It's good to get packages of beer through the door, especially ones which are a bit of a lucky-dip. I've had such an experience again recently when Bradgy Conwy Brewery asked for a review and write up on some of their beers in line with having a bit of a push on their brand with possibly a few bloggers and beer writers. Admittedly, I have had very limited exposure to Conwy Brewery's beers; they are quite plentiful on cask in North Wales and through to Wirral, but haven't been as visible across the Mersey in Liverpool to date, though it is likely the case that I have just missed them when they have been on. Thanks to some handy pamphlets provided with the beers, I have got some source information to pass on regarding Conwy's origins and where they profess to currently be in terms of their brand. Having started in 2003 by Gywnne and Adele Thomas, Conwy's inception was propagated by fermenting beers in an airing cupboard (and coming from a home where my own Dad did exactly the same for his homebrewing, I know the warm spaces needed have to be taken where they can!) before moving up to proper premises, which have since been left behind for the hills above Old Colwyn. The brewery boasts quite an extensive range of beers, with some newer emergents popping up between a raft of old and classic styles of brew. Black IPA styles, American hopped pales, best bitters and porters all nestled together brewed based on seasonality, local Conwy ales and West Coast US styles. The brewery offers a few different days out too from a pre-booked tour, to a brew day and even the chance to brew your own recipe at the premises and take some of the beer home (a bit later, given fermentation and conditioning needed of course). As mentioned at the head of this piece, I was sent a few of the beers that Conwy have brewed for sampling and review and honestly, I wasn't disappointed. Given that they are approaching 15 years in business, it should be expected that they have nailed down many of their beers; and they certainly have. I tried four of their bottle conditioned beers and they were as follows: Welsh Pride A 4.3% Copper coloured ale, which is bright and well carbonated thanks to good conditioning, upon pouring the beer carries a thin bubbly white head. The aromas on Welsh Pride are of bitter orange and honeyed lighter citrus with woody, floral and toasty maltier notes hovering at the back of the bouquet. The flavours carry through on the promise of the nose; malty orange with gentle strokes of honey and a slight woodiness. The body is around medium and ever so slightly slick; there is some cloying and this leads through an orangey, slightly spicey, crisp and bitter finish with a balanced level of acidity. A good solid sessionable bitter style brew. San Francisco A label professing to carry a 'quad-hopped US IPA' is always something that piques my interest and San Francisco does actually deliver quite a lot of character that is expected. There was a bit of concern on the level of carbonation at the pour of San Francisco, it was seemingly a little flat at first, but does gradually build into thin and fluffy white head. It appears a ruddy brown to gold colour and lightly hazy. The aroma is fruity, citrusy (mostly lemon, but with some hints of orange coming through) and has some lesser tropical notes along with more wood and pine at the back end. The flavours carry rounded and gently bitter notes throughout thanks to the balance of the citrus and tropical fruit along with more wood and gentle cereal elements. The mouthfeel is pretty round; juicy, mouthwatering and a subtle acidity mean an easy beer to keep returning to, with a bit of length in the finish. Very good balance to this beer. Rampart A dark malty 4.8% ale which pours from the bottle a red-brown colour with a well structured and soft beige head on top. The nose is of floral orange, raisins and toasty malt along with subtler metallic malt notes at the back. The flavours of Rampart come through initially with a tangy toast-malt at the front followed by raisins, cereal and a return of the metallic malt tang that eventually leads into caramel and light toffee. The body is medium, with a hint of chewiness present along with a slightly residual tone in the finish. As with the other beers, balance is present here with the dry and crisp cereal-driven finish lingering on the middle of the tongue. Riptide Conwy's Black IPA is a little lower in abv than most others in the style at around 4.6% and it pours a very dark brown to black colour with a beige head, which sadly sinks shortly after the pour. The aroma profile is actually quite unusual but definitely not unpleasant; sweet malty notes are followed briskly by bitter fruit and then into dried stone fruit notes, there is also a subtle hum of bread afterward down the drink. The flavours are driven by toffee malts, caramel and other elements reminiscent of a best bitter, but these lead into crisp cereal and onto dried red fruit, there are also hints of green fruit lingering at the end with some wood and pine. This is probably the most complex of the four beers I tried and certainly the most interesting. The body is very round and smooth, especially considering how light the mouthfeel actually is. The finish in Riptide is treacly and very dry, which thanks to the effervescence is actually quite balanced in rounding off the malt drive. And that's it for this article. Hopefully you're thirsty enough to go and seek out some beers of your own (responsibly as ever, of course) and should you want to try any of the brews I have reviewed above, the contact details for Conwy Brewery are below. Take it easy! Pedro. Disclosure: The beers reviewed in this article were kindly provided without charge by Conwy Brewery. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bragdy Conwy Brewery Unit 2, Ty Mawr Enterprise Park, Tan y Graig Road, Llysfaen, Conwy, LL29 8UE. Tel: 01492 514 305 Email: [email protected] Web: http://www.conwybrewery.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/conwybrewery Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Conwybrewery/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
April 2022
Archives
April 2022
Click ^ the RSS Feed to follow me
Categories
All
|