A stroll down Commercial Street in Newport revealed a lot of closed and borded up shops but this former bank has a notice in the window, applying for planning permission for change of use to a pub. The Blaenavon-based Rhymney Brewery are looking to convert this building into a pub to fit in with their portfolio of pubs in Merthyr (The Winchester), Pontypridd (The Wonky Bar), Cardiff, Aberdare and Maesteg. Good to see a brewery doing something positive in the City Centre.
The address, 32-33 Commercial Street was formerly a branch of the RBS, 1948 the National Bank had chambers here 1938 National Bank 1914 Hodder, Henry & Co Ltd, chemists were here 1897 32, Oliver, Geo, bootmaker - Davies, D, manager, Geo Oliver 33, Garrett, & Atkins, chemists - Atkins, & Lockyear, photographic artists 1876:
Andrew Buchan, 29 Albany Road, CF24 3LH
The Andrew Buchan opened last year, in a late-Victorian building on the corner of Albany Road and Arabella Street. The building had previously lain empty for five years, before that it was video shop, although it had been a grocers’ shop in the nineteenth century.
The pub is named after the Scottish founder of the original Rhymney Brewery, founded in 1838 and closed by Whitbread in 1978. The Rhymney Brewery name was resurrected by the Evans family in 2005 and the Andrew Buchan is the fourth pub in their estate, the others being in Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Pontypridd. The modern brewery is today located in Blaenavon World Heritage Town.
The Andrew Buchan pub features frosted windows on the outside and is painted red with the pub name written in script with the famous Rhymney 'Hobby Horse' logo also emblazoned on the signage. The doorway leads to a very long room with a bar in the middle. On the left as you enter the pub is a large modern brick-built fireplace with a wood-burner located in it, a welcome site on these cold winter nights. Above the fireplace is a moose’s head, very Fawlty Towers and something that has become a theme with the Rhymney Brewery pubs. There are seating areas either side of the fireplace, or alternatively customers can choose to sit in the window and witness the hustle and bustle of Albany Road. A staircase in this front area of the pub leads to an upstairs function room which is available to local groups, a chalkboard by the staircase informs customers when and which group has booked the room.
The pub narrows somewhat near the very long bar, before expanding again at the rear where there is more seating and access to the outside smoking area; a compact yard with a park bench. The walls are decorated throughout with pictures of old Cardiff mounted on them. Flatscreen televisions are mounted throughout the pub for major sporting events.
Being a Rhymney pub the beers are from that brewery with former Champion Beers of Wales Dark and Export alongside Bitter, Hobby Horse, Bevans and any seasonal beer the brewery are brewing at the time. Takeout containers of five litres are also available. Ciders from Gwynt Y Ddraig are also available.
As with the other Rhymney Brewery pubs, the Andrew Buchan does not serve any food but is a pub merely dedicated to good beer and there is nothing wrong with that!
Google Map:
Streetview still shows the building as the video shop
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The award-winning Rhymney Brewery of Blaenavon have announced that they will be opening their fifth pub in time for Christmas. The location this time is the former RAFA Club on Oxford Street, Mountain Ash.
The pub will no doubt follow similiar lines to the Winchester in Merthyr Tydfil, the Andrew Buchan in Cardiff, the Prince of Wales in Aberdare and 'The Wonky Bar' in Pontypridd.
After overcoming objections from charity shops and others, Rhymney Brewery finally opened their new pub in Cardiff on Monday. The Andrew Buchan is named after the Scottish founder of the original brewery that was based in Rhymney, the new brewery have recently completed a move to the world heritage site of Blaenavon. This building has lain empty for years and has had a number of uses over the years - grocers, milliners, paint shop and video store but has now been converted into a bar for real ale drinkers. Handy for the Albany around the corner as well.
Good to see this addition to the beer diversity of Cardiff. Media Wales have covered the opening here with a photo of me drinking at the bar, as usual. RoathCardiff.net have also covered it.
Andrew Buchan
29 Albany Road/Corner Arabella Street
Cardiff
CF24 3LH
Above: The future Andrew Buchan pub on Albany Road
The award-winning Rhymney Brewery of Blaenavon have announced plans of their expansion into Cardiff with a former video shop on Albany Road being converted into the Andrew Buchan public house, named after the founder of the original brewery. The new pub will bring to the number of Rhymney pubs to 4 with the others being in Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Pontypridd.
