The Barker's Brewery (JD Wetherspoon), Liverpool

Visited the Barker's Brewery at lunch time today. I have been in a few times before and have always found the service a bit hit and miss. On this occasion service was friendly and polite, the lady behind the bar being welcoming and chatty. I'm guessing she was the manager but I could be wrong. A far cry from the slightly surly service I have received previously. At the bar there are two banks of five hand pumps but one was blocked off by marketing material with just one solitary pump on the end visible and clipped as offering Ruddles. The other bank had Quagmire by Big Bog, a seasonal Robinsons ale, two of the usual Spoons offerings (Ruddles and Abbot, I think) and the final pump was blank if I remember rightly. I had the Quagmire at £1.99 so no more expensive than the others despite being a 6%er. Apparently as part of Monday Club the real ales drop to £1.79 a pint. Bargain! The pub itself is quite large, modern décor, somewhat sprawling with different seating areas, including an area behind the bar itself which leads out to a beer garden. There is also a small car park to the side of the pub. Copies of the Wetherspoon News magazine were on every table, which was nice to have a bit of reading matter while I supped my pint. If you're in Huyton this is definitely going to be your best bet for real ale. The pint I had was in good nick and served at perfect temperature. Just a shame there perhaps isn't the demand to have a few more pumps on. I definitely recall there being more of a choice on previous visits.

This looks like an original pub, albeit a modern one and apparently before JDW was the Wheatsheaf and the Rose and Crown prior to that. As the name implies it's on the site of a former brewery that was swallowed up by Walkers in 1926. Inside it's a wide curved room with the serving counter at the rear and round to the right behind it a further room with low furniture leading to a patio. It's a vast improvement on the older shop conversions from their earlier years. Although the bar had two unused pumps (which were genuinely being cleaned) the beer choice was decent with Ruddles doubled, Doom Bore, Peerless Full Whack & Penny Red Rye, Moorhouse Hop 'N' Roll Star (rebadge?). Big Bog Blonde Bach and Sadler's Hop Bomb. I tried the two Peerless beers, the Big Bog and the Moorhouse one, all £2.05. All were in good nick but the Big Bog one was slightly warm. I also tried the excellent value Curry Club (£6.15). This seemed a well run Spoons and a good one. I'd gladly return.

Official site of The Barker's Brewery (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Official site of The Barker's Brewery (JD Wetherspoon) - www.jdwetherspoon.com

Quite the grandest building in Huyton town centre, this has a very imposing angled frontage that is mirrored by the lengthy but grand bar and seating / dining areas that follow the shape round. Although not exactly short of space, there is also another partially opened-out room at the back. Not a bad selection of real ales from the ten handpumps, and my pint of Dunscar Best Bitter was excellent value at just £2.05.

This is quite a nice Wethers. And for Huyton its an absolute palace. You know what to expect and if you're shopping or visiting Huyton its almost certainly your best bet for real ale choice.

Smartly converted Wetherspoons pub in an area where pubs are a bit thin on the ground.Called in early doors just after 10 in midweek, and although only 3 of the cask beers were on, the Thwaites Wainwright was on top form.