INSTAGRAM and Facebook have pretty much finished off the holiday postcard. There’s really little use for a glossy photo of the destination you are currently enjoying popping through someone’s letter box a couple days after you’ve returned home with a quickly scribbled message on the back about how the weather’s great and how you miss everyone at home, when you actually really don’t.
However, when I’m travelling I still like to grab a little memento of where I’ve been beyond the quick snap on my phone which will probably never see the light of day again. A few months ago, while travelling back from Manchester, we stopped off in a Welsh town more famous for the length of its name than the beer which is brewed nearby.
The ubiquitous photograph was taken in front of the sign on the railway station at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and a surprisingly patient local woman was only too glad to pronounce the full name for us in the nearby café.
Of course, the local wares were on sale as well so I picked up a selection of beers from the Purple Moose Brewery, which makes its beer about 20 miles down the road. The bilingual labelling gives it that added bit of authenticity but, as you know, the contents of the bottle are the true test of any beer.
The first one I tried was the Elderflower Ale – or Cwrw Ysgawen if you want to learn a bit of Welsh on the side. It poured a light amber colour and was dominated by toffee malt flavours before giving way to a slightly more floral taste. It is refreshing, but the flavours are bit too subtle and the elderflower could have made its presence known a bit more.
Then it was one to the dark ale called Dark Side of The Moose – or Ochr Dywyll y Mws if you insist on expanding your linguistic palate.
This is a smashing ale and true to its name. It pours a dark brown colour and fires off lovely roasty aromas with a hint of bitter chocolate.
It’s beautifully rich in flavour, with notes of chocolate and dark fruit and a nice bit of bitterness. It’s probably more of an autumn/winter ale, but the Welsh climate is identical to ours, so they know that the seasons aren’t really going to oblige you when selecting beer.
Iechyd da!
