Great Welsh Beer Festival Guide 2015

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03The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

Welcome

Welcome to the

Bore da - or if you were here last night aswell - prynhawn da!

We offer you a warm welcome to the 2015Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival, organ-ised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, in our new venue The Depot, Cardiff’s hottestnew street food and events venue. For the2015 festival we have sourced a terrific rangeof Welsh beers and ciders together with aothers from further afield to sample and arange of great food stalls.

It's been a great year for the Welsh brewingindustry with Newport’s own Tiny Rebel win-ning CAMRA’S Champion Beer of Britain withCwtch and a Bronze Medal for Dirty Stop Outin the Japanese International Beer Awards.Cardiff’s own award winning BullmastiffBrewery was sold to Andy and his wifeRamphai after Bob and Paul retired and thebrewery is again producing fantastic beers forthe local area. Hopcraft / Pixie SpringBrewery Ltd also opened an enterprising newale bar called the Hopbunker opposite CardiffCastle.

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, voluntary organisation cam-paigning for real ale, community pubs andconsumer rights. We currently have over170,000 members across the world and havebeen described as one of the most successful

consumer campaigns in Europe. If you areinterested in joining, please talk to our volunteer staff on the membership stand.

The GWBCF is entirely run by CAMRA volunteers who band together to form anorganising committee each year to make theGWBCF a reality. The festival will only continueif we can get more people to volunteer atour event and join the organising committee. We offer deputy roles to all our committeepositions and full training on areas such asbar management, with our bar manager KeithJenkins being an accredited CAMRA bar managertrainer. If you able to assist us in continuing theGWBCF into the future please do try andattend the inaugural meeting for the 2016GWBCF committee and express your support.

A massive thank you to everyone on theorganising committee, and all those whohave volunteered to help at the festival, without your dedication and hard work thefestival would not exist.

Finally, this years charity is the Civil AidVoluntary Rescue Association, please be generous with any unused beer tokens anddonate them to this worthy cause.

Iechyd da,Alex Simmens

GWBCF 2015 Festival Organiser

2015 Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival

StartersPork & Chorizo terrine

Spiced pumpkin soup (v)Beetroot and broccoli tart (v)

MainsTurkey wrapped in parma ham, sage

and cranberry stuffing, roasties,parsnip croquette, proper gravy

& seasonal vegetables

Blue cheese and cranberry nut roast,roasties, parsnip croquette, proper

gravy & seasonal vegetables (v)

Slow cooked shin of Welsh Beef,horseradish mash, red wine roasted

mushroom, Yorkshire pudding, & redwine gravy

Slow roast pork belly with orange &star anise, steamed rice and oriental

greens

Seafood lasagne

Christmas salad

DessertSalted caramel cheesecake

Warm Christmas pudding and brandysauce

Baileys and Chocolate roulade

Passion fruit pavlova (with Christmas spcied meringue)

Welsh Cheeseboard, Christmas chutney & crackers

Freshly based mince pies

Christmas Menu2 courses £16.95 3 courses £19.95

Opening Hours:Christmas Eve: Normal hours

(11:00-23:00) Food during daytime only

Christmas Day: ClosedBoxing Day: Open evening only

17:00- 23:00 (No food)New Years Eve: Open til late!

Special NYE menuNew Years Day: Closed

New Years Eve 2015

Gav’s special new year’s evemenu- pre booked only 7-9pm

Selected bar menu til lateDJ • Open til late

Festival VenueThe festival is held at The Depot, 22 DumballsRd, Cardiff CF10 5FE. DEPOT is an adaptable,versatile and imaginative space and the natural home of Cardiff’s most creative pop-upevents; food, drink, music and more.

Opening TimesThursday 5th November 12noon - 11pmFriday 6th November 11am - 11pmSaturday 7th November 11am - 11pm

PriceEntry price £5, includes FREEsouvenir glass and beer list. CAMRA membersget a free half pint.

Directions by BusFrom the city centre, Cardiff Bus Service 1leaves Stop JF in Canal Street on Thursday andFriday at 20 and 50 minutes past each houruntil 1450 then at 1525, 1555, 1625, 1650,1725, 1800 and 1900. On Saturday it leaveshourly until 1720 then at 1800 and 1900. Italso picks up behind Central Station at StopLC in Penarth Road a minute or so later.

Service 2 returns to the city centre onThursday and Friday at 05 and 35 minutespast each hour until 1505 then 1538, 1614,

1649, 1719. 1742. 1809, 1842, 1900, 2002and 2040. On Saturday it runs hourly until1810 then at 1902, 1940 and 2040.

Services 1 and 2 are circular routes with 1 running clockwise and 2 running anti-clock-wise around many parts of Cardiff and there-fore may be used to travel for example fromCanton to and from the festival without passing through the city centre. Contact CardiffBus for further details, for information aboutfares and to check for possible changes. Notethat Cardiff Bus has an "exact fare only" policy.

Walking from Central StationLeave Cardiff Central Station through thesouthern exit (Platform 7 side). Walk acrossthe carpark to the road junction south of it.Cross over the road and continue South downTresillian Terrace (to the right of it is the LloydsBank offices.). Keep walking down TresillianTerrace, you will see an office block calledfusion point on the left and a plumbing supplywarehouse on the right after which the roadwill turn to the left. After you pass two moreside streets on the left you will come to theDepot.

