Dog & Gun, Keswick

Despite the fact that this pub attracts dogs and their human companions in large numbers, I still like it. Since my last visit there has been a bit of a makeover, with what looks to be a new or renovated bar counter (with hooks!) and all but one of the settles that previously provided most of the seating now gone. These changes have made the pub lighter and perhaps more welcoming, though also perhaps losing some of its traditional appeal in the process. There are eight hand pumps arrayed along the bar counter (see photos), and I tried both the Keswick Thirst Noel 6% (which seemed sweeter than I remembered it from previous Christmas visits) and Eden Brewery's Cumbrian Black, a 3.6% mild that was so good I had a second half - partly because I enjoyed the first one so much, and partly to prove to the slightly inebriated chap stood at the bar that I was definitely not drinking Guinness. Date of visits: 17th & 20th December 2017