WE’VE already told you about the PIlcrow Pub’s Easter Weekender – a kind of great brewery 'summit' starring Cloudwater, Magic Rock and Brooklyn’s Other Half. But that’s just the tip of the hopberg this weekend as Manchester’s indie brewcos come out to play en site.
Cloudwater’s own cosy Barrel Store tap room (pictured above) at 13 Sheffield Street, next to Piccadilly Station, will also be open on the Friday (4pm-9pm) and Saturday (12-8pm). They are running a brewery tour and tutored tasting from 10.45am on the Saturday at their premises at 7-8 Piccadilly Trading Estate, Ancoats, followed by a glass of beer at The Barrel Store, price £13.15 (get tickets here).
Meanwhile those stalwarts of the new wave Manchester beers scene, Marble, are opening bottles of 9 per cent Russian Imperial Stout, Portent of Usher at the Marble Arch at 73 Rochdale Road from 12pm on Friday until it runs out.
Grabbing the attention early is Beatnikz Republic, a London brewery that has transferred to Unit 15, Red Bank in the Green Quarter. From 4pm on Thursday, April 13 to Bank Holiday Monday they are soft launching with beers they have gypsy brewed elsewhere. Full opening times via Twitter.
Yeaster Weekend is a celebration of yeast at both in the cellar of the Beermoth bottle shop on Tib Street and at their city centre Cafe Beermoth on Spring Gardens. Entry is free on both dates (Saturday 15 April 4-8pm, Sunday 16 April 4-8pm).
Speaking of yeast, so-called sour beer, made with the wild stuff, has just gained its first foothold in a supermarket with Tesco taking on Thornbridge’s Tart. For a taste of a true leader in the field, visit Chorlton Brewing Co’s one-off tap on Saturday, 12pm-10pm at their arch premises at 69 North Western Street (at the far end of the Piccadilly Mile, where Beer Nouveau and Manchester Beer Company will also be open over the holiday weekend).
Closer to town along the ‘Beer Mile’, Will Evans and his team at Beer Merchants will be debuting their Unit 101, North Western Street, a new beer bar and events space on Easter Saturday (12pm-7pm). A place to fill your growler and check out artisan food and drink, it promises to be a regular Saturday destination.
Just like neighbouring Alphabet Brewery’s street food collaboration with GRUB at No.99. For Easter they’ve gone all vegan again. The Grub ExtraVEGANza features traders such as Vaso KItchen, Club Mexicana, Fat Annie’s, Pollen Bakery and Ginger’s Comfort Emporium and all beers behind the bar will be 100 per cent vegan alongside natural wines. Saturday, 12pm-10pm.
Not vegan-friendly is Alphabet’s ABC Flat White Breakfast Stout, which is rumoured to have some creme eggs in the brew especially for Easter. Surely, ExtraVEGANza or not, they can’t deny ToM this pleasure?
