puppy at brewery

Charlie’s Business Trip To A Brewery

The Mag

by 12

I recently took a short motorcycle ride from Singletrack Towers, over the Pennines, to the rather pleasant Lancashire (No, Charlie, they don’t like that kind of thing up here) er, Cumbria town of Kirkby Lonsdale. It rained most of the way, the roads were greasy, however the bike rode like thunder, and an hour on a motorbike is always better than an hour at a desk. Kirkby Lonsdale is where the Singletrack beer and coffee are made, and I was there to dry out, get caffeinated and check out Stu’s set up. Stu and I know each other through mountain biking. He does crazy long races across the Himalayas, and I give him my Bum Butter in exchange for beer.

I parked up the old Triumph, got glared at by a lady with a small dog, took my helmet off, flashed her my Charlie Manson smile, and strolled in to “The Royal Barn”.  Located in the centre of town, Kirby Lonsdale Brewery’s intown tap house is a stunning old barn, converted into a coffee and beer bar. It boasts 12 beer taps, plus 8 kegs, and then you have around 60 bottled beer options too. Damn it… rookie bike journo error… beer and motorcycles are not a good mix.

COVID cool

His small business has adapted really well to COVID legislation, with unobtrusive wood and steel framed glass partitions separating the tables. They completely blend into the existing style, a cunning mix of industrial and traditional. There are even traffic lights for the toilets: green for go, red for cross your legs and do the bursting shuffle dance. It really cheered me up see a bar that was totally COVID compliant, but didn’t look like a half-baked Perspex clad futuristic game show from the 70’s. It gave me hope seeing that things can be pretty close to normal.

KLB brewing Stu
You now your old home brewing kit. Stu’s is much bigger.

Smells Great

In the bar itself, you will find a couple of giant brass topped brewing kettle things. On this day, the Singletrack Ale was being made and it stunk the place out wonderfully. The coffee is also roasted in the same room. Again, a stunning sensual punch on the nose. But for full on sensual overload you must meet “Thunder” the outfit’s new dog. Only eleven weeks old, soft and dopey, with only his massive paws hinting at the vast beast he will soon become.

KLB puppy dog
I like smoke and lightning, cuddly little “Thunder”

We talked a mix of bikes, business and assorted nonsense. In short, Singletrack merch was traded for coffee and beer. What’s more plans are afoot for a less intense Singletrack Coffee. Stay tuned to this station.

Stu’s special offer

Stu has come up with a cracking Singletrack Bundle. £20 gets you a copy of Singletrack, a mug, our Deadline coffee and a can of the awesome Black IPA.

You should visit Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery’s Royal Barn. It is going to be my caffeine stopover and beer stocking stop on the way to the Lake District, (it’s just off the Junction 36 of the M6 you know). Drop in, drink beer, straighten out with a coffee, get some takeaway goodies, and cycle away.

KLB brewery bundle

Got a shop?

Want to stock Singletrack merch such as T-shirts, mugs and more? Then give me a shout (email). Singletrack is no longer sold on the traditional newsstand, but we are really happy to supply cool retailers.

Author Profile Picture
Charlie Hobbs

Merch & Marketing Manager at Singletrack

Grumpy, happy, hairy, overweight and awesome. I started riding offroad in 1978, and never stopped. I was once Charlie The Bikemonger, I invented orienBEERing, the Clunker Classic, and the Dorset Gravel Dash. I own the Bum Butter brand and I'm a co-owner of Dirt Dash Events. I also work at Singletrack, I have the self-appointed job title of "Overlord of the leftovers" and look after the merch shop, and marketing. Other interests include skateboards, surfboards, motorbikes, and cooking (I invented the Beefer Reefer).

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