Meet Beer Adventures / IMBC 17

We caught up with Jonny Quirk of Beer Adventures to find out what’s happening in the exciting world of Beer Adventures, our beer mat sponsor for IMBC 17. Feast on this…

Hello Jonny! Can you tell us a little about what Beer Adventures is?

Beer Adventures is a brand new iOS and Android app which lets you take ‘app guided’ beer tours in loads of cities around the world. You can use one phone to get around town with a friend/partner or use multiple phones at the same time to compete with friends to be the best local beer expert on the day.

We spend loads of time curating tours all over the globe, researching the very best bars and brewtaps and aim to highlight places that are not the most obvious and easy to find. For instance you could use Beer Adventures in Singapore right now and be sipping some damn fine craft beer in a matter of minutes, before being lead to a number of great brewpubs and bars that are off the radar.

We’ve launched in 25 cities and will be adding new countries, cities and routes every week – including pairing beer with food, culture and sightseeing so that you get a genuine experience of the city you’re hanging out in. We design the tours to pass as many landmarks as possible so as you get to see the city too. You could be walking from bar to brewtap and may just pass by the Empire State Building or Rome Colosseum en route!

Our app also tests your beer and local city knowledge through pop-up questions, has great info on each venue you’re taken to so you know how it fits into the city and it’s history, plus we also offer a number of discounts and special offers in some of the bars we use.

Overall we’ve deliberately created something that is easy to use, is available whenever you need it and makes discovering and exploring a new city beer scene as fun as possible.


Why should people be interested in the Beer Adventures app?

The global beer industry is so exciting right now and like food, it’s the perfect thing to travel for. We’ve all been on organised walking tours that are expensive and take a big chunk out of your day, whereas our app pretty much provides you with the same service and you can use it whenever and wherever you want.

We’re something to be used close to home when wanting to take a day out somewhere new (for instance travelling from Manchester to Liverpool or Leeds for a day trip) or when travelling the world and needing to tap into the authentic beer scene wherever you are.

Once you’ve signed up to our app, you can choose any city in the world for free on us so as you can give it a spin and see what it’s like, then further cities cost less than the price of a decent pint. Once you own a city it’s yours, plus any new tours we create for that city will be yours for free then too.

We’re also running a special competition to the end of Indy Man weekend with everyone who downloads and signs up to our app (plus likes our Beer Adventures App Facebook page) given the chance to win a £100 voucher from our friends at Hoptimism so here’s hoping there’s some good signal at Victoria Baths this year! (Ed: There is. Telcom done boosted our wifi!)

Who will you be making a beeline for at IMBC 17?

After still riding the high of BeaverX I’ll be found no doubt with either a sour or stout in hand. If the truth be known I try not to go with too many expectations of ‘must-drinks’ to beer festivals anymore. I just really want to enjoy a bit of everything that’s new and discover something a bit different whilst catching up with friends. Saying that there is definitely a chance I’ll be seen near Lervig, Burning Sky, Dugges, Buxton and Cloudwater’s beer! I’m also looking forward to some of Nasi Lemak’s Malaysian street food, which should go pretty well with some darker ales.

What else have Beer Adventures got in the pipeline this year?

Well we have some really exciting city launches happening in October and November with Scandinavia and South America coming online, plus new behind the scenes partner tours with famous breweries in various cities across the UK and Europe.

We’re also going to be working with a lot of UK beer weeks next year to put on some special events so we’re hard at work planning these already.

Overall we want to live up to our name and not just create average, well known city routes for people. We’ll be putting in the deep research to build tours like our new ‘Epic NYC’ one where you hit 10 beer places in one day and need to whizz around the city however you want (plane, train, automobile???) – we’ll keep shining a light on the underground and offbeat places that beer fans need to get to!

Lastly, have you got any recommendations of where visitors to Manchester should head pre-IMBC and post-IMBC?

I’m a massive fan of casual places that require minimal effort to head to at the moment. So GRUB by Piccadilly is great as there’s awesome beer and food every weekend. Cloudwater Barrel store is also high on my go-to list and Bundobust and COMMON are always solid for beer and food.

