Lots of you got a taste of the good stuff from some of the best names in the biz. Huge thanks to all breweries that took part and offered their priceless expertise…
Burning Sky, Deya, Track, Fantome, Overworks, Arclight, Cascade, Dry & Bitter, Omnipollo, Creature Comforts, Wild Beer Co, Mikkeller, To Ol, Fuerst Wiacek, Pohjala & Saint Mars of the Desert, we love yas.
Photos by Conrad Ohnuki.
Indy Man simply wouldn’t happen without the support of a dedicated network of businesses, each committed to the betterment of the independent craft beer industry. Show them some love!
We are proud to partner with the following breweries in their own individual spaces at Victoria Baths for Indy Man Beer Con 2019…
Room 1 | CLOUDWATER
Manchester’s very own Cloudwater Brew Co. are guardians of the old Males First Class / Gala pool aka IMBC Room 1. Cloudwater march to the beat of the changing seasons, bringing an invitation to enjoy the scarcity and abundance the natural world offers.
Room 2 | BURNING SKY
In the VB Sports Hall (the old Males Second Class Pool) we have Burning Sky. Conceived by ex Dark Star head brewer Mark Tranter in a Sussex barn, Burning Sky brewery is hidden away in the south downs and as such allows them to brew uncompromising brews of quality and tradition. They use traditional techniques that involve slower yeasts and long maturation times.
Room 3 | WYLAM
Wylam are back for another year, manning the old Females Pool aka IMBC Room 3. Founded in 2000, Wylam is a 30 Barrel Micro Brewery that resides at the Palace of Arts in Exhibition Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Green Room | SIREN
The Turkish Rest Room or Green Room is tiled from floor to ceiling and has four unique stained glass windows including the remarkable Angel of Purity window. Siren Craft Brew hope to lure you into this amazing space with their adventurous but drinkable beers, designed to be accessible yet flavourful enough for those seasoned beer fans to return to time and time again.
Turkish Baths | DEYA
Cheltenham natives Deya Brewing are Siren’s neighbours in the intimate surroundings of the Turkish Baths. Founded on a passion for outstanding beer and the vision to create fresh, intense, delicious beers, Deya’s focus is predominantly on soft, hoppy beers.
Pineapple Room | VERDANT
Named after its distinctive stained glass window, the Pineapple Room is home to Cornwall’s Verdant Brewing Co. in 2019. Since Verdant started brewing back in 2014, they decided that hoppy beers were what we wanted to be drinking; juicy, hoppy, unfiltered hazy beers and always vegan.
Food Village 1 | LERVIG x BEER MERCHANTS
Located behind the Baths is the Lervig x Beer Merchants tent. Hailing from Norway, Lervig are a force in the world of craft beer. Created after the townspeople of Stavanger revolted against the mass brewery attempt to sell them substandard beer. Now known for bold tastes and consistency of their brews, Lervig are making craft beer for the masses not just beer geeks.
Long-time supporters of IMBC, head to Beer Merchants for the best take away beers in town. One of the UK’s first online beer retailers, Beer Merchants have worked with partners in the beer industry for nearly two decades, sourcing world-class craft beer from all around the globe and delivering it direct to people’s doors.
Food Village 2 | FIERCE BEER
On the other side of the food village you’ll find our Aberdonian pals Fierce, making their debut as a room sponsor at IMBC19. Fierce don’t make boring beer. They are passionate about provenance too, using local Scottish ingredients, services and equipment to produce their mouthwatering selection.
It’s not just the breweries that make Indy Man so special. Here’s a rundown of our lovely 2019 supporters…
Glass | KEGSTAR
IMBC19’s glass is brought to you by global beverage container solution specialists Kegstar. Kegstar lead the way in stainless steel kegs principally for beer and cider businesses operating in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and USA.
Brewers Lounge | SIMPLY HOPS
Keeping all of our brewers refreshed and rested, Simply Hops are the masters of a festival brewers lounge. SH provide the best quality whole hops to the beer industry.
