EIGHT top Manchester breweries are taking part in a competition to find England’s best brewing city. The event, organised by Manchester Beer Week (June 29 to July 8), will see two teams from the city go up against rivals from Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and London. Each team has been tasked with creating a special, one-off beer that will then be put to a public vote to decide which city takes the crown.
All of these brews will be launched at The Pilcrow’s Summer Beer Thing on Friday June 29 with simultaneous launches held at venues in each of the other participating cities. Drinkers at the events will be given the opportunity to vote for their favourite, while proceeds from the sale of the beers will also be donated to charity.
The first Manchester team is led by Cloudwater, recently named the second best brewery in the world at the RateBeer Best Awards, and will also include Track, Runaway and Wander Beyond. The second team includes the city’s oldest brewery JW Lees, which was founded in 1828, craft beer innovator Marble, Beatnikz Republic and Pomona Island.
“We are obviously incredibly proud of Manchester’s brewing scene, as the city boasts a large number of outstanding independent breweries,” said Manchester Beer Week organiser Connor Murphy. “So we thought it would be fun to put a selection of our breweries up against their counterparts from rival cities to compete for the unofficial title of Britain’s best.
“In reality, it’s all in the spirit of friendly competition and we are as keen to emphasise the collaborative element of the event, as this is a strong thread running through Britain’s independent brewing industry. We are hoping to shine a light on the superb producers contributing to the growth of the beer scene, not just in Manchester but in cities up and down the country.
“Manchester Beer Week is also committed to giving something back to the community so we’re absolutely delighted that this event will also help to raise vital funds for charity.”
Lost and Grounded anchors the team in Bristol and will be joined by Left Handed Giant and Moor Beer, while the Leeds team consists of North Brewing Co, Northern Monk, Kirkstall and Zapato.
Liverpool is captained by Mad Hatter, with Chapter, Neptune and Top Rope making up the rest of the side. And, finally, Fourpure leads team London, alongside Beavertown, Brew By Numbers and Orbit.
Manchester Beer Week is Manchester's only city-wide beer festival. Unlike most beer festivals, which take place in one specific venue, Manchester Beer Week will include a series of different events at venues across the city, including pubs, bars, breweries and restaurants.
The aim is to raise awareness around good beer and promote Greater Manchester as one of the United Kingdom's premier destinations for beer enthusiasts.