neat little story

Industry News by MYKE

this a neat little story i ran across on the net while doing some research. enjoy. A mid Wales brewery which claims to be the smallest in the world has re-opened. Less than 5ft square and formerly an outside toilet, Bragdy Gwynant brews ale for just one customer - the Tynllidiart Arms next door. Based in Capel Bangor, near Aberystwyth, the brewery has gone back into production after a two-year break. It takes 14 days to produce nine gallons of the as-yet unnamed ale. Margaret and Mark Phillips, who own the Tynllidiart Arms and the brewery, said the beer had a secret recipe. "The previous owner of the pub moved out two years ago and up until two weeks ago the pub was closed and the brewery was too," said Mr Phillips, who moved in just two weeks ago. "We thought it would be nice to brew our own local beer and luckily we had a brewer living a few doors down who was able to help. I'm using a secret recipe but brewing beer is like making a good curry - it takes a few goes to get it absolutely spot on- Brewer Chris Giles. "We've tasted the ale and it does need some tweaking, but it should be ready for customers to taste this weekend." Mrs Phillips added: "We've tried to use as many local ingredients as we can in the beer and we use the same policy in our restaurant." The brewery once claimed a place in the record books. "It was in the Guinness Book of Records a few years ago as the smallest brewery in the world, but when it closed two years ago it lost its place," said Mrs Phillips. "But we'll be applying again in the next few weeks to become the smallest commercial brewery again." Brewer Chris Giles, who lives a few doors down from the brewery, runs a real ale business. He said: "The brewery was originally the men's outside toilet. "It's very small and there's not much room once all they brewing equipment is in there. "We don't have a name for the beer yet and it's in the experimental stage. "It may need a bit of development over the next few weeks before we get the definitive pint. "I'm using a secret recipe but brewing beer is like making a good curry - it takes a few goes to get it absolutely spot on." Tony Jerome of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said: "We are always pleased to hear of real ale breweries re-opening as this means more choice for the beer consumer to try."

19 years ago