The MFDF 2011 Bar of the Year, Electrik, has announced the launch of a specially commissioned cask ale â just in time for its 3rd birthday. Exclusive to the central Chorlton bar, Bright Spark (3.7 ABV) is available now. The bar has also just been expanded and refurbished, offering more seating and bar space in which to enjoy the barâs first, bespoke brewed ale.
The Electrik team - including owners Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford - worked closely with one of the regionâs finest microbreweries to create the cask-conditioned ale. Taking a modern approach in terms of flavour, Bright Spark is a pale ale at heart, with layered hop, citrus and floral notes.
Crawford said: "We have worked closely with a brewery in the Cheshire area whose ales the staff and customers really love. If everyone likes the beer as much as we do, Bright Spark should become the second resident ale in Electrik."
The management hope that Bright Spark will become one of a number of ales brewed exclusively for Electrik customers. The team plan to develop work on a porter and a classic IPA in the next 12 months as part of a project theyâve dubbed âthe Electrik Ale Experimentâ.
Electrik is Cowdrey and Crawfordâs first bar. The duo, also known as the Unambombers DJs, ran Manchesterâs famous Electric Chair club night until 2009. Inspired by their experiences as music promoters (they booked some of the most respected DJs on the planet, including Theo Parrish and Danny Krivit), they have applied many of the same principles of running a successful club night to bar ownership, by consistently looking to make changes to the interior, the menu, the drinks on offer and so on.
Innovations include âGuestrantâ dining nights, where some of the countryâs finest chefs, such as Mary-Ellen McTague and Lawrence Tottingham take over the barâs kitchens for one night, cooking up a three-course meal for a typically sold-out crowd. The bar also hosts âone-deckâ DJ sessions with names like Justin Robertson and Greg Wilson as well as a regular pub quiz by radio-show presenter and DJ, Elliott Eastwick.
Electrik Bar, 559 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, M21 0AE. Tel: 0161 811 3315. www.electrikbar.co.uk