Tenby Brewing Co - Son of a Beach

Son of a Beach is Tenby Brewing Co's flagship American Pale Ale, brewed at 4.2% ABV and sold in 440ml cans. It is a tropical hopped pale ale, dry hopped with Mosaic, Simcoe and Equinox, and stands as the brewery's best selling and most widely recognised beer. The name plays on the brewery's coastal Pembrokeshire home, and the beer itself is built to be an easy drinking, sessionable pale ale rather than a heavily bitter or high strength option.

Tenby Brewing Co has been brewing independently since 2015 from its base at the Salterns Industrial Estate in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, close to the town's beaches on the Welsh coast. The brewery was founded to produce full flavoured, independently made beers using local Pembrokeshire water, and has grown its range from a small original line-up into a broader selection spanning pale ales, lagers and stouts. Son of a Beach has become the brewery's flagship beer, the one most closely associated with the Tenby Brewing Co name, and is stocked widely across Wales and beyond as the brewery's introduction to new drinkers.

As an American Pale Ale, Son of a Beach is built around a relatively light, clean malt base that allows the hop character to lead. The Mosaic, Simcoe and Equinox hops used in dry hopping bring tropical fruit notes, commonly associated with mango, passionfruit and citrus, along with a resinous, slightly piney undertone typical of these hop varieties. The beer is pale gold in colour with a light body, and its 4.2% ABV keeps it firmly in sessionable territory, meaning it is bittered and hopped for aroma and flavour rather than for a heavy, lingering bitterness. It is also brewed to be vegan friendly, in line with most modern pale ales that avoid animal derived fining agents.

Pale ales in this style suit a wide range of food, particularly anything with a bit of spice or char, such as barbecued meat, grilled chicken, or spicy street food, where the citrus and tropical hop notes can cut through richness and heat. Son of a Beach also works well with fish and chips or other classic pub food, and its moderate strength makes it a reasonable choice for an afternoon or early evening drink rather than one reserved for special occasions. Served cold in a standard pint or tulip glass, it shows its hop aroma most clearly straight after pouring.

As Tenby Brewing Co's flagship beer, Son of a Beach is a good starting point for anyone wanting to try the brewery's beer for the first time, and a reliable, tropical hopped pale ale for regular drinkers who know the range well. It reflects the brewery's Pembrokeshire coastal setting both in name and in its easy drinking, warm weather character.