Wensleydale Ales

I have been lucky enough to interview Geoff Southgate who, along with business partner Carl Gehrman, recently took over the Wensleydale Brewery based just outside Leyburn. You can read the full interview here:

http://massmovement.co.uk/hops-barley-brewers-tale-wensleydale-brewery/

I recommend you settle down in a comfy chair with a glass of Semer Water Light Ale and then enjoy what Geoff has to say!

Lake District Ales

I can't recommend drinking a beer on a walk, but after a hard day's walking I can't think of a better reward that a pint of Lake District ale in one of the Keswick pubs.

The second best option is to take that taste of the Lakes home with us, and during a recent stop off in Glenridding I picked up on a few choice ales that don't have many stockists.

In particular the Ulls-Water is a custom-labelled beer from the Keswick Brewing Company that is only available in Glenridding.

The Ulls-Water is actually Thirst Ascent in disguise, but I do like those custom beer labels. I'm really waiting for a special occasion to crack these beers open, although having said that, I might have the odd one or two in the meantime, be a shame not to - Cheers!

Cat Beers

It's been a while since the last beer post so I have a couple lined up for you.

Real ale is a booming business and an inspiring example of cottage industry and independent firms striking out on their own, and Claire and I have visiting a couple of great examples - the Durham Brewery and Jennings Brewery. Apart from the obvious great tasting beer, I love some of the imagination and thought that goes into the branding and packaging of independent ales. I'm an easy target in many ways and any beer that has some Lake District or Yorkshire Dales association is going to win me over every time, so I'll always pick up a bottle of  "Leyburn Shawl" or "Muker Silver" whenever I see a selection of beers from the Yorkshire Dales brewery on offer.

One other beer that catches my eye is a label with a cat on it! Any of our friends will know we have a house full of cats and Claire does some good work for the Cats Protection Society too, fostering cats in need of a new home and so this is a topic close to our hearts.
I've picked up a few "cat beers" recently and here are a few that I really like:

This first one has it all, Lake District AND cats, how could I resist?

This beer brewed by Robinsons has a cat AND my name, but at 8.5% it's not to be taken lightly.

This one isn't quite as heavy but at 6% still a strong ale.

And finally here's one from Moorhouses who have built up a range of ales that feature the mystique of Pendle Hill - and what witches tale would be complete without a black cat?

Durham Brewery Tour

I recently made the most of a great Christmas present, which was two tickets for a tour of Durham brewery. The car stayed at home for this one and we got the train up to Durham, visiting the town for a spot of lunch and a look around some of the outdoor shops. The brewery is a short bus ride outside of Durham, in Bowburn and we arrived just in time for the 2pm tour.

I won't give away too much, but the tour itself was really interesting. Our educated tour guide and master brewer Steve was very entertaining and we learnt a lot about the history of brewing as well as the start of the Durham brewery itself. For example I didn't know that the British traditionally brewed ale which which preceded the introduction of hops - and subsequently brewing beer rather than ale. Dutch migrant workers introduced hops, and that as they have preservative qualities, this was the essential factor that made brewing beer as an industry possible, rather than being simply brewed for private consumption.

And of course the star attraction was the beer samples, and these were plentiful and generous! No thimble of beer here and here, we got full pints to try and with each one we learnt about the brewing process and what makes each beer unique. The only exception was the Russian stout which came in a wine glass, and at 10% that's probably just as well!

I picked up a couple of bottles too, all I need now is a special occasion to get these opened and sampled!

Last Orders At The Bar?

I've not only read a couple of depressing news articles recently but also seen it with my own eyes, the sad demise of many a local pub. There's nothing quite like a satisfying meal or drink in a rural pub, such as the Swinside Inn at the foot of Catbells in the Lake District, or the White Horse Inn, hidden in Rosedale in the deepest folds of the North York Moors.

The Swinside Inn tucked away in the Lake District

But pubs in rural areas in particular are susceptible to closure it seems, which probably has the most impact as these communities lose yet another focal point. The locals suffer and the tourists and walkers miss out too. Whether you like a beer or two or not is irrelevant, the knock-on effect to the local economy and culture is devastating.

About as remote as it gets - Tan Hill Inn

The West Midlands is one of the areas hardest hit by pub closures which is a bit of a surprise to me as it is the home of the Marstons Beer Company who as well as brewing some of their own great beers such as Banks's, Marstons Pedigree, EPA and so on, also look after the bottling for my favourite beer which is Jennings' Cumberland Ale.

