In 1566, the La Nossa Signora sailed into Tenby Harbour from Aveiro in Northern Portugal carrying the first ever cargo of oranges into Wales.

To celebrate this fact, 450 years later, Harbwr Brewery’s new porter style ale has been brewed and infused with orange and hints of chocolate, just a few hundred metres from where those oranges first landed.

Nothing says ‘Christmas’ quite like a chocolate orange - and Harbwr Brewery in Tenby has embraced this luscious combination by brewing a limited edition chocolate orange stout.

Harbwr Brewery is situated just above Tenby Harbour, and each of its beers is named after iconic boats that have graced the harbour over the years. From the 1500s, Tenby prospered as a trading port, and in 1566 a Portuguese ship, called La Nossa Signora, landed the first cargo of oranges on Welsh shores, at Tenby Harbour. This wasn’t her usual cargo, and it is thought that it was a side-line of some enterprising crew, who knew there might be a wealthy merchant in Tenby ready to do a trade.

This seasonal, full-flavoured stout combines deep-roasted malt flavours with a citrus orange hop aroma, finished with a twist of real cocoa and orange zest. Harbwr Brewery have produced 1000 limited edition bottles, and each ‘orange peel’ neck label is individually printed with that bottle’s edition number.

With the brewery situated just yards from the National Trust Tudor Merchant’s House, and within sight of the trading harbour, this is a perfect meeting of history, nostalgia and provenance. Bottles are available to order, and can be enjoyed in the atmospheric tap room just above the brewery.

We know what tipple we shall be leaving out for Santa on Christmas Eve this year.