Great Welsh Beer Festival Guide 2015

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Welcome

Welcome to the 2015 Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival Bore da - or if you were here last night as well - prynhawn da!

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

It's been a great year for the Welsh brewing industry with Newport’s own Tiny Rebel winning CAMRA’S Champion Beer of Britain with Cwtch and a Bronze Medal for Dirty Stop Out in the Japanese International Beer Awards.

Cardiff’s own award winning Bullmastiff Brewery was sold to Andy and his wife Ramphai after Bob and Paul retired and the brewery is again producing fantastic beers for the local area. Hopcraft / Pixie Spring Brewery Ltd also opened an enterprising new ale bar called the Hopbunker opposite Cardiff Castle.

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, voluntary organisation campaigning for real ale, community pubs and consumer rights. We currently have over 170,000 members across the world and have been described as one of the most successful

consumer campaigns in Europe. If you are interested 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 an organising committee each year to make the GWBCF a reality. The festival will only continue if we can get more people to volunteer at our event and join the organising committee.

We offer deputy roles to all our committee positions and full training on areas such as bar management, with our bar manager Keith Jenkins being an accredited CAMRA bar manager trainer. If you able to assist us in continuing the GWBCF into the future please do try and attend the inaugural meeting for the 2016 GWBCF committee and express your support.

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

Finally, this years charity is the Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association, please be generous with any unused beer tokens and donate them to this worthy cause.

Iechyd da,

Alex Simmens GWBCF 2015 Festival Organiser

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 03

Opening Hours: Christmas Eve: Normal hours (11:00-23:00) Food during day time only Christmas Day: Closed Boxing Day: Open evening only 17:00- 23:00 (No food) New Years Eve: Open til late!

Special NYE menu New Years Day: Closed

New Years Eve 2015 Gav’s special new year’s eve menu- pre booked only 7-9pm Selected bar menu til late DJ • Open til late

Christmas Menu 2 courses £16.95 Starters Pork & Chorizo terrine Spiced pumpkin soup (v) Beetroot and broccoli tart (v) Mains Turkey wrapped in parma ham, sage and cranberry stuffing, roasties, parsnip croquette, proper gravy & seasonal vegetables

3 courses £19.95 Slow roast pork belly with orange & star anise, steamed rice and oriental greens Seafood lasagne Christmas salad Dessert Salted caramel cheesecake

Blue cheese and cranberry nut roast, roasties, parsnip croquette, proper gravy & seasonal vegetables (v)

Warm Christmas pudding and brandy sauce

Slow cooked shin of Welsh Beef, horseradish mash, red wine roasted mushroom, Yorkshire pudding, & red wine gravy

Passion fruit pavlova (with Christmas spcied meringue)

Baileys and Chocolate roulade

Welsh Cheeseboard, Christmas chutney & crackers Freshly based mince pies

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

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

Opening Times Thursday 5th November 12noon - 11pm Friday 6th November 11am - 11pm Saturday 7th November 11am - 11pm Price Entry price ÂŁ5, includes FREE souvenir glass and beer list. CAMRA members get a free half pint.

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

Service 2 returns to the city centre on Thursday and Friday at 05 and 35 minutes past each hour until 1505 then 1538, 1614,

1649, 1719. 1742. 1809, 1842, 1900, 2002 and 2040. On Saturday it runs hourly until 1810 then at 1902, 1940 and 2040.

Services 1 and 2 are circular routes with 1 running clockwise and 2 running anti-clockwise around many parts of Cardiff and therefore may be used to travel for example from Canton to and from the festival without passing through the city centre. Contact Cardiff Bus for further details, for information about fares and to check for possible changes. Note that Cardiff Bus has an "exact fare only" policy.

Walking from Central Station Leave Cardiff Central Station through the southern exit (Platform 7 side). Walk across the carpark to the road junction south of it.

Cross over the road and continue South down Tresillian Terrace (to the right of it is the Lloyds Bank offices.). Keep walking down Tresillian Terrace, you will see an office block called fusion point on the left and a plumbing supply warehouse on the right after which the road will turn to the left. After you pass two more side streets on the left you will come to the Depot.

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 05

THE BEER LIST The following is a list of the beers which we hope to have on sale during the festival. Since going to press there may be a few changes to the beer list due to flooding, anthropomorphic global warming, war, famine and/or religious holidays. Changes to the list will be published

Dark

ABBEY Bath

Bellringer

on the bars, on the membership stands and on the Festival website. Not all the beers will be on at once, some may not be ready to serve, others may have run out. Our knowledgeable bar staff should be able to help you out if your first choice is not available.

?%

3.5%

Pale, hoppy with a citrus finish, refreshing

Award winning classic dark mild, dark malts, caramel and liqourice.

