Getting hot and steamy with Brewdog in the Turkish Baths


We are proud to announce Brewdog will be hosting their own room in the Turkish Baths area, here a few words direct from the dogs mouth!

“Everyone at Brewdog is very excited about the upcoming IMBC. We think it’s going to be the most interesting beer festival outside of London to date, if not in the UK. With dedicated rooms for keg and cask showcasing the best of UK breweries, world beers AND amazing food taking inspiration from around the world, you can expect a lot more than the usual warm pint and standard issue burger. Plus! Brewdog have their own ‘Turkish Baths’ to turn into a craft beer emporium, so of course we’ll be bringing down the most special and limited release Brewdog beers that we can find!

We’re also really looking forward to getting involved with the seminars and debates with head honcho James Watt making an appearance some where along the line, plus we’ll be hosting timed tasting slots throughout the weekend.

The IMBC is a refreshing and much needed change to the formulaic UK beer festival concept and we salute the guys from Port Street for organising it!”

https://www.brewdog.com/

Posted on 21st August 2012

Thornbridge and Brodies complete our keg room line up!

Thornbridge

In their own words:

“The classiest brewery in the UK” is how Pete Brown  – top beer writer and all round good fellow  – described us and we’re unlikely to argue with that. Our first beers were brewed in February 2005 in a 10 barrel brewery, housed in the grounds of Thornbridge Hall, Ashford-in-the-Water near Bakewell, Derbyshire.  Based on the innovation, passion and knowledge of the band of brewers who have worked at Thornbridge we have amassed over 200 industry and consumer awards in regional, national and international competitions – so we’ve made a good start.

In September 2009 we opened a new state of the art 30 barrel brewery at Bakewell  with the aim of continuing to brew high quality cask, keg and bottled beers and develop new ones through innovation in process and use of ingredients.  Our original Hall Brewery continues to operate in developing new, seasonal and speciality beers.

Obviously we are delighted to be involved in the 1st Indy Man Fest as all festivals have been a great way to showcase our beers and the awards won at these have been significant to our growth. The Port St guys share our passion for all things beer and so we know the Fest will be very, very good. What more can anyone ask…”

Indeed, what more can we ask for?! We can’t wait to see what Thornbridge bring to IMBC!

https://www.thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/

 

Brodie’s

Brodies was started in 2008 by brother and sister Jamie and Lizzie Brodie, who restored an abandoned brew kit in East London and then started brewing on the five barrel kit, using home brew recipes first brewed in Jamie’s bath. Initially, they supplied their brewery tap, the King William IV in Leyton, which is next to the brewery, and eventually, two other pubs in London, The Old Coffee House and The Cross Keys, as well as many other fine establishments in London and further afield.

The King William IV also features guest rooms—in case you’ve tasted just little too much. Four years on, Brodie’s have produced more than a hundred different beers and can frequently be found far beyond the confines of the capital, including Manchester. Hosting various festivals, including the Bunny Basher at Easter, has become a staple, as well as anniversary events. Brodie’s also keep the price of a pint down to a ver low price, though their strongest offerings aren’t sold as pints.

We’re very curious to see what Brodie’s have planned for IMBC!

https://brodiesbeers.co.uk/

Posted on 17th August 2012

Penultimate list of brewers announced – Magic Rock and Tempest

Magic Rock Brewing Co.

Magic Rock Brewing Co. is the result of three people’s passion for beer. Brothers Richard and Jonny Burhouse aided by head brewer Stuart Ross were inspired to start the brewery by their love of great beer and the burgeoning U.S craft beer scene in particular. Driven by a desire to bring exciting, characterful beers to their local market and beyond, brewing in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, commenced mid 2011. After just 6 months of production, Magic Rock Brewing was voted 2nd best new brewery in the world 2012 out of 1437 new breweries world wide on the online ratings site RateBeer.com. Recent barrel ageing experiments with Bearded Lady and Cannonball are just a glimpse of where Magic Rock brewing is going.

“We’re delighted to have been invited to participate in the 1st Indy Man Beer Con, the UK has been crying out for this type of festival showcasing the more innovative end of the beer market and we can’t think of better people to be organising it than the Port St. guys. We’re really looking forward to pouring our beers for the attendees, hanging out with the other brewers and drinking great beer! We’ve got some special Magic lined up, including a couple of our new barrel aged projects which we’re really excited about. Indymanbeercon is shaping up to be the unmissable UK beer event of the year…”

We’re over the moon that Magic Rock will be joining the IMBC festivities and can’t wait to taste what they bring along!

https://www.magicrockbrewing.com/

Tempest Brewing Company

Hailing from Kelso, Scotland, Tempest Brewing Co. is run by chef and publican Gavin Meiklejohn, who began homebrewing whilst living in New Zealand. Previous experience in Canada had exposed Gavin to North American craft beers. Upon returning to Scotland, Gavin took charge of The Cobbles Inn in Kelso, and started brewing for the pub, and it remains the brewery tap. He then was joined by Allan Rice, who also gained experience abroad in New Zealand and then became business manager at Stewart Brewing in Edinburgh. Here is how Tempest describe their origins, brewing philosophy and their involvement with IMBC:

“Founded in 2010 by chef and publican Gavin Meiklejohn to brew beers on an 800l plant for our freehouse pub and restaurant, within a couple of months we realised that 800L was not enough, so we cut, welded, re-piped and polished the rest of the brewhouse into a 1600L brew length. Our brewery was never state of the art, but it has plenty of character and its been designed by us to make our beer in our own unique way. It’s been a whirlwind of eighteen or so months, we have gained recognition for our approach to cutting edge brewing, for us we don’t want to be influenced by the latest industry trends, we simply brew beers that we like to drink, packaging our flavour forward products in cask, keg and bottle.

Our brewery has reached its maximum capacity which limits the events we can do, so it’s great to be involved with the inaugural IMBC and we hope it will just be the start of something bigger in years to come. It’s an awesome opportunity for anyone involved with beer, be it drinking it, brewing it to be part of an event that is truly open and is a great chance for people to get to meet the brewers, learn about ingredients, and embrace the passion that goes into the beers and those that enjoy them.

We are currently thinking of something special to do, we have a million and one ideas, I’m sure we will settle for one of them!!”

We at IMBC are very excited that Tempest are along for the ride!

https://www.tempestbrewco.com/

Posted on 13th August 2012

More breweries announced! Hardknott and Lovibonds join IMBC

Hardknott Brewery

Dave Bailey, founder of Hardknott, started brewing for his pub, The Woolpack, in Cumbria in 2005. He is also a prolific blogger, about all things related to beer. Eventually, Dave and his partner Ann parted with the pub, and dedicated themselves to brewing. Hardknott have recently collaborated with John Keeling of Fuller’s, to brew the ‘English Experiment,’ an IPA using only new British hops. Here’s Dave, in his own words:

“I have been involved in the development of the craft beer scene for some years now. First as the publican of a cask beer brew pub, an increasing interest in beer diversity, developing throughout to my thoughts expressed as a blogger and finally in my current role as owner of a progressive craft brewery.

Beer festivals are a great way to get together beer enthusiasts, industry champions, publicans, beer writers and members of the public in an all inclusive environment. For breweries it can be an important showcase for their beers and help as an important link to shorten the complex route between brewer and drinker.

We feel that although there are many great beer festivals all over our Great British Isles, there is something lacking with respect to the increasingly important Craft Beer Sector. We are not only delighted to see that there are now festivals like the Independent Manchester Beer Convention, but also excited to have been given the chance to join in.

It’s going to be a really great beery convention and the whole team at Hardknott are looking forward to being involved.”

We’re certain Dave and the Hardknott team will deliver something outstanding to IMBC!

https://www.hardknott.com/

 

Lovibonds

Lovibonds chief zymurgist, Jeff Rosenmeier, originally from Wisconsin, moved to Henley-upon-Thames in 1996. Already a keen home brewer, in 2005, he decided to leave the IT world behind to open his own brewery. He named the brewery after Joseph Williams Lovibond, inventor of the tintometer, and his family of brewers, who started brewing in 1834. Eventually, the Lovibond brewery was based in Greenwich, and was damaged during World War II. In 1959, the family quit the brewing business altogether, but the Lovibonds shop in Henley was well remembered, so Jeff’s brewery continues the long history of Lovibonds and brewing in Henley. The brewery runs a hugely popular shop which allows sampling and chatting to the brewers. In May 2012, Lovibonds’ Sour Grapes won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in San Diego in the Wood Aged Sour Beer Category.

So what was Jeff’s reaction to IMBC? “For years I’ve been saying that Lovibonds should hold a beer festival, where the brewers are allowed to represent and pour their beer.  Apparently, I wasn’t alone in thinking that UK beer festivals have always missed this trick. Thankfully the guys organising IMBC are on the same page and this is going to be a great meeting of the finest British craft brewers. I’m honoured to be invited and I can’t wait.”

Well, neither can we, we’re chuffed to have Lovibonds at IMBC!

https://lovibonds.com/index.php

Posted on 10th August 2012

Second batch of brewers announced – Camden and Ilkley



Our second batch of brewers have been announced, each brewery will be at IMBC hosting their own stall and on hand to answer all your questions! We proudly welcome….

