New home for Grey Trees Brewery

The Grey Trees Brewery was established in 2011, alongside the award-winning Red Cow pub in Llwydcoed, near Aberdare, by pub landlord Ray Davies. Having been brewing with a one-barrel plant at the pub, Ray has left the Red Cow behind to brew on a larger 10-barrel plant, which was previously used by the Breconshire Brewery.

The new, larger brewery no longer fits into the shipping container that once housed it, so new premises have been sought and the new Grey Trees Brewery is now housed on the Gasworks Road Industrial Estate, Aberaman, a short journey further down the Cynon Valley from it's original home but easier to get to by train, the industrial estate is only a short walk from Cwmbach railway station.

 The siting near a train station is important as Ray wants to open the brewery for tours and have a shop there in the future.

The standard range of beers, these will be suplemented by other brews

Greytrees Brewery
Units 5 & 6
Gasworks Road
Aberaman
Aberdare
CF44 6RC

07966 142582

ray@greytreesbrewery.com

@Greytreesbrewer

Cowbridge Food Festival this weekend

The historic market town of Cowbridge once again plays host to their Food Festival this Saturday & Sunday with a great variety of stalls, of course Gwynt-y-Ddraig and Gwatkin Cider companies will be there along with other food companies.

The award-winning Vale of Glamorgan pub will be hosting its beer festival with 30+ brews from Hopcraft, Otley, Robinsons, Grey Trees and the Llandeilo Village Idiot to name just a few. Ciders and perries as well!

Opposite the Vale pub the Duke of Wellington pub will also be holding a beer festival.

Picture below was taken at the Festival stillage earlier this evening!

Brewer critical of CAMRA beer festival before it opens!

Welll it seems like the Llandeilo Village Idiot is up to spreading his usual lies again, although this time he picks on his local CAMRA Beer Festival via his company website  (screenshot above in case its removed after his meds kick in).

"Why do we let these amateurs call themselves brewers. I tasted some really poor beers at the festival. Badly made, badly constructed, and frankly some of them microbiologically unstable".

Well, in one way it's your own fault for drinking your own beers!

Okay, let's look at the facts, according to the Evan Evans webpage the above was posted on October 2nd, a day before the Festival even opened (Thursday the 3rd) and according to staff at the Festival, Simon Buckley did not even turn up at the Festival until Saturday 5th October. Hmm telling lies about CAMRA cellarmanship and the brewers of Wales before the Festival has even opened and before he has even tasted the beers? Looks like Buckley has lost the plot once again. Once again his lies and mistruthsare there to be exposed to all.

Links to the webpage were posted on Social Media earlier this week and here are what people said,

"I was volunteering at the festival all the open sessions and the statement is simply not true! Full marks for slagging off the event 3 day before they were there!"

"I know actual amateurs who brew much better than Evan Evans"

"Never buying any of his beers again!"

"That's shocking behaviour!"

"Outspoken brewers slagging off their competition!.... glad I don't know anyone like that!"

"He wants to be careful, coming from Llanelli and calling others "microbiologically unstable"

"I've had Evans Evans beer. Medicore would be about the best description of Cwrw!"

"Idiot!"

Well there you have it, a round up of what people think of the untrue comments of the Llandeilo Village Idiot, hardly surprising a few years ago a CAMRA beerfestival had to ban him for, amongst other things, "Threatening and violent behaviour". Oh dear, well maybe his behaviour will change when his meds kick in again?

UPDATE:
The post was removed from the Evan Evans website, only to re-appear a few days later with the date changed to the 7th October! Good job we have the screen shot above so everyone can see the bile and lies the Llandeilo Village Idiot spouts!

Denis Gwatkin named as one of CAMRA's top cider campaigners

Above: Denis Gwatkin

CAMRA announces top cider and perry campaigners 

To celebrate the 25th year of the ongoing campaign to promote real cider and perry, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has announced its top cider and perry campaigners. The top campaigners have earned their spots for their tireless work to promote the joys of traditionally produced real cider and perry.

Andrea Briers, Chair of CAMRA’s Cider and Perry Committee - and now officially one of its top campaigners - had this to say, “I’m extremely happy to have been voted one of CAMRA’s top cider and perry campaigners and earn my place alongside others in this list who have worked extremely hard to promote these once little-known drinks. Traditionally produced cider was difficult to find and perry was on the brink of disappearing altogether from many parts of the country when CAMRA began its support, and it is amazing to see how far we have come – due in no small part to the work done by the people named in this list.”

The top campaigners were voted for by CAMRA members and include volunteers, directors and even cider producers, including: Dave Matthew of Seidr Dai, Denis Gwatkin of Gwatkin Cider, Ivor and Susie Dunkerton of Dunkerton’s Cider, Ray Blockley of Torkard, , and Tom Oliver of Oliver’s Cider. For more information on CAMRA’s support of real cider and perry click here. 

Denis has been making cider and perry in Abbeydore, Herefordshire for 21 years now

 The early days, from a 1992 BBC programme 'Down to Earth' 

 Gwatkin Cider stalls can be seen throughout the country nowadays at food and farming shows

What's On for Beer Festivals this weekend in Wales

A round-up of beer festivals this weekend

First up it's farewell to Richard Jackson (above) from the Pen & Wig in Newport who has decided to hang up his tapping mallet and is leaving the pub but with a final beer Festival this weekend to coincide with the Newport Food Festival. Some Scottish beers will be on together with East London and of course Tiny Rebel brews.

