Formed in 2010 as The Ennerdale Brewery in the small hamlet of Croasdale, Ennerdale, we have always been a family-run business with many relatives involved!
At its inception, my daughters Jodi and Emily, and Emily’s husband Paul came on board as Directors to help develop the company and expand our offerings. It soon became evident that the barn we were working on was too small for the plans we had and the sales we were making at that point. So the hunt began for new premises.
In November 2014, with the help of Barclays Bank, we moved into our new home in Rowrah. We’re still here to this day, close to the beautiful Lake District valley and lake that gives us our name and our inspiration.
Relocating from Croasdale to Rowrah was a testing time and, in the winter of 2014, things become more difficult. Cumbria was hit with the wettest days on record, which led to terrible flooding and had the county on lockdown for 24 hours.
Despite the challenges, our small team worked hard, and in April 2015 the brewery opened. It was at this point that we also launched The Brewery Tap, a fantastic bistro offering local homemade food and beers straight from the brewery. It was all my wife’s idea and she ran the restaurant with my daughters in the kitchen and at the bar.
The Brewery Tap has gone from strength to strength since then, offering functions ranging from weddings to baby showers, and funerals to christenings. Bonfire Night and Christmas events are also on the menu!
The Brewery side is also very bus brewing a core range of four beers as well as seasonal beers such as our Honeycomb Beer (made with local beekeepers’ honey when available) and our award-winning 7 Bridges Larger. We also keep even busier giving you a glimpse behind the scenes with our brewery tours, and putting on a range of events such as whisky and gin nights, music nights, and rugby weekends.
We hope you can visit to enjoy a sample of our delicious beers.
– Barrie (Director)