THE Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW) sounds the kind of fogeyish organisation that might attract budding Rees-Moggs, but it’s a valid niche beer lovers’ pressure group that predates the Campaign for Real Ale by eight years and is still going strong.
Now at this year’s Manchester Beer and Cider Festival (Thursday-Saturday, January 24-26 at Manchester Central) their barrel fixation is back centre stage courtesy of their old ‘rivals’ CAMRA.
Founded in 1971, CAMRA’s original name was the less snappy Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale but soon switched to ‘Real Ale’, synonymous to this day with cask-conditioned beers, most of which are racked into metal casks.
Breaking the mould, in Manchester Central this year you will find the Beers from the Wood Bar, a co-production with the SPBW and Ossett Brewery. Almost 60 wooden casks have been specially filled with a wide variety of ales just for the festival.
It taps into the resurgence of interest in using wooden barrels. Most of these are made of oak, and many have previously been used to store wine or spirits. Chestnut is popular too. How does all this affect the taste? Hold out your glasses!
This, of course, is just a drop in the beer ocean at the Festival where nearly 750 beers, ciders and perries will be poured across 24 bars with new organiser Adrian Saunders hoping attendances will top 2018’s record 15,588.
Spoilt for choice? ToM’s tip is plan in advance, perusing the full beer list on the Festival website.
One definite (and groundbreaking) attraction is the augmented Little Ireland Bar, a runaway success when it was launched last year. Curated by Sligo’s The White Hag Brewery, it offers a range of new wave Irish beers without backstop – from Northern Ireland there’s Boundary, Bullhouse, Farmageddon, Knockout and Mourne Mountain and from the Republic of Ireland DOT Brew, Kinnegar, Metalman, Porterhouse, Rascals, Trouble Brewing as well as The White Hag.
The groundbreaking bit? Many of these will be in keg and keykeg form, once anathema to CAMRA (relaxed traditionally only for the Biere sans Frontieres bar, serving globally sourced non-cask beers).
White Hag’s Bob Coggins said: “We’re delighted to be headlining the Irish bar at this year’s festival in Manchester, after first appearing on the scene here only a year ago. Cask beer is not big in Ireland at the moment. By having us over, CAMRA is actually doing a service to cask in Ireland as well as the UK.”
The good news for beer lovers is that admission prices have been for this year’s Festival, which will serve its beers, ciders and perries in a choice of 1/3, 1/2 or full pints as well as a selection of gins from local artisan producers.
The main bars will be supplemented by 13 exceptional breweries who will bring their very own bespoke bars to the festival. These include ToM local faves Blackjack, Pictish, Runaway and Thirst Class. Click here for details.
Sessions – Thu 24, 12pm-10.30pm, £4 + £3 glass hire (refundable); Fri 25, 12pm-10.30pm, £7 + £3 glass hire (refundable); Sat 26,12pm-7pm, £7 + £3 glass hire (refundable). Plus on Wed 23 there’s a free preview session for CAMRA & SPBW members. CAMRA Members attending Fri/Sat will pay full price but will receive £4 beer tokens.
So what’s on offer to soak up the ale?
The food offering has always been more cutting edge at keggier rival festival, IndyManBeerCon and the Manchester Central street event concentrates on affordable, beer-friendly snacks – pasties, stone-baked pizza, burritos, hog roast, toasties, ‘mac n cheese and gourmet hot dogs. Food brands featured on the website include Henleys Sweets, Just The Cheese, Mr Porky’s Scratchings, Oddfellows Chocolate Co, Piper’s Crisps and Purely Pickled Eggs and Beehive Foods (their veggie pies pictured).
Manchester Beer and Cider Festival runs from Thursday, January 24 to Saturday, January 26 at Manchester Central, Windmill St, Manchester M2 3GX. Tickets for entry and special tasting events are on sale at the festival’s website. For latest news follow @ManBeerFest on Twitter.
Meanwhile, GRUB’S third Winter Beer Festival (Jan18-20)
Taking place from Friday-Sunday, January 18-20 at street food gurus GRUB’s dedicated events space Fairfield Social Club, this features a fantastic line-up of seasonal beers alongside street food, naturally, and wall to wall DJs. Taking pride of place are 100 beers poured from over 40 taps brewed by some 50 local, national and international breweries. Full details here.