Artisan Brewery Celebrates October

Artisan Brewery of Pontcanna, Cardiff are holding a couple of events in the next few weeks, first up is 'Bar Open on October on Saturday the 6th of October.

 As brewer Simon says:
Cold Beers, Hot Hood, Good Times...
As with all of our Bar Open events - entry is free. We'll have a good spread of Bare Naked Beers available on tap. Also cider, wine and softdrinks. Doors at 12noon - serving till 9.30pm

Above: the entrance to the brewery

Our BBQ will be flared so bring your beer-drinking mates, we'll have some background music too on the day.
We often get asked and so... Bare Naked Bottles will be made available to purchase (for take-away only) up until 5pm.

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Kings Arms, Pentyrch

Kings Arms, Church Road, Pentyrch, CF15 9QF
Open all day

The King's Arms is an old, long building, built on slope leading from the modern estate of Pentyrch to the site of the medieval church of the village, rebuilt in the 1850s. The thick white-washed stone walls of the pub defy mobile phone networks and are a sign of the age of this pub, at least three-hundred years old but with later additions over the years. A central doorway leads to the top bar on the left and the snug and restaurant areas to the right. The top bar is split-level and features a bar made out of a light-coloured wood and four handpumps. The stone walls are exposed in places and there are settles sofas and tables with a range of daily newspapers for customers to read. A wood-burning stove stands in the fireplace and there are chalkboard menus on the walls.

The snug is a traditional public bar, quite possibly the oldest part of the pub, or at the least altered in any form, with its huge fireplace and flagstone floor. The fireplace takes up one wall of the building and there is a hatchway to the right hand-side which may have been a stairway to an upper level, a typical feature of old rural buildings which featured a winding staircase to the side of the fire.

The ceiling was raised sometime in the past and a doorway was cut in the fireplace wall, on the left-hand side, today this leads to the restaurant area. Old copper and brass ornaments decorate the walls, the polished copper reflecting what little light there is in this small and rather dark part of the pub. Four gleaming chrome handpumps are on the bar, serving beers from Brains and Otley breweries. The pubis owned by SA Brain but leased to Nick Otley of Otley Brewery and the Bunch of Grapes in Pontypridd fame. This unique collaboration results in beers from both breweries being on the bar with Brains Bitter and IPA alongside Otley Boss and Croeso, although the beer range may vary. Local cider Orchard Gold from Gwynt y Ddraig is also available along with Brains Black.

The restaurant area, to the side of the snug is a modern extension,light and airy with a high ceiling; this area leads out to a patio area and garden with more seating. Food is served 12-2.30 and 6.30-9 and there are lunchtime and evening menus together with daily chalkboard specials, with Welsh ingredients used where possible.

Quiz night Wednesdays and regular events are held throughout the year.
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The King's Arms is accessible via public transport, although the service is not that frequent; the 136 from Cardiff run by Stagecoach

Celt Beers big in Japan

From SIBA News:
Winner in Japan for The Celt Experience

Celt Bronze has just won the Bitter Category in Japans biggest beer competition. In one day 42 judges evaluated 250 beer entries in Japan Craft Beer Association’s International Beer Competition 32 breweries, 16 countries, 87 beer categories. flights Beer Enthusiasts, brewers from around the world, journalists, beer importers and retailers were ecstatic, never having experienced anything like this event.


The Celt Experience have been consistently one of the biggest selling premium craft ales in many department stores in Japan. Founder Tom Newman commented “It was a fantastic result for our brand and success in Japan, this year has been incredible we are over the moon, its time to hit the bar…..”

The Celt Experience have already won awards in The True Taste Awards, SIBA National, SIBA Regional, Great Welsh (CAMRA), Beer Academy and Soil Association this year.

The brewery in Caerphilly have now began upgrading their plant which is currently at capacity.

Brains go fruity with latest beer

The latest offering from Brains Craft Brewery to hit the pumps is this fruity number.

Beer writer and SommALEier Melissa Cole has created her ‘ultimate IPA’.