If anyone has a bit of extra time when visiting the city (or takes a wrong turn out of Victoria Baths…) then I’d always recommend hitting the suburbs for a few. Heaton Chapel train station has Heaton Hops and Bottle within about 10 minutes walk of each other and they’re always a good choice with some of the best beers in Greater Manchester on-tap.

If you are looking for inspiration around Indy Man then we have 3 tours on the Manchester section of our Beer Adventures app all ready to go for free – there’s also an IMBC festival special tour that’ll take you to 6 great places in town so I welcome everyone to give it a spin and see what you think – you can download it HERE.

Thanks Jonny!

Check out Beer Adventures’ IMBC 17 tour on Facebook HERE and follow them via the following mediums…

Beer Adventures Instagram
Beer Adventures Twitter
Beer Adventures Facebook 

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IMBC 17 / 28th September – 1st October 2017 / Victoria Baths, Manchester
Tickets still available for Thursday and Sunday sessions!

Posted on 26th September 2017

IMBC 17 FAQ

IMBC 17 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What beers are on and when?

Keep it locked to our IMBC app. Available via the App Store and Google Play for live beer updates during IMBC 17. Each brewery bar will have a beer board so you can scan what’s on with your eyes if you’d prefer to keep your head up. Paper beer lists are available on request but we’d advise that they quickly go out of date as they are printed at the start of each sessions and there are a lot of changes throughout each session. For the most accurate line-up at your session, use our new app. Search “IMBC” in your device’s app store.

Thursday’s starting beer line-up will be available on the app from Wednesday 27th September 2017. The beer list will then be updated live from that point.

How much are beer tokens?

All beers at IMBC 17 are one token each. Beers at IMBC are served in 1/3 pint measures. The price of the beer token is based upon an average of the beer ordering. 11 token bundles are available at £25 (£2.27 per beer). Single beer tokens are available at £2.50 each.

How do I buy food?

Food tokens will be available. The tokens are £1 each. Food is available outside in the Food Village or from snack vendors in Room 1. Snack vendors will accept food tokens / beer tokens in some cases, please see their pricing during the festival.

What happens when I arrive?

Your ticket will be scanned from your mobile device – or printout – you will then be given a glass and a programme on entry and you can make your way to the token desks. One is located inside in Room 2. The other is located outside, by the food village.

I’m interested in attending a tasting. What do I do?

Please consult our talks and tastings schedule prior and enquire at the token desk on arrival to book your place. We recommend doing this sooner rather than later at each session as places are limited. ALSO, we have a number of spontaneous pop-up tasting sessions at bars at each session so keep an ear out and an eye on twitter for updates. There will be a horn sounding and a picket sign directing you where to go.

What if I don’t like beer?

You’ll live! We are dealing with a strong arm in non-beers at this year’s IMBC. Hogan’s Cider will be running a cider bar. Manchester gin distillery Three Rivers will be running a gin bar. London craft soda makers Square Root will be running a soft drink and cocktail bar. And last, but not least, Idle Hands will cover all your hot drinks needs with their specialist coffees. Score!

What’s happening? I’m confused

Don’t be. Please explore the wonder of Victoria Baths and get your bearings. Consult the map in the programme you were given on entry or look at our app for specifics. If you need any assistance please look out for somebody in an IMBC t-shirt.

Other Half cans? Tell me more!

Two different Other Half cans will be available at the festival in a VERY limited quality. We have 18 cans of Other Half per session. These are limited to one can of each beer per customer. Other Half cans are strictly for drink-in purposes only. Cans are priced at four beer tokens each. If you miss out on cans please don’t be sad, Other Half are pouring kegs at every session.

What will I drink if I’m gluten intolerant?

This year, for the first time at IMBC, we will have a GLUTEN FREE beer bar hosted by First Chop, Manchester brewery whose beers are all gluten free. There will also be cider, gin, and cocktails available at the festival.

I’m hungry?

Yes, me too. There will be vegetarian and vegan options across the board, as well as meat forward fare. Find snack vendors in Room 1 on our “snack shelf” and hot food stuffs outside in our Food Village. Full food line-up HERE.

My glass is dirty, I’m sad?

Each bar at IMBC 17 is equipped with a water tap so hand over your glass and we’ll rinse it.

