Best Beers in Wales 2020

Time for the annual review of websites to find the Best Beer in Wales
 First up is the Anheuser-Busch Inbev subsidiary of Ratebeer:

1 Mabinogion Mead / Superstition 'Hounds of Annwn' Strawberry vanilla 

2 Polly's Brew Fallow Plans 

3 Tiny Rebel Imperial Puft 

4 Loka Polly Souvenirs 

5 Loka Polly Rosa 

6 Polly's Brew Lo-Fi 

7 Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Imperial Chocolate  

8 Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Amplified Imperial 

9 Loka Polly Spur 

10 Tiny Rebel / Siren Dark Cherry & Chocolate Barley Wine 

11 Polly's Brew What Did You Feel IPA 

12 Polly's Brew Fickle 

13 Loka Polly Double IPA Mosaic Simcoe 

14 Polly’s Brew Every Piece Matters 

15 Polly's Brew India Pale Ale El Dorado Deluxe Edition  

16 Polly's Brew Double IPA Azacca Mosaic 

17 Polly's Brew Livewire 

18 Polly's Brew Patternist 

19 Polly's Brew Avery 

20 Loka Polly Petal 

21 Tiny Rebel / Arbor Bonsai 

22 Tiny Rebel Imperial Stay Puft Irish Cream 

23 Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Imperial Salted Caramel 

24 Polly's Brew India Pale Ale Simcoe Mosaic  

25 Tiny Rebel / Deya NEIPA 

26 Polly's Brew Nada 

27 Polly's Brew Rock The Bit 

28 Tiny Rebel / Siren Didgeridank 

29 Polly's Brew On & On & On 

30 Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropicana 

31 Loka Polly Stout Citra Columbus 

32 Polly's Discount Jazz Hour 

33 Tiny Rebel What's Cooler Than Being Cool 

34 Polly's Brew Here We Are, Again 

35 Tiny Rebel Stay Puft Chocolate 

36 Polly's Brew India Stout Ekuanot 

37 Tiny Rebel Loki Lite 

38 Tiny Rebel Captain Insano 

39 Tiny Rebel Hadouken 

40 Loka Polly India Pale Ale El Dorado Simcoe 

41 Tiny Rebel / Dark Star Rebel Alliance 

42 Loka Polly Pale Ale Citra El Dorado 

43 Loka Polly India Pale Ale El Dorado Mosaic 

44 Loka Polly India Pale Ale Citra Columbus 

45 Loka Polly Wilt Double India Pale Ale 

46 Crafty Devil You Love Us 

47 Polly's Brew Grow, Deliver And Repeat 

48 Tiny Rebel / Fierce Beer Orange Mocha Frapp Stout 

49 Tiny Rebel Stay Puft 

50 Tiny Rebel Dirty Stop Out 

Polly's and Tiny Rebel dominating amongst Ratebeer users

Ratebeer also list the top places to drink in Wales:

1

1. Tiny Rebel Cardiff (91)

2. BrewDog Cardiff (88)

3. Hopbunker (87)

4. City Arms (Brains) (84)

5. Tiny Rebel Newport (83)

6. Fire & Ice (81) Good to see a Narberth outlet here!

7. Beelzebubs (80)

8. Clytha Arms (80)

9. Vinomondo (80)

10. Albion Ale House (79)

Meanwhile on Untappd:

1. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Imperial Salted Caramel Stay Puft
2. Polly's Brew Co. Nada
3. Polly's Brew Co. Rosa
4. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Imperial Chocolate Stay Puft
5. Polly's Brew Co. Spur
6. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Imperial Irish Cream Stay Puft
7. Polly's Brew Co. Lo-Fi
8. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Amplified Imperial Stay Puft
9. Polly's Brew Co Fallow Plans
10. Polly's Brew Co. Every Piece Matters
11. Polly's Brew Co. Dream Like Sequence
12. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Imperial Puft
13. Polly's Brew Co. Chinook Mosaic Double IPA
14. Polly's Brew Co. Mosaic Simcoe Double IPA
15. Polly's Brew Co. Deluxe Edition
16. Polly's Brew Co. On & On & On
17. Polly's Brew Co. Patternist
18. Polly's Brew Co. Citra Simcoe Double IPA
19. Polly's Brew Co. Livewire
20. Polly's Brew Co. Wilt
21. Polly's Brew Co What Did You Feel?
22. Polly's Brew Co. Souvenirs
23. Polly's Brew Co. Azacca Mosaic Double IPA
24. Polly's Brew Co. Simcoe Waimea Double IPA
25. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co What's Cooler Than Being Cool?
26. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Salted Caramel Stay Puft
27. Polly's Brew Co. Discount Jazz Hour
28. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Didgeridank
29. Polly's Brew Co. The Feels Vol. 2
30. Polly's Brew Co. Simcoe Mosaic IPA
31. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Dark Cherry & Chocolate Barleywine
32. Polly's Brew Co. Ekuanot Mosaic Double IPA
33. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive And Dulce
34. Polly's Brew Co. Who Knew?
35. Polly's Brew Co. Petal
36. Polly's Brew Co. Kyra
37. Polly's Brew Co. The Feels
38. Polly's Brew Co Citra Ekuanot India Pale Ale
39. Polly's Brew Co. Rock the Bit
40. Polly's Brew Co.Cassie
41. Polly's Brew Co. El Dorado Mosaic India Pale Ale
42. Polly's Brew Co. Citra Columbus India Pale Ale
43. Polly's Brew Co. Phase Shift
44. Polly's Brew Co Citra Simcoe India Pale Ale
45. Polly's Brew Co Citra Mosaic India Pale Ale
46. Polly's Brew Co Here We Are, Again
47. Polly's Brew Co Fickle
48. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co Chocolate Stay Puft
49. Polly's Brew Co. Citra Double IPA
50. Polly's Brew Co An Original Mix

Polly's Brewery dominating there with Tiny Rebel coming up second

According to Untappd "A beer must have 150 ratings or more to qualify for this list".

