Lake District and Edinburgh Mid-September

I will be in Windermere for a few days, then on to Edinburgh/Glasgow for a few days, a total of eight days, in Mid-September. I have reviewed numerous sites for recommendations of pubs. Has anyone been there recently to give me a first-hand opinion of their recommended places? Maybe even visit a brewery or two? I also plan on hitting a distillery, if you might have an opinion on that, too?

 

I just got back last night. I appreciate everyone's input and I had a good time hiking, walking, etc., and the cask ales did not disappoint. The best cask ale I had there was Ghost Town, Cromarty Brewing. It is a porter they describe as a mysteriously malty porter. I had it at the Jolly Judge in Edinburgh. It was a good porter, flavorful, malty, not sweet and not very bitter.

I went to the Hawkshead Brewery. It was a nice place. The best beer I had at Hawkshead was Brodie's Prime, a porter. Since I went to Tarn Hows, I also went to the Drunken Duck. It is part of the hotel near there. The food was okay and cask selection was okay, but it is the only place in the area.

In Windermere, I went to a few places, the best I visited was the Greywalls. And the other benefit was it was literally across the street from where I stayed. I had the Collie Wobbles there. It was the best one I had in Windermere.

I didn't go to any pubs in Glasgow, but several in Edinburgh. The two that I liked best were the Jolly Judge, a small basement pub with good beer and friendly staff. It had 4 cask lines, one was cider, and I believe 6 other taps. The other was The Last Drop in Grassmarket. It had about the same number of taps and casks, and friendly staff, but it had a better food menu, not surprising since it is much larger, and the best food I had in pubs. Both are near the Edinburgh Castle.

Imperial pints (20 oz.) were from about 3.20 to 3.95 pounds (about $5 to $6.30 at the current exchange rate). Compared to Richmond, VA, where good craft beers are about $7 - $8 a pour, depending on the alcohol level, from 10oz to 16 oz, cask ale in the UK is a very good value. It is always at least good, and several were quite nice.

 

Yes it is, and I would probably say it was better than the Jennings Snecklifter I had about 5 years ago on my last trip to the UK, which was the best cask I had then. I just wish American brewers would produce more cask ales. It is a growing trend, but slowly in my area, even though Richmond, VA, has become a beer town, with 8 local craft brewers, and most pubs and restaurants carry local beers, not just the Macro-crap.