Beer Mats | THE BREWERS EYE
2019’s beer mats are brought to you by The Brewer’s Eye, the perfect app to enjoy, experience and explore the wonderful world of beer in a relaxed rating-free zone. Download the app for iPhone or Android now and join a new beer community today.
Merchandise | AWESOME MERCH
Boy, do we have some corking merch for you this year. All of our branded goodies are expertly made by Awesome Merch, THE go-to company for custom merchandise. Awesome Merch make branded stuff for all kinds of people, all in-house, from T-shirts for bands, stickers for artists, to banners for events. They make us look good!
Wifi | TELCOM
Helping us ‘gram faster at IMBC19 is Telcom, another Manchester business making waves in their sector. Telcom are on a mission to change the country’s internet, providing ultrafast business broadband and dedicated leased lines over wireless or fibre.
Keg Management | KEYKEG
Our wonderful Keg Management Supporter is KeyKeg, an award-winning, world-leading sustainable keg provider.
Tastings & Ticket Partner | TICKETWEB
TicketWeb is a leading self-service online marketing and ticketing company, explicitly dedicated to the independent venue and promoter. They make ticketing for Indy Man easy peasy.
Thirsty Games | LALLEMAND, SIMPSONS MALT & YAKIMA CHIEF HOPS
2019’s Thirsty Games competition is supported by Lallemand, Simpson’s Malt and YCH.
Lallemand’s presence in the brewing industry dates from the early 1970s when the company started producing dried pure culture brewing yeasts for beer kit manufacturers in Canada. In subsequent years, their activity has expanded to the production of other specific ale and lager beer yeasts for different clients in the United States, Europe and Australasia.
The home of good malt since 1862, Simpsons Malt are fifth-generation malt company and brewers malt suppliers supplying the global beer and whisky industries, based in Northumberland.
As a 100% grower-owned network of family hop farms, Yakima Chief Hops is uniquely positioned to establish strong relationships between the growers who supply their super-premium hops and their innovative brewing customers. YCH’s mission is to connect family hop farms with the world’s finest brewers, providing the highest quality hop products.
TASTINGS! TASTINGS! TASTINGS!
Join us in the atrium of activity that is our beer warehouse at IMBC 19 as we lay on a selection of very special tastings. Reserve your places via the links below. Expect tastings to last around 20 – 30 minutes.
Please note that tasting tickets are only valid for ticket holders to that specific session. If you don’t have a ticket for the session, please do not purchase a tasting ticket.
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THURSDAY SESSION
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THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2019 @ 6.30pm
BURNING SKY: THEN AND NOW
***SOLD OUT***
Then and Now: Taste Burning Sky’s FIRST beer, Saison a la Provision, alongside their MOST RECENT beer, Coolship 2. The story behind the two will be regaled by Burning Sky head brewer, Mark Tranter.
Coolship No. 2
SAISON À LA PROVISION
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THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2019 @ 7.30pm
DEYA BLEND 1 TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
Deya crack out that rare rare with a bottle tasting of BLEND 1. Brewed in August 2018, this beer has spent 10 months in red wine barrels with different mixed cultures, bringing an acidity and Brettanomyces quality to the beer. This beer was then primed with elderflower syrup, made on site from locally foraged flowers.
THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER 2019 @ 8.30pm
TRACK SONOMA AND BLUZON TASTING
Tickets HERE.
Manchester heroes Track taste you through Sonoma (IN CANS!!!) and cans of Bluzon. Fans of local freshies ASSEMBLE!
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FRIDAY DAY SESSION
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FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 12.30pm
FANTÔME TASTING
Tickets HERE.
One of the most esteemed names in the saison biz invite you in for an intimate tasting of…BLANCHE (wit), DARK FOREST GHOST, TRIPLE GOURMET (strongest Fantôme so far!) and ROCK THE FARMHOUSE (Toccalmatto collab).
FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 1.30pm
NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL AN OVERWORKS TASTING
Tickets HERE.
One of the most expansive sour and wild projects in the UK, Overworks, bring you a tasting of the 2019 Overworks x IMBC collaboration, JOYOUS EVENT, alongside bottle pours of Overworks’ HOCUS POCUS and GYRONAUGHT. Led by OW mainman, Richard Kilcullen.
FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 2.30pm
ARCLIGHT TASTING
Tickets HERE.
Arclight Brewing Company (Michigan) join us at Victoria Baths for the very first time. To celebrate we invite them into our warehouse to chat shop and split bottles of Soursmith Red Raspberry and Black Raspberry. Get excited for Arclight beers, they are phenomenal.
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FRIDAY EVENING SESSION
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FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 6.30pm
CASCADE: THAT’S PEARPAWSTEROUS! TASTING
Tickets HERE.
Cascade (Portland, Oregon) main man Big Mike pops bottles of KENTUCKY PEACH; a blend of sour wheat and quad ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels for up to 16 months with more than 7,000 lbs of fresh Northwest-grown peaches. PEARPAWSTEROUS; Upland Brewing collab w/ Oregon-grown pears and Indiana-grown paw paws – layered over a base of sour wheat ale aged for up to 12 month sin oak barrels. SANG DU CHENE; sour strong blond and triple ales aged in three large format oak casks: foudres, puncheons and hogsheads.
FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 7.30pm
DRY & BITTER TOWER OF SOUR TASTING
Tickets HERE.
Dry and Bitter (Gørløse, Denmark) pop bottles from their new sour project.
FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 8.30pm
OMNIPOLLO YOU GLAD I DIDN’T SAY BANANA TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
It’s that super rare from Stockholm space cadets, Omnipollo. Hand painted magnums of OMNIPOLLOSCOPE #1 will be cracked. Omnipolloscope #1 is a RASPBERRIED/BLUEBERRIED/BLACKBERRIED WOOD AGED SOUR JAM multi-blaster collab with American Solera, Brouwerij De Molen, Stillwater Artisanal, Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project, Superstition Meadery, Side Project Brewing, Anchorage Brewing Company, and Prairie Artisan Ales. +++ AGAMEMNON MONSTER SHAKE. Cans will be split of Omnipollo’s 12% imperial stout with maple syrup, toasted almonds, bacon, coconut and vanilla. Caution! Contains actual nuts and real bacon.
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SATURDAY DAY SESSION
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SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 12.30pm
CREATURE COMFORTS: SO WILD, SO CLEAN TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
Creature Comforts (Athens, USA) have a deep archive of amazing beers both wild and clean. Chris Herron, CEO of Creature Comforts, brings you an expression of each as he pops bottles of LIFE IN FLUX – a 13% blended imperial stout aged in whiskey barrels, and ANICCA – a 7.5% oak aged saison collaboration with Cloudwater.
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SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 1.30pm
BURNING SKY FOUR FRIENDS TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
Four friends found a united love for wild and mixed fermentation beer and cider. In April 2018 we embarked on a collaboration project that represented this. One brew of beer into our coolship for wild inoculation, with each brewery & cider maker having three barrels each to express their mixed fermentation culture. One barrel of each iteration was selected for a mono release to express the different yeast cultures, the rest for a blend unique to our project.
SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 2.30pm
WILD BEER: FRUITS OF OUR LABOUR TASTING
Tickets HERE.
Brett Ellis, co-founder of the Wild Beer Co will be talking about and tasting their 2019 fruit harvest beers, Fruits Of Our Labour.
SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 DAY SESSION @ 3.10pm
MIKKELLER BAGHAVEN BONUS ROUND
Tickets HERE.
Super rare opportunity to sample the fruits from Mikkeller’s sour project at Baghaven, Copenhagen. Big bottles will be cracked of: Violet Beverage, Granadilla Blend 1,
and Rubus of Rose Blend 2.
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SATURDAY EVENING SESSION
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SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 6.30pm
TO ØL MR BROWN TASTING
Tickets HERE.
A tasting of the big winner from To Ol’s expansive and brilliant Mr series, MR BROWN, a 9% imperial brown ale teeming with roasted malts, vanilla, chocolate, hazelnuts, coffee and salted caramel.
SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 7.30pm
FUERST WIACEK CAN PARTY
Tickets HERE.
