Coniston Brewing Co.

Brewpub in Coniston, Cumbria, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Associated Venue: Black Bull Inn (Coniston Brewery)

Established in 1995

Contact
Coppermines Road, Coniston, LA21 8HL, England
Description
Hidden away behind the Black Bull in Coniston is the
Coniston Brewing Company.

This outstanding brewery, run by Ian Bradley, is where Bluebird Bitter is made. This 3.6% session beer won Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 1998 at the Great British Beer Festival Olympia London and has continued to be awarded accolades of recent years.

To the pure waters of the Coniston hills - add the finest Challenger hops and wonderfully roasted pale and crystal malts.
Allow the Coniston Brewing Company to use all their skill and instinctive know-how to create what must be described as the finest fully matured cask conditioned Ales.

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7.1/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 7.5 Texture 7 Overall 7
Gravity pour
No head on a still amber coloured body.
Sweet, malt & berry aroma.
Malt, biscuit, toffee, berry & caramel tastes with a tangy citrus finish.
Excellent EIPA.
Tried from Cask on 07 Jun 2026 at 20:48

6.5/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 4 Overall 7
(Cask at Akkurat, Stockholm, 8 Dec 2025) Pale amber colour with brief, off-white head. Malty, slightly hoppy nose with notes of toast, biscuits, citrus and slightly dusty hops. Malty, fruity taste with toast, biscuits, citrus, tea and a balanced herbal/earthy bitterness in the finish. Light body, quite dry. Refreshing and highly drinkable. Nice one.
Tried from Cask at Akkurat on 28 Mar 2026 at 21:47

7/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 6.5 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 7.5
0.50l bottle. Aroma of toasted malt, herbs and flowers. Pours clear pale amber color with thin creamy off-white head, fine lacing and average sparkling appearance. Taste starts light to medium sweet toasted malty with juicy fruity and citrusy note, herbal and bready following, mouthfeel is smooth, while finish is average bitter. Light to medium body, creamy texture and soft carbonation in palate. The good, the bad and the bitter…
Tried from Bottle from Drinkshop.sk on 23 Mar 2026 at 19:43

6.5/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
330ml bottle from Beer Ambleside - clear amber body, firm white head. Solid malty character, nice easy caramel hints, orangey cake fruits, and with a steady sweet finish. Very good for a low alcohol drink, doesn't have that telltale sugary metallic tang others have. I could easily smash a few of these when I'm the designated driver.
Tried from Bottle from Beer Ambleside on 06 Mar 2026 at 15:46

7/10
Tried on 15 Feb 2026 at 02:30

6.6/10 Appearance 7 Aroma 7 Flavor 6 Texture 7 Overall 6.5
Bottle from Beer Ambleside.
Appearance - golden and clear, gentle carbonation and a very thin head.
Nose - orange peel and bready.
Taste - orange barley water.
Palate - carbonation a little low, light bodied, dry finish.
Overall - ok.
Tried from Bottle from Beer Ambleside on 26 Jan 2026 at 20:02

7.5/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
Cask Bishops Arms Plaza 2026-01-02 Göteborg
AR: wee bitter, smooth, rustic bready
AP: clear coppery, frothy head
F: wee bitter, smooth, rustic bready
Tried from Cask at The Bishops Arms Plaza (Västra Hamngatan, Göteborg) on 03 Jan 2026 at 14:48

7.6/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 7.5 Texture 8 Overall 8
Cask Haket 2025-12-06 Göteborg AR: smooth, bready, wee bitter AP: clear coppery, frothy cream head F: smooth, bready, wee bitter
Tried from Cask at Haket on 07 Dec 2025 at 20:10

7/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 6.5 Flavor 7 Texture 7 Overall 7
Deep ruby colour with a slight tendency towards brown. Gets quite some head, the slightest off-white: good persistence, excellent lacing. Not much intensity in the aroma: a subdued (per style) malty presence, with nuttiness and perhaps a hint of toffee and roastiness, a bit of underlying winey, slightly leathery presence, some not very distinct fruity notes (but i'd say mainly in the likes of cherries under spirit). Taste still shows moderate intensity, but in a quite delicate, pleasant way, and feels more defined. Notes as per aroma, plus a quite unexpected dry and moderately astringent, slightly bitter edging finish, with a bit of leafy/tea-like note to it. Light to medium bodied, low to medium carbonation, fine-bubbled carbonation; feels pretty smooth but also shows a hint of creaminess. Could have used a bit more intensity, feels like it doesn't have much even for the style; on the whole, though, it is well made, fine beer.
Tried from Bottle on 10 Nov 2025 at 20:07

7/10
Tasted at Snallygaster 2025.
Tried on 12 Oct 2025 at 01:00