Now and Then - Royal Oak Merthyr Tydfil

The site of the former Royal Oak Inn, 152 High Street/Plymouth Street. Demolished to widen the road and provide parking.

Red Cow does Octoberfest

The award-winning Red Cow brew pub in Llywdcoed near Aberdare, home of the Grey Trees Brewery, will be holding their Octoberfest between the 26th-28th October.

Own-brewed ales:
Grey Trees Ye Olde Drummer Boy 4.2%
Grey Trees Diggers Gold 4%
Grey Trees Rechabites 4%
Grey Trees Black Road Stout 4%
Grey Trees JPRs Pale Ale 4.6%

Other ales:
Purple Moose Snowdonia Ale 3.6%
Salopian Oracle 4%
Salopian Darwins Origin 4.2%
Thornbridge Jaipur 5.9%
Oakham JHB 3.8%
The Kite Cwrw Gorslas 4%
The Kite Scary Kite 4.4%
Devilfish Devil Best 4.2%
Wychwood Hobgoblin 4.5%
Dark Star American Pale Ale 4.7%
Greene King IPA 3.6%

Red Cow
6 Merthyr Road
Llwydcoed,
Aberdare,
Mid Glamorgan
CF44 0YE

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Otley Arms Octoberfest

A hop fest in the Otley. Cider on as well

Mid-Wales Cider Fayre this weekend

A new event for the cider-making season in Glasbury.

Glasbury House, Glasbury Friday 26th – 28th October 2012


Mid Wales Cider Fayre - From pip to cider to glass.


Friday 26th – 28th October 2012
Featuring:
•A demonstration of cider production “from pip to cider to glass”

•A cider producer who also sells cider apple & perry pear trees.

•A demonstration of bee keeping, and the value of bees to pollinate the trees.

•A manufacture of apple processing equipment, to add the scrating and pressing stage.

•The programme would continue with a lecture on cider production including, advice on the fermentation, blending, and controlling the final alcohol contents.

•Concluding with a glass to taste the results from the on site producers.

•The fayre would also provide:

•Cider & Perry tasting competition

•Lecture on how to produce your own cider

•Live entertainment on Saturday evening.

•Real cider and perry is going through a big revival during these difficulty times, we are aiming to promote the Fayre to licensees, to hopefully get them to stock real ciders and perries.

•Cider producers in Wales and the local area to come and offer their ciders & Perries. and hopefully build lasting contracts.

•The general population who have an interest in cider & perry, to taste, drink, and produce.

•Tickets £6 in advance, £8 on the gate. £2 discount for CAMRA & WPCS members with a valid card. Included with entrance to the Fayre, Cider & Perry tasting competition, lecture on how to produce your own cider, and live entertainment on Saturday evening.

•Also available food, the chef has created a menu based on ciders and perries. Accommodation bunk house, camping, and B&B

Entry £6 in advance, £8 on the day.
CAMRA/ WPCS members
£2 discount with card.
Contact
For advance tickets contact Chris Charters:
Catering With Intent: PO Box 9, LD1 6WJ
Email: info@catering-withintent.co.uk
Telephone: 01497 847638

Glasbury House, Glasbury, Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5NW

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Traveline Information:
If traveling from Cardiff, travel via Hereford:

Corris pub holds beer festival

The Slaters Arms in Corris, Gwynedd will be hosting a beer festival this Friday and Saturday

The Slaters Arms
Corris
Near Machynlleth
Gwynedd
SY20 9SP

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Traveline Cymru Information:

Otley Octoberfest!

The Otley Arms in Trefforest will be holding their annual Octoberfest this week, starting Tuesday (23rd) and continuing through to Saturday (27th).