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

05

06 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

ABBEY BathBellringer ?%Pale, hoppy with a citrus finish, refreshing

BAYS PaigntonGold 4.3%Golden, hoppy with a citrus/lemon finish

BIG BOG GwyneddQuagmire 6.0%Rich body, good balance and butterness, deep cop-per colour.

BIG HAND WrexhamSeren 3.9%Rich gold, malt, fruit and hops flavour.

Domino 4.4%A black stout with rich malt ,coffee and roastflavours.

Havok 5.0%American Pale Ale style, grapefruit, hoppy and richwith a bitter finish.

BLUESTONE PembrokeshirBedrock Blonde 4.5%Straw colour, German and Czech hops, creamy andeasy drinking.

BOROUGH ARMS NeathIron Runner 4.3%Pale brown, malt and hop finish.

BOSS SwanseaBrave 5.5%Tasty American Pale Ale style with a Welsh twist

BRAINS CardiffRev Jame Rye 4.5%Classic best bitter style, smooth, rounded, a hint ofrye and spice

Seasonal 4.0%

Dark 3.5%Award winning classic dark mild, dark malts,caramel and liqourice.

BRECON BreconWelsh Beacons 3.7%Traditional pale Welsh bitter, malts with a refreshinghop finish.

Gold Beacons 4.2%Deep gold, a satisfying blend of malt and hops.

Red Beacons 5.0%Award winning complex, tasty IPA with a red hue.

BRISTOL BEER FACTORY BristolIndependence 4.6%Hoppy aroma, malt and fruit flavours lead to a bit-ter hoppy finish

BRYNCELYN YstalyferaBuddy Marvelous 4.0%Dark, complex blend of malt, hop, fruit with balanc-ing bitterness.

BULLMASTIFF CardiffSon of a Bitch 6.0%Well known, rich and complex strong beer.

BUTCOMBE SomersetRare Breed 3.9%Clean tasting pale ale, rounded mix of flavours bar-ley from Adam's farm.

BUZZARD DenbighPale of Clwyd 3.8%Golden, hoppy with a citrus/lemon finish

CADER DolgellauCader Gold 4.2%Light golden hoppy ale, hops with a touch of lemonand citrus

CAFFLE NarbethQuay Ale 3.8%Distinctive Ale, copper colour and pleasing balance.

THE BEER LIST

The following is a list of the beers which wehope to have on sale during the festival. Sincegoing to press there may be a few changes tothe beer list due to flooding, anthropomorphicglobal warming, war, famine and/or religiousholidays. Changes to the list will be published

on the bars, on the membership stands andon the Festival website. Not all the beers willbe on at once, some may not be ready toserve, others may have run out. Our knowl-edgeable bar staff should be able to help youout if your first choice is not available.


THE BEER LIST

CASTLES CaldicotKings Reserve 4.0%Amber, bitter sweet with a moreish finish

White Knight 4.3%Golden IPA, resinous hops, fruit and a touch ofspice.

CELT CaerphillyIron Age 4.1%Award winning bitter, pale

La Tene 3.5%Pale bitter, packed with hops, spice and fruitflavours.

Silures 3.3%Rich Munich malt, strong hop and tropical fruitflavours, award winning.

CERDDIN MaestegCopper Hopped 4.6%Pale, easy drinking rounded blend of malt andhops.

Solar 4.1%With a red hue, Bramling Cross hops give a fruity,blackberry finish.

CHEDDAR CheddarPotholer 4.0%Golden, zesty hops, hoppy finish.

CONWY ConwyClogwyn Gold 4.3%Golden, thirst quenching, tropical fruit and gentlebitterness.

CWM RHONDDA RhonddaTommy Box 3.6%Amber with malt and fruit and a balancing bitterfinish.

CWRW IAL EryrysLimestone Cowboy 4.1%Copper colour, a blend of hops and malt with ahoppy finish.

Pothole Porter 4.5%Traditional Porter, rich dark malts and hops.

Kia Kaha 5.1%Pale hoppy beer, tropical fruits and complex hopflavours

CWRW LLEU PenygroesLleu 4.3%Amber, traditional bitter with whole hops.

CWRW LLYN NefynY Brawd Houdini 4.0%Golden, hoppy, refreshing summer beer.

DAWKINS BristolBristol Best 4.0%All British malt and hops, malty with a biscuity bitterfinish.

Bristol Gold 3.8%Golden, refreshing beer with citrus hops.

DENBIGH DenbighCock Pit 4.5%Traditional malty, copper best bitter beer.

DORSET DorsetJurassic 4.2%Best bitter, good body and balanced citrus bitter-ness.

FACERS FlintClwyd Gold 3.5%Ruby colour, biscuity malt and balancing bitterness.

Mountain Mild 3.3%Dark beer, pleasing dark malt flavours, touch ofchocolate.

North Star Porter 4.0%Black porter with malt, liqourice, toffee, roast andbitterness

GLAMORGAN LlantrisantWelsh Pale Ale 4.1%Pale, malt and hop balance, bitterness in the finish.

Bull Ring Porter 4.7%Black porter with malt, toffee, caramel and bitter-ness.

GLASTONBURY SomertonMystery Tor 3.8%Golden, refreshing citrus hops in aroma and taste.

GOWER GowerGower Best Bitter 4.5%Amber, malt, fruit and hop bitterness.

