The Thirsty Games 2017

THE THIRSTY GAMES 2017

We are seeking the best new progressive UK breweries to enter our 2017 competition, The Thirsty Games.

In 2016 we launched the inaugural Thirsty Games. Fiveclouds (Macclesfield) took home the trophy following a public vote on the best Thirsty Games brewery pouring at the festival from three finalists. Wilde Child (Leeds) and Maregade (London) completed the 2016 line-up.

Following an open call we, the IMBC jury, will decide upon the best three breweries from the 2017 submissions. The three chosen breweries will then be invited to pour a selection of their beers at IMBC 17 across all sessions (28th September – 1st October 2017). At IMBC 17, attendees will be invited to sample the Thirsty Games bar and vote on their favourite brewery via ballot and on social media. We shall also anoint selected brewers in attendance at the festival to have their say on The Thirsty Games talent.

The Thirsty Games acts as a showcase for the best up and coming forward-thinking UK breweries working out of a small facility, or who are operating on a cuckoo brewery basis.

The criteria for entering The Thirsty Games is as follows…

• Brewers must be operating on a 5BBL or less capacity
• Breweries must have been in operation for no longer than 18 months
• UK based

If the above applies then please fill in the entry form below. Should your entry be successful we will be in touch and you will be asked to submit samples of your beers. Samples should be a good indication of what you would hope to present at IMBC, we are looking for your best examples.

Initial beer submissions must be received by Friday 30th June 2017. From the beers submitted, the IMBC team will pick their favourite breweries and purchase 1-3 kegs from each qualifying brewery to pour on The Thirsty Games 2017 bar. The finalists of The Thirsty Games 2017 will be announced on Monday 24th July 2017.

If you would like to submit additional information or branding, please contact [email protected]

The victors of The Thirsty Games 2017 will be the first brewery to be invited to showcase their beers across all sessions at IMBC 18.

The Thirsty Games is kindly supported by Lallemand.

Good luck!

#ThirstyGames17

—

Fiveclouds had this to say on their winning turn on The Thirsty Games bar at IMBC 16,

“To be pouring at IMBC in our first year of trading was a massive deal to us, slightly surreal after going for the past few years as drinkers and we were totally surprised at the amount of interest and feedback from other brewers and the public alike. It opened a huge amount of doors for us as a brewery and gave us some much needed confidence. When we tweeted the results of the competition our tweet had got over 6000 interactions that night. We had about 30 bars from around the country asking for beer over twitter, etc. It was pretty crazy!”

Read a full Q&A with Fiveclouds HERE.



Posted on 23rd March 2017

IMBC 17 Dates

Ahoy!

The dates for 2017’s Independent Manchester Beer Convention are…

Thursday 28th September – Sunday 1st October 2017.

The venue, as ever, will be Victoria Baths.

Tickets for IMBC 17 will go on sale mid-2017. Details to follow on an exact date when we have it. Brewery list and full line-up details will follow.

Independent Manchester Beer Convention 2017
28th September – 1st October 2017
Victoria Baths, Manchester
#IMBC17 #IMBC17 #IMBC17

Posted on 20th January 2017

IMBC 16 Fringe

So many happenings a-happening around IMBC extended weekend Thursday 6th – Sunday 9th October. Here’s the events that we’ve got a hand in/give a thumbs up too…
barsnacks

BEAVERTOWN TAKEOVER COMMON
Thursday 6th October – Sunday 9th October 2016

Beavertown commandeer the taps, hearts, minds, and ass of our dearest Common. Expect Beavertown galore, a pop-up exhibition by Beavertown illustrator Nick Dwyer, Beavertown cocktails, and Beavertown brunch specials.

Opening hours: Thursday 11am-late / Friday 11am-2am / Saturday 10am-2am / Sunday 10am-late. Brunch is served from 11am weekdays / 10am weekends until 3pm. Food is served until 9.30pm. 

BUXTON TAKEOVER PORT STREET
Thursday 6th October – Sunday 9th October 2016

Buxton, oh Buxton. Buxton come to Port Street. Fawn over their brilliant beers with a smattering of rare as hen’s teeth BUXTON CASK (you don’t find it anywhere outside of the Buxton tap these days) plus keg-o-rama galore. Rumours of soft serve Omnipollo beer collabs abound PLUS Yellow Belly Sundae cask…ummmmmmmm, YAH.

Port Street Buxton Tap is open until 1am Friday / 2am Saturday / Midnight Sunday. 

HAWKSHEAD TAKEOVER THE BEAGLE
Thursday 6th October – Sunday 9th October 2016

Those lords of the lakes, Hawkshead, make their way to The Beagle in darling Chorlton with their emphatic haul of SEMINAL cask and OUTSTANDING keg. Check it the hell out. The Beagle is firing out “Beer Food” specials during IMBC, food with beer in? SOLD!

