Cathays Beer House, Cardiff

Having hoped to visit this pub on my last visit to Cardiff but being thwarted by it being closed on the day I visited, I finally managed to get inside this time. The micropub enjoys a prominent corner location at a busy set of traffic lights on the Crwys Road. Crwys apparently is Welsh for cross, but I did remark that it is also spelt very similar to the welsh word for beer (cwrw), not that that really has anything to do with matters. However, it is located in quite a studenty and multicultural area with plenty going on. On my Wednesday evening, the pub was fairly busy with several customers, their children and at least one dog. With limited seating, I ended up sitting on a sofa next to a fish tank but with a prime view of the multiple bag-in-the-box ciders and the cask ales which are all dispensed by gravity. The ale selection, so far as I could ascertain, was Hawkshead Dry Stone Stout, Twisted Barrel Saviour & Derby White Christmas. Ciders were Original Somerset Cider Company Hunky Punk, Heck's Glastonbury Gold & Perry, Bere Gold Rush Medium & Sweet ciders, Ross-on-Wye Bittersweet Goodbye and another from Hancocks Meadow Farm. One craft beer available was New Bristol Summacrush. With at least 3 ciders I'd not previously had here, I was spoiled for choice, eventually opting for the unnamed one from Hancocks Meadow Farm at a respectable 6.5%. After having rated the Gwaelod y Garth Inn a 10/10 earlier, I will also score this one highly. It was well worth wait to get here and I suspect I will be back someday.

Now this is what micropubs are all about. Friendly chatty owner and the same goes for the punters as well (all two of them on my visit!). There were just 2 ales, jacketed behind the bar, but both in great nick. Usually there's more beer on, apparently. Also available are cider (it's a local CAMRA award winner) and a couple of craft keg as well. An extensive range of bottles and cans complete the beer line-up. Snacks consist of a surprisingly wide range of jerky plus crisps and nuts. Highly recommended.

Former post office converted into a micro pub.