It’s great to catch up with an old friend over a couple of beers. It’s even better to catch up with an old friend over a couple of beers, at their own really cool bar.
Over the past year, I’ve looked on via social media as my old pal Luke and his partner El established the super-cute O’Brien’s Beer Café in Holmfirth. Having not seen Luke since we left Leeds back in 2013, the time was right to make the trip and see what they had built for themselves, while sampling some of their stock. Not only is the bar a gorgeous spot, set within the town’s old butcher’s shop, but it’s surrounded by some of the most glorious countryside the Peak District has to offer. With a free Sunday, I dropped Luke a line for some walk recommendations and to arrange a visit.
The Walk
Turns out, there’s an embarrassment of riches when it comes to walks in the Holme Valley. We opted for a circular walk taking in Digley Reservoir and the surrounding moorland.
Setting off from the free Digley Reservoir car park, we were immediately greeted with a stunning view of the body of water in the sunshine. We then proceeded to get slightly confused at the very first turn in the trail, although on closer inspection of the small brook we found the way up a slightly damp rocky passage through the woods. To our surprise, we caught a tiny waterfall in amongst the small grove of trees, and eventually we emerged to a hilltop view back across Holmfirth and the valley.
From here, we continued up and across the moor, on a long, straight path. The wide open expanse allowed views of distant green fields inhabited sparsely by sheep and huge swathes of blue sky. We barely encountered a soul, which while peaceful, did mean we had nobody to save us five minutes by pointing out the stile next to one locked gate along the way!
After a short while, we took a turn in the path to cross through a huge patch of heather, eventually reaching Blackpool Bridge. This narrow wooden structure allows passage across the babbling Marsden Clough stream and saves your feet from getting wet (or ‘wetter’, this wasn’t the driest ramble). A scramble up a steep section of hill followed, before we doubled back on ourselves and began the hike back to the other side of the reservoir, flanked by the heathery banks of the stream on our right. On rounding the edges of the water, we found ourselves back at the car, after 2 ½ hours and a total of 9.5km. We were now ready for lunch and a beer.
O’Brien’s Beer Café
Heading back into Holmfirth, it’s clear that the town is marking itself out as a bit of a destination for those in search of a decent drop after a day of walking. As well as O’Brien’s, Magic Rock have set up a taproom here and there are some great options for restaurants, pubs and cafés to grab a bite.
Heading through the door at O’Brien’s, you’re immediately struck by the old Mettrick Bros butcher shop features that lend it a unique ambience. While the bar area has been stripped back to brick, elsewhere, old white and green wall tiles have been retained. Luke explains that along with the terrazzo floor, these were rediscovered in ripping out the fittings of the Age UK shop that previously occupied the space. They’ve also made a feature of the spiral staircase that stands next to the door, covering it in houseplants to avoid any potential mishaps from wobbly customers.
Heading up to the bar, I surveyed the draught offering, which ran the gamut from perennial low-alcohol fave Schofferhoffer Grapefruit, all the way through to Frederiksdal’s Danish Cherry Wine, while Cheltenham’s Deya have a permanent (though rotating) hold on 3 of the taps. This isn’t your typical Peak District beer offering. I headed back over to our table with a juicy DDH IPA from Frau Gruber, while Kate had a refreshing collab pale from Deya and Newbarns. Drink in hand, I looked down to the beer mats on the table and immediately I wanted to nick one for home (sorry Luke – invoice me!). These feature the friendly illustrated beer bottle and can characters that O’Brien’s have built into a striking visual identity. Not only a winner on Instagram, a look around the bar reveals countless more uses of posters, signage and even T-Shirts in this style, helping not only establish a brand but a fun welcome.
And people clearly feel more than welcome on a Sunday afternoon here. Regulars enter in a steady trickle in the couple of hours we’re there, chatting away with each other and staff while a birthday gathering takes place in the back room. Despite the high ceilings and airy space, there’s a genuine feeling of cosiness and family, perhaps best exemplified by the recording of customers’ heights on the doorframe (along with their dogs’!).
Before we headed home, Kate had a tart Mikkeller Ich Bin Berliner Raspberry at 3.7%, while I couldn’t help but sample Complicated Dark Beer, a syrupy, treacley imperial stout from Newbarns and Omnipollo. We then grabbed a Colin the Caterpillar stout from the fridges to take home with us to serve as a reminder of our wedding last year (funny story about that… ask me sometime!), as we chatted to Luke about how we’d be back soon. The stunning local scenery, coupled with the cosy atmosphere at O’Brien’s and their exciting beer selection makes this a very tempting prospect, so we’ll doubtlessly make good on that promise.
Find O’Brien’s Beer Café and Bottleshop on Facebook and Instagram.
SOUNDS TASTY 