After some delay the Great Gable Brewing Co sprang forth in 2002 and has not looked back. Giles Holiday, erstwhile bar
manager of the Wasdale Head Inn produced the first experimental brew at the end of February 2002 in the brewery situated alongside the pub.
The beer was put on the bar for customers to try and comment on.
The first beer to be produced was Great Gable, at 3.7% designed to be a 'rehydration ale', a well
balanced session beer to appeal to drinkers who have been working up a thirst on the fells.
It is not uncommon to have over 500 pints of it sold in a night in the busy season!
Amongst the other beers are
Wasd'Ale abv 4.4% O.G. 1042 ruby in colour, stronger with a wonderful after taste,
WryNose abv 4.0% O.G. 1039 a Summer beer with a real zesty flavour,
Scawfell abv 4.8% O.G. 1046 a strong bitter, reminiscent of an old fashioned I.P.A and
Yewbarrow 5.2%, originally described - wrongly - as a stout - is really a strong dark mild, and is very highly regarded.
Add to these the newer
Trail Ale - a golden ale, Britain's Favourite View, Liar, Lingmell - a best bitter,
Brown Tongue - a strong bitter, Burnmoor Pale - a best bitter and Illgill IPA - a Golden Ale and a special called 'Award'
was brewed to mark the Cumbria Pub of the Year 2006 award.
Water for beer production, like all the hotel's water, comes from a spring up on the side of Yewbarrow. Proprietor Howard Christie says that
so far the spring has never dried up! Malt comes from Fawcett's of Castleford and Giles uses Northdown hops for Wasd'Ale, Challenger for Great
Gable and Pioneer for WryNose.
New beers for 2008 -
1 A beer for the French Twinning (WEVA) of eskdale and wasdale which we are going to call "Oui Va" it night have a hint of chestnuts! (March)
2 a beer for Kate Christie's 50th birthday which we might call Kate's 49.999 (49 point 999!)(July)
3. a beer for owner, Howard Christie,'s disabled friend, the intrepid mountaineer, John Hawkridge, which may be a genuine stout. and called "The Hawkridge" (August)
The brewery is now in full production, now producing as much as they can sell in the hotel! Giles remains the full time brewer, and in recognition
of his sterling service, is now a shareholder in the brewery. He now has a brewing assistant -
Matt Roberts - who is being encouraged to design his own beer for later on in 2008.
The brewery has a full capacity of 10 barrels, and Giles brews either 4 or 4 1/2 barrels at a time. Most of
the beer is consumed in the Wasdale Head, and Great Gable beers now account for over half the consumption, but a few neighbouring pubs are supplied
on an occasional basis. Beers are bottled or available in 4 pint mini-casks.
Meanwhile the Wasdale Head Inn continues to sell beers from other Cumbrian breweries including Derwent, Yates, Jennings, Hesket Newmarket in the busiest times,
when it cannot brew enough to meet demand from walkers.
The new brewery is adjacent to the pub kitchen and a covered outdoor drinking area. Hops grow in tubs and you
can see what's going on in the brewery through a porthole window. From the side of the brewery you can access the beer garden and
the bank of the beck, an idyllic setting to enjoy a Great Gable beer on a warm afternoon. A recent visitor was Prince William
(updated June 2008)