With a growing number of small breweries across the UK, a new brewery aims to give Cardiff exciting new ex-beer-iences
Arcadian’s range of ales is expanding © Arcadian Brewing
A local microbrewery aims to bring a changing range of hoppy experiences to Cardiff’s beer scene.
Officially launched in June by craft ale enthusiasts Kristy Durbridge and Bethan Millett, microbrewery Arcadian Brewing began to sell its wares at Riverside Farmers’ Markets this month. They will return there every first week of every month.
However, Kristy and Bethan also hope to expand further, with Arcadian’s brews soon to be available in several new pubs around Cardiff over the coming year. Limited supply is already available at St Canna’s Ale House and The Lansdowne in Canton, and Beelzebub in the city centre.
The brewery, based in Fairwater’s The Bridge Studios, hopes to produce a wide range of unique ales which incorporate styles which may be unfamiliar to the average beer drinker. Their website describes them as being influenced by “US craft beer, traditional Belgian breweries and classic British and European styles”, as well as “experimental small batch brews”.
“We’re a very small brewery,” says Kristy. “Our whole philosophy is about small batch and seasonal beers, and celebrating the diversity that’s out there in beer styles.
“A year down the line we’re going to be focusing on seasonal offerings and hoping to bring a range of beer styles out. Things that other breweries aren’t doing a whole lot of.”
Bethan (left) and Kristy (right) at their brewery © Arcadian Brewing
The According to a study by UHY Hacker Young, the number of breweries in the UK grew by 64% in the five years up until 2017, in what brewers and consumers alike see as a golden age of ale.
In Cardiff, in addition to Arcadian, the city has a variety of brewers including Tiny Rebel, Pipes and Rival, with more such as Splott Brewery scheduled to begin selling soon.
For Kristy, this is great news: “It’s a fantastic time for Cardiff. We’re very lucky to have the more established breweries, but certainly it’s nice to see a few smaller breweries popping up as well.”
