Bragdy Conwy - Surfin IPA

Surfin' IPA is a golden American-style pale ale from Conwy Brewery in Llysfaen, North Wales, coming in at 4.8% ABV in bottle, with a mini keg version at a slightly higher 5.1%. It is described by the brewery and by CAMRA as a premium pale ale with classic American IPA character: a full, hop-forward aroma followed by zesty bitterness and a sweet malty finish that keeps the beer balanced rather than one-dimensionally bitter.

Conwy Brewery was founded in 2003 by Gwynne Thomas, a chemist whose home brewing hobby in Llandudno turned into a commercial operation run with his wife Adele. It became the first brewery to open in North Wales in more than a century, and has grown from its original site to larger premises in Llysfaen, taken on in 2013, which now also house the brewery's own taproom. Across its range, Conwy Brewery naturally conditions its cask and bottled beers, allowing a secondary fermentation in the container that builds natural carbonation and, the brewery argues, better flavour than heavily filtered alternatives.

American-style pale ales and IPAs are defined largely by their hops, generally American varieties bred and selected for bold citrus, pine or tropical fruit character rather than the more restrained, earthy hops traditionally used in English ales. Surfin' IPA follows that template, with fruity hop aromas and a full-flavoured bitterness on the palate, while the malty finish stops it becoming overly harsh. Expect a golden colour and a body that carries the hop character without feeling thin, in keeping with a beer built for genuine drinkability rather than extremity of bitterness or strength.

Surfin' IPA is best served cool rather than fridge cold, in a straight or tulip glass that lets the hop aroma develop. Its citrus and fruit-forward hop character pairs well with spiced food, from curries to barbecued meats, as well as strong cheeses and burgers, where its bitterness can cut through richer, fattier flavours. It also works well as a stand-alone beer for anyone who enjoys a hoppier style but wants something that still finishes with some malt sweetness.

As one of Conwy Brewery's more hop-driven beers, Surfin' IPA sits alongside the brewery's session IPA and West Coast-inspired beers as evidence of how far American hop influence has travelled into independent Welsh brewing, brewed with the same naturally conditioned approach that runs through the rest of Conwy Brewery's range.