Fruits of our Labours, a 6.5% ABV craft brewery ale, is an West Coast style IPA. Brewed with Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo, Cascade and Summit hops, and a blend of passion fruit, mango, peach and pineapple, the result is a ‘fruity little number’ with a huge tropical nose and a spicy, rounded bitter punch. The finish has a spicy, rounded bitter punch, making this beer a fruity little number

Melissa said: “It’s a little bit crazy up in my head, but there’s always a foundation in reality. So whilst Fruits of Our Labours might sound mad, all the fruit is actually designed to underpin the tremendous tropical fruit and citrus notes you get from many American hops, like Amarillo, which we used a lot of.
“The ‘fruity little number’ line, which features on the pump clip, is a little tongue-in-cheek humour aimed at my colleagues in the wine industry where the phrase is to them what ‘hoppy and malty’ are to me, a pretty much useless collection of words to describing tastes and flavours!

“I’ve found that a lot of my collaboration beers, because of their slightly wacky ingredients, have appealed to wine drinkers and received rave reviews from at least two respected wine writers and I hope this will be enjoyed by all lovers of fine artisan drinks.”

Fruits of our Labours 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, Marverine 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.

Four Elms, Roath

Four Elms, 1 Elm Street, Roath, CF24 3QR

Open all day
The Four Elms has recently been refurbished and reopened under its original name after years of being know as ‘Bar YK’ and before that as the ‘Yellow Kangaroo’. It once proudly boasted that it was ‘The only Yellow Kangaroo in the world’ although why that is something to boast about is not at all clear.

Above: Bar YK pictured in 2011The building dates back to 1859 when it had three bars, two public rooms and stabling for one horse, over the years all of these areas have been knocked through into the one open-plan pub we see today. The pub gets its name from four distinctive elms that were once local landmarks but were felled in 1901 in order to widen the road. The Four Elms was previously a Welsh Brewers pub and later owned by Scottish & Newcastle but is now owned by local pub company JW Bassett who have refurbished this old building to bring it into the twenty-first century.

Above: Plan of the Four Elms from 1899

Glamorgan Record Office

The two-storey street-corner pub is painted in black and white and features a colourful display of flowering plants in hanging baskets outside. The corner door leads to an open-plan bar area with the wood and red leather panelled bar counter on the left-hand side of the building. Four gleaming chrome handpumps serve Felinfoel Double Dragon, Sharps Doombar. A cider from Westons and a house beer, Four Elms IPA, also brewed by Felinfoel of Llanelli. This is a rare Cardiff outlet for Felinfoel Brewery and their beers are served in branded glasses. A premium lager, Peroni is also available, together with a selection of wines. To the side of the bar is a dartboard, with the awards the teams have won on display.

There is plenty of seating in the Four Elms with high tables and stools towards the front and bench-seating and tables towards the rear. A pool table is also present in the pub. Towards the rear of the pub, a raised seating area in the former stables features embossed wallpaper and a large-flat screen television, used for major sporting events. Elsewhere in the pub it is decorated with old photographs of Cardiff, including one dating from 1897 which shows the four elm trees that gave the pub its name. Large mirrors with ornate golden frames help make the interior light and give the appearance of it being more spacious.

The smoking area is at the rear of the pub and this leads onto the huge pub garden which must be one of the biggest in the City with bench seats and parasols to allow the customers to make the most of this sun trap.

Food is served 12-2.30 and 4.30-9 from a menu that features a range of food from pasta and pizza and grills, including a 32oz mixed grill. Portions for children are also available. Sunday lunch from the carvery is available 12-5 with booking advisable for groups. Other meal deals include a pizza night on Thursdays, steak night Wednesdays and a curry night on Thursdays.

Free WiFi is available and the Four Elms also features a function room and skittle alley.

The Pub is still marked as Bar YK on Streetview

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Newport to host food festival

The City of Newport will once again be hosting a food festival on October 6th in an attempt to improve the image of the chav-ladden City, the centre of which resembles post-1945 Dresden.

