THE Lake District has been revealed as one of the country's remaining real ale strongholds.
The county's real ale industry has undergone a renaissance in recent years with dozens of different brews now being made in Cumbria as well as beer festivals being well attended and demand growing for local tipples.
Cumbria's pubs and inns are popul
ar haunts for real ale lovers because of the high quality local brews, their picturesque locations and tasty cuisine.
Jonathan Perkins, a spokesman for Cumbria Tourist Board, said: "We would urge visitors to come to Cumbria and try out a cosy evening in front of a roaring log fire, tucking into scrumptious homemade food and washed down with a pint of locally brewed ale."
Tony Jerome, a spokesperson for the national branch of CAMRA, said: "National Pubs Week aims to encourage more people to visit more pubs at this quiet time of the year for the industry.
"Cumbria is well known for having some great pubs with CAMRA's Good Beer Guide highlighting 80 fantastic pubs for people to enjoy in National Pubs Week, ranging from as far south as Barrow-in-Furness to Carlisle in the north of the county."
Thriving
Mr Jerome added: "The real ale scene in Cumbria is also thriving with 15 different breweries brewing in the county. So with great pubs and superb beer everybody should be able to celebrate National Pubs Week!"
The brewing industry is one which has grown considerably within Cumbria in the last few years, and many have achieved National recognition. Cumbria now boasts over 500 outlets for Real Ale and 15 breweries.
There are four CAMRA branches in Cumbria, Westmorland, Furness, Solway and West Cumbria & Western Lakes.
The organisation is in the process of compiling a brand new Cumbria Real Ale Guide (CRAG) for 2005, which will be launched in April and contain full details of every Real Ale outlet established in the county.
In Cumbria, the Hawkshead Brewery and Strawberry Bank Liquers have successfully experimented with adding locally-grown damsons from the Lyth Valley to produce damson beer.
The multi-award winning Drunken Duck Inn at Barngates close to Ambleside is one of the Lake District's key real ale strongholds.
The Tirril Brewery Ltd, founded in 1999 moved into a former brewery at Brougham Hall near Penrith.
