Wetherpoons 'Mount Stuart', Cardiff Bay

A couple of times in the last month I have had the opportunity to drink in the new Wetherspoons in Cardiff bay. I say new, but it actually opened in July last year but this is this first chance I've had to visit it.

The Mount Stuart is well located in the Bay, in the old Harry Ramsden restaurant I was led to believe, close to the car park and Techniquest, a big tourist attraction if you have kids.

The first visit was with the family, in the Christmas holidays, and we went to have a meal after a day out.
My initial surprise was that this did not look like a Wetherspoons.
You know what I mean, their pubs do have a tendency to look all the same, but this is open, all glass and chrome, open area's. A number of long raised bench's to sit at in large groups, with plenty of table seating also downstairs. The bar staff to me the upper area includes an open outside area that was very popular last summer.

They have the standard menu, the food was good, served and priced well.
They have about 8 hand pumps, a couple of keg lines and then the usual others in lagers and ciders.

That day they had a couple from the Celt Experience on thankfully, including a Xmas offering called Divine Yule Saison. A collaboration with the Waen brewery, this was a beautiful 5.3% saison that had an earthy sweetness from the pumpkin, an aroma and taste of lemon and pine.
Tangy, bitter and dry it was incredibly refreshing.


 The second visit was at lunchtime midweek, it was reasonably busy, maybe three quarters of the tables taken.
I was about to met some work colleagues for a meal elsewhere but took the opportunity for a second visit.

So glad I did as on tap was the Adnams and Six-point Brewery collaboration 'Righteous Ale'.
A rye style at 6.3%, deep red/brown in colour, a real malty sweet aroma. A comforting richness swims by, plums, brown sugar,with a nice bitterness with orange and lemon tones. A hugely enjoyable pint.
 
The Mount Stuart seems a welcome addition to the bars in the Cardiff bay area, competition to the Brains brewery pub Terra Nova,  and for those used to the identikit Wetherspoons a nice alternative viewpoint.

M&S beers and offers.

I've had cause to visit a M&S store a few times recently, whilst waiting for car repairs to be completed. The 2 branches local to me have usually a good range, and as Meer for Beer in her recent run of posts has noted they've also a few new additions to this range, selected and brewed by the countries better breweries.

Inspired by her reviews I first fancied the Sandringham Ale ,then the Greenwich Raspberry wheat beer.


My first purchase was however the Greenwich Red Ale, a wine bottle shape and 750mls, wire corked, and 4% abv beer brewed with crystal and caramel malts for its red colour, and uses 5 types of Yakima Valley hops.
I imagine a few of you are thinking 'hmm sounds like their Yakima Red, their 4% amber ale??' Certainly ratings on ratebeer would agree with that. I have never had it so forked out its £4.99 price tag.

This morning on a return visit I indeed did get the raspberry wheat beer, and noted they have dropped the abv to 4.9% and refreshed the label on the Cornish IPA, and there is a new Bath Ales produced Ginger Ale which I passed on this time.

I then noticed that they have reduced the price of two of the beers from last years lines, the Southwold Dark Ale by Adnams, a 7.2% barley wine that was £2.19, and the 4.7% Cheshire Brown Ale by the Robinsons brewery originally £1.99. Both of these are currently only 99p each, both good beers and therefore worth picking up a few bottles at this price in my opinion. This second photo of bottles cost a very reasonable £5.95 as you also get deal 'buy 6 for 5' offer!

Meantime seem to have a few of their bottles fon the shelves of M&S (and Sainsburys) currently, the two mentioned above, the London Porter, and now also a limited addition Barrel Aged Greenwich Hospital Porter. It comes in a cardboard tube, corked again, 750mls and 6%.
There is a picture here on ratebeer. It is priced at £9.99 which despite the recommendation from 'the guardian' tagged on the shelf, was too rich for my blood I decided. Unless someone has had it and can recommend it at that price I think I'll pass.

Tesco (and Aldi) beers offers

The Tesco 4 for £5 seems to be back on, stocking up for Xmas for £1.25 a bottle seems like a good idea.

Most of the main shelf fillers, Fullers, Badger, Thwaites, Adnams, Brains, are on offer, plus many others. One new to the shelves and in the offer is Bath Ales 'Ginger Hare'. Some good winter warmers included are Adnams Broadside, Fullers ESB and 1845, and Morelands 'Old Crafty Hen' which normally retails at £2.79!

Brewdog's Punk IPA is also on the offer which means 4 bottles is currently cheaper than you can get their Punk four pack cans at Sainsbury's.
Also new was cans of Sapporo 'imported', which are huge, 600mls + and look very special, just like the price of £2.25, but seriously, check out the can!

As well as some of the above i predict a few Thwaites Wainwright and Fullers Bengal Lancer might be sitting in my shed before too long.

Also popping into my inbox was news that Aldi this week are stocking Banks's Ultimate Curry Beer!! I checked it out on ratebeer i see no reviews for the bottles for over 5 years, a line revived from the back of the brewery obviously. £1.49, 500mls, it used to be 5.3%, wonder what it will be now.

M&S Southwold Dark Ale (Adnams)

Another beer in the range from Marks & Spencer's, a Southwold Dark Ale brewed for them by Adnams in Soffolk. This time they've produced an apparently limited edition barley wine thats been brewed every October since 1880 (7.2% 330mls £2.19).
Sound familiar?
From the description it sounds like it a rebottled/rebranded Adnams Tally-Ho, a beer thats usually 7% on cask but 7.2% when bottled conditioned, although this M&S version does not appear to be conditioned.
On pouring there was very little head and that soon went to the smallest of rings around the glass, colour is a dark red-brown. Aroma - Rich fruits, dark burnt caramel, slightly medicinal. Taste has some lingering coffee bitterness, prunes, toffee, heavy malts. Notable hop bitterness also, within its medium body, but punchy alcohol thats upfront not a warming sensation you can get with older barley wines.
Overall its not a bad evening sipper. I'm nowhere near an expert in these things but from what I've read this could be one that perhaps could benefit from time in a cellar and tried again at a later date. I'm going to buy another couple of bottles and do that, why not?

M&S Southwold Winter IPA

Quick review of this beer, picked up, obviously, in M&S the other day. Funny enough when i got home i read a review of this beer by Darren at Blog o' Beer, which made me want right there and then. But it was mid morning so i put it off til after i picked the kids up from school, seemed the sensible thing to do!
Brewed for them by Adnams its 6.7% and 500mls. Not sure though i can add to much more to Darrens post really, but cut n' pasting would be a tad lazy.
Okay, lovely amber brown colour, frothy but diminishing head. Nutty malty aroma, good sharpness - grapefruit, nice medium body with a bit of dry fruit in there.
As i write this i'm supping a Marble Dobber, full on good smack in the face grapefruit there, but this Winter IPA is more rounded, calmer, and one i would drink more than the Marble i suspect.

Edited 25/1 to correct abv %. 
2nd edit:
Crap, i forgot the FABPOW with this beer. Rowntrees Randoms - went brilliantly, light juiciness and sweetness with the IPA dryness and sharpness. High class here!