Amongst the highlights this year will be what is set to be heated discussion on if white cider or sherry are the best outside drinks, conducted by three of Newport's street drinking fraternity.

Also the North Wales Brewery will be attending and customers will have the opportunity to try which chips are best served with their beers. Hope Trading Standards check the quality of their beers as a mollusc shell was once found floating in one of their casks.

Stallholders are said to be looking forward to the event, at which the local chavs come and point at their wares and say, "Three pound for a jar of mustard! I can get that for 66p in Lidl".

Meanwhile the culinary delights of Skinner Street and Upper Dock Street will be on show with a competition on which outlet can fry the best pigeon. Let's face it, its not chicken in those places. Over the past few years the Skinner Street/Upper Dock Street area has gained acclaim in the world of gastronomy and it is now ranked only alongside Caroline Street in Cardiff as one of the finest open-air dining areas in Wales. Even the kebab shops of Swansea High Street cannot compare to the delicacy of deep-fried pigeon in Newport.

Great British Cheese Festival at Cardiff Castle

Its time for the Great British Cheese Festival again at Cardiff Castle this weekend, with the Cardiff Arms bar run by the local branch of CAMRA.

Full details of admission etc on the Festival website but here are some of the beers on:

Brains Dark, SA, Organ Morgan
Tiny Rebel Fubar
Heart of Wales Welsh black
Zero Degrees Mango Beer
Burton bridge stairway to Heaven
Tim taylor Golden Best
Bristol beer Factory No 7
Crouch Vale Brewers Gold
Kinver Edge
Oakham Inferno
Wadworth -6X
Salopian -Otacle
Oakleaf Hole hearted
Moorhouse-Pride of Pendle
Highland-Scapa Special
Leeds Pale
St Austell proper job
Skinners Ginger Tosser
Wentworth bumble Beer
Dark Star Expresso stout
RCH PG Steam
Kite CPA
Vale Of Glamorgan bitter than ever + 2 others
Purple Moose Glaslyn
Rhymney Dark, Hobby Horse & Export

Ciders & Perries
Raglan Cider Mill
BlindGranny (hopefully their mouse problem will not be apparent as it was in their cider last weekend in Abergavenny Food Festival!)
Gwynt Y Ddraig
Severnsidre Perry

Ross On Wye Perry
Rathays old Goat Perry
Oliver Perry
Newton Court Perry
Troggi Perry
CiderFect vlberie dry
Bollhayes Dry
Court Farm Dry
Westcroft Janets Jungle Juice Medium
Upper House Medium
Sarahs Medium
CJ'S Medium
Day's Cottage Medium
Gwatkins Medium
Hunt Medium
Wilkins Sweet
Rich Sweet
Hartland Sweet
Hecks Sweet

In addition Gwatkin and Gwynt will be having stands at the Festival. Don't forget the Masterclasses as well, the Brew Wales editor will be conducting a couple with title 'Fermented Friends' on cider and cheese matching, at 1200 on Saturday and 1530 on Sunday.

Wales boasts over 50 breweries!

Good Beer Guide 2013 launched by CAMRA

Today sees the launch of the 2013 Good Beer Guide with the real ale scene in Wales continuing to boom:

- Wales now boasts 52 breweries

- 11 new breweries opened in just 12 months!

- 68 new Good Beer Guide entries from Wales

- CAMRA local branches judge the Bridge End Inn, Ruabon as best pub in Wales

The 40th anniversary edition of the Good Beer Guide has today been launched (Thursday September 13th) with the news that the real ale scene in Wales continues to thrive.

While nationally there are now an incredible 1,009 breweries – the highest number for over 70 years - in operation across the UK*, with 158 having opened in just 12 months, in Wales, there are now 52 breweries, with 11 coming on stream over the past year. From Hafod in North Wales to Tiny Rebel in the South, Wales is becoming a brewing nation!
The Good Beer Guide 2013, jointly sponsored by Cask Marque and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers), features the best 4,500 real ale pubs from across the UK, with details of food, opening hours, beer gardens, accommodation, transport links, disabled access and family facilities.

