From SA Brain

Welsh brewer SA Brain and Co Ltd today announced that it is to extend production facilities at the Cardiff Brewery by installing a new craft brewery.

The brewery will complement Brains’ existing plant and enable them to brew a diverse range of craft cask, keg and bottled beers.

Bill Dobson, Head Brewer at Brains, explains: “The beer market is always changing and there is a growing interest in more diverse beers and different beer styles. We have seen this through the growing popularity of our seasonal ales and a demand for a wider choice on the bar, especially from the younger drinker.”

“This new brewery means we will be able to meet these growing needs by brewing on a much smaller scale, at the same time developing our capability to innovate new products and to experiment with limited editions and one-offs.”

David Bonney, Commercial Director at Brains, added: “This investment demonstrates our commitment to the development of our cask and keg beers – a key element of our growth strategy – enabling us to remain at the forefront of new product development.”

Brains hopes to have the new plant up and running by the end of March 2012. The company will continue to brew its range permanent and seasonal beers – which includes the renowned SA, the award winning SA Gold and the legendary Dark – at the Cardiff brewery.

Brains Dark, has been named the ‘World’s Best Dark Mild Ale’ and ‘Europe’s Best Dark Mild Ale’ at the World Beer Awards 2011.

Well done to all at S A Brain – it’s in some great company some of the other beers in the groups are brilliant – Rodenbach Grand Cru 6% & Thornbridge Bracia 9% to name just two.

The award means that it now ranks as one of the world’s 50 best beers.

An international panel of judges described the beer as having a “fresh tobacco nose with liquorice and burnt fruit. Toasty, not too sweet. Nice and dry. Light hops. Coffee, chocolate, bitter hops and roasted grain. Dry Finish.”

Richard Davies, sales and marketing director at Brains said: “We’re thrilled that Dark has won such a high profile award against the best international competition. It proves that regional family brewers can compete with the biggest and best in the world.”

Dark was the heart of Brains for most of its history. It dominated production at the Old Brewery and up until the 1980’s was Brains’ best-selling ale. Today the beer is sold in pubs and supermarkets throughout the UK.

For more information

Iam a bit fan of bottle stout and looking forward to tasting it – I saw it in my local Tesco already today – but bought a couple of bottles of their IPA (as it was BOGOF)

Brains Original Stout

Brains Original Stout

A new edition to the multi award winning collection from Brains Brewery. This is a classic, full bodied, flavoursome stout, brewed to an original recipe. It has bold chocolate aromas and complex roasted malt flavours with a balanced bitter taste that give a refreshing beer which is a perfect accompaniment to a hearty stew or a classic roast dinner.

Welsh brewer S.A Brain and Co Ltd has secured a deal with Tesco to supply 600 stores throughout the UK. From mid August Brains Original Stout – which was developed exclusively for Tesco – will be available in all larger stores, making it Brains’ biggest supermarket deal.

The brewer currently supplies all national branches of Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, as well as all Welsh Tesco stores. Paul Harvey, Head of Take Home, explains: “We’ve been working with Tesco in Wales for several years and, more recently, secured a deal to supply 100 English stores with SA Gold. This latest agreement will step change our business with Tesco in line with our ongoing objective of becoming a major player in the off trade market.”

I seem to blog about a lot about this brewery, but I suppose they are my local large brewer and do create a consistently good beer and Dark is my beer of choice if there are no guests on.

With all new things it does take a while to get accustomed to change especially for us real ale drinkers who are sometimes stuck in our ways.

But they are snazzy and dragony (?) so it’s getting the Welshness of the brand across, so they may grow on me.. but they go look like car ornaments a bit with the aluminium style tail – what do you think?

Welsh brewer S.A Brain and Co Ltd, famed for its much-loved SA, has completed a major re-brand of its cask ales as part of a wider plan to grow sales and market share throughout the UK.
The company will showcase the new designs at the Great British Beer Festival in August, with an on trade roll-out following soon after.

Brains began the re-brand process 12 months ago after identifying that the cask market was changing and product brand design would be even more important to future success. Richard Davies, sales and marketing director at Brains explained: “Cask ale is growing its share of the total beer market and the development of our range of cask beers is a key element of our growth strategy going forward, both within Wales and across the UK.

“Our current cask design has been in market since 2002 so, with more interest and competition in the category, we felt the time was right to modernise.”