Berlin favourites, FUERST WIACEK, bring you fresh big fruity IPAs and fruity fruit led beers. Have a chat with the brewers and find out what its been like for Fuerst riding the juice wave in lager country. Taste Airhead, Cloud Theory, and Smooth Move.
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SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 8.30pm
A SWEET SWEET POHJALA TASTING
Tickets HERE.
A special tasting of a sweet range of beers from one of the world’s most creative breweries, Estonia’s Pohjala. Here you will taste TORM (8% gose brewed with lingonberry, heather tips and honey), COCOBANGER (12.5% imperial stout brewed with coconut and Caturra coffee) and PIME Oo PX (13.9% Sherry barrel aged limited version of PIME Oo.)
SATURDAY 5th OCTOBER 2019 EVENING SESSION @ 9.10pm
MIKKELLER BAGHAVEN x SAN DIEGO TASTING
Tickets HERE.
A very special tasting of Mikkeller’s much drooled over Baghaven and San Diego armoury. Biere des Champs Blend 2 (Chardonnay barrel fermented and citra dry hopped farmhouse pale) bottles from Mikkeller Baghaven AND
Mikkeller San Diego Traeblod BA: Imperial Stout brewed with Maple Syrup & Coffee Aged in Bourbon Barrels. Holy shit.
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SUNDAY SESSION
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SUNDAY 6th OCTOBER 2019 @ 2pm
RARE BURNING SKY ASSEMBLAGE TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
Assemblage 1 is a blend from four exceptional barrels; one coolship beer from April 2017, then three barrels of Saison Provision aged for at least 18 months: one in a donated barrel from Bokker, one a barrel previously used for ageing lambic from Girardin and lastly a barrel used for fermenting our coolship wort. Each barrel exhibited unique characteristics, blended they created this complex and harmonious beer.
SUNDAY 6th OCTOBER 2019 @ 3pm
SAINT MARS OF THE DESERT: SAISON THING INTERESTING
Tickets HERE.
Dann and Martha from hot new things, Saint Mars of the Desert, taste you through the seminal saison, JACK D’OR – the beer credited by many to kick off the saison explosion in the USA in 2008 (a beer first brewed by Dann and Martha’s then Boston brewery, Pretty Things). Following this SMOD will crack bottles of their 2019 IMBC collaboration, CRUMBLING SPLENDOUR, a koelship saison with Sorachi Ace and Belgian Goldings.
SUNDAY 6th OCTOBER 2019 @ 4pm
BIG MIKE CASCADE TASTING
***SOLD OUT***
Cascade (Portland, Oregon) main man Big Mike pops bottles of MANHATTAN; a sour quad and blond ale blend aged in bourbon barrels with sour pie cherries and apricot noyaux, a tribute to the Manhattan cocktail. PECHE FUME; Péche Fumé is a blend of wheat ales brewed with cherrywood smoked malt and aged in oak barrels for up to 14 months with Northwest-grown peaches. NOYAUX; a blend of sour blond ales aged in white wine barrels for up to 24 months with fresh raspberries and apricot noyaux.
Hungry or thirsty for something that isn’t beer? We have got you covered. Find the following offerings over here all festival long…
FOOD at IMBC 19
In the Food Village…
HONEST CRUST
One true loves HONEST CRUST have been banging out banging sourdough pizza since 2013. Bona fide.
FIREBIRD HOPE
IMBC debut for these fried chicken whisperers / seitan slayers FIREBIRD HOPE. Operating out of YES, many have dubbed Firebird Hope the pengest munch. Their chicken / vegan chicken burger builds are architecture.
DÖNER SUMMER
I have personally eaten DÖNER SUMMER 463 times, and reader, it never gets old. VEGAN Berlin inspired döner kebabs, crunchy hash brown bites and more. Currently killing it softly at Northern Monk Refectory MCR.
GREAT NORTH PIE
Pie and mash at a beer festival with gravy? It would be unfathomably rude not to. Viva GREAT NORTH PIE. Such perfect pies with mash that is sculpted from the clouds of Valhalla.
