While we recover from the festivities of Christmas and New Year, there’s really no better way to warm your spirits - and your cockles - than with a selection of craft beers, hearty comfort food, and a buzzing atmosphere of live entertainment.
And for Manchester's craft beer lovers, there’s no doubt that the Winter Beer Festival at GRUB promises all of that with over 30 guest taps pouring fine winter beers and so much more.
Regional brewery bar heavyweights including Green Quarter’s very own Green Arches will be joined by Bristol-based Left Handed Giant, Leeds’ Tartarus Beers microbrewery and Zapato Brewing, an independent, family-run brewery based in the stunning vistas of Colne Valley, offering a diverse and dynamic lineup.
But what’s a beer festival without some proper hearty scran to soak it up? GRUB is best known for hosting local, independent street food vendors and the Winter Beer Festival is no exception.
All Fried Up, one of GRUB’s most popular vendors, will be serving up a mouthwatering selection of pan-Asian dishes. Punters can try out the Taiwanese fried chicken, salt ‘n’ pepper tofu, tonkatsu chicken buns and a portion of pillowy gyoza to snack on with your favourite bev.
Meanwhile, Bonnie & Clyde Italian Street Food will be bringing their Italian flair to the table, making this the perfect opportunity to finally try out their famous deep-fried lasagne, deep-fried carbonara and freshly-made arancini.
And it simply wouldn’t be a beer festival without a hot dog. Oscar’s Dogs will be serving up their NYC street cart-style loaded dogs and nachos. Whether you keep it classic or go crazy with the toppings, Oscar’s is your best bet at balancing out those bold beers.
The vendors will also be joined by Munchie Mummy’s Vegan Bakery all day on the Saturday serving up cakes, bakes, cinnamon buns and speciality coffees to keep you going throughout the day.
Additionally, for the very first time, GRUB will also work with its vendors to create exclusive food & beer pairings, allowing guests to try various tantalising flavour combinations.
GRUB’s Winter Beer Festival isn’t just about great beer and food as it also features an exciting line-up of entertainment and activities including The Pub Pub Quiz, happening during the Saturday daytime session.
This annual quiz is all about local pubs and breweries so be prepared to put your beer knowledge to the test as you compete for the coveted beer and pub snack hamper.
And the fun will go on well into the evening with the legendary karaoke event, aptly named Beer-eoke. Hosted in GRUB’s upstairs cinema space, Beer-eoke is always the highlight of the festival for many of the attendees to the event.
The Winter Beer Festival 2025 runs for four days, from Thursday 16th January 6th to Saturday 18th January.
All tickets include entry to the festival, a festival programme, a souvenir beer glass and (in the case of the Saturday sessions) entry to the special events happening at the session. Advance tickets for the Thursday & Friday sessions are £4 while Advance tickets for the Saturday sessions are £5.
A limited number of tickets may be available on the door for £6 too, but it’s strongly advised that guests buy their tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
Cheers to that!
The Winter Beer Festival event will take place over FOUR sessions:
Thursday 16th Jan: 5pm-11pm
Friday 17th Jan: 5pm-11pm
Saturday 18th Jan: 12 noon - 5pm
Saturday 18th Jan: 6pm - 11pm
Book tickets online and find out more here