WE’RE not feeling quite so bitter about Brexit as we were. Still our toast this weekend won’t be for our momentous departure from Europe. No, we’ll be celebrating the first birthday of a brew that beats the continentals at their own game.
We’re talking Manchester Union Lager, now a regular on tap across more than 15 of our best bars and pubs – a show of faith for the city’s first and only dedicated craft lager brewery.
We’ll be attending the free party at their brewery in Ardwick from 12pm-9pm on Saturday, February 1 to reaffirm – that’s our excuse – what makes it so tasty. Co-founders Will Evans and Jamie Scahill will put it down to a rare-to-the-UK decoction mash technique (utilised in traditional Czech breweries) that produce its bold flavours and mouthfeel.
The party is happening at their taproom and will not only feature a number of their lagers but they’ve invited a whole host of DJ friends down to play tunes in the shadows of the tanks and the award winning Great North Pie Co are going to be on hand to feed everybody.
Will Evans told us: “At a time when Manchester has become the second most visited city in the UK, visitors and residents want to drink local, they want to feel Manchester. Our unique lager brewhouse allows them to do that while mixing in distinctly central European vibes and influence from our years of experience of European beers”.
Jamie Scahill added “This party is a little taster of the next We Are Lager festival that we’re just finalising details for. It’s going to be something a little different from last year but we still want drinkers to ‘Drink Better Lager’ and we’ll be doing this by showcasing the best lager around but the location will be very different and it will be a bigger party.”
If you can’t make the party look out for Manchester Union at The Refuge, Grub, Cask Ancoats, Edinburgh Castle, The Wharf and Cooper Hall. Or visit the taproom, now open on the last Saturday of the month 2pm-7pm.
Our verdict on the beer? We love the clean but complex taste and also the canny Lion Bee led branding that links the creation of lager in Bavaria some 200 years ago with the first workers’ trade unions that were being set up then as a result of the Industrial Revolution in Manchester. A proper taste of Europe, just what we need to drown our Brexit sorrows. Stiff upper lip gives way!
Manchester Union Lager, 96d North Western Street, Manchester, M12 6JL.