A thread devoted to Real Ales in Wales

[William of Walworth]

We dropped into the Breconshire Brewery the other day after a walk up Fan Y Big. Couple of v friendly chaps sold us some lovely beer at a very good price. Well worth a visit.

Our local CAMRA lot are doing an all day coach trip from Swamsea to Brecon for that very purpose, on November 20th. Can't wait!

Believe the plan is to visit the Red Lion Penderyn -- mentioned by dynamicbaddog earlier -- on the way back. It's truly a grand place, we've been several times and it's excellent, lovely atmosphere. Fires on a cold winter night too!

Another remote/hard to get to but highly recomemnded alehouse is the Ancient Briton, Penycae (upper Swansea Valley)

 

[William of Walworth]

Gotta Dash - Potters Wheel calling. Wetherspons Beer Festival innit. Some top choices there at the moment!

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Can't say I found much good beer in Wales, found it safer to stick the cider.

 

[William of Walworth]

Can't say I found much good beer in Wales, found it safer to stick the cider.

You do need to look around for it and follow well informed locals' recommendations true. And some areas are near-deserts for ale ( ) with some pretty shit pubs no question.

But there are almost always exceptions, I said almost always ...

 

[William of Walworth]

Next Saturday, the 13th, we'll be heading up from Swansea (on the Heart of Wales line ) to the Mid Wales Beer Festival at Llanwrtyd Wells.

We've been to the last two, it's a grand event!

Lasts over TWO weekends as well -- continues right up to the w/e of Saturday 20th ...

 

[William of Walworth]

Llawrtyd rocked and so did Brecon, over the last two weekends -- see posts above

If you're ever in Brecon feel compelled to check out the Boars Head -- superb!

 

[davesgcr]

Heard good reports on Llanwrtyd , well done for using the HoW train. Must try and do that next year , with an overnighter in say Llandeilo.

 

[William of Walworth]

Heard good reports on Llanwrtyd , well done for using the HoW train. Must try and do that next year , with an overnighter in say Llandeilo.

Nice one, we'll be back in Llanwrtyd on one of the Saturdays next year, so we may well overlap

The whole malarkey should be less franticly crowded than it was this time, after all unlike 3 weeks ago there won't be an overlap with the rugby (the World Cup will be over by the relevant dates).

Llandeilo is very pleasant to drink in, as we know from other visits -- more than one very pleasant pub.
But I think you have to have more of a taste for Mr Buckleys product than I do to really appreciate it ....

 

[davesgcr]

I remember Buckleys in flagons .......(not that bad) - put a reminder out in good time please , so domestic arrangements can be made. !

 

[William of Walworth]

Talking of Buckley's, and Simon Buckley in particular, have a look at these latest revelations from Brew Wales

On his way out of business it seems. And maybe even from as long ago as September given the dates in that link.

I could say somewhat more myself about Mr Buckley's business reputation in this part of Wales, , but only Arfur (above link) seems able to drop the right hints online with sufficient legal care ....

 

[William of Walworth]

Talking of Brew Wales, Arfur's ale-related awards for 2010 have just been put up (30th December) ...

I don't agree with all he says, for eg his dislike of Wetherspoons goes well beyond mine (the Swansea Wetherspoons has a consistently excellent beer choice and quality record over the past 3 or so years, can't speak for Cardiff mind!)

But there's some interesting pub and beer recommendations overall

 

[Badger spotter]

I am surprise that I found no mention on here of Fagins in Taffs Well. It was Mid Glam camera pub of the year and well deserved too. They support local breweries having Otley on pull and three others out of a long list on gravity supply. The food does not come from Bookers, but locally where they can including meat.

I have no commercial interest and in fact have to travel a fair way to get to it, but all the above when combind with the decent music on there twice a week quite often makes it all worth while.
There are no "Tarts with Tapes" just good honest blues and folk with the occiasional rock band too.

ps if your lady has any sort of standards.....the pub is spotless and the toilets have supplies of smelly items that me a refugee from Brut cannot understand!

 

[William of Walworth]

The only time I ever went to Fagins I was far too far gone to remember even getting there, let alone leaving

(we'd been on a CAMRA coach trip to Newmans/Celt Experience Brewery with far too much free beer )

I want to go back in 2011 though, everything I hear about Fagins makes it sound class

 

[Gavin Bl]

I am surprise that I found no mention on here of Fagins in Taffs Well.

Thanks, I'll give that one a look

 

[davesgcr]

WoW (Sir !)

Nosing around on the web , I see the Wern Fawr Inn , Ystalyfera seems to have good reviews , - and its one of the places you have been to before. Views ?

(Went for 6 weeks to school in Ystalyfera - Welsh comprehensive - didnt work out !)

