updated June 24th 2009 Anything underlined links to further information and all links out of this site open in a new window of your browser
The views expressed on this site are not necessarily those of the Campaign for Real Ale plc.
Whilst every effort is
made to ensure that the information on this site is accurate and up to date, no responsibility for errors and omissions
can be accepted.
Next meetings and socials:
Wed 1st July - 8pm Branch meeting, Bush Tallentire
Sat Aug 15th, noon, meet and social at Bower House, Eskdale, using Ratty.
Advance notice - get it in your diary now!!! : Cumbria Beer Lovers' Dinner - Nov 28th, with National Chair, Paula Waters, as guest speaker!
social sec - contact stevehebblethwaite1@btinternet.com or 07854 643 274 (mobile) for transport availability
Other events
17 - 19 July 2009
Cider and Perry Weekend at Foxfield
4th - 8th August - Great British Beer Festival - info here
3- 5th Sept Furness Beer Festival, Ulverston
2 - 4 October 2009 Stout, Porter, Mild and Strong Ale Weekend at Foxfield
8 - 10 Oct Carlisle Beer Festival
14th - 17th Oct Kendal Beer Festival
6 - 8 November Broughton Festival of Beer
20th - 21st Nov Whitehaven Beer Festival
Tasting panel dates:
27th June Meet at POW Foxfield 12:30pm - bottled beers - tasting and identifying flavours - not
filling in cards - more for advancing your skills. Also to decide on CBOB entries from the panel.
25th July
22nd August
Please put in your diary - infor about where trips are going from Cdec later!! All welcome, experience not necessary - you will be talked through it!
What does the branch do?
Click here for a look at our social and campaigning activities.
Branch and County pub awards
Cumbria Pub of the Year
West Pennines Pub of the Year
2008
Manor Arms, Broughton in Furness
Branch Pub of the Year 2009 is The Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater.
Very close Runners up - the Brook, Cleator, the Strands, Nether Wasdale.
The four Cumbrian branch POTYs went head to head to produce a Cumbrian Pub of the Year.
The other three were Westmorland branch - Watermill, Ings;
Furness branch - Prince of Wales, Foxfield
and Solway branch- Cumberland Inn, Alston
And the Watermill won!
West Cumbria
Pub of the Year 2009
Kirkstile Inn, Loweswater
Branch members gathered to present the certificate
Pub of the Year Runner-up 2009
Delighted! Chris Lace, bar/cellarman of the Brook, Cleator, with the award info about the pub here
Pub of the Year Runner-up 2009
Stephen Walker presents the award to
Mark and Lesler Corr of the
Strands Hotel, Nether Wasdale info about the pub here
Pub of the Season, Spring 2009
Chris de Cordova presents the award to
John Frangleton of the
Holly House, Ravenglass info about the pub here
The Quiz team that won their division and a knockout cup last season,
playing from the Vagabond in Whitehaven
Cumbria Campaigner of the Year
National Vice-chairman, Bob Stukins, presents a surprised Lynda Johnston with her award at the dinner on Feb 7th
how to join CAMRA Go to the national website where you can join one of the most successful
consumer organisations ever.
Contact us about the branch, website or about real ale in West Cumbria
Amateur photographers wanted!!
If you are willing to help out with images for What Ales, our branch newsletter, please contact
Andy or Denise on 01900 821939 or email info@smithplusbell.com
Oversized line measure glasses
Does your pub serve full pints of beer beer in oversized glasses? Let us know for contenders for a new award and for
inclusion on this page
Guest Beers
Pubs' guest beers can be publicised on here - you only need to send up-to-date details. And keep them up-to-date!
National Beer Scoring System
Join in this scheme to evaluate online the beer in the pubs you visit. Visit here and register as a new user. You need your CAMRA membership number and a password will be emailed to you to enable you to begin using the site.
Quick and easy to do, it helps branches know what pubs deserve to be in the Good Beer Guide and which are worth keeping an eye on.
This area of the branch home page will feature latest news, what beers have come on where, who has taken over which pub, and anything else
newsworthy. If you have anything to add,
News urgently awaited!!
Newest stuff is generally added to the top of this column.
Beers at the Brook - finishing soon (24th June) Salopian Golden Thread 5%, Fever Pitch 3.9%, Cocker Hoop 4.6%. Coming next Salopian Oracle 4%,
Coniston XB, Salopian Hoptwister 4.5% and Hawkshead Gold 4.4%
NEWS!!
Cumbria Pub of the Year is the Watermill at Ings. Congratulations to them, and we are still proud of the Kirkstile, a runner up!!!
