www.awcamra.org.uk
Owned by Gregg and Julie Beaman (very convivial hosts), the pub is only three hundred feet square and opens from Tuesday to Saturday from 12.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 21.00. It has no television, music or games machines and doesn’t sell lager or spirits. And it works! Gregg normally has five or six real ales and a couple of real ciders on and that’s it. While I was there he had three ales, cider, a perry and a porter on. I was in heaven when I saw Westons Old Rosie on tap when we went there on the Tuesday evening. It was on our last call on Wednesday evening where I also tried the Smuttynose Robust Porter at 6.2%. And very robust it was ! Earlier in the day we had headed off to the delightful town of Kendal where I made straight for the Miles Thompson, a Wetherspoons pub in the centre of the town. It was twelve o’clock but there was already a sizeable amount of customers in. And, joy of joys, it was Cider Festival 2013 time and there were eight ready for me! I had Gwynt y Ddraig’s Fiery Fox, very fiery ay 6.5%, Rosie’s Pig, a Westons concoction at 4.8% and then I upset the missus by having a couple of Field Farm Perry from Mr. Whitehead’s at a very nice 7.0%. We then went for a drive to look at the countryside before heading to Ings Village where another local legend was, the Watermill Inn & Brewery. They had fourteen real ales on including eight that they brew themselves! The pub has been winning awards for over ten years and was the Own Brew Pub Of The Year in the 2013 Good Pub Guide. I can’t tell you what there brews were like however as Old Rosie was there and, having come from a cider-less China, I was pigging out on the stuff. But, I would advise anyone going to the area to pop in. It’s in a beautiful setting, is large and, according to the missus, the food was fantastic! On the Wednesday, we headed for Coniston famous, of course, for Bluebird. After a look around the town we first went to the Sun Hotel where I tried Cumbria Brewing Company’s, Ladysvale Ale which won the 2011 Golden Ale Award. At 4.3%, it was a tad mild for me but was still very pleasant and drinkable. We then went down to the main road of the village where the Black Bull and Yewdale Hotel are opposite each other. We went to the Black Bull first where the main beers on sale are from Coniston Brewing Company, founded by the owner’s son, Ian Bradley. So I had the Special Oatmeal Stout which won the 2009 Cumbrian Micro-Challenge Gold Medal in it’s debut competition. It’s a sweet stout at 4.5% and I enjoyed a couple of them before heading across to the Yewdale Hotel. And they had a very familiar brew with Theakston’s Old Peculier on board at 5.6%. After a couple of those I was ready to head back to Carnforth and The Snug. All in all, an enjoyable little break with lovely countryside, weather but, best of all, real Cider and Beers. The following weekend it was back to reality! And bloody lager!
Coniston - by Peer Lawther via flickr 13