Here you can take a look at past and present features from The Whitehaven and The Workington Guide relating to our Real Ale Features.
Whitehaven Guide June- July Issue
Would you believe that summer has arrived so soon, Good news if the Good weather arrives and stays this year; And? I hear you ask, what does the Weather have to with anything? Well, let's face it; you can't beat a few rays, a gentle breeze and a Pint of the good stuff, all at the same time. The Smoking Ban has had one great advantage, more pubs than ever now have Beer Gardens.
Moreover, the ones that had them in the past have really made an effort to tidy up what may have been a yard or an untidy Garden.
I digress as per usual; the point is sometimes Ale is only as good as its surroundings, if you're totally chilled you enjoy things more.
Take for instance The Strands Inn and Brewery, the newly landscaped
‘Brewery Beer Garden' is gorgeous, with an extremely relaxed atmosphere and lovely views; it is peace itself and the best thing, it is next to a Brewery.
Mark and Leslie also offer that discerning Ale drinker a whole host of other Fine Ales as well as their own.
In addition, The Whitehaven Guide and The Strands Inn and Brewery have Joined forces to bring you West Cumbria's Newest Real Ale, ‘Responsibly'
It will be ready for consumption from the premises early June. ‘Responsibly' is not a non- Alcoholic Real Ale, the name came to me after hearing everyone from Tesco to Morrison's and even the Government telling me all the time to drink Responsibly, and they must be desperate, because they were begging, even saying Please Drink Responsibly. I could not find this elusive, wonderful beverage anywhere so decided to create it.
So as of now people can literally come to The Strands Inn and Brewery and Drink ‘Responsibly'. If you have too much and you cannot talk when you get home, you can honestly exshplain to the misshush that you have been drinking Reshponshibly all day long.
Anyway, enough of me meandering on, Real Ale, that is where we were. Nice Views ect. Gosforth Hall in ‘Gosforth', sorry, have also Built a fantastic Beer Garden.
Where once there were views of Trees-Trees and More Trees, they have opened up the whole area so one can sit, stare and relax whilst taking in beautiful views of The Fells. Gosforth Hall is another Real Ale Stronghold; Camra Award winners recently, not for the first time I may add, Rod and Barbara have won lots of Awards, including Best Pub and Runner up in Best Pub of The Year. The reason is for the constant quality on offer and the regular turn around of Guest Ales. Gosforth Hall Building is in itself intriguing, it has more history than you can shake a stick at. Well worth the visit.
The Brook in Cleator is back to its Fantastic normal self now that Kirsty is back cracking the whip.
Renowned locally, as a place where you are guaranteed a Great Pint. The Brook is another Real Ale Award Winning pub serving a selection of Real Ales and Guest Ales all year round. Small though it is The Brook has a real cosy atmosphere where you relax as soon as you are through the door. Ales on offer are Landlord, Fever Pitch, Ennerdale from the Whitehaven Brewery and Thum Ducker from The Fuzzy Duck Brewery.
The Parkside Hotel in between Cleator Moor and Frizington continue to serve a select range of preferred Cumbrian Real Ales from local breweries such as Yates, The Whitehaven Brewery Company and Barngates from Ambleside.
John who runs the Parkside hotel says ‘I feel that I have the best local Ales on Tap' we receive different Ales from the Breweries on a regular basis giving our customers great choice when it comes to Real Ale.'
The Whitehaven Brewery Company is going from strength to strength with lots of outlets now serving their Ale, Ennerdale. Sheila is busy forging ahead forming Partnerships with local Free houses. ‘We all have lots in common and a lot of Free Houses are Champions of Real Ale, plus we are conscientious of addressing ‘Beer Miles', our Ale is local, it has not travelled the length and breadth of the UK to reach you. Which, is in everyones best interests?'
In addition, Sheila is excited at the launch of their new Ale Ennerdale Blond. It is a Light Ale, ideal for the summer at 3.8%. Therefore, keep your eyes peeled, it is out soon.
The Distressed Sailor have thrown themselves into The Real Ale Revolution, they are serving Real Ales which constantly change every month and already it has proven to be a huge success for Mark who has recently taken over the Pub. The next Guest Ale for June is a surprise.
The Whittington Cat Inn in Whitehaven has done a fantastic job converting their regulars over to The Good Stuff.
The Whittington Cat is now a regular on the Real Ale Circuit, with Jennings Yan Tan Tethera on and Guest Ales coming in constantly.