I wish I could take a particular beer home. Can I?

Yes you can. Or rather, Yes WE CAN. We Can, our mobile canning friends, will be there to can ANY beer from the festival. You can can any beer for the price of 2 x beer tokens. We Can will be located at the back of the Room 2.

As well as that option you will also have a bottle shop on site, courtesy of the excellent BEER MERCHANTS so you can take away some high grade options to keep the party going.

Can kids and dogs come?

Children are very welcome to attend IMBC before 7pm on any given session accompanied by a guardian. Dog-wise, guide dogs are welcome but the rest of our canine friends have to stay at home. Victoria Baths is an old building with lots of nooks and crannies. It will also most likely be a busy, noisy environment and we don’t want any dogs to get trodden on or scared. Same goes for kids so keep ’em close!

When is last orders?

Last orders are called 10 minutes before the end of each session and we stop pouring at the end time of each session.

Will there be merch?

Yes. There will be essential IMBC 17 merch items as well as a smattering of merch available from breweries on a case by case basis. IMBC apparel, poster prints, and more.

Beer Merchants will be taking care of your takeout needs alongside We Can…if you consider beers “merch”, which I do. Beer Merchants and our merchandise desk will take cash or card. You can pay two beer tokens to have ANY beer at the festival canned with We Can, simply go to whichever bar and they will put it in a can and THEN proceed the back of Room 2 where We Can will seal your beer.

Where do I go once I’ve left Victoria Baths?

The city is teeming with events over IMBC weekend. Check out our IMBC 17 fringe for highlights across Manchester or search #IMBC17Fringe on twitter.

Posted on 21st September 2017

Meet Buxton / IMBC 17

We stole a few precious moments with Denis Johnstone, Brewery Manager at Buxton, to chat IMBC 17 and Buxton’s exciting plans. Buxton Brewery are the sponsors of the Green Room at IMBC this year and you can expect a ravishing haul across all sessions.

Hi Denis, we are really excited to have Buxton bossing their own room at IMBC this year. Can you tell us a little about what you folks have lined up for the Green Room?

Hi Dave! Yeah we’re super excited to be hosting the Green Room this year! We’re bringing a really wide range of our beers and re-brewed some classics especially for IMBC including Wyoming Sheep Ranch DIPA and Battle Horse Black DIPA – both will be kegged a day or two before the festival! We’re also bringing two slushie machines and a heap of the Buxton x Omnipollo Original Ice Cream Beers and are planning to do some fun toppings.



I heard rumblings that there are exciting plans afoot at your brewery for the beer punter. Tours? Taproom? Can you elaborate or are you sworn to secrecy?

Yes totally sworn to secrecy haha! Yes our “Speakeasy Tasting Room” at the brewery is almost ready and we should have it opened very soon.


Buxton Tap House is a real destination for any beer aficionado. I’d imagine your soft serve machines get quite the reaction from the uninitiated at the Tap House. Do the ice cream beers blow a lot of minds on a daily basis?

They certainly do! But a few minds also regularly get blown by Axe Edge! The soft serve machines are a fantastic talking point and really get people excited about our Ice Cream beers. Apart from us and Omnipollo’s Hatt (Stockholm) there aren’t many bars that offer the ice cream beers with soft serve on an almost permanent basis!

What are your top Manchester tips for visitors to the city over IMBC weekend?

The Smithfield is always awesome but I’m pretty sure history will repeat itself and I’ll end up at Port Street most nights again this year! Especially with the Burning Sky takeover! For food has to be Bundobust.

Finally. What’s your desert island Buxton beer of choice? Cold stored, naturally.

Myrcia

Thanks Denis! 

Posted on 18th September 2017

IMBC 17 App

Welcome to 2017, we now have an IMBC app!

It’s coming to Android VERY shortly but meanwhile, Apple customers, you’re in luck. The IMBC app is now LIVE and ready to download on the App Store. Search “IMBC” to locate it or find it HERE.

You’ll need the app for the online beer list for IMBC. Expect that to drop Wednesday 27th September 2017. The beer list will be updated LIVE as beers go off and on throughout IMBC 17. Wowee.

