Wrexham Lager, 4.0%

Wrexham Lager, 4.0%, is a pale lager brewed by Wrexham Lager, one of Britain's oldest lager brands and a genuine piece of Welsh brewing history. At 4.0% ABV this is a lighter, more sessionable expression of the beer, built for easy, everyday drinking rather than occasion strength.

The Wrexham Lager story begins in 1882, when German immigrants Ivan Levinstein and Otto Isler set up a brewery in the centre of Wrexham to brew lager using traditional Bavarian methods, with mechanical refrigeration funded by local investor Robert Graesser. Under the "Ace of Clubs" name the beer was exported around the world via British shipping routes, reaching India, South Africa, the Americas and Australia, and it is often noted as the only lager carried aboard the Titanic on its final voyage. Like many British breweries, Wrexham Lager declined through the twentieth century, passing through Ind Coope and Carlsberg-Tetley before production stopped in Wrexham in 2000. In 2011, local businessman Martin Jones bought the brand rights from Carlsberg for a nominal sum and, together with the Roberts family, revived brewing in Wrexham using an older recipe, and the brand has since gone on to become co-owned by Wrexham AFC's Hollywood owners, Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. Crafty Canary stocks this Wrexham Lager 4.0% through Blas ar Fwyd, a Welsh delicatessen and food and drink distributor founded in Llanrwst in 1988, known for championing Welsh producers across its shop, wholesale and catering operations.

As a pale lager, Wrexham Lager 4.0% is built around clean malt character and a crisp, refreshing finish, with the light hop bitterness and gentle carbonation typical of the style. Expect a pale golden colour, a light body, and a straightforward, easy drinking character rather than pronounced hop aroma or strong malt sweetness, in keeping with a beer designed to be drunk in quantity rather than sipped and analysed. The lower 4.0% ABV keeps it firmly in session territory, suited to relaxed drinking over an evening.

Lagers of this style are best served well chilled, around 3 to 5 degrees, in a straight glass or tankard, and their clean, neutral profile makes them a flexible match for food. Wrexham Lager 4.0% works well alongside pub classics such as fish and chips, burgers or a Welsh rarebit, and its light body makes it a sensible choice for casual meals, barbecues or simply drinking on its own.

With its roots in Victorian Wrexham and its recent revival now attracting international attention through the town's football club, Wrexham Lager 4.0% carries a genuinely interesting story behind an unassuming, easy drinking pale lager. Stocked at Crafty Canary via Blas ar Fwyd, it is a straightforward way to try a piece of Welsh brewing heritage that very nearly disappeared for good.