Purple Moose Brewery's The Australia keeps Porthmadog's pints flowing as the brewery marks 20 years

When Time Out named Porthmadog one of the UK's best seaside towns for 2026, placing the harbour town at number 13 in its coastal guide, one pub got a special mention. The Australia, the guide said, is the town's top pub, serving pints from the local brewery.

That brewery is Purple Moose, or Bragdy Mŵs Piws, which is based in Porthmadog and Betws-y-Coed and this year is celebrating 20 years of brewing. To mark the milestone it has released Opulence, a 20th anniversary barrel collection.

The Australia is the brewery's tap, offering the full range of Purple Moose beers alongside home-cooked food. The brewery also runs The Station Inn and Café, so a pint of local ale is never far away for anyone stepping off a train in the town.

The core real ale range takes its names from the landscape and legends around it. There is Snowdonia Ale, Glaslyn Ale, Madog's Ale, Elderflower Ale, Calon Lân, the red ale Excalibeer and the darker Dark Side of the Moose. Seasonal favourite Merry X-Moose returns for the festive period.

Alongside the cask ales, the craft range includes Mwsh, a Kölsch-style lager, the tropical High Hops, Antlered IPA, Navigator, Black Rock Stout and Chocolate Moose. The brewery says its beers have won more than 100 major awards.

Time Out's writers described Porthmadog as a former slate port backed by the peaks of Eryri, and praised it for its rugged drama and alternative spirit. They pointed visitors towards the Ffestiniog Railway, the world's oldest narrow-gauge railway, the mile-long Cob embankment with its views of the mountains and the estuary, and a parade of independent businesses including the record shop Cob Records and the bookshop Browsers. The beach at Borth-y-Gest is around half an hour's walk away.

Purple Moose also sells online, with mini kegs, spirits and clothing alongside its bottled beers, which makes it a useful place to look for gifts for beer lovers as Christmas approaches.

To find out more about the beers, the anniversary collection and The Australia, visit purplemoose.co.uk.