#ISBFHeroes - Let's have some fun.

Boy Genius works his magic. Again

A long time ago. On a planet (that seems) far, far away, the Alter Ego tweeted about agreeing to “do” a beer festival.

And my world changed.

With the veritable flood of offers of help, I realised that #BeerPeopleAreGoodPeople.

Bit by bit, beer by beer, we've built something that (to me and others) is precious. A little community of like minded friends. Friendships made, grown. Faces put to social media accounts.

Doing good. By having fun.

With great beer…..

However, last year was - for obvious reasons - a bit different. And we had to adapt. So we went online. And the support was heartwarming. And we got away with it, with an awful lot of goodwill and some exceptional last minute help

That and some lovely people giving up their time to lead presentations online (Andy, Melissa, Charlie and Grant should have back problems with the bows they should take)

And we raised a phenomenal £7k for our partner charity. Remember, every penny of profit from ISBF goes to good causes.

So. That was that.

Or……

A seed was sown. And that seed was fertilised by further Lockdown measures.

What if……

I mean, we paid for a Zoom account. Why not put it to good use? So the idea……

Virtual MTBs. With - initially - breweries that have been with ISBF from year dot. Breweries that - unbeknown to most - have gone above and beyond in their support for this event.

Breweries that brew exceptional beer.

The idea……

A case of 12 beers, 2 each of 6 different beers. Bought from the brewery direct. With a small additional charge. For charity like……

We - ISBF - host a little Zoom bash. Q&As with the brewer. Guided tastings of some of the beers. (Those who did #VISBF will get the idea)

We've got a few lined up. With some exceptional local breweries. 1 a month…….. That's the aim…

First up?

Runaway. One of Manchester’s unsung. Quietly doing all the right things. Making exceptional beer. Brewing a great core range of beers (remember those?), with Pale & American Brown being 2 of my (Jim) very favourite beers.

Runaway. Always pulling out stops for ISBF. I'll never forget the worries that Mark had, putting his first beer into cask. For ISBF.

The legend that was Lemon Drizzle IPA. The single biggest selling beer at any ISBF (he still gets asked to rebrew that. And he always says no… 😂)

Those who know me, know that I don't blow smoke. But it's difficult to imagine an ISBF without Mark Welsby and his small happy band. And their lovely, lovely beers.

Speaking of which…. What are you getting…….?

12 beers. 2 each of 6. (Listed below)

A Tasting of some of the beers with Mark. Some chatter via Zoom with a Q&A led by YT & the BeerFinderGeneral.

A bonus Spotify playlist woven around Mark's tastes by Mike (does all the tunes at ISBF).

A positive ASSEMBLY of ISBF Heroes!

And the knowledge that you're doing something REAL good! (An amount from each purchase goes into the ISBF charity pot!)

The beers?

2 x Pale Ale 4.7%

2 x Kaffir Lime & Thai Chilli Wit 5.0%

2 x Shandy Panache : Mango & Lime 2.8%

2 x Summer Saison 4.2%

2 x BA Smoked Porter 6.0%

2 x Enter the Dragon: Oatmeal Export Stout (a new collaboration with Cloudwater) 7.2%

When? Friday 29th January. 7:30.

All this. And the “damage”? £37.50. (+ £6 carriage - free if collected at brewery). Remember. A chunk of that goes to our Charity pot for Start Inspiring Minds.

Fancy joining us? Fancy drinking great beer? Fancy that warm glow from doing something lovely for charity?

Click on this link! Come smile along with us.