Strickland Arms, Kendal

Will Larter left this review about Strickland Arms

Massively food-oriented pub, but I arrived at 7:20pm, so it would be, really. There were a couple of small tables near the bar, and four high chairs right in front of the five hand pumps. These were occupied by two couples with two dogs, drinking lager and wine and totally blocking my access to the real attraction. They seemed dumbfounded when I asked for a bit of space to get some photos of the pump clips, which I achieved without kicking either of the dogs (see photos - please excuse the wine glass). The beers were from five Cumbrian or Lancastrian breweries, and I tried three of them: Bowland Hen Harrier, Ennerdale Darkest and Loweswater Gold, one of those ubiquitous Lakeland beers that are more often in poor condition than good. Initially too cold, they soon warmed up in the presence of 30 or so diners and their digestive processes and turned out to be in pretty decent condition (NBSS 3 to 3.5 - might have been a 4 in there if they hadn't taken half an hour to become pleasant to drink). To be fair, there seemed to be quite a few cask ales being poured while I was here, but why serve them so cold? By contrast, the pint I had just down the road in Beetham at the Wheatsheaf was served at a perfect 12 degrees and was a 3.5 or 4 from the moment I took the first gulp. We shouldn't have to wait half an hour for our beer to be ready to drink.

On 13^th September 2024 - rating: 6
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