Beer list:
From Otley
O1 4%
croeso 4.2%
O3 boss 4.4%
O4 Colombo 4%
O5 gold 5%
O7 weissen 5%
O8 8%
Oxymoron 5.5%
Kowhai 4.9%
Thai bo 4.6%
new brew(yet to be named) 4.7%

Saltaire stateside IPA 6%
Saltaire blackberry cascade 4.8%
RCH old slug porter 4.5%
RCH easy street cream5%
Country Life golden pig 4.7%
Marston Moor Brewers droop 5%
Burton Bridge stairway to heaven 5%
Burton Bridge sovereign gold 4%
Bristol beer factory sunrise 4.4%
Bristol beer factory Amber 4.3%
Springhead roaring meg 5.5%
Ring o bells dreckly 4.8%
Green jack hop harvest 4%
Green jack orange wheat beer 4.2%
Isle of purbeck force four 4%
Isle of purbeck sutland bay wrecked 4.5%
Dark star American pale ale 4.7%
Dark star hophead 3.8%
Mighty oak English oak 4.8%
Oakham citra 4.2%
Oakham tranquility 6.5%
North Yorkshire golden ale 4.6%

+ 8 ciders

Otley Arms

Forest Road, Trefforest, Pontypridd, CF37 1SY
Google Map:

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Traveline Cymru:
Easy to get to as it is a short walk from Trefforest Railway Station

Vale of Glamorgan Brewery gets Bewitched!

New seasonal brew fronm the Vale of Glamorgan Brewery, Bewitched is a ruby coloured best bitter ,bitter on the foretaste and fruity on the aftertaste with an ABV of 4.5%.

Death on the River Taff

Photo courtesy of Dave RATS

Thursday 25th October, International Hercule Poirot Day, will see the City Arms in Cardiff host a Belgian Beer Festival in honour of the most famous Belgian ever to have held a Bolleke.

DraughtDe Konnink - (5%)
La Chouffe - (8%)
Vedett Blonde - (5%)

Bottles:
Affligem Blonde - (6.5%)
Celis White - (5%)
Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit - (8.5%)
Karmeliet Tripel - (8.4%)
Kasteel Tripel - (11%)
Kwak - (8.4%)
Leffe Blonde - (6.5%)
Maredsous Blonde - (6%)
Orval - (6.2%)
Scaldis Ambre (Bush) - (12%)
St Bernardus Pater - (6.7%)
Timmermans Peche - (4%)
Urthel Hoppit - (9.5%)
Urthel Saisonniere - (6%)
Vedett Extra White - (4.7%)
Westmalle Dubbel - (7%)

Now and Then - Greyhound Vaults, Abergavenny

Greyhound Vaults, Abergavenny

Market Street
A former Rhymney Brewery pub that was sited rather oddly directly opposite the former Facey Brewery which was never owned by them! Today the area where the brewery stood has been cleared and remodled as the Brewery Yard.
Also known as the Greyhound Hotel, this closed as a pub in the 1960s or early 1970s. The building is a restaurant today.

Alcohol should be unpleasantly expensive according to Government Minister

For those deluded souls out there who still believe that a minimum unit price for alcohol will solve all of the problems pubs face today, Government Minister Oliver Letwin has said this:

“We want to make it unpleasantly expensive for people to buy large amounts of [alcohol] and go home and get blind drunk,” the minister for government policy said.


A floor price for drinks must be tried as part of efforts to change consumer behaviour, Oliver Letwin told guests at the Alcohol in Moderation 21st anniversary conference in London recently.

Just how will bringing in a minimum unit price for alcohol actually save any pubs?

"What we really need to have is a population that, of its own free will, chooses to behave in a sensible fashion”.
Millions of us already do, why penalise us just so the Government can raise extra taxes to spend on MPs extra homes?
Beer consumption is already falling, there is no need for more legislation.


A Scottish Minister recently announced that the minimum price was being brought in to reduce consumption, not for any other reasons.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed that a “full public consultation” on minimum pricing is still planned for autumn 2012 but declined to give a start date.


A year ago, public health minister Anne Milton told a Parliamentary committee in autumn 2011 that government advisers believed minimum pricing “contravenes European free trade legislation”.

