Bowland Brewery in Ribble Valley

It's a huge pub, in an old mill. It has 20 plus cask beers, all top notch, a brewery, a vintage bus, an amazing food hall next door, and a blooming great big steam engine with leather armchairs around it. Frankly, everything you really need. And then some.

You can tell they really care about their guests.

My good friend first brought Bowland Beer Hall to my attention. He described a magical place where scores of beers were on offer, and where the home brews from Bowland Brewery were mostly gluten free. So, after delivering a wedding cake nearby, and with the family all off to the cinema, I carved out a bit of me time and headed over to Clitheroe to see what the fuss was all about. And any fuss you might hear about this taproom (taphall? tapmill?) is justified. As well as a strong line up of Bowland's own beer at the prow of the 105ft long bar, there is literally something for every taste available. They keep their Untappd beer list bang up to date so if you're ever considering a trip you can even plan ahead. Now, normally on these visits I keep strictly to the brewery's own beer, but having tried plenty of Bowland's beers elsewhere (and enjoying them, mind) I plumped for just one of theirs (Bowland Best) and one from Two by Two Brewing (Azacca Mosaic) whose beer I will always have when I can get my hands on it. Enough about beer though. The location itself is worth the visit even if you hate the stuff. Situated in a former cotton mill, the beer hall retains many of the original features and machinery, with all the fixtures and fittings of the bar and restaurant made tastefully in keeping with the surroundings. Along with the food hall and hotel, the beer hall at Holmes Mill is clearly a huge draw. I was there on Saturday and the place was packed - a little too busy for a solo outing, but I found myself a snug corner and shut myself off from the world well enough. With that in mind, I think next time I'll take my wife and make an afternoon of it!

The beer was very good but unfortunately the food didn't match the same high standard. The chips were over cooked...they flew off the plate when you endeavoured to use your fork. (Rock hard)

Brilliant atmosphere and great drink selection being changed regularly. Manager Dan when above and beyond, staff very friendly and fantastic customer service. Ian the Pump clip man and daughter.

We went in for a meal. The place wasn’t busy and we still had half a drink left, we were asked if we wanted another drink or the bill. When I’m ready, I’ll ask for the bill, I don’t expect to have to leave if the venue isn’t busy, thats not very customer friendly.

Great food and beer selection, really impressive place! will be back soon.

Unfortunately I chose the Goats Cheese Salad,It was very poor.....not much goats cheese and it was smothered with Balsamic rather than 'drizzled on'.making the salad. a soggy mess.I did tell the waitress and the response via. the cook 'that's the way the way it's supposed to be ' I make this dish a lot and it is NOT the way to serve this.

Fantastic selection of beers and food. Good atmosphere

Food was spot on,However there was one singular waitres that ruined it , with her outstanding rudeness. She was blunt, no manners , didn’t say thank you once, was very miserable. I mean cheer up , even if it’s bad day can’t take out on the customers.

Came Sunday afternoon for lunch about 1:30 Asked to move seats as the high stools are uncomfortable. No problems. Place was not busy. Ordered food and one of waitress started painting boards behind us do we had the smell of paint and it wasn't exactly professional while serving food around. 3 meals came and 10 min wait for one meal. Food was below average which for the price. Won't be returning

We used to love this place however its massively gone down hill. We tried it the Tuesday night and Wednesday night thinking that we caught them on a bad night- in reality it's just not that nice anymore. Staff pretend you're invisible and spend more time chatting with their peers, the food was a major let down, we didn't even finish it it was that bad. I had a very upset stomach from coming here and spent most of my night feeling unwell and eventually being sick. I would not recommend this place, it used to be lovely and we'd always wanted to come back but I think we will give it a miss for a while, which is a shame really.

I can't comment on the food as I haven't eaten there yet but the service is outstanding. Friendly, efficient and a special mention to the young lady who makes my coffee. Her name is either Emma or Gemma.. sorry about that. She remembers my coffee order, is always welcoming and obviously likes her job. The other staff I have dealt with are, without exception, good at what they do. Lovely place to visit after walking the dog (genuinely dog friendly place)

We had not intended to eat here we stopped for a drink and sat outside had a paddle of the taster beers £6 which was great to try the different ones. We saw the food coming out and decided to eat there as it looked great. The waitress found us a lovely quiet table in a side room. We had Nachos absolutely delicious, chicken wings and chilli chips between two. Big portions do couldn't finish it all. Great value food plus drinks £37 for 2

Great food, lovely place to visit with families

If you like quality craft beer and fantastic food then you will be in heaven. WoW............ The Bowland Brewery Beers are fantastic, don't overlook Hen Harrier, their proprietary bitter.