You’ll also be able to sign up for notifications to specific breweries so you are alerted when their beers change.

Other handy features include a link through to Untappd, a map so you can get around and find breweries, and the full run down of our IMBC 17 Fringe line-up.

Big thanks to Patrick Cavanagh for designing the app and to Steve Hockett for adding the illustrative touches.

Shout out to our app and connectivity supporter Telcom too!


Posted on 14th September 2017

Meet Siren / IMBC 17

Siren Craft Brew are the sponsors of Room 3 at Victoria Baths for IMBC this year. They’re also one of the most innovative UK breweries putting out some of the best beers consistently. We caught up with Andy Nowlan to chat all things Siren and to find out what they’ve been cooking up recently and a little of what to expect at IMBC 17…WARNING: This post will make you thirsty. 

What’s going on at the minute? What are you excited about that people can seek out right now? 

It’s an amazing time for specials and collaborations right now, with loads of our brewing friends and heroes coming over to the UK for festival season. The one to look out for right now is ‘I Love You Honey Bunny’ – it’s a collaboration with Other Half that has fit in to our (unofficially dubbed) ‘Fruit Pulp Fiction’ series – except this time, in place of fruit, we’ve gone with 200kg of pure blossom honey.  We’re describing it as a honey smoothie IPA. We’ve also just brought two old favourites back – ‘Ten Finger Discount’ and ‘Middle Finger Discount’. Vintage single hop IPAs that won’t hang around for long!


Tell us a little about your recent Project Barista. Those beers sound ideal for a first beer for the morning crowd at IMBC. 

We’ve always been obsessed with the interaction of coffee and beer, in fact we used coffee in one of our four original beers back in 2013 ‘Broken Dream’, that has since become a year-round favourite. Project Barista was about celebrating that concept but also pushing it a bit further, and in styles that you wouldn’t necessarily expect. We worked with three different independent coffee roasters for further input and inspiration, and trialled various techniques for imparting the coffee notes. Then we invited everyone down to the brewery for a launch party with expert talks, tastings and  even a Turkish coffee brew inspired by the beer, that was in turn inspired by the traditional coffee! With a load more amazing beer on tap, of course. You can get the full background here: https://www.sirencraftbrew.com/projectbarista/

Oh, and the good news is we’ve held a keg of each Project Barista beer back for IMBC, so they certainly could be some good early-doors choices!


You’re bringing the Rainbow Project bar to IMBC 17 – thank you kindly, we can’t wait – a lot of our followers will be familiar with the Rainbow Project but in case not, could you shed a little light on what the Rainbow Project is? 

The Rainbow Project began in 2013 and was initially the brainchild of Ryan Witter-Merithew (then Head Brewer at Siren). The basic premise is that two breweries will be randomly paired up, then randomly assigned a colour of the rainbow to inspire a beer. It’s always been celebration of collaborative and innovative brewing, and has become a key fixture in the annual beer calendar. Each year the project has grown, starting out as a UK based thing, before heading to Europe for collaborations in 2014 (Evil Twin Naparbier, Omnipollo, Lervig, Mikeller, Toccalmatto and De Molen), the USA in 2015 (Cigar City, Arizona Wilderness, Prairie, Crooked Stave, Surly, Dogfish Head and Firestone Walker), then New Zealand last year (Parrotdog, Liberty, Fork Brewing, Yeastie Boys, 8 Wired, Garage Project and Panhead). This year we’re back in the US, with an all-star lineup that has paired up some amazing breweries. The Rainbow Project is a chance for breweries to get really creative and has produced some absolute gems over the years, such as Buxton/Omnipollo’s Yellow Belly. It throws up some amazing pairings of breweries.

For the first time this year, we’re launching the rainbow project at some of the best beer festivals in the UK, rather than keeping it confined to brewery parties. There will also be 2,000 mixed cases of the collaborations this year, more than ever before. We can’t wait to bring it along to Indyman!


Last year at IMBC 16 you brought out the big guns. One of only two casks at the festival in the shape of V.I.P.A (Siren x IMBC collab), Maiden 2015, BA Caribbean Chocolate Cake, Eisbock Caribbean Chocolate Cake (!!!), Smoken Dream. Can you tease us with any rarities lined up for IMBC 17? 