Source: Harpers

CAMRA award-winning brewpub up for sale

The Wheatsheaf in Llantrisant, a runner-up in the recent Mid-Glamorgan Pub of the Year competition has been put up for sale by its owner, Tom Newman, of Celt Experience Brewery. The pub is also home to the Pixie Spring Brewery which is run by the landlord and not connected to Celt Experience.
I have previously covered the pub here.
Full details of the pub are available via the agents for the sale, Sidney Phillips.
The freehold is being offered for £195,000

Brains looks to beauty with latest Craft Beer

Beer Beauty, also known as broadcaster and journalist Marverine Cole, has created her ‘ultimate IPA’ in Brains’ craft brewery.

While Brains handed Marverine an IPA brief, she was free to come up with her own interpretation. The result is Destiny – a 5.8% dark IPA. A tropical burst from Galaxy and Motueka hops, coupled with fresh mango, contrasts with roast malt flavours.

Marverine also worked with Brains on the pump clip design. Her Beer Beauty website aims to spread the word about the beauty in beer, and, in keeping with her Beer Beauty character, Marverine opted for a pink design and the slogan ‘there is beauty in beer’.

Marverine said: “Destiny is a dark tropical IPA which gives a nod to my Caribbean roots and the islands which boats carrying IPA beer from England to India back in the 1700s would have passed by.

“Thanks to Bill and the team for asking me to collaborate on a beer. I learned so much from everyone during the brew day, as you'll see from the video on my blog it was so much fun. Here's hoping everyone enjoys my fruitilicious mango beer.”
Destiny is part of an India Pale Ale series, which sees beer writers and bloggers develop and brew their ultimate IPA. Guest brewers include Simon Martin, Martyn Cornell, Melissa Cole, and Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham. The IPAs will be independently judged at the end of the year and the winning beer will become part of Brains’ beer festival programme.

The beer will be available in cask in 30 Brains outlets from October 19th.

Customers can create their own ale in Newport pub

The Windsor Castle in Upper Dock Street Newport is under new ownership and the new people in there have an interest in real ale. The former Welsh Brewers pub has been through some bad times in recent years, suffering from being run by a pubco but now it is a free house changes are occuring. Already Rev James has been seen on the bar, yes not too unusual but this is Newport. However go down the stairs to the Skinner Street bar situated in the oldest part of the pub and you will find a fridge stocked with bottled beers from Celt Experience, Brains and Rhynmney Breweries. There are also plans to have beer served straight from the barrel in this part of the pub as well as to increase the catering options here.
In the meantime the pub is running a competition for a customer to create their own real ale at Otley Brewery.
The new people in the pub have also started to ban some of the 'characters' that inhabit Newport pubs - a good start, think Richard in the Pen & Wig is up to 60 people he has banned so far!

Full details available in the pub.
Windsor Castle, 18 Upper Dock Street, Newport, NP20 1DH

Its close to the bus station so easy to find!

The Windsor Castle does not smell of fish.

Now and Then - Market Tavern Abergavenny

Market Tavern, Abergavenny
11 Market Street

First recorded as the Market House Tavern in 1850, by 1914 the pub was owned by the Charles Edwards Brewery Ltd of Llanfoist who were taken over by Rhymney Brewery in 1945. The Market Tavern closed in 1962.

The modern photograph was taken early in the morning at the Abergavenny Food Festival, when Raglan Cider Mill had their bar in the pub yard – they are not there all the time!

Happy Birthday to Brew Wales!

Yes, this blog is officially 5 years old today!
Was looking for a suitable picture to use but in the end just decided to use this one of me drinking beer and watching rugby, taken earlier this year in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. SA Gold was the beer of choice that day if I remember. Will be having a beer or 2 later to celebrate 5 years of beer blogging!
A few stats:
1279 posts, the most popular one being satire about a certain Scottish Brewery
1 letter from a solicitor but after giving them a full reply over 15 months ago not heard anything else. Best stick to cleaning your pubs, than wasting your money on your fantasies, ey Simon? By the way don't go stealing anymore photographs from this site! Still good to see you have taken your attak blog down , don't worry I have all the screen shots!

Both Twitter and Facebook have replaced a lot of the posts I used to do, still keep up with the blogging though, here's to the next 5 years!