BAYS Paignton

BRECON Brecon

Gold

4.3%

Golden, hoppy with a citrus/lemon finish

BIG BOG Gwynedd

Quagmire

6.0%

Welsh Beacons

3.7%

Traditional pale Welsh bitter, malts with a refreshing hop finish.

Gold Beacons

4.2%

Rich body, good balance and butterness, deep copper colour.

Deep gold, a satisfying blend of malt and hops.

BIG HAND Wrexham

Award winning complex, tasty IPA with a red hue.

Seren

3.9%

Rich gold, malt, fruit and hops flavour.

Domino

4.4%

A black stout with rich malt ,coffee and roast flavours.

Havok

5.0%

Red Beacons

5.0%

BRISTOL BEER FACTORY Bristol

Independence

4.6%

Hoppy aroma, malt and fruit flavours lead to a bitter hoppy finish

BRYNCELYN Ystalyfera

Buddy Marvelous

4.0%

American Pale Ale style, grapefruit, hoppy and rich with a bitter finish.

Dark, complex blend of malt, hop, fruit with balancing bitterness.

BLUESTONE Pembrokeshir

BULLMASTIFF Cardiff

Bedrock Blonde

4.5%

Son of a Bitch

6.0%

Straw colour, German and Czech hops, creamy and easy drinking.

Well known, rich and complex strong beer.

BOROUGH ARMS Neath

Rare Breed

Iron Runner

4.3%

BUTCOMBE Somerset

3.9%

Pale brown, malt and hop finish.

Clean tasting pale ale, rounded mix of flavours barley from Adam's farm.

BOSS Swansea

BUZZARD Denbigh

Brave

5.5%

Pale of Clwyd

3.8%

Tasty American Pale Ale style with a Welsh twist

Golden, hoppy with a citrus/lemon finish

BRAINS Cardiff

CADER Dolgellau

Rev Jame Rye

4.5%

Cader Gold

4.2%

Classic best bitter style, smooth, rounded, a hint of rye and spice

Light golden hoppy ale, hops with a touch of lemon and citrus

Seasonal

CAFFLE Narbeth

4.0%

Quay Ale

3.8%

Distinctive Ale, copper colour and pleasing balance.

06 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

THE BEER LIST CASTLES Caldicot

Kings Reserve

CWRW LLEU Penygroes

4.0%

Lleu

4.3%

Amber, bitter sweet with a moreish finish

Amber, traditional bitter with whole hops.

White Knight

CWRW LLYN Nefyn

4.3%

Golden IPA, resinous hops, fruit and a touch of spice.

Y Brawd Houdini

CELT Caerphilly

DAWKINS Bristol

Iron Age

4.1%

Bristol Best

Award winning bitter, pale

La Tene

4.0%

All British malt and hops, malty with a biscuity bitter finish.

3.5%

Pale bitter, packed with hops, spice and fruit flavours.

Bristol Gold

Silures

DENBIGH Denbigh

3.3%

Cock Pit

CERDDIN Maesteg

DORSET Dorset

4.6%

3.8%

Golden, refreshing beer with citrus hops.

Rich Munich malt, strong hop and tropical fruit flavours, award winning.

Copper Hopped

4.0%

Golden, hoppy, refreshing summer beer.

4.5%

Traditional malty, copper best bitter beer.

Jurassic

4.2%

Pale, easy drinking rounded blend of malt and hops.

Best bitter, good body and balanced citrus bitterness.

Solar

FACERS Flint

4.1%

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

Clwyd Gold

CHEDDAR Cheddar

Mountain Mild

Potholer

4.0%

3.5%

Ruby colour, biscuity malt and balancing bitterness.

3.3%

Golden, zesty hops, hoppy finish.

Dark beer, pleasing dark malt flavours, touch of chocolate.

CONWY Conwy

North Star Porter

Clogwyn Gold

4.3%

Golden, thirst quenching, tropical fruit and gentle bitterness.

CWM RHONDDA Rhondda

Tommy Box

CWRW IAL Eryrys

4.1%

Copper colour, a blend of hops and malt with a hoppy finish.

Pothole Porter

4.1%

Pale, malt and hop balance, bitterness in the finish.

Amber with malt and fruit and a balancing bitter finish.

Limestone Cowboy

GLAMORGAN Llantrisant

Welsh Pale Ale

3.6%

4.0%

Black porter with malt, liqourice, toffee, roast and bitterness

4.5%

Bull Ring Porter

4.7%

Black porter with malt, toffee, caramel and bitterness.

GLASTONBURY Somerton

Mystery Tor

3.8%

Golden, refreshing citrus hops in aroma and taste.

Traditional Porter, rich dark malts and hops.

GOWER Gower

Kia Kaha

Amber, malt, fruit and hop bitterness.

