Moose wins more awards

More awards for the Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadog, this time at the Great Taste Awards and the Great British Beer Festival.

 Ysgawen, only launched in April, has also picked up a 1-Star Gold at the Great Taste Awards, this 4% refreshing pale ale is brewed using Cascade hops with the added indulgence of elderflowers.

Dark Side of the Moose has been awarded a coveted 3-Star Gold for the second year in a row, this 4.6%delicious dark ale has a deep malt flavour from roasted barley and a fruity bitterness from Bramling Cross hops.

Snowdonia Ale was also crowned the Best Bitter in the UK at the Champion Beer of Britian competition on Tuesday!
This 3.6% ale is described as delightfully refreshing pale ale brewed with Pale and Crystal malt with a delicate combination of Pioneer, Styrian Goldings and Lubelski hops.

Purple Moose and the Magnificent Seven!

A multi-award winning brewery won another seven awards at the SIBA Wales and West Awards last week with Purple Moose walking off with the overall Silver Award and another 6 medals.

Above: Owner Lawrence collects a trophy for Ysgawen

A stunning result at this year's Wales & West Regional Beer Competition in Ludlow, hosted by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) saw Purple Moose Brewery walk away with no less than seven awards, including three trophies.


Owner Lawrence Washington is particularly pleased as, aside from regular winners Snowdonia Ale and Dark Side of the Moose, four of the accolades were awarded to Ysgawen - Purple Moose Brewery's brand new elderflower beer, in its first competition.

The awards are:

Cwrw Eryri/Snowdonia Ale
Silver in category (cask)

Ochr Dywyll y Mŵs/Dark Side of the Moose
Silver in category (bottles)
Gold in category (cask)

Ysgawen

Gold in category (bottles)

Bronze Overall (bottles)

Gold in category (cask)

Silver Overall

Lawrence commented, "I had a very good feeling about Ysgawen when we first brewed it. We have created another stunning beer and I had my fingers crossed for it in the competition. To win its category in both cask and bottle, and then claim silver overall is simply outstanding. Not a bad achievement really when, including the bottles, there were a record 250 entries in the competition from across Wales and the West of England. I am so pleased for all of us at the brewery. It really means a lot."

Moose celebrates 200 years of causeway

Some news from Purple Moose Brewery:
September 2011 marks the bi-centenary of 'Y Cob/The Cob', the mile long causeway which links Porthmadog with the opposite peninsula, across the Glaslyn estuary. Built by William Maddocks The Cob was officially opened on 17th September 1811.

Purple Moose has brewed a special beer to mark the event and this will be available in several pubs in and around Porthmadog during the course of the 200th anniversary celebrations, as well as further afield.

Cob 200 is a rich amber coloured bitter with hints of orange and caramel. It will be launched at Spooner's Bar, Harbour Station, Ffestiniog Railway at 4pm on Friday 9th September.

On Saturday 10th September there will be an all day event in Tremadog square. The Union Inn will be hosting a mini beer festival, with several Purple Moose beers, including Cob 200.

The celebrations culminate on Saturday 17th September with events in Porthmadog, finishing with a grand firework display on The Cob itself.

For further details of the events visit the event website here.

Moose Celebrates Railway

Some news from Purple Moose Brewery in Porthmadog:

Purple Moose Brewery is very proud to announce the arrival of a new special brew commissioned by the Talyllyn Railway. Currently celebrating 60 years in preservation the railway now has its own beer to mark the event.

At 3.9% Arloeswr Talyllyn/Talyllyn Pioneer is a delicious and refreshing pale yellow session bitter. This beer is available in bottles at selected outlets including Wharf Station on the Talyllyn Railway and our brewery shop in Porthmadog. A cask version will be on sale at the Talyllyn Railway over the weekend of 14th and 15th May, marking the exact date of the anniversary.

The Purple Moose Brewery have also announced this week that they have done their 1000th brew:
It all began with 'No.1', brewed on 14th June 2005. The 500th brew, 'Cnicht' was produced on 27th May 2009.

With the Welsh Highland Railway celebrating its recent completion, as well as the brewery reaching this significant point in its history, the 1000th beer will be called 'Milestone' and will be the festival special for the Rail Ale Festival at Dinas on the Welsh Highland Railway, as well as being available through our regular outlets, in cask only.

Purple Moose lays an egg for Easter

The latest sesaonal beer from the award-winning Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadog is Cwrw'r Pasg / Easter Ale and is described by the brewery as "An easy drinking chestnut session bitter with a fruity hop finish".
Just hope some of it reaches South Wales.

Moose Wins Beer Oscar!