The building, on the corner with Arabella Street, has stood empty for 5 years and the previous attempts by the brewery to open the pub were thwarted by Cardiff Council who prefer to see derelict buildings than thriving community pubs.
The application for the alcohol license states that the bar’s “target audience is the over 50s, no alcopops, no pool table, just good beer and good conversation, basically recreating a good old fashioned ‘local’”.
Can't fault that a bit and I bet it the pub won't smell of fish either!
So expect to see the full range of Rhymney's award-winning beers on a bar in Cardiff sometime soon.
Andrew Buchan pub, 29 Albany Road, Roath, Cardiff
Google Map:
The current Champion Beer of Wales brewers, Rhymney Brewery are, this week, launching a new beer, their first new beer since moving to their newly-built plant at Blaenavon.
The 4.2% Gold Beer is the first light beer brewed by the brewery as the other light brews were all lagers but this hoppy golden ale contains 6 varities of malt and is hopped with Fuggles and First Gold.
Described by the brewer as "Blonde and Brassy", this is a welcome addition to their award-winning ramge of beers.
The beer will available in their pubs and this weekend at the beer festival in the Capel, Gilfach Fargoed.
A trip up the valleys last week gave me an excuse to visit Merthyr Tydfil's best pub, the Winchester, brewery tap for the current Champion Beer of Wales winners, Rhymney Brewery.
The Rhymney Brewery guys have been busy, along with the now completed move to Blaenavon from Dowlais, they have also redesigned their pumpclips with the Hobby Horse trademark taking a prominent place on the pumpclip, together with the original slogans of 'Best around here' and 'An easy winner' on them.
The Hobby Horse was the original symbol of the old Rhymney Brewery, taken over and closed by Whitbread, but originated at Pritchard's Brewery of Crumlin in the 1920s. For more information on the old Rhymney Brewery here is a link about a 1963 film of the brewery.
The current Champion Brewers of Wales, Rhymney Brewery, will be moving to their new home in the historic World Heritage town of Blaenavon early next year. Building has been going on throughout the year at this new building and visitor centre.
The visitor centre will feature interactive displays as well as the famous Hobby Horse trademark to ride on as Rhymney Head Brewer Marc Evans has discovered!
And of course a bar!
The brewing equipment is scheduled to be moved in January to its new home.
Came across a bottle of this the other day in the Winchester in Merthyr Tydfil.
Gren Bière, 4.5% ABV/330ml bottle
Brewed by the current Champion Beer of Wales brewers, Rhymney Brewery of Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, Gren Bière is named after the famous South Wales Echo cartoonist Gren Jones who died in 2007. The bottle label features a typical valley scene and, of course, Nev the Sheep in his sunglasses.
Gren Bière is pale straw-coloured beer with citrus hints of pineapple and other fruits in the nose, caused by the New Zealand Pacifica and Green Bullet hops used to brew this beer. There are some biscuity sweet flavours from the pale malt in the taste, followed by a slighty dry, crisp and astringent aftertaste. A very refreshing beer that would go well with a wide-range of foods.
Whilst on the subject of New Zealand hops - I tried the Brains Legends beer for the first time last night, brewed with Motueka and Pacifica hops and I really enjoyed it in the Cottage in Cardiff. Brains have been brewing some interesting beers recently, from the Strong Ale to the excellent British Summer, dry hopped with Styrian Goldings. Good to see the biggest real ale brewery in Wales experimenting a bit and brewery interesting beers.
The award-winning Rhymney Brewery have completed their transformation of their brewery tap, the Winchester, into the pub in the above photo. Etched glass windows, a fireplace, a mosiac floor on the entrance etc have all gone into what looks like a stunning pub.
This is what looked like before:
Not yet visited the new pub yet but looking forward to it.
