Port Street Beer House | Northern Quarter beer house, pub, drinking hole

– IMBC 15 Review by Cameron Steward

It’s safe to say that the Independent Manchester Beer Convention (now in its fourth year) has outgrown it’s humble, hush-hush beginnings, if it ever were that…The hallowed Saturday evening session sold out in something like 6 seconds, or hours, whatever. It’s now become the UK beer festival to go to for many reasons: the fantastic array of the best of the best British breweries (and a handful of European and US); stunning street food and snacks (good to see the cheese boards return); the gorgeous grade II listed Victoria Swimming Baths. Go on, pick one? Oh you need more…

Well, how about the one-off collaboration brews that the Indy Man team participated in with a handful of British beer barons, concocted especially for the event? I opt for IMBC’s pairing with Weird Beard and Norway’s Lervig which yielded The Frog is Fired (5%). It’s a delightfully sharp and florally refreshing start to the proceedings – though not as spectacular as last years Hacienda. I gallivant through the elegant rooms of the baths with childish glee, attempting to locate my favourites, finding Beavertown (St. Clement Sour – 4.5%), Cloudwater (BA Sour Cherries – 6.5%) and Brew By Numbers (16|04 Red Ale – 6.5%) along the way. BBNo. inch it with their Red Ale with Chocolate and Coffee tasting as velvety soft and delicious as I’d hoped.

The live online beer list doesn’t seem to be fully functioning, which is a shame. There was pleasure to be had in scouting the rooms for ones next tipple but I definitely would take the tried-and-tested paper list any day. The bright and airy Pineapple room is hosted by Manchester newbies Cloudwater and they’ve brewed up a storm for the weekend. Their Sour White and Yellow Peach (5.8%) aged in Sherry barrels shows a depth and experience which belies their youth, having only served their first beer in March of this very year. They also provided this years stunning glassware, so three cheers for those beauties!

Time for another collaboration but this time in snack form and Worksop-based Karkli have teamed with those Weird Beard dudes (get around a bit don’t they?) for a beer meets Lemon and Ginger twist on their traditional Indian snack. It’s milder than their usual produce and teams really well with Space Phantom (3.7%); Beavertown‘s Berliner Weisse, hopped to the end of the universe and back with Galaxy.

My following beers take me back to a more simple time with Burning Sky’s Flanders Red (6%) and Buxton’s Old World Saison (5.8%). Before I’m fully submerged in the past and donning robes, sandals and yielding a pitchfork (yes, a farming monk) I take a trip to the dark side with Left Handed Giant & Beavertown’s Sour Belgian Porter (6.8%), which tastes something along the lines of a boozy Black Forest Gateau stuffed with Haribo Tangfastics – damn, I love this festival!

It’s at this point where food is needed and to bring me back into a very British reality I select the Mince and Onion Pie by Great North Pie and a traditional Fish and Chips by Fish&. The pie is succulent and rich, the battered cod is light and crispy, and I am one satisfied gentleman.

My next wander takes me to Room 1 where I unearth Celt brewery’s Bleddyn AP Brett (5.9%), which tastes like Orval’s little brethren. It’s pretty decent even in Orval’s shadow but then Atom Brewing get all unstable and unleash bottles of their porter Dark Alchemy (4.9%), delivering free splashes to your nearest receptacle. I collide mine with a drop of Bleddyn Brett and fuse a superheavy, rich and funky delight. I’m like some sort-a genius…

I sampled plenty of other great beers including Beavertown’s BA Moosefang (9%), which was initially too cold and would have benefitted from being served on cask, as when it warmed up the magic truly began. But my favourite of the proceedings was recommended to me by a representative from the NZ Collective bar whose tantalising tip-off of Cromarty Brewing‘s Udder Madness (1.6%) was too intriguing to resist. A vanilla milk sour which tasted like a cream soda. Or more like a dream soda! I could have drunk it all night but instead I went home. Because I was drunk.

Of course the party didn’t end there, I took full advantage of the ingenious take away canning service provided by WeCan. This proved a great way to either take home your favourite find from the event or grab something that you didn’t get round to nursing. I boosted my beer count with Elgood‘s lip-smacking Lambic, Coolship Fruit (5%), Tuatara‘s juicy IPA, Hapi Nui (7%) and Magic Rock‘s succulent hop-bomb, High Wire Grapefruit (5.5%).

And just like that it’s all over and we have to wait another year for what feels like the most significant annual event in my calendar. We’re talking better than Easter and Christmas rolled into one. Yep. See you in 2016 then…

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Check out Cameron Steward’s excellent blog, All You Need Is Beer. Thanks for the write up, Cameron!

– Indy Man Beer Con Launch at Port Street

INDY MAN BEER CON LAUNCH // PORT STREET BEER HOUSE // WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9th // 7PM // FREE ENTRY

Indy Man Beer Con is upping sticks from its Victoria Baths home & coming to show us Port Streeters a good time. Expect unveilings ahoy regards this year’s much anticipated brewery list & taps galore from breweries that have been collaborating with IMBC ahead of the 2015 festival in October.

Read on…

“We’re having a small party at our brethren Port Street Beer House to unveil some tasters of what to expect at this year’s Indy Man Beer Con.

Consider it an announcement of everything that is going to be going down at IMBC. Brewers will be unveiled, eating houses unlocked, and special events earmarked.

Expect beers across the boards at Port Street from the breweries that we have been collaborating with ahead of IMBC. Details on that soon.

Food will be on hand from Epicerie Ludo, expert snack vending from the award-winning Chorlton deli. Take in all the information we’ll be laying down with an Aficionado soundtrack ~ provided by kingpin, Jason Boardman, who will again be curating some of the sounds at this year’s IMBC.

There will also be cans galore from the go to craft canning canners, WeCan. Find out all about their crafty can plans for IMBC…

Hope you can join us. Rolling out the IMBC 15 good times from 7pm. Free entry but of course.”

Facebook event page hither: https://www.facebook.com/events/1615656378696193/

– Mad Hatter Imperious IPA KEG Launch

Thursday 20th August 2015 // 7pm // Port Street Beer House // free entry

Delirious to announce the launch of Mad Hatter’s 12% 2015 imperial IPA, IMPERIOUS IPA, on keg at Port Street.

Liverpool’s Mad Hatter are hailing Imperious as a 12% monster IPA. Containing loads, and I quote “LOADS”, of Simcoe, Citra & Centennial hops – that’s 20 kilos of hops per 400 litres of beer, fact fans. Said hops have been added at five different points to the boil, and twice dry hopped.

The new Imperious boasts a lighter, cleaner malt body than Mad Hatter’s previous Imperious output with Vienna & Munich malts clearing the way for the hop party to shine.

As if the Imperious blockbuster wasn’t enough, we shall also be hosting a MAD HATTER MINI TAP TAKEOVER with at least four (and maybe more) kegs on the board. And as if THAT wasn’t enough, we will also be joined on the evening by Mad Hatter lynchpins, Paul & Jonny!

Join us on Thursday 20th August 2015 from 7pm to launch the good ship Imperious IPA & friends!

On KEG we will have…

– A day of board games

Hear ye! Hear ye! Travelling Man are upping sticks from their Dale street location & making the arduous trek to Port Street. They come in peace & they bring copious amounts of board games, big and small. Join the Travelling Man takeover of our upstairs room for board game demo heaven & ample opportunity to play along ALL DAY LONG.

Sunday 9th August 2015 / 12pm-late / Port Street Beer House / free entry