Basket total £
Basket total £
Photo by Dan Barrett on Unsplash
CRAFT BEER STORIES ARE MUSINGS AND OBSERVATIONS ON DAILY LIFE WHILE INCORPORATING A CRAFT BEER REVIEW FROM BREWERIES THAT ARE LOCAL TO US, AND CRAFT BREWERIES FROM FURTHER AFIELD ACROSS OUR BRITISH ISLES. TODAY'S STORY TELLS OF THE TOWER BANK ARMS, BEATRIX POTTER'S OWN LOCAL, WE REVIEW A BLONDE ALE FROM LANGDALE BREWERY OPERATING IN ENGLAND'S LAKE DISTRICT, SISTER COMPANY TO THE BRITANNIA INN IN AMBLESIDE.
The bar welcomes us, as all good bars should, with a warm embrace.
We are wet from the afternoon’s drizzle, my jacket is not nearly as water resistant as I had hoped - resisting, it seems, only the first couple of droplets before succumbing entirely. The fire helps despite the warmth of the July afternoon, the crackle of flame and haze of heat soothes our damp souls.
We step into the Tower Bank Arms.
"The bar is old, you can feel as much as see the history of the place, Beatrix Potter can easily be imagined sitting in the corner"
Connie sniffs around the new environment. She loves people, she adores people who love her, lavishing them with attention. A couple nearest the entrance coo at her as they eat their meal and recoil slightly as she lurches towards them, desperate for the adoration of someone new. I keep a good grip on her lead and shake my head at the poorly behaved Con-dog, with a little mirthful eye roll for the couple, they laugh and miss my secret reproach for bringing it on themselves.
The bar is old, you can feel as much as see the history of the place, Beatrix Potter can easily be imagined sitting in the corner, nearest the garden of course - which overlooks her own Hill Top cottage - holding court.
This was in fact her local, and my eyes scan the room with childlike reverence for any indication of her. So eager am I to see a faint shadow of the author that I miss the draught pumps as we walk past the bar, as is my usual wont, craning my neck to linger on the placards, discovering which breweries are on sale here. It has become somewhat of an obsession, I catch Hannah’s raised eyebrow each time I do it and feel my own internal eyebrow raising ...but the search for good beer is a torch, once borne, difficult to relinquish. I raise my remaining eyebrow at that.
We are ushered to our table by the charming publican, a local himself, from Kendal he tells us, and on noticing our accents eagerly imparts that he once managed a hotel in Swansea. I ask for a local beer and am presented a few moments later with a pint of Langdale Brewery’s Britannia Blonde Ale. He also presents a treat from his apron and, giving us a questioning look, to which we nod with a smile, he dangles it out for Connie to pluck from his fingers.
"The Langdale Blonde is full bodied, sweet and rich, ever so slightly bitter."
I don’t consider myself a fan of Real Ale, and much like a child who doesn’t like sprouts I have always eschewed it simply because it is. But it is the drink of choice in this part of the English North, or at least so it would seem, and I have come to regard it with some excitement.
I get a different feeling from Real Ale as I do when drinking say, a hazy IPA, there is history in the glass, a link to centuries past, and it just feels correct here, surrounded by a lifetime of stories. Simply by the fact it has been allowed to ferment in its cask gives it more of an aged, complex feel than its rebellious craft kin, and with the impression of Ms Potter heavily imprinted on this village, and the entire district, Langdale’s Britannia Blonde seems to bring me even closer to her spirit.
We have the room to ourselves for a while, then two sets of older couples come in: two women who appear to be sisters and a husband and wife. They know each other. I’m fascinated by their conversations, trying not to listen but finding myself unable not to. The bar owner comes in once again and talks with them as though an old friend. The conversation turns to a museum the husband and wife visited that afternoon, the bar owner announces that he has a letter the museum might be interested in, bought at auction, by an author who’s name I don’t catch but my excitement is immediately aroused as I suspect it might be Beatrix Potter. I honestly didn’t realise I was such a Beattie Potts fan, I had the books when I was young, sure, but I don’t think I’ve thought about her since my mother last read it to me. Must be some latent childhood feeling rebirthing itself within me.
The Langdale Blonde is full bodied, sweet and rich, ever so slightly bitter. You can certainly taste the hops, laced with a faint syrup, chilled rather than cold, there is a warmth to it that I have come to relate to Real Ale, and a complexity of flavour that - not knowing a great deal about cask ales but resolving that I should learn more - I suspect comes from the live fermentation. It isn’t too strong, a respectable 4.2%, and, according to the website of the Britannia Inn, the sister company of Langdale Brewery for which I can find no dedicated information or website, it has been “Made for a sunny day in the beer garden” - were it not raining outside I would put that to the test.
The bar owner returns with his prized letter, and I listen intently to catch the author’s name as he shows it to his other guests. Connnie decides she would like another biscuit from the man and cries longingly towards him. All eyes turn to us - Connie, ever the conversation starter, has given me my opportunity.
“Is that …” I’ve started now but I realise the fanboy tone in my voice, “...Beatrix Potter?”
“No, no, it’s Canon Rawnsley.” The woman, of the husband and wife duo, tells me in a friendly enough tone but with a not-so-hidden eye roll.
“Oh wow,” I say, not having the faintest clue who Canon Rawnsley is. “Fascinating.”
I am saved by the arrival of our food, Connie gets her treat, and I resist the temptation to pull out my phone and Google Mr Rawnsley. I drain the remaining gulps of the Langdale Blonde Ale and order another.
Garin @LoveOurCraft
We want people to know how awesome what you produce is, we want local people to discover the great liquid craftsfolk around them, learn more about how we can work together
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Craft Beer Stories and craft beer review. AT THE TOWER BANK ARMS, BEATRIX POTTER'S OWN LOCAL, WE REVIEW A BLONDE ALE FROM LANGDALE BREWERY OPERATING IN ENGLAND'S LAKE DISTRICT, SISTER COMPANY TO THE BRITANNIA INN IN AMBLESIDE.
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Buy craft beer directly from local breweries: At Love Our Craft we support not only our local craft brewers, but all brewers across the British Isles, we promote those craft brewers nearest to you so that you buy the best local craft beer directly from the brewers themselves, and the craft breweries in your area benefit from the support of local beer lovers. During the pandemic we saw the effect lockdown had on our favourite craft producers in our local town of Swansea, Wales, and desperately wanted to help them.
What is craft beer? The illusive definition of what Craft is in relation to beer, and even the wider drinks industry, which in itself poses a difficult question in terms of what Craft is: for example, can Craft be extended to cider, or even whisky?
Brewery tap rooms in Swansea: Swansea, not unlike other cities in Wales, and the wider United Kingdom, has seen an upsurge in Craft Breweries, opening their doors and providing the public with delicious drinks. Just take a look at our map to see the richness of craft breweries in the area.
History of beer in Wales: As the Craft Brewing scene booms in Wales as it does across the United Kingdom, with Craft Breweries popping up and producing top quality, interesting and intriguing new Craft beer, and with Wales stereotypically thought of as a beer loving nation, we found ourselves considering the history of beer and brewing in Wales which led to the rise of the Craft brewing industry itself
