News
- KESWICK BREWERY WINS A CHAMPION BEER OF BRITAIN REGIONAL AWARD FOR THEIR MILD BEER
Thursday 5 June 2025
On Saturday 7th June at 3pm the Keswick Brewing Company will be presented with a certificate by Lynda Johnson of the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Tasting Panel.
Pictured above is Matthew Power, the Head Brewer.
The presentation will take place in the splendid Keswick Brewery Fox Tap bar.
Director, Sue Jefferson, is delighted that the brewery has scooped this highly prestigious award for their top quality Mild beer.
Please make an effort to attend this presentation and to raise a glass to this gem of a brewery.
- 2025 KESWICK BEER FESTIVAL FRI /SAT 6th & 7th JUNE
Friday 30 May 2025
Marquee tents are at the ready on the rugby pitch for what is probably the biggest annual beer festival in Cumbria.
See Keswick Beer Festival website for details and to purchase tickets.
The Keswick Rugby Club venue is just a 3 minutes walk from the bus terminal outside Booths supermarket.
West Cumbria CAMRA branch has sponsored a barrel of beer.
It is organised by both the Rugby Club and Keswick Lions. All profits go to good causes.
Bar staff are all local volunteers. .
Huge number of real ales on offer from far and wide.
Plus some live music in the big marquee.
- Cumbria Pub of the Year
Tuesday 27 May 2025
The 2025 Cumbria Pub of the Year is The Cumberland Inn at Alston.
Award presentation is being held at the pub on Saturday 5th July.
- Jennings Brewery
Tuesday 27 May 2025
Following update was received from Chris France, Managing Director:
• Target opening week for the taproom is 16th June
• New brewing equipment (10BBL) arrives on Tuesday and first beer should be in tank by end of the week if that goes to plan
• We’ll have a series of opening events in week 9th June which will be invite only, some will be for PR, some for taproom system testing and beer should be ready to try
Stephen
Jennings BLO
- Jennings to restart brewing by about mid June
Monday 19 May 2025
The new owners of Jennings Brewery, Kurt Canfield and Rebecca Canfield have appointed Chris France as MD and Buster Grant as Head Brewer. Chris and Buster are pictured here
Buster Grant is currently sourcing new brewing kit to install in the historic Castle Brewery in Cockermouth - so named because of its proximity to 12th century Cockermouth Castle, owned by Lord and Lady Egremont.
The core range of beers will be Cockerhoop, Castle Bitter, Cumberland Ale, Snecklifter, plus a new beer, appropriately named Back Yam.
The brewery is currently advertising for bar staff to work in their brewery tap. Brewery tours are also planned.
- NEW HEAD BREWER AT KESWICK BREWERY
Wednesday 14 May 2025
Matthew Power joined the brew team at Keswick earlier this year.
Matthew has acquired a wealth of brewing experience over the years, having been Head Brewer at the Captain Cook Brewery in Teesside and he ran his own Truefitt Brewery In Middlesbrough.
His most recent role before teaming up with the Keswick Brewery was as Head Brewer at Castle Eden Brewery.
Matthew is currently engaged in creating new beers in addition to the core range of ales.
His most recent creation is Superdelic pale ale, which is brewed using Superdelic hops from New Zealand.
The brewery has recently invested in a permanent gazebo located in their popular beer garden.
- CASK ALE MAY BE GIVEN UNESCO STATUS
Monday 21 April 2025
A petition has been launched requesting that the government nominates cask ale for Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Status. Phil Simpson of Lancaster Brewery is quoted in the press as saying that he is surprised that it hasn’t been given this status already.
The UK only ratified the Unesco convention in March of last year and cask ale could become the country’s first cultural icon under the scheme.
A government response to the petition is expected in the near future.
Decline in real ale sales is largely down to an almost complete lack in advertising by the big brewers. Apart from a regular full page Timothy Taylor’s advert in Private Eye magazine there is precious little else.
Well brewed, well kept British cask ale is a world beater and worthy of Unecso status.
- Captain Nelson Tavern in Maryport now selling real ales
Saturday 22 March 2025
The Captain Nelson Tavern, located just over the road bridge which leads to Maryport harbour, recently reopened under new private ownership.
Local resident and West Cumbria CAMRA branch Secretary Geoff Wilkinson called in and introduced himself shortly after it opened
Fast forward to March 2025 and Geoff reports that two excellent real ales are on offer, one from Ennerdale Brewery plus Bowness Bay Fellwalker.
Geoff says that the pub, which is owned by a local plumber Phillip Routledge and his wife, is spotlessly clean and that trade has picked up nicely.
This is an attractive maritime themed pub and live music is now a regular feature. See their Facebook page.
Nearby Maryport Marina is booming, having picked up quite a few boat owners who have migrated from Whitehaven Marina which has sadly been blighted by incoming ochre coloured minewater pollution for over 2 years.
Maryport Marina now has a waiting list. and there will be plenty of thirsty sailors looking for a decent pint of real ale when the sailing season kicks off in the Spring. The Captain Nelson Tavern is within staggering distance !
Recently, UK Marine Electronics Ltd, a well established specialist company has relocated from Whitehaven to Maryport Marina where they now have a new modern outlet.