GREAT ORME LlandudnoWelsh Gold 3.6%Golden quaffing beer with a good hop flavour.


GREAT ORME LlandudnoWelsh Black 4.2%Black, complex malts and chocolate notes, silkybody. Award winning.

Snowdon Lager 4.2%Golden, malt and hops give a clean slightly citrusfinish.

GREY TREES AberdareDiggers Gold 4.0%Award winning golden ale, good malt and hop bal-ance, lasting hop finish.

Black Road 4.1%Black beer, delicate roast, dark malt and liqourice,bittersweet finish.

JPR 4.7%Traditional Pale Ale with a good balance of maltand a hoppy finish.

HAFOD MoldHopper 4.3%Pale ale, fruity and hoppy.

Moel Fenlli 4.0%A golden ale with local welsh honey.

HAND MADE Capel DewiSir Gar 4.0%Amber, biscuit malt and hints of fruit and spice.

HANLONS DevonPort Stout 4.8%Dark, rich award winning stout with added port.

HEART OF WALES Llanwrtyd WellsHigh as a Kite 10.0%Dark, rich, complex and strong beer, award winning.

Welsh Black 4.2%Award winning dry stout with liqourice and dark malt.

HEAVY INDUSTRY HenllanNelsons Eye 4.5%Golden, hoppy with citrus and tropical fruit flavour.

Collaborator 5.0%Dark red, complex of malt flavours with hoppy bit-terness.

77 4.6%Amber IPA, strong hop flavours and bitterness.

HOPCRAFT seasonal ?%TBC

ISCA DawlishDawlish Bitter 4.2%Classic English bitter, malt and hops.

JACOBI Cothi ValeDr Harries 4.7%Dark beer, old ale style with chocolate.

KINGSTONE TinternClassic 4.5%Traditional Best bitter, malt and hop balnce with adry bitter finish.

1503 4.8%Deep chestnut, distinctive and complex maltflavours with some chocolate.

MAD DOG CwmbranBohemian Hipster 4.9%New beer with hops, lemon grass and a touch ofspice, tasty.

MCGIVERN RuabonPale Ale 3.9%Golden beer, citrus and pale malt flavours.

MILK STREET FromeFunkey Monkey 4.0%Deep gold, citrus and lemon flavours and well bal-anced.

MONTYS Hen DomenMagnitude 7.5%Rich, powerful ale, complex flavours.

Masquerade 4.6%Golden beer, citra hops and tropical fruit, glutenfree.

Midnight 4.0%Black, silky stout, roasted malts, hints of coffee andchocolate

MOUNTAIN HARE BrynnaFar Shore IPA 3.9%

MUMBLES SwanseaMumbles Mile 4.0%Pale beer, hoppy and drinkable.

Oystermouth Stout 4.4%Rich, black stout, dark and roast malt with oystersas a subtle background.

THE BEER LIST - CONTINUED

08


NEATH NeathWitch Hunter 4.2%Ruby, crystal malt, chocolate, tangy berry finish.

OTLEY CilfynyddMotley Brew O11 7.5%Full bodied IPA, packed full of flavour.

Croeso 4.0%Pale, hoppy, refreshing.

Oxymoron O10 5.5%A black IPA, American style, full of flavour.

Thai BO 4.6%Golden spiced summer beer.

PEMBROKE SaundersfootCariad 3.9%Copper colour, malt and a citrus aroma.

PILOT SwanseaGold 4.4%Tasty golden beer.

PIPES CardiffAmerican IPA 5.6%American IPA style, Amber, full bodied and power-fully hopped.

PIPES CardiffSmoked Lager 5.4%Copper, rounded with some toast and smoked maltflavours.

PURPLE MOOSE PorthmadogDark Side 4.6%Dark ale, rich malt and roast flavours with a fruitybitterness.

Ysgawen 4.0%Pale ale with cascade hops and elderflower.

RADNORSHIRE New RadnorFour Stones 4.0%Light amber with malt and Kent hops.

RCH SomersetPitchfork 4.3%Golden beer with a citrus hop aroma and flavourand pleasing bitterness.

RHYMNEY BlaenavonHobby Horse 3.8%Copper coloured traditional Welsh bitter


11


RHYMNEY BlaenavonDark 4.0%Award winning dark beer, dark malts, satisfying.

Export Light 4.6%New, amber best bitter.

SANDSTONE WrexhamTwisted Dragon 5.8%Tasty, premium pale ale with a complex mix of hopsin aroma and taste.

SEREN Preseli MountainsBlustone IPA 4.2%Hoppy IPA style, good hop flavour.

SKINNERS TruroGinger Tosser 3.8%Golden ale with honey and a twist of ginger.

SNOWDONIA GwyneddCarmen Sutra 4.4%Pale brown, tasty mix of malt flavours with a bitterhop finish

SOUTH HAMS DevonEddystone 4.8%Golden IPA with hoppy fruit flavours

STONEHENGE NetheravonDanish Dynamite 5.0%A light gold beer with well balanced hop and fruitflavours

SUMMERSKILLS PlymouthWestward Ho 4.1%Golden amber, fruity with a hop and fruity finish.

SURFING MONKEY CardiffOffshore Howler 4.0%A wheat beer, pale with fruit, corriander andorange.