Great place to visit and the staff are so friendly

Very busy but service was good. Didn’t eat but food we saw being served was good.

A relaxing pub . Good pint and good food.

Great place with a huge and very good range if beer

A good variety of beers, so the perfect place for a drink. However, I would not recommend eating here. On both occasions that I've made this mistake, the food arrives suspiciously early, the meat is rubbery, and generally smells & tastes off. These have easily been two of the most disgusting meals I've ever been served. The prices are outlandish for the standards and quality. When I complained I was told it was my personal preference that the food was inedible, with no offer of a refund. Save your money and eat elsewhere.

A great range of craft beers and et cetera

First time here with friends. Managed to find a table as a group were leaving. Ordered the chicken wings and loaded fries. Very good! Great atmosphere and service.

Visited mid week so bit quiet but what a great place to enjoy great beer and food. The beer selection is excellent and all very good.

Didn't eat here but the atmosphere was buzzing the friday before christmas

The food was great overall, the chicken wings weren’t the best i’ve had but definitely not the worst. However, the service made up for it - a really polite young blonde girl called lily made our night, will love revisiting.

One best places around for food and drink 10/10

Disappointed, was recommended but wouldn't go again. Maybe more for groups.

Oh Holmes Mill, my trusty haunt, A place where pints and pies do flaunt. But tonight's dinner, what a shame, The "Roy Porter" pie—oh, not the same! We waited long, the clock did chime, A beer or two killed half the time. Then came the pie, in all its... state, A "splat" on the plate, was this my fate? I took a bite, oh what a shock, Cold as the beer, like a frosty rock. Back it went with a pleading tone, "Dear chef, this pie is ice, not stone!" Attempt number two, a better try, Warmer, tastier, but still not my guy. For Roy Porter pies, I’ve had my share, This impostor pie? Lacks the same flair! Holmes Mill, I’ll forgive, don’t fret, Your food’s been grand, no real regret. But please, I beg, don’t mess my pie, Or next time I’ll just order chips and sigh! But probably no next time!

Place has a great vibe, and the staff are very friendly. Libby was fantastic, super helpful with our requests through the night!

Great place to relax. Would be there everyday if I lived closer

Great gluten free options for gluten free beer and food, super friendly staff, we had an excellent night

What a great atmospheric location. Fab beers fab vibe. Love it's uniqueness! 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺

Food was brilliant and the service was excellent couldn't do enough for you

Kicked out for making a YouTube video about a nearby business.

Barred my friend for the most ridiculous reason ever, doesn't matter how good a place is if they're going to be discriminatory then it's a no from me.

Good food, large portions. Some really good ciders.

Another early evening meal brilliant as usual

Came for bowling with the kids and stayed for food in the beer hall. Food was stunning. Service was amazing, nothing was too much for Tracey our server. Our little one was tired and hungry but loved his dinner and ice cream. Would definitely recommend and would love yo come back again.

There were too many repeats on the bar and 90% were very pale and hoppy, the only beer I really wanted was the Stout brewed by Bowland but I was told they didn't have any, a brewery that does not have it's own beer for sale!!!!!

Great bar with huge selection of beer, 23 cask real ales and 6 real ciders plus craft and lager beers

Not eaten there but what a stunning place. Great atmosphere, music and staff

Having a drink there is great, but just don't eat. A portion of chips is okay. But if you want a meal, eat in the Bistro: the Beer Hall is fast - and not very nice - food. Or go to another James' Places restaurant in town: the Emporium.

Scammed. We parked here with a disabled person using a blue badge. We stayed for three and a half hours, eating in the beer hall and shopping in the food hall. Two weeks later we received a parking ticket for almost £100, stating that the car park has a three hour parking limit. We did not noticed the signs at the time stating this! The signs are purposely hard to spot to scam people. I spent a large amount of money already at Bowland Beer Hall and they see it fit to scam me from another £100 for using their services! Bowland - you owe me money. Please contact me asap to refund the money you owe me for your parking scam. Otherwise I will never spend another penny at your establishment again and I will advise everyone to do the same.

Scammed. We parked here with a disabled person using a blue badge. We stayed for three and a half hours, eating in the beer hall and shopping in the food hall. Two weeks later we received a parking ticket for almost £100, stating that the car park has a three hour parking limit. We did not noticed the signs at the time stating this! The signs are purposely hard to spot to scam people. I spent a large amount of money already at Bowland Beer Hall and they see it fit to scam me from another £100 for using their services! Bowland - you owe me money. Please contact me asap to refund the money you owe me for your parking scam. Otherwise I will never spend another penny at your establishment again and I will advise everyone to do the same.

