The Crafty Baa, Keswick

Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Crafty Baa

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.

On 9^th September 2024 - rating: 7
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