Cheese Glorious Cheese… in Ponty

Event : Welsh Cheese and BBQ night

WHERE : ‘Bunch of Grapes’ – Ynysangharad Road – Pontypridd

Date / Time : Wednesday 24th June @ 18:30hrs

What’s On : Welsh Cheeses – BBQ – Beers on stillage, Homemade Sausages – Small tutored Wine Tasting – a GuitarIst will be playing throughout the evening.

Guest Appearance : from Dave ‘Seidr Dai’ Matthews with some of his greatest Ciders, plus various bottled Ciders from across Wales.

Real Ales : Those outside on the night – wrapped in cooler jackets & on Gravity Dispense : Batemans – ‘GHA’ … Thornbridge – ‘Jaipur’ … Dark Star – ‘HopHead’
More choices of course on Handpull at the Bar.


Now On! The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival

Great Welsh Beer and Cider FestivalThe Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival, organised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, will this year be held in June in the larger surroundings of Cardiff International Arena.

Open Friday 13th & Saturday 14th June 11-11
Admission £5 includes souvenir glass and programme

Over 250 real ales, ciders, parries and foreign beers will be available at the festival. The 2008 Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival will be the biggest event of its kind in Wales and one of the largest beer festivals in the UK. CAMRA will aim to have every Welsh real ale brewery represented supplemented with other breweries from across Britain.

Entertainment will also be available at the CIA this year… Friday night will see Sheelanigig who offer an eclectic blend of folk, jazz and world music as well as an outstanding 7-piece UK soul band called Soul miners. Saturday will see the Fore Shadows and later on in the early evening the Treorchy Male Voice Choir will be raising the rafters of the CIA with their renditions of old favourites.

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Merthyr Brewer wins Great Welsh Beer Award

Steve Evans Rhymney Dowlais BreweryMerthyr people raise a glass in celebration tonight as the local brewery wins the top award in Cardiff at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival 2007.

The Champion Beer of Wales competition has been won by Rhymney Brewery of Merthyr Tydfil with their classic beer, Dark. The competition, run by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, was held at the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival at Cardiff City Hall today. The beer was judged by a panel of beer experts from a selection of more than 200 real ales that are brewed every year in Wales. The judges looked at the aroma, appearance, taste and aftertaste of the top beers of Wales and came to the unanimous decision that Rhymney Dark was the best beer brewed in Wales this year. The beer is 3.9% ABV.

Rhymney Brewery was set up 3 years in Merthyr Tydfil ago by father and son team Steve and Marc Evans. Said Steve Evans, “This award is something that we’ve been aiming for since we started the brewery. It’s a dream come to true to win Champion Beer of Wales and have the recognition from CAMRA”.

In the photograph : Steve Evans of Rhymney Dowlais Brewery


Welsh Capital for Cwrw

Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival 2007Cardiff is the Capital for Welsh Cwrw this week as it hosts the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival.

The hugely successful festival, which regularly attracts over 4000 customers has been organised by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, for 7 years at the historic venue. However thousands of thirsty customers need not fear as in June next year the Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival will be even bigger and better at the new venue, Cardiff International Arena.

According to James “Arfur” Daley, CAMRA spokesperson, “We’ve had a good few years at City Hall but have outgrown the venue. There is no room for expansion at City Hall and the Festival is getting more and more popular every year. CAMRA will be sorry to say goodbye to City Hall but we’re determined to make the Festival this year the best ever. We’ve ordered more beer and cider this year and also will be open 5 hours earlier. It’s the final year at City Hall but let’s all look forward to the CIA in 2008”.

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Biggest Bar in Wales

The Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, will be running Wales’ biggest beer festival at Cardiff City Hall next week. Featuring real ales from across Wales, the rest of the United Kingdom and for the first time beers from Germany, the 2006 Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival is set to be the biggest ever.

There are now over 30 breweries in Wales and most of these will be represented at the biggest real ale event in Wales. On the Friday afternoon at the festival, the Champion Beer of Wales competition will be judged by an expert panel.

According to James Daley, CAMRA Regional Director, “With over 30 real ale breweries in Wales, we now have more breweries than we have had in 70 years. Between them these breweries produce over 180 different beers throughout the year and we will be aiming to have as many of these as possible available at the beer festival.”

The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival is the biggest beer festival in Wales and is the showcase event for Welsh real ale breweries. During the 3 days of the Festival 10 tons of beer will be tasted by over 4000 thirsty customers.

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