After a pitch process, Brains recruited integrated branding and design agency Blue Marlin. Their brief: to evolve the brands, modernise the look, and create a unique design; all with the aim of engaging with new consumers and appealing to a wider demographic.

Brains are synonymous with the city and it’s beers are seen as a great Welsh traditional not only to rugby fans that descend on the city from the valleys in their droves – but the Kardiffians – who luvs half a dark.

I was invited by Brains to spend the afternoon of St David’s Day with them, not only to celebrate our Patron Saints Day but to celebrate the 1st Birthday of Brains Black , their Welsh Stout, which is doing very well against a certain Irish brand.

The day started well with a tour of the Brewery tour with Bill Dobson, the head brewer, he was very passionate about their bottled SA gold, which I have overlooked a bit in the past – but think it will be a great summer addition to my beercupboard.

I had visited the former brewery on St Mary Street before it closed in the late 1990′s but this was my first visit into the heart of the current brewhouse, which is on the site of the former Bass/Hancock Brewery – of course one my fellow visitors Arfur Daley could tell you the proper history.

We started at the top in the mill and tasted some raw ingredients – why can’t all pubs have malted Barley or even oats on the bar (like the City Arms) for you to nibble on.

The tour carried going through the whole process of brewing the mashing and Fermentation, but you lot know the process better than me.

The fermenting stage was a highlight, the smell of the Dark bubbling away in the tanks was great, some got bananas in the air but all I could smell a sweet/sour flavor like a lambic, of course Dark is not that at like that in its finished state… so maybe it was the heady aromas in the brewery that confused me.

The casking area was hive of activity and their even had a shed, my two loves beer and sheds in one place – yes this was a perfect day.

The tour was completed with a session of their beers in the sample cellar where the products are checked from each batch created.

This is a dream for any beer geek, seeing the barrels stacked up to be tasted being poured by the head brewer – all the main Brains Cask range were on offer and tasted great straight from the barrel.

Brains Bitter (3.7% ABV) – Not had one of these for years (prefer stronger beers) but it’s an easy to drink session beer originally brewed for working man in Cardiff (when there were steelworks and shipbuilding and not sitting on their behinds all day in an office like me) – uses Goldings and Fuggles hops

Brains SA (4.2% ABV) – a stable of the Cardiff pubs with a reputation with traveling rugby fans- Challenger, Goldings and Fuggles hops used.

SA gold (4.7% ABV) – a great refreshing beer late-hopped using Cascade and Styrian Goldings, that’s proving very popular in bottles (and not just with the head brewer)

Rev. James (4.5% ABV) – a great dark copper beer with lots of caramel – named after the founder of Buckley’s Brewery which Brains purchased in 1997.

Milkwood 4.3% ABV – a seasonal ale, not had this before but very nice – the rye crystal and malted oats gives it a great consistency – and yes it tasted milky! – It was brewed in dedication to the renowned Welsh poet & drinker Dylan Thomas.

and finishing with Brains Dark 3.5% ABV- or RD (Red Dragon ) Dark as it’s know in the company – the best Mild in the UK and a favorite of mine – even though its not strong its the prefect pint every time.

We had lunch (a selection of Welsh themed dishes), including a brilliant Red mustard and Bara brith pudding, at their famous Brewery Tap, the Crawshay Arms – the best pub in Cardiff as there is no till;) and is not normally open to the public.

The afternoon ended with a tour of a couple of their great City Centre pubs, which I seem to spend more and more time in nowadays the City Arms and Goat Major.

It’s excellent news for the Real Ale drinkers in Cardiff that Brains is also welcoming more and more guest beers in their pubs – this will pull in more punters not just from the local area but further field who will see Cardiff as a great place to come and drink quality beers.

The evening ended for me quite early (8ish) anyway, in the Yard, which has just been given a make over – for the Birthday party for their excellent stout Brains Black.

I am sure Samuel Arthur would be proud that his name is being used on some great beers, and thanks to him I was spending a day in the company of people as passionate about beer as myself – my other tour members were respected beer writers Adrian Tierney-Jones and Tim Hampson, Editor of the Brew Wales Arfur Daley and youtube beer video blogger Simon Martin

You can see the full set of photos of my afternoon at Brains on Flickr.

The City Arms was built in the 1880’s – the same decade Brains was founded – but was known then as the Cattle Market. It was later renamed Dovers Arms, but became the City Arms in 1905 in celebration of the new ‘City’ status.

