I used the success story of the Newport based Tiny Rebel brewery in my chairman’s speech on our Annual Trip in London last year as a glowing example of the continuing resurgence and interest in British beer and refereed to the phenomenon as a renascence but on reflection this is more than simply a cultural revival it’s the new Rock & Roll.

The first Rock & Roll in the 1950s was the actual Rock & Roll that went beyond simply a musical style influencing fashion, attitudes and language, anyone walking into Tiny Rebel’s pub, the Urban Tap House in Cardiff with its new craft beers, unique interior and graphic design might also feel part of something new and exciting. 

To receive full authentication as the new cool you have to be looked down upon by the establishment and criticized by the media of course. The American press was fully intent on closing the Beatles down when they arrived in the States for the first time and the BBC and IBA both banned the Sex Pistols, I thought Tiny Rebel founders Brad and Gazz kept their cool when recently invited onto Radio Wales for an interview after winning yet another award for a business that continues to grow beyond expectations. During the interview a male news broadcaster and self-declared teetotaller suggested to the boys that their business was a bubble with not long to burst, while incredibly the uninformed female news broadcaster apart from getting the business start-up date incorrect declared that the Urban Tap House was not for her as it would be crowded out with men. Anyone who has been into the pub will know full well that the place is crowded  with people all enjoying sampling the new craft beers regardless of gender. Rock and roll may have contributed to the civil rights movement because both African-American and white American teens enjoyed the music, will a common interest in craft beer do the same for gender equality – we can only enjoy the beer while waiting to see – Viva El Nuevo Rock & Roll.