It was only about 15 minutes off the M6 freeway to the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, Cumbria. The…read moreroads weren't that windy and were wide and well-paved so this is faring better than expected already. We arrived to where the brewery showed on my map, but it wasn't there. The brewery was slightly up the road within a small shopping inlet next to a coffee shop. We parked and approached the brewery and were pleasantly surprised with how impressive the set-up was. The building was large and beautiful with large wood beams, huge windows, and comfy leather seats. It was so quiet in there I didn't know how much noise we could make without being rude, so we opted to sit in the corner so we could strategize about which beers we wanted to try and how much time we wanted to spend off the road. I ordered the Lakeland Lager which is a 5%ABV Lager/Pilsner and Sean had the Cumbrian 5 Hop 5%ABV Golden Ale. I really liked the Lakeland Lager because it was crisp and refreshing with a great hop flavor on the back-end. Most of their beers were "real ale" style, but the lager wasn't. It was a nice change from all the real ales available. I also really enjoyed the Brodie's Prime with is a dark porter-style beer and is 4.9%ABV. It has a very smooth mouth-feel and is extremely drinkable. We sampled almost their entire beer selection and overall their beer was very good. The styles were done well and the beer was clean and clear and cheap! We were there around lunch time so we went ahead and ordered some food before they stopped serving. Sean ordered the beer cheese soup and I ordered the mushrooms with Stilton blue cheese on toast. The soup was served with large pieces of sourdough bread and butter so it was very filling for a good price. I tried some of the soup and it was really good. The mushrooms were sautéed in butter and the cheese was melted on top of the toast so it was damn delectable. I savored every bite of that toast. The soup was something like 2 pounds and the toast was 4 pounds. I think we walked out of there spending about 10-15 pounds total? Pretty decent if you ask me. Also, they refused to accept our tips. I am accustomed to giving tips always, but they politely declined my offer. Great service, delicious food, cheap and amazing beer and no tip?! It was one of the highlights of the trip.

I'm often in Windermere for the weekend, and having a pint at the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley…read moremakes for a great start to it. It's a big venue, with a large downstairs area next to the bar, and further seating on a mezzanine upstairs. There's then a further bar (only open sometimes) through the back. There's large glass panels to let you see into the actual brewery itself, so it's interesting just being in the place. There's outside seating too, in the car park, so it's hardly picturesque, but it's fine too when the weather is mild or if you want some peace and quiet away from the buzz indoors. It's a good atmosphere, very laid back and friendly, with plenty of dogs. Staff are pleasant and helpful, and know their beers well. The beers are good - all sorts from your pale ales through to your dark stouts, and last time I was there I had a raspberry sour. It wasn't great if I'm honest, but you can't win them all :-) Hawkshead seem to be quite an adventurous brewery, so there's always something new to try. My favourites are the stouts. There's a range of food too which seems to be mostly traditional 'Northern' food - Shepherd's Pie, Yorkshire pudding, Venison burgers - mostly very meat heavy, so I've never tried anything, apart from the chips. The chips are good! They do a fantastic beer festival. We went this year for the first time, and it was brilliant, we had such a good time. You get a menu, and can just work your way through the ones you fancy the sound of. They're categorised into the different bars, so it makes it quite fun to work your way about trying different ones. They had a massive marquee when we were there, with a crazy and very entertaining jazz band. It's a family atmosphere, with kids there too, so the adults are sensible and nothing gets too out of hand. I'm hoping we can go every year! With regular weekend checks ins until next year.

Perfect setting, great scenery, cracking ales. Decor a little worn. Very friendly place. CAMRA…read moregwynedd a mon branch pub of the year, 2012.

We literally stumbled along this place while walking the streets of Liverpool as American tourists…read more We saw malt bags in the entrance and were pleasantly surprised to find this great little spot with delicious craft beer! We tried the red ale and stout on cask -yum!!! Great inexpensive beer and nice service and rock music. Cool atmosphere with creaky old wood floor, brick walls and wood burning stove. En

I love Brewdog! Doesn't matter which location. This one has a super fun setup and I finally got my…read moreBrewdog passport here so I can have an excuse to visit more locations, lol. Enjoy your visit!

By far and away the best craft beer selection that I've seen anywhere in my limited travels of…read moreEurope. The Tiny Rebel raspberry sour specifically was amazing and their food was great as well. The Chuck Norris fried chicken sandwich came with avocado and Cajun mayo and is my personal recommendation.

In this pub last night, one of my friends remarked "is there no surface in here that is flat?" -…read moreindeed, it feels as though you're on a boat due to the wonkiness of the whole place. We agreed that most of the wooden surfaces are likely to be warped due to the years of soaking up spilt alcohol. It's a nice pub, pretty much standing alone in the midst of some sort of time warp battle. To the front of it you can see the docks and all the old architecture (what remains, anyway). Directly behind is a building site that appears to have been neglected midway due to lack of funds or something. And then further away you can see all the new developments that have sprung up in the last 5 years thanks to the Liverpool One project. The pub isn't attached to anything anymore, so it has the effect of being a boat moored in ambiguous waters. Inside, there are two small bars and two main drinking rooms, with additional area upstairs if the pub gets too crowded (which I can't imagine it does). The prices are what you'd expect and the decor sparse, with the exception of various nautical memorabilia and a swathe of pictures on all walls depicting various mariner's scenes. Altogether a nice little pub lost at sea.