SWANSEA GowerThree Cliffs Gold 4.7%Golden, crisp hop bitterness, citrus, grapefruit andlemon.

Deep Slade 4.0%Black beer, pleasing mix of dark malt, roast and bit-terness.

TENBY TenbyBarefoot Blonde 4.6%Pale, complex grain/malt flavours and hop flavours.

TINTAGEL TintagelArthurs Ale 4.4%Deep amber, malt with citrus hop and marmaladebackground.

TINY REBEL NewportHank 4.0%Crisp, refreshing hoppy beer, pale in colour.

Cwtch 4.6%Red hue, tasty blend of caramel malts and citrushop flavours. Champion Beer of Britain

Hardouken 7.4%Powerful IPA, rich, deep malt and big hop flavours.

Loki 4.5%Black IPA, crisp hop flavours balance the dark maltwith tropical fruit.

TOMOS A LILFORD Llantwit MajorGaucho 5.0%Brewed to celebrate Welsh people settling inPatagonia. IPA with Argentinian hops

TOMOS WATKIN SwanseaBlodwens Beer 5.0%Golden beer with delicate citrus notes.

TUDOR AbertilleryBlorenge 3.8%Pale ale with citrus hop flavour and easy drinkingbalance.,

IPA 4.0%Golden, sharp hoppy IPA with grapefruit.

TWISTED OAK N. SomersetFallen Tree 3.8%Pale amber, hoppy aroma, malt and fruity finish.

BRAGDY TWT LOL TreforestGlog 4.0%Amber with a red hue, complex malts, balancinghops, name from local folklore.

TYDWALS BreconTBC ?%

UNTAPPED RaglanBorder Bitter 3.8%Amber session beer with rounded flavours and agood hop punch.



UNTAPPED RaglanSundown 4.0%Burnished gold, refreshing, sweet hop aroma, dryhoppy finish.

VALE OF GLAMORGAN BarryDark Matter 4.4%Dark Porter with dark malts and hints of blackcur-rant.

Dakota Red 4.5%A tasty red ale, complex malt and hop flavours.

WAEN LlanidloesPamplemouse 4.2%Pale with vibrant citrus & grapefruit flavours,refreshing

Festival Gold 4.2%Golden, crisp citrus flavour and lasting hoppiness.

WESSEX WiltshireMerrie Mink 4.2%Full flavoured best bitter with hoppy aroma.

WYE VALLEY Stoke LacyHPA 4.0%Pale gold beer, citrus hop aroma and flavour, mod-erate bitter finish, well balanced.

Wholesome Stout 4.6%Award winning classic stout, rounded dark malt,roast, coffee and hops.

Autumn Devil 4.8%Deep red, warming malts and spices, an autumnspecial.

YEOVIL YeovilSummerset 4.1%Rounded blonde ale, tangerine hop flavour.


Brewers of Traditional AlePurveyors of Guest Beer

PG SteamGold Award winner at the

British Beer Festival

Telephone:

01934 834447Refresh yourselves with

RCH beers:- PITCHFORK

& EAST STREET CREAM


Brewed at the Joiners Arms, BishopstonFull range of our beers also available at

The Railway Inn, Killay(Swansea CAMRA Pub of the Year 2011)

Both pubs are regular Good Beer Guide Entries‘Enjoy locally brewed beer on Gower’

Tel:01792 290197

Swansea Brewing Company


The terms beer, lager, ale and bitter are oftenconfused. To help you understand what theyactually mean and how varieties of beer differfrom one another, we have described how beer isproduced and the ingredients used.

Water, grain, yeast and hopsWater is the main component of beer. Itnaturally contains dissolved salts that can affect abeer’s flavour: Soft London water makes goodstouts and the sulphur-rich waters of Burtonupon Trent are ideal for bitters.

The usual grain for brewing is malted barley.Malting involves allowing the grain to just beginto germinate, starting the process of convertingthe starch into sugar. The germination isstopped by heat. By changing the temperatureand duration of the heat, a maltster can producelight malts, medium-dark malts with caramelflavour, or dark roasted malts. Other grains canbe used, such as wheat, oats, rye or rice.Variation in the grains and malts used will alterthe colour and flavour of the finished beer.

Yeast is a single-celled organism that convertssugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas. In realale, this fermentation is the only source of gas inthe beer. The strain of yeast used can alsoinfluence the beer’s flavour profile, and manybreweries will guard their particular strain ofyeast carefully.

Hops are the flowers of a climbing plant and areused in almost all beers made today. They

provide both bitterness and flavour. There aredozens of varieties of hops and the way they areused contributes to the beer's flavour.

What is the difference between ale,beer and lager?These days, beer can refer to any style of ale or lager. In the past, ale meant a brew without hops,and beer one with hops. Now that hops arealmost universal, ale generally refers to beerproduced by 'top fermentation'. This isfermentation with a yeast that floats on top of theliquid, at temperatures up to 22°C – this createsthe rich variety of flavours. After primaryfermentation, the ale undergoes a slow secondaryfermentation in a cask. As it matures, the beerdevelops its flavour and a light natural carbonation.

Lager is produced by bottom fermentation at lowertemperatures (6–14°C). It is then stored for severalweeks or months at close to freezing, during whichtime the lager matures. Most mass-produced UKlagers are matured for very short periods.

