This is a beer appreciation group. Do you enjoy a good beer in good company? Would you like to learn more about beer? Or perhaps you are perplexed by the bewildering range of beers now on the market? Whichever, you’ll find something of interest in Hops R Us. The aim of the group is to explore the world of beer in all its variety and complexity, to learn how diverse styles and tastes are developed, and to foster the social atmosphere in which beer is best consumed. With micro-breweries turning out all types of beers, together with a legacy of historic pubs and new venues such as brewery bars and micropubs there’s never been a better time to get to know and savour the golden nectar! The group will visit pubs in Cardiff and elsewhere using public transport as well as hopefully arranging some brewery visits. Members pay individually for the beer they consume. Buying rounds is not permitted. Those attending are expected to be Cardiff u3a Members.
First Meeting
Central Bar (upstairs), Windsor Place, Cardiff on Thursday, January 22nd arriving 2.00-2.30pm A spacious area that should be quiet and allow for a discussion. We may go on to somewhere else too.
Subsequent Meetings
My current thinking is to have one fixed meeting a month – on the fourth Thursday afternoon of the month. We could have a second meeting, on a floating day, say in the second week of the month. This would allow for people who are normally busy on Thursday afternoons. The idea will also be to visit pubs, not just in the centre of Cardiff, but also in the suburbs and places outside Cardiff.
1st meeting – Jan 2025
We had a good turnout for the inaugural meeting of the ‘Hops R Us’ beer appreciation group. We met at the Central Bar on Windsor Place. After a few sips of ale some ideas for future venues started to flow.
One of the beers on offer was Smuggler (4.2% ABV) from Marlow’s Rebellion Brewery which the Good Beer Guide describes as ‘a red-brown beer, well-bodied and bitter with an unsurprisingly dry, bitter finish’. It received mixed reviews from the group.
Ten of us later headed across the road to the Flute and Tankard. What a gem of a place this is, serving a good selection of cask beers. Today they included Lakedown’s Sussex Pale (4.2%) and all the way from Huddersfield came Mallisons Porter (5%) which CAMRA describe as ‘Off Black in colour with light hedgerow fruits on the nose. Full bodied rich flavour with a hint of sweetness in the smooth finish’.
Related
Latest news from the group
New Group
Published 8th January 2026
This is a beer appreciation group. Do you enjoy a good beer in good company? Would you like to learn more about beer? Or perhaps you are perplexed by the bewildering range of beers now on the market? Whichever, you’ll find something of interest in Hops R Us. The aim of the group is to explore the world of beer in all its variety and complexity, to learn how diverse styles and tastes are developed, and to foster the social atmosphere in which beer is best consumed. With micro-breweries turning out all types of beers, together with a legacy of historic pubs and new venues such as brewery bars and micropubs there’s never been a better time to get to know and savour the golden nectar! The group will visit pubs in Cardiff and elsewhere using public transport as well as hopefully arranging some brewery visits. Members pay individually for the beer they consume. Buying rounds is not permitted. Those attending are expected to be Cardiff u3a Members.
Inaugural Meeting
Central Bar (upstairs), Windsor Place, Cardiff on Thursday, January 22nd arriving 2.00-2.30pm A spacious area that should be quiet and allow for a discussion. We may go on to somewhere else too.
Subsequent Meetings
My current thinking is to have one fixed meeting a month – on the fourth Thursday afternoon of the month. We could have a second meeting, on a floating day, say in the second week of the month. This would allow for people who are normally busy on Thursday afternoons. The idea will also be to visit pubs, not just in the centre of Cardiff but also in the suburbs and places outside Cardiff.
Related
News on the Non-u3a Items of Interest page
Published 15th May 2024
A reminder that we sometimes add items that may of interest to the Non-u3a Items of Interest page.
Social Media can be a bit like Marmite – you either love it or you don’t. When used nicely it can have many uses. It can be informative and help spread the news.
Cardiffu3a has a Facebook page. The easiest way to find it is either via this link or by going to the top right of the Cardiffu3a homepage and clicking on the Facebook icon.
For those of you who are active Facebook users could we encourage you to give us a ‘Like’ and a ‘follow’. You may become aware of a new Interest Group you may like to join.
We often get asked about the best way to advertise Cardiffu3a and bring in new members. There’s no doubting that word-of-mouth is probably the surest method of achieving that.
Sharing the occasional Cardiffu3a Facebook post with your friends can also help spread the word. It’s fairly effortless and you never know where it may lead. Thanks for your consideration.
This is where to find the Facebook link on our Homepage.
