Waimea - Tring Brewery - 4.0% ABV. Nice refreshing almost fruity ale, nice bitter finish B++
As it was a rather good refreshing pint, which was just as well as the sun was out.
Mainly Beer Blogging |
|
The Great British Storm of October 2013 was rather kind to Cardiff. Although it poured down during the night of Sunday/Monday 27/28 October. Tuesday the sun came out, so it was time to get back to the Wethersoon's beer festival. The Spoons of choice was the Aneurin Bevan in Gabalfa. And here is the choice of ales, well at least one set of hand pumps. And the beer of the day, well only one as it was lunchtime. From the Untappd review.
Waimea - Tring Brewery - 4.0% ABV. Nice refreshing almost fruity ale, nice bitter finish B++ As it was a rather good refreshing pint, which was just as well as the sun was out.
0 Comments
I popped into the Pen & Wig in Newport yesterday (Saturday 26 October 2013) to have a quick and it was packed out. I knew that mine host Richard Jackson (below) was selling up but I didn't realise that it would be this soon and also that the pub is closing for a week while the new owner takes over. And the reason to pop into the Pen & Wig, superior beer. And my pint for the day from my Untappd review DOBS Best Bitter - Exe Valley Brewery - 4.1% ABV. Good bitter, slightly lacking in finish B+ #ale #beer #bier And what will happen in the future to the Pen & Wig, who can tell? However, one thing is for certain, Richard Jackson will be sorely missed.
26 October 2013 - The Godfrey Morgan in Newport is my favourite of the four Wetherspoon pubs in the city. It is a little out of the city centre on Chepstow Road. If you are walking, then it's about a 20 minute walk from the city centre. Unlike the Tom Toya Lewis and the John Wallace Linton, the bar doesn't open until 09:00, although it opens at 08:00 for food and non alcoholic drinks. Of the two banks of hand pumps, only one of them had beers that I haven't had before. However they were more than enough for me. The beer reviews as uploaded to Untappd Even Keel - Ballast Point - 4.5% ABV. Listed as a session IPA and brewed in the UK but Marston. Citrus bitter body and straight bitter finish B++ #ale #beer #bier Harpoon IPA - Harpoon Brewery - 5.9% ABV. Not really an IPA and does taste of 5.9%, average B #ale #beer #bier Toasted Oak IPA - Innis & Gunn - 5.6% ABV. Creamy, slightly bitter and smooth B+ #ale #beer #bier And yes it has free Wifi from The Cloud
If you are in Cardiff and you like your beer then you need to visit a Brains Pub. Most people will say try Brains SA but I say try Brains Dark which is a superior mild. And if you want a superior all day breakfast then you need to visit the Three Horse Shoes at the Gabalfa Interchange, you will not be displeased. Excellent food, superior welcome. Go there.
You may describe me as a little Wetherspoons obsessed and you would be right. However as a a CAMRA member with my Wetherspoon beer discount vouchers, I'd say that Spoons are very pro real ale. And when Thursday comes around, there is nothing better than a Spoons Curry Thursday with a inclusive pint of real ale. As an bonus, the real ale this week is a beer festival ale. My Spoons of choice was the Malcolm Uphill in Caerphilly. The price of the curry and a pint was a very reasonable £4.99 but be aware that Spoons do have differential pricing. Don't expect this price in London or even Cardiff. And the beer, well it was rather strong than I would have at a lunch time. However it went down rather well with the Tikka Masala. The review that I posted to Untappd Hazelnut Brownie - Batemans - 6.3% ABV. Big powerful brew with a very full, semi sweet nutty taste B+ #ale #beer #bier Maybe it was a touch too sweet but it was very good! And the curry, Chicken Tikka Masala, with extra chips and diet onion Bahjis. Lovely.
The Urban Tap House on Westgate Street is Newport Brewers Tiny Rebel outpost and first Pub in Cardiff. It rose from the ashes of the now defunct Fire Island. Infact Tiny Rebel brewed Fire Island's Beat Box beer and it was rather good too.
The interior has changed not that much however what has changed is the amount of bottled and draught beers. They claim to have over 100 different bottled beers and my experience so far suggests that is certainly the case. The staff are extremely helpful and knowledgeable about beer. The only that you shouldn't do is ask for a pint of Carling as it will get you a quizzical look. What really impressed me was that you can get some rather good Belgian ales there. My advice, stop reading this and just go there! Zerodegrees on Westgate Street in Cardiff is apparently part of a brew pub chain, not that I know much about that. It looks modern and technical with its stainless steel brewing vessels. It is also a bit upmarket with its choice of food. The selection is beers is very good, ranging from a Pilsner to a Mango beer. All the beers are brewed on site. I choose an American Red Ale which weighed in at a rather expensive £4.00 a pint. However it was very good getting a 3.5 stats on the Untappd scale. B++ on my scale. The pint glasses were rather good too. Worth a visit? I'd say very much so. It also has free Cloud WiFi and opens at 12:00. If it's October and it's raining, then it must be time for the Wetherspoon's Autumn Beer Festival. Wetherspoons do tend to take a battering in the press due to their cheap prices, long opening hours and so called chav clientele . However, I believe that what Wetherspoons should be congratulated for, is their promotion of real ales and this year, American craft ales. So it was take a day off and head into Cardiff to try the ales out. The Central Bar was my pub of choice, mainly as it was close to Queen Street Railway Station and it was pouring with rain. One think that does disappoint me is the amount of real ales that are actually on. Sure there may be six hand pumps readied with pump clips but all too often half of them have "Coming Soon" attached to them. The reason, after talking to a Wetherspoons manager is that we, the customers, just don't drink enough real ale. Real ale is a living product with a limited shelf life. Where as your usual keg bitters and lagers are essentially dead and last for ages. Spend any time at a Wethersdpoons bar and you will soon see most people (men) will be drinking John Smiths or Carling. So the sad truth is that if you want more real ales on tap, we have to get more people drinking real ales. Simple really. Having said all of that there were no such problems in the Central Bar, So on with the beers. You can get the festival ales in thirds of a pint and the the three thirds are the same price as one festival pint. In this case a very reasonable ££2.29 a pint. Not bad for a city centre. World's Biggest Liar - Jennings - 4.3% ABV. Malty with a hint of burnt chocolate. Long lasting bitter finish B+ What The Fuggles - Wadworth - 5.0% ABV. Tastes stronger than its 5.0%. Quite hoppy but not that bitter B+ Supremely Self Concious Black Ale - Stone / Adnams - 5.0% ABV. Bit like a light porter with a touch of roast malt with citrus hops. Very drinkable with a tart finish B+ |