DIM SUM SU
Chinese food with a twist. The twist is that you can’t stop eating DIM SUM SU Salt and Pepper Fries and you float up like a big balloon once you’ve achieved perfection and glide into the sun ***POP***
VASO KITCHEN
Famed throughout the lands for their fries piled high with curries. VASO KITCHEN provide the perfect cronch in their fries meaning they take the stack masterfully, nae sogginess. Inevitable.
DIAMOND DOGS
An ‘otdog, an ‘otdog. My kingdom for an ‘otdog. Showstopping sausages in bun houses from frankfurter fashionistas DIAMOND DOGS.
NEATO BURRITO
Primo chipotle cha-chas (burritos) from the hands of the The Beagle kitchen. Conveniently all wrapped up like a present. Handheld compatible.
On the Snack Shelf in Room 1…
HOLY CRAB
Their crab balls are the stuff of legend. Oysters everywhere. Crayfish for daysfish. We love em. Go visit HOLY CRAB in the Arndale Food Market if you cannae wait.
SIOP SHOP
Dough babies SIOP SHOP slay the sweet game dead. Watch out for billowing doughnuts and ice cream fills from the pied pipers of piped icing. Sessionable.
IDLE HANDS
Coffee bean serenaders IDLE HANDS lock arms with Siop Shop once more to complete the most iconic duo since since since. Crema scenes and likely their famous pies too. The day starts here. Pick. Me. Up.
BUNDOBUST
Ohhhh shiiii. The worldies BUNDOBUST are back in the IMBC building (literally) as they saddle up alongside Siop, Idle Hands, and Holy Crab on the ‘Snack Shelf’ in Room 1 to dish up some ambient bangers. Bundobust beers on too!
NON-BEER at IMBC 19
SQUARE ROOT SODA
Hackney handmade soda artisans return to IMBC to tear it up w/ their seasonal sparkling softs +++ make your own shandy opportunities wa wa wee wa.
BOOCH & BREW
Kombucha in the house, fermentation heads. Scoby Doo! Manchester booch units descend
KWAS
Natural wine by the glass or bottle over in the Turkish Baths c/o Huddersfield wine shop and bar, Kwas.
IDLE HANDS
Bean queens supreme gleam crema dreams
COCKTAIL BAR
Brewery made gins alongside v primo beer cocktails and classics. Bar naps to the night sky. Dabbing cowboy emoji.
+++ CIDER!
Over the IMBC 19 weekend we will have star turns in Room 1 from Hogan’s Cider, Pilton, and Ross-On-Wye.
This year there are more IMBC fringe events across Manchester (and beyond) than ever before. INDY MAN BEER CITY is alive and teeming with beer happenings…
Search #IMBCity to see what’s happening at your fave pubs, bars and taprooms across the North.
See below for details on what’s occurring at Port Street Beer House, Common, The Pilcrow and The Beagle, brought to you by the team behind IMBC:
Port Street Beer House Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ
Wednesday 2 October
12pm-12am: Deya Tap Takeover
Thursday 3 October
12pm-12am: Jester King (Texas) Showcase
Friday 4 October
12pm-12am: Magnify (New Jersey) Can & Bottle Release
5pm-late: Donzoko 2nd Birthday Bash
Saturday 5 October
5pm-late: Garage (Barcelona) Tap Takeover
Sunday 6 October
2pm: Cascade Bottle Launch
The Pilcrow Sadler’s Yard, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AB
Wednesday 2 October
12pm-late: Thin Man (New York) Tap Takeover
Friday 4 October
12pm-late: Verdant Showcase
Sunday 6 October
12pm-late: Kernel Showcase
Common 39-41 Edge Street, Manchester, M4 1HW
Thursday 3 October
12pm-12am: Overworks Tap Takeover
5pm: Overworks x IMBC Can Launch
Saturday 5 October
12pm-late: Collective Arts (Canada) Tap Takeover – food pairings, live art & DJs
All weekend
Hangover Food & Drink Specials
The Beagle 456-458 Barlow Moor Rd, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0BQ
Thursday 3 October
12pm-late: Pomona Island Tap Takeover
7pm-late: Live music from the Campbell & Jaquet Duo
Saturday 5 October
12pm-late: Squawk Showcase
Indy Man Beer Con has been nominated for an award by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival, in the ‘Foodie Event or Project of the Year’ category. Competition is stiff so we need your help to land this prestigious award.