CAMRA’s 143,000 members fully update and revise the Guide every year, thereby guaranteeing to supply the reader with the most up to date publication to the best real ale pubs.

This year, 68 new pub entries (pubs which were not in last year’s edition) from Wales have made it into this 40th anniversary edition. In Newport the Pen & Wig on Stow Hill has made it in - by far the best pub in the City!
Ian Saunders, CAMRA Wales Regional Director, said:

'The Good Beer Guide has always been about celebrating the best community pubs serving a high standard of real ale, and in the Guide's 40th year, the competition to become one of the 4,500 pubs included has never been greater. To this day, the Guide remains completely independent and driven by the hard work of CAMRA members surveying their local pubs to ensure readers enjoy the perfect pint of real ale.'

CAMRA Regional Pub of the Year 2012
To coincide with today’s launch, the Good Beer Guide has revealed the 16 CAMRA Regional Pubs of the Year for 2012. These pubs have been hailed by CAMRA as the very best real ale pubs in the country, and will now go forward in the competition, with the overall National winner to be announced in February 2013.

Wales Regional Pub of the Year 2012-

Bridge End Inn
Ruabon (5 Bridge Street, Wrexham, LL14 6DA)
A summary of the Good Beer Guide description for the Bridge End Inn reads-
‘This former coaching inn near the station, owned by the McGivern Brewery with brewing on the premises, was voted CAMRA National Pub of the Year 2012. The welcoming three-roomed local has a whitewashed exterior and cosy public bar, reputed to be 300 years old, with a beamed ceiling and walls adorned with old breweriana. Children are welcome in the lounge until 7pm and there is a quiet room. Six changing guest ales include a stout and McGivern ale, plus a real cider. Groups can be catered for by arrangement. Live music features on Wednesday.’

The Good Beer Guide 2013 is released on Thursday September 13th, and is available from all good retailers, and from the CAMRA Shop (www.camra.org.uk/shop), where it is priced £10 for CAMRA members and £12.99 for non-members.

Welsh Beer in Great British Beer Hunt

Wales' largest real ale brewer SA Brain is calling on Sainsbury’s customers to support the only Welsh beer through to the final of the Great British Beer Hunt.
Willy Nilly, a ruby ale with a rich hop aroma and a fruity and more-ish finish, was selected in the Wales and West of England category. Specially brewed for the supermarket competition, the beer is named after the postman made famous by Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood.

Sainsbury's announced the 20 regional winners of this year's Great British Beer Hunt, following five heats in which Sainsbury's customers and beer experts judged more than 100 beers from across the UK.

Willy Nilly will now hit the shelves of 370 Sainsbury’s stores on September 12th for three weeks, where it goes up against the 19 other finalists. The best performing beers will then be entered into a grand final on 5th October, where the final winner will be selected by a panel of judges. The winning beer will be awarded a six month minimum listing, with the runner up winning a three month listing.

Paul Harvey, Head of Multiple Retail Groups at Brains, said: "It’s great for us, but it’s also great for the beer category. All 20 beers have been developed exclusively for the competition and offer customers an unusual and varied range. We’re sure customers will enjoy Willy Nilly as much as we do and help put it through to the grand final in October."

Willy Nilly will be available in 370 selected larger Sainsbury’s, a full list is available here.

Brains Willy Nilly, 4% ABV/500 ml bottle, available in Sainsbury’s between 12th September to the 3rd October. My tasting notes are:
Willy Nilly is a rich-ruby red colour and pours with a thick, white foamy head. Aromas of fruit, mainly raisins with some caramel and hops, lead to a smooth toffee flavour with some bitter-sweetness with more fruit and a dry, more-ish finish.

Otley Brewery hits the catwalk

WELSH BEER TAKES CENTRE STAGE AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

Award-winning Welsh brewers, the Otley Brewing Company, will be swapping their kegs and casks for catwalks at London Fashion Week this week (14 to 18 September).

