Welsh beer
Welsh beer has roots that go far back, but the current scene is built around small breweries and hoppy beers. At Hoptimaal you'll find Welsh beer from Polly's Brew Co., a brewery from Yr Wyddgrug known for modern, hop-forward beers. Below you can see all the IPAs we have in stock.
- In stock now5 beers
- Breweries1
Breweries from Wales 1
All beers in stock 5
A brewing tradition from the sixth century
Beer in Wales can be traced back to the sixth century. Even in that period, the legendary Ceridwen is linked in poems by Taliesin to cauldrons and intoxicating drinks made from grain and herbs. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, under the year 852, distinguishes between 'fine ale' and Welsh ale, also known as bragawd.
Bragawd sat somewhere between mead and what we now call ale. It was a heavy, strong drink, made with spices such as cinnamon, ginger and clove, and with honey. Since the 2000s, a scene of microbreweries has been growing in Wales.
Micropubs, traditional ales and hoppy newcomers
Today Wales has around ninety breweries. Some have been around for more than a hundred years, while many others emerged during the craft beer revolution of the past decade. A large part of the beer culture takes place in micropubs: small pubs with plenty of local beer. Mold Alehouse in Yr Wyddgrug was named best pub in Cymru by CAMRA in 2022.
The styles vary. Purple Moose has been brewing traditional ales in Porthmadog since 2005, and Snowdonia Parc makes cask ales in a microbrewery next to Waunfawr station. Geipel Brewing focuses on lagers, brewed with water from its own borehole. Wild Horse Brewing Co in Llandudno is known for modern beers such as Nokota New England IPA. Polly's Brew Co. takes a hop-forward, contemporary approach and is the best-rated Welsh brewery on Untappd.
Welsh beer at Hoptimaal
At our shop you'll find Welsh beer from Polly's Brew Co., the brewery from Yr Wyddgrug that already came up above. The style you'll find here is IPA, which fits the modern, hoppy side of the Welsh scene.
Among the highest-rated beers on Untappd are Polly's As Above, So Below, Polly's Rosa, Polly's Bigger Petals, Polly's Liquid Bloom and Polly's Infinite Heartbeat. Like every brewery we stock, Polly's Brew Co. has its own page, where you can see all their beers together.
Frequently asked questions
What is typical Welsh beer?
Historically, that is bragawd, a strong, spiced drink that sits between mead and ale. Today in Wales you'll find both traditional ales and modern, hop-forward beers from young breweries.
Which Welsh breweries are well known?
Polly's Brew Co. in Yr Wyddgrug is the best-rated Welsh brewery on Untappd. Other well-known names are Purple Moose, Geipel Brewing and Wild Horse Brewing Co.
What is bragawd?
Bragawd, also called braggot, is an old Welsh drink that sits between mead and ale. It was strong and was made with spices such as cinnamon, ginger and clove, and with honey.
Beer from other countries
- Dutch beer 175
- American beer 71
- Belgian beer 68
- Canadian beer 54
- German beer 37
- English beer 37
- Spanish beer 21
- Romanian beer 17
- French beer 16
- Swedish beer 15
- Norwegian beer 14
- Estonian beer 17
- Polish beer 11
- Irish beer 8
- Finnish beer 9
- Hungarian beer 8
- Latvian beer 8
- Croatian beer 8
- Danish beer 8
- Portuguese beer 4
- Scottish beer 4
- Brazilian beer 4
- Ukrainian beer 2
- Greek beer 3
- Slovenian beer 3
- Czech beer 3