The Beagle is serving up brunch for all your IMBC needs 10am-2pm Saturday and Sunday / Food service runs until 10pm every day / Hawkshead rule / The Beagle is open until 1am Friday and Saturday night. 

LOST AND GROUNDED AT THE PILCROW
Friday 7th October 2016

Meet the UK’s newest brewery when Bristol’s Lost and Grounded come to Manchester’s newest pub, The Pilcrow. Drink Lost and Grounded’s beers and meet your new buds behind the suds.

KERNEL AT BREWDOG MANCHESTER
Thursday 6th October – Sunday 9th October 2016

Those fresh to death EXPERTS, Kernel from London town, make themselves at home at Brewdog Manchester while they’re up visiting for IMBC. Don’t miss this tap takeover.

Posted on 4th October 2016

Cider at IMBC 16

As always we like to flex our cider arm at IMBC. For IMBC 16 we’ve got a big apple line-up as ever. Cider drinkers take heed, here are the cider makers you’ll find at every session at IMBC.

HOGAN’S CIDER

honascider
Inviting curious folk to taste proper cider. Fresh pressed traditional and experimental ciders from Alcester. Hogan’s have been barrel ageing, hopping, keeving and all sorts in recent times, turning out some fine off-kilter ciders on keg and cask. Excited to learn what they’re bringing to IMBC 16. Watch this space.

THE REAL CIDER COMPANY / PULP CRAFT CIDER

pulpcider

The Real Cider Company, they of excellent cider curation, return to IMBC with a strong arm of cider brands as ever. This time however they are boasting their very own Pulp Craft Cider imprint. New out of the gates this year with an emphasis on fresh and real ciders, Pulp cite that it is true craft cider because their ciders are made from crushed whole apples with real fruit added. There is no apple concentrate involved nor are they using fruit flavours. As a result you can really taste the difference. It is as they say ‘all pulp and no fiction!’.

THISTLY CROSS

thistlycrosswww
Born out of a passion for making cider in the best possible way, combined with belief in the quality of Scottish produce, and asking ‘why not?’, came Thistly Cross Cider, Scotland’s award winning farmhouse ciders. Established as a collaboration between farmer, Ian Rennie, and artist-turned-cidermaker, Peter Stuart, in 2008, Thistly Cross has gained a reputation for making ciders that people rave about. We are pleased as cider punch to welcome them back to IMBC.

MOSS CIDER

THE MOSS CIDER PROJECT, MANCHESTER. FOUNDER DAN HASLER, 32, AND DIRECTOR JOE WEEKS, 40 , AT THE OLD SHIPPING CONTAINER IN MOSS SIDE WHERE THEY PRESS THE APPLES. PHOTO BY CLARE KENDALL.

The most excellently named Moss Cider, of Moss Side, Manchester, return to IMBC with all the cider and apple juice you’ll ever need. Moss Cider run an excellent community project where you give them apples and they turn said apples into cider. Like a West Country Jesus. Basically for free too! Highly endorsed, check them out at IMBC 16.

Posted on 22nd September 2016

IMBC 16 The Thirsty Games breweries

A few months back we made a call out to nano/cuckoo brewers (operating professionally on a sub 2bbl capacity) to submit their beers for a new initiative at IMBC 16, The Thirsty Games. The idea being to feature smaller breweries and represent their beers at IMBC alongside the modern greats in the brewing world. A good thing for the brewers and hopefully a good thing for you, the IMBC goer, in terms of sampling fresh beer from fresh breweries.

Of the entrants, of which there were many (and of a very good standard), we whittled down the breweries to a top three. The following three breweries will make up the first Thirsty Games at IMBC 16. We are asking the chosen Thirsty Games breweries to bring what they think are their best beers to IMBC.

At the festival you are encouraged to sample the Thirsty Games range and vote, via twitter or traditional ballot box, for your favourite brewery from The Thirsty Games bar. We’ll also be getting a little input from brewers at IMBC. The chosen one will be announced winner of The Thirsty Games 2016.

Here are your Thirsty Games breweries, find them pouring every session at IMBC on The Thirsty Games bar…

MAREGADE
Brewing out of Mare Street in the basement of The Old Cock, London.

maregadewww
WILDE CHILD BREWING CO
Leeds based micro brewery specialising in the production of big, bold and hard hitting bottled and kegged beers that make you think about what you drink.

wildechildwww
FIVECLOUD BREW CO
A small 1BBL cuckoo brewery based in Leek, Staffordshire but brewing out of Torrside Brewing. Fivecloud focus on brewing seasonal, forward thinking beers in keg and cask.

fivecloudwwwSee you at The Thirsty Games bar!