 

Camden Town Brewery

Many a times, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Case in point: Jasper Cuppaidge, owner of Camden Town Brewery, whose family owned a brewery in Australia. From brewing in the basement at the Horsehoe in Hampstead, Jasper bought seven disused railway arches (seems to be a theme, doesn’t it? The Kernel, Camden Town, railway arches seem to lend themselves to becoming breweries!) and now brews on a 15 bbl system designed by German company BrauKon. In 2012, the brewery opened its brewery bar and brewed a special Camden 1908 Pale Ale to commemorate London hosting its third modern Olympics, resurrecting a recipe from the Camden Brewery of days gone by. With the help of brewing historian Ron Pattinson, the old recipe suggested hops from Kent and Worcester, and, perhaps surprisingly, hops from Oregon. This only one of Camden Town’s limited edition brews.

Beer blogger Mark Dredge also happens to work at Camden, and had this to say about IMBC: “Do you know how excited we are about IMBC?! We’re super, massively, ridiculously excited about it! Britain has been waiting for a beer event like this for too long and now it’s finally happening and we can’t wait to pour beer there. We also can’t wait to drink all the other great beers which are going to be there – it’s going to be an awesome weekend of drinking. We’re already working on what we’re going to bring along… There’ll definitely be some special stuff on our bar! Hell yeah!”

Suffice it to say, we here at IMBC are thrilled to have Camden Town along for the ride!

www.camdentownbrewery.com

(Photo from Rich at thebeercast.com)

 

The Ilkley Brewery Co.

Brewing isn’t new to Ilkley, West Yorkshire, with ‘The Ilkley Brewery and Aerated Water Company’ established in 1873. However, more than 100 years passed until Chris Ives, Stewart Ross, and Richard Shelton founded Ilklely Brewery in 2009. The brewery took off, and only two years later, it moved into a 2,600 sq ft brewhouse. With its sixth fermenter, Ilkley now produces 40,000 pints a week. Finding that many pubs and bars did not have cellaring capabilities, Ilkley began producing its beer for keg draught dispense, introducing scores of drinkers to their award-winning core beers, Mary Jane, MJ Pale, and Stout Mary. Ilkley have also launched an ‘Origins’ range, a series of experimental beers, produced for cask and keg, and collaborated with beer writers Pete Brown and Melissa Cole. ‘Siberia’, brewed with Melissa Cole, features rhubarb, and has received such a huge response from beer drinkers that Ilkley have added it to the core range. A saison with a sour finish, this is definitely worth tasting!

What, then, might be on tap from Ilkley at IMBC?

“The brewery has been abuzz with ideas and excitement ever since we received your invitation to be involved with the IMBC. We’re planning on unveiling a new beer from our special ‘Origins’ range, one that we are proud to be collaborating with PSBH to create, and which will showcase the spirit of innovation and creativity coming out of Yorkshire and Ilkley in 2012.”

IMBC are excited to get brewing! But don’t look to Will for digging out the mash tun…

www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk

Posted on 6th August 2012

First brewers announced for IMBC 2012 – Kernel and Summerwine



The Kernel

The brainchild of homebrewer and former cheesemaker Evin O’Riordain, The Kernel opened in 2009 with its distinctive handstamped bottles. In 2011, the British Guild of Beer Writers chose Evin as their brewer of the year—and the demand just keeps growing. A shiny new brew kit arrived in March of this year and more railway arch space was acquired to help meet that demand. Inspired by the brewers of Cantillon of Belgium and Russian River of Guerneville, California, The Kernel’s dark beers have drawn on the rich history of brewing in London to recreate some of the recipes of days gone by.

With the move to bigger premises, Kernel beers are becoming more available on draught in Manchester, which is good news for Kernel aficionados, but the brewery continues to sell bottles directly on Saturdays. Evin has also collaborated with the likes of Thornbridge, recreating a Burton Ale, and Redemption Brewing Company, a Strong Mild, as well as other illustrious breweries, including Dark Star. We are thrilled that The Kernel are going to be gracing the bar at IMBC, no matter what they decide to bring to Victoria Baths, it is going to be a treat!

thekernelbrewery.com/

 

Summer Wine Brewery

Located in the picturesque village of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, Summer Wine Brewery has been going from strength to strength since entering the brewing business in 2008. Head brewer James Farran and managing director Andy Baker are no strangers to experimentation, with this year’s huge releases of Kopicat, the Imperial Vanilla Coffee Stout, barrel-aged in Caol Ila and Clynelish, as well as the Gorilla, a black IPA, brewed for international IPA day. What might they be bringing to IMBC, you ask?

“We at SWB are very excited to be involved with a new-breed of beer festival which becomes an interactive, all en-compassing event that celebrates not only the beer, but the ingredients, those that brew, those that serve and those that drink it.

We will be bringing along one of only 4 kegs of Calico Jack in the world: An Imperial Caribbean Stout brewed with root ginger, raw cocoa powder, nutmeg and hemp seeds but here is the twist, it will be infused with 100% Demerara 15–yr aged El Dorado Guyanese Rum.”

No doubt, SWB are always good for surprising and exciting beers. Bring on IMBC!

summerwinebrewery.co.uk/

Posted on 3rd August 2012