A thread devoted to Real Ales in Wales

[William of Walworth]

Saturday was our last day here at the Swansea Beer Fest. It's takedown for us today, got to get down there soon to help out. The fest was generally very successful with almost all the beer sold, visitor numbers high/holding steady as compared to last year, and no significant problems at all. Great occasion as always and the star attraction was having so many excellent beers -- Swansea's best time of the year for beer choice

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot!

 

[William of Walworth]

Some footage of our festival here in this ITV Wales newsclip can be watched here

 

[William of Walworth]

And to add to the above, here are some SBBF pictuures taken by Jonas, a professional photographer (they're on his Facebook page)

https://www.facebook.com/profile.ph.../?set=a.10150383309833417.406113.156118108416

 

[William of Walworth]

We're very likely to be heading to Abergaveny this Saturday (17th) for the whole day, to take in the Food Festival.

Oh OK then mainly the Gwent CAMRA organised Beer Festival at Abergavenny RFC, very near the main event apparantly ...

Very few details on Gwent CAMRA's own site -- far more, including a beer list , on the Brew Wales blog -- well it is yer main blogger who's organising the bar. Plenty of interesting beer and cider including one or two rare ones.

 

[William of Walworth]

Brew Wales also reminds me .... Also worth a look for anyone within public transport access seems to be the Cross Inn, Maeteg Road, Garth (direct link to a Wales Online article here). The pub is apparantly very near Garth Station, one short of Maesteg.

We'd only venture anywhere near Maesteg for a pub containing its own brewery, the Cerddin Brewery (very new) but we tasted two of its beers at the recent Borough Arms' Beerfest in Neath (also mentioned on Brew Wales) and they were great

 

[William of Walworth]

Not the easiest of places to get to, but the tiny town of Llanwrtyd Wells (half way along the Heart of Wales line from Swansea to Shrewsbury) is starting its annual beer festival this Friday, 18th Nov. Covering the next two weekends. We'll be heading up this coming Saturday (19th) for the day

Mid Wales Beer Festival
18th - 27th November 2011

Held in the various** Free Houses of the town, this friendly festival offers a tremendous selection of real ales to sample including many Welsh brews. The longest festival around, there were over 100 ales on offer through the week in 2006! A variety of entertainment is on offer, with a male voice choir concert on the traditional Ffairbont Day.

**Well all three of them anyway!

http://www.neuaddarmshotel.co.uk/events/#realalewobble

 

[davesgcr]

Excellent - taking the train I hope , as all responsible people do !!! Envy you.

 

[bendeus]

Anyone had the pleasure of supping Otley's quite delicious Thai-Bo? I know it's a bit late in the year to be talking about it, but a stray barrel ended up at my local the other day. Only the second time I'd had the pleasure. Fuck me, it's quite delicious. A lovely, pale summer beer with (fairly strong) overtones of lime leaf, lemongrass and galangal.

Otley are a proper, quality brewer, aren't they?

 

[ddraig]

yes! I had some Thai-bo at the beer fest in Cardiff and at the Mochyn Du, very very nice and yes they are a proper quality brewer.
their selection and marketing/branding put everyone else to shame at the beer fest and their tweets can be funny too

 

[ddraig]

with kaffir lime leaf, galangal, lemongrass and lime skins!

http://girlsguidetobeer.blogspot.com/2011/05/kicking-ass-and-taking-names.html

 

[William of Walworth]

Anyone had the pleasure of supping Otley's quite delicious Thai-Bo? I know it's a bit late in the year to be talking about it, but a stray barrel ended up at my local the other day. Only the second time I'd had the pleasure. Fuck me, it's quite delicious. A lovely, pale summer beer with (fairly strong) overtones of lime leaf, lemongrass and galangal.

Otley are a proper, quality brewer, aren't they?

Our gang awarded it a prize** at one point, that Thai-Bo. It rules!

(**OK it was after the 2010 Swansea Bay BF now I think about it, not this year. Glad to hear they're still making it! ).

Shame it's so hard to find Otleys (generally) in this part of Wales

 

[William of Walworth]

[re Llanwrtyd Wells Beer Fest/Real Ale Wobble]Excellent - taking the train I hope , as all responsible people do !!! Envy you.

It's the only way! And we'll probably buy some take away beer from the fest to keep us going on the way back -- Saturday's last train West will be full of happy, singing ale lovers if last year is any guide ....

 

[Gavin Bl]

Went to the 'Gwaelod y Garth' in, well, 'Gwaelod y Garth' - very nice, a restaurant upstairs, nice friendly bar downstairs. Had some bar food, not cheap (mains start at a tenner), but pretty nice. Good beer - about 4-5 guest/real ales - had pint of Old Slug porter, and a pinter Beacons Amber, ones of those lager coloured beers I don't normally like, but it was pretty nice. V. Popular with bikers walkers due to The Garth and other hills. Worth a look if you up that way (i.e. just north of Cardiff, take the turning for Taffs Well, and follow the signs - easy to miss the right turn into G y G, but its just before the hill steepens up, and the speed signs.

Went with my dad, on a Monday night - am I money, or what?

 

[trampie]

Beer beer we want more beer.