 The Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadag have scooped another award, this time at the Brewing Industry International Awards held recently in Burtin-upon-Trent.

According to their website, "Purple Moose Brewery is immensely proud to have been awarded the Bronze Medal, Class 2, in the International Dark Beer Competition at the Brewing Industry International Awards 2011. This is the first time the competition has run in six years and, returning to Britain, it was hosted at the National Brewery Centre in Burton-on-Trent.

This is the most prestigious worldwide beer competition and it receives entries from breweries large and small. The beers are judged by a panel of highly respected, experienced fellow brewers from around the globe. Run since 1886, this event is often dubbed ‘the Oscars of the brewing industry’ – and with good reason. An award is recognition by fellow professional brewers that a beer is an outstanding commercial example of its style.

Brewery owner Lawrence Washington attended the awards announcement in Burton, on Friday afternoon. Having only been brewing for five and a half years this was the first time that Purple Moose Brewery has been able to enter this competition. Lawrence commented, "We have been rewarded with a number of accolades for our beer in the relatively short time we have been brewing, but to be awarded a medal at these competitions is something very special. I am extremely proud of what my colleagues and I have achieved here in Porthmadog. Ultimately it serves as great assurance for our customers that our beers are among the very best in the country, even the world."

The full list of winners is available here.

 

Above: Lawrence Washington celebrates an earlier win a few years back

Elsewhere in the competition, Wales' largest cask ale producer, SA Brain, also won a Bronze in the International Cask Ale Competition Class 3 for Cask Ale 4.4% - 4.8% ABV for SA Gold

Moose named Ambassador

 For the second year running Lawrence Washington, the owner of the Purple Moose Brewery, has been awarded the 'Gwynedd Product Ambassador' award.
Lawrence was delighted to collect his award and certificate at Parc Glynllifon at the start of the Craft and Food Festival.
Lawrence said,  "I'm very pleased to have won this award for the second year in succession - it proves we must be doing something right!"

Purple Moose News

The November special beer from the award-winning Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadog is the final one in their ship series for this year. Named Isallt, it is is a deep golden coloured bitter with citrus and floral aromas, made with hops from New Zealand and America.

The Moose will be out and about in North Wales as well:

26th-28th November - Food & Craft Festival, Parc Glynllifon, near Caernarfon. 

27th-28th November - Christmas Fair, Craflwyn Hall, Beddgelert.

In addition the first Porthmadog Farmers' Market will be held on Saturday 11th December 2010 at the Ganolfan.

Catching up with the Moose

For those readers in North Wales, Purple Moose Brewery will be at the Conwy Beer tent later this month as part of the Conwy Feast. This will  see the appearance of the Myrtle Stout.

23-24 October - Conwy Feast (Plus Friday night for the Beer Festival)

Other chances to get your hands on their award-winning beers will be:

26-28 November - Glynllifon, near Caernarfon

27-28 November - Craflwyn, near Beddgelert

11 December - The first Porthmadog Farmer's Market (In the Ganolfan)

Purple Moose Goes to Sea

The award-winning Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadog has launched a series of monthly brews named after the ships that used to be built in the town.
This month the beer is named after the Evelyn, a brig built in Porthmadog in 1877. She served for many years taking slate from North Wales and picking up phosphates, sugar and cod from around the world. The Evelyn was sadly lost in 1913 after being caught in bad weather for the best part of a month.

At 3.6% ABV this is a deep copper coloured bitter with a full malty body and a slightly dry bitter finish.

These seasonal ales were launched last month with  4.3% ABV Fleetwing,  an amber coloured best bitter with a refreshing bitter finish and citrus aroma.

The Fleetwing was a brig built in Borth-y-Gest in 1874. Working from Porthmadog she sailed to many ports around the world with various cargoes. In 1911 Fleetwing was sold to a company in the Falkland Islands where she spent the rest of her life. Latterly used for storage her remains were only recently destroyed.

Purple Moose Converts Reverend to Real Ale

Current Champion Beer of Wales winners, Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadog, have launched a new ale, Revelation, to be launched in Spooner's Bar on the Ffestiniog Railway, Porthmadog at 6pm today.

At 3.8% ABV Revelation Ale is a delicious pale golden session bitter with vanilla and lemon citrus notes from the Cascade and Willamette hops.

Revelation Ale has been brewed in celebration of the 70th birthday of the Rev Dr Richard Buxton. Richard, who is a good friend and supporter of the brewery, found Purple Moose beer to be a 'revelation' when we started, having never previously drank beer.