Three Golden Cups, Southerndown

Three Golden Cups, Southerndown, CF32 0RN

Open All Day

The Three Golden Cups is situated on a corner of the coast road that runs from Llantwit Major to Bridgend and good views can be had from the pub of the Jurassic Vale of Glamorgan coastline and the Bristol Channel. There is a bus stop outside the pub, the 145, or alternatively there is a large car to the side of the pub. Three Golden Cups feature on the pub sign outside of the pub and, more unusually on the front of the pub itself, emblazoned in golden letters and symbols across the mid-section of this two-storey stone-built pub.

The name of the pub comes from the coat of arms of the family who owned the nearby Dunraven Castle.

The pub claims to date from eighteenth century, though there have been plenty of alterations and extensions to the original building since then.

The entrance hallway leads to the dining area on the left of the pub and the bar on the right. The dining area features two fireplaces at either end of the building, originally this room would have been partitioned with a central entrance doorway which is now not used. One of the large stone fireplaces features sailing souvenirs from one of the many ships that have run aground on this treacherous stretch of South Wales coastline. A few old photographs, extensive wood paneling and old settles add to the atmosphere in this part of the pub. The thick stone walls are exposed as one steps down to the bar counter. The bar, to the right of the entrance is housed in a later extension to the building and a dormer window here provides a lighter alternative to the rather dark dining room. A bar carved out of light with high chairs around it and tables and chairs provide the seating in this part of the pub. One corner of the bar features a very unusual mosaic that covers two walls, a red egg is surrounded by eager spermatozoa attempting to fertilise it – not what the average customer expects to see in a pub but good on the pub for investing in risque modern art. There is also a large outside seating area to the side of the pub, as well as to the front.

Three real ales are served from gleaming brass handpumps, with Sharp's Doombar and Fuller's London Pride being the regular beers, both served in branded glasses, with the third pump being used for a guest beer,
such as St Austell Tribute. The Three Golden Cups is a new entry in the 2013 Good Beer Guide, published  by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.
Food is served 12-3, 6-9, all day at weekends and during the summer. There is an extensive printed menu as well as chalkboard specials featuring seasonal specials. The food is homemade and local ingredients such as faggots are used wherever possible. Regular live music nights are held here.

Free WiFi.
Google Map:

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Traveline Cymru Information:
There is a bus stop outside the pub, the 145 Llantwit Major to Bridgend service, which does not accept the day rover ticket other South Wales services offer, nor does it offer a day ticket on its services!

Otley pubs feature in top restaurant guide

South Wales pubs make Good Food Guide 2013

Two pubs in south Wales, both run by Nick Otley(above) from the Otley Brewing Company, have been listed in the UK’s best-selling restaurant guide.
The Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd and the King’s Arms in Pentyrch have both been selected for the Which? Good Food Guide 2013, an annual report of the best places to eat in the UK.

All listings are based on feedback from diners alongside anonymous annual inspections to ensure that every entry is up to date. The Good Food Guide has been reviewing the UK’s best restaurants, pubs and cafes since 1951.
The Bunch of Grapes has featured in the guide for the past four years running and the King’s Arms entry is the first since the management of the pub was taken over from Brain’s earlier this year.

Nick Otley said: “Both pubs aim to make the most of quality Welsh produce including Breconshire Beef, Welsh lamb, locally made fine cheeses, as well as fruit and vegetables we grow on site.

“Through our menus we aim to push the boundaries by incorporating innovative dishes throughout the seasons such as sausage desserts and beer ice-cream.

“We’re over the moon to have made the Good Food Guide and be among the best places to eat in the UK.”



Neither of the pubs smell of fish.

Now and Then - Marine Hotel Porthcawl

The Marine Hotel in Porthcawl was bought by Rhymney Brewery in 1963 and the top picture was taken shortly afterwards.

Golden Dragon is Brains latest craft brew

Another new beer has rolled its way out of the Crawshay Street Brewery and into a selected number of pubs, full list available here.

Golden Dragon combines Golden Naked Oats and the finest Pale Ale Malt with Galaxy and Aramis hops to produce a golden ale bursting with passion fruit and citrus aromas balanced by a light biscuit malt flavours and a crisp bitter finish.

Trip to the 'Diff coming up I think!

