Skip to main content

Sally R Fielding: Lake District Breweries

I hear a rumour that there are 28 breweries in Cumbria. Certainly, I ran out of fingers and toes listing the ones that come readily to mind! I tried to come up with a Top Ten from that fabulous long list, but I’m afraid it just wouldn’t get shorter than fourteen. There are plenty of self-catering Lake District cottages near these breweries, so it would be crazy to miss out.

So, in no particular order, enjoy!



1. Keswick Brewery

Thanks to Keswick Brewery, Brewery Lane is once more alive with the sounds and smells of a proper craft brewery. Established in 2006, Keswick Brewery occupies the site of the town's Victorian brew house and produces a number of popular beers all named 'Thirst - something':

  • Thirst Run (4.2% ABV) – a golden pale ale
  • Thirst Fall (4.8% ABV) – chocolatey, malty bitter
  • Thirst Noel (6% ABV) – dark, rich, malty ale
  • Thirst Rescue (3.7% ABV) – a citrussy, golden bitter supporting Mountain Rescue

Year-round brewery tours include charitable donations shared between the Climate Contribution Fund and Red Squirrel Conservation. Their beers are available on-site and in pubs across northern Cumbria.

2. The Strands Brewery

Based at the Strands Hotel in Nether Wasdale, this brewery produces beers exclusively for the pub. Their beers are favourites with CAMRA members, and the pub was runner-up in West Cumbria CAMRA's Pub of the Year in 2009.

  • Errrrrrm (3.8% ABV) – a light, hoppy amber bitter
  • T’Errrrrminator (5% ABV) – a smooth, dark porter-style ale

3. Hardknott Brewery

Originally brewing behind the Woolpack Inn in Boot, Eskdale, Hardknott Brewery relocated to Millom earlier this year. Creativity thrives in the new location:

  • Continuum (4.0% ABV) – “there is always time and space for good beer”
  • Dark Energy (4.9% ABV) – “without it, the cosmos would be inexplicable”

4. Coniston Brewery

Home of Bluebird Bitter, brewed at the back of the Black Bull Pub in Coniston. Coniston has won numerous awards and supplies pubs across Cumbria.

  • Bluebird Bitter (3.6% ABV) – very pale ale with a hint of orange
  • Old Man Ale (4.2% ABV) – chocolatey, fruity, bitter
  • Winter Warmer Blacksmith's Ale (5.0% ABV) – rich and festive

5. Jennings Brewery

Founded in 1828 in Cockermouth, Jennings is Cumbria’s largest brewery. Despite ownership changes, the brewery continues to produce classics like:

  • Jennings Bitter
  • Cumberland Ale
  • Cocker Hoop
  • Snecklifter

Seasonal specials include Yan T’yan Tethera, Tom Fool, and World’s Biggest Liar. Brewery tours with sampling are available throughout the year.

6. Stringers Beer

A micro-brewery in Ulverston powered by wind, wave, hydro, and solar energy.

  • Champion Stout (4% ABV) – jet-black, very drinkable
  • West Coast Blond (4.4% ABV) – floral ale with blond hops
  • Specials include seasonal brews like Sunbird

7. Barngates Brewery

Located at the Drunken Duck between Ambleside and Coniston, Barngates has its own water source and names beers after pub pets:

  • Cracker Ale (3.9% ABV) – named after the pub’s Jack Russell
  • Chester's Strong & Ugly (5.2% ABV) – popular at beer festivals
  • Red Bull Terrier (4.8% ABV) – tangy, spicy, malty winter ale

8. Hesket Newmarket

Community-owned brewery at the Old Crown Pub, supported by Prince Charles. Beers are often named after fells:

  • Doris' 90th Birthday (4.3% ABV) – fruity with butterscotch and bitter notes
  • Catbells Pale Ale (5% ABV) – easy-drinking pale ale
  • Great Cockup Porter (3% ABV) – dark and chocolatey
  • Old Carrock Strong Ale (6% ABV) – rich and festive

Evening tours often include a curry at the pub next door.

