Friday, 7 May 2010

Burscough pub saved

On our travels collecting adverts for Ale & Hearty (the local CAMRA magazine), Fred and I were rather impressed by the Hop Vine in Burscough.

This pub was formerly known as the Royal Coaching House before its closure and did not have a good reputation among real ale drinkers. It was reopened by Mike and Julie, and has been tastefully redecorated throughout. The old pool room is now a side room that can be used as a function room. The food is well thought of by regulars, and there several real ales on: Theakstons Bitter, Moorhouses Pendle Witches Brew and Hop Vine, a house beer brewed by Prospect of Wigan, are always on with changing guests. There is a courtyard to the rear, which will be nice to sit in when the weather’s better, and plans are well developed to open a microbrewery in the outhouses. This would be only the second brewery in our local CAMRA branch’s area, and will be a very welcome development.

They are holding their first beer festival over the Whit weekend. Details should appear on their website soon.

Also, if you'd like hear to hear a great professional guitarist, Alan plays there on alternate (every 2 weeks) Sunday evenings between 6 and 8 pm, whilst you enjoy a meal or a pint. His next performance is on the 16th May. He does a wide range of tunes from most times in the past.

Finding it: the pub is on the main road through Burscough, the A59, and is a couple of hundred yards from Burscough Bridge station and about half a mile from Burscough Junction. The train journey from Southport is about 13 minutes. Postcode: L40 4BY.
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6 comments:

  1. Baron Orm7 May 2010 at 20:59

    I really like the Hopvine, don't go that oftem as I live in Ormskirk but it's a cracker!

    Their Hop Vine Bitter is pretty good, I think it's brewed by the Prospect brewery but that might be complete drunken rubbish.

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  2. Neville Grundy8 May 2010 at 00:29

    No, it's definitely brewed by Prospect, and it's a fine pint.

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  3. David Davies8 May 2010 at 12:25

    A brilliant pub, superb beer and such a friendly atmosphere! I hope Southport CAMRA are giving serious consideration to including the Hopvine in next years Good Beer Guide.

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  4. Clive Pownceby9 May 2010 at 11:11

    An upstairs function room too, if I remember rightly? Useful for meetings. Good to see this pub (what was its name before the Coaching House? - that was a '70s change) restored to something decent. Wish something meaningful would happen to the big one by the canal which when I lived locally, was called the 'Packet House.'

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  5. David Davies9 May 2010 at 11:41

    According to the web site the Hopvine was called the Royal Hotel, but that was even before my time!(1874)The Packet House, now know as the Waterfront, was given a re-vamp a few years ago. It was opened up and offered a dining area overlooking the canal, but as far as I am aware it does not offer a selection of real ales.

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  6. Clive Pownceby9 May 2010 at 15:10

    Yes of course David, the pure and simple 'Royal' - I remember now. The Waterfront I think, is an opportunity missed. Wasn't it done up like a 19th sailing ship at one time? Brass plaque (trip hazard) screwed to the floor saying "Nelson fell here!" Ta-da!

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