What is real ale?Real ale is a beer brewed from traditionalingredients (malted barley, hops, water andyeast), matured by secondary fermentation inthe container from which it is dispensed, andserved without the use of extraneous carbondioxide gas.

Real ale should be served at cellar temperature(11–14°C), so the flavour of the beer can be best

What is

All about the beer!

appreciated. You can recognise real ale in a pubas it is usually served using a handpump,although a number of pubs sell the beer straightfrom the cask using nothing but gravity – as atthis festival.

Real ale is also known as cask conditioned beer,real cask ale, real beer and naturally conditionedbeer. The term real ale and the above definitionwere coined by CAMRA in the early 1970s.

What is the difference between realale and keg beer?Keg beer undergoes the same primaryfermentation as real ale but after that stage it isfiltered and/or pasteurised. No furtherconditioning takes place. The beer lacks anynatural carbonation that would have beenproduced by the secondary fermentation and socarbon dioxide has to be added artificially. Thiscan lead to an overly gassy product.

What is craft beer?There is no definition of craft beer. Generally itimplies a beer from a smaller brewery with anemphasis on flavour, rather than a bland mass-market product. Craft beer has its origins in theUS microbrewery world – our foreign beer barhas some fine examples from that side of theAtlantic. Many real ales are craft beer.

What are bitter, mild, stout and porter?Ale style beers can be broken down further intovarious styles, although many beers are hard tofit into one of these categories. We’ve chosen afew examples for each style.

Milds are not very bitter and may be dark orlight. Although generally of a lower strength(less than 4%) they can also be strong. Flavourcomes from the malt so there is often a littlesweetness.

Bitter is the most common beer style. Usuallybrown, tawny, copper or amber coloured, withmedium to strong bitterness. Light to medium

malt character may be present. Bitters arenormally up to 4% alcohol, whereas best bittersare above 4%.

Golden ales are a relative newcomer, havingfirst appeared in the 1980s. These are paleamber, gold, yellow or straw coloured beers withlight to strong bitterness and a strong hopcharacter that creates a refreshing taste. Thestrength is generally less than 5.5%.

India pale ale (IPA) originally appeared in theearly 19th century, and has enjoyed a resurgencein the past few years. First brewed in Londonand Burton upon Trent for the colonial market,IPAs were strong in alcohol and high in hops.So-called IPAs with strengths of around 3.5% arenot true IPAs. Look for juicy malt, citrus fruitand a big spicy, peppery bitter hop character,with strengths of 5% to much more. The recentappearance of ‘Black IPAs’ has confused many,since they are definitely not pale.

Porters and stouts are complex in flavour andtypically black or dark brown. The darknesscomes from the use of dark malts. These fullbodied beers generally have a pronounced bitterfinish. Historically a stout would have been anystronger beer, but the term evolved to mean astrong porter beer. In modern usage, the twoterms are used almost interchangeably, althoughstouts tend to have a roast character and be lesssweet than porters. They are usually 4–8% instrength.

Barley wines range in colour from copper totawny and dark brown. They may have a highsweetness due to residual sugars although somebarley wines are fermented right out to give a dryfinish. They have an almost vinous appearance inthe glass and may have a strength of up to 12%.The fruity characteristics are balanced by amedium to assertive bitterness.


18

CIDER AND PERRY LIST

Once again at the Great Welsh Beer & CiderFestival we aim to bring you the best real cidersand perries that are available. As well as ourown fantastic producers from Wales we are fea-turing ciders from as far away as Lancashire andeven Scotland as well as old favourites fromSomerset and Herefordshire. Some of our pro-ducers are very small, producing only a fewhundred gallons a year, others started small andare now large makers but the same amount ofcare and consideration is shown in making thelarge amounts as is in the small amounts.

We should have ciders to everyone's taste andpalette here; from sweet to extra dry butremember one makers medium could beanother makers sweet so at the Festival we willbe using a scoring system marked on the labelswith 1 for extra sweet and 12 for extra dry.

Don't forget to try our perries as well, madefrom pears in the same way cider is made fromapples. Perry pear trees take a long time togrow and can live for hundreds of years, alsothe flavours are a lot more subtle than youwould find in cider.

Cider and Perry

BARTESTREE CIDER CO.Bartestree, HerefordshireKatyPerryBLAENGAWNEY CIDERHafodyrynys, CrumlinHeart BreakerNational TreasurePerryPX - Limited Edition

BRECON CIDERBwlch, BrecknockshireBeast of the BeaconsBlack Mountains BeautySugar Loaf Seidr

CAREY ORGANICSCarey, Herefordshire

To be confirmedTo be confirmed

CLEEVE ORCHARDRoss on Wye, HerefordshireMediumMedium Perry

CJ’S Raglan, MonmouthshireSurpriseWench

GETHIN’S PembrokeshireHapusMelysPerenSych

GWATKINS Abbey Dore,HerefordshireFoxwhelpStoke Red

Rum CaskNo Bull

GWYNT Y DDRAIGLlantwit Fardre, Rhondda Cynon Taff

Ancient WarriorBlack DragonHappy DazeTwo Trees Perry

HENFYRYN FARMCarmarthenshireTeifi CrushLlanblethian OrchardsVale of GlamorganGlamorgan PerryOrchard Blend

