Bucket Lists - #ISBF8 Collabs

Hello there!

To mark this, the 10th anniversary of The Independent Salford Beer Festival, I wanted to change things, just a little and Collab with some breweries I/We haven't before.

With breweries who were part of my beer adventures in the early days of my blogging “career”/hobby.

With some of my beer heroes I suppose.

Before this event ends, seemed like the right thing to do. Bring things full circle.

So. Feelers went out, contacts made. And some surprising opportunities - as always happens with this event - fell in my lap.

And now no free weekends in October!

I'll list them in order of brewday, shall I?

Firstly - this week - Legends of ISBF. Four times winner of ISBF Beer of the Festival. Five Towns Brewery.

Raven King. Art Decade. Always Crashing In The Same Car. Candidate. Almost always making beers named after songs of his musical hero, David Bowie, Malcolm Bastow has brewed beers which entered ISBF folklore. (all bar one - Raven King - involving members of the ISBF Family as mash monkeys) in his mythical “Shed of Dreams”.

And - whilst the Shed of Dreams Brewing kit is currently decommissioned - it wouldn't be ISBF without one of Malcolm's high abv bonkers creations.

At the end of the month, we’re off to Macclesfield. And a personal bucket list tick. ISBF Heroes and one of the UKs finest, Redwillow.

Toby and Caroline are two of the loveliest people in the industry and have been big supporters of this event. Exceptional brewers across the whole gamut of styles, from Lagers (both “straight” and Foeder fermented), through stunningly sharp pales and IPAs (don’t get us drooling about Sleepless Red Rye!) through to the likes of Jim’s favourite big dark “Double Heritage Porter”.

Just yum!

Great brewers. Great team (Teg is a joy to call!). An ambition fulfilled…

Hard on the heels of this, (the very next day indeed!) Team ISBF are headed to Finchampstead. Home of fellow ISBF legends - and all round good guys - Elusive Brewing.

The only other Multiple Beer of the Festival winner at ISBF!

Quietly Brewing some of the best beer in the UK - and with a marked reputation for EXCEPTIONAL West Coast IPAs (and we ALL know which Coast is the best Coast!), Andy and the team will be breaking out the small kit!

Brewing something exclusive for us. Little us!!!

There's even a rumour that he's setting up a little key keg bed for Malcolm…..

Next up - Runaway x Thirst Class

I still remember being the first place - anywhere - to get a Runaway beer in cask (at the time, ISBF was cask only) and - being keg only - Mark borrowed a cask from the lovely folk at Black Jack.

American Brown. Possibly my all time favourite ISBF beer.

Runaway also hold the distinction of having the biggest selling beer in our short history. The magnificent Lemon Drizzle IPA - brewed with the lovely folk at GRUB - we sold out 2 kegs of that deliciously tart thing.

And people still ask both myself - and Mark - about that beer. And would he ever brew it again? (The answer is always a polite - but resounding - no)

It's also brilliant that Richard Conway - of the magnificent - yet sadly closed - Thirst Class will be collaborating on this. A stalwart of every ISBF, Richard and Thirst Class were ISBF heroes. Can't wait to see the Special Stockport Sauce that we create together!

Also joining us on that one will talented Urmston amateur brewer Paul Delaney. BTW - the new location for the brewery & taproom, in Stockport, is a stunning space. Just go.

The next week, we're up at Torrside.

We have a Monstrous history with the New Mills Mavericks, parti-gyling something magnificent is assured,each time we go.

This year will be no exception.

For the ISBF Family, Torrside are one of the most undersung breweries in the entire UK. We've had a beer every year since they have been a “commercial” brewery. Their singular attitude to Brewing is right up our street. Their exceptional stylistic execution - no matter the style - should have them right up there in the pantheon.

But then, what do we know? We know that they make bloody good beer.

Next, we've got 3 brewdays in less than a week!

Next up - the mighty North Riding. My favourite cask brewery.

Producing magnificent Pales, classic WC IPAs, smooth luxurious Stouts and Porters, the beers coming out of the beautifully located brewery in Snainton (near Scarbados) - set the standard. And get nowhere near the praise that they should. And the views from the front of the brewery (see below) are simply beautiful!

We love them.

Rumour has it that there may be a special guest Collab appearance by Brian from Northern Monk! (more later!)

A few days later, from the East Coast to the West Coast. Literally.

To Maghull. And more ISBF legends in the fabulous Nautical Stars at Neptune Brewery.

Les and Julie O'Grady were at the first ISBF. As customers. (Neptune was in the planning stages). I can still see them sat in the window seats at St Sebastian's, chatting with Karl!

ISBF without Neptune just wouldn't work. Les & Julie and the team are true ISBF Heroes, focused on quality & flavour, not hype. Quietly brewing some of the UKs finest beers in cask, keg & can. And justly gaining a UK wide reputation for flavour forward, exceptional beer.

It's always a pleasure to see two of the loveliest people in the industry. Who also happen to make some of the UKs finest beer. Can't wait. Also can’t wait to pop into their new bar!

Couple of days later. And a first for us, we're off to Leeds. And Northern Monk.

The genesis of this Collab was a conversation between Jim, Mark Welsby (Runaway) and Brian Dickson (NMB). The details of which…….

I still remember my first sight of Northern Monk. Their first beer, New World IPA. A simply beautiful thing, back in the day when 6% IPAs weren't ten a penny.

Northern Monk are now a Northern Powerhouse of a brewery, with national prominence. And we're incredibly flattered to be able to don the cowl and head to Leeds and make something special and very limited with Brian and the guys. (Jim fancies an NFL reference for the beer name. As his NFL Fantasy Team are about to crush Brian's team in a match up this weekend!)

The Collabs are fun (and there are more still TBA!) But with breweries pulling out the stops with special brews, limited releases, exclusive one-off casks, the extent to which breweries do all of this for our little event is totally humbling. And hugely appreciated.

And remember, the vast majority of the beers at Hemsley House will be new release, or, at the least, new beers to Manchester!

And again, every penny raised goes to the most amazing charity, in START Inspiring Minds (further post to follow).

We still have a limited number of tickets available. So, if you want to join us, hit this link, to grab some tickets.

Drinking exceptional beer, in the friendliest environment, to raise money for a great cause.

It's the way we roll.

Back soon

Be kind to one another.