Pen & Wig fans need not worry though, the pub as been bought by JW Bassett and will reopen after a refurbishment.
Whilst on the subject of the Newport Food Festival, for those of you not boycotting the event due to the cultural vandalism inflicted on the City yesterday by the Labour Council, Tudor Brewery and Untapped Brewery will be there, along with Wales' worst brewery, North Wales Brewery, who will no doubt once again be selling their infected beers to the public.  

Cardiff First Saturday of the month? Then it's tme to head over to Artisan in Pontcanna for their monthly (unless its too cold) Festival Saturday October 5th. 12noon till 9.30pm

FROM THE BREWERY TAP:
* HELLES LAGER
 * BAVARIAN WHEAT...
* SMOKED LAGER
* AMERICAN IPA
* PALE ALE
* ALTBEER
* ...and perhaps a MINI-MAC specialty brew too?
They will also have their house cider, wine and soft-drinks for the non-beer drinkers too. Hot food - BBQ - Chorizo Beef Burgers with all the trimmings, Jerk Chicken Fillet Burger, and our new Vegan 'PIPES ALE' Pies BAR OPEN from 12noon - 9.30pm / BBQ FOOD 1pm - 8pm  

Monmouthshire
Kingstone Brewery in Tintern have their monthly open day on Saturday

Whilst in Monmouthshire, just down the Wye at Chepstow, the multi-award-winning Coach & Horses have their annual Beer & Sausage Festival on.  

North of the 'Diff
 Fagins at Taffs Well have their annual Festival  

Meanwhile in Neath
The Neath Food & Drink Festival is on in the town and Neath Ales are holding a Festival in the town hall. Beer festival in Neath Town Hall, Saturday 10-5. £2/ a pint!!!!
Some of the beers available:
Bling- 4 percent
Pale Ale The Fix - 4 percent 
Pale Warhammer - 4.3 percent 
Pale Dewi Sant - 4.8 percent
Golden Deliverance - 4.5 percent
Copper Ciders available as well


Carmarthen Beer Festival
Further West, in St Peter's Hall, CAMRA are holding their annual Carmarthen Beer Festival

Archers	Golden Ale	4.4	-		Heart Of Wales	Aur Cymru	3.8
Bath	Gem	4.1	-		Jacobi	Original	3.8
Brecon	Dark Beacons	4.2	-		Jacobi	Dark Ale	5.0
Brecon	Green Beacons	4.3	-		Kite	Gorslas Ale	4.0
Brecon	Red Beacons	5.0	-		Kite	CPA	4.1
Bryncelyn	Oh Boy	4.5	-		Mantle
Bryncelyn	Buddy Marvellous	4.0	-		Mumbles	Mile	3.8
Bullmastiff	Son of a Bitch	6.0	-		Ossett	Silver King	4.3
Buntingford	Twitchell	3.8	-		Otley	O5	5.0
Caffle	Kis't Blonde	4.3	-		Otley	O9 Blonde	4.8
Cerddin	Cascade	4.8	-		Preseli Brewery	Baggy wrinkle	4.5
Dark Star	American IPA	4.7	-		Purple Moose	Snowdonia	3.6
Elgood	Black Dog	3.6	-		Robinson	Trooper	4.8
Elland	1872 Porter	6.5	-		Seren	Bluestone IPA	4.2
Evan Evans	Cwrw	4.2	-		Swansea	Three Cliffs Gold	4.7
Evan Evans	Pale Ale	4.6	-		Swansea	Original Wood	5.2
Evan Evans	Original Gold		-		Tiny Rebel	Urban IPA	5.5
Evan Evans	Dark Ale		-		Thornbridge	Jaipur	5.9
Friends Arms			-		Tomos Watkin	Blodwen	4.5
Fyne Ales	Jarl	3.8	-		Tomos Watkin	Ceridwen	4.2
Gower	Gold	4.5	-		Tomos Watkin	OSB	4.5
Gwaun Valley	Pembroke Best	4.5	-		Tring	Tea Kettle Stout	4.7
Handmade			-		Woodeforde	Wherry	3.8

Brains Green Dragon uses fresh hops

 

 One of Brew Wales' favourite beers from last year is set to make a return to the bar this October.

Welsh brewer Brains celebrates the hop harvest by re-brewing its green hopped beer, Green Dragon.

Instead of conventional dried hops, which are widely used by brewers, the 4.1% pale ale uses freshly grown hops – some from Brains’ usual hop supplier in Worcester and some courtesy of the Lisvane pub, the Ty-Mawr, making this beer both a seasonal and a local one.

Bill Dobson explains: “Hop plants are harvested around 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. I hope our customers enjoy it.”

Members of Bill’s brewing team made an early morning trip to Newnham Farm in Worcester earlier this month to select the hops for Green Dragon and brought them back to the Brewery to add to the boil in the early afternoon. The casks were late-hopped with extra hops grown in the garden of 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. This is the second year we’ve had a hop harvest and we can’t wait to have Green Dragon on our bar.”

Green Dragon will be available in 30 Brains pubs from early October.