The Baltic Fleet stands detached from everything else, like a tram left at the wayside. Its…read morelocation between the city centre and the docks means you're hardly going to stumble across this pub and will most likely have made a concerted effort to try it out. I know I did. The Wapping Brewery is located in the cellar, which means the pub gets first dibs of a fine selection of ales. I tried their summer cider and almost lost the use of my legs. No fruit machines or pool tables blight this place which is a grand idea, but I was curious as to why they have no jukebox. On their website they note how they consider this minus to be a plus but the silence just made the pub feel like it was about to shut. As Liverpool's last surviving sailortown pub, the Baltic Fleet has a strong seafaring theme, right from its fearsome name to the maritime decorations on the walls. Sitting inside with the wind blasting down the dock road outside can fool you into thinking you're onboard a steamer crossing the icy North Atlantic. Or maybe that was just the cider.

TL;DR - Food and drink is still good, but tough to recommend any more…read more I've reviewed Brewdog before and have given them 4 stars. I've been plenty of times, but feel I've got to downgrade them now for a couple of reasons. Don't get me wrong, the food is still great and the selections of beers are great. The venue itself is really nice too... but the prices have been creeping up and up. But worst of all was my recent visit when five of us ordered our food within a couple of minutes of each other. Then one person's meal came and the others came 30 minutes later! No apologies from staff, no explanation, nothing offered in compensation. Really disappointing.

decent brewdog with tonnes of stuff to tryread more

Made a stop at BrewDog while in Manchester. This place is on a busy street and they are pretty well…read moresituated to catch some of the visitors in town and/or locals working in the busy city center. Also not far from Manchester Central convention center, Bridgewater Hall, and several hotels in the area. Service: everyone was friendly. Amy was super helpful and made some solid recommendations for beer to match my preferences. Food: the food was good. Typical pub food I suppose based on what others with me ordered. The special of the month - a fried chicken burger - was really good and came with two big pieces of thighs. The only thing worth mentioning - It seems like they were out of sauces everywhere. I asked for a cup of bbq sauce and got a super small portion. The host mentioned then ran out. Then when I checked the tables for ketchup and hot sauce, several of the bottles were empty or close to it. Not the biggest deal - just something to mention.

Great service. Good location friendly staff all add to a good experience. Plus they have…read morevegetarian, beef and chicken based burgers. Overall thumbs up.

A truly superb pub! The range of real ales and spirits is…read moreout-of-this-world, some of the beers being their own (4T's Brewery). If you want a cosy, old-style boozer, avoid this place as it really caters for the discerning drinker and sports fans. All the customers seem knowledgeable about both and there are big screens for when any important games are on. As an "incomer" to this area, I was pleasantly surprised to find them watching Rugby Union on one occasion - a rarity in Warrington! The pub is extremely clean and well-looked after and the service is always excellent. The other half of the building is currently another bar, owned and run by the same people but specialising in music - still with a vast choice of drinks.

If you like beer and Rugby then this is the place for you…read more One of a few free houses in Warrington that serve a good selection of real ale. These guys should be supported. They've just added another 2 pumps. 10 in total now. Between these, The Old Town House and Porters Ale House there's 20 pumps within a couple of 100 yards.

The drunken duck is a favorite of our friend who has come here for 40 years, starting with golf…read morebuddies, then with family and best of all to celebrate weddings, and great moments. Relax here, the staff is ready to make this luxury even better with whatever you need! Directions to many local hikes or hot coffee on the picnic tables. So much fun to have, there are gardens, strolls, patios and quiet libraries too. This is the most beautiful place I've ever stayed because I can get some rest, unwind and enjoy the great outdoors. Yesterday there was a local marathon- yes!- great runners charged past into the local town of Ambleside. Hikers and dog lovers are here too. National parks close by... what a get-away we are having!!

Such a charming pub and inn right in the middle of the Lakes District. There's a glorious view…read moreoverlooking the mountains right in front of the venue (with picnic tables if you'd like to sit and enjoy it with a pint). Brunch, lunch, dinner, and bar snacks are served at the Drunken Duck, and I'd only really recommend booking for dinner. The beer and cider are mostly local I believe. We did the curry bowl to share (vegetarian and VERY tasty - kind of wish I could get the recipe), scampi, fries, and tartare sauce (those fries are to die for!) and the lamb kofta, hummus, flatbread, and mint yoghurt (great for sharing and noshing). There's plenty of parking on the side of the inn. The inside is decorated beautifully (very insta-worthy), so maybe consider renting out for an event. And yes, you can bring your dog to dinner/drinks.