A WEST Cumbrian brewing company which was kickstarted by a fundraising campaign in 2022 has gone from strength to strength over the last few years - and now has plans to open a Lake District taproom.
Crooked River Brewing Co, a craft beer company, is expanding its business by opening a new venue in Keswick.
The company has submitted a planning application to transform the former gift shop in Packhorse Court into its flagship taproom.
At the new venue, customers will be able to enjoy a range of locally-made, 'brewery-fresh' beer and learn about the brewing process directly from the team behind the beers.
A few months later, they partnered with Tractor Shed Brewing in Workington, enabling them to quickly scale up production to supply bars, pubs, and shops across Cumbria.
Their beer has become a popular choice throughout the Lake District, where the majority of their customers are based.
In 2023, their Double Dry Hopped Pale was awarded silver in the SIBA Regional Pale Ale category and caught the attention of Brewdog, which featured Crooked River beers across its bars nationally in their Up and Coming Fest.
They have since expanded their wholesale business nationally, with customers as far south as London now placing large orders.
“We’re so grateful for the amazing support from our community, which has helped us grow and improve these events each time. The last one pulled in over 200 attendees, which was great," said Mr Scholey.
"The success of the beer festival and our events has motivated us to open our own venue as soon as possible.
“We’ve been unsure whether to grow the wholesale business nationally or open a venue to sell our beers directly to customers.
"We felt it was more important to build a deeper connection with our customers and contribute to the growth of the local beer culture."
Mr Scholey also shared the challenges they faced, with the inability to find a venue causing some setbacks. He said: “Unfortunately, we’ve faced setback after setback trying to establish premises in Cockermouth, ultimately forcing us to miss out on the summer season and consider other alternatives.
"We eventually chose Keswick as it gives us an opportunity to cater to both locals and tourists. We hope to open a second venue in Cockermouth in the near future.”
The new taproom will allow Crooked River Brewing Co to expand its range with new and experimental beers, some exclusively available at the taproom, gauging customers' responses before potentially scaling up production.
Mr Scholey said: “We’ve always wanted to bring more inclusive styles into the fold, such as our recent gluten-free range, and would love to branch out to non-alcoholic beers and do things more creatively.”
Earlier last month, the team met with other hospitality businesses in Packhorse Court to discuss exciting opportunities for collaboration and to build on the courtyard’s reputation as a vibrant food and drink destination for the town.
Phil said: “We've had many ideas for the taproom beyond serving beer. We would like to gradually introduce brewing experiences such as tasting sessions, homebrew clubs, and meet-the-brewer events, pulling in guests from other breweries across the country.
"We also hope to use the space to host co-working mornings, live music, beer yoga, and be the first to serve dog-friendly beer.”
The opening date for the Keswick taproom depends on planning approval, but they hope to be trading at the start of autumn.
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