Today I'm off to Atherton ( no I'm not sure where it is either) for the CAMRA Regional Meeting, but more importantly in my eyes, for the final organising meeting for the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival (MBCF).
This is going to be massive Folks. It will be held in Manchester Central - formerly G-Mex - a huge former railway terminus and now an exhibition centre with the latest facilities. There will be hundreds of real ales, many dozens of traditional ciders and of course, our now famous Foreign Beer Bar, which will feature rare delights both in bottle and on tap and for the first time, we think, at a major CAMRA festival, a dedicated Keykeg Bar where we will feature beers from cutting edge brewers, but all conditioned by natural CO2 and not force carbonated. They meet the CAMRA definition of real ale, so what's not to like? Come and see what you think.
We'll have tutored beer tastings from Roger Protz, Christine Cryne and our very own John Clarke (tickets still available, link below), impromptu "Meet the Brewer" sessions, a free debate on the future of beer in our vibrant city of Manchester with some leading local and national personalities and much, much more. Transport there is a piece of cake, there will be thousands of seats, it is all on one level and it is as cheap as chips. No craft bar prices here.
This won't be boring, so be there. I'll be telling you more about it in detail next week.
Tickets for the festival can be ordered here and tickets for the beer tastings here. You can pay on the door too of course.
Quite correct about KeyKegs. No extraneous carbon dioxide, see CAMRA's definition of real ale.....
ReplyDeleteI'll be there TAND. With Arthur. If anything kicks off about kegs and casks and all that dull shit we'll pile in, lad. You can depend on us in the event of unexpected chew.
ReplyDeleteThe TANDolytes will be there, following your every move. Watching the master, necking what you neck. Lager mainly.
ReplyDeleteGood to know you boys will be on hand if there's a ruck. Cookie can scrap a bit so he's in too.
ReplyDeleteWish I could make it.
ReplyDeleteNick, you can make it, you've got no fuckin job mate, just come
ReplyDeleteAre we the TANDolytes - or the TANDY BOYS? Or both?
ReplyDeleteYou don't know where Atherton is? Home of the famous Bent & Bongs Beer Bash? How is this possible?
ReplyDeleteStonch, I'm working on it. Have to see about cheap lodgings. Airfare isn't horrible, but I've had better. I am long over due for a visit northwards.
ReplyDeleteMy other CAMRA fest experiences oop north have been Leeds (utterly fabulous) and Nottingham...if that's in the north anyway. There, the beer's mostly on gravity (all of it is at Robin Hood IIRC), and so unsparkled. What about at this little do? And the KeyKeg - will there be the Guinness-type taps?