The Micro Brewery was completed by Mark in February 2007 and he soon began brewing exclusively for ‘The Strands.’
The first beer that was delivered, being a ‘Light Hoppy amber Bitter’ at 3.8% and labelled as the intriguing ‘Errmmm.’
“We couldn’t decide on a name and all the family sat around saying ‘Errmm… what can we call it?’ So it seemed an obvious but quirky title and it stuck!’
Proving an i
nstant success and not being one to sit on his laurels, Mark quickly followed it up with a dark smooth ‘Porter Style’ 5.0% ale called ‘T’ Errmmm-inator’.
“With our own ideas and hundreds of suggestions from customers, it’s christening finally arrived after three weeks of deliberation.”
Served up with the strap line of ‘Ale be black,’ it soon became an outstanding success, gaining tumultuous plaudits and rightly being Awarded the Champion Porter of Cumbria by CAMRA. More accolades have followed and their ‘Barley Wine’ has also been bestowed with the CAMRA seal of approval when it was given the ‘Champion Beer of Britain, Cumbrian Award.’
A festival of the Strands Beers is held each May and more information can be found on this website. All the hard work, allied with a strong and growing reputation, sees them go from strength to strength establishing ‘The Strands Micro Brewery’ as one of the finest in England. This has seen him expand the range on offer, presenting over twenty beers throughout the seasons and with more to come, he now employs full time staff to ensure that ‘The Strands Micro Brewery and Inn’ is synonymous with the finest of real ales.
