GONE TO THE DOGS

With over 100 different breweries now in Wales, some are questioning if we’ve now hit saturation point and surely some will fall off the radar with pubs still closing on a weekly basis, or is there still room for a little one?

One brewery bucking the trend thanks to their innovative range of different styles and eye-catching branding is Bridgend’s newest brewery, Dog’s Window. Launched in April last year they’ve quickly established a loyal following and rave reviews on the popular Untappd app.

Inspired by the owner’s Jack Russell called Bo, who was adopted from dogs trust, owner Lee Ralph tells us he is a great character that makes everyone smile that meets him. His favourite place is sunbathing on the lounge windowsill watching the world go by. As you may have guessed he is the inspiration for the logo and the majority of the beers have a dog command theme like sit, stay, fetch and their latest beers play dead and the mutts nuts.

They are a small scale nano-brewery, which allows them to concentrate more on quality than quantity. The little things that make the difference like grains are only milled on a brew day keeping it fresh, hops are re-sealed with a vacuum sealer after use and kept in a freezer.
Lee tells us this also allows him to design new beers without worrying about securing huge amounts of ingredients.

We askded him the inevitable question of how it all started. “Dog’s Window Brewery has grown from the enjoyment and passion of good beer. At a social occasion, three friends would get together and sample various homebrews. The conversation would often lead to “You should sell this stuff it’s really good” and “If this was on the shelf in a shop I’d buy it”. The comments were jokingly laughed off with a reply of “Yeah maybe one day”. Well that “one day” came when I thought, why not? I certainly wouldn’t be the first. So Dog’s Window progressed from homebrew to what you see today.”

Usually at this time of year things get a little quiet with people detoxing or even doing the brewer’s worst nightmare … Dry January! However no rest for this busy dog, Lee has got firmly behind the counter campaign Tryanuary which aims to encourage customers to pop along to their local during January or support the breweries direct and try something new. So Dog’s Window have produced not one but two Tryanuary beers.

First up is the beer affectionately named “Play Dead” is a 9% Belgian Golden Strong Ale.  Made with 100% pilsner malt, it’s crispness is balanced with the alcohol sweetness.  Made with Saaz and Perle hops, the beer has spicy, herbal notes with a hint of citrus. Along with this, there is a pleasing banana note from the yeast.

Their second Tryanuary beer is one sure to bring a smile to the face. “The Mutts Nuts” is their very first Double IPA at 7.5%abv. Hopped at every stage in brewing it has a vast amount of Citra hops bringing amazing aromas bursting out of the glass. First wort hopped, hopped during boil, hopped at whirlpool, dry hopped and hopped before bottling. Aromas of citrus, peach and lychee. This style of beer is at it’s very best when young.

You’ll find Dog’s Window at various craft markets around the Bridgend area or you can buy the beers direct via their website www.dogswindowbrewery.com or have them delivered (if on the route) by Wales Ales at www.walesales.com