5.1%

Pale hoppy beer, tropical fruits and complex hop flavours

Gower Best Bitter

4.5%

GREAT ORME Llandudno

Welsh Gold

3.6%

Golden quaffing beer with a good hop flavour.

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 07

THE BEER LIST - CONTINUED GREAT ORME Llandudno

Welsh Black

HOPCRAFT

4.2%

seasonal

Black, complex malts and chocolate notes, silky body. Award winning.

TBC

Snowdon Lager

Dawlish Bitter

4.2%

?%

ISCA Dawlish

4.2%

Golden, malt and hops give a clean slightly citrus finish.

Classic English bitter, malt and hops.

GREY TREES Aberdare

Dr Harries

Diggers Gold

4.0%

Award winning golden ale, good malt and hop balance, 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 malt and a hoppy finish.

HAFOD Mold

Hopper

4.7%

Dark beer, old ale style with chocolate.

KINGSTONE Tintern

Classic

4.5%

Traditional Best bitter, malt and hop balnce with a dry bitter finish.

1503

4.8%

Deep chestnut, distinctive and complex malt flavours with some chocolate.

MAD DOG Cwmbran

Bohemian Hipster

4.9%

4.3%

New beer with hops, lemon grass and a touch of spice, tasty.

4.0%

MCGIVERN Ruabon

Pale ale, fruity and hoppy.

Moel Fenlli

JACOBI Cothi Vale

A golden ale with local welsh honey.

Pale Ale

HAND MADE Capel Dewi

Golden beer, citrus and pale malt flavours.

Sir Gar

MILK STREET Frome

4.0%

3.9%

Amber, biscuit malt and hints of fruit and spice.

Funkey Monkey

HANLONS Devon

Deep gold, citrus and lemon flavours and well balanced.

Port Stout

4.8%

Dark, rich award winning stout with added port.

MONTYS Hen Domen

HEART OF WALES Llanwrtyd Wells

Magnitude

High as a Kite

10.0%

4.0%

7.5%

Rich, powerful ale, complex flavours.

Dark, rich, complex and strong beer, award winning.

Masquerade

Welsh Black

Golden beer, citra hops and tropical fruit, gluten free.

4.2%

Award winning dry stout with liqourice and dark malt.

Midnight

HEAVY INDUSTRY Henllan

Nelsons Eye

4.5%

Golden, hoppy with citrus and tropical fruit flavour.

Collaborator

5.0%

Dark red, complex of malt flavours with hoppy bitterness.

77

4.6%

Amber IPA, strong hop flavours and bitterness.

4.6%

4.0%

Black, silky stout, roasted malts, hints of coffee and chocolate

MOUNTAIN HARE Brynna

Far Shore IPA

3.9%

MUMBLES Swansea

Mumbles Mile

4.0%

Pale beer, hoppy and drinkable.

Oystermouth Stout

4.4%

Rich, black stout, dark and roast malt with oysters as a subtle background.

08 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 09

THE BEER LIST - CONTINUED NEATH Neath

Witch Hunter

PIPES Cardiff

4.2%

Ruby, crystal malt, chocolate, tangy berry finish.

OTLEY

Cilfynydd

Motley Brew O11

7.5%

Smoked Lager

5.4%

Copper, rounded with some toast and smoked malt flavours.

PURPLE MOOSE Porthmadog

Full bodied IPA, packed full of flavour.

Dark Side

Croeso

Dark ale, rich malt and roast flavours with a fruity bitterness.

4.0%

Pale, hoppy, refreshing.

Oxymoron O10

5.5%

Ysgawen

4.6%

4.0%

A black IPA, American style, full of flavour.

Pale ale with cascade hops and elderflower.

Thai BO

RADNORSHIRE New Radnor

4.6%

Golden spiced summer beer.

4.0%

Light amber with malt and Kent hops.

PEMBROKE Saundersfoot

Cariad

Four Stones

3.9%

RCH Somerset

Copper colour, malt and a citrus aroma.

Pitchfork

PILOT Swansea

Golden beer with a citrus hop aroma and flavour and pleasing bitterness.

Gold

4.4%

Tasty golden beer.

American IPA

RHYMNEY Blaenavon

Hobby Horse

PIPES Cardiff

5.6%

4.3%

3.8%

Copper coloured traditional Welsh bitter

American IPA style, Amber, full bodied and powerfully hopped.

10 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

THE BEER LIST - CONTINUED TINTAGEL Tintagel

RHYMNEY Blaenavon

Dark

Arthurs Ale

4.0%

Award winning dark beer, dark malts, satisfying.

Export Light

4.6%

4.4%

Deep amber, malt with citrus hop and marmalade background.

New, amber best bitter.

