Brains
Commercial Brewery
in
Cardiff,
Cardiff,
Wales 🏴
Associated with 10 Venues
Established in 1882
Contact
Dragon Brewery, Pacific Road, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF24 5HJ, Wales
Subsidiaries
Description
At Brains we are proud to be Welsh & proud that we remain family owned.
Brains beers were brewed in the Old Brewery on St Mary Street from 1882 right up to 1999 when operating from such a tight city-centre site became unviable. Fortunately, the Cardiff Brewery behind Cardiff Central station was up for sale and Brains production moved to a new home. However exciting new redevelopments in the centre of the city have led to a further move and the building of the brand new state of the art Dragon Brewery in Cardiff Bay which was opened in March 2019.
Brains beers were brewed in the Old Brewery on St Mary Street from 1882 right up to 1999 when operating from such a tight city-centre site became unviable. Fortunately, the Cardiff Brewery behind Cardiff Central station was up for sale and Brains production moved to a new home. However exciting new redevelopments in the centre of the city have led to a further move and the building of the brand new state of the art Dragon Brewery in Cardiff Bay which was opened in March 2019.
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Cask at the Crosse Keys, JDW, London. Pours clear gold with a frothy, white head. Fruity, light white bread nose with some hay. Medium sweet flavor with some fruity frosting, a bit of ripe citrus, light hay bitterness. Light bodied with fine carbonation. Sticky sweet finish with fruits, dough, and hay. Average stuff.
Tried
from Cask
on 11 Apr 2012
at 03:54
8.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
4.10% ABV bottle (500ml), not the 3.50% advertised on here. This bottle had a whole month of its best before date remaining when I poured in into my Abbot Ale glass tankard, my current favourite tasting vessel. This beer is called dark for a reason: it’s dark! It’s very dark actually and with a deep, full head of khaki/dark biege. The smell was of dark chocolate and bits of coffee, earthy too. The taste was also chocolate and coffee, no earth though. I also found some liquorice/fennel type flavours as the beer warmed in the mouth. Easy to drink and on the sweetish side of British beer scene, this isn’t a dry, bitter beer at all, just a very pleasant ale.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Apr 2012
at 03:46
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask at The Gate, Northwood. An amber coloured pour with a small off white head on top. Fruity, malty aroma. Tastes fruity, caramel, malty, slight bitterness. Quite an interesting brew.
Tried
from Cask
on 04 Apr 2012
at 13:48
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
500ml Bottle, best before 30 June 2012, poured into my Abbot Ale glass tankard some four months before that date. The beer didn’t want to give me a head, so mid pour I gave it a more rigorous angle, low and behold a tan coloured head rose through the body, sadly it soon fell to a wisp and collar. The body is really dark, almost black in fact. The smells were of lightly burnt chocolate malts and ground coffee, actually so was the taste. The burnt chocolate content gave the beer a dry finish and added to any hop bitterness that might have shown. Nothing too set this apart from other Stouts, medium body depth, becoming a little watery towards the end of each sip. Might be a whole lot better in cask form.
Tried
from Bottle
on 04 Apr 2012
at 08:30
6.3/10
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Appearance 10
Aroma 4
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
Imported from my RateBeer account as Brains The Rev James Original (Cask) (by Brains):
Aroma: 4/10, Appearance: 5/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 12/20, MyTotalScore: 3.1/5
3/IV/2012 - on cask @ The Daniel Defoe (London) - BB: n/a (2012-324) Thanks to Sam for the beer!
Clear ruby red beer, creamy off-white head, pretty stable, adhesive. Aroma: some malts, caramel, bit nutty. MF: soft to no carbon, medium body, creamy texture. Taste: nutty, caramel, bit fruity, red fruits, some citrus, English hops. Aftertaste: caramel, citrus, hoppy, toast.
Aroma: 4/10, Appearance: 5/5, Taste: 6/10, Palate: 4/5, Overall: 12/20, MyTotalScore: 3.1/5
3/IV/2012 - on cask @ The Daniel Defoe (London) - BB: n/a (2012-324) Thanks to Sam for the beer!
Clear ruby red beer, creamy off-white head, pretty stable, adhesive. Aroma: some malts, caramel, bit nutty. MF: soft to no carbon, medium body, creamy texture. Taste: nutty, caramel, bit fruity, red fruits, some citrus, English hops. Aftertaste: caramel, citrus, hoppy, toast.
Tried
from Cask
on 03 Apr 2012
at 09:11
5.5/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 6
Copper pour with an off white head. Aroma Is light hops and fruit. Watery but smooth and sweet, hoppy.
Tried
on 31 Mar 2012
at 10:35
5.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
On tap in the Victoria Cross Liverpool. Hazy gold with a medium white head. Aroma of light citrus. Flavour is fruit, floral hop with a light refreshing finish
Tried
from Draft
on 26 Mar 2012
at 12:46
6.4/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask @ Cumberland Arms, Tynemouth 230312
Chestnut brown...clear...dense thin white head...good lacing
Aroma - light caramel...light bitter hops...not much on the nose
Taste - light caramel malt..some toffee...quite malty...light soft fruits...background of bitter hops...light flavour and nicely balanced
Palate - soft carb...thin body..soft mouthfeel. Finish as main flavour.
Overall - Nice, easy drinking quaffable light malt bitter...its a simple beer with subtle flavours but the taste there is pretty good
Chestnut brown...clear...dense thin white head...good lacing
Aroma - light caramel...light bitter hops...not much on the nose
Taste - light caramel malt..some toffee...quite malty...light soft fruits...background of bitter hops...light flavour and nicely balanced
Palate - soft carb...thin body..soft mouthfeel. Finish as main flavour.
Overall - Nice, easy drinking quaffable light malt bitter...its a simple beer with subtle flavours but the taste there is pretty good
Tried
from Cask
on 25 Mar 2012
at 18:02
6.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 5
Texture 6
Overall 5.5
On tap @ the Haymarket. Pours dark red brown with a proportionate head. The nose is of apple strudel. The taste is almost all of malt with burnt raisins. The palate seems pleasant and balanced at the start but from the middle to the end it is a little too burnt and astringent. Overall, so-so.
Tried
from Draft
on 22 Mar 2012
at 14:38
5.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Cask at the Prince Arthur (JDW), Fleet. Amber with a thin white head; distinct aroma of pear drops; soft and fruity in the mouth with a dry grainy body and more pear drops; and a tart fruit finish. Not sure if that was how it was supposed to taste; but not bad all the same.
Tried
from Cask
on 19 Mar 2012
at 11:02