#ISBFHeroes9 - a true isbf hero brewery
“…Why pamper life's complexity
When the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?
I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear…..”
(For Mark)
FIRSTLY, HAPPY NEW YEAR YOULOVELY, LOVELY PEOPLE!*
I hope that this post finds you well!
It feels like forever since #VISBF2, let alone #ISBFHeroes8, when in reality it has merely been 2 months. We've missed you. Need to see your lovely faces again.
So here we are. #ISBFHeroes9. And the Heroes of all ISBF Heroes.
Way back early in 2014, when the stupidity of the first ISBF started to loom large, I gradually became aware of logistics. Those services without which…..receiving beer, storing beer in the right environment, transporting beer - all together - to the end destination (no, not my belly!), which at that time was St Sebastians’ Community Centre.
With the inevitable panic that set in, a brewery stepped forward. Offered to take that responsibility off my hands. Not only did that brewery do all of the above, but at SO many stages, they were there with all manner of help with the minutiae of setting up and running a beer event.
Who they? You may well ask….
Blackjack.
And - let me be clear - without Blackjack, there is no ISBF. I simply could not have done it without them.
Founded 10 years ago, Blackjack have quietly - by stealth almost - become one of the heroes of the Manchester Beer Scene. Never blowing their own trumpet (almost the essence of being Manc), they’ve been brewing superb beers (with occasional showstoppers - Dragon’s Tears anyone?) down in that Gould/Irk St - which IS it? - unit. Unassuming Mancs doing the right thing.
Their brewtaps are a thing of legend. Loose of limb, with beers and tunes to match, they set the standard and are - it’s fair to say - one of the best evenings out that Manchester has to offer.
How we celebrated when they took over the rather tired Smithfield. With no little effort and inspiration it is now one of the go to pubs in Manchester.
They expanded into running the bars at Alty Market Hall, The Mackie Mayor, The Picturedome in Macclesfield, quietly building up great reps all.
Then. Expansion plans. And Covid.
Signing up for a new brew kit just before Covid shut down the country - in March 2020 - could have been disastrous. I - for one - was seriously worried. But, like lots of breweries, they pivoted, tiptoed their way in and out of Lockdowns. The sun started to shine again. Things were looking up.
With a massive reorganisation, the new brewkit was installed in the other arch - the former brewery arch now being devoted to storage, office and Brewtap. And by the devil, that new kit is lovely.
And there is some quite Stunningly good beer coming out of that kit. My draught beer of the Year 2021 for one - Black IPA - knocked my socks off. I had a case of the first cans to come off that kit. Oh my. Simply lovely stuff.
I wanted Blackjackearlier in the Heroes Events. But I really wanted just beers from the new brewery kit. Because I just knew they were going to be special.
Blackjack. They're just bloody lovely people. Making bloody lovely beer. Darcey, Joe, Jon, Rich. And the entire team. Take a bow.
So. What have we got for you. Well….
In typical #ISBFHeroes style, 6 beers. 2 of each. Listed below.
There'll be a Zoom event with some of the guys from the brewery. On Friday February 11th. At 7:30 pm
There'll be - as per #ISBFHeroes ‘norms’ - a unique Spotify playlist for the event, created by our dear friends Mike and Jo, with a distinct Blackjack Brewtap “vibe”. Links to both will be emailed on the week of the event.
All this for the princely sum of £35 (plus courier charge if required). And remember. For each case you buy, £5 goes into the ISBF bank account and ultimately (after #ISBF7 in November) into the bank account of our charity partners, START Inspiring Minds.
Click here to buy a case.
Of the £10.5k that was donated to START last November, £4k of that was generated by the #ISBFHeroes events in 2021. They make a difference.
YOU make that difference.
Come and join us. Have a chuckle with us. And some lovely beer. You deserve it.
Be kind to one another. Back soon.
Jim x
Those beers?
Pilsner Pivo 4.4%
A Czech style pilsner, fermented slow and cold, matured for 4 weeks for a clean and concise lager beer. Lubelski Hops.
West Coast Pale 5.6%
An ode to balance, Honeyed bitterness, pine & citrus. Hopped with Centennial, Columbus and Cascade
Hazy Little Session 3.8%
Bright fruit, glistening drinkability. Unfined pale with silky malts and hoppy notes. Calypso, Azacca, Belma and El Dorado Hops
Augment Me 4.9% - Unfined Pale
A contemporary pale for modern tastes. A pale where the hops do the talking. Simple but complex. An unfiltered song of New Zealand hop punch. Blend of Motueka, Pacific Jade and Wai-iti hops.
Session IPA 4.5%
All the clamour of a big IPA made for those longer drawn out days. Amarillo, Simcoe and Chinook.
No Time for Conscious Thought 6.5%
Heavily hopped NEIPA with 30g/l of simcoe, Ekuanot and Cryo Mosaic. Biggest beer ever brewed at blackjack. Orange, grapefruit and lemon taste sensation.