For those that tried V.I.P.A. (IMBC 2016 collaboration Vimto-inspired Belgian IPA), you’ll be interested to know that we’re bringing along Cheeky V.I.P.A. this year! Yep, it’s been aged in Port barrels. We’re raiding the barrel store so expect some beers on tap that we haven’t poured before, along with some you probably thought were gone forever (Barrel Aged Shattered Dream!!).  We’ll also have some single barrel Maidens, to give a bit of the experience that we get when forming Maiden blends. Along with a load of new collaborations, old favourites and one-offs. We’ve got a hell of a lineup planned!


Siren are the sponsors of Room 3 at IMBC 17. It’s the opposite end of Victoria Baths from where you were last year in the Pineapple Room. Room 3 is where the bands and DJs perform at IMBC AKA the party room, what will Siren be bringing to the party? 

We had a great time in the Pineapple Room last year, but wanted to get right back in the mix!  We’re working on a beer list that we hope will have something for everyone, all weekend long. We’re looking forward to creating some atmospheric vibes worthy of our mysterious Sirens, and then half of our team will be travelling up from Berkshire to join in the fun too!


You’re seasoned IMBC professionals at this point, have you got any tips for the ultimate IMBC experience? 

IMBC is amazing in its versatility, it’s really what you make of it. From a personal point of view, my advice would be to take your time and enjoy everything on offer rather than rushing around to catch specific beers. There’s so much amazing choice. Maybe try to fit in two different sessions to make the most of it. Also – if you’re not from Manchester then enjoy the city! Whether it be the IMBC fringe (I’ll be heading straight to Magic Rock @ Common), the pubs (Marble Arch, Smithfield, Port Street…) or the food (I can’t visit Manchester and not eat at Bundobust).


What’s on the horizon for Siren? 

We’re finally about to open a tap room, having removed our old space a couple of years ago. With that will come brewery tours and more events. It’s something we’ve been desperate to do for a long time so it will be great to get more people out to our home in the sticks! We took on some new space at the start of the year that will allow us to keep more barrels, but more importantly, access them a lot more easily for regular tastings, QC and (hopefully) releases. So that’s exciting. We also put in a new brewhouse early this year which has been great, but presented it’s own teething problems. It will be great to hit the ground running next year with new kit, loads of experience and a full team to make the most of it. There’s plenty more to come from us!

Thanks Andy! Drooling.

IMBC 17 tickets are still available for Thursday 28th September and Sunday 1st October sessions. Pick up your tickets HERE. Full brewery list HERE. 

Posted on 5th September 2017

IMBC 17 Breweries

Here we go. Here is the brewery line-up in full for IMBC 17. The brewery line-up differs from Thursday/Friday to Saturday/Sunday. To see the line-up for individual days see HERE. 

Tickets are still available for Thursday 28th September and Sunday 1st October. Buy tickets HERE. 

IMBC 17 BREWERIES

IMBC 17 ROOM SPONSORS:::

BEAVERTOWN BREWERY (London, UK) / Pineapple RoomBUXTON BREWERY (Buxton, UK) / Green RoomCLOUDWATER (Manchester, UK) w/ FOREST & MAIN (Pennsylvania, USA) / Room 2
FOURPURE (London, UK) / Room 1LERVIG (Stavanger, Norway) w/ BEER MERCHANTS (Manchester / Kent, UK) / Turkish Baths
 NORTHERN MONK (Leeds, UK) / Food Village

