory evening.
On 24th September 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
david hammill left this review about Victorian Craft Beer Cafe
Called in this bar to find it full of hipster types we tried a pint of lemon dream and a bottle of Jupiler £7.20 mediocre beer and well over priced
On 20th May 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 96 recommendations about 86 pubs]