The awards are the most sought-after in the North West, celebrating the innovative and high quality restaurants, bars and individuals who contribute to the hospitality industry in the area.
Owned and organised by the Manchester Food and Drink Festival (MFDF) the awards will be held at The Gorton Monastery on the 7th October, and are recognised by the industry and consumers alike as setting the standard for the food industry across the country.
IMBC has been officially nominated for an MFDF award by the judging panel that comprises the region’s leading food and drink critics and experts.
Voting closes on 26th September at midnight!
IMBC 19 BREWERY LIST
As we near IMBC 19 and the reveal of The Thirsty Games 2019 brewery line up, we catch up with Liquid Light ~ the winners of The Thirsty Games 2018…
Congratulations on winning The Thirsty Games 2018! How was your experience pouring at the festival?
Thank you! We had the most amazing time at the festival! We’ve been attending the festival for years now as punters so it was a real honour to be pouring our own beer!
How was the response – both from the public and industry – to you winning the competition?
Immense! The day after it was announced we had won, our stock was decimated! It definitely helped our exposure nationwide too, getting a win from such a highly regarded event as IMBC. From the general public, it was also great to get direct feedback from people trying and enjoying our beers at the festival. From an industry perspective, we met so many incredible people brewing outstanding beers over the weekend. We’re now lucky enough to call many of them friends and have taken part in some awesome collaborations over the past year.
Was there a particular beer that you brought to IMBC 18 that you feel brought the trophy home?
IMBC was one of the first showcases of our Blueberry Gose ‘Cosmik Debris’ which we are really proud of and sold very quickly over the course of the weekend! It has now become Grace’s favourite of all the beers we brew!
You recently collaborated with fellow Thirsty Games alumni Donzoko and Yonder – can you tell us about that beer and it was like sharing the Thirsty Games bar with those two in 2018?
Meeting Reece from Donzoko and Stuart and Jasper from Yonder was great. At the festival, before the result was announced we all agreed that we should meet up for a collaboration brew. Doing a brew with them was a real melting pot of ideas as we all brew such different beer and all have our own specialities. In the end, we settled on a continental red ale using foraged gooseberries and pineapple weed, and fermented with a mix of saison and wine yeast. We’ve just released a small amount of the brew as a clean, unsoured version and will be putting the rest of the brew in red wine barrels! We can’t wait for you to try it!
OH…was there anything else interesting that happened at IMBC 18 that wasn’t strictly beer related?
WE GOT ENGAGED! Even before we started brewing, IMBC was a trip we made together, so it seemed like the perfect setting to pop the question on the balcony overlooking Room 1.
What is your current brewing setup and what are your plans for the future?
We are still cuckoo brewing 10bbl batches at the moment but hope to have our own place and tap room in the not too distant future!
Tell us about your oil projections and how they compliment your beer
Our name and all of our artwork is based on the psychedelic liquid light projections which started appearing in the 1960s. We’ve always had a deep love of the music and artwork of the 60s and 70s so it was just the natural direction our branding went in. We use a unique blend of oils and dyes mixed with water, projected through vintage equipment. Photos of these projections then become the base for each design.
Where can we find Liquid Light beers?
Far and wide! Since IMBC we’ve exported, however closer to home we have great customers in most major cities. In our hometown, we even have some permanent lines installed in a few pubs!
How is the Nottingham beer scene? Where should visitors to the city head?
We love Nottingham and are so proud to call it our home! It also helps we have so many amazing breweries making delicious beers and everyone is so friendly. Our recommendations for anyone visiting the city centre would be the Canalhouse, Barley Twist, Junkyard & Brew Cavern to name just a few!
Thanks for taking the time, we look forward to seeing you at every session of IMBC 19!
