Northern Restaurant and Bar

On Wednesday I attended what is described as "The North's leading hospitality trade event. Bringing together over 9,600 visitors and 300+ exhibitors".  This is an annual event and I have been going, off and on, for quite a few years. The venue is Manchester Central, the huge exhibition centre formerly known as GMex and renamed after the railway station it used to be.  It was fitting that my companion for the day was my friend Graham, with whom I co-organised the Manchester Beer and Cider Festival  for several years when it was held there. It felt like a sentimental return for both of us.

We went on the second day of this two-day event, mainly to see who we knew - usually many - from both publicans and local breweries - and as always to have a chat with the various other exhibitors -  and certainly to sample a few beers. Firstly we had a look round to get the lie of the land, and, knowing the place as we do, we both felt that the exhibition was using more of the space than previously. This is a good thing, because the event is popular and can be very crowded. It is broadly split along the lines of food on one side and drinks on the other, with trade suppliers of everything from cutlery to glasses and electronic tills all dotted around and a central "theatre" where presentations and discussions take place. 

This being the second day, it wasn't too manic, but apparently, on the previous day, it had been rammed and there were a few slightly pissed people. Even small samples of spirits, will, I suppose, do this if you have enough of them - and there were plenty of these to go at -  but everyone I knew was very well-behaved and indeed I saw nothing untoward at all. In fact, the event was very civilised and well organised too.

Our first port of call, by accident as much as anything, was the bar of La Chouffe, owned now by Duvel Moortgat brewery group. A quick taster of  Cherry Chouffe  warmed us up in more ways than one with its 8% alcohol and as a bonus, we were both given a souvenir glass. We tucked that in our coats and set off for pastures new, being stopped on the way by a rep offering a free can of beer. Ah. No bag, so a detour to the Lipton's Ice Tea bus, saw us sorted out with a tote bag for any subsequent offerings.

I decided that my tastings should have a purpose. I'm fond of nitro stouts and there seemed to be a few on offer, so I'd try and taste them all. A benchmark need to be set, so I plumped for a beer I know. So, off to JW Lees stand for their excellent stout - which is not, strictly speaking, in the Irish style - followed by two from Theakstons.  They offered Brennan's Irish Stout, which was rather sweet and chocolate forward, but with a little late bitterness. The other, Barista Stout was as expected, big on coffee and vanilla, but overall, a bit too sweet for me.

Next up was another local one. Joseph Holt's Trailblazer Stout, a beer, again I am familiar with. This is more Guinness like, and I enjoyed its tasty roast malt and its chocolate and slight smokiness. A very well-made beer.  I also gained a bit of intel about a licensee change in my area, so a bit of CAMRA business too, though I was badged up as a "Beer Writer".  A new one for me though was Coal Drop from Tiny Rebel. A joint venture between distributor LWC and the Newport based Tiny Rebel, this was an absolute beauty.  The lads behind the bar couldn't have been nicer and the beer was excellent, with a silky body, a touch of roast malt and a smooth finish. Excellent stuff.  

Final two were Brock from Thornbridge which was a little disappointing, being a tad thinner than the others and finally, BrewDog Black Heart, which was decent, but seemed to lack flavour.

So, there you have it. I must point out that all stouts were served in sample sizes of a few ounces, in various plastic "glasses", so you have to bear that in mind, though some were sampled more than once. To me the Coal Drop just edged it from Lees Stout, but I do wonder if they were tasted blind, in pint glasses, how it would all have turned out.

I wasn't alone in my stout interest, as you could observe many people asking for samples. One thing seems certain, the stout revival continues apace and I reckon we'll see a lot more brewers putting efforts into promoting it. 

Other highlights were, as usual, seeing people I know and meeting brewery staff. A special mention to Iain from Greene King who was a smashing lad, and to everyone else who represented their companies with charm and good humour, despite their sore feet.  It was also very gratifying to hear that many had done great business there, including some of the smaller breweries exhibiting.

I did also sample various other beers as we went round. Top of the bunch for me was Swiss brewed 1936,  Birra Alpetti, a proper Italian lager and Budvar Dark. There may have been others, but it was still nice to go to the pub afterwards and drink cask from a pint glass.