TINY REBEL Newport

SANDSTONE Wrexham

Crisp, refreshing hoppy beer, pale in colour.

Twisted Dragon

Hank 5.8%

Tasty, premium pale ale with a complex mix of hops in aroma and taste.

SEREN Preseli Mountains

Blustone IPA

Cwtch

4.6%

Red hue, tasty blend of caramel malts and citrus hop flavours. Champion Beer of Britain

Hardouken

4.2%

4.0%

7.4%

Hoppy IPA style, good hop flavour.

Powerful IPA, rich, deep malt and big hop flavours.

SKINNERS Truro

Loki

Ginger Tosser

Golden ale with honey and a twist of ginger.

Black IPA, crisp hop flavours balance the dark malt with tropical fruit.

SNOWDONIA Gwynedd

TOMOS A LILFORD Llantwit Major

Carmen Sutra

3.8%

Gaucho

4.4%

4.5%

5.0%

Pale brown, tasty mix of malt flavours with a bitter hop finish

Brewed to celebrate Welsh people settling in Patagonia. IPA with Argentinian hops

SOUTH HAMS Devon

TOMOS WATKIN Swansea

Eddystone

Blodwens Beer

4.8%

5.0%

Golden IPA with hoppy fruit flavours

Golden beer with delicate citrus notes.

STONEHENGE Netheravon

TUDOR Abertillery

Danish Dynamite

Blorenge

5.0%

3.8%

A light gold beer with well balanced hop and fruit flavours

Pale ale with citrus hop flavour and easy drinking balance.,

SUMMERSKILLS Plymouth

IPA

Westward Ho

4.1%

Golden amber, fruity with a hop and fruity finish.

TWISTED OAK N. Somerset

SURFING MONKEY Cardiff

Fallen Tree

Offshore Howler

4.0%

Golden, sharp hoppy IPA with grapefruit.

3.8%

Pale amber, hoppy aroma, malt and fruity finish.

4.0%

A wheat beer, pale with fruit, corriander and orange.

BRAGDY TWT LOL Treforest

SWANSEA Gower

Amber with a red hue, complex malts, balancing hops, name from local folklore.

Three Cliffs Gold

4.7%

Golden, crisp hop bitterness, citrus, grapefruit and lemon.

Deep Slade

4.0%

Black beer, pleasing mix of dark malt, roast and bitterness.

4.0%

TYDWALS Brecon

TBC

?%

UNTAPPED Raglan

Border Bitter

3.8%

Amber session beer with rounded flavours and a good hop punch.

TENBY Tenby

Barefoot Blonde

Glog

4.6%

Pale, complex grain/malt flavours and hop flavours.

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 11

THE BEER LIST - CONTINUED UNTAPPED Raglan

Sundown

4.0%

Burnished gold, refreshing, sweet hop aroma, dry hoppy finish.

VALE OF GLAMORGAN Barry

Dark Matter

4.4%

Dark Porter with dark malts and hints of blackcurrant.

Dakota Red

4.5%

A tasty red ale, complex malt and hop flavours.

WAEN Llanidloes

Pamplemouse

4.2%

Pale with vibrant citrus & grapefruit flavours, refreshing

Festival Gold

4.2%

Golden, crisp citrus flavour and lasting hoppiness.

WESSEX Wiltshire

Merrie Mink

4.2%

Full flavoured best bitter with hoppy aroma.

WYE VALLEY Stoke Lacy

HPA

4.0%

Pale gold beer, citrus hop aroma and flavour, moderate 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 autumn special.

Brewers of Traditional Ale Purveyors of Guest Beer

YEOVIL Yeovil

Summerset

PG Steam

4.1%

Rounded blonde ale, tangerine hop flavour.

Gold Award winner at the British Beer Festival Telephone:

01934 834447 Refresh yourselves with RCH beers:PITCHFORK & EAST STREET CREAM 12 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

Swansea Brewing Company Brewed at the Joiners Arms, Bishopston Full 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

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 13

14 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

What is The terms beer, lager, ale and bitter are often confused. To help you understand what they actually mean and how varieties of beer differ from one another, we have described how beer is produced and the ingredients used.

provide both bitterness and flavour. There are dozens of varieties of hops and the way they are used contributes to the beer's flavour.

Water, grain, yeast and hops

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 are almost universal, ale generally refers to beer produced by 'top fermentation'. This is fermentation with a yeast that floats on top of the liquid, at temperatures up to 22°C – this creates the rich variety of flavours. After primary fermentation, the ale undergoes a slow secondary fermentation in a cask. As it matures, the beer develops its flavour and a light natural carbonation.

Water is the main component of beer. It naturally contains dissolved salts that can affect a beer’s flavour: Soft London water makes good stouts and the sulphur-rich waters of Burton upon Trent are ideal for bitters.