OLD MONTY CIDERMontgomery, PowysHappy MediumHigh and DryOakey CokeySweet Anita

PONTYMEDDYGPembrokeshireDoctor’s OrdersPandemigShipman’s Revenge

RAGLAN CIDER MILLLlanarth, UskHanky PankyMediumSnowy OwlYellow Huffcap

ROSIE’S CIDERLlandegla, WrexhamBlack BartD SharpTriple DWicked Wasp

SEIDR O SIRDiserth, Llandrindod WellsBetwsCantrefCor Y CewriMaes Edwy

SPRINGHERNE CIDERWalford, HerefordshireBittersweet BlendEarly Pear Blend

THREE SAINTSUsk, MonmouthshireBlushDivineLemony SipitScrumpthos

TROGGIEarlswood, MonmouthshireSt TeiloTregale

TY GWYN CIDERPen Y Lan Farm, PontrilasDabinett

WILLIAMS BROTHERS CIDERCaerphillyBiffynGrowlerHookerSplanky

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 19

CIDER AND PERRY LIST

20

Unfiltered, Uncompromised & Unashamedly Real

Tel: 01291 680111Tintern, Monmouthshire NP16 7NX

www.kingstonebrewery.co.ukVISITORS WELCOME

The small community pub with the big reputation!

Serving 8 real ales and 1 real ciderBrewery Tap for McGivern Ales

NORMAL OPENING TIMESMonday to Thursday: 5pm - 11pm Friday: 4pm - 11pm

Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays: Midday - 11pm

Bridge Street, Ruabon, Wrexham LL14 6DA Tel: 01978 810 881 www.mcgivernales.co.uk

Less than

Five Minutes

walk from the

Train Station


Micro pub revolution

New research released to mark the launch of theGood Beer Guide 2016, shows 70%* of all pubsnow serve real ale, compared to just a third whenthe book was first published in 1975.

Rather than just traditional pubs going back totheir roots though, it seems a different type ofdrinking establishment is gaining momentumand getting real ale into thirsty drinkers' hands:The micropub.

The growth of micropubs - from zero ten yearsago to a predicted 200 by the end of the year -has helped to get real ale into spaces a tradition-al pub couldn’t fit, filling the gaps on our highstreets and improving choice for beer drinkers.

Roger Protz, Editor of the Good Beer Guide 2016says: “Micropubs prove the old saying that ‘smallis beautiful’. Many of them are based in disusedbuildings, they have low overheads and can offerbeer at sharper prices than many traditionalpubs. They have carved out a new relationshipbetween drinkers, publicans and brewers.”

The first micropub, the Butcher’s Arms in Herne,Kent, is based, as the name suggests, in an oldbutcher’s shop. It was launched 10 years ago byMartyn Hillier, who was named CAMRA’sCampaigner of the Year for 2015 for his inspira-tional work in launching the MicropubAssociation and encouraging beer lovers to opensmall pubs in empty premises.

Hillier says there are well over 150 micropubs in theUK - all of which serve real – and that he expectsthis to grow to over 200 by the end of 2015.

“Micropubs go back full-circle to how pubs usedto be, when people actually talked to one anoth-er. If you get fifteen people together in a niceenvironment then conversations are going tospark.” But Martyn is keen to stress that beer isequally important too “The quality of beer is par-allel to the conversation and is the reason people

visit in the first place – real ale is central to every-thing for us.”

The pub’s beer casks are mounted in the oldbutcher’s freezer room, where there's room forjust eight casks. Overhead’s are minimal and thebiggest start-up investment was installing air con-ditioning to keep the beer fresh and cool, takingthe total spend on the pub to just £5,000.

The single room pub has space for 10 people sit-ting and 20 standing. “The record number of cus-tomers has been 37 – and that was like beingon a London Tube train!” Martyn says.

The success of the Butcher’s Arms quicklyspawned more micro-pubs in Kent. Herne Baynow has two while Margate has three and Doverfour. A former funeral parlour in St Peter's nearBroadstairs lives up to its roots by specialising inholding wakes.

Prices are also kept keen by the low overheadsand customers are involved in choosing whatappears on the bar by requesting beers for thepub to order, with a focus on locally sourcedmicro-brewery beers.

Editor Roger Protz adds: "Micropubs are appear-ing like mushrooms at dawn and are offeringbeer lovers choice, keen prices and convivialmeeting places. They now exist as far north asNorthumbria, across into Lancashire, in Walesand the West Country.”

The first micropub in Wales was reportedly theMumbeles Ale House (mumblesalehouse.co.uk)opened in 2014 by Rod Undy and KarenMcGeoch.

*Research conducted using CAMRA's WhatPubdatabase and CGA-CAMRA Pub Tracker.There are 53,444 pubs in the UK, of which37,356 serve real ale. This equates to 69.89%.


Micropubs leading the way

22

A few years ago the real ale scene in Cardiffwas average to say the least, we had a plentyof Brains and Wetherspoons pubs but very lit-tle else. Then on Westgate Street, some eightyears ago, Zerodegrees opened their brewpubin what is now the Craft Beer Quarter of theCity. We are now spoilt for choice in the Citywith outlets from breweries such as TinyRebel, Brewdog, Waen and Hopcraft as well asBrains who refurbished the Irish pub KittyFlynn's into the Cambrian Tap.

