Cheers to Conservation with New Zoo Brew

Summer beer gardens are filling up and the warm weather is getting everyone in the school holiday spirit. So, what could be better than sipping on a cold pint or can of a deliciously refreshing pale ale from Tenby Brewing Company? How about one that also helps the conservation of animals and wildlife with every purchase?  

The award-winning family attraction, Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire, has collaborated with local brewery Tenby Brewing Company on a ‘Zoo Brew’ that raises funds for conservation!  20 pence from the sale of each Macaroni penguin-themed ‘MonoBräu’ pale ale, is being kindly donated by Tenby Brewing Company, to support the work of the attraction’s conservation partners.

The name of this new ale, is a nod to the yellow crest feathers or “monobrow” for which the Macaroni penguin is famed for. But broken down, ‘Mono’ refers to the beer’s single hop and ‘Brau’ is the German for brew!

Folly Farm’s Conservation Officer Jack Gradidge enthused; “We're proud to be partnering with Tenby Brewery to help raise vital funds and awareness for wildlife conservation. By bringing people together through this collaboration, we're giving our community a simple way to support the protection of threatened species and the habitats they depend on, helping to secure a future for wildlife around the world”.

Rob Faulkner from Tenby Brewing Company is just as pleased with the collaboration; “When the team at Folly Farm got in touch about the possibility of collaborating on a beer with conservation in mind, we jumped at the chance! We got our heads together and discussed a wide range of recipe options, finally settling on a crowd-pleasing Session Pale Ale featuring the iconic hop Citra.

“We're really proud of how the brew turned out, MonoBräu is refreshing, light and easy drinking with notes of Citrus fruit and a balanced hop bitterness”.

There are two species of penguin currently residing at Folly Farm’s Penguin Coast enclosure, including a mixed colony of 26 Humboldt and 12 Macaroni penguins. In fact, Folly Farm is now the only collection in the UK to hold Macaroni penguins having rescued the only other collection during the covid pandemic when another UK zoo sadly had to close.

Folly Farm houses an impressive collection of both domestic farm animals such as donkeys, sheep and numerous rare breeds, as well as around 100 different species of more exotic and rare animals at its zoo, including critically endangered Eastern black rhino, African lions, lemurs, tapir and giraffe - many of whom are under threat of extinction in the wild due to threats such as deforestation, climate change, poaching and other human activity.  

The family run attraction has always been passionate about conservation and sustainability, and frequently engage with various communities through local sponsorships, fundraising events and charitable donations. But they also support the work of some amazing conservation organisations who are helping animals in the wild.

Conservation partners include Wildlife Vets International, Safina Lion Conservation, Sphenisco, Red Panda Network, Helping Rhinos, and lots more. From tracking lions to health checking wild populations of animals, these in-situ conservation projects rely on donations to continue their vital work - and Folly Farm raises funds in a number of ways to help support them. Efforts include holding donations boxes on site, its donations from the sale of animal adoption gift packs, and holding various event days such as ‘Dung Detective’ workshops, ‘Mini Vets’ sessions and animal awareness day celebrations such as World Lion Day in August.

And now thanks to this most recent collaboration with the Tenby Brewing Company, locals and holiday makers alike can also help support these conservation efforts when visiting the attraction, or when popping in for a drink at select Pembrokeshire outlets, through the purchase of MonoBräu pale ale!

You can get your flippers on a pint or can of MonoBräu NOW, through the following outlets:

‘Tap and Tan’ in Tenby, ‘The Brewery Yard’ in Tenby, ‘Hwb’ in Narberth, ‘The Foundry’ in Haverfordwest and at Folly Farm’s Hungry Farmer restaurant and at its Holiday Park shop.

You can also purchase 440ml cans of MonoBräu online at www.tenbybrewingco.com or pop into Tenby Brewing Co's shop at the brewery (Mon-Fri 9am-4pm)'