Great Welsh beer and cider festival

Here's a plug for the great Welsh beer and cider festival 2012. It's held at the Motorpoint Arena from 7th - 9th June.  200 real ales and ciders, in Cardiff, what's not to like.

Admission is £6, including a glass and an event programme.

Old Rosie

This is a 7.3% traditional cider by Westons.

Photo- Paul Evans

It is murky yellow in colour, and amusingly described by my wife as a 'witches glass of squash.'

The aroma is quite acidic at first with sharp notes in the nostrils.  There is an aroma of heather in there, as well as pear and earthy notes.

The taste is acidic at first, followed by a slight sweetness and citrus fruits. The finish is dry.

Appearance: 6
Aroma: 6
Taste: 8

Overall: 20/30

Oude gueze vieille

This was a gift from my wife who brought it back from Brussels after a recent trip.  Being a lambic beer fan I was keen to pop the cork and taste it; and I wasn't disappointed. It is 6% and brewed at the Oud Beersel brewery on the outskirts of the city, using traditional lambic brewing methods - more info on that can be found in an earlier article here.

Photo - Paul Evans

It's appearance was light gold, slightly cloudy, with a meringue like head.

Photo - Paul Evans

The aroma was very fresh and effervescent, with floral notes.  There are herb and spice aromas - particularly fenugreek and tarragon.

Photo - Paul Evans

The initial taste was sour as expected, but it has a pleasantly acidic taste, which dissipates quickly into a sweet, creamy sweetcorn flavour.  This is followed by a very dry, oaky finish, which makes this beer incredibly moreish.

I was very impressed by this, and it is probably the best lambic I've tried.  Highly recommended.

Appearance: 8
Aroma: 8
Taste: 8

Overall: 24

Arty pins no.7

Photo - Paul Evans

A selection of Brewdog beers at the Brewdog bar, Edinburgh.

Willkommen in Cardiff Bay

Sunday saw the conclusion of a 4 day German beer festival, held in Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Bay.



Photos - Paul Evans



The event was free to enter on Thursday and Sunday, whilst Friday and Saturday were ticketed affairs at a cost of £12 - £16.  I attended on Sunday afternoon.  Upon entry to the large 'Oktoberfest' style beer tent, which was guarded by a giant inflatable glass of beer, I was initially taken aback at the price of the beer - £8 for a stein! Until I realised that a stein was two pints worth of beer, so a not unexpected £4 for a pint. There were only 2 beers to choose from, but both were good quality, namely: Fischer's pilsner, and Erdinger wheat beer.

Photos - Paul Evans

The bar was token operated, and table service was the order of the day with waitresses and waiters attentively and efficiently serving the revellers, whilst dressed in traditional Bavarian drindl and lederhosen.

Photo - Paul Evans

I opted for a stein of Fischers's, which is a very good pilsner, and took my place on one of the many long tables and benches that adorned the space within the cavernous tent. The festival was run by the Bavarian Beerhouse company, which has many bars around the UK offering an authentic German beerfest experience.

There was also food available within the tent, made up of traditional German fayre, including: currywurst, leberkase, bratwurst and pretzels. Ranging in price from £1 for a pretzel to £4 for the wurst.

Photo - Paul Evans

The tent was capacious, which meant it was not overcrowded on the Sunday, but it did retain a good atmosphere, particularly when the band started playing old classics and new tunes on the stage at the head of the tent. Families were also welcomed in, and this added to the jovial atmosphere as the kids danced and sang along happily to the music.

Photo - Paul Evans

It was maybe not somewhere to spend a whole day boozing away given the cost and lack of beer variety, but I thoroughly enjoyed my couple of hours there, and thought it a great addition to the many festivals held in the bay. I hope it becomes a regular feature. Wunderbar!



The author enjoying a stein
Photo - Paul Evans





Epic ciders - Europe

the last instalment in the 'epic cider trilogy' on the commercial room today.

