From Santa’s Little Belter to Merry X-Moose, it’s not Christmas without a Winter Warmer. Wales is producing some quality beers right now – and that includes the festive brews too.
Luckily for lovers of Welsh ales you can now pick up a Christmas beer box – called “The Legendary 12 Beers of Christmas” from Wales Ales, recently awarded The Best Beer Subscription Provider for the second year running. Offering 12 of the finest festive tipples, the selection has been handpicked by Wales Ales, the longest established hand delivered Welsh beer service, specialising in small Welsh breweries. We caught up with Neil at Wales Ales, affectionately dubbed the Welsh Beer Fairy by his customers, to tell us a little bit more –
“We wanted to select 12 beers that would be representative of all corners of Wales. This is the 8th year we’ve done this and wanted to expand it even further. We were the first to ever do a fully Welsh Christmas Beer Pack, amongst some familiar names like Purple Moose, Tiny Rebel and Glamorgan Brewery there’s little known but equally impressive small breweries such as Dog’s Window, Antur and Left Bank.”
“These are challenging times for the industry and our hope is by shining a light in this manner some people might be tempted to seek out these breweries and try the rest of their range. Our passion is to promote these artisan brewers and give customers an alternative to the usual beers on supermarket shelves, and what better way than at Christmas, a wonderful time for a beer!”
So whether it’s a gift to a loved one or a treat for yourself, there’s some great Welsh beers to enjoy this Christmas. We’ve asked Neil to talk us through the first 6 of the delightful dozen, with the remaining covered in our next issue –
1. Wales Ales & Left Bank – Winter Wheat (500ml) 5.2% (Llangors, Brecon)
Kicking us off is something very special, a new batch of last year’s collaboration made especially for this pack. I wanted to add a bit more uniqueness to the 12 beers of Christmas so approached Left Bank Brewery the only brewery in Brecon. I wanted to do something different to the standard Christmas beers, I experimented with a homebrew before brewing with Left Bank. Here we have a strong 5.2% wit bier, full bodied and easy drinking, strong banana flavours and aroma with a hint of orange Dare I say one of the best wheat beers I’ve ever had, but I’ll let you decide. Are you dreaming of a wit Christmas?
2. Wales Ales & Antur – Schwarzbier Winter Special (440ml) 5% (Brecon)
Talk about starting strong, winner winner Turkey dinner! Our previous collaboration with Antur proved so popular we decided to do something new. We wanted to make a dark beer with a difference for you to enjoy now those winter nights are drawing in.
This black lager is light and easy drinking, with complex dark malt character and distinct roasted notes of coffee & dark chocolate shining through. Hopped with Tettnang & Spalter Select to deliver a medium hop bitterness with a clean & crisp refreshing finish. As Black as the coal you tell your children was all you got for Christmas. Pairs perfectly with Turkey dinner, Turkey soup, Turkey sandwiches, Turkey Curry and leftover Turkey.
3. Bluestone Brewery – Blitzen 4.1% (Pembrokeshire)
This festive offering is a sessionable, light in colour, uniquely British hopped IPA. It combines subtle fruity and floral flavours with added yeast induced complexities.
4. Wales Ales & Dog’s Window – Good Boy DDH (440ml) 4.6% (Bridgend)
Good Boy is Wales Ales’ biggest seller and was originally a sessionable Tropical IPA. It has had a number of variations including a previous sessional stronger one called Very
Good Boy and a Mango version. However this year we wanted to strip it back to the original concept but infuse it with much more hops. This special limited edition Christmas cracker is Double Dry Hopped (DDH) and wrapped up in a cozy 4.5% abv. Full of fruity flavours and punchy hops especially for you good boys & girls.
5. Monty’s – Merry Monty (500ml) 4.6% (Montgomery)
From Monty we have their 2023 Christmas beer Merry Monty, a 4.6% ESB style beer, amber coloured and an overtly Christmassy label. Brewed with crystal malts giving you a lovely toffee and hint of nuttiness to the flavour with well balanced malts. We were hoping to have their new 2024 Christmas beer but unfortunately they didn’t have enough stock, but it is available to purchase extra or to swap.
6. Purple Moose – Merry X Moose (500ml) 5% (Porthmadog)
A strong winter ale brewed from Welsh mountain water and natural ingredients. Crystal Malt combined with aromatic hops creates a smooth, full-bodied, malty beer. The perfect accompaniment to an evening of Christmas cheer in front of a roaring open fire!
‘The Legendary 12 Beers of Christmas’ is available via their website www.walesales.com
