Lancaster is a city of red. It’s the historic county town from which Lancashire bears its name. The red rose county, formerly the duchy of Lancaster. Bizarrely, only the town’s football team rejects red. Lancaster City FC, ‘the dolly blues’, are based at The Giant Axe stadium and have embraced the blue since 1911. Ultimately, it should come as no surprise at all that Lancaster Brewery’s red ale absolutely hits the spot with dead-on accuracy.
Once poured, a swirling ruby sea captures every one of your senses, sending you on a one way ticket to pleasure city. That city is Lancaster. I’ve drank Altbier in Düsseldorf and Roja Cervezas in Spain and, while the taste differs naturally, the principle is the same. It’s bold in colour, full of flavour and light on the palette. Floats like a butterfly, sting like a bee. But maybe the other way round in this instance. It finds the perfect balance between a lighter pale and a fuller bodied stout. That’s what the best red ales do. Lancaster’s is no different and it’s a credit to a genuinely brilliant brewery.
You’ll find the brewery's ales stocked throughout the pubs and clubs of Lancaster, a proud, welcoming and all round brilliant city that’s worth a visit no matter the occasion. The brewery itself is also worthy of any occasion. It rejects its industrial estate surroundings, embodying the interior design of a Austrian ski chalet, albeit one that serves great ales without the snow. Thankfully it continues to serve it’s superb Red Ale and that doesn’t look like changing anytime soon. Embrace the red, even if you’re a dolly blue.
Luke Connelly