Big Bavarian friend of mine (big because of the Bavarian beer I guess) is currently in Wales and wants to know if there are any local tipples he should try.
Not really my neck of the woods.....
Thanks!
Look up Loka Polly, big hand, Hafod and Heavy Industry. All micro breweries so you may struggle but well worth the effort. Oh and Grey Trees too, their Aghan Pale is great.
Where in Wales?
Grey Trees has some tasty beer.
Feeling Foul.
+1 Snowdonia Ale. Purple Moose are usually a great bet IME.
*edit was going to mention Otley O1, but it appears that the Otley Brewery closed down earlier this year.
Butty Bach. End of thread
are you actually a welsh farmer?
Because Butty Bach, although a very nice ale indeed, is brewed in England...
Did a bit of research (!) At the green man beer festival last year, and tiny rebel and heavy industry were best by some way
The Green, Green Glass of Foam?
Butty Bach
****ing gross!! 😷 😷
Darkside of The Moose OTOH...
Heavy Industry 77 tough to beat
Tiny Rebel also do some excellent brews
+1 Tiny Rebel. I like the Clwb Tropicana but the Cwtch is great for keeping it session.
Cwtch and Dutty vermont IPA 👍
Caffle in Pembrokeshire rules.
Some Brains is drinkable, SA Gold is a BBQ classic.
Brains beer, specifically SA, is what non-Welsh people think that Welsh people like (“Oohh, you’re in luck, they’ve got SA on tap”). It’s gross.
I was going to say Butty Bach and suggest that would be the end of the thread, but our friend above has revealed a devastating but of information about its heritage that has, frankly, ruined my evening.
If you’re near Cardiff, just go to the Gwaelod Inn and drink your way across the pumps. If you’re in the centre on a Saturday, Pipes brewery have a kind of open air bar in Kings Road (with artisanal coffee across the yard as well, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven). If you’re super lucky, you’ll even catch one of their street food nights.
The Mochyn Du (they’ve called it something else now, but to locals, it’ll always be the Mochyn Du) next to Sophia gardens brew their own beer on site. Brace yourself for a long wait to be served, though.
We’re better than we were at making beer, but if I’m honest, I’ve had more good pints travelling around the West Country and Kent over the years.
Surely skull attack?? That or feeling foul. Anything else would be fround upon in the land of my fathers
in all seriousness, there are some great local brews to be had locally and some good suggestions above. And as above SA is pretty grim, hence the skull attack nomenclature
Tiny Rebel, Dutty is great.
That's the one - Cwtch mmmmmm
Surely Grey Trees, given BPW beers are supplied by them 😉
Tiny Rebel
Is the correct answer.
Wrexham Lager
Tiny Rebel is great. Most of rural S Wales is a ****ing beer wasteland though. They have better beers at the trail centre cafes!
There is a fine micro brewery in Maesteg, Cerddin Brewery.
Some very fine ales, Afan Lodge have some of them on tap, or in bottles.
Well worth sampling.
Lots of good beer in the Swansea area. Gower Gold is good and widely available in pubs and off licences. If your mate is lucky enough to be in Swansea take a trip to the joiners to sample their three cliffs gold.
I too was going to suggest Dark Side of the Moose, glad I've got taste(buds). Taste is personal though, so I suggest trying as many as possible. I've never not finished a pint, but some have never had a second chance.
I discovered Dark Side Of The Moose at my local beer festival several years ago, and Tiny Rebel’s Cwtch at Greenman last year, and I wish both were more readily available, although my regular pub has had one Purple Moose beer on its pumps recently, and I keep on about DSOTM and Cwtch, so I live in hope.
Another vote for Purple Moose,lovely beers.
Another vote for Purple Moose here. At this time of year the elderflower ale is lovely served chilled. There is also a brewery over in Nefyn at the end of the Lleyn Penisula. They do some corkers as well
Butty Bach for me. And anything else they serve in the Plough and Harrow, Monknash.
Butty Bach is from Herefordshire. Not Wales.
I'm quite partial to almost anything I have tasted from Tomos Watkins. Cwrw Haf is especially appropriate right now.
Also, Celt beers can be very nice. I certainly enjoyed them when they were Newman Brewery, but Celt quality has not diminished.
Finally, if your friend is in Cardiff, there are a few microbreweries, such as Pipes and Crafty Devil. The Pipes Milk Stout is fantastic.
For craft ale, Tiny Rebel. For traditional cask ales, Felinfoel is decent.
montys - montgomery
heavy industry - denbeigh
cwrw llyn - llyn
cader ales - dolgellau
otleys, celt - valleys
purpule moose - porthmadog.
just for starters
Dark side of the moose is a winner, most of their beers are great. Conwy brewery aren't quite as good though their Celtic Pride is decent. I ran bars in North Wales for years, the Purple moose stuff was far more popular than anything else.
I also lived in Wrexham. I sincerely hope that Wrexham lager comment was a joke.
Another vote for Tiny Rebel.
Had their Beatbox at my friend's beer festival last year and it was in my top three from approx. 60 different ales.
The video of their collaboratory beer with Goldie Looking Chain is also worth a shout for shits and giggles.
Another vote for Tiny Rebel and Tomos Watkins.
Butty Bach, apart from not being Welsh is also only ok. Brains and Felinfoel? Drink lager instead instead - horrible stuff.
Tomos Watkins Bicycle Beer and Magik Lagyr are nice and might be more what he's use to coming from Bavaria (I think).
Several good ones mentioned, Snowdonia and Tiny Rebel in particular. However would tend to ask where there are and then google for any local breweries. There are more and more good little breweries rarely seen outside of their area.
Literally anything from Great Orme.
I can see Castle Gate Brewery from my office window, Merlin's own or Towy Gold would be my suggestion.
Brains and Felinfoel? Drink lager instead instead – horrible stuff.
Nah, Felinfoel double dragon is a decent cask ale if you like a traditional style. The bottled version is pretty forgettable though.
wild horse brewery in Conwy
Untappd is a great tool for finding the best beers & pubs in an unfamiliar location! It's live data crowdsourced from drinkers so (assuming they don't run out before you get there!) you know what you're gonna get and how good (they think) it is!