The Gremlin Hotel, Brecon

This pub now functions as a true Inn with three B&B rooms above the pub and then three fairly newly built cottages behind at the rear of the car park. The story is that the pub takes its name from an incident several years ago when a First World War Air Force officer was drinking in the pub whilst reading Grimm's Fairy tales and allegedly saw a gremlin in his drink, smiling up to him. Internally the Gremlin Inn is still a two roomed pub with a small public area to the left with TV screen and dart board and then more of a carpeted lounge section to the right of the central bar which stretches back beyond the bar into another area which doubles as a function room. And then outback there is a large courtyard garden space with seating and then a permanent stage and marquee area which stretches down towards the Brecon Canal basin. This makes it an ideal venue for the Brecon Fringe and a good line up of musical acts were on over the three days. There is an impressive display of old GBG stickers on the front windows which show that the Gremlin was once at the vanguard of Real ale availability in Brecon. But today there are two hand pumps on the bar which were dispensing Draft Bass and something badged as Gremlin Ale which, although it could have been due to the forced plastic glass but wasn’t that clever. So in that respect it has been overtaken by several of the other pubs and clubs in Brecon who have a focus on Welsh beers. And one of these clubs is a few doors further down The Watton in the form of the Brecon RFC, which cannot be on this site as it is a members club, but was open to all during the Fringe and had a much better local ale policy, meaning my visits to The Gremlin over the three days were limited. But it looked like a well-run pub and B&B so others should pop in and try it when in Brecon.