Chorley pub voted the best in Lancashire

The Malt ‘n’ Hops in Chorley is celebrating after being chosen as the best in Lancashire by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

As well as being named the organisation’s Central Lancashire Pub of the Year for 2017, the Friday Street local was also picked as its Lancashire Pub of the Year.

A presentation was held at the pub on Saturday

Landlord John Grainger, 60, said: “We’re ecstatic, we can’t believe it. We won the Central Lancashire award, then we were told we were in with a chance of winning this and we just didn’t think it was going to happen.

“We’ve nine revolving cask ales because we’re not brewery-tied, to keep a really good range on.

“Everybody comes in and says it’s like a beer festival. We’ve cleaned up the place because it was closed down.

“We’ve put a beer garden in and a smoking area. We’ve put a lot of hard work into it.”

John welcomed Chorley’s thriving micro-pub scene and said: “They’ve done us a favour because people are travelling into town.”

The Central Lancashire branch said: “This is a great honour for a pub that was re-opened as recently as November 2015 after a lengthy closure, and it is only the branch’s second success in this award in the last 16 years.”

Mick Clark, branch communications officer, said: “The Malt ‘n’ Hops deserve their award because of the range of beers they have on, the atmosphere and the live music they put on. All credit to them.”

The Malt ‘n’ Hops takes the Lancashire title from the The Swan with Two Necks, Pendleton, near Clitheroe, which won the award in 2016 and was the national Camra winner in 2013.