The retention of the Wheatsheaf, Brigham:
The change of use application hearing was deferred until 7th July - there had been over 100 objections, but the fight is not yet won.
Many of the objection used the letter part of the leaflets we distributed in Brigham, but there is still a real need for more, individually phrased,
letters of objection, which tend to add more weight than signing a copy of the same letter as everyone else.
Please find a moment to write and add to the campaign.
Blackbeck Brewery
The first beer, Trial Run, 3.4%, was a gloriously quaffable, light, fruity, golden ale, designed by the very talented Peter Laws, who is helping the
brewers Kenny O'Hara and Johnny Taylor to get established. The next batch was brewed to 3.8% and is seriously drinkable - full of flavour which
continues at full taste impact all the way through. The pump clip features the first of a planned series of different girls riding a horse on a fairground carousel, reflecting the company's
other main interest - fairgrounds.
And they are looking for new local outlets - put your requests in at your local!!
The Fox & Hounds, Ennerdale Bridge has reopened as a restaurant, serving Whitehaven beers - currently Ennerdale Breeze, and also Jennings
Bitter and Cumberland Ale.
Also available in Ennerdale, at the Shepherds Arms, is Jennings Bitter, Whitehaven's Darkest Ennerdale and CLA Loweswater Pale Ale.
The Lamplugh Tip had a surprise visit from the branch before the visit to the Brook This Sat when the minibus load of 15 rolled up to surprise
Glynis Corkhill, (ex-Candlestick, Whitehaven) Beers on were Jennings Bitter, Coniston Bluebird and Keswick Thirst Quencher.
Sunny Hill closed and metal panels over windows and doors (can't call it boarded up when it is metal, can I?)
Golden Fleece at Calderbridge - all signage down and may become annexe to the Stanley Arms.
The fight to stop the Wheatsheaf, Brigham, being totally lost as a pub goes on, driven by Ros Berry. A few years ago there were three real ale pubs in the village,
now there are none, but the Wheatsheaf could still be brought back into use!
Hawkshead Brewery Windermere Pale now out. At 3•5% ABV it is a pale summer ale using only English hops. A firkin was drunk in just one day at
the Bransty Arch!
The Whittington Cat, Whitehaven
Guest beer: Jennings or Marstons seasonals. Wychwood Wizard's Staff this month. Guest beers seem to be going down well there - support them, if you can! Whittington Cat beers are always in superb condition
Globe, Hensingham,:
Beer: Derwent Summer Rose 4.3%
Real ale sales are going so well at the Globe they are delighted to soon be able to put a 2nd handpump in. The plan will be to have one beer on for
longer and one local beer that changes each cask. The policy of getting pins rather than firkins remains.
And Helen, Paul and Tom of the Globe Inn were delighted to be chosen as the branch's Summer Pub of the Season A very successful
first year - introducing quality, Cumbrian-brewed, real ales from a variety of smaller craft brewers to those in the locality, converting a number of regulars,
a great welcome to all, they have turned this spot round to somewhere really worth the effort of getting to.
The King's Head in Hensingham is being refurbished and a new licence applied for. We have been told that the new licensee is planning on putting real ale in.
Dovenby Ship has re-opened and is now called the Ship, again. It has 2 real ales on - Black Sheep Bitter and Burton Bitter, and Addlestones Cider.
Great British Beer Festival
Earls Court, 4- 8 th August. Much more info here
Pub / brewery for lease /sale The Wasdale Head Inn. Presently the home of the Great Gable Brewery, the property is available on a new (free of tie) lease.
The brewery itself is available by separate negotiation.
(ie They are prepared to sell the brewery in situ to new hotel owners or stay and brew under a new lease or move the brewery to a new location.)
It is the intention that the brewery will continue.
Watch out for celebrations as Howard and Gill leave and move on - to retirement from the hotel business - to a new and less frenetic pace of life!
Bitter End No longer for sale
The CAMRA quiz team, in the Whitehaven area, are playing from the Globe at Hensingham for the Summer League - but will be back to the
Vagabond for the Winter season, when Thursday nights may not be quite as busy! The end of the last Winter league was marked by a gathering of
the team for a meal at the Vagabond, last week.