9. Ennerdale Brewery

Reborn from the former Whitehaven Brewing Company near Cleator, Ennerdale produces beers all bearing its name:

  • Darkest Ennerdale Best Bitter (4.2% ABV)
  • Ennerdale Copper (3.8% ABV)
  • Ennerdale Blonde Golden Ale (3.8% ABV)
  • Ennerdale Breeze Mild (3.9% ABV)
  • Ennerdale Spice (4.2% ABV)

10. Yates Brewery

The oldest independent brewery in Cumbria, based at Westnewton. Beers are widely available in pubs and supermarkets:

  • Yates’ Bitter (3.7% ABV) – golden and complex
  • Solway Sunset (4.3% ABV) – inspired by the west coast seaside
  • Yates’ Best Cellar (4.6% ABV) – festive, flavoursome, available year-round

11. Bitter End Brewing Co.

Largest independent brewery in Cockermouth:

  • Lakeland Bitter (3.8% ABV) – light copper bitter with sweet biscuity character
  • Lakeland Amber (4.0% ABV) – pale and refreshing
  • Lakeland Honey Beer (5.0% ABV) – pale, floral, with honey notes

12. Cumbrian Legendary Ales

Based in Hawkshead, the brewery originally named beers after legendary Cumbrian figures:

  • Loweswater Gold (4.3% ABV) – Best Gold Ale in Cumbria
  • Langdale (4.0% ABV) – bitter with orangey notes
  • Melbreak (3.7% ABV) – quaffable bitter
  • Rannerdale Robin (4.0% ABV) – rich, malty Christmas beer

13. Ulverston Brewing Company

Launched to revive brewing in Ulverston after Hartley’s closure. Many beers pay tribute to Stan Laurel:

  • Another Fine Mess (4% ABV) – pale, hoppy, citrusy
  • Lonesome Pine – pale with sweet honey notes
  • Fra Diavolo (4.3% ABV) – dark, rich, chocolatey, bitter

Tours and formal tastings are available by arrangement.

14. Beckstones Brewery

Located at The Green, between Millom and Broughton-in-Furness:

  • Leat (3.6% ABV) – fruity, thirst-quenching pale ale
  • Black Dog Freddy (3.9% ABV) – mild, award-winning
  • Beer O’Clock (3.9% ABV) – pale golden, hoppy

There are several Lake District cottages nearby, perfect for a craft beer-themed trip. After all… it might just be Beer O’Clock somewhere!



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Up the Junction — A South London Bitter with Backbone

I never thought it would happen, not with me, and certainly not with an ale from Clapham. Well… Battersea, strictly speaking. But geography has always been a little fluid after a pint or two, and Sambrook’s Brewery sits close enough to Clapham Junction, the UK’s busiest railway station, to justify the association. And it is here, in this industrious corner of South London, that Junction Ale quietly makes its case. A Brewery Built on a Good Idea Sambrook’s was founded by Duncan Sambrook , a former City accountant who decided spreadsheets could only take him so far. With the rumble of trains and the constant churn of commuters nearby, he reasoned that people might need another reason to go 'Up the Junction.' So he built a brewery. From the outset, Sambrook’s kept things deliberately tight: Wandle:  a bright, modern session ale Powerhouse Porter:  darker, richer, more brooding Junction Ale:  the anniversary brew, and perhaps the most quietly traditional of t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wychwood Dirty Tackle: Witney Brewing with a Playful Edge

Some breweries build their reputation on tradition, others on innovation. Wychwood Brewery has managed to do both, rooting itself in centuries of local brewing while embracing imagination, storytelling, and a distinctly modern sense of identity. Tucked away behind the main street of Witney , in the heart of the Cotswolds , Wychwood is a brewery that understands the importance of place and how to bring it to life. Witney: Bread, Blankets, and Beer Witney has long been associated with its 'three Bs,'  bread, blankets, and beer . For centuries, the town thrived as a centre of blanket-making, powered by the River Windrush, while brewing developed alongside it as an essential part of daily life. Beer here was not simply a luxury, it was woven into the fabric of the town. Inns, taverns, and small breweries served both locals and travellers passing through the Cotswolds, establishing a tradition that continues to this day. Wychwood Brewery stands firmly within that lineage, car...
3 comments
Read more

A Revival in a Glass: Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild

Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild is a rare and fascinating example of a strong mild ale , weighing in at a robust 6.0% ABV and brewed to a pre–World War I recipe . Before the Great War, strong milds were not unusual; they were the norm. In fact, mild ales were traditionally brewed in four strengths , ranging from around 5.5% to 7% ABV , often обозначated by 'X' markings, with ' XXXX' representing the strongest. However, wartime grain shortages forced brewers to adapt, and weaker milds gradually replaced their stronger counterparts. What we drink today as 'mild' is often a shadow of that earlier, more powerful tradition, making Dark Ruby something of a historical survivor. Black Country Heritage: Sarah Hughes Brewery and Its Sedgley Home Sarah Hughes Brewery is a historic, family-run brewery based in the village of Sedgley , in the heart of the Black Country . Brewing takes place behind the renowned The Beacon Hotel , a traditional pub that has become somethin...
Post a Comment
Read more