Untapped also produce a list of top breweries in Wales, according to them "A brewery must have at least 1,000 ratings and at least 5 beers in their portfolio to qualify for this list." Their top Welsh breweries are:

1. Polly's Brew Co.
2. Dog's Window Brewery
3. Lucky 7 Beer Co
4. Crafty Devil Brewing Co
5. BeerRiff
6. Wild Horse Brewing Co
7. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co
8. Top Rope Brewing
9. Tenby Brewing Co
10. Rival Brewing Co.
11. PIPES™
12. Lines Brew Co.
13. Hopcraft Brewing
14. Wilderness Brewery
15. Newtown, Powys Wales
16. Grey Trees Brewery
17. The Waen Brewery
18. Gwynt y Ddraig
19. Cwrw Cader
20.  Heavy Industry Brewing
21. Geipel Brewing
22. Purple Moose Brewery (Bragdy Mŵs Piws)
23. Velvet Owl Brewing Co.
24. Brew Monster
25. Lithic Brewing
26. Llangorse, Brecon Wales
27. Untapped Brewing Company
28. Mad Dog Brewing Co
29. Penperlleni, Monmouthshire Wales
30. Gower Brewery
31. Mantle
32. Glamorgan Brewing Co
33. Cwrw Llŷn
34. Tenby Harbwr Brewery
35. Cwrw Ial Community Brewing Company
36. Hallets
37. Hafod Brewing Company
38. Bragdy Twt Lol
39. Big Hand Brewing Co
40. Caffle Brewery
41.  Kingstone Brewery
42. Tintern, Monmouthshire Wales
43. Pixie Spring Brewery
44. VOG Brewery
45. Tomos & Lilford
46.  Mumbles Brewery
47. Conwy Brewery
48. Great Orme Brewery
49. Bragdy Nant Brewery
50. Tudor Brewery
51.  Bluestone Brewing Co.
52. Tomos Watkin and Sons Ltd.
53. Swansea, Wales Wales
54. Brewhouse & Kitchen - Cardiff
55. Cold Black Label

Once again, over at Beer Advocate, no Welsh beers make it into the top 100 but for the first time they do now have a top list of Welsh beers:

1. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Hadouken
2. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Stay Puft
3. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Clwb Tropicana
4. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Cali
5. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Urban IPA, Not brewed for a few years!
6. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co.Cwtch
7. Purple Moose Brewery Dark Side Of The Moose
8. Hurns Brewing Co Tomos Watkin's Cwrw Hâf
9. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co.Dirty Stop Out
10. Brains Dark
11. Felinfoel Brewery Co. Thames Welsh ESB
12. English Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB) -
13. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co The Full Nelson
14. .Hurns Brewing Co Tomos Watkin Old Style Bitter 
15. Otley Brewing Company O9 Blonde
16. Brains Original Stout
17. Hurns Brewing Co Tomos Watkin's Cwrw Braf
18. Brains Bitter
19. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. FUBAR
20. Brains Craft Brewery Boilermaker
21. Purple Moose Brewery Snowdonia Ale (Cwrw Eryri)
22. English Pale Mild Ale
23. Brains The Rev. James
24. Brains Craft Brewery Barry Island IPA 6% version, was 5% last time I tried it
25. Brains SA Gold
26. Brains Black
27. Brains SA
28. Felinfoel Brewery Co.Double Dragon
29. Tiny Rebel Brewing Co. Frambuzi 
30. Conwy Brewery Welsh Pride 

The Beer Advocate list does seem to be out-of-date, with beers that have not been brewed for years on it, and the sadly gone Otley Brewery appearing on it.

Lastly to CAMRA, who once again are trying their best to hide the winners of their Champion Beer of Wales competition, with out-of-date information and broken links on their national website and a non-functioning local website. Again no press release of the winners was issued. Anyway, enough moaning about that increasingly sleazy and irrelevant organisation and here are their 2019 winners:

Mild
Winner – Rhymney Brewery, Dark
Runner Up – Facer’s Brewery, Mountain Mild

Old Ale/Strong Mild
Winner – The Untapped Brewing Company, Ember
Runner Up – Purple Moose Brewery/Bragdy Mŵs Piws, Dark Side of the Moose

Porter
Winner – Grey Trees Brewery, Valley Porter
Runner Up – Tiny Rebel Brewing Co., Stay Puft

Stout
Winner – Boss Brewing Company, Black
Runner Up – MadDog BrewingCo, Stouty McStout Face

Strong Bitters
Winner – Grey Trees Brewery, Afghan Pale Ale
Runner Up – Montys Brewery, Mischief

Bitter
Winner – Rhymney Brewery, Hobby Horse

Best Bitter
Winner – Glamorgan Brewing Co., Jemima’s Pitchfork
Runner Up – Cwrw Ial Community Brewing Company, Kia Kaha!

Golden Ale
Winner – Grey Trees Brewery, Digger’s Gold

Speciality Ale
Winner – Mumbles Brewery Ltd, Oystermouth Stout