Breconshire Ysprid y Ddraig

Rake Welsh Beer Festival February 2010
Top Tastings 2010

ABV: 6.5%
Origin: Aberhonddu, Powys, Cymru
Website: www.breconshirebrewery.com

Breconshire Ysprid y Ddraig

Breconshire Brewery under the leadership of brewer Justin “Buster” Grant has become one of the best breweries in Wales, mixing innovation with consistency and a sense of tradition and place. Buster is adept at making easy going session beers with a stylish twist, but with Ysprid y Ddraig he proves capable of more esoteric specialities too, joining the growing international band of innovative brewers discovering the delights of ageing in wooden casks. In this case the casks in question are refill Scotch malt whisky – the name means Spirit of the Dragon, with “ysprid” having the same double meaning in Welsh that “spirit” has in English. It’s an appropriate label for a malt cask beer made in Wales by a Scotsman.

Like many of Buster’s beers, this is light in colour. He’s clearly fascinated by how much flavour he can get out of a golden beer, such as Ramblers Ruin which has the distinct bite of black and roasted malt, and he’s still puzzling over how to brew a blond Schwarzbier. First made last year to great acclaim by those in the know, it remains an occasional cask-only treat – ours was an advance sample of the second brew, in a polycask and still slightly too young.

It’s a warm gold in colour with very little head, and a flowery grapefruit and honey aroma with clear notes of whisky and sherry – in fact like many whisky casks the one in question once held sherry. A very smooth and honeyed palate with a firm wine-like body and some wheaty notes develops lots of fruit and twiggy, spicy hops, with very gentle whisky notes providing a hint of sophistication. The casking is more obvious on the long, well-balanced and slow developing finish, emerging as charred oak alongside tasty fruit, with a very late note of hops. Unlike with some beers in the style, the spirit remains subtle and elegant throughout, and shouldn’t cause you to breathe too much fire.

Read more about this beer at ratebeer.com: http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/Beer-Ratings.asp?BeerID=90722