The Real Ale fans of Cardiff are rejoicing to the news (well I am), as apart from Spoons, there are not a lot of pubs with more than one Guest Ale on in the City Centre, especially Brains pubs, the Goat Major was doing the business for a while, but has slowed down recently in it’s selection.

I had a great time on Friday evening when I was lucky enough to sample a good selection what was on offer, thanks to the people from Brains for the invite to the opening.. the beer bottle selection was great as well and Duvel (green) on tap is a great addition.

Here are a selection of the beers that I had, the good news is that Otley brewery are providing the casks ales, so will look forward to a great range of Welsh Beers and some from further afield.

From Brains:

After reworking the bar area and giving the interior and exterior a lick of paint, the pub’s manager, Chris Partridge, is looking forward to welcoming new and returning customers: “The biggest change has happened behind the bar. Every day there will be up to eight cask (or real) ales on draught, two of which will be served direct from the cask, a range of draught imported beers and more than 20 different bottled beers and ciders.”

The City Arms can now boast to housing the biggest selection of beers in Brains’ entire pub estate. And, as Philip Lay, Retail Director at Brains explains, cask ale is a big part of that offer: “Cask ale is becoming something of a star performer in the beer market so we’re confident the City Arms will be a big draw. Last year overall cask ale sales increased by 5% and the number of 18-24 year old drinkers grew by 17%*, which suggests that the traditional ‘old man in a flat cap’ image is finally being shed.

“This is a pub rich in tradition, with a fantastic atmosphere and an unrivalled range of beers and we hope to attract customers of all ages.”

It’s the old Brains pub on Quay St just opposite the Millennium Stadium, they have not made many changes to the pub just cleaned it up a bit (which it needed) – the City Arms may have been a traditional pub and popular when a game was on, but the times I went there, it was not a haven for good real ale to be honest the welcome was not that, well welcome!

But a pub in this position needs some love and its good to see Brains doing it and upping its Real Ale game, wonder if they have plans for the model Inn, just round the corner.

The cask ales list for the launch are from some great Welsh Breweries and some excellent English ones, so looks like a good start..

10 cask ales, Otley, Breconshire, VOG, St Austell, Wickwar, Rhymney and of course Brains – IPA, SA, Dark & Rev

source with 4 direct from the cask!!

Beers on are

CASK ALES AND CIDERS

IPA
Brains (Wales)
Fresh and hoppy, very quaffable!
3.4%

Dark
Brains (Wales)
The legendary Dark, with chocolate & malt flavours
3.5%

S.A
Brains (Wales)
The Famous S.A.! Nutty, rich and satisfyingly dry
4.2%

The Rev. James
Brains (Wales)
Full bodied, rich and warming, with a hint of spice
4.5%

Addlestones Cider
Addlestones (Somerset)
Traditional cloudy cider with full-bodied flavour
5.2%

GUEST ALES

O-Garden
Otley Brewery (Pontypridd)
Clear wheat beer with orange, coriander & cloves
4.8%

Tribute
St. Austell (Cornwall)
Rich, juicy, malty & hoppy
4.2%

Rite Flanker
Wickwar (Gloucestershire)
Chestnut ale with hints of malt & fruit
4.3%

Grog Y Vog
Vale of Glamorgan Brewery (Barry)
Fresh flavoured golden ale
4.3%

Export
Rhymney Brewery (Merthyr Tydfil)
Full bodied mixed malts, well rounded and easy drinking
5%

Red Dragon
Breconshire Brewery (Brecon)
Smooth and easy drinking with biscuity malt flavours
4.7%

Bread of Heaven
Brains (Cardiff)
Ale with a reddish hue and a moreish fruit finish
4%

also for the non real ale fan – 7 draught imported beers and 24 different bottled beers and ciders from all over the shop (as posted on twitter by @Brains_Ian)

I hope Brains let us know what ales are on every week – using the power of the webs.

I think it may become my Cardiff local (after the Goat) of course depending on price;)

I can see the City Arms becoming a mecca for Real lovers people visiting Cardiff, Well done Brains – you have used yours.

A light, copper colour ale with a fresh, hoppy taste and a clean, bitter finish. Brewed with two varieties of hops, combined with pale and crystal malts.