SIREN CRAFT BREW (Wokingham, UK)  w/ RAINBOW PROJECT / Room 3

 WILD BEER CO (Shepton Mallet, UK) / Food Village
 +++

ALMASTY (Newcastle, UK)
ATOM (Hull, UK)
THE BEAK (Leeds / London, UK)
BLACKJACK (Manchester, UK)
BLACK IRIS (Nottingham)
BOUNDARY (Belfast, UK)
BRASSERIE TROIS DAMES (Sainte-Croix, Switzerland)
BREW BY NUMBERS (London, UK)
BREWSKI (Helsingborg, Sweden)
BRIGHTON BIER (Brighton, UK)
BRODIE’S (London, UK)
BROUFOX French Brewery Showcase (France)
BRUSSELS BEER PROJECT (Brussels, Belgium)
BURNING SKY (Firle, UK)
CHORLTON BREWING COMPANY (Manchester, UK)
DEYA (Cheltenham, UK)
DRY & BITTER (Gørløse, Denmark)
DUGGES (Landvetter, Sweden)
ELUSIVE (Finchampstead, UK)
FIERCE (Aberdeen, UK)
FIRST CHOP (Salford, UK)
FIVECLOUDS (Macclesfield, UK)
FIVE POINTS (London, UK)
GARAGE (Barcelona, Spain)
GUEUZERIE TILQUIN (Bierghes, Belgium)
HAWKSHEAD (Staveley, UK)
HOGAN’S CIDER (Alcester, UK)
THE KERNEL (London, UK)
LEFT HANDED GIANT (Bristol, UK)
LINES (Caerphilly, UK)
MAD HATTER (Liverpool, UK)
MARBLE (Manchester, UK)
NORTH BREWING CO (Leeds, UK)
ODYSSEY (Whitbourne, UK)
OTHER HALF (New York City, USA)
PARTIZAN (London, UK)
REDCHURCH (London, UK)
RED WILLOW (Macclesfield, UK)
RIDGESIDE (Leeds, UK)
RUNAWAY (Manchester, UK)
SIX DEGREES NORTH (Aberdeen, UK)
SQUAWK (Manchester, UK)
THIRST CLASS (Stockport, UK)
THORNBRIDGE (Bakewell, UK)
TORRSIDE (New Mills, UK)
TRACK (Manchester, UK)
VERDANT (Falmouth, UK)
WIPER AND TRUE (Bristol, UK)
WEIRD BEARD (London, UK)
WHITE HAG (Ballymote, Ireland)
WYLAM (Newcastle, UK)
ZAPATO (Leeds, UK)

THIRSTY GAMES 2017 FINALISTS:::
AFFINITY BREW CO (London, UK)
BURNING SOUL (Birmingham, UK)
LITTLE EARTH PROJECT (Sudbury, UK)

 

IMBC 17 SUPPORTERS
Official Glass Sponsor: BEER MERCHANTS


Official Brewer Mother & T-Shirt Supporter: SIMPLY HOPS

Official Keg Partner: KEGSTAR
Thirsty Games Supporter: LALLEMAND


Beer Mat Supporter: YEAST BERLIN

App and Wifi Supporter: TELCOM

 

Posted on 4th September 2017

Meet Beer Merchants / IMBC 17

I’m sure you need no introduction but allow us to introduce you to BEER MERCHANTS, our glass sponsor for IMBC 17. Beer Merchants will also be bossing a bottle shop at Victoria Baths for all your takeout needs. They’re always busy blighters, check out who they are and what they do below…

Hello Beer Merchants! Who am I speaking to?

Jonny Garrett, marketing manager at Cave Direct and Beer Merchants. And the Craft Beer Channel, for my sins.
Beer Merchants are our glass sponsor for IMBC 17. You’ll be in everybody’s hands in Victoria Baths. Can you tell us a little about Beer Merchants?

We’re one of the oldest online beer shops in the UK, specialising in beautiful British and Belgian beers, but with delicious stuff from all over the world too. Usually we’ve got over 1,000 beers (and the odd gin!) live at any time and we try to have the widest, most eccentric list on the internet. And thankfully being an importer too means we get the best prices too.
You’ll be operating a bottle shop at IMBC 17 for all our takeaway needs. What can punters expect?

An absolute whale fest. Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen and some incredible Belgians you’ve never heard of but have to try; loads of carefully selected bombers from the US plus the absolute best the UK has to offer next to beers from all the brilliant breweries at IMBC. On top of the rare bits we’ll also have everything you need to keep the party going at home (road beers!) and lots of amazing merch from breweries too.

Are you looking forward to locking horns with Lervig at IMBC this year?

If by locking horns you mean pouring ourselves all the 3 Bean and Tasty Juice then hell yeah. We import their beers so we’ve worked really closely with them to create an experiential space that will be unlike any sponsored room has been at IMBC before – but that will pale in comparison to the beers they have on. We’ve always thought Lervig were world class and that’s why we partnered with them 3 years ago, but what they have put out in the last 12 months has been nothing short of show-stopping. It’s going to be a great event for them.

