Bryncelyn Brewery

Infobox Brewery
name = Bryncelyn Brewery


caption = Bryncelyn Oh Boy pumpclip
location = Ystalyfera, Wales, UK
owner = Will & Sandra Hopton
opened = July 1999
production = Approximately 200 brewer's barrels per year at capacity
active_beers = brewbox_beer|name=Buddy Marvellous|style=Mild ale brewbox_beer|name=Oh Boy|style=Best bitter brewbox_beer|name=Holly Hop|style=Golden ale
seasonal_beers = brewbox_beer|name=Peggy's Brew|style=Golden ale brewbox_beer|name=Buddy's Delight|style=Bitter brewbox_beer|name=Cwrw Celyn|style=Stout brewbox_beer|name=CHH|style=Best bitter brewbox_beer|name=Rave On|style=Irish red ale brewbox_beer|name=Buddy Confusing|style=ESB brewbox_beer|name=Feb 59|style=Bitter brewbox_beer|name=May B Baby|style=Mild ale brewbox_beer|name=That'll Be The Sleigh|style=Winter ale

Bryncelyn Brewery is a small brewery located in the Wern Fawr Inn, a pub located near Ystalyfera, West Glamorgan in Wales. Brewing was begun in July 1999, and the brewers are Will Hopton and Robert Scott. [cite web |url=http://bryncelynbrewery.org.uk/ |title=Bryncelyn Brewery, Wern Fawr Inn, Beer,Brewery |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= cite web |url=http://beerme.com/breweries/uk/wl/6524.shtml |title=Beer Me! - Bryncelyn Brewery - Swansea, Wales |accessdate=2006-12-28 |format= |work= ]

While Bryncelyn's overall production is quite small, producing only three quarters of a UK brewer's barrel of beer at a time, Bryncelyn's ales have been consistent and frequent winners of awards at beer festivals since the brewery's inception.

Beers

The first beer produced was Buddy's Delight; this was done in nine-gallon (one-firkin) batches. The brewery then expanded to 27-gallon batches and began producing five beers in 2000 [cite newsgroup | title = Bryncelyn, Ystalyfera| author = Matt Gullam| date = 2000-02-16 | newsgroup = uk.food+drink.real-ale | id = | url=http://groups.google.com/group/uk.food+drink.real-ale/browse_thread/thread/2d14ecb53d5ca8ab/5423a593ecd44472?lnk=gst&q=bryncelyn&rnum=1#5423a593ecd44472 | accessdate = 2006-12-28] ; by 2002, this had further expanded to one barrel and as of 2006 twelve recipes are brewed, with brewing taking place up to four times a week.

Bryncelyn's three regular beers are Oh Boy, a bitter; Buddy Marvellous, a strong mild ale; and Holly Hop, a golden ale. A further nine beers are produced on an occasional or seasonal basis. The Good Beer Guide describes Oh Boy as:

"An enticing hop and fruit aroma, a golden color and a taste full of hops and fruit. Good bitterness and underlying malt add to the flavor, with a long, hoppily-bitter finish." [cite book |last=Protz |first=Roger |title= Good Beer Guide 2006 |publisher= CAMRA Books|year= 2006 |month= September |id= ISBN 1852492244 ]

Bryncelyn's beers are usually available only at the Wern Fawr Inn, but can be purchased for take-away in polypins and frequently appear at beer festivals in Wales. [cite web |url=http://bryncelynbrewery.org.uk/products.htm |title=Bryncelyn Brewery our selection of beers |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

Buddy Holly

The names of Bryncelyn's beers all feature the motif of references to the singer & guitarist Buddy Holly; the name "Bryncelyn" itself means "Holly Hill" in Welsh. Pump clips and associated artwork for the brewery also feature Holly's image or references Holly in some way:
* Oh Boy refers to the song "Oh, Boy!"
* Holly Hop refers to the instrumental of the same name
* Peggy's Brew refers to the song "Peggy Sue"
* CHH are the initials of "Charles Hardin Holley", Buddy Holly's birth name
* Rave On! refers to the song of the same name
* Feb 59 refers to Holly's death on 3 February 1959.
* May B Baby refers to the song "Maybe Baby"
* That'll Be The Sleigh refers to the song "That'll Be the Day"

