On the road again… in the West Country: Collaborations 3, 4, and 5

It’s a new month and thus time for IMBC to get back into the collaborative swing of things. Collaborations 3, 4, and 5 took us to Bristol and to Cornwall, to brew with Wiper and True, Arbor, and Harbour. It was a brew de force, with three brew days in a row!

Our first stop was with Wiper and True in Bristol. We convinced Michael and Will that it would be a great idea to brew a Gose… kindly, the gents obliged and started a sour mash that was ready and smelling pretty potent by the time the brew day rolled around. To keep things German, Polaris went into the mash, and Magnum and Polaris were added to the kettle. Look out for this sour little number to cleanse and refresh your palate!

Day 2 in Bristol and it was time to visit Arbor. Jon mashed in a massive 750 kilos of pale malt to enable a double brew day, with the first runnings for a Lemon and Lime Double IPA. Fruit was purchased and zesting was the name of the game for much of the sunny afternoon. We’re quite sure we don’t want to see anymore citrus in the near future… Plenty of hops was also added into the mix, with the heavy hitters Citra, Simcoe, Galaxy, and Cascade the lupulin carriers of choice. It should be a mouth puckering affair.

After we said our goodbyes, we cruised on down to Cornwall, to visit Eddie Lofthouse and Rhys Powell at Harbour. A huge barley wine was on the cards there, a first for Harbour. Summit and Centennial were the hops, and a bit of Amber malt to add a bit of colour. After primary fermentation, the barley wine will get to soak up the woody and whiskey flavours of Jim Beam casks… This one will be huge. Quite possibly, a most excellent night cap.

Thanks to the gents at Wiper and True, Arbor, and Harbour for their superb hospitality and for making these exciting brews happen! We can’t wait to try them in October. And if you think that this is the end of the collaborations road, then you’d be mistaken… Lots more to come!

Cheers!

Posted on 7th July 2014

Trade Session Alert: Friday DAY tickets available

In the trade or press? Want to meet up with others at IMBC to network and share exciting beers? Cover the event for a news organisation?

Do get in touch, because the trade session for Independent Manchester Beer Convention will take place on Friday 10th October from 11am to 4:30pm. Trade and press tickets will be available free of charge to members of the press and drinks industry. Due to the capacity of Victoria Baths trade and press tickets are limited to a maximum of 2 per company.

Please email your full name and name of business to : [email protected] – tickets will be sent to you via a secure link nearer the time.

We look forward to welcoming you to Victoria Baths!

Team IMBC

Posted on 26th June 2014

Newsflash! NEW Breweries and Friday DAY session announced

We’ve hit the ground running this week, with the announcement of twelve breweries who will be pouring their beers at IMBC this year, and our first collaborations. Among them, there is a slew of newcomers, even Americans!

Here is the low down:

Newcomers are:

We’re also chuffed to have the following breweries return:

Fear not if you think that Saturday and Sunday’s sessions seem a bit sparse… there is much much more to come!

Due to the demand, we have also added a Friday DAY session for you good people. But don’t wait too long, tickets are available here.
Sign up to our newsletter, watch Twitter, and this space for more news and announcements!

Posted on 24th June 2014

What’s been happening: IMBC Collaborations 1 and 2

We’ve been quite busy here at IMBC towers. Not only have we got a slew of new breweries lined up for your delectation in October, we also got our collaborations for this year under way.

To kick off our collaborations this year, we traveled to Caerphilly a few weeks back, to brew a very special Berliner Weisse with Tom Newman at Celt Experience. Tom loves to experiment, so he set up a yeast collection station at Tintern Abbey. After leaving it exposed to the elements for a while, Tom sent off the specimens to a lab, where the yeast was isolated from bacteria and other organisms, and then grown up for the collaboration! So, in addition to the traditional Berliner Weisse yeast strain, the wild yeast has come into play. It’s still souring away now… the results are definitely going to be unique. There may also be a fruited version in addition to the straight Berliner Weisse…

The next day, it was time to brew with the guys at Weird Beard Brew Co. Conditioning in the tank now is a Dark Saison, hopped with Magnum, Aurora, Target, and Columbus, as well as orange zest. The result should be a beer that may look dark and heavy, but is light and fruity… Thanks to both Celt and Weird Beard for letting us come down and making beer for IMBC!

More collaboration news soon…

 

Words by Claudia Asch

 

Posted on 24th June 2014

Real Cider Co. and Thistly Cross Cider team up for IMBC

We’re really excited that our cider offerings this year are going to be very exclusive indeed. Our good friends from Thistly Cross in Scotland and The Real Cider Co. in Yorkshire are teaming up to bring you the most varied and exciting ciders the UK and beyond have to offer, including the debut of some very special US cider! Some of us were lucky enough to get a preview of this special treat, and it’s truly unique.

What else can you expect? A changing selection each day, including some exclusive tastings, all the cider knowledge you could ask for, and who knows, the cider presses may not stop at that… Suffice it to say, if you love cider or if you just want to discover some of the best offerings around, it’ll be worth stopping at the cider bar!

We are delighted these two are joining us — there will definitely be a cider for everyone’s taste.

@ThistlyCross
@Realciderco

Posted on 9th May 2014

2014 Partners

At long last, we can share with you who will be at the helm of our lovely rooms at IMBC 2014:

Magic Rock, Summer Wine, and Thornbridge have supported IMBC from the early days, and needless to say, they have all grown in leaps and bounds since then. We are chuffed to have them as partners this year! Our newbie for 2014 is the mighty Beavertown. Rest assured that all partners will be bringing some special beery treats to the baths!

Watch our Twitter feed and this space for updates as preparations for IMBC ramp up!

Posted on 25th April 2014

Announcing : Beer Matched Meal with Jackie Kearney (Hungry Gecko)

We are proud to announce a special 4 course meal* with matched beers hosted by Jackie Kearney (Hungry Gecko)

Places are limited to 30 per sitting, the meal will take place in the Victoria Baths cafe :

Thursday 9th October / 7pm

Friday 10th October / 7pm and 8.30pm

Saturday 11th October / 7pm (SOLD OUT) and 8.30pm (SOLD OUT)

 

Tickets are £37.50 they include four courses with matched beers + entrance to the festival – purchase HERE

* Meal will last one hour

Jackie Kearney was a top 4 finalist in BBC One’s MasterChef 2011. She has been developing her experience and reputation through pop-up dining events, a vegetarian fine dining club and pursing her Asian street food venture in her iconic trailer, Barbarella. Her food passion lies with Asian street food and vegetarian dining, inspired by her extensive travels across Asia with her husband and twin children. You can read more about Jackie’s adventures with her family on her blog.

Jackie’s ambition is to raise the bar in vegetarian and street food dining. She aims to create food that is exciting, delicious and thought provoking

thehungrygecko.com/

Posted on 4th April 2014

2014 – tickets NOW on sale

Hello!

Dates for this year will be 9th – 12th October, tickets are now on sale HERE

 

IMBC 2014 Session times:

Thursday 9th October / 5.30pm – 11.30pm

Friday 10th October / 5.30pm – 11.30pm

Saturday 11th October / 11.00am – 4:30pm and 5.30pm – 11.30pm

Sunday 12th October / 1pm – 7pm

 

Ticket includes entry to the festival, commemorative glass, programme, all booking and credit card fees.

Posted on 30th January 2014