Our first pub in Cardiff was Head of Steam, which ticked numerous boxes for me. Firstly, I’m working my way around every Head of Steam in the country and I don’t have many left, it’s also a decent venue which has the beers listed on Untappd and to add to that it’s also listed in the Good Beer Guide.
Some of the keg beer options.
Accepting that I was making an awkward request, I asked if I could order 1/3 of three different beers. The team member was helpful and pro-actively mentioned that there was an offer of any four 1/3rds for £10 which was very reasonable given the cost of some of the beers.
Anyway, from left to right:
(i) Brewmaster Special 007 from Brew York – grapefruit, hoppy and quite fierce, with some pineapple in there as well.
(ii) Bird of Prey from Ulitje Brewing Company – juicy, hoppy and another fierce tasting one.
(iii) Jellyfish Nebula from Tooth & Claw Brewing – a clean and hoppy beer, but I would have ideally liked a bit more punch from it.
(iv) Sticky Toffee Pudding from Vocation Brewery – this is the cask version and there were upfront toffee notes, roasted end-notes and it was a bit thin, but the toffee taste was pleasant.
Liam followed me by going for four different beers, with Ross ordering a pint of lager but I wasn’t judgemental about that….. Richard decided he wanted a decadent can. Richard will be showered with praise later on in this post for his decisions in this venue, but I’ll come onto that.
This is Richard’s beer but I helped him drink some of it, it was rich in flavour but hides its ABV. Not enough chilli for me, but lots of chocolate and it was slightly decadent.
Richard decided to get some cans and I was surprised and delighted by this one, Fancy Orange from Twice Brewed. This is my kind of thing, there’s orange, there’s fizziness, it’s low ABV but it’s rather lovely in a Hooch kind of way.
The Dandelion and Burdock sour and I thought that this was brilliant. It was punchy, herbal with elements of liquorice. This was certainly another one verging into decadent.
The bar had quietened down a little from how busy it was earlier. There was a private party on the first floor and no seating when we came in, but it was a little more calm later on.
Richard getting in the way of my photo of the Untappd screen, which for those who can be bothered to zoom in can see the latest check-ins from Liam, Richard and myself. Ross refuses to get Untappd which feels sub-optimal, but who am I to be judgemental….
This was the beer of the night with caramel, banana, toffee all beautifully combined. Slight burnt notes, but so agreeable with great mouthfeel and smooth for its ABV. Decadent and brilliant.
Richard was so excited at the beers he decided to sneeze a lot, so we ran for safety to the bar. Not one to linger on Untappd, but Richard is getting ever better at his scoring and even Liam is coming on nicely….
Anyway, this is a really rather lovely bar with an interesting mixture of cask and keg beers. The prices were reasonable with the offers and the team members were friendly, engaging and helpful. The venue could perhaps keep its Untappd listings a little more up-to-date, but that feels like a minor matter.
But, particular thanks to Richard for getting so involved with the can choices and encouraging us to stay a little longer than we might otherwise have done, he was absolutely right to tempt us into lingering in this really rather lovely venue. Definitely one that deserves to be in the Good Beer Guide.
