The 52nd edition of the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide has just been published – and once again Keswick hostelries feature prominently.
Once described in Time Out Magazine as “the definitive rundown of the best places in the UK to get a pint of real ale, from cosy country inns to upmarket-style bars”, it really is a feather in a publican’s cap to be featured in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Spokesman Hugh Price said the only criterion for a pub being listed is reliably well kept real ales and entries from the Keswick area are selected by volunteer members of the West Cumbria branch of The Campaign for Real Ale.
Real ale is cask-conditioned living beer which is served traditionally either by hand pump or straight from a barrel.
There are three Keswick town centre entries in the 2025 guide.
Mr Price said: “The Fox Tap Bar at the Keswick Brewery serves a consistently fresh pint of ale. The brewery was established by Sue Jefferson in 2006 on the site of a brewery that closed in 1897 and she opened the public bar in 2019. Beers on sale in the Fox Tap Bar are usually Keswick Gold, Fox Pale and several changing Keswick Brewery beers.
“The Wainwright on Lake Road sells Fell Tinderbox and seven changing real ales. This popular walkers’ pub comprises two drinking areas served by an L-shaped bar and the interior is themed with Wainwright memorabilia.
“The Dog and Gun, owned by Greene King, sells up to eight real ales including Loweswater Gold and as the name might suggest it is extremely dog friendly. It always sells Theakston’s Old Peculier and is renowned for its homemade Hungarian goulash.
“The Coledale Inn at Braithwaite, owned and run by a local family for many years sells Great Corby Blonde plus two changing hand pumped ales. This hotel has two bars, 20 en suite rooms and great views from the outside drinking area.
“Another entry in the Guide is the Glaramara Hotel at Seatoller, which is in a striking location in the jaws of Borrowdale.
“It has been seriously upgraded in recent years and is set in five acres of grounds. The friendly public bar is patronised by locals and tourists and has built up a reputation for keeping a good pint of beer. Ales on sale include Loweswater Gold and Tirril Borrowdale Bitter.
“Just off the A66 is the Embleton Spa Hotel, run by a Keswick resident, where ales on the bar usually include Loweswater Gold and another changing Cumbria brewed beer. This hotel has great views of the fells from the beer patio and has an extremely popular restaurant area. It is even possible to hire their swimming pool by the hour for a family event.”
The CAMRA Good Beer Guide is edited by Emma Haines and has more than 4,500 UK pub entries with details about their beer range, food, pub gardens and accommodation. It lists every British real ale brewery and every one of their beers, along with tasting notes.
The 2025 CAMRA Good Beer Guide is available from book shops, online or direct from www.camra.org.uk/gbg