Have previously written about the pub here. and below is what I wrote about the proposed refurbishment:
The Castle Street pub is situated between the Castle Hotel and the 1930s former Water Board Offices (Social Services now) and was converted to the Rhymney Brewery's first pub and Brewery Tap back in 2006, the premises before then had been a commercial unit, even used as a tanning saloon. Originally on this site, there stood a pub called the Beehive which dated from the 1840s but this was demolished when the next door Castle Hotel was built in 1967.
The planned refurbishment for the Winchester will see a Welsh slate roof installed, replacing the 1970s flat roof and the frontage will be opened out and improved with large etched glass windows allowing natural light to illuminate the interior of the pub. A Victorian style door will be installed to the side of the etched windows and the entrance floor will be tiled with a 'Rhymney Brewery' mosiac.
The pub sign will be hand-painted and a Rhymney Hobby Horse sign will be embedded into the outside wall. A chimney stack will also be built on the side to enable a real fire to be put into the pub! Smokers will be catered for with a smoking solution to the rear of the building.
The Winchester was a breath of fresh air when it opened in Merthyr, the first pub in a generation to regularly have a dark mild on cask in the town – the former Champion Beer of Wales, Rhymney Dark as well. Having been impressed with the Winchester since it first opened and seen the plans for this refurbishment, well hardly a refurbishment, more of a de-refubishment and recreation of a Victorian beerhouse.
Winchester, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8BG
Open 12-12 Monday- Saturday, 12-10.30 Sunday
Google Map:
I was recently given a copy of the film 'The Rhymney Story” (thanks Dave!) which gives a fascinating glimpse into a brewery in the 1960s. Although the film is undated it contains footage of the opening of the new brewery offices by Lord Robens, Chair of the National Coal Board, at the Crosswells Brewery site in Ely, Cardiff, in February 1963. The coal-fired boilers burnt 40 tons of a coal a week so there was a vested interest by the NCB.
The film begins with a few scenic shots of Rhymney and of course mentions the importance of the ironworks to the locality. The brewery owes its origins to the Rhymney Iron Company who established it in 1838 with Andrew Buchan (pictured on a commemorative mug) as manager, to slake the thirst of those who worked in the iron industry.
By 1867 it was considered the largest brewery in South Wales. The ironworks closed in 1890 and since then the company focused on coal mining until it was purchased by the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company Ltd in 1920. In 1929 the brewery became a separate company in its own right when it merged with Griffiths Brothers Brewery of Blaina under the title of Andrew Buchan's Brewery, the name of the legendary figure who first managed the brewery.
The famous brewery clock is shown, which once stood at the gates of the brewery and has now been moved to the rear of a building close to Rhymney train station.
In 1936 Rhymney Brewery purchased Crosswells Brewery of Ely, Cardiff. By the time this film was made these were the only two breweries left operating in the Rhymney Brewery empire after a series of takeovers and closures. The film does shift from one brewery to another without making it clear which site is which but from what I have deduced from other sources is that the bottling plant was at the Crosswells site and the majority of draught beers brewed at the Rhymney site.
There is a good little piece about brewing the beer with some facts that you just don't normally see in the history books such as the malt came from the Dereham Maltings in Norfolk and sugar was used in the brew.
Above: Two copper mashtuns fed via a copper pipe from the hopper overhead
Below: the copper was painted white, in 1960 according to the beam
Above: the hop back
The gleaming copper vessels makes a change from the stainless steel vessels we are familiar with today in breweries. In fact the copper was also made from copper as was the hopback and some of the older fermenting vessels. The Rhymney brewery underwent a refurbishment in the 1950s and closed stainless steel fermenters can be seen in one shot.
Above: fermenters
In 1963 closed fermenters were still unusual in this part of the country with Brains, Hancock's, Crown (Clubs) and Buckley's and Felinfoel breweries still using open ones. In fact the old Bass/Hancock open fermenters at Brains have only recently been covered over. Felinfoel still use open fermenters and were still using an open-fired copper up until the 1980s and Brains were still using some copper open fermenters in the Old Brewery up to when it closed in 1999.
The film also shows the cask washing and at this time the brewery was using a mixture of wooden and metal barrels. Although this shot of the cask racking room only shows wooden casks.
I was a bit surprised that some beers were dry hopped – the process of putting hops in the barrel with the beer to impart more flavour – its not something normally associated with Welsh beers and goes against the image of Welsh beers traditionally being bland.