The usual grain for brewing is malted barley.

Malting involves allowing the grain to just begin to germinate, starting the process of converting the starch into sugar. The germination is stopped by heat. By changing the temperature and duration of the heat, a maltster can produce light malts, medium-dark malts with caramel flavour, or dark roasted malts. Other grains can be used, such as wheat, oats, rye or rice.

Variation in the grains and malts used will alter the colour and flavour of the finished beer.

What is the difference between ale, beer and lager?

Lager is produced by bottom fermentation at lower temperatures (6–14°C). It is then stored for several weeks or months at close to freezing, during which time the lager matures. Most mass-produced UK lagers are matured for very short periods.

What is real ale?

Yeast is a single-celled organism that converts sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas. In real ale, this fermentation is the only source of gas in the beer. The strain of yeast used can also influence the beer’s flavour profile, and many breweries will guard their particular strain of yeast carefully.

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

Real ale is a beer brewed from traditional ingredients (malted barley, hops, water and yeast), matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide gas.

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

16 The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015

All about the beer! appreciated. You can recognise real ale in a pub as it is usually served using a handpump, although a number of pubs sell the beer straight from the cask using nothing but gravity – as at this festival.

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

What is the difference between real ale and keg beer?

Keg beer undergoes the same primary fermentation as real ale but after that stage it is filtered and/or pasteurised. No further conditioning takes place. The beer lacks any natural carbonation that would have been produced by the secondary fermentation and so carbon dioxide has to be added artificially. This can lead to an overly gassy product.

malt character may be present. Bitters are normally up to 4% alcohol, whereas best bitters are above 4%.

Golden ales are a relative newcomer, having first appeared in the 1980s. These are pale amber, gold, yellow or straw coloured beers with light to strong bitterness and a strong hop character that creates a refreshing taste. The strength is generally less than 5.5%.

India pale ale (IPA) originally appeared in the early 19th century, and has enjoyed a resurgence in the past few years. First brewed in London and 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% are not true IPAs. Look for juicy malt, citrus fruit and a big spicy, peppery bitter hop character, with strengths of 5% to much more. The recent appearance of ‘Black IPAs’ has confused many, since they are definitely not pale.

What is craft beer?

There is no definition of craft beer. Generally it implies a beer from a smaller brewery with an emphasis on flavour, rather than a bland massmarket product. Craft beer has its origins in the US microbrewery world – our foreign beer bar has some fine examples from that side of the Atlantic. Many real ales are craft beer.

What are bitter, mild, stout and porter?

Ale style beers can be broken down further into various styles, although many beers are hard to fit into one of these categories. We’ve chosen a few examples for each style.

Milds are not very bitter and may be dark or light. Although generally of a lower strength (less than 4%) they can also be strong. Flavour comes from the malt so there is often a little sweetness.

Porters and stouts are complex in flavour and typically black or dark brown. The darkness comes from the use of dark malts. These full bodied beers generally have a pronounced bitter finish. Historically a stout would have been any stronger beer, but the term evolved to mean a strong porter beer. In modern usage, the two terms are used almost interchangeably, although stouts tend to have a roast character and be less sweet than porters. They are usually 4–8% in strength.

Barley wines range in colour from copper to tawny and dark brown. They may have a high sweetness due to residual sugars although some barley wines are fermented right out to give a dry finish. They have an almost vinous appearance in the glass and may have a strength of up to 12%.

The fruity characteristics are balanced by a medium to assertive bitterness.

Bitter is the most common beer style. Usually brown, tawny, copper or amber coloured, with medium to strong bitterness. Light to medium The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 17

CIDER AND PERRY LIST

Cider and Perry Once again at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival we aim to bring you the best real ciders and perries that are available. As well as our own fantastic producers from Wales we are featuring ciders from as far away as Lancashire and even Scotland as well as old favourites from Somerset and Herefordshire. Some of our producers are very small, producing only a few hundred gallons a year, others started small and are now large makers but the same amount of care and consideration is shown in making the large amounts as is in the small amounts.

We should have ciders to everyone's taste and palette here; from sweet to extra dry but remember one makers medium could be another makers sweet so at the Festival we will be using a scoring system marked on the labels with 1 for extra sweet and 12 for extra dry.

Don't forget to try our perries as well, made from pears in the same way cider is made from apples. Perry pear trees take a long time to grow and can live for hundreds of years, also the flavours are a lot more subtle than you would find in cider.

