Let beer take centre stage

I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get paid to go to pubs and drink beer and then write about.  Around the world millions of people are passionate about wine and its complexities and they often shun beer. Why?

If wine and beer were instruments in an orchestra – wine would sit with the violins and violas  and produce music of great beauty and merit. But beer with its greater range of colours, tastes and textures would fill most of the other seats.The music of a string quarter are an an intermezzo – compositions  which fit in between other musical or dramatic entities – now is the time for that music to be heard.It is time for beer to take centre stage

Tim Hampson - author The Beer Book, Great Beer, London's Riverside Pubs, Stay at an Inn, London's Pubs, Eyewitness Companion to Beer

Favourite pubs – the White Swan, Llanfrynach

Favourite pubs – the White Swan, Llanfrynach

The views of the Sugar Loaf and Penmalt Mawr from the A40 as one drives north west out of Abergavenny, on a sun-kissed day must be some of the most stunning in Wales.
Three miles shy of Brecon, home to one of the world’s great Jazz festivals, is the gracious village of Llanfyrnach, which is close to the contour hugging Brecknock & Abergavenny Canal and the Taff Trail.
The White Swan, stands like a national monument to icing sugar, opposite the Church of St Brynach and in the shadow of the Brecon Beacons with its stunning upland walks.
Recently refurbished in an uncluttered farmhouse, orange- walled rustic style, a small flagstone floored low beamed bar with several squashy leather chairs leads to a larger dining room.
Large windows at the rear overlook a neat garden with a Wisteria wrapped gazebo.
On a sunny day the garden is a perfect place for a family to relax, while inside offers a solid cloak of protection against the ills of a wild storm or the heat of a summer’s day.
A regularly changing, imaginative menu ranges from traditional pubby to high-flying dishes offering the tastes of the world using locally sourced organic ingredients with Welsh lamb and cheeses a speciality.
The White Swan is one of the new breed of pubs that offer an eating experience that is worth travelling for.
Fish specials are available daily and vegetarians can choose any of the sauces or garnishes from the main menu and have them with a non-meat alternative such as pasta.
The bar features a choice of two real ales and there are several reasonably priced house wines.

Llanfrynach, Brecon, Powys LD3 7BZ.
Tel: 01874 665276
http://www.the-white-swan.com

Tourist information: http://www.breconbeacons.org

White Swan