The best pub in Newport, Ye Olde Murenger House, has a charity library with which customers can choose a book for 20p. Not really a library as you get to keep the book and of course you can donate any spare books you have to the shelves. The shelves are made out of the wood from the former bar, rescued from the skip when the Murenger was refurbished some years ago. With the motto "Libraries Gave Us Power" emblazoned on the top of the shelves, the Murenger charity bookcase is another addition to this great pub. Oh and please do not attempt to donate any Dan Brown books, no one wants them, the charity shop opposite refuses to take the overfill and they end up in the recycling bin!
Popped into the Pen & Wig in Newport for a lunchtime pint and discovered this new beermat for "Health Challenge Newport". This is a scheme run by Newport City Council who have decided to spend our council tax on propaganda to advertise their leisure centres as revenue has been falling at council run centres as customers go to Ballyntines and other such "lifestyle altering places". Should local councils be spending our money to compete with the private sector? Probably not but Brew Wales did his own "Going for Gold" with a golden pint of Celt Experiance Red Castle Cream. A hoppy and malty aroma leads to a smooth biscuity flavour and bitter aftertaste. Chewy, bitter finish that lingers in the mouth for a while. Not a bad beer, not spectacular but a drinkable pint. That's my "Going for Gold" for today!
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 builtby 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.
Campaign for Real Ale stalwart and owner of the Swansea Brewery Company, Rory Gowland, was celebrating at the recent highly successful Swansea Bay Beer Festival with a few pints of his Bishopswood Bitter. The reason to celebrate was that the first brews from his brand new copper were on sale in the beer festival. Rory brews his Swansea Brewery beers at the Joiners Arms in Bishopston. The new copper has increased capacity at the brewery but don't expect to see Three Cliffs Gold, Deep Slade Dark and Original Wood on supermarket shelves just yet as most of the beer is sold locally, both in the Joiners and at his own pub, the Railway in Killay. Photos both taken in the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea, during the beer festival
Artisan Brewing Co. in conjunction with the Kings Road Art Studios is pleased to announce the third in a line-up of several MicroBEER Festivals to be staged at the Brewery in Canton, Cardiff.
Starting 10am Saturday 19th September (12noon Sun)
Mishmash Market Stalls, Open Arts Studios, Live Music, BBQ and Cardiff brewed Specialty Beers on tap.
It's a day event and done by 9pm so bring a chair or a blanket, and get in early. We will prove shelter for the rain so come and be locally entertained
Sunday is a little more relaxed with beer flowing, background tunes and hot homemade chili beef burgers from the BBQ (vegetarian options also). Sunday will finish early – say 7pm.
If you make a little something and fancy your luck at selling at our market please contact to arrange.
Join us... entry is free
Kings Rd Arts Studios & Markets from 11am (Saturday Only)
Bands start 2pm... beers start 12noon... BBQ when your ready
Thanks to the brewers of Wales, via their association, AWIB, we have a brewery map of Wales, featuring all the members of the association. The Association of Welsh Independent Brewers was set up in 2007 to promote the beers and brewers of Wales.
The aims of the Association of Welsh Independent Brewers are to further the interest in Welsh Beers and Welsh breweries, and encourage people to seek out and enjoy our beers.
The Association of Welsh Independent Brewers aims to improve public awareness of the quality Welsh brewing industry by co-operation to improve sales and opportunities through marketing, quality promotion and emphasis of the Welsh identity for Wales' Brewing Industry
Members at the moment are:
Breconshire Bryncelyn Bullmastiff Celt Experience Conwy Cwmbran Dare Facers Felinfoel Ffos Y Ffin Great Orme Jacobi Jolly Brewer Kingstone Heart of Wales McGivern's Ales Monty's Nant North Wales Otley Pen-Lon Cottage Plassey Purple Moose Rhymney SA Brain Sandstone Snowdonia Swansea Tomos Watkin Tudor Vale Of Glamorgan Warcop
Full links to the websites of these breweries can be found on the right hand side bar.
Dom over at Welsh Icons has produced a video from his still photos of Cardiff Pubs. Good to watch and think I have probably drank in most of them over the years, though some are not there any longer. There is also a Welsh Icons News site now, for the latest news, as it happens, from across Wales.
Walking past a High Street pub in Newport the other night, the Brew Wales Editor came across these signs in the window of the Greyhound. Now Brew Wales has not frequented this establishment in many years, Ye Olde Murenger House being the favoured drinking hole in the City Centre, but what type of pub has to put a notice in the window stating that "Footwear Must Be Worn at All Times"? I had not realised this was ever a problem in Newport with customers not wearing shoes on a night out, after all we are very close to a sandy beach, well a muddy river to be exact, but is it really necessary to put a notice in the window to that effect? Apparently the management of the Greyhound deem it necessary. We can understand the bit about "No Hoodies and No Tracksuits" and it is no great loss as the chavs are catered for by 4 Wetherspoons elsewhere in the City Centre, but "No Hats". The Brew Wales Editor regularly wears a hat, an expensive Australian leather hat that keeps his head dry in the rain and protects the (ever increasing) bald patch from getting sunburnt. So they are telling me to take my custom elsewhere if I wear a hat out? Don't think I will be going into this pub anytime soon.
Well I'm over 1000 foot up in the Welsh mountains, pressing perry pears on this windswept mountainside. Luckily the farm we are at also produce their own cider so a few bottles of Blaengawney cider are going down well with the workers. Now all we have to do is wait for our perry to ferment to see what it will be like. Hopefully another award winner.
Well the second orchard of the day has a lot of perry pears again. The photo shows the rich crop of perry pears of an unknown variety which we have found at 4 different Monmouthshire farms. There are still old orchards to discover in Wales and the borders. Right time to start picking.
First pick of the season and there is a good crop of perry pears this year. Picked an old Monmouthshire variety first this morning, called "Gwehelog" at an orchard near Raglan. Off to second orchard now and pressing later.
Bar manager Andrew Last holds up the final pint of Brains Dark that was drunk at the hugely successful Swansea Bay Beer Festival. Over 2200 customers enjoyed the beers over the weekend and one thing the organisers can agree on is that next year the Festival will have even more real ales and ciders available. A great time was had by all the staff and customers at this great CAMRA event. Off to plan the next beer Festival now.
Okay promise this is my last post from the Festival but the Ska tribute band 2 Rude are well worth a mention. Their music is going down really well with the customers and staff at the 3rd Swansea Bay Beer Festival. Playing to a packed Brangwyn Hall, the mixture of Specials, Madness and other bands is a perfect way to end the evening. Oh and some Fullers Chiswick is still left, time for a few more beers methinks.
It's the last day of the Swansea Bay Beer Festival and the beers and ciders are flowing well. We may have sold out of a few beers but there are still plenty of others to try, Dave's Hoppy Ale from Facer's for instance or the Robinson's Old Tom as an afternoon session beer. Well the afternoon band are about to play and we are looking forward to the Ska tribute band later tonight. Time for another beer, RCH Pitchfork methinks.
Well the peace and quiet of earlier today is long over and the Swansea Bay Beer Festival is in full swing. The pints are flowing and the customers are happy at the second biggest CAMRA beer Festival in Wales. Brew Wales still has not decided on a favourite beer yet but Otley Columbo, Fullers ESB and Great Orme Cambria are all on the shortlist. Oh and the ciders from Gwatkin and Gwynt are also proving popular. Band starts soon, think an ESB may be in order.