 

[Placid Casual27]

The Cayo looks shit from that link. On the food, why do they have "peroni-battered-" haddock, surely Peroni is bog-standard lager, surely beer batter should be made with, er, beer?

Free Wales Army in gastropub hell, shocker

 

[1927]

The Cayo looks shit from that link. On the food, why do they have "peroni-battered-" haddock, surely Peroni is bog-standard lager, surely beer batter should be made with, er, beer?

Free Wales Army in gastropub hell, shocker

Thats actually the only thing I have eaten in the Cayo since the revamp and it was bloody delicious, I dont think the Peroni had anything to do with it mind. The chips are officially the best in the world ever!

 

[1927]

jeez i remember caffreys first coming out, pound a pint at the devonport labour club, havent drunk it since, fooking murder!

I remember when Caffreys first came out too. I would have four pints and be fine, but at the end of teh fifth would be a muppet crying in a corner. And I remember those hangovers, fuck, I think I professed to wanting to die on more than one occassion.

 

[tarannau]

Caffreys is just a standard crappy keg beer with more nitrogen (same mix as guinness) in the carrying gas, hence the 'creamy' head. It's not any different in the getting pissed or hangover stakes, psychosomatic effects aside.

 

[Gavin Bl]

Caffreys hangover - god, don't remind me.

 

[exiledinwales]

BB - weird name, don't know what it stands for by Watkins is a great pint and only two quid in my temporary adopted local. The last local guest ale they had was £1.50 a pint and that was decent too. The Square in Ammanford. Some good ale to be had in Goose and Cuckoo in Llangadog I think they've got a few Evans ales, Warrior is tasty. Can't remember how much it was. Tried a pint of SA Smooth in another pub in Ammanford and it wasn't good at all, got slightly better as I drank it but maybe it was the pub. There's a load of pubs down in Llandeilo (where there's a small brewary) as well but haven't been down there much. Any recommendations?

 

[jannerboyuk]

Caffreys hangover - god, don't remind me.

It's psychosomatic you fool! Not sure wot made me pick that and only that drink for such a thing when i rarely get a hangover with bugger all else i've no idea but there you goes a vaguely scientific term has been used and muct be obeyed

 

[Gavin Bl]

no, it was like a fucking hammer inside my forehead

 

[William of Walworth]

WoW (Sir !)

Nosing around on the web , I see the Wern Fawr Inn , Ystalyfera seems to have good reviews , - and its one of the places you have been to before. Views ?

(Went for 6 weeks to school in Ystalyfera - Welsh comprehensive - didnt work out !)

Sorry for late reply dave ...

Wern Fawr is excellent and atmospheric, and the ales (Bryncelyn, brewed round the corner, but until quite recently in the pub itself) are outstanding -- and hard to find anywhere else except the odd local free house very occasionally, and in beer festivals including ours ...

Massive drawback with the pub is its very restrictive hours. Evenings only, and except for rare, specific Six Nations matches, not open on Saturday afternoons even! .... and very poor public transport to Ystalyvera ..

GBG gives these Wern Fawr hours :

Mon to Sat : 7 pm (6:30 pm Fri and Sat) to 11
Sun : 12 midday to 11 pm.

So frustrating

 

[davesgcr]

Thanks for that update - sounds a good place , carefully timed - much appreciated.

I have a plan .......(ties in with the disused , never had a train through it - abandoned tunnel near Pontardawe)

 

[Placid Casual27]

1927 see you down (Cayo) there mate for the England game (football, obviously, not that 6Nations bobbins)

 

[jannerboyuk]

1927 see you down (Cayo) there mate for the England game (football, obviously, not that 6Nations bobbins)

I thought the cayo was verboten as the hidey hole of the welsh speaking elite? I'm confused.

 

[badlands]

have they bought a fancy new microwave?

oh for the days of aunty debbie and proper cooking.

anyway, we've got rid of more landlords than I care to remember.

this new bloke is gonna be dust

mission accomplished,

Cayo landlord gone already

 

[METH LAB]

It's psychosomatic you fool! Not sure wot made me pick that and only that drink for such a thing when i rarely get a hangover with bugger all else i've no idea but there you goes a vaguely scientific term has been used and muct be obeyed

i dunno about that, according to wiki there is more going on with those creamflow things than just nitrogen... although how much of it adds to congeners/hangovers im not sure.. as far as i know its impossible to get drunk without a hangover though but its easy for people to blame what they were drinking rather than how much heh

cafferys (and all the rest of them smoothflow creamy pasturised things) are bloody tastey! i cant leave them alone i keep going back to 'em.

peace

 

[tarannau]

Caffreys/creamflow beers are essentially unchanged keg beers, but with the same more nitrogen-heavy gas mix they've used in Guinness for years. Short of claiming some kind of nitrogen intolerance and running a mile from a pint of the black stuff, there's no reason why it should affect you any worse.