HARBWR - Tenby Harbour Brewery

Friends of mine, Mark and Maureen, had a holiday in Tenby in Wales a couple of weeks ago and brought back a pack of beer (all from Tenby Harbour Brewery or Harbwr and all named after former Tenby boats - website) for me as a present, many thanks! So I had to drink them all, but didn't rush myself: first, I tried the M. V. Enterprise, named after a 1960s-1990s passenger boat, a 4% Pale Ale, brewed with Cascade (US) and First Gold (British) hops. This is a traditional style pale ale, pale copper coloured, with a bitter finish, not bad at all...

Next I drank the RFA Sir Galahad, named after Tenby's RNLI Lifeboat from 1986 to 2006, and very interesting too... A 4.6% Red Ale, brewed with British First Gold and Pioneer hops and US Cascade and Willamette hops, the combination resulting in an avalanche of aroma and flavours! A deep red colour, although surprisingly light to drink, with subtle malt and a hint of butterscotch flavours, and forest fruit and citrus flavours too; a wee bit sweet to begin with, but a lovely dry bitter and refreshing finish, indeed, very interesting, and a very nice beer!

M.V. Enterprise

Next I had the 4.2% North Star, named after a former fishing boat, an Amber Ale, which people appear to like to call what I suggest are traditional bitters, and this is pretty much that, a very decent best bitter indeed. Brewed with British First Gold and Bramling Cross hops, with a subtle malt in the first taste and a nice dry bitter finish, and as it went down malt in the aroma and a hint of orange/lemon in the taste and aroma appeared, again, not bad at all.

Finally I drank the 4.5% Caldey Lollipop, named after a Tenby boat that used to provide a ferry service between Tenby and Caldey Island in the 1950s, an I.P.A., which does what it says on the label! Brewed with German Magnum, US Mount Hood and New Zealand Waimea hops, which have produced quite a complex ale, certainly a hoppy IPA. Began with a fruity, slightly perfumed, aroma, big flavour and body, with a subtle spicy and dry fruity taste, but bitter orange and grapefruit emerging strongly in the flavour, and a dry bitter finish, what's not to like?!? My notes say 'very interesting' and 'very good' so it must be, indeed, my favourite of the 4.

Mark and Maureen had these beers at The Buccaneer Inn, St Julian Street, Tenby SA70 7AS (facebook page), and at the Harbwr Tap Room in the brewery too. Mark, my friendly local landlord, told me that the ales were all excellent as real ales too, I should imagine even more exciting, and that the food at the brewery-owned Buccaneer was excellent too, they had a seafood platter and lemon sole, which doesn't surprise me as they own a pub in Hastings fishing quarter and opposite Hastings Fish Market (Dolphin Inn website), and they know a bit about seafood, and cheers to you both for the beers!