Anyone who has read some of my recent reviews (go on…you know you want too) will be well aware that we toured Cropton Brewery in September. This was a treat to celebrate my birthday and also gave us a chance to have a meal and a few drinks in the pub next door. It is impossible to write a ... Read review
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Advantages: A good price, interesting and informative tour and a lovely pub too! Disadvantages: Might not be a tour if not enough interest. Look out for the wet floor!
...well aware that we toured Cropton Brewery in September. This was a treat to celebrate my birthday and also gave us a chance to have a meal and a few drinks in the pub next door. It is impossible to write a review of Cropton Brewery without mentioning the New Inn (they are part of the same business), so this is about a bit of both (more about the brewery though)!
~~~WHERE IS CROPTON BREWERY?
Cropton Brewery is located ... ...Moors. The village of Cropton is signposted from both directions but my tip is to get a good road map because some of the twisty turny roads are a little confusing. Thankfully my hubby loves map reading and our friend was a good driver. Cropton Brewery and the New Inn are also mentioned in The Good Beer Guide ~ directions are given and also full instructions can be found on the brewery website (URL at the end of the review).
Anyone who has read some of my recent reviews (go on…you know you want too) will be well aware that we toured Cropton Brewery in September. This was a treat to celebrate my birthday and also gave us a chance to have a meal and a few drinks in the pub next door. It is impossible to write a review of Cropton Brewery without mentioning the New Inn (they are part of the same business), so this is about a bit of both (more about the brewery though)!
~~~WHERE IS CROPTON BREWERY?
Cropton Brewery is located in the village of Cropton, not far from Pickering, in North Yorkshire. We visited while spending a lovely week in Whitby so we came from the North Yorkshire coast. This meant we came via the A170 after going over the Yorkshire Moors. The village of Cropton is signposted from both directions but my tip is to get a good road map because some of the twisty turny roads are a little confusing. Thankfully my hubby loves map reading and our friend was a good driver. Cropton Brewery and the New Inn are also mentioned in The Good Beer Guide ~ directions are given and also full instructions can be found on the brewery website (URL at the end of the review).
It is on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and Cropton Forest ~ staying there would be lovely because it is a good base for exploring the area. Cropton Village, though small, is very pretty and we saw a couple of shops and an art gallery to visit. The close proximity to Pickering and the facilities there is also a bonus.
~~~THE NEW INN.
We arrived at the New Inn for opening time and went into the main bar and ordered some drinks ~ we began with a pint of rather excellent Scorseby Stout. The New Inn is a lovely pub that also offers B&B and camping. Meals are served either in the bar, the conservatory or in the separate restaurant. We went for the bar menu ~ lovely food, including Steak and Ale pie (made with Scoresby Stout) and sausages made with Two Pints Bitter. Meals weren’t cheap (over a tenner for main courses) but really nice and a good birthday treat!
When we went into the main bar and ordered drinks we asked if there would be brewery tour today. The lady behind the bar said she would check to see if anyone was able to watch the bar while she showed us round ~ they had a large party coming for lunch. She decided she could manage it and we left our drinks on the tables and followed her to the brewery, via the beautiful beer garden. It was a lovely day when we went and we had a nice walk around looking at the flowers, trees and pond.
~~~THE TOUR.
***Price & other essential info***
Currently the price of a tour is £2.95 for adults, Senior Citizens or groups (a group consists of a minimum of 12 people) £2.25 and children (aged 12 to 17) are also £2.25. It must be noted that it is a working brewery and anyone under 12 isn’t allowed on the tours. Tours take place at 11.30am and 2.30pm every day except Tuesdays and you can arrange an evening tour if you telephone the brewery. I would advise that you check first to make sure there is definitely going to be a tour if you are making a special journey.
Souvenirs are for sale in the bar ~ they were selling gift boxes of three Cropton beers, clothing, clocks (with a painting of the brewery on them) and pottery Cropton Brewery mugs. All these things can also be purchased later on the brewery web-site.
***Facilities***
The New Inn and Cropton Brewery are members of the Yorkshire Tourist Board and provide a number of facilities for individuals and group of visitors. They are open all year round, offer accommodation, non-smoking areas, meals, toilets and they accept credit cards too. Children are welcome in the pub and there is a play area outside (although they can’t do the tour).