After being racked into barrels the beers are stored in a cool room, only being given a dose of finings immediately before they leave the brewery. It is not mentioned how long the beers are stored here for but there are quite a few barrels being stored in this room.
The pubs get a mention, although with a huge estate of over 730 pubs only a few get a mention, the Salutation in Weobly, the Hollybush in Hay, the Angel in Pontneddfechan and the famous Old House at Llangynydd. The unique Railway in Pontlottyn, now sadly demolished, is shown. This pub was built under the arches of a railway viaduct, as this land was owned by the Rhymney Railway Company and not by the temperance loving landowner of the rest of the village who would not allow pubs in the area.
Above: the Railway Inn, Pomtlottyn
Footage of tanked beer on the drays is also shot – in 1963 Rhymney Brewery equipped sixty pubs with this facility where the beer was fed from the tanker and into the cellar tank, where it was kept under gas and pumped up to the keg fonts on the bar.
The former Iron Company shop which ran out the notorious 'truck' system is seen converted into a mineral water factory, still using the crates of the Llanfoist name, taken from the former Charles Edwards Brewery of Llanfoist, Abergavenny which was taken over in 1945.
As well as soft drinks, the brewery also bottled wines and spirits. The massive wooden butts that transported and stored the wine can be seen in the background of this image below.
There the film leaves Rhymney and footage of Crosswells Brewery at Ely is shot showing the bottling process. “Return your empties please” says the narrator to this story. How many breweries now have the facilities for washing and reusing bottles? Even beer crates are a rarity today with most bottled beers going out shrink-wrapped to a cardboard tray.
The scale of the bottling line can be seen in the pasteurising plant below:
Rhymney took over Crosswells neighbouring brewery Ely in 1959 and demolished it in 1963, concentrating production on the Crosswells site and virtually building a new brewery and a administration block.
Above and below: Crosswells Brewery, Ely, Cardiff
Looking at this film there is only a small amount of branding in it, compared to how a brewery would project itself nowadays. The famous Hobby Horse trademark gets a mention and can be seen throughout the film but apart from the 'Welsh Brown' sign and 2 indistinct pumpclips there is very little.
The flavour of the beer does not get a mention at all, something I think all of us would be interested in nowadays! A brief shot of the keg beer 'Silver Drum' is shown, though the name is not, perhaps because it was one of Ely Brewery's most famous products, not Rhymney or Crosswells.
This film is a brief snapshot of what was at the time the largest brewery in Wales. At the time this film was made Whitbread Brewery owned 30% of Rhymney Brewery, it was said that Rhymney was one of the breweries that 'sheltered under the Whitbread Umbrella'. A few years later in 1966 Whitbread made a £4.2 million takeover of Rhymney Brewery and replaced the Rhymney beers with their Tankard and Trophy beers. Rhymney Brewery was closed and demolished in 1978, the Cardiff brewery followed in 1982.
There is of course a Rhymney Brewery today, brewing in Merthyr Tydfil though shortly to move to Blaenavon, so once again the Hobby Horse roams the South Wales valleys.
Popped into Merthyr's premier real ale pub and the Rhymney Brewery tap, the Winchester, to see the alterations. Well the fireplace and chimney have been installed, with Fawlty Towersesque moose head above the mantlepiece, the door to the the bar servery has been removed, making a larger bar and the next few days will see the front wall come down to be replaced by a large glass window.
Added to that 4 real ales on the, including Rhymney Dark, this is by far the best pub in Merthyr!
Prince of Wales, 21 Victoria Square, Aberdare, CF44 7LB
The Prince of Wales is the third pub in the small but growing empire of Rhymney Brewery's, well, three pubs and is situated firmly in the commercial centre of the town. The Prince of Wales is a welcome addition to the real scene in Aberdare, a town hardly known for its interesting real ale scene. The Prince of Wales only opened a few months ago in what was previously commercial premises, most recently used as a travel agents. Now the pub has been converted into a lively open-plan bar with etched glass windows advertising “Rhymney Cask Ales” and “Purveyors of Fine Ales”. The building is quite distinct, with an unique hand-painted pub sign showing a medieval Prince of Wales in armour leading his troops into battle. The words “Rhymney Brewery” are visible in the mosaic floor in the entrance to this pub and this leads to one large room with the bar counter at the far end. Grey flagstone floors contrast well with Rhymney Brewery rugs in the expansive interior of the Prince. The beams supporting the roof are painted red and contrast with the white walls, moulded ceilings and in-built ceiling lights which provide a contemporary feel to what is basically an old-fashioned beerhouse.
