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 2023. 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 6th 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 –
1 Wales Ales & Left Bank – Winter Wheat (500ml) 5.2% (Llangors, Brecon)
Kicking us off is something very special, a brand new 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. Here we have a strong 5.2% wit bier, full bodied and easy drinking, strong banana flavours and aroma with a hint of orange. Are you dreaming of a wit Christmas?
2 Wales Ales & Antur – Simcoe SMASH (330ml) 4.8% (Three Cocks)
Talk about starting strong, winner winner Turkey dinner! This is a Single Malt and Single Hop pale coming in at 4.8% and really lets the Simcoe hop shine. Refreshing, crisp and a great antidote to the heavier Christmas offerings and pairs perfectly with Turkey dinner, Turkey soup, Turkey sandwiches, Turkey Curry and left-over 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 Conwy Brewery – Chocolate Pud (500ml) 5% (Conwy)
A new festive offering from Conwy Brewery. A rich chocolate pudding porter.
5 Monty’s – Merry Monty (500ml) 4.6% (Montgomery)
Their 2023 Christmas beer is 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.
6 Tiny Rebel – Sleigh Puft The Chocolate One (330ml) 5.2% (Newport. Gwent)
Did someone say Sleigh Puft??? Yup, that’s right! Sleigh Puft is back for a limited time only! Inspired by 4 iconic Christmas flavours these are not to be missed. The Chocolate One – 5.2% Triple Chocolate Nougat Marshmallow Porter.
7 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!
8 Glamorgan – Santa’s little belter 4.4% (Llantrisant)
Wales’ best-selling Christmas Ale! Expect biscuit maltiness, winter berries and a hint of chocolate. Oh, and don’t forget to leave one out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
9 AxelJack – Hyggelig Stout (440ml) 6.3% (Maesteg)
A new beer from this new Maesteg brewery. Introducing their festive offering. A full bodied, strong 6.3% stout with Asian spices in the aftertaste.
10 Hafod – Fruitcake Amber Ale (500ml) 4.5% (Mold)
A wintery warmer, Fruitcake is a malty amber ale with caramel notes, gentle fruity hops aromas & a biscuit finish.
11 Dog’s Window – Santa Paws (440ml) 6% (Bridgend)
Brewing out of a small unit in Bridgend, this brewery is making big waves in the industry with being one of the highest-rated Welsh breweries on popular beer rating App untappd. It is dark and decadent and has a strong fruity flavour with a long lingering aftertaste, and at 6% abv it is the epitome of Christmas in a can of beer.
12 Bang-On Brewery – Buddy IPA (500ml) 6.5% (Bridgend)
Buddy IPA from Bang-On Brewery is a crisp and flavoursome strong IPA. Rocking your stockings at 6.5%. This was their festive offering a couple of years ago but returns to our pack by popular demand
‘The Legendary 12 Beers of Christmas’ is available via their website www.walesales.com