To find out what's happening on the Real Ale front between issues, make you visit our web site where we have set up our Real Ale Page.
Enjoy, and remember Do, Please Drink Responsibly
Workington Guide May- June Issue. Real Ale
West Cumbria is fast becoming a Real Ale stronghold of late and it is fantastic to see.
Much of this is down to a few basic factors, firstly, CAMRA for the hard work that they have put in over the years and secondly, the local Pubs who have not been afraid to take a chance on something that was not as popular over the last few years.
More and more Pubs are embracing this surge in Real Ale and the end product is that more and more Guest ales are finding their way to our local Ale Houses.
Jennings Ale is as popular as ever and seems to be the main constant brew on tap however with more and more Micro Breweries are edging their way into the market place, which can only be a good thing.
One of the most successful Micro Breweries in Cumbria is Yates Brewery from Wigton.
They have recently been Awarded The Cumbrian Micro Brewery Challenge for the third time. They are the only Micro Brewery to achieve such a feat. With over 15 awards in the last 22 year's they are not doing too bad. The Ship Inn is a Champion of Yates Ales and serves no other than Yates.
The Stagg Inn at Crosby Maryport has a varied range on offer. The Cask Marque accredited Pub serves Jennings Bitter, Thwaites Bitter, Guest Ales and one that is definitely worth a mention is Thwaites Guest Ale ‘Wainwrights.'
This Light coloured Ale is delicious and should come with a warning on the Pint Glass. It is Smooth, Tasty and definitely one for the summer. Originally brewed as a seasonal beer for the Bi-centenary in 2007, Wainwrights was so popular that it is now available 12 months of the year!
The Bounty Inn at Maryport are another Pub that is serving up Real Ales, with a constant Turn around of Guest Ales making an appearance you're always in for a surprise.
Also on constantly are Jennings ales. Guest ales for May and June are a surprise!!
The Henry Bessemer ‘JD Wetherspoons' in Workington are another Cask Marque accredited Pub. Here you will find a whole array of Guest Ales on offer with Jennings always on Tap. There will be another Cumbrian Ale Festival in June at The Henry Bessemer where there will be a range of Locally Brewed Ales available.
Wendy the Manageress was responsible for The Whitehaven Jd Wetherspoons in gaining entry into The Good Beer Guide and hopes to emulate that here in Workington.
Local brewers are always welcome to contact Wendy to discuss the possibility of getting there Ales into The Henry Bessemer.
Whitehaven Guide Feb - March Issue
Well, well, well, what have we here, a resurgence like we have not seen for a long time, it looks like Real Ale is becoming quite fashionable again with sales going through the roof for some of our small Pubs and Micro breweries.
There has been quite a lot going on over the last few months on The Real Ale Front with new ales being brewed in the area; you know the trend is on the up when national chains are taking note, however JD Weatherspoon's are renowned for serving up Real Ale but it is great to see such a huge national company also backing the small micro breweries in Cumbria.
If you go to either Whitehaven or Workington ‘Spoons' you can find a small selection of guest ales on offer which are all brewed in Cumbria and personally I think it is fantastic for all concerned as they are giving small brewers the opportunity to showcase their wares to a massive local audience.
On the brewing side of things The Whitehaven Brewery finally launched their first ale ‘Ennerdale' the launch was held in December at the award winning Camra pub The Vagabond in Whitehaven, it has since proved to be a huge success and is now available at The Brook -Cleator, The Fox and Hounds at Ennerdale, The Screes- Nether Wadsdale, The Vagabond and The Lutwidge arms which is now under New Owners ‘Mike and Elena Law' and also The Parkside Hotel in between Cleator Moor and Frizington which has always had a large and varied selection of Ales on offer, I spoke to the landlord ‘John' who say's ‘ Ennerdale' has gone down really well with our regular real ale drinkers which is a great start for the Team at The Whitehaven Brewing Company'
On the back of the success of they're Ennerdale Ale, The Whitehaven Brewery Company are to begin Bottling ‘Ennerdale' in the near future, these will make ideal gift packs for Fathers Day, Christmas or any occasion really, such as ‘it's a Monday let's celebrate' or ‘it's a Tuesday', I'm sure you get my drift.
The Team are working on a Spring edition so be sure to check out they're web site, the taster sessions will run throughout the year as they became so popular last year, call Sheila and the Team for further details.