The Otley brewers have been invited to host their own bar at vibrant designer, Eley Kishimoto’s launch party where they will showcase two of the company’s best ales. The German style, 07 Weissen and the Thai green curry flavoured Thai-Bo, will take centre stage at the show and will complement what’s set to be a memorable return to the catwalk for Eley Kishimoto.

The contemporary brewery has grown significantly since it was first established in 2005 and its unusual ales and unique branding has meant that it not only appeals to beer enthusiasts but also to a wider audience of younger, female drinkers.

Nick Otley, pictured above, managing director of the Otley Brewing Company, said: “To be showcasing our beers at one of the world’s most iconic events is a great opportunity for us to bring some Welsh flavour to the show.

“The beer industry is changing in a big way and for us to be hosting our own bar at London Fashion Week is a real sign of how beer is appealing to a young, trendy and more female audience.

“At Otley, we’ve worked hard to establish ourselves as a unique, contemporary brand which aims to transform the traditional image of beer drinkers. We’re excited to be supporting the Eley Kishimoto show and being part of London Fashion Week.”

Abergavenny Food Festival

Wales' largest food festival gets underway this weekend with the Abergavenny Food Festival occuring in the market town. Full details are on their website and in their programme but here are my highlights

Beer & Cider


Blindgranny Farm
Craft ciders and Welsh champion perry from apples and pears grown in Wales.

The Celt Experience Ltd
Award winning organic ales from Caerphilly.

Gillow Cider
Cider from our own orchards in Herefordshire.

Gwatkin Cider Co Ltd
Real farmhouse cider and perry all made from pure fruit.

Gwynt Y Ddraig Cider
Award winning Welsh cider and perry made from freshly harvested fruit.

Kingstone Brewery
Award winning micro brewery producing 8 different bottle conditioned real ales.

Otley Brewing Company (Pontypridd)
Locally produced, award winning real ales; excellent quality and price.
Also running the 'Blorenge Bar' in the grounds of the Castle.

Ralph's Cider & Perry
Homegrown fruit, 100% juice fermented. One of Wales' oldest cidermakers....sorry Ralph, meant you have been making it for the longest time!

Ty Gwyn Cider
Ty Gwyn, award winning craft cider company from the Monnow Valley.

Wernddu Vineyard & Winery

Traditionally made Welsh wine, perry, cider and alpaca garments. Their 19-year old Chardonnay is stunning.

Wye Valley Brewery
Excellent quality cask and bottle conditioned beers from Herefordshire. HPA is one of my favourite beers in the world!

If the beer, cider and wine get too much for you then try
Septimus Spyder Drinks
Saxon and Druid soft drinks from our Medieval Brewhouse.

In addition to the festival stallholders, Raglan Cider Mill will once again be opening their bar in Market Street, in the yard of the former Market Tavern which closed in 1962!
A hog roast and seating will also be available in this old pub yard.

Can't get an exact view on Streetview but its near enough:
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Apart from the drink at the festival there are also a lot of other activities taking place, two of which are mentioned below:
Tastings:
Saturday 15th
Time: 2.00 – 2.45pm / Venue: Angel Hotel Ballroom / Tickets: £6.00
What to Look for in a Beer: Jeff Evans
An introduction to beer-tasting from the man who tastes beer for a living. Jeff Evans has edited the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, written seven editions of CAMRA’s Good Bottled Beer Guide, been named Beer Writer of the Year, and runs the online magazine insidebeer.com. Here he presents five of the best bottled beers

Sunday 16th
Time: 3.30 – 4.15pm / Venue: Lion’s Place / Tickets: £4.00
The Cider Odyssey: Pete Brown and Bill Bradshaw
From Pontypridd to Portland, Oregon author Pete Brown and photographer Bill Bradshaw are on a (com)mission to produce the first ever world guide to cider. It’s a tough job but they are the men to do it. Join them for a sneak preview of work in progress including anecdotes and pictures accompanied by a glass or two of the golden nectar.
If attending by train, I suggest getting an early one as they tend to get crowded from Cardiff onwards later in the day and have been known to not take on passengers at Newport.
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Brains launch V & B ale in support of Cancer Charity

Wales' largest real ale brewer, SA Brain has launched a new 4.2% ABV dark amber ale V&B, specially brewed in support of Velindre Cancer Centre.

