Bragdy Conwy - Conwy IPA

Conwy IPA is a session-strength India Pale Ale from Conwy Brewery, one of North Wales's established craft brewers, based in Llysfaen near the town of Conwy. At 4.3% ABV it sits at the lighter end of the IPA spectrum, built for everyday drinking rather than the heavily hopped, higher strength IPAs that have become common elsewhere. It is described by the brewery as an easy drinking session IPA with citrus character and a tropical fruit finish, making it an accessible entry point into the style for anyone new to hoppy beers.

Conwy Brewery was founded in 2003 by Gwynne Thomas, a chemist by trade whose interest in home brewing turned into a commercial venture. He and his wife Adele bought their first premises in Conwy that year, making it the first brewery to open in North Wales in over a century. The brewery grew steadily and moved to larger premises in Llysfaen in 2013, where it now also runs its own taproom. A point of pride for Conwy Brewery is that its cask and bottled beers are naturally conditioned, meaning they undergo a secondary fermentation that develops natural carbonation and flavour, with minimal filtration used across the range.

As an IPA, Conwy IPA follows a style that traces back to beers brewed with extra hops and higher gravity to survive long sea voyages to British colonies in the 18th and 19th centuries. Modern session IPAs like this one keep the hop-forward character of that tradition, generous aroma and citrus or tropical fruit flavour, while dialling back the alcohol strength so the beer remains drinkable over an evening. Expect a pale gold to amber colour, a firm but not overwhelming bitterness, and the kind of clean, fruity hop aroma that comes from careful use of modern hop varieties.

Conwy IPA is well suited to being served cool, though not fridge cold, in a straight glass that allows the aroma to develop. Its citrus and tropical fruit notes make it a good match for spiced or grilled food, from jerk chicken to Thai curries, as well as simpler pairings like fish and chips or a strong cheddar. Because it is a session beer rather than a heavyweight, it also works well as a food-free drink on its own.

For drinkers exploring what North Wales craft brewing has to offer, Conwy IPA is a good starting point: a genuinely local beer from a brewery with two decades of history in the region, brewed to a strength that suits regular drinking rather than occasional indulgence. It reflects Conwy Brewery's wider approach of naturally conditioned, minimally processed beer, brewed a short distance from the town whose name it carries.