Tables with cast-iron legs and seats are positioned around the walls and one wall in particular features a chimney with a wood-burning fireplace, an unique feature not seen in any other Aberdare pub. The wood-burning fireplace provides welcome warmth during this cold weather as well as being a conversation piece in the pub itself. The stuffed moose head on the chimney-breast does look a little out of place and may be more at home in an hotel run by Basil Fawlty than in a traditional pub. The rest of the interior walls feature photographs of the local area as well as flat screen televisions and a jukebox. Alternative music is provided by the pub piano, another rare feature for any pub.
The bar servery, situated in the far right-hand corner of the pub is made out of light-coloured wood and features 5 handpumps serving beers from the award-winning Rhymney Brewery and include real ales such as Bitter, Dark, Hobby Horse and Export together with any seasonal beers the Merthyr Tydfil-based brewery is brewing. All the beers are served in the brewery's unique branded glasses.
At the rear of the Prince of Wales there is an outside area with a smoking solution. The Prince of Wales does not do any food, this is purely a pub for good beer and conversation.
Aberdare is easily reached by public transport - train from Cardiff or bus from Merthyr Tydfil
The award-winning Rhymney Brewery, currently based in Merthyr Tydfil but moving to the historic world heritage town of Blaenavon in 2011, have submitted plans to Merthyr Tydfil Council for a refurbishment of their brewery tap, the Winchester. The Castle Street pub is situateded between the Castle Hotel and the 1930s former Water Board Offices (Social Services now) and was converted to the Rhymney Brewery's first pub and Brewery Tap back in 2006, the premises before then had been a commercial unit, even used as a tanning saloon. Originally on this site, there stood a pub called the Beehive which dated from the 1840s but this was demolished when the next door Castle Hotel was built in 1967.
The planned refurbishment for the Winchester will see a Welsh slate roof installed, replacing the 1970s flat roof and the frontage will be opened out and improved with large etched glass windows allowing natural light to illuminate the interior of the pub. A Victorian style door will be installed to the side of the etched windows and the entrance floor will be tiled with a 'Rhymney Brewery' mosiac.
The pub sign will be hand-painted and a Rhymney Hobby Horse sign will be embedded into the outside wall. A chimney stack will also be built on the side to enable a real fire to be put into the pub! Smokers will be catered for with a smoking solution to the rear of the building.
The Winchester was a breath of fresh air when it opened in Merthyr, the first pub in a generation to regularly have a dark mild on cask in the town – the former Champion Beer of Wales, Rhymney Dark as well. Having been impressed with the Winchester since it first opened and seen the plans for this refurbishment, well hardly a refurbishment, more of a de-refubishment and recreation of a Victorian beerhouse., I'm very hopeful that these plans will be passed by Merthyr Council and this rebuild looks as good as it does on the plans.
The seasonal offering from Rhymney Brewery is out in pubs around South Wales. Not tried it myself yet so no tasting notes but its good to see the Rhymney Hobby Horse with a seasonal picture.
The award-winning Rhymney Brewery, currently based in Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, is on the move. Unable to expand at their present home, the family-run brewery has been searching for a new location for a while before finally deciding on the world heritage town of Blaenavon in Torfaen. The new purpose-built brewery
premises is situated close to Big Pit mining musuem and will be the first brewery in the town for over 100 years, after a Mr Westlake moved his brewery out of the town and set up further down the valley in Cwmavon due to the water supply in Blaenavon being so poor.
Hopefully problems such as the water supply will not effect the brewery this century and we can all look forward to the Hobby Horse riding throughout the valleys of South Wales once again.
Above: the former Westlakes brewery, Cwmavon
The original Rhymney Brewery was founded in Rhymney and closed by Whitbread in the 1970s.
