THE Moth has landed. And in the oddest of places to track down the hipster aficonado of Weird Beard, Wild Beer or Burning Sky – that anodyne stretch of middle Manchester centre along Spring Gardens from Market Street. A big wecome to Cafe Beermoth – at last a real rival to Port Street Beer House in the eclectic ale trade.
Here’s a first look at its functional but alluring interior – think lots of wood and vintage touches with an array of ales that is going to blow the Brewdog bar or Piccadilly Tap out of the water...or should that be wort?
Taste of Manchester is a big fan of the original Beermoth craft beer nirvana in its odd little nook on Tib Street. Its stock and expertise have had hopheads and malt teasers flocking through its heavy door after the initial early recognition of ‘Food and Drink Retailer of the Year 2013’ from Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
Their regular tasting events have been terrific but crammed into a tiny basement. So it made sense to extend the operation to a proper, large bar, which the Spring Gardens Cafe Beermoth definitely is.
Co-owner Scott Davies (above) admits the new venue is a different beast to the original (open from 8am all day, serving coffee and snacks all-day Mitteleuropa style and definitely not a heritage site), but you can sense his excitement at tackling this new frontier. Previously at Knott bar, he co-owns Beermoth with Simon Longsdale and Jeremy Stull (ex Port Street Beer House). The latter’s from Kansas City, Missouri (remember that, he gets miffed when you assume he’s from Kansas).
From seven handpumps and 10 keg beer lines along the long bar the Cafe will combine the best European beer styles with local cask (the ground floor cellar is a feature). The team are keeping tight-lipped about the initial offering but expect it to be spectacular.
As is the way these days, there’ll be charcuterie and cheese plates on offer.
Cafe Beermoth, 40 Spring Gardens, Manchester M2 1EN. http://beermoth.co.uk