I liked it – as a session beer it would be fine as its a very weak 3.4% (what we seem to get from Brains anyway )

I was a bit like Crown IPA (CPA?),which of course was taken over my Brains many years a go

I used to drink with my grandfather in his valleys club, it was more easy drinking than their not nice at all keg IPA Smooth.

When we are seeing barn (or shed) storming hoppy IPAs from the like of brewdog, it’s a disappointed that Brains could not gives us more flavour and show us that they are still a brewer of note and not just a pub/restaurant/hotel chain that brews half decent but predictably beer.

Iam not saying it was not a good pint, but it’s in a range of very similar beers from the Welsh brewery, they could have blown our red socks (with dragons on) off.

of course I will be having it again (once my tablets have worn off) but the price point will not win any fans (£2.60ish) when you can get a decent guest ale in other city centre pubs.

It will be a winner with the valley rugby fans coming down to the smoke, mind you.. but if in doubt have a pint of Brains Dark.

Brains do an IPA smooth which is not the first on my list to drink when I pop into one of their pubs, back in the day I used to drink Crown Brewery CPA (Club Pale Ale) with my grandfather I wonder if it’s based on that recipe

Hopefully Brains will do well with this IPA as most people like a light but hoppy brew Iam looking forward to tasting a few, wonder if I can get an invite to the launch

At the moment they do the following Bottles, SA, SA Gold, the wonderful Dark & Rev James, so this is a good fit in the inventory.

It’s one of the Cardiff brewery Brains, modern pubs which they have changed a lot over the last year from the no nonsense pub I remember from my youth (ok 20s) to a open plan pub that serves good food, and for the better, maybe its a middle age thing, but sometimes you do want to have a good pint of ale and a good meal, They say they try and source a lot of the ingredients locally “Changing daily, our menu offers great, honest pub food where quality rules over fanciness!”

As it was an early tea, I had a couple of pints of the excellent Brains Up and Over which is well worth getting in bottles if you can not get to a Brains Pub to have it on tap.

anyway down to the food.

The Mrs had asparagus, chicken and date terrine to start, which was very moist and served on a bit of slate as the style is nowadays.

I did not have a starter as I was keeping room for the pudding.

For main course she has Poached salmon, rocket and dill salad, which was massive and the salmon was dressed with creme fraiche, it was very tasty.

I had a welsh rip eye steak and great homemade chips (looked overcooked but were not, not fat not thin but very moorish) served with a poncy little jar of bearnaise sauce.

It’s strange that I have tend to have steak when I go out as there were some great things on the every changing menu, Iam a good cook myself but rarely cook steak at home, maybe its my chef training in my youth that I like to see how good a place is, by the quality of the steak, and I was not disappointed its was a lovely cut and a big chunk and good to perfection (Medium rare).

For pudding we shared a Basil and raspberry creme brulee, that is another dish I tend to favour , it can from range from the wonderful to the stodgy, well not quite being the latter it was the only disappointed of the meal, it was just over powered by the basil taste, and even after a Greek lager later in the evening I was still getting basil aftertaste.

anyway if you are in Llandaff or in Cardiff then pop over it’s a great pub

I can’t see this going down well in all their houses (Vulcan, Cottage & City Arms) but in the posher pubs in their portfolio I think the Beerati may lap it up…

Anyway I want one of these for my shedpub…

Welsh brewer Brains is going continental. The company, famed for cask ale favourites such as Brains SA and Dark, will be launching ‘Beer Tapas’ ahead of National Cask Ale Week (29th March – 5th April) in a bid to encourage trial.

Featuring three third pint glasses in a branded wooden tray, Beer Tapas will be available throughout and beyond National Cask Ale Week in around 200 pubs, including over 100 Brains managed and tenanted houses.

Richard Davies, Sales and Marketing Director explains: “The beer tapas tray gives customers the opportunity to try three different cask ales but drink the equivalent of one pint. We think it’s a great way of encouraging customers to switch from other categories to try cask ale and also a good way of giving current cask drinkers greater variety of choice.”

The tray has been branded ‘Brains Beer’, and the glasses are etched with ‘Beer Tapas’. Richard Davies adds, “This is about growing the cask ale category, with an emphasis on trial and exploration. Naturally we want to encourage customers to try the full Brains range, but we also want to see them trying brands and styles they wouldn’t normally try.”

More on the Cardiff brewer here.