Swansea Bay Beer Festival

Having enjoyed the Swansea Bay Beer Festival more than the bigger and more lauded Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival last year, I was keen to return to see if my opinion had changed.

 

Photo - Paul Evans

The festival ran from the 23rd to 25th of August, and was held at the grand-inside-slightly-Soviet-outside Brangwyn Hall.

Brangwyn Hall exterior
Photo - Paul Evans

With over 100 beers and ciders available it promised to be another good festival, and a bargain £4 entry too, including a rather natty glass tankard. Good start.

Unfortunately the optimism didn't last long.  As I was perusing the beers, it became apparent rather quickly that very few of the ones I wanted to try were available. I chatted to one of the volunteers briefly, and he said that they had ordered 10% more beer for this year.  Maybe next year they should add 50% more.

Nevermind, it offered me the opportunity to hit the cider and perry, which is never a bad thing.

Photo - Paul Evans

Even though i missed out on the beers I wanted to try, it was a good afternoon and the Brangwyn Hall is always a nice place to booze the day away.  The event was also well run, had decent facilities and decent food available if you wanted to waste time eating.

Photo - Paul Evans

Of the beers I tried, these were the best:

O-Garden, Otley, 4.8% A great spicy wheat beer, with orange, coriander and clove flavours. My favourite beer of the festival.

Blackberry Stout, Waen Brewery, 3.8% As well as Bullmastiff's Son of A Bitch, I always try and have a pint of this at a beer festival. A good, full-on stout with a lovely, juicy, dark fruit finish.

Barry Island IPA, Brains, 6% A fairly recent beer from Brains' new craft brewery.  A decent effort, but slightly muted hoppiness for a 6% IPA.

Special mention must also go to Kelham Island for making a pale ale that smelled like a urinal. Rancid.

Cider and Perry:

Rum Cask, Blaengawny, 7% In your face dryness was the order of the day from this Blaengawny beast.

Barn Owl Perry, Raglan Cider Mill, 5.6% I should have guessed something was up when I refused a taster and the barman pulled a silly, slightly mocking face at me.  The driest liquid I have ever tried!

Blindfold, Blaengawny, 6% An excellent medium cider, my favourite of the festival.

So, a good day out at the Swansea Bay Beer Festival, which is rapidly gaining in popularity.  More beer next year please.

Cheers!
Photo - Paul Evans