#VISBF2 - At Last!
In the lead up to the first VISBF, I was terrified. Full of “What Ifs”….
What if nobody is interested? (No. I don’t do false modesty. This was a genuine concern!)
What if the cases too expensive?
What if I mess this up? (There were a LOT of things that had to “click”)
In the end - in typical ISBF style - it worked. Just. Seat of the pants shit. It always is with this event.
People seemed to enjoy themselves. I still get nice comments even now.
Yes, it’s amateurish. We’re not industry professionals, it sure is the antithesis of slick. It’s “niche”. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It has its own lane. We like it like that.
Away from all that stuff, the thing that has always mattered is the “feels”. Or as Jeff would say, the “vibe” (chokes). In essence, if something feels good, it generally is. And people will enjoy themselves. (Not me, obviously. I’m terrified…)
The decision to NOT have a physical event was an easy one. And that decision was taken early. I’m comfortable with that.
I was also comfortable with the format from last year. But with a slight alteration.
So - What have we got for you? Well….A pretty glass in each case for starters.
Beer - 3 “Sessions”. To each session, an event on Zoom. With guests from one or three of the participating breweries. (See below for details)*
Cider - A rather lovely event on the Sunday (See below)**
OK.
Yes. We'll have some merch. Ts, Hoodies & bags, specifically, images below.
But - what's the point of what we're doing?
It's helping. Helping a really small Mental Health Charity in START Inspiring Minds.
By the simple expedient of drinking fabulous drinks, you do good.
ALL of the profits from these events - added to the proceeds from the ISBF Heroes events we've been running - will be sent to these lovely people. Doing magnificent work in the local community.
#DrinkGoodToDoGood. It's not a bad philosophy, is it?
But - and I'm not naive - what you really, REALLY, want, is the link.
To get your Beer / Cider in. To give you something exquisitely tasty to drool about for the next few weeks.
Here you go. Click here. Fill those boots.
I'm off to have a beer or five. To decompress.
Be kind to one another.
Jim x
Available in Grey print
Available in Purple, Red & Blue (Like the shirts)
THE SESSIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS :
Thursday 11th November - 19:30 - 22:00 - Virtual East West Fest : An homage to my favourite beer event. Featuring breweries from each side of the Pennines. The case will be….eclectic (as will they all!). There will be a mix of styles, from Pales, Darks, Tart beers, bonkers beers. The key thing will be the geography. (This event will showcase beers from…. see below)
Five Towns
Marble x Five Towns x North Riding
Neptune
Rivington x North Riding
Torrside
Brass Castle
Blue Bee x Neepsend
Pomona
Runaway
Thirst Class
Track
Turning Point
Friday 12th November - 19:30 - 22:00 - #BitternessComeBack (With apologies to Mr Parker) : The return of bitterness in beer. Led by the Divine Melissa Cole. The cases will again be mixed and eclectic, but will feature a number of beers on the Pale and WC end of the beer spectrum. (This event will showcase beers from…. )
Black Jack
Elusive
Mallinsons
North Riding x Horsforth
Redwillow
Vault City
Tom's Tap
Ampersand
Cloudwater
Pastore
Double Barrelled
Yonder
Saturday 13th November - 19:30 - 22:00 - An Appreciation of The Sour : Tasting and chatting about beers from the tart end of the spectrum - Saisons to Sours. The cases will again be mixed and eclectic. (as in - not all will be tart beers)
Solvay Society
Wilderness
Squawk
Abbeydale
Attic
Campervan
Leviathan Brewing
8 Arch
Dolphin
Kernel
Lakes
Brewery of St Mars of The Desert
All cases will be mixed. Eclectic of flavour. But with a slant to reflect each event.
That said, allergies will be catered for on the ticketing side. Via random swaps.
(As in ALL main ISBF Events, we won’t know the definitive beer list until MUCH closer to the event - that is a direct consequence of what I request, a new release - I will announce the beer list via a further webpost)
In addition, the week prior to the event, purchasers will receive an email with links to both the relevant Zoom Meeting code AND the link to the relevant day’s Spotify Playlist (and these playlists are SUPERB!), the playlists being lovingly compiled by our dear friends Mike & Jo.
On Sunday, we have a rare treat. A Cider Showcase from the lovely and incredibly talented people at Little Pomona. Ft 4 x 750ml 1 x Perry & 3 Ciders (I’m drooling - Ed)
But more than that…..
However, I'm boring. Here's Susanna Forbes to tell you more….
“Join James and Susanna Forbes, and Blair Côté of Little Pomona as they discuss and dissect the art of crafting cider, with special guests designer Sam Forbes, artist Ariana Sauder, and musician/cider distributor, Grant Hutchison.
Working with the apples, the barrels and the methods available, we'll explore the art of making cider before delving into the all-important topic of how we share the concepts/liquids in visual and audio form.
Sam has been Little Pomona's designer from the start, bringing the guys' ideas - however outlandish! - to life in label form, while Ariana has joined the creative team more recently, re-imagining Pomona in different settings and creating original artwork for key recent - and future - releases.
We'll join them on their journey through one perry and three ciders.
Drool on!
And, because this is a special occasion, you have the option of adding in to your event package the Tiny Changes tea towel featuring Little Pomona's Table Cider (pictured above). £2 from the sale of every tea towel goes towards Tiny Changes, the inspirational charity set up by Grant Hutchison's family to support young people facing mental health challenges. We'll hear from Grant (who many of you will remember from last year) on both his views on the art of cider and also the wonderful ways Tiny Changes is making a difference.
https://www.instagram.com/aeble_cidershop
https://littlepomona.com/collections/merch/products/tiny-changes-tea-towels
Finally, your event pack will include two labels, the new-look Table Cider, and the 2018 Art of Darkness, for you to enjoy.”
And those drinks? Drool on!
Pet Nat Poiré 2020 - sparkling perry from rare French varieties - very elegant
My Perfect Cousin 2019 - sparkling, dry late harvest bittersweets - adores food
Harvest 2019 - bottle conditioned, barrel-aged epitome of this vintage
Art of Darkness 2019 - still, extended, barrel aged -golden yellow, glorious aromatics
(And 3 of these haven’t been released yet!)