Sandstone brew with green hops

Sandstone Brewery of Wrexham managed to get their hands on some green hops during the harvest this year and have brewed a one-off special ale with them. Green hops are hops that have not been air dried as usual and so retain aromatics that are usually lost during the processing.

This beer has been developed to celebrate this years British hop harvest, Emerald is a light copper coloured traditional beer made with hops only hours from being harvested, still wet and green and haven’t been through the drying process. This imparts a completely different and fresher flavour to the beer. Sandstone Brewery have used Goldings from an allotment in Hoole in Chester supplemented by First Gold from the hop fields of Worcestershire.

If you’re in the Sheffield area, The Hop will be showcasing green hop beers from around the UK including Emerald at their festival from Thursday 18th October to Sunday 21st October.

Emerald will also be available at Chester Beer Festival from Friday 26th October to Saturday 27th October – but only one cask so when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Commercial Inn, Pontymister

Commercial Inn, Commercial Street, Pontymister, Risca, NP11 6BA
Open all day

The Commercial is situated on the main road through this valley's town and a short walk from Pontymister train station, on the Cardiff-Ebbw Vale line, or alternatively there is a bus stop nearby. Built in the late nineteenth century, the Commercial at first appears to be a typical street-corner local, however this gem of a pub is owned by local pub company Dragon Inns who have invested heavily in the pub to transform it into a multi-award winning outlet. The swinging red pub sign hanging outside the pub has the words 'Free House' emblazoned on it.

At the front of the pub, the covered veranda is heated and features benches and tables as well as a flat-screen television, smokers are well-catered for in this pub. There is also a large mural depicting some of the beers this pub has served over the years. The entrance hallway features doors to the lounge/dining room to the left and the public bar to the right, although the two rooms do meet up around the bar area. The carved wooden bar features five gleaming chrome handpumps, serving four real ales and a cider. The beer range is constantly changing but usually include something from the local Tiny Rebel Brewery of Newport as well as beers from breweries from across the country such as Abbeydale of Sheffield or Purple moose of Porthmadoc. A recent and rare beer on the bar recently was Black Falls Hopjam, a one-off, extremely hoppy special brew from Neath Ales. The cider is from Gwynt Y Ddraig. The Commercial Inn is a former local CAMRA Pub of the Year and holds Cask Marque accreditation as well. The many awards this pub has won over the years are displayed on the wall of the bar, together with the charitable donations the regulars have made to both local and national charities. Awards have come from not only CAMRA but from trade newspapers such as the Morning Advertiser and Publican, the Commercial Inn won Managed Pub of the Year for Wales for two years running.

The public bar area features a pool table and dartboard with electronic scoring board and there are flat-screen televisions throughout the pub, usually showing sporting events.

The Commercial serves food all day, both from traditional menus and chalkboard specials, with Thursday nights being grill nights.

Free WiFi is available via The Cloud.

Google Map:

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Traveline Cymru Information:
The Commercial is very easy to reach by public transport with bus stops outside and a train station (Cardiff-Ebbw Vale line) a short walk from the rear of the pub

Now and Then - Ship in Barry

Ship, Barry, Harbour Road (Corner of St Nicholas Road), Barry

There was a ‘Ship’ pub near this site in the 1780s, this was replaced by the Romilly Estate in the 1850’s with a new pub that lasted until the1880’s until the present building, originally called the Ship Hotel opened in the 1890’s.

The 1950’s/60’s black and white photograph shows the pub was owned by Crosswell’s Brewery of Ely, Cardiff. Crosswell’s were taken over by Rhymney Brewery in 1936 and the dray on the left carries the legend ‘Rhymney & Crosswells’, above the dray is the pub sign with the Rhymney Hobby Horse on it. Rhymney Brewery was taken over by Whitbread in 1966.

According to “The Complete Guide to the Vale of Glamorgan’s Pubs 1997” the Ship was then owned by Welsh Brewers. Today the Ship is owned by Greene King and operated as one of their ‘Hungry Horse’ chain of pubs.