Says brewer and publican Will Hopton about Holly, "He was such a talented fellow and he died at 22. He was such an influence on such a lot of different groups and individuals. Elvis was good performer but Buddy wrote most of his own music." Hopton sees the beer theme as a way of paying tribute to the performer. [cite news |title=Buddy Holly pub wins beer award |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4245622.stm |publisher=BBC News|date=2005-09-14 |accessdate=2006-12-28 ]

Awards

Bryncelyn's beers frequently place highly in blind tastings performed at festivals. Buddy Marvellous was awarded the Champion Beer of Wales title in 2002, and Oh Boy that title in 2003. [cite web |url=http://bryncelynbrewery.org.uk/products.htm |title=Bryncelyn Brewery our selection of beers |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

1999
* Carmarthen Beer Festival: Buddy's Delight, silver medal
* Cardiff Beer Festival: Buddy Marvellous, silver medal

2001
* Cardiff Beer Festival: Oh Boy, gold medal

2002
* Carmarthen Beer Festival: Oh Boy, bronze medal
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Buddy Marvellous, gold medal [cite web |url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=181286 |title=Champion Beer of Wales Winners |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

2003
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Oh Boy, gold medal; Buddy Marvellous, bronze medal [cite web |url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=181286 |title=Champion Beer of Wales Winners |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

2004
* Carmarthen Beer Festival: Oh Boy, silver medal
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Buddy Marvellous, bronze medal [cite web |url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=181286 |title=Champion Beer of Wales Winners |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

2005
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Oh Boy, bronze medal; Buddy Marvellous, champion mild ale; Oh Boy, champion best bitter [cite web |url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=181286 |title=Champion Beer of Wales Winners |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ] [cite news |first=Martin |last=Shipton |title= Small is beautiful for Wales' top beer brewers|url=http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/features/tm_objectid=16442971&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=small-is-beautiful-for-wales--top-beer-brewers--name_page.html |publisher=Western Mail |date=2005-12-03 |accessdate=2006-12-27 ] [cite web |url=http://www.neilwarnock.f2s.com/gwbcf/drinks.htm |title=Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival |accessdate=2006-12-28 |author=Neil Warnock |language=English]

2006
* Mumbles Beer Festival: Oh Boy, gold medal
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Holly Hop, champion bitter. [cite web |url=http://www.gwbcf.org.uk/ |title=Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival |accessdate=2006-12-27 |format= |work= ]

2007
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Holly Hop, silver medal; Buddy Marvellous, bronze medal; Oh Boy, champion best bitter; Holly Hop, champion bitter; Buddy Marvellous, champion strong mild/old ale. [cite web |url=http://www.bryncelynbrewery.org.uk/ |title=Bryncelyn Brewery, Wern Fawr Inn]

2008
* Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival: Buddy Marvelous, runner-up mild; Holly Hop, runner-up bitter; Oh Boy, runner-up best bitter [cite web |url=http://gwbcf.cardiffcamra.co.uk/node/16 |title=Champion Beer of Wales Competition 2008 |date=13 June, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-15]

The Wern Fawr Inn has itself been awarded the title of "Pub of the Year" in 2005 by the Neath and Port Talbot branch of CAMRA, as well as "Regional Pub of the Year" for South and Mid Wales by a ballot among all branches of CAMRA in the area. [cite web |url=http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=180702 |title=Good Beer Guide 2006 names Top 16 Pubs in Britain 12/09/2005 - CAMRA |accessdate=2006-12-28 |date=2005-09-12 |publisher=CAMRA|language=English]

References

External links

* [http://www.bryncelynbrewery.org.uk/ Official site]

* [http://beerme.com/breweries/uk/wl/6524.shtml Bryncelyn Brewery] at [http://beerme.com Beer Me!]