 

Posted on 1st September 2016

Aficionado at IMBC 16 / Sunday

We ain’t just beer at IMBC. Each year we look to provide some immaculate pairings to your immaculate tilting. This year we are delighted to welcome back Aficionado to steer the good ship Sunday 9th October with a delectable showcase. Here’s what they have lined up for you at IMBC 16. Hone in on the links to have a listen to what’s forthcoming…

Aficionado Recording’s Moonboots and Boardman once again host the legendary Sunday Session at IMBC this year and they follow up their previously memorable sessions with another specially curated line up.

 
James Holroyd requires no introduction for his long and distinguished career as a DJ, holding down a residency at Back to Basics for over 25 years and being the go to guy for support services for the esteemed Chemical Brothers.
 
He’s also been carefully honing his own production skills releasing a bevy of beautiful singles under his Begin moniker.
 
Popping his live cherry with a much loved Begin live performance at the Love International Sunrise Sessions in Tisno Croatia earlier this year we’ve managed to coerce him into a further performance exclusively for IMBC in support of his forthcoming album.     
 
Melbourne production wiz and friend of Nado Len Leise touches down in Manchester for his inaugural visit to the city, those familiar with his Landscape language single for Aficionado Recordings and his LP Lingua Franca for International Feel will enjoy a rare opportunity to get lost in his tribal ambience, joining him will be Disko Bizarro DJ partner Salvador. The pair are briefly in the EU to launch their new label-not-label General Purpose with fresh records due out on the imprint from each of them in the coming months.

Tickets for the Sunday 9th October 2016 (1pm-7pm) session are available HERE. 

Posted on 25th August 2016

IMBC 16 Sponsors Announced

Hear ye! Hear ye! Tickets are a-flying for this year’s Indy Man Beer Con. At record speeds no less! The Thursday and Sunday sessions are the only tickets still available. The most fabulous of bookend sessions – be there at the beginning, be there at the end. We’ve yet to announce the brewery list (asides our beautiful sponsors below) for IMBC 16 but the line-up will be significantly different on the Thursday and the Sunday. Snap up those remaining golden tickets HERE.

We are delighted to announce the room sponsors for this year’s festival. The following breweries will be the key holders and feature breweries of their respective spaces. The good news is that all of the following will be at IMBC for the duration, catch them at ALL of the sessions.

the Food Village / WILD BEER CO.

Commandeering our outside vista will be Somerset’s beacon of excellence, Wild Beer Co. Find them amidst the sights and (great) smells of our bustling Food Village. We recently blended a beer with Wild Beer for IMBC 16 and we can’t wait for you to try it. Always forward thinking, always wild.

wildbeerwww

Room One / BEAVERTOWN BREWERY

Well, it wouldn’t be a party without Beavertown would it? As highlighted by Beavertown’s emphatic takeover of Room Three at last year’s IMBC. They gripped it and indeed ripped it making the space their own. We can’t wait to see what London’s Beavertown will be bringing up to Manchester for you.

btownwww
Room Two / CLOUDWATER BREW CO.

Shaking up a storm from Manchester and reverberating far beyond, Cloudwater will be the feature brewery of Room Two at IMBC 16 and we couldn’t be more excited. Last year was their first appearance at IMBC and, unbelievably, their first year on the UK craft beer scene. If their debut was anything to go by then expect rarities galore and that infectious Cloudwater verve for freshness, seasonality, and above all – great beers.

cloudwasss

Room Three / NORTHERN MONK BREW CO.

Legends of the Leeds table, Northern Monk, will be the centrepiece of Room Three at this year’s festival. We can’t wait to see what Northern Monk come up with – it’ll take something to top their atmospheric and monk-tastic enclave of IMBC 15. Northern Monk know how to work a space, as highlighted by their excellent Refectory – a must visit when you find yourself Leeds-way. Here’s to the North!

nmbcowww

the Green Room / FOURPURE BREWING CO.

London’s absolutely capital Fourpure join us at IMBC for the very first time, taking control of the Green Room. Fourpure have been putting out some excellent beers of late and are making great shakes on the UK scene. Taste their sprawling range at IMBC 16 and lay back in the Fourpure curated confines of the Green Room.

fourpurewwwww
the Pineapple Room / SIREN CRAFT BREW

Huzzah! Delirious to announce that the fantabulous Siren Craft Brew, the blinding light of Berkshire, will be the guardians of the Pineapple Room at IMBC 16. Not only that but Siren will be close at hand for every IMBC goer as Siren are our glass sponsor for this year’s festival. We can’t wait for the Siren Craft Brew to start flowing…may it never stop.

sirenwww

the Turkish Baths / REDCHURCH BREWERY

Enamoured to enunciate that the wonderful Redchurch Brewery, they of London fame, will be the custodians of the Turkish Baths at IMBC 16. Be it their core range or experimental arm, Redchurch consistently delight. We can’t wait to see what they do with the place at IMBC this year. Roll out the Redchurch carpet!

redchurchwww
Thirsty yet? See you down the deep end…

Posted on 14th July 2016