Latest Simon Buckley 'Iechyd Da' column from the Journal

The latest Iechyd Da beer column written by Llandeilo brewer Simon Buckley in the Carmarthen Journal -
How consumer tastes have changed!
Some 20 years ago, at the first hint of warm weather, the consumer would move from traditional cask ale to cold drinks such as cider and lager.
Each year we would see a mass exodus from ale to the lighter and colder drinks.
In 1996, I launched the first Welsh summer ale. Called Cwrw Haf, the beer was a golden beer brewed using little or no coloured malt, with a fresh and citrus blend of continental hops, that gave a thirst-quenching beer that moved some way towards the trend for colder, lighter beers.
We advocated that the beer should be served cooler than normal cask ale.
Overnight Cwrw Haf became a phenomenon and the trend for new lighter summer beers was established.
We now brew six through the summer, each one reflecting a careful shift in flavour and colour. From straw-coloured beers to richer golden beers. The combination of a hint of sweetness and underlying zesty bitterness changes each month, with the beer being served a few degrees colder from June to August.
This month, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Great Welsh Beer and Cider Festival, in Cardiff. This annual event in Cardiff, organised by CAMRA, is a showcase for Welsh brewers and their beers.
I have said for a long time that there are simply too many brewers in Wales for what is a relevantly small market, many producing poor and ill-conceived beers.
The festival showcased approximately 35 brewers from the principality and showed what a mixed bag of brewers we have in Wales.
There were some great beers on show. And, to be frank, there were some appalling examples of how small brewers can get it so wrong.
The brewing industry in Wales seems to be polarising into those that can produce high quality consistent beers and those that seem to throw the beers together with no thought for balance or flavour, trying to produce new styles of beers flavoured with a collection of herbs and fruits that are better suited for the delicatessen’s shelves!
Ales are about hops, malt and careful brewing, not bilberries and milkshake flavours!
The Kite brewery is a new incarnation, brewing beer at the Cwmcerrig Farm Shop in Gorslas.
They had three beers on show. The Cwrw Haf, which is a 4.1 % golden beer, was a pleasant summer beer, with hints of dry bitterness, and a rich golden colour. This was the best of the three beers, the other two (Gold Wing and Thunderbirds) were brews still under development, I understand.
So what would be my recommendation for a choice of summer ales?
Monty’s Mojo, 3.8% light and summery; Brain’s Summer Ale 4.1%, was thin, but as a new beer deserves a trial; Lions Pride from Tomos Watkins, another new summer beer, and perhaps Celt Experience Gold.