V&B is brewed with a blend of premium pale ale and crystal malts. Late-hop addition of American Simcoe and Cluster gives the beer flavours of fruit and citrus with a subtle pine freshness on the nose.

Mark Newbold, manager of the Old Inn in Penllegaer, is the man responsible for all the Velindre fundraising activity taking place across the Brain’s pub estate.

Velindre Cancer Centre has supported him through more than 20 years of treatment since his first diagnosis with testicular cancer. At the start of the year they approached him to complete a sponsored cycle across California, from Yosemite National Park to San Francisco.

But in February he collapsed suddenly while working at the Old Inn, and after being rushed to casualty doctors quickly realised that he had developed cancer for the third time. Unfortunately, due to the nature of his life saving operation, he is unable to complete the 390km bike ride. His former area manager at Brains, Martin Tranter, has agreed to take part in the challenge on Mark’s behalf - helping to reach the £10,000 fundraising target.

The campaign has been met with outstanding support from local communities around Brains pubs in the South Wales region, with everyone across the company working hard to raise as much money as they can.

V&B will be available in pubs from mid-September and fifty pence from each pint will be donated to the charity, as well as the proceeds of various challenges undertaken by Brains staff. Ian Beattie, Brand Manager at Brains said, "V&B is a great representation of the support Brains is giving Velindre Cancer Centre. Everyone in the business has embraced the initiative to raise funds and there are some fantastic activities going on across our pub estate".

As part of the efforts to raise money, a team of area managers at Brains - Steve Callow, Sally Davis, Kieran Mott and Keith Thorne – will be raising funds by completing a sponsored walk from the Greenhouse pub in Cwmbran to the Old Inn in Penllegaer – a distance of 60 miles, over two days.

Mark Robinson, Retail Area Manager has put together another fundraising team from Brains to take on an ‘Everest style’ challenge. On Wednesday 26th September at the Meridian Tower in Swansea, 11 team members will tackle the 28 storey high building where the Grape & Olive sits at the top. They will climb the stairs 88 times between them, which is equal to the height of Everest.

V&B is available at the following pubs from mid-September.

Barry: Tynewydd.
Bridgend: Rose & Crown; Pheasant; Ty Risha; White Horse, Coychurch.
Caerleon: Hanbury.
Caerphilly: Pontygwindy.
Cardiff: Albany; Birchgrove; Black Lion; City Arms; Cottage; Cross Inn; Duke of Wellington; Fox & Hounds; Goat Major; Halfway; Heath; Maltsters; Old Arcade; Pear Tree; Pendragon; Plough; Three Arches; Three Horseshoes, Gabalfa; Three Horseshoes, Peterston-Super-Ely; Ty Nant; Victoria Park.
Chepstow: Lime Tree; Piercefield.
Dinas Powys: Star.
Llanelli: Thomas Arms.
Swansea: Old Inn; Vivian.
Tresaith: Ship Inn.

Albany, Roath, Cardiff

Albany, 105 Donald Street, Roath, Cardiff, CF24 4TL
Open all day

The Albany is a welcoming Brains pub, set on a corner of a late-Victorian terrace in a suburb of Cardiff which is popular with students. It can be difficult to find the first time, but it becomes easier the more you go here. This is a two-bar pub with a smart, comfortable lounge to the front and a popular, partly tilled, rear section that leads to a beer garden. The front bar has old stained-glass windows with the Brains AI logo set in blue and white glass, which add to the atmosphere of this pub which was built in 1895. 

