A KENDAL couple who started selling craft beers in their convenience store have now taken the plunge by setting up a new shop and bar.

Adrian and Jackie Norris moved to South Lakeland in 2009 from Manchester.

The pair set up Kirkland News and then three years ago they began to offer their customers craft beer in bottle and cans.

“We only really got into the beer side of things as we developed things on Kirkland,” Adrian, 48, explained. “It was something we wanted to do for some time then this place popped up. This was the long term goal.”

The new establishment, named Indie Craft Beer and located on Finkle Street, offers customers four keg lines as well as the bottles and cans, spirits, wines and soft drinks.

The couple are trying to use independent breweries and have been sourcing from companies such as Hawkshead Brewery, Handsome Brewery, Farm Yard Ales in Lancaster and Bowness Bay Brewing.

However, Adrian has not always been a keen craft beer drinker. He said that when he and wife Jackie lived in Manchester , they were lager drinkers.

“On initial trips to the Lake District in winder time we would dabble in different beers,” he said. “It just developed from there.

“I think it’s the flavours to be honest. As a former lager drinker there’s no way I could drink lager anymore. A lot of the breweries are pushing the boundaries and pushing each other forward.”

He said that although the bar has only been open for a week, it has already received a positive reaction.

“It’s been great,” Adrian said. “We have seen the guys from The Fell, Ronnie from the Factory Tap, Phil Walker from the New Union. They have all been really supportive. The reaction has been really positive.”

And he hopes that those same places might be willing to work together to offer some kind of drinking trail.

“We hopefully will be adding to the offer that Kendal has got for beer,” he said. “To work with Ronnie, Fell, the New Union and make Kendal a destination.”

Adrian said that there are currently no plans to close Kirkland News but the couple will be thinking about hiring new staff members.