IT’S the unlikeliest of marriages, but it signals the hop-driven ambition of this summer’s inaugural Manchester Beer Week. The area’s oldest family brewer, JW Lees (1828) is set to collaborate with the city’s new wave craft beer champions Cloudwater Brew Co to create the official beer for the citywide festival, which takes place June 10-19.
It’s quite a coup for event organiser Connor Murphy says: “Manchester is renowned for both its rich brewing history and for an exciting modern scene that has made it one of the best beer destinations in the country. So it’s incredibly exciting to bring two of the most respected breweries from each scene together to create something unique for Manchester Beer Week. “
It will be the first beer brewed by JW Lees in partnership with another brewer in 15 years, following on from a collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery in 2001, which resulted in the creation of Brooklyn Best and the award-winning Manchester Star. Details of the recipe are yet to be determined but the beer will be brewed at JW Lees’ Greengate Brewery and made available in cask and keg at participating venues across Greater Manchester during the festival.
Head brewer Michael Lees-Jones said: “We love the idea of bridging the gap between nearly two centuries of brewing heritage and the modern craft beer scene. We love the beers brewed by Cloudwater and we can’t wait to see how our ideas and methods come together for this exclusive beer.”
Cloudwater have made a big splash on the UK beer scene since launching early last year, forging an approach focused on seasonality. This means the Ancoats-based outfit has shunned the traditional practice of developing a core range, instead creating different beers according to the time of year, in a bid to showcase seasonal ingredients at their very best.
Their co-founder and MD Paul Jones, said: “We’re excited to work with JW Lees to brew a bold, modern beer, seeking to make the best of both British brewing heritage and our forward thinking, flavour-first attitude.”
Events for the MBW will start to be announced over the coming month, with details released via the event website. Or follow @mcrbeerweek on Twitter.