If you are in Porthmadog this weekend look out for the Purple Moose Brewery tank wagon outside Spooner's Bar on the Ffestiniog Railway. It will be there for the duration of the railway's 'Quirks and Curiosities' event.

 

Purple Moose brewery supports National Cask Ale Week

Purple Moose Brewery will be taking part in National Cask Ale Week for the first time this year, with special promotions and events involving pubs near the brewery.


There will be discounts available on Purple Moose beer as well as the opportunity to collect tokens which will be redeemable against Purple Moose merchandise at the brewery. Pubs involved include the Golden Fleece and the Union Inn, Tremadog, and the Station Inn and Spooner's Bar, Porthmadog.

In addition Purple Moose Brewery will be holding special tasting evenings where customers can chat to the brewers about the ingredients and try samples from each of their four beers. These will be held from 20.00-21.30, on Tuesday 30th March at Spooner's Bar, Porthmadog, and on Wednesday 31st March at the Golden Fleece, Tremadog.

Purple Moose Brewery has recently increased capacity with the arrival of new fermenting and conditioning tanks, almost doubling capacity.

Purple Moose Easter Ale

From Drop Box

Current Champion Beer of Wales brewers, Purple Moose have launched a new beer, their 3.9% chestnut-coloured ale Cwrw'r Pasg / Easter Ale, described as an easy drinking chestnut session bitter with a fruity hop finish.

A delivery of a non-beer related item occured recently, Brewery boss Lawrence and his wife Jenni Washington have announced the bith of their son Edward Gordon Washington and the Mŵs Bach or Little Moose brewed to celebrate the birth was a fast seller in the local pubs who sold it. Congratulations to Lawrence and Jenni on the birth of the Little Moose!

Merry X-Moose!

The current Champion Beer of Wales winner has a new beer out in North Wales this Christmas. Purple Moose Brewery of Porthmadoc have launched X-Mŵs Llawen/Merry X-Moose - a rich 5%, winter warmer with a full flavour and body, subtle bitterness and a rich ruby colour. Available across North Wales this festive season.
Think owner Lawrence Washington also deserves a pint or two for coming up with a name such as Merry X-Moose - definitely the funniest name of the season.

Purple Moose becomes an Ambassador

The current Champion Beer of Wales brewers, Purple Moose of Porthmadog have been awarded the title of Gwynedd Product Ambassador at the inaugural Gwynedd Taste & Talent Awards.

As part of a local initiative to promote the people behind the food, drink, arts and crafts throughout the County of Gwynedd, the Taste & Talent Awards 2009 recognise and reward the best of Gwynedd's success within the food, drink, art and crafts sectors.

Purple Moose Brewery was awarded Gwynedd Product Ambassador on the grounds of its commitment to relating products to the local area, bilingual labelling and of course the outstanding quality of the beer.

Names such as Cwrw Eryri (Snowdonia Ale), Cwrw Madog (Madog's Ale) and Cwrw Glaslyn (Glaslyn Ale), as well as our range of special brews named after local mountains, have all helped to keep some of the outstanding features of the County of Gwynedd in people's minds as they drink our beer across the UK.

Brewery owner Lawrence Washington was immensely proud to receive the award as it recognises everything he has striven to achieve with the business.

"My aim was not only to produce a high quality product but to create something which the local community can all be proud of ", said Lawrence.

"Not being from North Wales originally I am particularly aware of how sensitively you have to approach issues such as beer names, pump clips, bottle labels and other marketing material. From the outset I have ensured that Welsh comes first and that, on the whole, the names of our beers reflect the area in which they are created.

It is an honour to receive this kind of recognition from the local community. It also marks a great finish to a fantastic year for the brewery; a year in which sales have soared, we have been crowned Champion Beer of Wales and picked up our first International award."

Earlier this year Purple Moose Brewery won the Champion Beer of Wales Award with their Snowdonia Ale and Dark Side of the Moose went on to win a Gold medal at the International Beer Challenge 2009.

Champion Beer of Wales 2009

Pictured Above: Purple Moose brewer Laurence Washington celebrates winning the SIBA West award last year

The Purple Moose Brewery of Snowdonia has won the Champion Beer of Wales Competition with their 3.6% ale, Snowdonia. Pictured above is brewer Laurence Washington celebrating his win. Second place went the Otley Brewery with OG and third place also went to Otley Brewery with their Porter.

More Beer

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival is the high point of the brewing world in Wales. Real ales from across Wales are at this moment being racked up on the stillages. Above photo is of the name plate on a barrel from Purple Moose Brewery from Porthmadog, one of the many award-winning breweries at the Festival which opens on Thursday.