Inside pub with huge beer garden that's been hailed 'one of the best in the UK'

17 September 2023 , 14:58

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Inside epic Liverpool pub with huge beer garden that's 'one of the best in UK' (Image: Liverpool Echo)

Named one of the best in the country one Liverpool beer garden has seen hundreds of thousands in investment.

The huge beer garden in the south of the city can seat 200 people and due to a £275,000 investment in 2021 is now named one of the best outdoor pub offerings in the country. The Brown Cow is a finalist in next week's Great British Pub Awards, in the Admiral Taverns Pub of the Year category.

The Gateacre pub built its garden on previously unused land, filling the space with outdoor booths and wooden shelters. The garden also houses a 317 kg statue of a brown cow. The pub was a mainstay of Liverpool's '12 Pubs of Christmas' - a pub crawl which stopped at a dozen different hostelries in Gateacre and Woolton, but it was known by locals as one to spend as little time in as possible.

The investment which came from from community pub company Hawthorn gave the building an extensive renovation, with fresh fittings, an updated bar area, new toilets, and refreshed external decor, including stained glass windows true to the building's heritage. The newly facelifted pub means it is often busy with drinkers throughout the year, now that people stick around after its refurbishment.

For the mainstream drinker, who isn't after anything crafty, there is a wide range of options. Though both cask ale lines were off, there was plenty on draught to choose from - Stella Artois, Carling, Birra Moretti, John Smiths, Magners, Camden Hells, Strongbow, Coors, Guinness and Madri. For the more adventurous, there are also cocktails on draught.

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Elle May Rice told the Liverpool Echo: “A rainy Thursday night is probably not the best test of a pub now known for its beer garden. It was not long after 9pm when the heavens opened over South Liverpool. Sitting in the beer garden my friends and I took refuge under the wooden roof of one of its many outdoor booths. The Camden Hells were crisp and lively - a good beer to toast the working week coming to an end.

''The Guinness was pretty good as well - rich, well-poured and nicely balanced between sweetness and bitterness before a welcome velvet finish. We had a good night in The Brown Cow. It is a fine place for a relaxed drink and to catch up with friends. Frankly, it does exactly what you want from a suburban pub. And when the sun is shining, the beer garden is terrific. A damp Thursday doesn't do it justice.”

Dan Haygarth