Jennings brewery tour

The area hardest hit in the first half of 2012 was rural Lancashire and again this is a disappointment to me as I enjoy visiting the area and have done some walking on Clougha Pike in the Forest of Bowland.

As well as doing the obvious and frequenting pubs, you can also get involved in a number of ways. Here are a number of links which will give you further information.

The Pub Is The Hub - about recognising the value the local pub has in the community

The Cumbria Crack - a competition offering a makeover to the winning Cumbrian pub.

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

You can read more about the regions hardest hit by pub closures - from the drinks industry perspective - here

Hambleton Ales

A visit to a local farm shop is always a good chance to check out some of the fine local ales. I have had my eye on the beers from Hambleton brewery for a while now and I recently picked up a nice selection.

The Hambleton Hills are part of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, so I hope to be returning to the area soon for some more walking and of course I am keen to enjoy beers that are brewed in and inspired by the region.

The bottles have a striking label design, using a lot of silver and gold as well with equestrian themes inspired by the Kilburn White Horse .
The beers themselves are nice and refreshing, in particular the best bitter was very light and refreshing. The other ales also had a good traditional taste, which I am sure are best enjoyed on tap in a village pub after a long walk! But I'm certainly not complaining as they taste great from the bottle too.

I'm not normally a lager drinker (unless that's all there is, or if I'm in France or Germany for some 1664 or Berliner Kindl), but I decided to give the Gluten and Wheat Free lager a try, and it's pretty good - cheers!

For more information on these tasty beers please visit: http://www.hambletonales.co.uk/

Wensleydale Ales

As well as home of the famous cheese, Wensleydale is also home to plenty of real ale. I recently picked up a nice selection of beers from the Wensleydale Brewery and they certainly went down a treat.

The beers each have their unique attributes, but one thing that brings them all together is - to put it simply - they are very drinkable! I found them all to be fairly simple and light on the palate, and tasty served both chilled and out of the cupboard. With modern beers upping the alcohol percentage to compete with the lagers and ciders, Wensleydale simply go for taste, the strongest of these was the Semer Water at 4.1%. What you do get is a really nice beer, with the bitters tasting just how they should. I enjoyed the Rowley Mild too, which could definitely be a choice for a Winter drink. If I was to pick a favourite, I would probably go for the Semer Water - I'm a sucker for the name! Despite being a Summer Ale, I was happy to drink it mid-December.

With a trip to Leyburn planned soon I'll stock up on more of these and I think I'll be paying the brewery a visit for a more detailed insight into the life of a Dales brewery so keep an eye out for that. Cheers!

For more information visit: http://www.wensleydalebrewery.co.uk/

A Masham Circular - Wensleydale Walkings

Of course a mention of the town of Masham has you immediately thinking real ale - not suprisingly as it is home to the Theakston and Black Sheep Breweries. I went there to discover another side to the town too, as I was interested in trying out some new walking country.

This walk starts near the hamlet of Fearby, a couple of hundred metres away from the Druids Temple, built by William Danby, the squire of Swinton. The countryside around Masham is much gentler than the Dales further north, rolling fields, rivers, hills and woodland offering pretty and contrasting views.

The start of the walk is on fairly high ground and gives a great view over to the east with the hills of the North York Moors looming in the distance. As soon as you set off the varied landscape never fails to impress - the horizon changes as you cross each field and stile and past sections of woodland. One moment you cross large lush pastures accompanied by sheep and the North York Moors.

A couple of stiles later you are gazing up into distant hills of the Yorkshire Dales with Wensleydale just beyond. These looked magnificent with their dusting of snow on the tops.

As you cut back down towards the Fearby road, you are back in the sleepier more rustic world of the Dales, with drystone walls, gentle valleys and quiet villages.

Finally after crossing the road and heading back into the hills, you are back into a wilder countryside, where pasture becomes moorland and the moss has conquered the walls, alongside Sole Beck, which feeds into the river Burn.

Alongside the dry stone walls, ancient stone barns appear and almost disappear into the surrounding countryside, so much they appear to live in harmony alongside nature.

The wet woodland was home to all kinds of flora such as these patches of giant mushrooms appearing at the foot of the trees

A muddy trek back across farmlands brings this fine circular walk to a close. Just a short distance away is the Druids Temple and my next post will give you an small insight into this mysterious place.

