The Bridge Bier Huis, Burnley

The entrance to this place indicates that it was originally just the Bridge and presumably the Bier Huis was added to reflect the range of foreign beers they stock. The main bar area is a sort of curved rectangle with just two low tables on a raised area to the left. I completely missed the snug mentioned below but the bar area has quite limited furnishings. I thought I spotted a Jukebox on one wall. Although TV Sport was advertised outside thankfully the TV was off. The six hand pumps had Reedley Hallows Griffin IPA, Moorhouse Pride of Pendle and Premiership, worsthorne Some Like It Blond, Hart Spring Gold and a cider. I went for the Griffin IPA (£2.60) which was a decent pint in very good nick. I didn't find the cask choice here that interesting and suspect this one may appeal more to those who like their foreign beers. It's still well worth a look.

This is arguably Burnley’s main destination pub for ale drinkers, offering a wide range of hand pulled beers and real ciders in a pleasant old building in the heart of the town centre. I arrived here prior to a match at Turf Moor and found the place so packed that I gave up and went elsewhere, before giving it another try post-match. It wasn’t much better then to be honest, but I was able to fight my way through the crowds to the bar, where I could see the full ale range of Moorhouse Blonde Witch (£2.60) and Premiership, Elland Nettle Thrasher, Worsthorne Blackthorne Stout and Lancashire Amber, with one pump dispensing cider. The keg taps included a few interesting German and Belgian brews whilst a large board behind the bar detailed an extensive range of bottles, primarily drawn from the same two countries, which perhaps explains the use of the word ‘Bier’ in the pub’s name. I couldn’t come all the way to Burnley and not try anything from Moorhouse, so I gave the Blonde Witch a try. It was in very good shape and with nowhere to put the pint down, was gone in record time. The crowds made it tricky to get a good feel for the place, but it seems to be set in a nice old building, with bare boards and exposed brick walls throughout. The servery runs along the rear wall with a smart counter and part tiled bar back. The room is a slightly unusual shape – perhaps two rooms knocked through into one – and has limited seating around the perimeter, although it was so busy, I couldn’t really see exactly how much there was or what it comprised. Easier to spot were the pleasant etched glass windows bearing the pub’s name, the series of framed pump clips, grouped together by brewery and hung all around the room and the numerous other bits of breweriana, of the sort no ale house should be without. A couple of TV screens were showing muted football coverage to the packed crowds and I noticed one wall had a framed Burnley shirt and some ‘Turf Moor’ road signs on display. To the right there is a small second room with fixed bench seating and a decorative ceiling, which would have made a good overspill area, but for some reason, the room was practically empty and I was annoyed to have only discovered it on my way out. This is a pretty good pub with one of the better ale ranges you’re likely to find around town. Whilst it was far too busy to get comfortable here, I also got the impression that the place might be a little underwhelming at quieter times as well, given the large single room layout and lack of soft furnishings. Certainly worth adding to any crawl around town, but not quite the top quality pub I had hoped for.

A really good looking pub on the outside and this is confirmed once you get inside. There's one large main room and a much smaller room to the right as you enter with just 4 tables. Lots of pump clips in display frames around the walls. Loads of CAMRA magazines from all over the country available on a shelf to the left. Sadly on my visit there was a really boring range of beers on the 5 handpumps. 2 from Moorhouses, Everards Tiger, Reedley Hallows Old Laund and a real cider. There are lots of foreign beers in bottle available. My Old Laund was in good nick though and I left feeling a little disappointed. Would have scored higher if the beer range had been better.

This open planned pub is a drinkers paradise providing a plethora of foreign bottled beers and draughts alike,plus an array of english guest beers.i tried a pint of Northumberland brewery Fog on the Tyne which when served at first loooked like it came from the Tyne,however it settled down and was an excellent pint. This place is a shrine for the real ale buff and is most certainly worth a visit.

Official site of the Bridge Bier Huis - www.thebridgebierhuis.co.uk

Official site of the Bridge Bier Huis - www.thebridgebierhuis.co.uk