Two Cwmbran pubs are included in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) 50th anniversary Good Beer Guide. Cwmbran Life also puts the spotlight on a third pub just down the road in Newport because it has a special link to our town.
To be listed in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide is a fantastic achievement for a pub. The guide is based entirely on personal recommendations made by local CAMRA members, which are reviewed by branches and editors.
Recommendations consider beer quality as well as the history and architecture of a pub and various aspects such as food, gardens, family and disabled facilities and special events. CAMRA does not take any fees for listings to ensure the guide remains independent and unbiased.
The guide, which surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is compiled by thousands of independent volunteers. The 2023 edition puts the spotlight on 317 pubs in Wales.
The two Cwmbran pubs in the Good Beer Guide 2023
The Queen Inn, Upper Cwmbran
The entry says it’s a “popular venue with its attractive countryside backdrop” and the all-vegan menu can be “washed down by regularly changing ales, vegan where possible, and a choice of ciders”.
Gareth Edwards, landlord of The Queen Inn, said: “It’s awesome to still be recognised as one of the best real pubs in the UK every year for over ten years. We endeavour to keep real ales alive and affordable, often promoting smaller local breweries. We’re constantly looking to extend our range and will hopefully have a few more exciting beers. Now our menu is completely plant-based, we try to always offer a vegan ale, and it’s really promising to see vegan ales growing in popularity so much recently.”
The Bush, Upper Cwmbran
The guide’s entry says The Bush is a “cosy nook tucked into the slopes of Mynydd Maen” and there “is typically an interesting selection of two or three guest ales plus as choice of ciders to help slake thirsts”.
Rhys Bailey, landlord of The Bush, said: “It’s great to be included in the GBG for the fourth year since I have been at the pub. It’s nice to receive acknowledgment from CAMRA and my customers for the hard work and time we put into looking after the real ale and drinks at the pub.”
Weird Dad Taproom, 23 Caerleon Road, Newport, NP19 7BU
This place gets a special mention as the owner of Weird Dad Brewing and the Weird Dad Taproom is Lee Dunning, a Cwmbran resident.
Its entry says the bar is “a short stroll from the city centre and Rodney Parade sports ground, this craft beer shop and bar has its own nanobrewery” and as well as cask ales it has two fridges “full of bottled and canned delights”.
Lee said: “We are thrilled for our Weird Dad Taproom to have been included in the 2023 CAMRA Good Beer guide. It’s great that product quality has been recognised alongside our extensive beer selection including our very own on-site brewed delights from Weird Dad Brewery.”
Buy a copy of the 2023 guide
Visit CAMRA’s website to buy a copy. It’s also available on iOs and as a web-based app at https://gbgapp.camra.org.uk
The 50th anniversary edition features a new cover design by Neil Gower, a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales (22 August 2022) and an introduction to each region by Laura Hadland – award-winning author of 50 Years of CAMRA.
CAMRA National Chairman Nik Antona said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales, and the best outlets to find them in across the country.
“The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers.
“Whilst we experienced a boom in the brewing industry over recent years, it’s clear that the effects of COVID-19 and subsequent cost of living and cost of goods crisis has been keenly felt. I’d encourage everyone to use this Guide to seek out the very best examples of pub excellence and support these locals by visiting them.”
Paul Nunny, Director of Cask Marque said: “Cask Marque has sponsored the Good Beer Guide for a number of years, because it is important that we recognise great pubs with a CAMRA endorsement. 50 years of actively supporting our industry is a great achievement and coincides with Cask Marque championing beer quality for 25 years.”
CAMRA is a not-for-profit consumer group with over 160,000 members, that has been operating since 1971. Their “vision is to have quality real ale and thriving pubs in every community”.
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