The Manchester Craft Beer Festival isn’t just a celebration of great beer—it’s an immersive experience where every pour comes straight from the brewers themselves. This unique approach allows attendees not only to taste exceptional craft beers but also to connect directly with the passionate individuals behind each brew.

Your festival ticket grants you unlimited sampling opportunities—always emphasising responsible drinking—across a staggering selection of over 500 beers from more than 80 breweries. Explore a diverse array of local favourites and international delights from the USA and Belgium. Whether you prefer hop-forward IPAs or smooth, malty lagers, there’s a brew to satisfy every beer enthusiast’s palate.

Upon entry, you receive a choice of two beautifully designed beer tasting glasses, crafted to enhance your tasting experience. The festival app complements your visit, offering a detailed list of breweries and beers available, allowing you to plan your tastings in advance.

While food is available for purchase within the venue, the festival also caters to cider, wine, and spirit enthusiasts, ensuring there’s a beverage option for everyone. Live entertainment and music create a vibrant atmosphere, encouraging attendees to dance and celebrate the joy of craft beer.

For those eager to delve deeper into the world of brewing, Talks, Tastings, and Tours are available exclusively to members of the “We Are Beer” club—offered free of charge upon joining. These activities provide insights and guidance from industry experts, enriching your understanding and appreciation of craft beer.

During our visit, we had the pleasure of joining Sunday Brunch’s go-to beer expert, Mark Dredge, for a curated tour highlighting the festival’s standout IPAs and Lagers. From hazy, fruity IPAs bursting with tropical flavours to classic, crisp lagers showcasing centuries-old brewing traditions, each sip revealed the diversity and craftsmanship that define modern brewing.

The Manchester Craft Beer Festival not only celebrates the artistry of brewing but also fosters a community where beer lovers and creators come together to share their passion. Whether you’re a seasoned beer aficionado or exploring craft beer for the first time, this festival promises an unforgettable experience filled with flavour, knowledge, and fun.

IPA Tour

**Beak Brewery**

Beak Brewery, nestled in the scenic Sussex countryside, is known for its experimental approach to brewing. Their IPA showcases the magic of oats and wheat, resulting in a colloidal stable haze that captivates the eye. This creamy IPA bursts with flavours of peach, citrus, white grapes, and flowers, thanks to the use of special hops. With a low bitterness, this brew is aromatic and uniquely crafted in collaboration with Japanese brewers, reflecting a fusion of Eastern and Western brewing techniques.

**Track Brewery – Dreaming Of…DDH Nelson IPA 6.5%**

Based in Manchester, Track Brewery is dedicated to creating innovative and memorable beers. Their Dreaming Of…DDH Nelson IPA offers a green, savoury, and citrusy profile with herby, hoppy aromas. While it is less aromatic, it offers a resinous quality due to the abundant hops. Its hazy appearance is complemented by an oily smoothness, heightened acidity, and notable bitterness. Track Brewery’s commitment to quality and creativity shines through in every sip.

**Stone Brewing (West Coast Double Hop IPA) USA**

Stone Brewing, a pioneer in the American craft beer movement, is famous for its bold and aggressive brews. Their West Coast IPA is a nod to the traditional style, with its clear, golden hue and sharp bitterness. This highly alcoholic IPA is oily with pronounced citrus peel and orange flavours, standing as one of the pioneering IPAs in the USA. Stone Brewing’s dedication to pushing boundaries has made them a staple in the craft beer world.

Lager Tour

**Bundobust – Shynee 4%**

Their English-hopped lager, Shynee, features honey floral aromas, sweet potato notes, and savoury herbs. Its golden colour and oily smoothness make it a delightful, easy-drinking beer. This innovative brewery continues to delight with its unique fusion of flavours and cultures.

**Ideal Day Family Brewery – Weekend Away 4.2%**

Hailing from Cornwall, Ideal Day Family Brewery emphasises family, sustainability, and local ingredients. Their brewing philosophy focuses on regenerative agriculture, aiming to improve soil health and use local ingredients. Inspired by Belgian farmhouse traditions, Weekend Away is a lagered beer with a yeasty, funky, and herby profile. Creamy and pillowy, it leaves a lasting bitterness with a pale, slightly hazy appearance. The brewery’s commitment to innovation and sustainability is evident in every pint.

**Manchester Union Brewery – Bohemian Black Lager 4.5%**

Specialising in lagers, Manchester Union Brewery uses a particular method called decoction mashing to create a silky mouthfeel without adding sweetness to the beer. Their Bohemian Black Lager, finished in Burgundy barrels with English hops, offers greek black olive aromas until it opens up in the glass to show dark fruit and cherry aromas, slight bitterness, and flavours of cocoa nib and coffee, reminiscent of historical brewing methods. The brewery’s dedication to perfecting lager brewing techniques and their adventurous spirit make them a standout.

Some of what we’ve discovered on our own

Anspach & Hobday London Microbrewery

Anspach & Hobday, a beloved microbrewery based in London, is celebrated for its blend of traditional brewing methods with a modern flair. Their offerings at the festival exemplify their commitment to quality and innovation.

– **London Black Nitro Porter 4.4%**: This dark, savoury porter delivers delightful notes of toffee and chocolate, balanced by a medium body and minimal bitterness. Its smooth texture makes it a favourite among beer enthusiasts seeking depth and richness in every sip.