Now and then - Ship Hotel, Newport

An occaisional series looking at pubs and former pubs.
Ship Hotel, 1 Mill Parade, corner of Alexandra Road

Built 1891, to replace the Old Ship, first mentioned in 1874, converted to residential 1973 and now known as Alexandra Court.

Owners: Griffiths Brothers Brewery of Blaina, Rhymney Brewery, Whitbread

Weekend Beer Festival Roundup

In case you missed the beer news this week here are the places where beer festivals are occuring this weekend:

Pen & Wig, Newport for Newport Food Festival.

Fagins, Taffs Well

Coach & Horses, Chepstow - Beer & Sausage Festival

Artisan Brewery of Pontcanna, Cardiff are holding one of their Bar Open days on Saturday.

In addition Stonegate Pub Company are holding beer festivals in some of their Cardiff pubs - the Pen & Wig and the Owain Glyndwr. Despite asking for a list of beers available and more details all I've been told are the dates - 28th September until 26th October and that they have 21 diffrent ales, which change daily thoughout the offer, all ales are priced at £2.50 a pint.

As well as the Newport Food Festival its also Neath Food Festival and Neath Ales will be having a stand there.


I know its not in Wales but the pub is always worth a visit the Boat in Ashelworth Gloucestershire is holding a Hops, Grapes and Apple Festival for charity.

Tiny Rebel at Newport Food Festival

This Saturday, Newport Food Festival returns to the City and Tiny Rebel Brewery will have a stand there selling their beers to take away or drink there and then.
According to Tiny Rebel, "Our stall is located between the Riverfront Theatre and the odd-looking red thing that I think looks like a pimped up penny farthing", must mean the Wave sculpture!

Don't forget their is also a beer festival at the Pen & Wig on Stow Hill to celebrate the Food Festival with Tiny Rebel beers on the downstairs bar and the others all upstairs.
The new beer from Tiny Rebel, Kootchie will also be available both on their stand and at the pub.

Tiny Rebel Brewery - Tiny Batch Edition - Kootchie, 6% ABV,
As well as their regular portfolio of beers, Tiny Rebel Brewery is also producing limited edition one-off brews, called their Tiny Batch Edition and Kootchie is the first of these.

Koochie is a Double Pale Ale and is deep-golden in colour and pours with a foamy-white head. A rich, hoppy aroma with citrus fruit smells such as pineapple and mango leads to Seville Orange Marmalade flavour and an intense bitterness at the end which increases in the aftertaste. The hop character lingers for a long time on the tongue after drinking. Koochie is brewed from Pale and Caragold Malts and Galaxy and Nelson Sauvin hops, the former from Australia and the latter from New Zealand. It is also dry-hopped in the fermenter with Galaxy.

Of course their regular range of beers will also be available - Fubar, Urban IPA and Chochoholic.

If you miss the Food Festival and the beer Festival, don't forget that Tiny Rebel Brewery are now doing brewery tours:

Elsewhere at the Food Festival Untapped Brewery have a stand on Bridge Street. I've no idea as to what other producers are there as the organisers of the Food Festival have not bothered updating their website to let people know or even bothered producing a full street map as promised on their website!

Brains use Cardiff hops in latest brew

GREEN DRAGON

Wales biggest real ale brewer SA Brain is to launch its first ever beer made using fresh, or green, hops. But not only is Green Dragon a true seasonal beer, it’s also a local one – using hops from Brains’ very own Ty Mawr pub in Cardiff.

Above: hops growing in the garden of the Ty-Mawr

Instead of conventional dried hops, the 4.1% pale ale uses freshly harvested hops – some from one of Brains’ hop suppliers in Herefordshire and some courtesy of the Lisvane pub.

Bill Dobson, Brains’ head brewer explains: “Hop plants are harvested in September every year, and to make sure brewers have enough to last them until the next harvest, the hops are quickly dried and packed to keep them as fresh as possible.

“Because fresh hops have to be added to beer less than 12 hours after being picked, we only get the chance to produce a beer like this once a year, making it a true seasonal product with a distinctive taste that I hope our customers enjoy.”

