CLOUDWATER is a lovely name for a brewery. All swirly. It is a translation of the Zen Buddhist term unsui, taken from a Chinese poem: “To drift like clouds and flow like water.”
It gives a spiritual spin to a decidedly hit-tech and promotionally high profile operation in the less than Zenlike surroundings of Manchester’s Piccadilly Trading Estate.
The launch hype is on for the biggest new microbrewery venture we can recall. A whistlestop tour taking in some of the UK’s top craft beer bars is being followed by three-session Spring Saturday Open Days at the shiny brewing facility. Taste of Manchester sent an emissary to join the pilgrimage on the opening (Easter) Saturday. Here’s what he found:
“Suspicious of the £16+ booking fee charge for 90 minutes, I had hesitated to book in, but was rewarded with 130 actual minutes, lots of good beer and copious tranches of sourdough and olives to soak up the booze.
“There were five keg beers (none too chilly or fizzy) which were introduced in taster glasses. We were presented with five black tokens (worth a beer each); drivers should book in for the one glass option where three white tokens purchase soft drinks.
“I chose to forgo the 4.2 per cent ABV table beer and 7.2 per cent IPA and drank one glass of the lovely and fresh Citrus Gose and two glasses each of the 8.5 per cent Imperial Stout and the Bergamot Hopfen Weisse – a wheat beer made with the whole fruit that was gorgeous compared with Earl Grey efforts. All glasses were two thirds of a pint, apart from the stout, which was a generous half pint. All the beers were exceptional.
“I got to take home a distinctively designed glass, emblazoned with Cloudwater's wordless Apple-inspired logo – also available on t-shirts, key rings and beer mats. Oh and I got a tour of the brewery, too.”
The Open Days at the tap just a short walk from Piccadilly Station continue throughout May and early summer should see the opening of Cloudwater’s Barrel Store on Sheffield Street. Here a range of used casks should inject some microbial sorcery into the clean beers. Already there is a huge Ardbeg barrel filled with the Imperial Stout and two tequila casks have taken on the Citrus Gose. News of a mystery beer to fill some of the Burgundy barrels should be tweeted this week. @cloudwaterbrew
The Cloudwater team has formidable industry nous: entrepreneur Paul Jones; James Campbell, legendary head brewer at Marble; Will France, who's worked for Summer Wine Brewery, and fellow ex-Port Streeter Al Wall. Latest recruit is Emma Cole – most recently BrewDog area manager – who will front the The Barrel Store when it becomes their brewery tap proper. Their joint aim
Cloudwater, Units 7-8, Piccadilly Trading Estate, M1 2NP, 11am-12.30pm, 12.45pm-2.15pm and 2.30pm-4pm, £6/ £16/ £35, cloudwaterbrew.co/events