Boar's Head Beer Festival

The Mid-Glamorgan CAMRA pub of the year, the Boar's Head in Tylagarw, near Pontyclun is holding a beer festival this weekend, Friday 11th and Saturday 12th September 2009, with any left over beers being sold on the Sunday. A short walk from pontyclun railway staion, the pub is relatively easy to get to.

Anyway below is an article I wrote about this pub earlier this year

A less than 10-minute walk westwards from Pontyclun railway station, brings you to the Boar's Head, unmistakable with it's old Fernvale Brewery sign outside, a former Welsh brewery that closed in 1970. The walk is a bit difficult as it involves crossing the Bailey Bridge, walking through an industrial estate and almost missing a hidden path with metal fencing around it. Clue – turn right at the stones and carry straight on past the new housing estate. The Boar's Head is on the left hand side, by the level crossing. There is a car park at the rear of the pub if you choose to drive here.Entering the door of this pub, with its stained glass windows, you could be forgiven for thinking that nothing has changed since the pub was built in 1875, however a few years ago, the Boar's underwent a sympathetic refurbishment with the bar now becoming the centre of the pub and the surrounding rooms were retained rather than knocked through into one. The pub was originally built by the Trecastle Estate for the nearby tinplate workers.

Six real ales are always available on the bar here, together with Budvar Dark Lager from the Czech Republic. The beer range varies but brewers such as Hydes of Manchester, Archers of Swindon and Mathews of Bath are often seen on handpumps alongside Fullers from London and Welsh breweries such as Heart of Wales from Powys. This is an unusual beer range for South Wales, made possible by the fact that the Boar's Head is a free house and not tied to any particular brewery. However the popularity of some of the brews with customers means that Mathews Brassknocker, a golden, hoppy ale of 3.8% ABV, has become an almost permanent feature on the bar.

The Boar's Head is panelled throughout in wood and gleaming copper pans hang over the bar. Another reminder of the old days of Welsh brewing is the old Ely Brewery poster in the bar.

There is a pleasant outside drinking area to the rear and a choice of rooms in the pub to eat or drink in. There is Welsh food on the menu in the form of Celtic Pride beef burgers and Welsh Black Beef Curry. Special offers run throughout the week on the menus with Tuesday being steak night and Wednesday curry night. Bookings are recommended for Sunday lunch. Food served Mon-Sat 12-2.30, 6-8.30

Every room in the Boar's has its own character, with long table and settles or more traditional dining tables in the restaurant section. Every room also has its own fireplace, ideal for those winter evenings. The Boar's Head is a pub that offers something for everyone and is a well deserved winner of the Mid-Glamorgan Branch of CAMRA Pub of the Year 2009.

Beer List (subject to availability)

Bath Ales	Barnstormer
Bath Ales	Golden Hare
Bath Ales	Wild Hare
Brewdog	77 Lager
Brewsters - (1)	TBA
Brewsters - (2)	TBA
Brewsters - (3)	TBA
Crouch Vale	Brewer's Gold
Dark Star	Old Chestnut
Dark Star	Summer Solstice
Hop Back	Summer Lightning
Lancaster	Blonde
Matthews	Brassknocker
Morrisey - Fox	Brunette
O'Hanlon's	Firefly
O'Hanlon's	Original Port Stout
Old Mill of Snaith	Fall Over
Purple Moose	Dark Side of the Moose
Purple Moose	Madog's Ale
Rooster's	Boneshaker
Sarah Hughes	Dark Ruby Mild
Spingo	Middle
Tom Woods	Harvest Bitter
Warwickshire	Darling Buds
Warwickshire	Ffiagra
White Horse	Village Idiot

Map:


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And there is is this video of the pub on You Tube: