Windermere Brewing Company is a five-barrel microbrewery based at The Watermill Inn in Ings, Cumbria. Brewing onsite since 2006, it produces a range of traditional ales known for their dog-themed names, with its beers served directly at the adjoining pub.
Brewery story
The idea of brewing at The Watermill stretches back to 1986, when the family behind the business began planning their return to the Lake District. They moved into what was then Millholme Country Hotel in 1987 and developed it into The Watermill Inn in 1990, always intending to eventually add their own brewery.
After years of overcoming practical challenges at the site, a brewing kit was purchased from a former brewpub in Florida and shipped from the United States to Ings in 2005. The equipment was adapted for British brewing and installed in a purpose-built extension, with the first commercial brew, Collie Wobbles, produced on 4 July 2006.
Today, the five-barrel microbrewery operates onsite at The Watermill Inn, around two miles east of Lake Windermere. Originally known as Watermill Brewery, its beers are now produced under the Windermere Brewing Company name, retaining the distinctive dog-themed identity closely associated with the pub and brewery.
Sources
Taproom
The home of Windermere Brewing Company, with the five-barrel microbrewery operating onsite at The Watermill Inn in Ings. The pub serves the brewery's own beers alongside its wider real ale offering, providing the brewery with a direct outlet just a few miles from Lake Windermere.
Ings, Kendal, Cumbria, LA8 9PY
The home of Windermere Brewing Company, with the five-barrel microbrewery operating onsite at The Watermill Inn in Ings. The pub serves the brewery's own beers alongside its wider real ale offering, providing the brewery with a direct outlet just a few miles from Lake Windermere.
