Blog Tracker
25-04-2022, 21:06
Visit The Bring on the Beer site (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/2022/04/newport-visitors-reaction.html)
Rhys Wynne is a groundhopper.
No, not a small green insect, but one of those folks who likes to visit a lot of sports stadia, ticking them off a big list as he goes.
It's not something I can do - after all, you wouldn't find me going to as many venues as possible to seek out new and different experiences week after week....er....that is to say...
Anyway, the sainted Mr Wynne found my little Newport pub guide, Casknewydd, thanks to it being shared by the esteemed Boak & Bailey (https://boakandbailey.com/2022/02/news-nuggets-and-longreads-12-february-2022-dark-city/) on their news/nuggets/longreads weekly newsletter.
Incidentally I commented on Twitter that without Boak & Bailey there would be no Bring on the Beer (so blame them!) and that rings true every single time they are gracious and kind enough to include anything I've scribbled in their weekly drops. It really does attract new people to the blog and the socials, and thus keeps my motivation and mojo up.
Rhys was unfortunate enough to bump into me in person at the Weird Dad Taproom a few Fridays back on his way to a Newport game at Rodney Parade. I was therefore able to thank him in person for the very kind comment he left on Casknewydd:
Despite living in Cardiff over 20 years, I rarely venture to Newport, which I should certainly rectify....it's a bit rude visiting a new town/ground and not sampling the local pubs as well, so this guide will be very handy. Diolch.
That comment not only made my day, but also my week and possibly my month. As I mentioned on the CaskNewydd page, I had been a little lax in my promotion of my home city before now. That this guide, being a small, initial redressing of the debt I owe to the pubs near me, was useful at all, let alone so immediately, was gratifying.
Mae 'CaskNewydd' yn ganllaw anhepgor i dafarnau Casnewydd os ydych yn anghyfarwydd â'r lle fel fi. https://t.co/7l6XyBbzTR
— Rhys Wynne (@rhysw1) March 18, 2022 (https://twitter.com/rhysw1/status/1504941726041059330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Incidentally I have recently updated it to a) match the colour scheme of the site since I changed it to blue, and b) to include the newly opened Academy bar in Newport Market and the freshly re-opened Riverside Bar, now under the auspices of Paul Young, owner of the Pod (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/2021/10/pubtober-15-pod-newport.html)opposite.
Newport County were playing at home again on Friday night, so Rhys came back for another trip to Rodney Parade. Here is a selection of his reflections from his most recent visit:
"This also meant a chance to use the trusty Casknewydd guide. Despite loving the beer and the vibe at the Weird Dad taproom (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#O)I didn't go back as I wanted to check other places out.
I shot off the train and went straight to the Pen & Wig (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#F), beating the post-work rush. Prior to this visit I'd also seen on their FB page that there was a beer garden, which was o decent size and nice and calm at 5pm, where I enjoyed my Bass. I'd certainly go back as the beer choice was massive!
I then walked out of town a bit to Cellar Door. (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#c)This is probably the microest of micro pubs I've been to, and it was rammed. I squeezed my way to the bar and ordered half a Milk Stout, and drank it in the small garden outside. Although the three women chatting there were welcoming, I did feel that I'd gate crashed them a bit.
I opted for Alexandra (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#E)for my last stop before the match. I've been to other Rhymney Brewery pubs in Pontypridd and Roath and liked the beer, the prices and the couldn't-give-a-shit approach to décor. This place looked a bit flasher and more spacious in the pics on Facebook than it is in reality. With loud music blearing before 7pm and a massive but friendly looking Himalyan sheepdog type creature scrambling about chasing a ball that a customer kept throwing around for it, I went for another half as I didn't want to linger.
It's always refreshing to read honest comments/reviews from an out-of-towner; it helps shave a few petals from my Newportonian rose-tinted glasses. And I have no qualms with the points raised here: the Cellar Door can get cosy, the Alexandra (and some others on the list) can get boisterous. For some, that's enticing, for others it's offputting.
In my approach to curating CaskNewydd, I intend it to be a starting point for anyone who pops to Newport; a facts-not-feelings precis. This is best illustrated by the inclusion of our one remaining branch of Wetherspoons. Whatever you think of the company, the owner, their politics or their approach to business, they are still a catch-all destination for cask beer, food and more.
The project is an ongoing one however: I do intend eventually to either add most of the Newport pubs in the guide to my more comprehensive Venues to Visit (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/pubtober-index.html) section in future so that folks need not jump back and fore from other sites to better gauge whether a pub is right for them or not.
In the meantime, Rhys' reaction to his evening out can be read in full on the CaskNewydd page right under all the entries. And like so many good reviewers, he saved the best until last.
A lady who works at my green grocers is from and lives in Newport and says she'll only go out in Cardiff, but in all the pubs I've visited so far all the staff and fellow customers have been lovely.
That's what we want to hear!
