Whose Round Is It? - Review: Ambleside British Pub, Mount Kisco NY
“The pub is the center of social life in England... providing an egalitarian space where people from all walks of life can come together as equals, to socialize and unwind, ...
“The pub is the center of social life in England... providing an egalitarian space where people from all walks of life can come together as equals, to socialize and unwind, breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of community.” - Social Anthropologist Kate Fox from the book "Watching the English".
Mrs. KBM & I certainly identify as we've experienced some British Pub Culture and saw it as an aspirational goal for the right types of establishments in the US. I suspect that, given the right circumstances and venue, many folks would welcome a stronger sense of community, free flowing conversations, and forging new bonds.
Maybe now’s a good time to focus more of what we have in common than otherwise?
Field Trip: Ambleside Pub, NY
For our visit to Ambleside we brought our friend, Mr. High Life™️, not only because he brings a “give me a light lager please” which is a good level set for those not (yet) adventurous in their beer sampling angle but also because it was his birthday!
Ambleside Owner Drew Hogdson was already familiar with running a business in Mount Kisco, opening The Hamlet British Store (British food, beverages, vinyl records, books gift items) a few years back steadfastly weathering The Pandemic with an eye on also opening The Ambleside Pub to bring more of the best of British Culture to our area someday.
Name: Why Ambleside? Drew: “Ambleside is a small village in the Lake District (Northern England - where I grew up). I spent a lot of my childhood in that area. The logo for the shop is also a bridge house in Ambleside. Our vision is to create a family friendly authentic country pub. A place for locals to gather and new faces to meet.”
Vibe: Drew: "On most days, the English pub is filled with folks from the neighborhood who refer to it as their “local”. Our intent is to bring this tradition to Mount Kisco and offer a place for expats, locals, and travelers to gather, relax and make new friends.”
The Friday night we were there was crowded, lively, and welcoming with smiles all around from various age groups as they took in the Ambleside’s British Pub nuances and dare I say considering the overall Pub Paradigm Shift?
One example of this shift is the lack of TVs! The subtle framed “artwork” throughout Ambleside ARE the TVs which are only in TV mode when British Sports are being played. Notable, Ambleside opens quite early US time to accommodate expats and others keen to root on their faves on game days.
Another is that there is no wait service or bar stools. When you need a pint or food you walk up from your table to the bar and place your order. Definitely different from what we’re used to and that evening a backup formed of folks waiting to place their orders. This turned into a good thing, as it encouraged patience and was an opportunity to chit chat with folks while we waited. I met some British expats as well as some locals and we compared notes on Ambleside. Drew estimates his clientele is “50-50 of those groups and a lot of families - which we love to see” [plenty of n/a bevs and British “crisps” for the young folks, plus board games]
When in a group, British pub culture has a bit of a Democratic angle to it when it comes to buying rounds of drinks. “Whose round is it?” is the phrase to gently remind whoever is next up to head to the bar and do the needful. No alligator arm syndrome to be found 🙂
Beer: Additionally, it is a value play in that “Ambleside serves only imperial pints (20oz) vs the US 16oz pint - which is 25% more beer! Ordering protocol is Size, Type e.g. “Pint of bitter + half of lager, please”. Ambleside partnered with expat brewery Old Glenham to produce their flagship cask offerings and Drew promises “you will not be disappointed!” We were certainly very pleased with the cask ale that night as that style brings a wonderful full flavor, lower alcohol, and creamy texture.
Old Glenham Brewery located in Beacon NY founder / brewer Ian Hatton: “Being from Worcestershire England I grew up drinking Banks’s Mild and Bitter and also Batham’s along with many other cask ales. I came to the US in the late 80’s as a musician, touring for many years and always looking for good beer. Back then there was no craft just the usuals, Bud etc. Occasionally you’d fine Boddingtons or even Old Speckled Hen which was a treat!!
Fast forward about 7 years ago and I sat in my local with 16 taps of craft, most of which I had no desire to drink. They are either way too strong or full of fruit or other crazy things. All I wanted was a nice pint of cask, so there the process started.”
Cask Brewing utilizes natural aspects: “Water, grain, hops, and yeast. That's it. No filtering, no pasteurization, no chemicals to make it seem like something else. It has essentially been brewed the same way since the Middle Ages!!!. The main differentiator compare to “regular ales” is that cask ales are taken out of the fermenter a little earlier and finishes off naturally fermenting in the cask (no CO2 added). The beer is always alive as it’s never served below 50 degrees.”
[KBM: This is NOT warm for a beer and is actually right in the range fuller flavor American beers should be served. Also, ice cold beer dulls your taste buds! Ok.. coming off soapbox..]
Additionally, per Ian: “All these natural aspects benefit the consumer as it better on the stomach, and head the next day, if you have a few too many!”
Naming Process: “My Dad was a Weaver. I come from a big carpet town so my first cask beer was Weaver’s Pale Ale. They all have some connection with that tradition, either weaving or a local place that I grew up with back home.”
Ian takes pride in his cask ale creations, “Keeping and serving cask is not straightforward. I look after the beer to make sure it's served correctly.” It shows.
Something for everyone. Other curated Ambleside tap choices included: the French Kronenberg - solid lager that got an official Thumbs Up from Mr. High Life(™), a Kolsch, and a dry cider from the excellent Hardscrabble Cidery and farm in North Salem - Mr. High Life(™)’s daughter described the cider: “Tastes local, crisp and refreshing”.
Food: Drew: “All our pub food is made fresh here at The Ambleside and the approach is to keep it simple but good. The classics (fish and chips, pies, pasties, etc.) will always be there along with typical bar snacks like crisps, scampi fries but we will rotate new ideas and even start to do Sunday Roasts in the fall.”
On our night the Shepard’s pie was awesomely flavorful, Peas - mushy as advertised, Fish + chips with a dash of English malt received a definitive thumbs up, and sausage roll was authentic and satisfying.
It took us a minute to downshift “Immediate Need” mode and get up from our table for food and beer refills at the bar but, not only did we get our steps in, but left feeling a stronger sense of community with the folks we met along the way.
Embrace the paradigm shift.
Check them out and let me know what you think.
See website for more pics
https://www.theamblesidepub.com/;
; 23 E Main St, Mt Kisco, NY 10549; (914) 733-6008
Cheers!
e: TheKatonahBeerMan@gmail.com
i: Instagram - TheKatonahBeerMan
w: website - https://thekatonahbeerman.wordpress.com/
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