Alongside the new wave of pub openings wehave the more traditional pubs now offering agreater range of real ales and ciders than everbefore. The Queens Vaults on Westgate Street,next door to Zerodegrees, has won the ‘Ciderpub of the Year’ award from the local branchof CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale andoffers customers an extensive range of chilleddraught ciders from behind the bar counter aswell as a good selection of real ales. TheGatekeeper, a JD Wetherspoons pub on

Westgate Street differs from most other pubsfrom that chain as they have a large selectionof real ciders to choose from there.

The pubs belonging to SA Brain in the centreof the City now all showcase their craft aleswith the City Arms, Goat Major and Cottagetogether with the Cambrian Tap being theirbest outlets.

The Urban Tap House, also on Westgate Streetis run by Tiny Rebel Brewery and offers a dedi-cated cider bar in the City as well as a rangeof real ales, craft ales and bottled beers. TinyRebel Brewery won Champion Beer of Britainearlier this year and the Urban Tap House wasa joint winner in the Cardiff CAMRA Pub of theYear Award 2015.

The Cardiff beer scene has even envelopedthe older pubs as well, the historic RummerTavern, situated opposite the castle walls features a good range of draught beers and

PUBS IN CARDIFF

Cardif f :A City for Beer and Cider


23

PUBS IN CARDIFF

it’s sister pub, the Flute and Tankard onWindsor Place, opposite Wetherspoons CentralBar, is also worth seeking out.

At the back of the St David’s 2 shopping complex, on an almost forgotten shortcutnamed Barrack Lane, stands the GravityStation, Cardiff and possibly Wales’ smallestpub. Here the Waen Brewery of Llanidloes selltheir real ales and guests alongside a largeselection of bottles to take away or drink onsite. The Gravity Station in Cardiff is so suc-cessful that Waen Brewery have openedanother pub/off-license in Swansea, just offWind Street.

Cardiff’s newest pub is the Hopbunker, locatedin a basement that was previously Barfly butbefore that had been the Rose & Crown andCoopers. Run by the Hopcraft/Pixie SpringBrewery of Pontyclun the Hopbunker offers arange of beers from their own brewery as wellas guests.

The City Centre beer scene is looking betterthan ever but the suburbs of Cardiff shouldnot be forgotten either as in Canton standsthe joint Cardiff CAMRA Pub of the Year 2015,the Lansdowne, which offers a large selectionof excellent real ales.

Plenty of choice and plenty of pubs to choosefrom, Cardiff is now a City for beer and cider!


Cambrian Tap

Rummer Tavern


CAVRA was born as a result of an incident thatoccurred during the storms and floods that affectedSouth Wales at the end of October 1998. We are avolunteer organisation that acts as a back-up forthe emergency services during incidents such assearch and rescue, storms and flooding.

Obviously such an organisation would not be commercially viable, but a volunteer organisationhas many benefits. After considerable discussionswith a wide range of people we approached the ValeCentre for Voluntary Services (VCVS) in Barry, as aresult the Cardiff and Vale Rescue Association (CAVRA),was born. This was changed to the Civil Aid VoluntaryRescue Association (CAVRA) about 2 years ago.

Over the next few years we applied for funding, formore equipment and were successful in getting amajor grant from the Community Facilities andActivities Programme (CFAP) of just under£80000.00, which allowed us to purchase a RescueBoat for Cardiff Bay, a 4x4 Land Rover vehicle, andan amphibious all-terrain vehicle, as well as a sub-stantial amount of First Aid equipment, including 3First Responder back-packs complete withDefibrillators and Oxygen, we also bought line res-cue equipment for use on slippery surfaces.

We also became involved in a scheme calledEuropean Gateway, in which, we were contractedto take people from disadvantaged groups ( Thosenot in Education, Employment or Training, as wellas over 50’s, Single parents, ethnic minorities andso on.) and give them basic skills and qualifications,which, hopefully would enable them to gainemployment. We reached our target, many of thegroup gained first aid and swift water rescue tech-nician certificates, and over half went on to gain fulltime employment, this gave us additional fundingof £25000.00.

Due to the low number of call outs for missing persons, we decided to concentrate our efforts ofWater Rescue, with several members becomingeither First Responders (Water), and other Swiftand Flood Water Rescue Technicians.

Having completed this training we become part ofthe DEFRA National Asset register, and form part ofthe National response to flooding incidents, provid-ing assistance in the Vale of Glamorgan, and also atthe Somerset levels. We are now part of an allWales Flood Rescue forum and attend meetingwith our colleagues from other rescue services on aregular basis.

CAVRA is currently a “C” type team, (7 man teamwith a non-powered boat), However, we are hopingto become a “B” type team (7 man team with a POWERED Boat) by the end of 2015. All of our FirstResponders and Technicians have recently renewedtheir certificates, or gained new ones. We are seekingfunding for an engine with prop-guard for our 10man flood rescue boat, a prop-guard for our existing boat, and GPS equipment.

Whilst it is possible to secure funding for trainingand some items of new equipment, our greatestproblem is raising “revenue” funding, which coversour other operating costs such as Employers &Public Liability Insurance, Insurance for equipmentand vehicles, as well as maintenance and fuel. It isestimated that it costs us about £8000-£10000 ayear before we leave base. All this money has to beRaised by shaking tins outside local supermarket,applying to local authorities and businesses forgrants or donations, and providing cover at localevents such as Parades, Fun Days etc.

