Love Lane Brewery, an award-winning bar in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle, has been handed a zero-star hygiene rating following an inspection by environmental health officers. The venue, located on Bridgewater Street, was assessed on Monday, September 7, and received the lowest possible score, with "urgent improvement necessary" recorded across all three inspection areas: cleanliness and condition of facilities and building, management of food safety, and hygienic food handling.
Brewery operation temporarily closed
Operations director Rod Grainger told the ECHO that the building houses two separate operations: the Brewery business and the Kitchen and Taproom business. The change in published rating came after an inspection by Liverpool City Council Environmental Health in September.
Grainger said: "The inspection identified various concerns, which primarily related to the Brewery operation and resulted in that operation being temporarily closed, whilst those concerns were addressed."
Taproom permitted to remain open
Grainger added that Liverpool City Council did not request the closure of the Kitchen and Taproom operation, but rather permitted it to remain open and trading. He said: "The experienced leadership within the venue teams, ensures standards are held and maintained for the benefit of our customers."
Love Lane Brewery's recent history has been turbulent. Despite being included in the Good Beer Guide in 2025, the business first collapsed into administration in June 2022, owing more than £1.5m to creditors. The brand was saved when former Iceland boss Nick Canning invested a further £300,000 in the company.
Recent ownership change
Just 18 months later, the Bridgewater Street venue suffered the same fate. At the time, a spokesperson for Love Lane Brewery Ltd described the situation as "unfortunate", but said the challenges had been "too great" to deal with. The spokesperson claimed the business struggled to return to pre-covid sales levels and that the situation was "made more frustrating" after Canning's considerable investment.
In early 2024, the venue was bought by Home Bargains owner TJ Morris through TJ Morris Brewing. Last year, Grainger, originally from York, said: "We were delighted with the news. We started brewing cask beer for the first time in quite a long time late last year."
He added: "The business has been bust twice now, but we aren't focusing on that. We are the new team here making a difference. The support we now have from TJ Morris and Home Bargains gives us the ability to ride against the tide. It's very hard at the moment - hospitality is on its knees. A lot of people are worried about jobs and it's understandable. But we are still working on making more progress, but there is still definitely more to do."
