The Crafty Baa, Keswick

Lively and quirky bar that was popular with a good mix of people on my Wednesday evening visit. It has two levels with the ground floor being packed due to a female singer performing. The bar is in the rear corner, whilst on the opposite wall is a beer board which lists the cask, keg and bottled selection, as well as ciders. All are numbered to give the impression that the drinks range is huge. However, when you ignore the bottled selection, the list is much more manageable. With one pumpclip turned around, there were a couple of cask ales from the Ennerdale Brewery - Blonde & Wild. Ciders were Snail's Bank Black Forest Cider, Damson In A dress, Rhubarb Cider, Mango Cider, Pig Squeal & Raspberry Ripple, Weston's Old Rosie & Abrahall's Celtic Tiger & Tumbledown. Craft beers were Crafty Baa Pale Ale & Milk Stout (not sure who really brews these), Keswick Thirst Quencher, Wychwood Hobgoblin IPA & Grand Central IPA. With no seats to be had on the ground floor, I retreated upstairs where there were a few tables available. The staircase has a couple of skeletons, one in a chef's outfit and the other with a drum kit, as well as some dried hops and other strange items such as a saucepan. Upstairs, there is a further skeleton, multiple lampshades and mirrors and more hops. There's also a child's scooter on the ceiling. This room is billed as a games room, but I didn't spot any games. At £5.20 a pint, this was one of the more expensive venues I visited in Keswick. But the singer was good, the atmosphere was bustling and there's plenty to admire on the walls and ceilings. So, I thought this to be one of the better places to have a drink in what is a town with many more pubs and bars than I remembered from my last visit.

Not sure I have been in a less welcoming place. Maybe I am misreading "Northern Gruffness". Standard Micropub shop conversion by someone who must have an interet in woodworking. A massive and bewildering bar menu of around 100 bottles, cask and keg offerings. Took me a while to select - and the 3 is for the choice. Then we looked for somewhere to sit. There is a high barrel but this is only for standing at. A mistake was to move high stools to sit at. For which we were reprimanded. We then moved to an area that was reserved for the DJ. We had missed the sign. Again, same staff told us off. We went back to the barrel. And stood. Second round and I mentioned to the who I took to be the owner that maybe they need some customer training. Only for shouter to overhear and claim none of this took place. 4 of us couldnt get out of there quick enough to be honest. And this is a shame, as the beer collection is immense. Even if you do have to find your own bottle from the fridge.

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