Most of our work currently comes from the Policeand Health Authorities during Snow and Floodingevents, during the last snow incident 2 years agowe rescued over 100 persons and traveled some3000 miles in arduous conditions.

CAVRA was established to provide assistance during:- Searches for Missing Persons on Land and Water, Adverse Weather conditions such as Storms, Floods,Snow, and Drought etc.

All our services are available 24 hours a day, 365days a year and are free of charge, however, dona-tions are always welcome.

FESTIVAL CHARITY

CAVRA, Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association


This year at the GWBCF we have pulled out allthe stops and arranged to have a great selectionof mouthwatering food stalls for you to enjoy.

We have snack stalls including our oldfavourites Cowleys Fine Foods who were sorelymissed at last years GWBCF by many of thestaff offering their usual fare of jerkies, fruitleathers and other goodies as well as PurelyPickled Eggs offering their delectable range ofpickled eggs with flavours such as spicy ciderand chilli whose family members also helpmake Parmers Upland Cyder from Newport -it's a small world we know! Olives and Things,one of our Motorpoint Arena regulars are alsoreturning with their selection of tasty marinat-ed olives, nuts and other deli treats..

We have the stunning Meat and Greek tradition-al Greek BBQ stall who have been wowingcrowds at food festivals over South Wales allsummer. For those people wanting a traditionalspot of festival grub the awsome GlamorganVale Hog Roast are having a stall with us offeringtraditional hog roast rolls made from their awardwinning herd of heritage pigs. The SpanishGourmet are selling hearty traditional Spanishpaella, a perfect filling meal to enjoy while 'qual-ity controlling' our many drinks on offer.

If you want a healthy, tasty meal why not try TheParsnipship whose range of imaginative vegetarianand vegan food has won fans with both vegetar-ians and meat eaters all over the country.

After all that why not treat yourself and have

some flavoured chocolates from our friends atMerry Berry Truffles and Chocolates we recom-mend the chilli and lime flavour but be warnedtheir XXX Burning hot chilli chocolate is not forthe faint hearted!

Cowleys Fine FoodsA range of meat Jerky (dried marinated stripsof meat), fruit leathers and vegetarian snacks.

The Spanish GourmetTraditional Spanish paella.

Glamorgan Vale Hog RoastTraditional British hog roasts.

Meat and GreekTraditional Greek BBQ stall of marinated meatscooked over a charcoal fire served in flatbreads.

Merry Berry ChocolatesArtisan chocolates with a great range of flavours.

Purely Pickled EggsDelicious pickled eggs in a range of flavours.

The ParsnipshipStunning range of vegetarian and vegan meals.

Streetfood Vendors


The Campaign for Real Ale is the leading consumerorganisation that campaigns for real ale and therights of those who drink it. CAMRA’s membershipis drawn from across the world and now stands atmore than 170,000, many thousands of whom volunteer large quantities of their time in further-ance of CAMRA’s aims. As an independent bodywe represent the consumers, not the businessinterests of any brewery or trade organisation.

Cardiff branch brings this campaigning to a locallevel, participating in national campaigns as well aslocal campaigns of our own. We work with localbreweries and pub companies, licensing and plan-ning bodies, the Police and the Welsh Assembly tohelp ensure that the pub remains at the heart ofcommunity, representing the best opportunity forresponsible drinking.

Cardiff branch is the largest branch in SouthWales, totalling over five hundred members, eachof whom are welcome to participate in the busi-ness of the branch. Only by their vote do pubsenter the Good Beer Guide, or do beers enter theChampion Beer of Britain competition. Theyalone select annually our Pub of the Year, choos-ing from the hundreds of pubs in the Cardiffarea. The branch is also socially active, regularlyorganising trips and visits to breweries, pubs andother places of interest.

The branch forms part of the Wales region andwe work closely with our neighbours, especiallytowards the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festivalwhich is hosted in the city each year.

National BeerScoring SystemHave you ever wondered how pubs are selectedfor the CAMRA Good Beer Guide?

Scoring beer in pubs is really easy!The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a0-5 (0 = No cask ale available) point scale forjudging beer quality in pubs.

It is an easy to use system that has beendesigned to assist CAMRA branches in select-ing pubs for the Good Beer Guide and alsomonitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRAmembers from any part of the world to reportbeer quality on any pub in the UK. If you are aCAMRA member, we want you to tell us aboutthe quality of beer in the pubs you visit.

How do I score my beer?To submit your scores just visit whatpub.com.Log into the site using your CAMRA member-ship number and password. Once you haveagreed to the terms and conditions and founda pub on the site, you can start scoring.You can find out more herehttp://whatpub.com/beerscoring

What do I need to record?• The location and name of the pub (WhatPubmobile can work this out!)• The date you visited the pub• A score out of 5• The name of the beer

What do the scores mean?0. No cask ale available.1. Poor. Beer that is anything from barelydrinkable to drinkable with considerableresentment.

2. Average. Competently kept, drinkable pintbut doesn't inspire in any way, not worth mov-ing to another pub but you drink the beerwithout really noticing.

3. Good. Good beer in good form. You maycancel plans to move to the next pub. Youwant to stay for another pint and may seekout the beer again.

4. Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition.

5. Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likelyto find. A seasoned drinker will award thisscore very rarely.

ABOUT CARDIFF CAMRA

Great Welsh Beer Festival Guide 2015

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Transcript of Great Welsh Beer Festival Guide 2015