Bill and his brewing team made the trip to Pridewood Farm in Herefordshire earlier this month to select the hops for Green Dragon, and early the following morning they were added to the brew. The casks were late-hopped with extra hops from the Ty Mawr. The pub’s manager, Graham Wheatley, explains:

“We’ve got our own vegetable patch, or compost corner, in the pub garden, which we use to grow vegetables to supply the pub kitchen. Last year we thought we’d try our hand at hops. We’ll be selling Green Dragon in the pub and will be able to tell customers it was made using hops from the garden. I’m sure it’s going to go down well.”

Green Dragon will be available in 30 Brains pubs from early October. To find your nearest pub click here

Now and then - Railway Inn Cowbridge

An occasional series looking at old and modern photographs of pubs and former pubs.
Railway Inn, 2 Eastgate, Cowbridge.
The top photo is from the late 1950's/early 1960s, the bottom one was taken in May this year. The pub was formerly owned by Rhymney Brewery as the Hobby Horse sign can be seen in the top photograph.
In 1864 a building on this site was described as ‘a ruinous house, partly taken down’ but had been rebuilt as the Railway Inn by 1871. Closed as a pub in 1969. Has since been an Indian Restaurant and is now Basil's of Cowbridge.

Fagins Beer Festival

The award-winning Fagins pub of Taffs Well will be holding their annual beer festival, starting today, the 4th and continuing over the 5th & 6th October.


Beer list:
Tiny Rebel - Hadouken - 7.4%
Tiny Rebel - Koochie - 6%
Violet Spring brewery - Sunshine - 4.7%
Downton - Quadhop - 3.9%
Blakemere - Cosmic - 6%
Moorhouse - Pride of Pendle - 4.1%
Conwy - Autumn Red - 4.5%
RCH - Santa Fe - 7.3%
Gower - Power - 5.5%
Gower - Lighthouse - 4.5%
Otley - Oxymoron - 5.5%
Pixie Spring - The Boss - 4.4%
Pixie Spring - Deliverance - 4.5%
Pixie Spring - Amarillo - 4%
Clark's - Westgate Gold - 4.2%
Elgoods - Indian Summer - 4.8%
Red Squirrel - Conservation Bitter - 4.1%
Titanic - Pier - 5.4%
Kelham Island - Pale Rider 5.2%
Ilkley - Gold - 3.9%
Hopback - Summer Lightning - 5%
Hammerpot - Woodcote Bitter - 4.5%
Elland - Curiosity - 4.7%
Buffy's - Norwich Terrier - 3.6%

Cider :
Gwynt y Ddraig - Welsh Warrior 6%
Gwynt y Ddraig - Happy Daze 4.5%
Westons - Old Rosie - 7.4%
Westons - No 1 - 5%

Live music every night

Thursday - Cheating Hearts

Friday - The Jug Band

Saturday - Gigabitz

Hog Roast Friday evening from 7pm

Food served all day.

Please note open tap is 12 noon each day.

Fagins Ale & Chop House
8 Cardiff Rd
Taffs Well
Cardiff
South Glamorgan
CF15 7QD

Google Map:

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Another Newport pub closure

Time has been called on the Page pub in High Street, situated a few doors down from the closed Kings Hotel. The pub which was operated by Barrucuda was originally called the Old Monk and became part of the pubcos empire when it aquired the pub company of the same name. Not a great loss, the place was inhabited by those who thought Chaverspoons was too classy for them, often to be heard hurling abuse at passers by. I had not visited in about 12 years after a drinking companion almost chocked on a matchstick in his pint - the place was a filthy hole and Barrucda allowed it to be run as such. It was not a patch on their other pubs such as the George in Chepstow or the Goscombe in Cardiff, places that I have always found to be clean and serve good beer. Still it's a loss to Newport as the pub was useful as a daycare centre for the mentally ill, they will have to return to Chaverspoons now.

The Morning Advertiser has details on the Barrucuda restructuring and its new name, the Bramwell Pub Company.