You lot are doing a couple of talks / tastings at IMBC 17. Lip smackingly titled “So much more than sour”. Can you give us a spoiler as to what that might entail?

I’m going to try to end this awful term “sour beer” as a catch all for a whole bunch of styles. Like the term “lager”, it just doesn’t do justice to all the amazing sub-styles within the category – geuze, kriek, wild, berlinerweiss, oud bruin, gose – that are as distinct from each other as IPA and stout. It’s not all my own personal mission though – we’re gonna be trying some seriously rare and exciting beers while I get ruddy in the face and tell you all about them and the adventures we’ve had with the Craft Beer Channel and Beer Merchants discovering them.

What have Beer Merchants got in the pipeline? I know there’s exciting plans underfoot with Unit 101. Amazing that you guys are doing the Zwanze Day this year!

There is so much in the pipeline with Beer Merchants I don’t know where to start. We’re launching an aged beer section soon, with lots of stuff we’ve been cellaring for years, our beer club has relaunched to be better than ever, and we’re doing events up and down the country to get rare beers into the hands of people that don’t usually get a chance to try them. Meanwhile our pub pop-up Unit 101 in Manchester has been great since it opened and its an honour to host such an iconic event in Zwanze Day. People should keep their eyes and ears open as we have a HUGE bit of news about a new venue coming soon.

Where should visitors to the city hit during the festival? (Asides Victoria Baths, obviously)

Oh my well we’ll be holing ourselves up in Café Beermoth or Port Street every chance we get but we’re also big fans of Cane & Grain and Cottonopolis – maybe some vegan food at V Rev to balance the bad out. Then obviously we’ll be at our Unit 101 afterparty on Friday for some crafty beer pong. This time around we might not do it with Lervig Sippin’ into Darkness. No one wins when you do that.

Lastly, where is best to keep up with what Beer Merchants are up to?

Follow us on twitter @beermerchants as that’s where we get involved in fights and pedantry. Oh and news, sometimes we do news. It’s also worth following @cavedirect our trade arm, because most things go through there first so you can get the skinny on the rare stuff before it hits the site.

Thanks Beer Merchants! We all look forward to drinking from your cup at IMBC 17.

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Not got your ticket for IMBC 17 yet? No challenge! Thursday and Sunday tickets remain. Pick up your ticket for the opening Thursday 28th September or closing Sunday 1st October sessions HERE. 

Posted on 1st September 2017

Meet Beavertown / IMBC 17

MEET BEAVERTOWN
IMBC 17

Beaverwho? Said nobody ever. You can’t have turned a craft beer corner in the last however many latelies without happily stumbling into a new trick from the prolific Beavertown. We stole a precious moment with Nick Dwyer of Beavertown to find out the inside track on what’s really going on chez Beaver. Beavertown are the sponsors of the Pineapple Room at IMBC 17. Here’s Nick to take it away…

Hey Nick, tell us a little about your role at Beavertown – because it’s a goodie!

It sure is.  Im “Creative Director,” a title I was given when no one knew what it meant but it stuck and sounds really grand and I love it. Basically I look after anything and everything visual at Beavertown, from designing our printed cans, labels, keg badges, merch and “POS” stuff through to deciding finishes, knocking up posters, beautifying the brewery, to liaising with production facilities and manufacturers to get all that stuff to us in time for events, beer launches and trips to other countries. I don’t think I’ve ever actually written that down before. Other little bits and bobs too, but that’s the jist of it. It’s by no means just me though, everybody will have input in one way or another too.

You guys are always busy beavers, what have Beavertown been working on lately?

Prep for our fest, The Beavertown Extravaganza in a couple of weeks! I’ve been on call for making signs and banners and other visuals etc, alongside an unrelenting list of collaboration artworks to do. These are my favourite, as I get to work with some really brilliant artists that work for other breweries, Trillium’s Kevin and Stillwater’s Mike being the most recent ones. Everyones really excited about it but its been manic! We also released our huge Firestone Walker collab, “Beavo”, recently, the first time we’ve had such a quantity of a collab beer made in the USA over here.  Other than that we’re continuing our rebranding of much of the core range, working with as many brands as possible to improve our merch and not being able to brew enough beer to satisfy the thirsty masses so all in all not much HBU?