Some Christmas Cheers and Beers

With all the preparations for festivities I haven't had as much chance to get out and about as I would have liked - although I did sneak in a walk close near the Druid's Temple, just outside Masham whilst shopping for Christmas presents so watch out for the report and pictures in the New Year.

In the meantime I made a stop off in Leyburn for some goodies and was pleased to find a selection of celebration ales from the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co. I also got to see what must be one of the best views of Wensleydale, from The Shawl which is a couple of minutes away from Leyburn market place.

Having watched the number of my blog followers grow and grow, I aim to keep up a high standard of regular entries with reports, photos and news items, so thank you for inspiring me to keep going. I wish you all a cheerful Christmas and a Happy New Year, I hope you get the chance to get outside and and enjoy the scenery!

view of Penhill from The Shawl in Leyburn

Married!

This is a post to say that this week there are no posts - walking posts that is. My beautiful Claire and I got married at the weekend, and it was a fantastic event at Redworth Hall in spectacular County Durham. As well as attending our celebration some of our guests have been enjoying the spectacular scenery of the region, at Salturn-by-the-Sea, Aysgarth Falls, Richmond Castle and the river Swale passing through the town, and explorations in the Yorkshire Dales.

More walking next week!

More Local Ales

The beauty of Ales is that they are always in season. Nothing beats a Winter Ale to warm you up on those dark cold nights, and likewise there is something infinitely refreshing about a nice Ale in a pub garden on a sunny Summer evening.

Moot Hall, Keswick, from outside the Dog & Gun

On a recent break to Keswick I got to try some great beers from the Keswick Brewing Company and Yates in the Dog & Gun pub in Keswick. This is a great pub with loads of local real ales on tap. It was a bit disappointing to learn that the kitchen had closed, just after 8pm! Chef fancied a night on the town perhaps? Regardless this is a great pub for beers and chatting with walkers, as well as being fully kitted out for guests with their four legged friends, dog friendly is the word.

Some other great Summery ales I tried recently were some more local beers brewed by the Richmond Brewing Company here at the Station in Richmond.

I love the design of their bottles, the use of local places and history in the naming of the beers and of course most of all the great taste. Summer was made for Ales like these.

Ales from the Dales

After a recent walk to the Aysgarth Falls, Claire and I decided to stop in the village of Leyburn to get some local supplies. As soon as you enter the shop Campbells of Leyburn your sense of smell gets hit by the olive bar ahead of you. About 15 different types of olive await and you could spend an eternity not to mention a fair bit of cash here! We then moved onto the cheese counter and this was just as spectacular. There was a huge array of local produce, all looking really tempting. In the end we settled for this selection of Wensleydale cheeses.

Looking forward to having this with some of the chutneys and chili sauces we got from the Mainsgill Farm Shop on the A66.

We then moved onto the "crown jewels" - the massive real ale selection. Don't get me wrong I am quite happy to sup Bombardier or Greene King IPA, but I love it when given a choice of local brews. There were tons of local beers available including the very drinkable Richmond Station Ales. This time I went for a selection of beers brewed by the Yorkshire Dales Brewing Co., this was a bit of a no brainer really, as the beers names are all based around some classic Dales countryside, how could I resist?!  A lot of love has gone into the production of these beers and it is worth having a sample. I particularly enjoyed the pale refreshing Muker Silver - reminded me that it's time to revisit the meadows and paths that take you along Swaledale from Muker to Keld.

Anyway the shop is a real treasure trove and and after a long walk in the Dales, I think a treat or two are well deserved...

Richmond Station Ales

Finally I got round to stopping off at the Richmond Brewing Company. Having worked in Richmond for months now, it's unforgiveable that I have only just visited the brewery.

River Swale at Richmond

This microbrewery is located in the Richmond Station building, which is a fantastic location perched above the Swale that is home to some local businesses including a cheesemaker, baker and other artisan foodmakers as well as cafe, restaurant, gallery and cinema. In short, it is a building that is well worth visiting with small businesses worth supporting, not to mention the cool walks you can make from here, either to Easby Abbey or along the banks of the Swale along the Coast To Coast route.

Easby Abbey

I picked up a couple of bottles of Richmond Station Ale and Stump Cross Ale, and they come highly recommended.

The Station Ale is a light ale that is easy to drink, whereas Stump Cross Ale is a lot richer with a real depth of taste. I'm looking forward to trying the Swale and Richmond Pale Ale next time. Go local!