On the walls are some of the many awards the Albany and the staff have won over the years, from SA Brain 'Manager of the Year' to Cardiff CAMRA 'Pub of the Year', this clearly is one of the best pubs in Cardiff. The Albany is popular with students and locals alike and, along with a lot of other pubs owned by SA Brain, offers free Wi-Fi access. An old Brains price list from 1940, framed and mounted on the wall makes interesting reading.

 The beer range is from SA Brain and Bitter, Dark, SA and SA Gold are all served on gleaming brass handpumps, together with two regularly changing guest ale, from breweries such as Adnams or the Brains Craft Brewery seasonal. The fact that Brains are willing to showcase beers from other breweries alongside their own excellent products is one of the reasons this pub is so popular with customers. The Albany has been a regular pub in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for a number of  years and there are stickers and posters both inside and outside the pub to advertise this fact to customers.

The rear bar has Sky Sports on televisions and photos of local sporting teams adorn the walls. More traditional pub sports are not forgotten as the Albany has a skittle alley and dart board as well as running a quiz night on Tuesdays and a Karaoke on Saturday nights. Smokers are also catered for with the rear heated beer garden, which can be a sun trap in the summer. There are not that many outside areas in Cardiff to enjoy a drink in, so the garden at the rear of the Albany is a welcome change to drinking inside in the summer.

Food is only available lunchtime from 12-2.30 Monday-Saturday and the Welsh Black Beef curry is a favourite on the menu.
The Albany in Roath is more than a 'street-corner local', it is a multi-award winning community pub serving superb real ales and offering something for everyone with the two-distinct bars. Here's to the next 117 years!

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Penarth pub reopens as The New Pilot

The traditional Penarth watering hole that was the Pilot has been stylishly reincarnated by South Wales food company Knife & Fork Food Ltd.


The Brains–owned Penarth pub, The Pilot reopened this Saturday (1st September) as The New Pilot, the latest venture from South Wales based food company Knife & Fork Food Ltd.

An extensive renovation project has seen the venue undergo a similar transformation to that of The New Conway. The Pontcanna pub, an entrant in the Michelin Good Food Guide 2013, has become a huge success story for the Knife & Fork brand, since its launch in 2008. Have previously covered the New Conway here.

"We have been very much inspired by the success of The Conway", said Sean Murphy, Managing Director of Knife & Fork Food, "The new Pilot will have the same cosy, family friendly feel as The Conway, complete with log burner, bookcases and snug sofas."

"We think Penarth will be a perfect fit for our brand – the wonderful community feel is something that is hugely attractive to us. I’m really looking forward to establishing our position as a neighbourhood hub that is very much at the heart of the community, much like The Conway has become in Pontcanna."

Martin White, previously Sous Chef at The Conway has been appointed as Head Chef and Executive Chef of the Knife & Fork group, Stefan Nilsson, will be chalking up locally grown, seasonal produce, on the continually evolving blackboard menu.

Foodies can expect an eclectic and hearty selection of dishes that will have taste buds tingling in anticipation. Starters include rabbit cromesco with pickled wild mushroom and butternut squash puree, as well as courgette and feta fritters with raisin and caper dressing.

Mains are equally enticing with Brains Dark braised ox cheeks, celeriac mash and braising liquor, not to mention The Pilot’s fish pie and Chef Martin’s haggis, neeps and tatties being particular highlights.

Desserts don’t disappoint either, with the Napolitana – a combination of chocolate ganache, vanilla parfait and strawberry espuma being a strong contender for most tantalising sweet.

Quiz fans will also be pleased to know that weekly quiz nights will be on the social menu, as well as culinary themed evenings, which have garnered quite a following since their inception at The Conway earlier this year.

The New Pilot
67 Queen's Road
Penarth
CF64 1DJ

Kite Brewery says farewell to summer

Newport's best pub, the Pen & Wig on Stow Hill currently has the latest seasonal beer on from the Kite Brewery of Gorslas. A golden-coloured beer brewed with Pacifica and Pacific Gem hops from New Zealand, according to the brewer who today popped into the pub to have a pint. The Gorslas from the same brewery was on top form as well!