Ernest Willows (JD Wetherspoon), Cardiff

David Walton left this review about Ernest Willows (JD Wetherspoon)

Visited 28/06/26

No real change on the beer front other than the two “away” cask options were two from the Rhymney Brewery, the fine Golden Ale and the Export. Only posted a follow-up to previous review for an unchanged venue to note that whilst I awaited to be dispensed my pint of Rhymney Golden Ale, the chap in front of me asked for two halves of Rhymney Export and Ruddles. Nothing unusual there but he then proceeded to ask for a pint glass and proceeded to amalgamate the said halves into the said pint glass. Never seen someone do that with two cask bitters, admittedly of different strength (5.0% plays 3.4%) to create an amber bitter of circa 4.2%. My pint of Rhymney Golden Ale was a similarly low abv pint, lighter obviously in colour, and less complex in its recipe. Maybe next time I am in a JDW and am left with no option to quaff Ruddles I shall look to cocktail it with something left field. I did note that by the time I had consumed my monoline bitter, the said chap had consumed little of his combo, so maybe was regretting the low priced structured product he had assembled. Indeed it took me back to my youth a little in South Wales valley’s pubs where the tough nuts would be shunning a basic lager to ask for a half of the basic lager in a pint glass and a half of cider (surely then Strongbow) to create a snakebite, a quaff that had similar principles to nuclear fusion in its genesis. Anyway my mundane Spoons visit turned into something extra.

On 28^th June 2026 - rating: 5
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