Newport High Street is looking pretty desolate at the moment with the Kings Hotel closed and boarded up, Edwards Bar/Flares closed and now the Page gone. Still there is a rumour that the former Edwards Bar/Flares is to become a budget hotel - it is of course in an ideal place, straddling both High Street and Cambrian Road, both pedestrinised during the day and party time on Friday/Saturday nights.

The pub was called the Page as the building was not originally a pub but the offices of the South Wales Argus, before they moved to Maesglas in the 1970s. The rear of the building is under separate ownership and was the printing works for the newspaper, in the mid-1990s this became home to a brewery as Bristol-based Ross brothers turned into into the Newport Brewhouse, but that a story for another post!

Beerfestival to celebrate Newport Food Festival

To celebrate the Newport Food Festival, the Pen & Wig on Stow Hill will once again be hosting a beer festival in the upsatirs room. As well as the fllowing beers being, a range of ales from Tiny Rebel Brewery will be on the downstairs bar together with ciders from Gwynt Y Ddraig. The new Tiny Rebel beer 'Kookie', a 6% Double IPA will be on the bar as well as on the Tiny Rebel bar on the Riverfront.
The Festival kicks off on Friday 5th October at 1600 hrs and continues all day on Saturday 6th.

Dark Star Brewery
The Dark Star Brewery of Sussex have been brewing since 1994.
Dark Star Hophead (3.8%) Pale golden ale with a floral aroma. Full bodied and flavoured. An excellent session ale.
Dark Star American Pale Ale (4.7%) Both yeast and hops are imported from the USA to make this light, dry and crisp hop explosion of a beer.
Dark Star Revelation (5.7%) Four different hops are used in the mash with another used for dry hopping. A powerful blend.
Dark Star Summer Meltdown (4.8%) Thirst quenching summer beer with a hint of ginger and spices.

Liverpool Organic Brewery
Established in 2008, its a miracle the locals have not pinched the brewing kit!
Liverpool Organic Honey Blond (4.5%) English organic malt and hops are used in this new addition to the range. A slightly sweet but very drinkable ale.
Liverpool Organic Shipwreck IPA (6.5%) An Indian pale Ale with intense citrus flavours.
Redemption Brewery
Brewing in Tottenham since 2010, their beers are good enough to start a riot!
Redemption Trinity (3.0%) Malty and bitter. Surprisingly good drink for its low alcohol strength. Well worth a try.
Redemption Urban Dusk (4.4%) Chestnut premium bitter with a caramel and fruit flavour.

Devilfish Brewery
Brewed near Frome in Somerset by Iain Masson, who also brews at the Kite Brewery in Carmarthenshire.
Devilfish Gold Devil (4.2%) A light golden ale with a strong taste from this new brewery located close to Bath.

East London Brewery
Brewing in Hackney since 2011
East London ELB Pale Ale (4.0%) A light and pleasant session ale.
East London Nightwatchman (4.5%) This red tinged beer has a dark and smooth taste with a lingering hop aftertaste.
Hackney Best Bitter (4.4%) A very traditional style of ale for those who like their beer the way it used to be brewed

Windsor & Eton Brewery
Established in 2010 and brewed within sight of Windsor Castle
Windsor & Eton Conqueror (5.0%) .Rich, complex and distinctive. This Black IPA is a blend of five malts and two hops.

Raglan Cider Mill
Traditional cider made on a Monmouthshire farm.
Raglan Dry. Distinctive and dry. Winner of the 2011 Hereford International Cider award.
Raglan Medium Cider A popular cider that has a pronounced fruitiness.

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Beer & Sausage Festival in Chepstow

The award-winning Coach & Horses pub in Chepstow will once again be hosting their Beer & Sausage Festival this weekend on Friday 5th-Saturday 6th October.

More details via their Facebook event page here.

Kingstone Brewery Beer & Pizza Day

Kingstone Brewery of Tintern will once again be holding one of their beer & pizza days this Saturday (6th October). They will be serving our Ales and Stonebaked Pizza's thrioughout Saturday and will be open from 11am - until 9pm, and last orders on food will be at 8.30pm.
Due to popular demand tables will be available on a booking basis.

Kingstone Brewery
Meadow Farm
Tintern
Monmouthshire
NP16 7NX

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