Nant Fawr Brews

Have you heard the story of The Union Sets?If not... grab a beer, find a comfy spot and listen as my guest - beer writer Laura Hadland - tells this incredible tale. She's right at the heart of the story herself and even had a pint of the last ever Martson's Pedigree batch brewed on them.As well as the Union Sets, in this episode we talk sustainable breweries, the saga of The Crooked House, what "cellar temperature" means and why it's important, plus some amazing recommendations for beers to drink and places to experience at Christmas and into 2026. So, about these Union Sets...The Unions Sets is a term for a system of barrels and troughs that allow a re-circulation of yeast foam and beer in the brewing of cask ale. Invented in a bygone era, they were first an economical innovation, then developed an almost legendary reputation for imparting a certain unique and desirable taste-profile... before gradually being abandoned for cost reasons.With an almost holy-grail aura amongst cask ale lovers, there are now only 2 remaining functioning union sets in existence... and one of them is now locked up in the remains of a closed-down brewery.But the other... it has found a home at Thornbridge, and you can buy beer made on it.Thanks to Laura for being a fantastic guest, here's the link to everything Laura...https://linktr.ee/LauraHadlandAnd if you want to see the Union Sets in action, have a look at this...Thanks for supporting Nant Fawr Brews in 2025, we'll be back for more in 2026!Note - credit for photo of Union Set on episode artwork is Thornbridge Brewery

Beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones talks everything from how pubs change through the seasons, to why pubs need to be more welcoming to everyone, to the joys of drinking (and writing) alone... plus the ultimate European beer tour itinerary.This a lovely warm meandering chat, which perfectly matches the unique charm of Adrian's new book 'A Pub For All Seasons' which is out now. Find it in good independent bookshops, but if you end up buying from Amazon, make sure you leave a review because that will help Adrian spread the word about the book.This episode is dedicated to previous Nant Fawr Brews guest Martyn Cornell, who sadly passed away in June.

Porter is a fantastic beer style. Dark, tasty... and never far away from a story (many of which may not be accurate!). Even the name itself - Porter - is often misunderstood (listen to the episode to understand why).Joining me on this episode is beer writer Martyn Cornell who has written many excellent books on beer, plus is the creative force behind the incredible Zythophile blog (where you will get happily lost in hours and hours of beer knowledge, history and research).Martyn knows his Porter. In fact in June he's publishing a new book all about it! In this episode he shares his vast knowledge. For example, did you know that at one stage Porter was as popular as lager is today? Martyn is a very effective beer historian and researcher and he loves to find out the real truth behind what we might think are well-known beer facts from history... but often don't add up.This episode focuses on Porter as a style, and reveals so many fascinating stories from its history, but we also talk more widely about beer writing, beer history and home brewing.Buy a Porter and enjoy it while you listen!Check out Martyn's amazing blog:zythophile.co.uk ...and also his brilliant books:Around The World in 80 BeersandAmber, Gold & Black

A concept episode. Can an interesting beer lead you to discover an interesting bit music you otherwise would not have found? What about the other way around? Former guest Ransom (a musician, author and podcaster) joins me to find out. This is Brews n Tunes #1 (yep, it worked so well, we're definitely doing it again at some point). Here's the concept. Ransom picks a bit of music to inspire me. I pick a beer to inspire him. Using his choice of music as a starting point I go on the search for a new beer for us both to try that relates back to it. Ransom does the same, but he's hunting for music somehow related to the beer I chose him. Go with it. It works, I promise. And boy, do we end up in some interesting places. Abraham Lincoln, a musician who pretended to attend a university to teach himself music, a brewery in a fake castle... and an absolutely astonishing revelation about San Miguel that I bet you don't know... yet. Grab a beer - with or without alcohol - give yourself 36 mins, find somewhere comfy and join our fascinating conversation...

Jack Baber is a fellow Cardiff homebrewer and he helps run the long-established and highly regarded Rebel Homebrewers club in Cardiff which I myself am an occasional attendee of (not as much as I'd like, but hey, family diary clashes and all that). In this episode Jack kindly welcomes me into his incredible bar and brewery set up in his garage. We hear the secrets on how to make such a great set-up, plus the story of how he got started on home brewing and why we both agree that it's an incredibly fun and rewarding hobby that really doesn't take much effort to get started with. I should warn you, listening to this episode will significantly raise the chances of you going online and buying your first brew kit immediately afterwards... and that's a very good thing!