Also The Strands inn and Brewery at Nether Wasdale are forging ahead with numerous new brews coming along, one of the most popular is they're latest Coorsburg a light ale that will suit most, it sits really nice and will definitely be ideal in the warmer weather, but Mark isn't stopping there, oh, no he's working on new Brews for The Spring as we speak, I think he's becoming obsessed.......but I've tried all of his Ales, ‘in a professional capacity of course' and they are spot on, my particular favourite is still Errmm which makes the trip their well worth the visit.
Howard from The Wasdale Head has come up with yet another corker ‘Trail Ale', Trail Ale was launched late last year and has proven to be another great Ale to come out of the on-site Brewery at the Hotel, for every pint sold a donation is made to The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team so what better excuse to indulge, you can imagine the scene ‘sorry love, I don't want this Tenth Pint but I insist on Supporting such a worthy cause- (hic)'
Gosforth Hall Hotel in Gosforth have a constant stream of Ales coming in from across the country, so always something different for that discerning Ale aficionado which is great really as you never know what you're going to get when you go along.
A big congrats to Chris at The Vagabond- Whitehaven for the recent Camra Award of Pub of the Season which is quite a feat as they have only been open for six months
Chris say's ‘We are over the moon to be recognised after such short space of time',
Also as we are still in Whitehaven The Whittington Cat are definitely worth mentioning as they have always served Jennings Ales and are now venturing into the Guest Ale Market, February sees Cockerhoop making an appearance and in March St Davids will be available to all at The Whittington Cat.
The Sunny Hill on the loop road are another Whitehaven Pub -restaurant that are now serving a selection of Real Ales, ‘see I told you it was becoming popular,' everyone seems to be getting on the Ale Wagon. Good stuff too.
A warm welcome to the new owners at The Stanley Arms at Calderbridge who are bringing in new Guest Ales on a regular basis and with such lovely grounds I am sure I will be spending some time there this Spring.
So there you have it, there is plenty of choice for all really and it's all on your doorstep, if you have any news that is worthy of our wee Ale Highlights for our next issue then please get in touch.
Enjoy
Whitehaven Guide Oct- Nov Issue
Welcome to our little foray into the world of Real Ale, in this feature we will look at a few establishments that serve up what was once a part of almost everyone's daily diet, Real Ale.
Originally Real Ale was not made just for the sake of consumption and merriment but a genuine necessity as water what so badly polluted in the past that brewing Ale was a safe alternative.
Whitehaven itself had numerous Breweries in the past as did almost all small towns and cities.
However over the years big corporate breweries bought out local breweries one by one, closing them down and shifting the brewing process out of the area and therefore became instrumental in the decline of Real Ale throughout the County.
But all that is changing slowly but surely for the better regarding Real Ale, with the excellent work undertaken by CAMRA promoting Real Ale throughout the UK, highlighting various establishments with awards recognising various pubs for they're excellence in Customer Service & of course Real Ales.
Also, the resurgence is down to the multitude of independent Micro Breweries opening up in Pubs and wherever space is available.
Not dissimilar to the Music industry whereby people are standing alone for the first time without the backing of massive corporate companies and are genuinely making things work, much to the annoyance of the big companies that these upstarts are now dominating the Music Industry, where there's a will there's a way.
Whitehaven finally has its own Brewery in The Whitehaven Brewing Company Ltd which has been formed by Ale aficionados Mr Barrie Roberts & Mr Chris Webber. Work colleagues that developed the idea of the company in 2004. Barrie explains ‘ The reason for setting up was simple, Whitehaven was well known for real ale for generations and no breweries exist in the town anymore, being an Ale lover along with Chris we decided to take things a step further and kick start a Revolution for Real Ale once again.'
They finally moved premises to the Hamlet of Croasdale nr Ennerdale and set up a ten Barrel plant.
Fresh water supplied from Kirkland Fell, perfect premises all that was missing was the expertise, so Peter Lawes, ex-Jennings Head Brewer was called upon and is now in charge of the test brews which should be ready in the very near future.
Other Micro breweries in the local area are
The Strands Inn and Brewery situated in the hamlet of beautiful Nether Wasdale and is a haven for any real ale lover.
There you will be welcomed by Lesley and Mark who have run The Strands Inn since June 2006, The brewery was launched in Feb 2007.
Setting up the micro brewery was landlord Mark, who was a first time brewer and simply as a real ale lover felt that it was his duty as a decent human being to create his own Ales and then consume as many as possible, of course all in the name of brewryism?
