I liked it so much I even bought the t shirt!read more

From the owner: Craft beer with 20 taps and over 150 bottlesread more

The microbrewery was started in 2006. They have won lots of prizes for their beer. Partly because…read moreof this they are so popular that they can only manage to supply pubs on a local basis. Their aim is to brew quality real ale appealing to as many palates as possible. Most of their range draws from one of our local heroes - Stan Laurel. Using the Laurel and Hardy connection the beers are named in their honour - the award winning Stout Ollie, Another Fine Mess and Laughing Gravy to name but three. No doubt the comedy duo would be delighted to have a pint or two whilst warming up for another vintage recording. As a real ale drinker, I am excited that we live in their area.

Ulverston Brewing Company has now opened the doors of The Old Auction Mart to visitors. There is an…read moreattractive seated viewing area in our Laughing Gravy Bar that affords a panoramic view of the state of the art 12 barrel plant. Visitors can observe the process of converting those aromatic raw ingredients into the flavoursome pints available in our Laughing Gravy Bar then sample the real thing as they enjoy a mix of short films featuring brewing, local attractions and, of course Laurel & Hardy. The Brewery shop adds the finishing touch to your visit browse amongst the full range of Ulverston Beers, Guest Ales, preserves and unmissable gifts something for everyone. The brewery is proud to support the Furness Oncology Appeal, with 20% of all craft sales going to this worthy local charity.

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.

The Brew Room is a fantastic, comfy pub north of Blackpool city centre. They make their own beers…read moreon the premises [5 hand-pumped ales available], and there's also a decent selection of guest ales. All beers are modestly priced, and kept fresh. It's a family-friendly place, kids are allowed until 8 p.m. The décor is fairly stylish and very comfortable, with a number of designated sections to sit and relax. Home-made smoked sausages [Excellent, and only 4.5 UKP] and oven-baked, freshly made pizzas are available at all times. On Monday nights they have a pub quiz, which can be very lively [I "ran" into one]. The staff are friendly and competent [in sharp contrast to the nearby The Hop!], food was served quickly. I actually visited the pub *twice* that same day - as Blackpool doesn't offer very many options for real ale lovers. Highly recommended for this town, it's only a short walk from The Blackpool Tower and The North Pier.

It was great to go and check out Northern Monk's centre of operations, as I've rarely seen their…read morebeers west of the Pennines. The Old Flax Store where they're based is a Grade II listed mill and located in the industrial Holbeck area towards the outskirts of the city centre. Spread over three levels: their brewery on the ground floor; The Refectory and bottle shop on the first floor and event space (Chapter Hall) on the top floor, it's been lovingly restored both inside and out. Despite how separated they are from the main hub of bars and restaurants, there were quite a few people enjoying their afternoons here with a beer, hot drink or bite to eat (they serve food throughout the day). With a small selection of board games (alas, pretty much all of them had vital parts missing), I'd advise bringing your own if you fancied entertaining yourselves in this chilled out space for a while before you ventured onwards. Tip: they have a small free car park out front for the designated drivers.

Northern Monk Refectory is a fantastic spot for food and beer. It's situated in Holbeck so it is a…read morelittle bit of a walk south of the city, about 10 minutes, but this distance at least when I've been there recently means it's not overwhelmed by the crowds you would expect on a Friday or Saturday. Those that venture out are discerning and looking for a quality beer and great food and that's what you receive from the guys at Northern Monk and their food collaboration with Grog and Grub. The bar features 20 draught beers (not sure whether this number includes their 2 on handpump) it is about 50% their own beers and 50% guest, with this number of beers they do a good job covering a range of styles so you should not be at a loss to find something you like. In fact all the beers I had were very nice Track Sonoma, Curveball Pirate Porter, and Northern Monk Salt Lime Wit.

Friendly staff, great beers & food, dog friendly…read more This is a proper pub, just like they should be. Lots of seating inside and a good few tables outside for that rare day of sunshine. The beer is excellent, their commitment to this is demonstrated by their own onsite brewery and the great selection of handpulls. The food is good standard pub fare with a few more modern options like nachos and curry on the menu too. Fish and chips was a popular choice with our group along with steak and ale pie. They have specials on the blackboards every day. There is a small car park and more spaces along the lane so no problems parking. They are dog friendly and the whole place is generally full of well behaved and gorgeous ones. Staff are friendly and helpful so all in all a great place to stop if you are in the area.

The Watermill is a traditional pub, with different rooms spreading out from a double sided bar in…read morethe centre. It's also a microbrewery, and names all it's beers after types of dogs. Hence you have names such as Collie Wobbles and Shih Tzu faced. I had a half pint of Dog'th Vader, a dark and tasty stout, and very nice it was too. We didn't have any food, but it was a Friday night, and the place was stowed full with people having dinner, so it seems to be very popular. The guy who served us probably could have been a little bit friendlier, but he probably gets stick to death of stupid people like us laughing over the dog themed names. Or maybe he was just feeling a bit ruff.

The Black Sheep Brewery was my latest brewery I got to try that was abroad from the the United…read moreStates. The Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale was the beer that Steve and I had and enjoyed. I usually write about breweries in the United States so I find this beer, it's referring to a Monty Python film and where it was made to be genuine and authentically British all of the way. For this golden ale we joyously detected flavor features of hoppiness, maltiness and sweetness. The flavors definitely put you at attention because this beer recipe isn't all that common place in the United States. Very glad to have had the opportunity to try a beer from Black Sheep!

Came to the brewery for a tour, which was very informative on the brewing process & which beers…read morewhere right for the 3 x 1/3 pint taster for you, which was part of the tour ticket. Decided to have lunch afterwards. The staff very attentive & pleasant, food was very good quality & reasonably priced. A very good visitor attraction in Masham North Yorkshire. Would

Harrogate brewing is a great local pub. They didn't have a chef at the time I visited so they only…read morehad prepackaged snacks. Beer is great and that's what matters. A proper pub atmosphere. Try there Nib mild my favorite

From the owner: Independent, award winning Micro, brewing in the beautiful North Yorkshire Spa Town of Harrogate,…read morein North Yorkshire. ​ We also run a fun, cosy taproom inside the industrial unit of the brewery.