The Hefty Chest, Swansea

The Gravity Station is the second bar to be opened by the Waen Brewery, following the success of their micro-pub in Cardiff. This place is too large to be termed a micro pub, occupying a decent sized corner property on a street just one block over from all of the big clubs and bars of Wind Street - one block seemingly being all that is needed to keep the undesirable elements away judging by this visit. The layout is very simple, comprising a single, rectangular room with the servery down the right hand wall. there are dark floorboards and exposed brick walls throughout and some rather plain tables and chairs have been arranged to the front and down the left hand side under some large window sills stacked full of various magazines, old annuals and a collection of board games. The servery has a tongue and groove panelled counter and large white canopy. Blackboards on the bar back list the various kegged beer options and hot drinks available, whilst a turntable at the end of the bar was, rather bizarrely, playing an old Dead or Alive LP. To the rear there was a space set aside for live music performances, and a band was setting up on my arrival. Pictures of brewing vessels, perhaps from the Waen Brewery itself, adorn the walls and to the rear someone has painted one of those Beer Periodic Tables that you see in various craft beer bars. I made a bit of a hash of things when deciding what to order here. The lack of handpulls combined with the blackboard listing the keg beers led me to believe that the place didn't serve cask ale, so rather than clarifying things with the very friendly barmaid, I shambled on and ordered a pint of Waen Hanging Rock on keg (£4.20). Now, this thankfully turned out to be an enjoyable pint, but I was left kicking myself when a couple of minutes later a bloke came in and ordered something which was poured from a hitherto unseen tap protruding from the bar back. It then became clear that the casks are racked on stilage behind a series of doors on the bar back, each with a small tap for pouring. Each tap had a small label detailing the beer, but these were impossible to read from my side of the bar, so I have no idea what was on - something the venue might consider addressing. There were nine out of a possible twelve keg lines in use, mostly offering Waen beers plus guests from the likes of Hopcraft and Wild Weather and at least one cider. I thought this was an interesting venue and unlike anything else I can think of in Swansea. The place felt a bit cold and empty and perhaps needs a bit more time to bed in and develop some character, but there is plenty of potential here. I'll definitely be giving this place another try when I'm next in Swansea and I'll make a point of trying some of their cask ales!

Craft beer bar and specialist off-licence, owned by Waen brewery.