My group of friends and I had such a lovely day here! The food and beer was delicious (I had the jerk burger), the atmosphere was bouncing outside with the DJ and every single member of staff were so helpful and couldn’t do enough for us!! Especially the lovely Emma who was sooo lovely and such a credit to the place. Thanks guys xx

Certainly wouldn't visit for food, Wetherspoons has more taste and choice. Barely warm food! Not an ale drinker so this aspect was lost on me. Lovely gem of a place to visit though.

Bowland Beer Hall at Holmes Mill Clitheroe is a truly spectacular place for drinks and dining. Nestled in picturesque Clitheroe, Bowland Beer Hall has heritage and history being an original brewery that has a stunning old machinery incorporated into the repurposed venue. It has one of the longest bars I've ever seen and a stunning array of drinks on offer including its own produce. We originally stopped purely for looking around and drinks however we were so impressed with venue and the menu we had to order the food and I'm so glad we did. The food was equally as impressive as the surroundings. The nduja fries is an excellent touch.

Lots of people working there that really shouldn't be in a customer facing role. Everything seemed just too much trouble, not a smile, or is everything ok, had to ask for sauces but got salt and vinegar plonked on the table. Food was good but was basic. Went with family won't go again.

Awesome Place for drinks and Dine

If you are in Clitheroe you must have a look at this pub even just to see the bar size, each beer I sampled was good, staff helpfull

Walked into this huge bar and met by very helpful bar staff. Heh, my lucky night all cask beer half price I was told by my informative server. Started with a couple of halves of their Bowland Ales and the wife was on cider. Server asked if we were eating, which we were, so set up a tab for us. We went to a seat and ordered our food. Two more halves were followed by two more before returning for some pints. Only brewery I've been to where I liked all of their ales. 10/10. Food was also excelant, more than enough. They do allow dogs and kids and seeing a dog on a bench cleaning a plate was off-putting, but that's more the client than the bars fault Time to make a move I settled my bill and left. Next morning we were on the road when my wife checked the bill. All the beer was charged at full price!! emailed them but no reply.

What an amazing place. Very interesting and enjoyable place to eat, drink, and have a wander.

What a fab place really interesting and amazing selection of drinks

I have eaten many times at the beer hall but the service provided by Reece is the best I have ever experienced! He has been the server on our last couple of visits and you could not meet a more pleasant, hard working and pleasant young man, You are a credit to your team!

Great beer, plenty to choose from, great food, great staff. Cannot complain at all!

Lovely spot with food hall and shop next to the brewery. Very busy at Saturday lunch but worth the wait after hovering for a table.

Great food in a relaxed setting.

Bowland Beer Hall had been on our list for some time. *We didn’t eat here* Pros - nice space -excellent beer offering -buzzy atmosphere Cons -The service was slow. We were saddened by the fact that one of the bar staff was incredibly rude and misogynistic. This tarnished our visit.

Wow! Fabulous place to taste local and guest ales and the food was good too. Lovely relaxing atmosphere in the Engine Room of the old mill. And no awful piped music. Super helpful bar staff

Cater for all tastes, meaties to vegans

No change since last time 2 years ago. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff but food is expensive pub standards and while beer prices are OK given the variety available, £7.50 for a 125ml glass of cheap prosecco is just taking the p...

All I can say is the atmosphere in there is just brilliant. Good beers excellent food all welcome.

Went for our 10 year anniversary did say it when booking gave us a seat near the entrance had a jazz band on which was nice but people knocking into our chairs and table when stood watching the band play. Was looking forward to this one but very disappointed. We got a little bit off the final bill but not much. Service could have been better when we asked to see if we could move tables staff didn't come back to us to tell us.

Great hidden gem. From the outside you’d never expect to find such a cool bar. Funky vibe. Lovely service. Great beer selection. Tasty food, and big portions.

What a great pub in a lovely social area. very impressed

Interesting a quirky venue. Only stopped by for a pint, which was a Bowland ale. Very good beer and atmosphere

Great place to visit - if you can get a seat! Very busy and great atmosphere.

A fantastic amount of choice of real ales not a great choice of food had the pie and chips didn't really make much of it for the price nothing special no better than a holands or puka pie but that's just our opinion🥧🥧🥧

Had brunch with friends from Bolton. Had the steak Canadian the chips were like from McDonald's and the steak was full of fat and un edible . Poor fit the money 💰

We always enjoy our visits to Bowland. Excellent beer and service, the place is also set up very well for disabled access.

