Cwtch Welsh Red Ale Beer Review

Cwtch is a Welsh Red Ale and brewed in Newport, Wales by the Tiny Rebel brewery who have been around since 2012. This Welsh Red Ale is said to be the closest beer Tiny Rebel brew to a traditional bitter, but is it any good.

Cwtch is a decent beer and pours a dark brown with a slight red hue, but the head is pretty non existent. On the nose it has a strong caramel malt base with fruity citrus notes floating on top. The taste mirrors the nose with a rich caramel malt base blending with some lovely fruity citrus flavours. It’s really good and gets a rate my beer score of 4.8 out of 5.0.

A smooth flavoursome beer that hits the spot every time.

Content

Cwtch Welsh Red Ale Review

Cwtch stands in a small 330ml can which has a very colourful design being a base yellow with psychedelic swirls and Cwtch in big red letters across the front.

Cwtch by the way means cuddle in Welsh. It can also mean cupboard under the stairs too.

It is the higher end of session being 4.6% ABV and is said to be brewed with six malts and three hops. A bit like a best bitter with a hoppy citrus twist.

Sounds good, but is it?

Cracking the can and pouring it into the glass it settles to a deep brown with a thin head that quickly fades to nothing. Hold the glass up to the light and you can see a nice red shade to the beer.

There is plenty of nose with this beer, a strong caramel malt wafts from the glass carrying light fruity citrus notes with it.

As for the taste, you get exactly what you smell. A rich caramel malt base coats the mouth with a twist of hoppy fruity citrus flavours which compliment well. It is not too sweet, but there is not much bitterness either. It just works and is a well balanced flavoursome beer.

I like it a lot and it gets a rate my beer score of 4.8 out of 5.0.

M’Lady likes it too saying “It is a well balanced beer that is not overly sweet or overly citrusy.” Lou scores it 4.6 out of 5.0.

Cwtch Welsh Red Ale is just a very good beer and I highly recommend it.

Tiny Rebel

Tiny Rebel was founded in 2012 by Gareth Williams and Bradley Cummings and lives on an industrial estate in Newport, Wales.

Gareth was a keen homebrewer from his garage and introduced his beer to Bradley. It wasn’t long before they both decided to make the move to set up a brewery, and Tiny Rebel was born.

They rented a small unit and got started, but it wasn’t long before they expanded into another unit. And they soon picked many awards for their beers.

Around 2017 they opened a new brewery in Rogerstone, Newport, which is far bigger and includes a taproom. They also have a great Tiny Rebel bar in Cardiff, and I can say it is great because I visit every time I go to Cardiff.

When Tiny Rebel first started they were an exciting new brewery. Now though thirteen years on they might not be the new kids on the block, but they are still just as exciting.

Tiny Rebel Beers

This is not a brewery you can really get bored with because they just produce so many beers. They have their core range of course, but other beers come and go and they just can’t stop producing new recipes.

Their Online Store always has a great range of beers to choose from, and there are always plenty on tap in their Cardiff bar.

Here are a few to consider.

Rebel IPA

Rebel IPA is a fairly new edition the their range and suppose to be perfect for everyone. A smooth crisp IPA with plenty of citrus notes.

It is brewed with Cascade, Citra and Mosaic hops and is gluten free and vegan friendly. At just 4.3% ABV it could be the perfect session IPA. Sounds like good all round beer.

It is a good beer, you can see us review on video outside the Tiny Rebel pub in Cardiff.

Ice Cold

Ice Cold is a New England IPA, the Rebels do love an IPA. I think it plays homage to the songs lyrics ‘What’s cooler than being cool?’ A song Hey Ya! by Outkast, and of course the answer is ice cold.

The beer is said to be super hazy and mega juicy, but it is not for the faint hearted and definitely not a session beer at 8% ABV.

Sounds like it packs a punch in flavour as well as strength.

313

313 is Tiny Rebels signature Craft Lager and happens to be Lou’s favourite lager to date. Brewed with Columbus and Hallertau Blanc hops it is floral and hoppy.

It carries a nice bitterness for a lager with slight piney notes and a dry finish. At 4.6% ABV it has plenty of guts, but stays within the session bracket.

I am not as keen as Lou with this lager, but it’s okay. You also see us review this beer at the Tiny Rebel bar.

Final Thoughts

Tiny Rebel then continue to brew many beers and there are no signs of them slowing down. Truly and exciting and interesting brewery.

As for their Cwtch Welsh Red Ale, it is a little cracker and will not disappoint. The combination of a best bitter like rich malt with pale ale type citrus notes just seems to work, and it works well.

If you have had Cwtch then do share your thoughts below, and of course give it your own score.