Are you hyped for Beavertown Extravaganza? We certainly are! I’m guessing you’ve had a big role in the aesthetics of it?

Absolutely. It’s a massive undertaking that I can take only a very small amount of credit for. Sam and Kieran are the real dream facilitating one-two-punch, alongside the rest of the guys like keeping the wheels turning and everyone sort of half smiling half crying. Smying. Criling? But we are getting there, ticking things off the list by the minute!

Last year at IMBC 16 Beavertown killed it in Room 1 – you were pulling so many Tempus Project beers out of the hat alongside so much more, spaceships and spacemen, all that jazz. This year Beavertown are taking over the Pineapple Room – can you tell us a little about what to expect?

I would say bright colours, brilliant beers and good times. Kieran has just said we are going “Uber beaver” over my shoulder which is a worrying statement out of context. Every year we have whittled the playlist down via trial and error so hopefully this year we will have 100% approval!.. Also, hopefully, Logan in that super flattering Gamma Ray man costume again. “I promise that’s just my phone”


Last year as part of the IMBC fringe, you had an exhibition of your work up at Common as part of a Beavertown bar takeover. Magic Rock are up at Common this year for a bar takeover throughout IMBC 17. Hopefully Rich Norgate will be peppering the walls with his art. Who are your some of your favourites when it comes to beer artwork?

Rich is up there in that list and is also a solid dude which helps. Recognizable from a distance but really intricate up close – perfect. I have always admired his talent for making abstract shapes have so much personality. Similarly, Karl Grandin of Omnipollo with his ability to make the simplest concept so visually appealing, but when he really goes for the colours and shapes… look out retinas there’s a new sheriff in town. Like I mentioned I’ve also worked with Mike Van Hall (Stillwater), Kevin Cimo (Trillium) and Nana Gulbaek (Lervig) who are all really damn good at what they do. Also just been told I’m working with Keith Shore of Mikkeller himself (again) which is always the best news so watch this space. Im really lucky to work in an industry with such exciting artists involved. Hopefully we get to work together at some point, Dave! Donut Boy meets…well, probably skeletons.

What’s your Beavertown beer of choice? (Tricky question, I know)

Humuloid. Our first crack at one of them hazy ones the kids love so much and we knocked it out the park. I can say that, having nothing at all to do with the brewing of it. Skullwater, our Belgian pale with Stillwater is also a firm favourite of mine at the moment, as it’s something a little different to what we usually do.

Quick! I’m in London! Where do I go?

The pressure is real… Walthamstow! Massively biased as I live there but Yardsale Pizza, Sodo Pizza, Eat 17, Clapton Craft and a choice of about 10 pubs all within walking radius means I absolutely love it up there. More centrally I usually find myself at The Mermaid or The Clapton Hart as both have outside spaces and I’m a sucker for a beer in a garden.


I know you’ve got a soft spot for Manchester, if you manage to make it up for IMBC weekend – where are you hitting in town? 

You know exactly where Dave, let’s not do this. (Ed: I’ve previously sighted Nick in Manchester in Common, Port Street, Kosmonaut, Heaton Hops, and Manchester Piccadilly Train Station) 

Lastly, what was your gateway into craft beer? 

The burning desire for people to see my work. I did the initial bottle labels for Black Betty and Gamma Ray as a freelance illustration gig (paid in “exposure”,) but getting a bit of insight into the passion within the beer world led to asking for a job in Dukes, then Beavertown’s home by day, and gaming it so Logan saw more of my sketchbook and designs than he otherwise might have. Through mutual interests we became close / I became employed. Long story short I offered as much help as I could, and here I am.

Anything else to add? 

I already feel hungover thinking about Indyman 17

Thanks Nick!

Independent Manchester Beer Convention
Thursday 28th September – Sunday 1st October 2017 / Victoria Baths, Manchester
Tickets available HERE. 

Posted on 23rd August 2017