Did you know that the UK's biggest low and no alcohol brewer is based right here in South Wales? Drop Bear was formed just 5 years ago by two women in South Wales with a mission to put the craft into low and no alcohol brewing... and their success has been incredible. The beers are good. That's the starting point. But the business sense, the ambition, the upward trajectory, the commitment to genuine planet-friendly policies... put all these together and it's seriously impressive. I couldn't wait to meet them and my visit to their new brewery and chat with co-Founder Joelle did not disappoint. So much to take from the episode - brewing geekery, industry analysis, business savvy... and just inspirational stuff. Check out Drop Bearer yourself at dropbearbeers.com

Batemans is the type of brewery that used to be common all throughout the UK. Now it's vanishingly rare. 150 years old. All that time brewing at the same site. All that time independent. All that time run by 5 generations of the same family. World wars. Covid. 1980's Dallas and Dynasty style internal family ownership wrangles. The fall of cask beer. The rise of industrial brewing. The rise of craft beer. Batemans has survived it all. And throughout it has brewed some of the most distinctive and tasty traditional British ale you will find in these isles. Author Adam Cartwright - who has written the brilliant book 'Good Honest Tales - 150 Years of Batemans Brewery' - joins me on this episode to tell this Lincolnshire brewery's incredible story. The episode is about beer and a brewery but its also about business savvy, community spirit, determination and the roll-your-sleeves-up spirit of just keeping going. Get your copy of the book here: https://www.amberley-books.com/good-honest-tales.html

Jon Saunders is a Cardiff legend for whom beer, booze and good times have delivered amazing highs and shocking lows in his life and career. An entrepreneurial hospitality expert in the first part of his career, he ran the legendary TigerTiger club in the Welsh capital before starting his own mini-empire of bars including 10 Mill Lane, Dead Canary and 29 Park Place. But, the empire didn't last, Jon went bust and had to pick himself up and start back from scratch. This is where he started to focus on the ethos that has formed the backbone of his new career - the "Crack On' spirit. It's what Jon is all about. Getting on and taking action to progress even when it is tough. Jon now has an impressive Crack On brand that includes Crack On Coaching (helping senior leaders and companies progress) and the Crack On Podcast (which he and I work on together). Jon knows the "other side of the bar" back to front (and he shares some fun stories from his experiences), but he's also seen the other, darker side of drinking itself. Admitting he had a problem with overdoing it on alcohol after several scary episodes... Jon made an important choice. He is now a non-drinker and hasn't touched alcohol in a decade. In this episode Jon is incredibly candid and shares the most amazing life lessons from painful moments in his life. This is a powerful and inspirational episode which hopefully will encourage anyone who listens to embrace their own highs and lows and find the strength to crack on.

Have you ever been to a Desi pub? Do you even know what one is? I haven't and I didn't until I stumbled across David Jesudason's book on the subject. It was getting rave reviews and there seemed to be loads of people on social media having amazing experiences in these pubs with cold lagers, incredible Indian food and a warm welcome. So, I ordered the book, tried to track David down for a chat... and we finally managed to get it scheduled in. It's a fascinating story. Have a listen, buy the book, and soon, like me, you'll be planning a visit to a Desi pub very soon. Also, David has some great insights and opinions on the subject of India Pale Ale. It's the poster boy for the craft beer revolution... but it has a dark past linked to Empire and colonialism that we all should be aware of. There's a lot to learn, be inspired and get fascinated by in this short episode, so take a listen and enjoy.

Emmie Harrison-West is an award-winning beer writer with an ever more important voice within the industry. When she won a Guild Of Beer Writers Award last year she sent an X/tweet that went viral. In it she dedicated her award to all the people (mainly men) who had made her feel uncomfortable, unwelcome and threatened in beer spaces (think pubs, beer festivals etc) over the years. It hit a nerve, and rightly so. From the moment I saw that social media post, I wanted to invite Emmie on the podcast as a guest to discuss this question: Is beer for everyone? Of course, it should be! But does everyone feel they are equal and welcome and safe?... and if they don't, how do we all work together to improve things? This is a fascinating episode that goes into some really important areas. Listen, learn and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.