More... (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/2022/04/newport-visitors-reaction.html)
Rhys Wynne is a groundhopper.
No, not a small green insect, but one of those folks who likes to visit a lot of sports stadia, ticking them off a big list as he goes.
It's not something I can do - after all, you wouldn't find me going to as many venues as possible to seek out new and different experiences week after week....er....that is to say...
Anyway, the sainted Mr Wynne found my little Newport pub guide, Casknewydd, thanks to it being shared by the esteemed Boak & Bailey (https://boakandbailey.com/2022/02/news-nuggets-and-longreads-12-february-2022-dark-city/) on their news/nuggets/longreads weekly newsletter.
Incidentally I commented on Twitter that without Boak & Bailey there would be no Bring on the Beer (so blame them!) and that rings true every single time they are gracious and kind enough to include anything I've scribbled in their weekly drops. It really does attract new people to the blog and the socials, and thus keeps my motivation and mojo up.
Rhys was unfortunate enough to bump into me in person at the Weird Dad Taproom a few Fridays back on his way to a Newport game at Rodney Parade. I was therefore able to thank him in person for the very kind comment he left on Casknewydd:
Despite living in Cardiff over 20 years, I rarely venture to Newport, which I should certainly rectify....it's a bit rude visiting a new town/ground and not sampling the local pubs as well, so this guide will be very handy. Diolch.
That comment not only made my day, but also my week and possibly my month. As I mentioned on the CaskNewydd page, I had been a little lax in my promotion of my home city before now. That this guide, being a small, initial redressing of the debt I owe to the pubs near me, was useful at all, let alone so immediately, was gratifying.
Mae 'CaskNewydd' yn ganllaw anhepgor i dafarnau Casnewydd os ydych yn anghyfarwydd â'r lle fel fi. https://t.co/7l6XyBbzTR
— Rhys Wynne (@rhysw1) March 18, 2022 (https://twitter.com/rhysw1/status/1504941726041059330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
Incidentally I have recently updated it to a) match the colour scheme of the site since I changed it to blue, and b) to include the newly opened Academy bar in Newport Market and the freshly re-opened Riverside Bar, now under the auspices of Paul Young, owner of the Pod (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/2021/10/pubtober-15-pod-newport.html)opposite.
Newport County were playing at home again on Friday night, so Rhys came back for another trip to Rodney Parade. Here is a selection of his reflections from his most recent visit:
"This also meant a chance to use the trusty Casknewydd guide. Despite loving the beer and the vibe at the Weird Dad taproom (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#O)I didn't go back as I wanted to check other places out.
I shot off the train and went straight to the Pen & Wig (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#F), beating the post-work rush. Prior to this visit I'd also seen on their FB page that there was a beer garden, which was o decent size and nice and calm at 5pm, where I enjoyed my Bass. I'd certainly go back as the beer choice was massive!
I then walked out of town a bit to Cellar Door. (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#c)This is probably the microest of micro pubs I've been to, and it was rammed. I squeezed my way to the bar and ordered half a Milk Stout, and drank it in the small garden outside. Although the three women chatting there were welcoming, I did feel that I'd gate crashed them a bit.
I opted for Alexandra (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/casknewydd-botb-newport-pub-guide.html#E)for my last stop before the match. I've been to other Rhymney Brewery pubs in Pontypridd and Roath and liked the beer, the prices and the couldn't-give-a-shit approach to décor. This place looked a bit flasher and more spacious in the pics on Facebook than it is in reality. With loud music blearing before 7pm and a massive but friendly looking Himalyan sheepdog type creature scrambling about chasing a ball that a customer kept throwing around for it, I went for another half as I didn't want to linger.
It's always refreshing to read honest comments/reviews from an out-of-towner; it helps shave a few petals from my Newportonian rose-tinted glasses. And I have no qualms with the points raised here: the Cellar Door can get cosy, the Alexandra (and some others on the list) can get boisterous. For some, that's enticing, for others it's offputting.
In my approach to curating CaskNewydd, I intend it to be a starting point for anyone who pops to Newport; a facts-not-feelings precis. This is best illustrated by the inclusion of our one remaining branch of Wetherspoons. Whatever you think of the company, the owner, their politics or their approach to business, they are still a catch-all destination for cask beer, food and more.
The project is an ongoing one however: I do intend eventually to either add most of the Newport pubs in the guide to my more comprehensive Venues to Visit (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/p/pubtober-index.html) section in future so that folks need not jump back and fore from other sites to better gauge whether a pub is right for them or not.
In the meantime, Rhys' reaction to his evening out can be read in full on the CaskNewydd page right under all the entries. And like so many good reviewers, he saved the best until last.
A lady who works at my green grocers is from and lives in Newport and says she'll only go out in Cardiff, but in all the pubs I've visited so far all the staff and fellow customers have been lovely.
That's what we want to hear!
More... (https://bringotbeer.blogspot.com/2022/04/newport-visitors-reaction.html)