 

[danny la rouge]

Ingenious.

 

[William of Walworth]

Went to the 'Gwaelod y Garth' in, well, 'Gwaelod y Garth' - very nice, a restaurant upstairs, nice friendly bar downstairs. Had some bar food, not cheap (mains start at a tenner), but pretty nice. Good beer - about 4-5 guest/real ales - had pint of Old Slug porter, and a pinter Beacons Amber, ones of those lager coloured beers I don't normally like, but it was pretty nice. V. Popular with bikers walkers due to The Garth and other hills. Worth a look if you up that way (i.e. just north of Cardiff, take the turning for Taffs Well, and follow the signs - easy to miss the right turn into G y G, but its just before the hill steepens up, and the speed signs.

Went with my dad, on a Monday night - am I money, or what?

Gwaelod y Garth is expensive for sure, and as for food, we weren't too impressed either by the pricey and FAR from veggie friendly meal choice when we went there.

Admittedly that was a couple of months ago or more now.

BUT in no way could we knock the supremely excellent beer choice -- we'll be back again in the New Year for that reason alone.

Lovely atmosphere and location too .... views from just in front of the pub are well impressive.

Meantime, watch this space next week for an imminent 'reseach trip' of ours to a new Carmarthen-area pub with a microbrewery ....

 

[trampie]

Meantime, watch this space next week for an imminent 'reseach trip' of ours to a new Carmarthen-area pub with a microbrewery ....

Try the beetroot and nettle beers, can i ask are you a new drinker or are you new to drinking good ale as you seem to be only just discovering beer and pubs which are being recommended to you, is it a case of living in the smoke and not having much choice of good beer.

 

[William of Walworth]

Written all over you.

 

[phildwyer]

I had something called Butty Bach up near Hereford last weekened, it was the best beer I've tasted in a while.

 

[willhumphries]

I'm a drinks blogger in Cardiff. Had a great pint of Brains Merlin's Oak last friday in The Albany in Roath, Cardiff. Great community pub and good selection of ales. Also had a guest stout on called Dragonhead from The Orkney Brewery. Was a punchy little number!

Read the review here if you fancy it http://cardiffdrinks.wordpress.com/

 

[William of Walworth]

I had something called Butty Bach up near Hereford last weekened, it was the best beer I've tasted in a while.

Tis excellent -- all their beers are really, IMO.

Here's the Butty Bach page from Wye Valley Brewery's website

http://www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk/beers/butty-bach.html

 

[William of Walworth]

I'm a drinks blogger in Cardiff. Had a great pint of Brains Merlin's Oak last friday in The Albany in Roath, Cardiff. Great community pub and good selection of ales. Also had a guest stout on called Dragonhead from The Orkney Brewery. Was a punchy little number!

Read the review here if you fancy it http://cardiffdrinks.wordpress.com/

According to BrewWales (a site which I'm sure you know about), Brains have plans to invest in a new area of their brewery dedicated specifically to micro-brews and specialist beers. It'll probably take a while to come to fruition, but they don't seem short of cash at the moment, and the results could be interesting

 

[William of Walworth]

'reseach trip' of ours to a new Carmarthen-area pub with a microbrewery ....

If you're ever in the Carmarthen area, the Friends Arms in Old St Clear's Road, Johnstown is well worth a visit. It's about a mile due West of the town centre.

I'm not an unqualified fan of the sometimes annoying 'Calling Time' current BBC series on Welsh pubs, but Episode three (iplayer link here, available til Monday 12th Dec apparantly) was IMO the best of them so far.

That episode was dedicated to how the Friends Arms was recently saved from the risk of closure, and revived by new licencees/managers who last year set up the microbrewery there.

Can report that the beers were well tasty, and the pub a very pleasant and friendly local.

 

[ddraig]

brains have done over the model inn
open tonight apparently
http://greenwoodandbrowncardiff.co.uk/
pic of inside
https://twitter.com/#!/LauraBrains/status/144104756040826881/photo/1

 

[phildwyer]

Tis excellent -- all their beers are really, IMO.

Here's the Butty Bach page from Wye Valley Brewery's website

http://www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk/beers/butty-bach.html

Cheers! I'll give some of their other brews a try next time I'm in the Wye Valley.

 

[ddraig]

thye had it at the Nozstock festival in the summer too
a couple of miles from the brewery
was indeed nice

 

[ddraig]

just seen that the new model inn as posted above has vegi burger for £10! 10 fucking pound!
how can they justify that being the same price as a steak burger

 

[Ben Bore]

just seen that the new model inn as posted above has vegi burger for £10! 10 fucking pound!
how can they justify that being the same price as a steak burger

Shocking stuff (well, not that shocking). Doesn't seem like they'll be serving beers from the pump either by their Drinks menu, only bottled (cheapest being £3.20). Best popping round corner to the now non-piss-smelling City Arms which has a fantastic range of real ales AND being able to drink them out of one of these.

 

[ddraig]

agreed!

 

[William of Walworth]

City Arms isn't that cheap, but we pop in every time we're in Cardiff. Not the best ever of ale pubs, but better than many of a none too great choice in Cardiff.

(Not claiming Swansea's any better, cos it SO isn't .... )