Old School Brewery, Carnforth

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Located at the base of one of the footpaths leading up to the nearby Warton Crags, this is a bit of a knockabout brewery taproom, set in a characterful old building. Passing through a ramshackle, partly covered outdoor seating area, you enter into a part stone, part mis-matched floorboarded room with stonework walls and a gabled wooden ceiling with modern skylights and a large beam across the centre. The servery is sited along the left-hand wall and has a timber fronted counter and rustic looking bar back plus a huge amount of twigs nailed to the canopy that look like they were just swept up from the woodland outside. Hard backed banquettes service the front and rear sides with low stools in support, whilst a lone high table with stools stands in the middle. There was a lit fireplace on the right-hand wall, although it went out after a well-meaning local tried to stoke it, which resulted in plenty of good-natured ribbing from their friends! The room has been eclectically decorated, with pump clips, musical instruments, a life ring, buoy, model submarine, road signs, old brewery adverts, easels, a huge glitter ball and much more on display. Music was playing quietly in background but wasn't really needed thanks to a great atmosphere generated by a near-to-full Monday afternoon crowd.
The bar supports five handpulls, all of which were dispensing home brewed ales, although I didn't spot the brewery itself during my time here. The options on this visit were Old School Headmaster, Detention, Hopscotch, Alt School and Textbook, and my pint of the former was in excellent shape and served up by one of the friendly bar team.
This didn't feel like the most obvious location for a brewery tap, but I was very pleased to see it after a strenuous hike up and around the aforementioned crags. It's a homely little enterprise with great service and some interesting beer, all presented in a slightly quirky and comfortable environment. We'll worth a look if you're in the area.

Date of visit - 15th January 2024

On 7^th April 2024 - rating: 8
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