Errmmm is by and far the most popular and by and far has the most unusual name.
This came about when asking his family "right we have the Ale, what shall we call it?"
Unanimously all said the same thing, Errmmm! And so it passed, the ale had a name.
The 3 Barrel plant creates one Brew every couple of weeks, and being so nice, the only place on the Planet where one can indulge in such tongue tastic tastes on offer is actually on The Premises at The Strands Inn and Brewery Nether Wasdale.
Errmmm is sold along side other brews such as T`Errmmm-inator , Errmmm Export and Angry Bee.
Just Further down the road from Nether Wasdale you will find the Wasdale Head Inn home of The Great Gable Brewing Company, CAMRA's pub of the year for Cumbria in 2006, Howard, the owner put me in the safe hands of Giles Holliday, Head Brewer for The Company who then kindly escorted me through the brewing process also explaining how they have they're own water supply, spring water at that, straight from Yewbarrow. The first thing that hits you when in a brewery is the sweet smell and the actual space that is needed, not a lot really.
Nothing is wasted in this brewery, the spent grains are sent to farms for sheep and cattle, the spent hops are used for compost.
The water is UV treated making sure its as pure as can be and so begins the process of actually making it, as Giles explained ‘it takes three days to ferment, three days to condition it and on the seventh day its casked and ready, Yummmm.
Available throughout the year is Great Gable 3.7%- Wasd'ale 4.4% ( ive just got that) and Scawfell 4.8% plus various seasonal brews throughout the year. The Wasdale Head itself is an astonishing building, serving great food to accompany their Great Ales to weary travellers all the year round.
The Bower House inn situated in Eskdale is a must if you'r after a Tipple or Ten, serving five different Ales from local breweries such as Coniston - Derwent- Keswick -Dent and also Theakstons.
To sit in front of a blazing log fire or outside as the sun goes down make this a truly spectacular Pub. Extremely busy for Christmas and New Year parties you would be advised to book early.
Popular all year round with visitors and home of the biggest live Music Event in the area B -Fest.
The Bridge Inn at Santon Bridge has Jennings on Offer and Guest ales throughout the year. Home of the world's biggest liar competition will be held on the 15th November this year.
The Boot Inn at Eskdale with 6 ales on offer throughout the year makes a trip up there compulsory. With Lovely scenery and lots on the menu you won't be disappointed.
Coming back this way towards Whitehaven firstly we have Gosforth Hall, a Real Ale stronghold, voted CAMRA Pub of the Season 2007, Championing Cumbrian Beers, Rod and Barbara serve ales from across the county with real ales from further a field as well.
A truly original building that dates back to the 16th century, its worth popping in just to have a look at the place, small ceilings, big beams and open fire make for a perfect setting as winter sets in to indulge in the offerings to be had.
Just a few miles away from Gosforth Hall is Seascale where you will find The Calder Hall Hotel. With Great sea view's and really nice food plus Real Ales you'd be well to venture over.
The Stanley Arms Hotel in Calderbridge is another great pub,
With a lovely massive Beer garden over looking the river and serving Food throughout the week (real chips) with of course a dollop of Real Ale make this an excellent stop off point.
Coming from Calderbridge heading back towards Whitehaven you must detour into Cleator, for it is here that the CAMRA Award Winning pub is The Brook. The Brook have four Real Ales on and this small pub with the big attitude is another definite must.
Log Fires, constantly changing Ales and Great food on offer indicate as to why it was voted Best Pub in The Copeland Pride Awards.
Next stop is The Lowther Arms with great panoramic sunsets over Whitehaven, excellent Sunday Dinners and a couple of real ales on hand make this an ideal stop off point.
The Vagabond which is relatively new to the town has four different Real Ales on Offer. Situated just off the harbourside with gorgeous views, this is a great venue.
Live Music every Sunday.
And finally if you'r still standing or breathing for that matter we finish up in St Bees at The Manor House.
Another fine pub with a selection of Hand pulled Ales on offer.
Excellent Food and great Beer garden at the back.
If Real Ale is something that you don't normally drink, try the lighter coloured ones if Lager is your normal tipple.
Enjoy what's on offer but drink responsibly.
And remember if you cant be bothered to travel pub to pub the Whitehaven Beer Festival takes place in Whitehaven Civic Hall on the 16th and 17th November.
Enjoy.
