Craft Republic; Up and Coming Tap Room of South Wales
Ever had Verdant on tap?
I hadn't till yesterday, 13th September. The last two weekends in a row, Simon and myself have been able to enjoy a superb selection of fresh and seemingly rare beers, all in our home town of Barry. A special beer for our twelfth wedding anniversary. Cheers!
Craft Republic is a very new bar to try and establish itself in the small (big) sunny (not always) town of Barry. Situated in the complex where old meets new, it was until not so long ago a grave yard for retired trains. They would take their last journey through the South Wales countryside before being taken apart for scrap metal. The Hogwarts Express was one of the steam engines that was sat on the tracks waiting for the same fate. For quite some time after the last engine was dismantled, Thomas the Tank and another steam engine sat in storage, only seeing the light of day a few select days a year when they were rolled out to take passengers back and fore to Barry Island. Craft Republic sits in part of the original building, where brick meets glass, opposite the new 3 storey building made from containers.
Now don’t forget times are still up in the air so you will need to book a table before arrival, when you’ll meet Tim, one half of the lovely couple who has brought such a fantastic selection of beers on our doorstep. He will show you to your seats, run through the do’s and don’ts of the bar and give you a little explanation of how they came to open. Without spoiling too much for you, he and Claire wanted to run a tap room they would want to visit. Which is perfect for us in Barry. Tim humbly asked us if we thought his bar was up there with those we visit in Cardiff. Now, the only place which I felt would be fair to compare with, would be BrewDog. Only there’s not as many ‘guest’ beers at Brewdog, not as much of a selection of beers from some of Britain’s best craft breweries. It was obviously a big thumbs up from us!
Simon’s call out beer of the day was the Verdant Brewing Co. Fruit Car Sight Exhibition Double IPA, rocking in at 8 percent abv! I had a taste, and oh my what a beer. Refreshingly carbonated and beautifully tropical with a supreme piny hoppy bite, you do not taste that booziness at all. I however fell in love with BrewYork all over again, their Rhubarbra Streisand stealing my heart. A Milkshake ipa that tasted like rhubarb and custard, malty and hoppy with a ginger beer likeness at the back end. Absolutely need to get some more of that!
One last thing, check out the toilets! I want that wall paper!
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