Amazing place. Quirky. Roomy...good atmosphere.

Lovely food 😋 Good service in this vibrant brewery

Great place this .... huge bar ..... amazing choice of beers .... changing all the time .... if you like to try new beers then this place is a must visit ...

Great atmosphere on a Saturday night! We had a table booked for food, the food was delicious and brilliant beer as usual in this bar.

Good choice of beers. Interesting building.

Lovely, big bar with a huge range of cask and craft beers, including multiple guest beers s well as their own range. Set in an old mill with every inch of bit of its original features being used to the max.

Went here for a drink after some food. Very nice indeed, very spacious and comfortable.

Had the Lancashire Hotpot with red cabbage. Very tasty! I would highly recommend. Their winter menu is much better than the summer one in my opinion. But the beers are excellent all year round!

We went there for a lads night out. High quality beer, only had a chance to try a few couldn't try all in one go. Beer really well kept and nice. Food was amazing and well priced 😋 arrived quick and staff looked after us all night. If you want to eat reserve a table!

Really enjoyed the food and beer. You get a really large helping of food. Well worth a visit.

Large selection of real ales in a converted mill, keeping the original features all round, with a view of the brewery. Good food menu. Many different seating areas.

Been here on various occasions for casual drinks as well as bongo bingo. Good atmosphere, quirky building, good location. Everyman cinema next door

There's a great range of beers, and food's good. Can get busy, but worth it. Recommended. S

Top beers establishment ✔️😉👍great range of guest ales changed weekly. Some cheap drink it dry days early in the week.

Absolutely attrocious service and mediocre pub food. How can, so many people walk past such a large group of people at a table without wondering why we are not eating. Food when it came , came in drips, so my food was cold by the time everyone on the table was served. Food average. . Offered a round of drinks or 15% discount for the inconvenience. Frankly, quite derisory. I won't be coning back, and suggest you avoid dissappointing your family by bringing them here

Visited with work colleagues and a supplier. Food was utterly delicious and a great size portion - I had fish & chips. I thought the service was brilliant and the mill location stunning. Can't wait to go again, bringing family with me this time! Recently went somewhere similar and had fish & chips - it was more expensive and nowhere near as good!

This was a works outing for Christmas. The atmosphere was quite relaxed but bar staff were well versed in all the available beers. The food was excellent and portions large. The hall has a distinctly rustic feel but is very welcoming. We had a good night!

Very busy staff coping well. Had to wait for food but it was worth it. Great choice of drinks/ beers. Friendly attentive staff knowledgeable about their products. Great place for families and a meet up place for friends/relatives. Various options within the wider complex

Large beer hall and eating tables in an old industrial complex. Good atmosphere, with some of the old machinery left over from days gone by. Food middling, beer fine. We had chilli brisket beef, but to be honest the main ingredient was onion. It was more like a veggie chilli, but it was ok.

I went Bowland Beer Hall with my parents after watching a film at the Everyman Cinema on Wednesday 1st November, from the moment we got a table to going home was exceptional, the service was superb. it is set in an historic old mill it is spacious, accessible for large wheelchairs and the friendliness was beyond believe, we all ordered the steak pie and 3 tasting beer trays, which the meal and the beer was incredible, very smooth and drinkable, i would highly recommend it to anyone, for casual, couples, catching up with friends, families, dog walkers. it is really accessible with a disabled toilet on the ground ground, it has a lift for disabled people to access upstairs for private functions. The staff were accommodating especially Simon and James, and also Pete the lovely barman. Definitely will go back without doubt we can't wait!

Fantastic bar, very big and lively, a must visit for clitheroe.

Food tastes fantastic and drinks were served quickly. Table service for food was fantastic, Tracey was incredibly kind and patient. Service in the lounge bar next door was not on the same level. One guy was very sharp with one of our group and bar staff seemed very inexperienced.

Good sized portions and well polished rustic ambiance

Very pleasant visit staff friendly and helpful food spot on!

Every member of staff was totally professional and certainly appeared to love the job that they did. Most impressed.

Great selection of beers plus £15 for a burger and a pint in a real bargain.

So much beer in one place - what more could you want. Excellent value, brilliant atmosphere and the half price beers on Mondays and Tuesdays is a bonus. Fantastic to see it so busy on a Monday afternoon

Great beer and food, friendly and helpful staff.

Basic food. Decent beer and a great location