18

CIDER AND PERRY LIST BARTESTREE CIDER CO. Bartestree, Herefordshire

Katy Perry BLAENGAWNEY CIDER

Rum Cask No Bull GWYNT Y DDRAIG

ROSIE’S CIDER Llandegla, Wrexham

Black Bart D Sharp

Llantwit Fardre, Rhondda Cynon Taff

Triple D

Heart Breaker National Treasure Perry PX - Limited Edition

Ancient Warrior

Wicked Wasp

BRECON CIDER

HENFYRYN FARM

Bwlch, Brecknockshire

Carmarthenshire

Hafodyrynys, Crumlin

Beast of the Beacons Black Mountains Beauty Sugar Loaf Seidr CAREY ORGANICS

Black Dragon Happy Daze

SEIDR O SIR

Two Trees Perry

Betws Cantref Cor Y Cewri Maes Edwy

Teifi Crush Llanblethian Orchards Vale of Glamorgan Glamorgan Perry

Diserth, Llandrindod Wells

SPRINGHERNE CIDER Walford, Herefordshire

Bittersweet Blend Early Pear Blend

Carey, Herefordshire

Orchard Blend

To be confirmed To be confirmed

OLD MONTY CIDER

Usk, Monmouthshire

Montgomery, Powys

Blush

CLEEVE ORCHARD

THREE SAINTS

Happy Medium

Divine

Ross on Wye, Herefordshire

High and Dry

Medium

Oakey Cokey

Medium Perry

Sweet Anita

CJ’S Raglan, Monmouthshire

PONTYMEDDYG

Earlswood, Monmouthshire

Pembrokeshire

St Teilo Tregale

Surprise Wench GETHIN’S Pembrokeshire

Hapus Melys

Lemony Sipit Scrumpthos TROGGI

Doctor’s Orders Pandemig Shipman’s Revenge

TY GWYN CIDER Pen Y Lan Farm, Pontrilas

RAGLAN CIDER MILL

Dabinett

Llanarth, Usk

Peren

Hanky Panky

WILLIAMS BROTHERS CIDER

Sych

Medium

Caerphilly

GWATKINS Abbey Dore, Herefordshire

Foxwhelp

Snowy Owl Yellow Huffcap

Biffyn Growler Hooker Splanky

Stoke Red

The Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2015 19

Unfiltered, Uncompromised & Unashamedly Real

Tel: 01291 680111 Tintern, Monmouthshire NP16 7NX www.kingstonebrewery.co.uk

VISITORS WELCOME

The small community pub with the big reputation!

Serving 8 real ales and 1 real cider Brewery Tap for McGivern Ales NORMAL OPENING TIMES Monday to Thursday: 5pm - 11pm Friday: 4pm - 11pm Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays: Midday - 11pm

Less than tes Five Minu e th walk from on ti ta Train S Bridge Street, Ruabon, Wrexham LL14 6DA Tel: 01978 810 881 www.mcgivernales.co.uk

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Micro pub revolution

Micropubs leading the way New research released to mark the launch of the Good Beer Guide 2016, shows 70%* of all pubs now serve real ale, compared to just a third when the book was first published in 1975.

Rather than just traditional pubs going back to their roots though, it seems a different type of drinking establishment is gaining momentum and getting real ale into thirsty drinkers' hands: The micropub.

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

Roger Protz, Editor of the Good Beer Guide 2016 says: “Micropubs prove the old saying that ‘small is beautiful’. Many of them are based in disused buildings, they have low overheads and can offer beer at sharper prices than many traditional pubs. They have carved out a new relationship between drinkers, publicans and brewers.”

The first micropub, the Butcher’s Arms in Herne, Kent, is based, as the name suggests, in an old butcher’s shop. It was launched 10 years ago by Martyn Hillier, who was named CAMRA’s Campaigner of the Year for 2015 for his inspirational work in launching the Micropub Association and encouraging beer lovers to open small pubs in empty premises.

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

“Micropubs go back full-circle to how pubs used to be, when people actually talked to one another. If you get fifteen people together in a nice environment then conversations are going to spark.” But Martyn is keen to stress that beer is equally important too “The quality of beer is parallel to the conversation and is the reason people

visit in the first place – real ale is central to everything for us.”

The pub’s beer casks are mounted in the old butcher’s freezer room, where there's room for just eight casks. Overhead’s are minimal and the biggest start-up investment was installing air conditioning to keep the beer fresh and cool, taking the total spend on the pub to just £5,000.

The single room pub has space for 10 people sitting and 20 standing. “The record number of customers has been 37 – and that was like being on a London Tube train!” Martyn says.

The success of the Butcher’s Arms quickly spawned more micro-pubs in Kent. Herne Bay now has two while Margate has three and Dover four. A former funeral parlour in St Peter's near Broadstairs lives up to its roots by specialising in holding wakes.

Prices are also kept keen by the low overheads and customers are involved in choosing what appears on the bar by requesting beers for the pub to order, with a focus on locally sourced micro-brewery beers.