Access for the less mobile is partial ~ the brewery is a little difficult for wheelchair users, the floor is wet and some areas of the pub are reached by steps. There are disabled toilets and the main bar and some other areas are wheelchair friendly.
There is also a free car park to the rear that is reasonably large.
***What happens on the tour?***
We were having a meal so the cost of the tour was added onto our bill to pay at the end (£2.95 per person). The extremely friendly guide led us through the garden and down the small track to the brewery. The tour started with a brief history of the brewery and we then went through the various rooms in the brewery and learned about how beer is brewed and what ingredients go into which beers.
The guide passed round different types of malt and hops which we had to smell and feel (and in some instances taste). We looked at each part of the brewing process and the guide made it interesting by relating anecdotes about the beers, the brewery and the staff.
Cropton currently brew nine different types of beer and we were lucky enough to see some of them in production while we were there. The brewer was there too and we saw ingredients being delivered and used. We could touch the equipment and even dip our fingers into the froth coming from the fermenting vessels and taste the fresh beer!
On the way round we saw the bottling plant, the coppers, the fermenting vessels and all the other parts of the brewery. It is quite a small place and the tour took around three quarters of an hour to complete. After the tour we went back to the bar for our meal and to sample the beers from the brewery ~ we had four halves included in the cost of the tour!
~~~WHAT I THOUGHT OF THE TOUR.
The tour was just long enough and contained enough information about the brewery and brewing without getting too boring or technical. The guide managed to combine humour, stories and facts making the whole thing interesting and amusing. We were given the opportunity to ask questions and the tour was geared towards the level we needed ~ she knew from what we’d said that we knew something about beer, so she upped the level a bit (if the tour party wanted to go from the basics the tour would be a little different).
Three quarters of an hour was a good amount of time for the visit ~ not too long and not rushed! We felt we had seen all we wanted and found it to be well worth the money we’d paid. We thought that once we’d left (clutching a handful of gorgeous smelling chocolate malt) the tour was over and we headed back to the bar. The ever smiling guide came over a few minutes later with the food menu and a half pint of the current selection of beers each ~ a very nice and much appreciated touch!
I must point out that often the tours can consist of larger parties than the one we went on. There were only four of us so it was informal and personally delivered. A larger tour might be a little less so! The brewery is quite small so I would think that they would split larger groups into sections to fit comfortably into the Brewhouse ~ one group looking round while the other has a drink in the bar and then swapping over.
I can only base my review on the tour we had and I was very impressed with the level of knowledge shown by the guide. She really knew her stuff and was very friendly throughout. In fact all the staff at the pub and brewery were really nice. There seemed to be a good atmosphere and I found the banter between the guide and the people working in the brewery genuinely funny. They were comfortable with us being there and carried on about their daily jobs regardless.
It seemed a great place to work! It was also a great place drink and visit too!
~~~BREWERY DETAILS.
The New Inn & Cropton Brewery Cropton Pickering North Yorkshire YO18 8HH
Tel: 01751 417330
http://croptonbrewery.co.uk/
****If you want to know about the title…..it’s a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin and sums up how much I enjoyed the beer and the tour!***
~~~PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME OF THE CRITERIA BELOW DON'T RELATE TO THE SUBJECT~~~
Advantages: Excellent little pub with a lovely atmosphere. Disadvantages: Difficult to get too...but can get crowded.
we normally sit in because we prefer the more comfortable and homely ambience ? and the little bit of extra breathing space of course! You may also like to know that children aren?t allowed in the Big Bar.
~~What?s to eat and drink?
As well as the usual array of wines, spirits and soft drinks, the Birch Hall Inn also serves a pretty good pint of Real Ale. On the numerous occasions we have visited the beer range has varied and we have always managed to find an interesting and often previously unsampled beer. Often the beers come from local breweries ? we have had beers from Cropton (from near Pickering), Daleside (from near Harrogate) and many others, including a chance to try the house beer ? called, unsurprisingly Beckwatter! From a pub that started out with no Real Ale at all they have come on leaps and bounds since 1989, when ...
