Tag: Wales

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Wrexham

I am a big fan of behind the scenes, especially in the world of football, the round ball one – not the oblong one.  So when Welcome to Wrexham started I hoped it would be as good but not a re-run of Sunderland ’till I Die.

And as I was watching Rob McIlhenny and Ryan Reynolds take steps in Welsh football, I noticed that one of the stands at the Racecourse Stadium was the Wrexham Lager Stand.  Of course, that is where I would want to sit.  

But I thought I would give a little background on a beer that it would be great to drink while watching the show but probably won’t be available to most Angelenos.

Head Brewer Ian Dale as “A subtly hopped lager with a clean aroma.Light and refreshing and a good session beer” They also have an Export Lager and the Bootleggers 1972 Pilsner. The new brewery is in the center of the city but has seen many ups and downs since founding in 1882. Including brewing operations stopping in 2000 and the building torn down two years later.

By the way, the show has started well and is fun to watch.

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Welsh Brewery # 3 – Gwaun Valley Brewery

The final Doctor Who inspired Welsh brewery to visit this month is Gwaun Valley Brewery. The brewery is located in Pembrokshire near the Preseli Hills. You can even stay in a cottage near the brewery. Below are my taster tray choices…

Farmhouse Ale – ” A malty ale with a smooth, balanced character, made with only English hops”

Golden Bitter Ale – ” A smooth bitter ale with a strong hoppy flavour and a crisp finish”

Blodwen – ” A creamy full bodied bitter, ruby red in colour with a hint of caramel”

Calon Lan – “A rich malty porter with a medium body and a bittersweet after taste”

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Welsh Brewery # 2 – Conwy Brewery

On to North Wales and Bragdy Conwy…

For my taster tray, I would add two from their British range, Rampart Dark Malty Ale – “Floral aromas followed by long lasting malty finish with hints of burnt caramel”

Welsh Pride Copper Colour Bitter – “Orange, citrus/malt aroma with sweet, malty/nutty finish.”

…and two from their California named beers.

California Citrus Blonde – “Delicious citrus hoppy aromas with a good balance sweet malt and rounded bitterness.”

San Francisco Quad Hopped IPA – “Very hoppy with citrus hop followed by malty/biscuity flavours and a long satisfying bitter finish.”

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Welsh Brewery # 1 – Bragdy Nant Brewery

We travel to Wales since that is where quite a bit of Doctor Who is filmed and the new season is now 2 episodes in. First stop is Bragdy Nant. The brewery is located in Llanrwst. They have picked up a CAMRA medal since opening in 2007. Here are the beers that I would sample first…

Mwinci Nel – “A dark,winter ale with dark chocolate flavors balanced by a hoppy bitterness.”

…followed by a couple bitters, Architects and Cwrw Coryn. Then on to an English IPA, Prop Hop and then finish up with

No. 6 Dark Ale – “Dark ale not too sweet with burnt chocolaty flavours balanced with hops .”

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English Brewery # 3 – Tiny Rebel Brewing

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It started with a garage and Gazz and ended up as a three time winner at the Champion Beer of Wales in 2013. Not a bad start for Gazz and Brad (the other half of the duo) and their Tiny Rebel Brewing.

And here is what I would order when in Cardiff….

1. “Arguably the coolest word on the planet, Cwtch is our very own untraditional Welsh Red Ale. Six malts, two US hops and weeks of Tiny Rebel love and attention go into making this unique beer. Citrus and tropical fruit dominate the taste that is backed up with caramel malts that balance the moderate bitterness. Drinkability & balance makes this beer.”

2. Full Nelson. “Our ‘Maori Pale Ale’ came together after months of experimentation with a very unique hop – Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand. Strong grape flavours are complemented by the sweet Munich malt, making this beer crisp and refreshing.”

3. Bonsai IPA. “”International” collaborations like this don’t come along very often, but when they do, someone’s supply of hops usually gets rinsed! Brewed with ALL of Arbor’s hops, this IPA is big on flavour and way too sessionable.”

4. “A unique schizophrenic beer where you’ll face off against floral hoppy flavours up front, leading into a dry spicy bitterness on the back. Need something a bit different to wake up your taste buds? It’s time to get FUBAR.”

5. And on cask: Hank an American Pale Ale. “This light US-style pale ale took a bit of tweaking to get just right. With tropical and citrus aromas and a low-to-medium bitterness, this is one easygoing West Coast-style beer. Floral flavours with slight caramel and biscuit notes make this well-balanced and highly drinkable.”

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two MORE Welsh breweries

Our Welsh journey continues with two more breweries mentioned by Pete Brown that I thought should be shared with more people this side of the pond.

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Otley Brewing

Here are two beers from Otley that intrigue me.
O1
ABV 4.O%
Our flagship brew. A pale straw colour ale with
heavy hop aromas, a thirst quenching bitterness
and a big nose aroma.
O3 BOSS
ABV 4.4%
Traditional chestnut ale with Northdown
and Challenger hops, quaffable enjoyment.

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Kingstone Brewery

Here are the two beers that jumped out at me. The first two I will try if/when I get to travel through Wales.
Humptys Fuddle
“Our IPA, dangerously smooth at 5.8% ABV, is a warming, oaky-smoky tipple. Humpty has a slightly sweet floral nose, a balanced level of malt supporting the hops and finally a subtle but slightly citrusy finish.”

Classic Bitter
“The name says it all. This is our award-winning Classic Bitter – a balanced, disctinctively hoppy, dry ale with a floral nose and smooth well-balanced finish. Classic is brewed with pale and crystal malted barley, bittered with a quartet of hops – Northern Brewer, Cascade, Willamette (a Fuggles hybrid) and Brambling Cross.

The Great Taste Awards, which is organised by the Guild of Fine Food and often referred to as the Oscars of the food industry, is this year celebrating its 15th anniversary. A Great Taste Award is the authoritative, independent standard for Britain’s fine food sector: the gold & black logo is the benchmark for independently proven fine food. Our Classic bitter was awarded the 2* Great Taste Award in 2008.”

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Breconshire Brewery

As promised, here is the 2nd Welsh entry.
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Breconshire Brewery is considered the leading Welsh light of their craft beer revival.

Two of their beers struck my fancy. First is Ramblers Ruin – “Dark amber, malty and well hopped with a beautifully balanced aftertaste; a champion Old Ale. High percentages of Crystal and Black Malt create the malt/biscuit undertones; bitterness and aroma are provided by Goldings and First Gold amongst others.”
Second was 6. “This 4.4% abv complex ale is the colour of Welsh Gold; smooth, full flavoured and brimming over with character. Oat and Rye malts give the redish hint to this golden ale, whilst Challenger, Goldings and Sovereign hops provide the bite that underscores the flavour profile. Like the Welsh team, this beer promises to make a great and lasting impression over this Six Nations….
4.4% abv”

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Purple Moose Brewery

Since I am striving to bring my faithful readers beer news that spans the globe. (ripped off Stephen King and Wide World of Sports, sorry) Today’s brewery spotlight falls on Wales! (Kudos to Pete Brown for bringing these breweries to my attention)

The first stop is the Purple Moose.
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Here is a little background…
“The Purple Moose Brewery is a ’10-Barrel’ micro-brewery based in the historic harbour town of Porthmadog, North Wales, close to the mountains of Snowdonia.”

Here is the important beer information…
“We currently produce four standard beers in both cask conditioned and bottled formats. These are Snowdonia Ale (3.6%), Madog’s Ale (3.7%), Glaslyn Ale (4.2%) Dark Side of the Moose (4.6%)”