Editor Roger Protz adds: "Micropubs are appearing like mushrooms at dawn and are offering beer lovers choice, keen prices and convivial meeting places. They now exist as far north as Northumbria, across into Lancashire, in Wales and the West Country.”

The first micropub in Wales was reportedly the Mumbeles Ale House (mumblesalehouse.co.uk) opened in 2014 by Rod Undy and Karen McGeoch. *Research conducted using CAMRA's WhatPub database and CGA-CAMRA Pub Tracker.

There are 53,444 pubs in the UK, of which 37,356 serve real ale. This equates to 69.89%.

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PUBS IN CARDIFF

Cardiff : A City for Beer and Cider A few years ago the real ale scene in Cardiff was average to say the least, we had a plenty of Brains and Wetherspoons pubs but very little else. Then on Westgate Street, some eight years ago, Zerodegrees opened their brewpub in what is now the Craft Beer Quarter of the City. We are now spoilt for choice in the City with outlets from breweries such as Tiny Rebel, Brewdog, Waen and Hopcraft as well as Brains who refurbished the Irish pub Kitty Flynn's into the Cambrian Tap. Alongside the new wave of pub openings we have the more traditional pubs now offering a greater range of real ales and ciders than ever before. The Queens Vaults on Westgate Street, next door to Zerodegrees, has won the ‘Cider pub of the Year’ award from the local branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale and offers customers an extensive range of chilled draught ciders from behind the bar counter as well as a good selection of real ales. The Gatekeeper, a JD Wetherspoons pub on

Westgate Street differs from most other pubs from that chain as they have a large selection of real ciders to choose from there.

The pubs belonging to SA Brain in the centre of the City now all showcase their craft ales with the City Arms, Goat Major and Cottage together with the Cambrian Tap being their best outlets.

The Urban Tap House, also on Westgate Street is run by Tiny Rebel Brewery and offers a dedicated cider bar in the City as well as a range of real ales, craft ales and bottled beers. Tiny Rebel Brewery won Champion Beer of Britain earlier this year and the Urban Tap House was a joint winner in the Cardiff CAMRA Pub of the Year Award 2015.

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

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PUBS IN CARDIFF it’s sister pub, the Flute and Tankard on Windsor Place, opposite Wetherspoons Central Bar, is also worth seeking out.

At the back of the St David’s 2 shopping complex, on an almost forgotten shortcut named Barrack Lane, stands the Gravity Station, Cardiff and possibly Wales’ smallest pub. Here the Waen Brewery of Llanidloes sell their real ales and guests alongside a large selection of bottles to take away or drink on site. The Gravity Station in Cardiff is so successful that Waen Brewery have opened another pub/off-license in Swansea, just off Wind Street.

Cardiff’s newest pub is the Hopbunker, located in a basement that was previously Barfly but before that had been the Rose & Crown and Coopers. Run by the Hopcraft/Pixie Spring Brewery of Pontyclun the Hopbunker offers a range of beers from their own brewery as well as guests.

Rummer Tavern

The City Centre beer scene is looking better than ever but the suburbs of Cardiff should not be forgotten either as in Canton stands the joint Cardiff CAMRA Pub of the Year 2015, the Lansdowne, which offers a large selection of excellent real ales.

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

Cambrian Tap

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FESTIVAL CHARITY

CAVRA, Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association CAVRA was born as a result of an incident that occurred during the storms and floods that affected South Wales at the end of October 1998. We are a volunteer organisation that acts as a back-up for the emergency services during incidents such as search and rescue, storms and flooding.

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

Over the next few years we applied for funding, for more equipment and were successful in getting a major grant from the Community Facilities and Activities Programme (CFAP) of just under £80000.00, which allowed us to purchase a Rescue Boat for Cardiff Bay, a 4x4 Land Rover vehicle, and an amphibious all-terrain vehicle, as well as a substantial amount of First Aid equipment, including 3 First Responder back-packs complete with Defibrillators and Oxygen, we also bought line rescue equipment for use on slippery surfaces.

We also became involved in a scheme called European Gateway, in which, we were contracted to take people from disadvantaged groups ( Those not in Education, Employment or Training, as well as over 50’s, Single parents, ethnic minorities and so on.) and give them basic skills and qualifications, which, hopefully would enable them to gain employment. We reached our target, many of the group gained first aid and swift water rescue technician certificates, and over half went on to gain full time employment, this gave us additional funding of £25000.00.

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

Having completed this training we become part of the DEFRA National Asset register, and form part of the National response to flooding incidents, providing assistance in the Vale of Glamorgan, and also at the Somerset levels. We are now part of an all Wales Flood Rescue forum and attend meeting with our colleagues from other rescue services on a regular basis.