Last year's international cider festival, held at Llancaiach Fawr Manor, allowed revellers to try not only the great ciders that are produced in the UK, but across Europe too.  I managed to sample some from Germany, France and Spain, and even did 2 tasting sessions with the German and Asturian delegation. Cider is a much revered drink on the continent, here are 5 to seek out:

Apfelwazer trocken 8%, Dieter Walz - Furth, Germany

This is a strong cider produced by Dieter Walz from Seidenbuch, in the Odenwald region.  The apples are collected from trees in the local meadows and produced in their very modern distillery.

German 'apple wines' are of a very high quality; and this one is crisp, full bodied and expertly balanced between fruitiness and acidity.

The man himself

La Sidra 5.6%, Sidra Alonso - Nava, Spain

To drink Asturian cider correctly is something of an event in itself, and I've been lucky enough to partake in the famous ritual.  The preferred way of serving the cider is to pour it from height (a process called 'escanciar') in small quantities, aiming to hit the inside of the rim of the glass.  Only a small amount is consumed and should be drank in one gulp.  Any remnants in the glass are then thrown away!

Cider is the national drink of the Asturias region, where over 90 factories are currently in operation.  This is a very dry, traditional cider.

The famous pouring method

La Real 4.1%, Champanera Villaviciosa - Gijon, Spain

This is another Asurian cider haling from Gijon.  It is claimed that the average Asturian drinks 45 litres of cider per year, but in the case of Gijon, this rises to 65 litres, making Asurians the biggest cider drinkers in the world.

This cider comes in a champagne style bottle complete with cork and cradle.  It is sweet with a delicious fresh apple aroma.

Wein aus Apfeln 6.6%, Apfelwienkontor - Frankfurt am Mein, Germany

Pure cider bars are few and far between in the UK, but in certain areas of Germany they are to be found in abundance.

Hessian apple wine makers specialise in high quality, almost champagne style ciders which are innovative and ultimately delicious. This is a still cider, incredibly fresh and aromatic - a real touch of class.

Cidre Breton 5%, Guillet Freres - Guenrouet, France

This traditional cider is produced 20 miles north of Nantes, in Brittany.  It is made from 100% Breton apples, which are grown in a perfect cider making climate.

This cider is still, slightly sweet at first which ends with a crisp apple dryness. 

March of the penguins

This beer is a 4.9% stout by Williams Brothers of Alloa, Scotland.

Photo - Paul Evans

It is very dark in appearance, with a light brown creamy head.  The aroma is of sweet malts, mild coffee, with hoppy and spicy notes.

Photo - Paul Evans

The taste is of sweet chocolate malt, that leads into a pleasing smooth coffee bitterness.  The beer finishes with a subtle plummy fruitiness, and hints of spice (probably owing to the coriander and orange zest used in the brewing process).

Appearance: 8
Aroma: 6
Taste: 7

Overall: 21/30

Arty pints no.6



Photo - Paul Evans

 A pint of Sharp's Doom Bar at the Buthcher's, Llandaff.

Wyld Wood

This is a 7.3% beast of a cider by Westons.  I tried this at the Boar's Head in Brecon.  It's a sweet cider, with an effusive apple aroma that's almost creamy in the nostrils. There is a definite vanilla aftertaste, which leads to a dry finish.

Photo - Paul Evans

This is a great traditional cider, just don't drink too many!

Appearance: 7
Aroma: 7
Taste: 9

Overall: 23/30

Great pub views no.3

Photo - Paul Evans

In the old 'smoking room' at the Butcher's in Llandaff.

Brekles Brown

This a beer by Anchor Brewing Co of San Francisco. It was first brewed in 2010 to mark the 140 year history of the brewery and to commemorate Anchor's first brewmaster - Gottlieb Brekle. 

It's a great looking copper brown beer, with a thick creamy head. I also like the fact that you can buy this in a large 650ml bottle.

Photo - Paul Evans

The aroma is sweet and malty, with spikes of citrus fruits in the nostrils.  A complex layer of flavours finally reveal a malty caramel sweetness that draws you back for more after each sip.

This is an interesting and sophisticated beer, from one of my very favourite brewers.

Appearance: 9

Aroma: 8

Taste: 8

Overall: 25/30