Neuadd Arms Hotel, Llanwrtyd Wells

Blue Scrumpy left this review about Neuadd Arms Hotel

My first ever visit to Llanwrtyd Wells began with this pub/hotel situated right in the centre of the town. One of 3 pubs in the town, this is the one that can be found in the Good Beer Guide. It is also the home of the Heart of Wales Brewery.

A central entrance corridor has a reception desk at the end with a plush lounge on the right-hand side. The Bells Bar can be found through an unassuming door to the left of the reception desk. This is the public bar. A further door off this room leads to a room marked "Pool Room". Whilst we were at the bar, somebody opened it. I didn't see in but apparently it did have a pool table but was full of clutter.

The Bells Bar has a tiled floor and boards on the walls listing winners of the World Bog Snorkelling Championship, another competition called Man Versus Horse and a couple of others. The eponymous bells can be found above the largest boards and were presumably used for residents in rooms above to get service in times gone by. Whether they still function, who knows.

There is also a large stone fireplace. A TV above the entrance door was switched off.

We arrived to find the barmaid a little bit flustered as she was trying to serve a group of 4 or 5 walkers. Just 2 of the 6 handpulls on the bar were clipped but I had notice more handpulls and pumpclips in the lounge area. So, I assumed that a small blackboard at the side of the bar had an up-to-date list of cask ales. I assumed incorrectly, as all 3 of the Heart of Wales beers they listed were off. The only 2 cask ales were in fact from Monty's - Sunshine & Galaeth. It was unsurprising that the solitary local was drinking Guinness. My Galaeth had clearly been sat in the lines overnight without being pulled through. It was cloudy and in a poor condition not befitting a Good Beer Guide pub.

Ciders were listed on a separate board. There were a selection of Lilley's ciders in boxes behind the bar including ones not on the list. Meanwhile, there were ciders on the list that weren't behind the bar. It was the availability or lack of it of Lilley's Mulled Cider that had caused the lengthy wait for service when I arrived. The barmaid had gone off to see if they had any but came back saying they had run out. So presumably there were some other ciders hidden away elsewhere. The full selection read as Lilley's Red Rabbit, Crazy Goat, Darksider, Gladiator, Bee Sting Perry & Sunset, Gwatkin Game Cock, Snail's Bank Tumbledown Medium, Orchard Dry & Very Perry, Sandford Orchards Hangy Downs, Rich's Legbender & Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon & Two Trees Perry. Other than the Lilley's ciders visible behind the bar, I'm not sure if the others were on or not.

There is a fairly small car park to the front of the building and a further car park for hotel residents to the rear. The bar here would be a lovely place to enjoy a drink but it's difficult to enjoy a drink when you're served a poor quality beer. I guess they up their game when the local CAMRA people turn up but with a lack of Heart of Wales beers and a poor quality Monty's beer served up instead, I left feeling distinctly disappointed.

On 28^th September 2025 - rating: 5
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