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

Whilst it is possible to secure funding for training and some items of new equipment, our greatest problem is raising “revenue” funding, which covers our other operating costs such as Employers & Public Liability Insurance, Insurance for equipment and vehicles, as well as maintenance and fuel. It is estimated that it costs us about £8000-£10000 a year before we leave base. All this money has to be Raised by shaking tins outside local supermarket, applying to local authorities and businesses for grants or donations, and providing cover at local events such as Parades, Fun Days etc.

Most of our work currently comes from the Police and Health Authorities during Snow and Flooding events, during the last snow incident 2 years ago we rescued over 100 persons and traveled some 3000 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, 365 days a year and are free of charge, however, donations are always welcome.

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Streetfood Vendors This year at the GWBCF we have pulled out all the stops and arranged to have a great selection of mouthwatering food stalls for you to enjoy.

We have snack stalls including our old favourites Cowleys Fine Foods who were sorely missed at last years GWBCF by many of the staff offering their usual fare of jerkies, fruit leathers and other goodies as well as Purely Pickled Eggs offering their delectable range of pickled eggs with flavours such as spicy cider and chilli whose family members also help make Parmers Upland Cyder from Newport it's a small world we know! Olives and Things, one of our Motorpoint Arena regulars are also returning with their selection of tasty marinated olives, nuts and other deli treats..

We have the stunning Meat and Greek traditional Greek BBQ stall who have been wowing crowds at food festivals over South Wales all summer. For those people wanting a traditional spot of festival grub the awsome Glamorgan Vale Hog Roast are having a stall with us offering traditional hog roast rolls made from their award winning herd of heritage pigs. The Spanish Gourmet are selling hearty traditional Spanish paella, a perfect filling meal to enjoy while 'quality controlling' our many drinks on offer.

If you want a healthy, tasty meal why not try The Parsnipship whose range of imaginative vegetarian and vegan food has won fans with both vegetarians and meat eaters all over the country.

some flavoured chocolates from our friends at Merry Berry Truffles and Chocolates we recommend the chilli and lime flavour but be warned their XXX Burning hot chilli chocolate is not for the faint hearted!

Cowleys Fine Foods A range of meat Jerky (dried marinated strips of meat), fruit leathers and vegetarian snacks.

The Spanish Gourmet Traditional Spanish paella.

Glamorgan Vale Hog Roast Traditional British hog roasts.

Meat and Greek Traditional Greek BBQ stall of marinated meats cooked over a charcoal fire served in flatbreads.

Merry Berry Chocolates Artisan chocolates with a great range of flavours.

Purely Pickled Eggs Delicious pickled eggs in a range of flavours.

The Parsnipship After all that why not treat yourself and have

Stunning range of vegetarian and vegan meals.

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ABOUT CARDIFF CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale is the leading consumer organisation that campaigns for real ale and the rights of those who drink it. CAMRA’s membership is drawn from across the world and now stands at more than 170,000, many thousands of whom volunteer large quantities of their time in furtherance of CAMRA’s aims. As an independent body we represent the consumers, not the business interests of any brewery or trade organisation.

It is an easy to use system that has been designed to assist CAMRA branches in selecting pubs for the Good Beer Guide and also monitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRA members from any part of the world to report beer quality on any pub in the UK. If you are a CAMRA member, we want you to tell us about the quality of beer in the pubs you visit.

Cardiff branch brings this campaigning to a local level, participating in national campaigns as well as local campaigns of our own. We work with local breweries and pub companies, licensing and planning bodies, the Police and the Welsh Assembly to help ensure that the pub remains at the heart of community, representing the best opportunity for responsible drinking.

How do I score my beer?

To submit your scores just visit whatpub.com.

Log into the site using your CAMRA membership number and password. Once you have agreed to the terms and conditions and found a pub on the site, you can start scoring.

You can find out more here http://whatpub.com/beerscoring

Cardiff branch is the largest branch in South Wales, totalling over five hundred members, each of whom are welcome to participate in the business of the branch. Only by their vote do pubs enter the Good Beer Guide, or do beers enter the Champion Beer of Britain competition. They alone select annually our Pub of the Year, choosing from the hundreds of pubs in the Cardiff area. The branch is also socially active, regularly organising trips and visits to breweries, pubs and other places of interest.

The branch forms part of the Wales region and we work closely with our neighbours, especially towards the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival which is hosted in the city each year.

National Beer Scoring System Have you ever wondered how pubs are selected for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide?

Scoring beer in pubs is really easy!

The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a 0-5 (0 = No cask ale available) point scale for judging beer quality in pubs.

What do I need to record?

• The location and name of the pub (WhatPub mobile 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 barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment.

2. Average. Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing.

3. Good. Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.

4. Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition.

5. Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely.

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