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Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Old Man For An Old Man
What a gloriously sunny day it has been for a walk in the Lake District. By going off the beaten track a bit, I hardly saw a soul as I sauntered, (there is no other speed for me these days), between Rydal- Pelter Bridge- Ambleside.
I sat eating my lunch alongside a beck and the only sound I could hear was of the water gurgling by. Other than that, absolute silence. Bliss! It makes you realise what a noisy world we all live in.
II took a lot of photographs of course, some of which will appear on my North West Images site (http://www.northwestimages.blogspot.co.uk) in the next few days or so.
Prior to starting the walk I called into The Badger Bar at Rydal, purely to fortify myself for the trek ahead!
I had 'Old Man' (4.4%) from the Coniston Brewery. It was expensive though at £3.50p a pint, although having visited here before, I knew I would be paying over the odds. But I guess they have to make money to balance the books, out of the tourists and walkers, as there are very few locals in the immediate area.
With the beer duly supped, it was time to head off into the sunshine via Pelter Bridge, and what a enjoyable day it proved to be!
Monday, 20 May 2013
A Pale Ale Day
It was a pale ale day in Lancaster. Both the beers I drank were pale ales, and quite different in taste.
Firstly, in The Sir Richard Owen (Wetherspoon), I had ‘Halo’ (3.6%) from the Cross Bay Brewery, Morecambe, which I have had a few times previously. A smooth tasting ale, with a hint of citrus.
However, the best of the two beers was ‘Wild Swan’ (3.5%) from the Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell, Derbyshire, which I enjoyed in The Tap House.
Very light in colour, it too had an aroma of citrus, or should I say lemon, and would be a great beer to start a session with!
Salford City Beer Festival
The Salford City Reds Rugby League team are staging a beer fetsival on 6th-8th June, featuring 60 ales and 20 ciders and perries. Wine will also be on sale available too.
This is the first time that Salford City Reds have staged a beer festival, which is being supported by Robinsons of Stockport.
Entance is by ticket only which cost £5. Further details from the Salford City Reds website:- www.reds.co.uk
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Cains Cease Brewing
Cains beer will now be sub-contracted out to be brewed at another brewery. They have, however, said that if they win planning permission for their £50m Brewery Village complex, then brewing would resume at some stage in the future.
A spokesman for Cains told the Liverpool Echo:: “The nature of our brewery is such that its operation cannot be scaled down in a simple fashion and it would be financial madness to continue with such huge overheads for a relatively small brewing operation.
“Cains is alive and kicking and we are extremely positive about our future plans, which will secure brewing in the city for decades to come.”
Cains are owned by the Dusanj brothers, who initially bought the company in 2002 — the first Asian owners of a British brewery. At the time it had a turnover of £30 million.
However, after acquiring the Honeycombe Leisure pub chain in 2007, the following year Cains went into administration.
The Dusanj brothers then bought the brewery back, along with six pubs, but not the Honeycombe Leisure part of the business.
The Cains spokesman continued: “We have said all along that the brewery is at the heart of our plans for the Brewery Village Scheme and this remains the case.
“The existing brewery will be redesigned during the anticipated development so that it is more efficient and better suited for future use.”
Founded in 1858 by Robert Cain, the company merged with Peter Walker and Son in 1921, with the brewery operation being taken over by Higsons two years later.
Boddingtons of Manchester bought Higsons in 1985, but shut it down in 1990. It was reopened by GB Breweries, who became part of Bryggerigruppen in 1991, and in 2002 was sold for £3.4 million.
Founded in 1858 by Robert Cain, the company merged with Peter Walker and Son in 1921, with the brewery operation being taken over by Higsons two years later.
Boddingtons of Manchester bought Higsons in 1985, but shut it down in 1990. It was reopened by GB Breweries, who became part of Bryggerigruppen in 1991, and in 2002 was sold for £3.4 million.
Saturday, 18 May 2013
Friday, 17 May 2013
Carnforth Beer Festival
The Snug Micropub in Carnforth, in association with the Brief Encounter Refreshment Room and the Carnforth Station and Heritage Centre are to stage a beer festival on Friday 22nd November and Saturday 23rd November.
It is hoped that around 50 ales will be available, along with ciders and perries, and the festival will make use of the London Midland Hall at the Heritage Centre. Further details to follow.
Certainly Not A Heath Robinson Beer
That was ‘Heath Robinson’ (3.8%) from the Barlow Brewery, Dronfield, Derbyshire, which has a pleasant all round taste.
I’ve had some mixed views about beers from the Foxfield Brewery in Cumbria, some of which have not been to my liking.
I tried another of their brews, (and there seem to be so many of them!), ‘Princely Piper’ (5.1%), and that proved to be OK, without being outstanding.
The final beer of the visit was a familiar one from the Ulverston Brewery, ‘Another Fine Mess’ (4%).
Witherslack Surprise
On the way home from Cartmel, we called into a pub that we had not been too before - The Derby Arms in the village of Witherslack.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary aa far as the beers were concerned, but I was agreeably surprised to be confronted by a choice of five ales including one that was ‘new’ for me.
“Sandgrounder’ (3.8%) was from the Southport Brewery. A session beer, light, refreshing and a hint of citrus, almost tangerine-like. Well worth calling in for!
Also worth a visit is the nearby Witherslack village community shop where it is virtually impossible not to spend money as there are so many very tasty and nice things to tempt you!
Unsworth Yard Brewery
It has been some years since I last visited Cartmel, home of the Priory, sticky toffee pudding and the racecourse.
Now of course, it is also well known for the Unsworth Yard Brewery which has been trading for the past twelve months.
After wandering around the first three attractions and the village itself, it was time to go to the brewery which is in the centre.
A friendly welcome, and the chance to sample ‘Wolf’ (4.5%) and it soon became evident that there is a real pride in the brewery, its beers, as well promoting Cartmel.
It was a busy time for the brewery as they were brewing enough beer for the forthcoming Cartmel Races on Bank Holiday weekend, and I was told that a maximum of 2.000 pints can be brewed at any one time.
Unsworth Yard, named after the family who own it, also has a fine cheese shop based there and full details can be found on the Unsworth Yard and Brewery web site.
If you happen to be in the area, then you can be assured a warm welcome from the Unsworth Yard Brewery. Well worth a visit. A few photo's follow:-
Thursday, 16 May 2013
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