Queens Head Inn, Tirrilback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
As the 2008 review states, this is no longer a pub featuring local Tirril ales. It's now a Robinson's place, which seems to be more geared up towards food. Drinks are very expensive. Nice place though with low ceilings and a number of rooms. Dizzy Blonde & Cumbria Way were the two real ales.
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Stayed for a couple of nights very pleasant staff nice breakfast beer was ok sleep ruined by a group of local herberts drinking outside the front Effing and Blinding for a couple of hours late at night and the annoying electric macerators in all of the rooms that go off every 10/15 mins JUST ADJUST THE BALLCOCKS AND STOP THE WATER OVERFLOWING
The sausage festival was on so no other food avaliable did my best to work through the large variety but had to admit defeat after 12 and only managed 13 of the real ales
We will go back later in the year when it should be a bit quieter
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This pub has clearly changed hands and is no longer a Tirril Brewery pub. It has also had a touch of paint here and there. It now sells Robinsons beer and today had three on (XB, Unicorn and Cumbria Way). Though I'm not a big fan of this brewery the beer seemed in good condition. The food menu is in the �9 to �13 for main courses with other cheaper options and was pretty good. The staff are also trying hard as we were asked three times whether the food was OK. All things considered the change seems for the better.
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Stopped by here on the way back from a very thirst-making walk by Ullswater. A disappointing selection of beers from 'The Home of Tirril Brewery' - just Tirril 'Old Faithful' and Jennings 'Cumberland Ale'. The barman wasn't particularly friendly but the 'Old Faithful' was very nice anyway, pleasantly hoppy and served with a thick creamy head which made it very smooth. It's a pity that they don't use oversized glasses when serving beer this way, so that you get a pint of beer and not 9/10ths of a pint. Still, we were sufficiently impressed with the beer to get a 4 pint takeaway - and it was just as nice with no head on it later that evening.
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I'm pleased that other reviews here have been generally positive because that will encourage me to try it again. On my one visit, on a warm Sunday afternoon (after a walk on the far eastern fells from Howtown), it seemed a bit strange. This was partly because it was empty (it was between meal times on a Sunday). But when empty the space is a bit cold and dark on a sunny afternoon: small windows, dark old furniture, a fire but only at one end of a large area. I think it would be better both in winter and with more people. There were three Tirril beers - which are not my favourite Cumbrian beers but every local micro-brewery is a good thing. On this occasion they weren't attractively poured (lots of quickly dispersing head to leave a very empty glass which I still had to ask to be topped up) but perhaps it had been a busy and tiring weekend up till then. I'll try it again when passing but I wouldn't go out of my way.
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Merseyside CAMRA ran a coach trip on 2nd September to Cumria and the Queens Head was our first stop. Many of us wished we could have stayed there all day. There were five real ales on the pumps and a roaring fire in the grate - well it was chucking it down outside in traditional lakeland fashion. The warmth of the fire reflected the warmth of the welcome we received from all the staff who took the time to chat with us while they were busy pulling our pints. This is pub not to miss.
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I have got to start by responding to the comment about staff being rude, I'm just wondering whether that person stayed at the other Queens Head in the neighbouring village, as there is another one that we nearly went to by accident, it has to be a mix up!
The Queens Head Inn in Tirril was pub of the year 2003, and recommended 2004 & 2005 - That's really saying something, and you can see why, it is a beautiful grade II listed building dating back to the early 18th Century with old wooden beams having a bit of a slant :)
The food is top notch, never have I had such a beautifully cooked peice of fish! The beer is excellent two, and lets face it, it should be, it doesn't have far to travel being brewed in the same building!
As for the room that we stayed in, small, but cozy, with a gorgeous en-suite and cracking views (complete with cows)
If you love real ale, good food and good company, you simply have to give the Queens Head a try, we're going back to stay longer and we're taking friends with us this time!!
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I can't understand the previous comment at all I stayed overnight here after a long drive back home from Glasgow and what can I say, the ale, service, room and food were all spot on! We even took a crate of the beer they brew themselves back home with us it was so good. A definate recommendation if you happen to find yourself in Penrith!
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I found the staff there to be rude, arrogant and offensive, and I won't ever go there again.
Specifically, they had the juke box blaring in our ears. There was nowhere else to sit because the place was full. They wouldn't turn it down - said customers were paying to use it. But it was only the bar staff who were feeding it.
I don't much care for most of the Tirril beers, either. The one name after the Kendal brewer is OK but the rest are uninteresting.
anonymous - 8 Mar 2006 21:09 |
What a marvelous "Real" pub. Only a few minutes form the M6 Penrith junction. They used to have their own "Tirril" brewery here but it was so successful, it had to move away. You can still drink their ales though, the Old Faithful being my favourite. the food's great too.
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Cosy pub, great beer, great atmosphere, good food. Nice place to visit on a cold winters evening sitting by a coal fire.
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Excellent Beer, with his own brewery. Friendly Staff , Food Excellent, Accomodation recentley upgraded, My stop off in Cumbria
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Pub of the year 2003, brews its own beer, superb food, 300 yrs old, excellent staff, lovely fire, 40 whiskies, what else do you want?
tim - 7 Dec 2002 14:51 |
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