Tiny Rebel, founded in 2012, is among the newer breweries that have shown their gusto for the recent craft beer revolution by sporting outlandish and original label designs like the dark-humoured, psychedelic one on Cwtch (which is pronounced /kʊtʃ/ and is a Welsh word that means "cuddle", something the neglected teddy bear that seems to have lost his way in life pictured on the bottle is in severe need of).
Described as a "Welsh red ale" on the bottle, Cwtch pours more of a brown-amber colour, but held up to the light it can be seen glowing in all its ruby-red glory. A small, off-white head fizzles gently until it settles to a thin layer, but grows a good finger-width high once the glass is swirled around in preparation for some whiffing action.
The aroma is a pungent one packed full of bold New World hops, with citrusy and tropical characteristics of pine and mango. If you sniff around for long enough, which I tend to do to my beers like a deranged dog hoping to find one last treat, some crystal malts start to ooze through as well. |
| Monmouthshire within Wales |
The juicy pine and mango hop flavours are just as bold on the tongue, met with an equally bold caramel malt backing, both working together like two different coloured cans of spray paint let loose to create a harmonious work of art on an unsuspecting urban wall.
Despite the flavour frenzy that takes place in your mouth, Cwtch manages to stay extremely drinkable, dare I say moreish, with a thick, juicy mouthfeel leading to a long, dry finish tipping in favour of bitterness and an aftertaste just a fraction too stale for my palate. This is a rebellious brew indeed, reminiscent of an IPA but calling itself a WRA (Welsh red ale) and gives a whole new, even more exciting meaning to the sentence "Gimme a cwtch". Iechyd da!*
Appearance 3.5/5
Aroma 4.5/5
Flavour 4/5
Mouthfeel 3.5/5
Overall 7.5/10
*Cheers
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