Pub of the Season: Taps & Wine Bar

Pub of the season Winter 2022 TAPS & WINE BAR, WALTON-LE-DALE

The Pub of the Season for Winter 2022/3 has been awarded to the TAPS & WINE BAR in Walton-leDale. Housed in the former Conservative Club building, the pub opened in late November 2019 following an extensive renovation. This of course was not the best time to be opening a new venture, as the pub was forced to close for lockdown the following March. With all the changes in rules and some problems over planning permission for the outdoor drinking area, it was only in August 2021 that the pub fully reopened.

The pub is run by Sean and Debbie O’Hagan who have lived locally all their lives. Debbie runs the pub while Sean has a day job as a project manager, while being

heavily involved with beer selection, cellar work etc. Sean has also used his building skills in the refurbishment, with most of the work being done by him.

The term micropub is often thrown at all new pub conversions, but this one is anything but micro. There is a substantial lounge on the ground floor with the bar across the far end. On the upper floor there is a newly opened function room and outside there are a few covered booths for use in warmer weather. The bar houses six handpumps and fifteen keg taps, providing a wide selection of beers. The cask beers come from a range of breweries, predominantly from Yorkshire and Lancashire, and will usually include a dark beer. The pub posts their beer range on the Real Ale Finder app, so it’s easy to find out what is available before visiting. For those of you who don’t drink beer, there is also a good selection of fine wines and gins. A kitchen is being fitted upstairs and a food offering should be available in the New Year.

The Taps & Wine Bar has become the go-to pub for lovers of real ale in Walton-le-Dale, but seems to be less well known outside the local area. There is easy access, as the 125 bus (Stagecoach: Preston – Chorley – Bolton) and the 152 (Transdev: Preston – Blackburn – Burnley) stop almost outside the door, so why people haven’t been making more noise about this excellent pub is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the problem lies in the appeal of places like Preston and Chorley, which have become real ale tourist destinations; so a town with one great pub gets somewhat overlooked, which is a great shame.

The pub is open from 5pm – 9.30pm Thursday, 4pm – 11pm Friday, 3pm – 11pm Saturday and 2pm – 9.30pm on Sunday. There is occasional live music on Saturday nights.

The Pub of the Season Presentation will take place at the Taps & Wine Bar on 26th January at 7.30pm. Please do join us to discover why this pub has won this award and to enjoy some great ales in a friendly and welcoming environment.