– **Helles Lager 5%**: Anspach & Hobday’s Helles Lager impresses with flavours of peach, pear, and apple. Its medium body and slightly oily texture are complemented by a crisp, refreshing finish. The golden hue adds to its appeal, making it a perfect choice for any occasion.

Timmermans

As the oldest active lambic brewery dating back to 1702, Timmermans continues to uphold its legacy of excellence in spontaneous fermentation. Their beers showcase traditional Belgian craftsmanship combined with innovative flavors.

– **Blanche**: Timmermans’ Blanche is a harmonious blend of wheat beer and lambic, infused with citrus peel and coriander. Creamy and refreshing, it offers a delightful complexity that captivates the palate with each sip.

– **Kriek Black Pepper**: This unique cherry beer is enhanced with black pepper notes, creating a subtly spicy yet easy-to-drink experience. It’s a testament to Timmermans’ ability to blend tradition with creative flair.

– **Strawberry and Thyme**: Balanced between fruity sweetness and herbal complexity, Timmermans’ Strawberry and Thyme beer combines delicate thyme with vibrant strawberry flavours, offering a delicate balance between fruit and herbs.

– **Griotteke 6.7% (Limited Edition)**: Made with hand-picked Schaarbeek cherries macerated in lambic beer, Griotteke is a rare gem characterised by its light yet powerful oaky and fruity profile. It exemplifies Timmermans’ mastery in crafting complex, age-worthy lambics.

– **Oude Gueuze 6.7%**: Blending 1 and 3-year-old barrel-aged beers, Timmermans’ Oude Gueuze re-ferments in the bottle to achieve a robust flavour profile. It features bright acidity alongside apple and citrus notes, showcasing the brewery’s expertise in traditional lambic brewing techniques.

Bundobust

Bundobust, born from a collaboration between a chef steeped in Indian culinary heritage and a craft beer bar owner, redefines the classic “beer and curry” pairing with their innovative approach.

– **Tropical Dhoop 5.5%**: is a hazy wheat beer infused with mango, peach, and pineapple notes. Its creamy texture and easy-drinking nature make it a perfect companion for summer, embodying Bundobust’s commitment to crafting beers that complement their flavourful Indian cuisine.

Beyond IPAs and Lagers

Beer Fest wasn’t solely focused on IPAs and lagers. It boasted an impressive selection of non-alcoholic beers, porters, stouts, sour beers, and even barley wines, catering to diverse tastes and preferences.

**Non-Alcoholic Beers**: For those seeking the beer experience without the buzz, offering full flavour and complexity without the alcohol content, we found Juicy AF, a Mango Pale Ale with less than 0.5%, that is vegan and hit all the right spots for mouthfeel and flavour.

**Indigenous Yeast Fermentation Beer**: For those seeking something off the beaten path, a taste of the Timmerman’s beers is a must, but you might also dare taste Graf, a Beer/Cider hybrid, also brewed from indigenous yeasts, from Fyne Ales Farm Brewery, it’s called Origins Breac 6.2%, and it’s a collaboration with Linn Cidery which is made from barrel fermented wild beers and it’s aged on apple pomace.

**Porters and Stouts**: Rich and robust, the festival’s porters and stouts spanned from smooth and chocolatey to intensely roasted and bitter, including standout collaborations and traditional favourites like the London Black Nitro Porter 4.4% from Anspach & Hobday or unique styles such as the **Lambic & Stout Guinness Collaboration 6%**: A standout collaboration between Timmermans and Guinness, this unique stout blends Guinness West Indies Porter, Special Export, and Oude Kriek lambic. The result is a complex beer with layers of roasted malt, dark fruit, and a hint of tartness from the lambic, offering a truly distinctive drinking experience.

**Sour Beers**: Highlighting tart and tangy flavours, the festival’s sour beer section featured vibrant fruit brews like Vault City Pineapple Session and Fruit Blush Strawberry and Rhubarb Sour, each offering a distinctive taste experience.

**Flavoured Beers**: Some classic and some unusual versions of flavoured beers were present in the festival. A couple note-worthy ones were:

– Seven Bro7thers: Founded by seven brothers inspired by their dad’s home brewing, Seven Bro7thers offers some delightfully surprising flavored beers perfect for summer. You can’t miss their *Watermelon Pale Ale 4.5%*, which is refreshingly delicate, or their *Honeycomb Pale Ale 4%*, which boasts honey aromas and flavours so vivid you’ll almost expect to feel the crunch of the honeycomb.

– Brixton Brewery also stands out with their unique *Raita Passage Lager 4.5%*, flavored with cucumber and mint. This lager offers a refreshing twist, perfect for warm weather and those seeking something a bit different.

The Last Pour

Manchester Beer Craft Festival was a celebration of craftsmanship and community, where brewers shared their passion and creativity with attendees. From exploring the historical lambics of Timmermans to savouring the innovative brews of Manchester Union Brewery and Bundobust’s flavourful offerings, every sip revealed a story of dedication and artistry. Whether you’re a seasoned beer connoisseur or new to the world of craft brewing, Beer Fest offered a journey of discovery and delight. Cheers to new favourites and celebrating the vibrant world of craft beer!