The Captain Nelson and the nearby Lifeboat Inn are the only two pubs selling real ales in Maryport, and both are doing well.
- TRACTOR SHED BREWERY SELLS OUT TO CROOKED RIVER BREWING
Saturday 22 March 2025
West Cumbria CAMRA member, Len Wainwright reports :
Ownership of Tractor Shed Brewery has been sold by Graeme and Rachel Mitchell to their Head Brewer, Alan Fitton-Crellin and his business partner Phil Scholey.
Alan, pictured here, has been working in the brewery at Calva Brow, Workington since 2016. The new business will be renamed Crooked River Brewing Company and Alan says that they will continue to brew the popular range of Tractor Shed ales in addition to their own range of ales.
Alan and Phil started brewing small batch beers in Alan's garden shed in 2022 and their long term vision was to establish their own brewery and taproom.
In the autumn of 2024 they opened a Crooked River bar in Packhorse Court in Keswick.
Crooked River intend to expand their hospitality presence across Cumbria and have been engaged in dialogue with the new owners of Jennings Castle Brewery with a view to joint ventures.
(NOTE : A full unedited version of Len's article can be found in the Menu on this website)
- ENNERDALE BREWERY
Friday 7 March 2025
Phil Wooly took these photos today at Ennerdale Brewery.
The beers pictured are their new range of BritHop real ales, all brewed using English hops
- NETHER WASDALE PUBS
Friday 7 March 2025
Phil Wooly visited Nether Wasdale recently. The Screes (pictured) was unfortunately closed.
Phil did however manage to grab a pint or two in the Strands Inn and had a chat with their Head Brewer, Daniel
- JENNINGS SIGNAGE REMOVED
Tuesday 25 February 2025
All former Jennings pubs in Keswick have had the brewery signage removed. This includes The Bank Tavern, Twa Dogs, Oddfellows and The George Hotel.
They are all currently owned by The Marston’s Pub Company, which despite its famous name no longer has any brewing interests whatsoever and is simply a big pub/property company.
- SPECIAL BRITISH HOP BREWS FROM ENNERDALE BREWERY
Monday 24 February 2025
Ennerdale Brewery are brewing limited edition special ales during 2025 called their BritHop series, celebrating top quality British hops.
- Brewery tap room opening in Ambleside
Sunday 16 February 2025
The brewery say that subject to planning consent they anticipate the opening of this new outlet by Easter 2025 at the earliest.
- STOPPRESS : JENNINGS BREWERY TO REOPEN
Tuesday 4 February 2025
Brilliant news :
It is reported in the media that a couple of local entrepreneurs have acquired Jennings Brewery along with the rights to all the trademarks, intellectual property and beer recipes from former owner Carlsberg Britvic.
The new owners of Jennings Brewery Limited are Kurt Canfield and Rebecca Canfield.
Kurt is reported as saying that they have extensive plans to enhance the site while respecting its heritage. He says that it will take some time to get back to brewing the great beer that Jennings is known for.
Jennings will be creating several new jobs including the appointment of a Head Brewer and a brewing team.
New Managing Director is Chris France, founder of the speciality beer retailer Beer Hawk, which is now owned by global beer company AB Inbev and now trades as Perfect Draft. Chris grew up in the Lake District.
- JENNINGS CASTLE BREWERY UPDATE
Monday 3 February 2025
This lovely photo was taken by local lady Raegan Blacker.
But despite its idyllic appearance Jennings former brewery complex lies empty and unsold.
It is a complex site as it comprises both freehold and leasehold buildings. There is also a public right of way right through the middle of the site. And add to that - historically some of the buildings have flooded over the years, being at the confluence of the rivers Derwent and Cocker.
The brewery employed a large number of local people in the 180 years that it traded.
They also brewed some cracking real ales.
However, not far from this abandoned premises in Kirkgate, landlord Mark Cockbain is planning to open a new brewery in the near future at the Bitter End pub.
- WAVERLEY HOTEL UPDATE
Saturday 1 February 2025
This former buoyant hotel in Whitehaven is currently a sorry sight. It had sold excellent Bowness Bay beer prior to closing.
It was sold by its long-term family owners about 4 years ago and was promptly converted into an asylum hostel. This was short lived as the hotel was emptied of occupants a couple of years ago and it has stood neglected and empty ever since.
The skip and building materials in the Waverley car park are unconnected with the hotel but are to do with the building next door which is being converted into a computer gaming centre with funds from Sellafield’s bottomless purse.
The Waverley was at the heart of the local community and was host to innumerable family events over the years.
Fingers crossed it eventually reopens with real ale on offer again.
- Merry Christmas to all our readers
Sunday 22 December 2024
Wishing everyone the Compliments of the Season from the West Cumbria branch of CAMRA.
We look forward to another year of campaigning to preserve and protect our national drink - cask conditioned real ale, that is neither filtered, nor carbonated and brewed using just malted barley, hops and brewer’s yeast along with what is known in the trade as ‘liquor’ but to the rest of us ‘water’.
It’s fingers crossed for 2025 in a most difficult trading environment for publicans.
The British pub is a unique institution which we are fighting to protect.
Have a Beery Christmas and best wishes for 2025