So this is what Marston's think of us.... 'It’s hard to keep the gobby hobbits happy'
* By Stephen Oliver, MD of Marstons'
"You’d think that the beardy weirdies of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) ... according to the malcontents of Camra’s sandal-clad, whisker-stroking
stormtroopers a guest ale’s not a guest ale unless it comes from some oddball brewery down a country lane and is served with bits in it under a name
like Knackered Old Cripplecock .... the itinerant Camra bunch that go promiscuously from pub to pub, looking for their next eclectic pint brewed
in a cupboard with the dubious benefit of progressive beer duty. They’re a gobby lot, the beardies.
Holding up the glass, opining on the beer before them, more often than not talking rubbish about ingredients and how it’s brewed. Licensees
should be aware of kowtowing to them.... to enjoy cask ale you don’t have to have mislaid
your razor, wear socks with your sandals or to have a beer gut the size of Rotherham.
"
Stephen Oliver is managing director of Marston's Beer Company
Congratulations to all who contributed to the new edition of the Cumbria Real Ale Guide, last
year. It was finally acknowledged by CAMRA at the Members' Weekend when it received the Best Local Guide of 2008 award.
Real ale will not now be avalable at the Ewe & Lamb High Padstow until September
Please support efforts your local landlords are making in these hard times!
Congrats to the Holly House Hotel at Ravenglass for being chosen at our Pub of the Season. Presentation was March 28th with a bus, calling at
Gosforth Hall and The Brown Cow, Waberthwaite as well as Holly House.. info about the pub here
What Ales
The new issue (Summer 2009) of the branch's newsletter (What Ales?) is out
very soon, look out for it in your local pub.
Yates
Watch out for the latest seasonal - Sun Goddess
Punchbowl, Great Broughton - the specialist for guest beers!! His guest beer is one you have almost certainly have never had - or heard of before!!!
Even the Beer Monster was impressed at the collection of pump clips!!!
With usually three on each week, this is probably the best in the west!!
Another sad case of a pub not doing well enough ...
The New Victoria in Cleator Moor, a real ale free house, closed and metalled-up, with for 'sale sign' outside.
Please support efforts your local landlords are making in these hard times!
Cumbrian Legendary Ales Brewery
has been sold to Loweswater brewery (Kirkstile Inn).
Production will continue at Old Hall Brewery; Hayley (assistant brewer at Loweswater) will take on the lead operational and brewing role there.
There will be some rationalisation of the CLA range of regular and seasonal brews with emphasis being placed on key products such as Dickie Doodle
(3.9% bitter) and Buttermere Beauty (4.8% real pilsner), and some of the volume award-winning Loweswater ales will be produced there.
Ever wondered...?
Our branch newsletter has started, what we hope will be, a regular column,'frequently asked questions', about the wonders of real ale. The first
column, in our latest issue (read it via the download, right), included queries about the difference between real ale and other beers, whether lager
is the "enemy" and what makes a "good cellar". If you've got a question, email it to the editorial team at whatales@westcumbriacamra.org.uk or
info@smithplusbell.com
Pubs by bus
Workington to Penrith, (X4 and X5)
Cleator Moor to Cockermouth, (219)
Whitehaven to Ravenglass (6)
About the Breweries
There are 25 breweries and 2 cider makers in Cumbria, now, and this page
gives mini descriptions, links to our articles from What Ales and links to their own websites.
CAMRA publications:
CRAG
The brand-new, up-to-date 2008 guide to Real ale pubs and breweries in Cumbria.
Whether you experience a light-bulb moment while downing a swift half or think you have discovered the meaning of life
while imbibing your favourite beer, this book is packed full of smart ideas, fully-formed theories, unanswered questions
and complete rubbish; the perfect gift for the intellectual in your life!
click here to purchase
CAMRA's new Beer Bed and Breakfast Guide, - the pick of the country's finest pubs serving real ale with good accommodation.
Click
here for details or to purchase
CAMRA's new Good Pub Food Guide, by Susan Nowak and Jill Adam, our definitive guide to fine cuisine and excellent beer.
This unique guide contains over 600 of the best food and real ale pubs in the UK. Click
here for details or to purchase
The 2008 Good Beer Guide listing the very best sources of quality real ale, both in our
area and across the whole country, with a wealth of useful detail such as beers sold, opening times, phone numbers, food available,
public transport, accommodation, kids allowed, etc.
Click here to order or for further details
Other CAMRA publications: click here to go to the CAMRA publications webpages for a great range of
beer guides, pub guides, local real ale guides and historic pub guides.
Especially useful if you are going on holiday and want to find the best real ale!!
Branch members gathered to present the certificate
Delighted! Chris Lace, bar/cellarman of the Brook, Cleator, with the award
Stephen Walker presents the award to 
Chris de Cordova presents the award to 
