#ISBF7 : Welcome To The Garden Of Earthly Delights….

“Welcome to the garden of earthly delights.
Welcome to a billion Arabian nights.
This is your life and you do what you want to do,
This is your life and you spend it all. This is your life
and you do what you want to do, just don't hurt nobody
And the big reward's here, in the garden of earthly delights”

Garden of Earthly Delights” - XTC

Once upon a time, there was a blog. About beer. And - to be perfectly honest - it was a bit pants.

But the Blogger persevered. Focused on the local. Manchester and the North. Where beer was good. And gradually, through liver bruising graft, it got some followers. The Blogger met some brewers, made some friends. Drank - and highlighted - some exceptional beers.

And grew a bit more. And then it all went horribly wrong.

His dear friend asked him to “do a beer festival”. To help the Community Centre that she managed.

8 years later. Here I am. The idiot that agreed to “do a beer festival”.

Same old idiot doing the same old thing.

That blog and this beer festival have given me so much. I've made friends - that I love dearly - from around the UK. Some of my dearest friends were met because of this.

Others tell me the same stories. How THEY met friends at ISBF. This rough and ready thing that we do. Yes, the beers have been good, that's easy. Knowing who makes good beer is simple. But the thing - for me at any rate - that warms my heart, is the feeling. Like an extended family coming together every year. THAT'S what matters.

People matter.

This year, we mourn - and simultaneously celebrate - members of the ISBF Family, people who came and gave of themselves, each year, people like Bernard, Atko, Chris Spinks. Lovers of good beer, yes. But most of all, good people.

I'm in tears writing this.

People matter. Always and forever. It's people, not beer, that's at the heart of this event.

This event isn't flash. It isn't fancy. But it's “our thing“ (translate for me Mars!). And, for 6 Physical and 16 Virtual events, it - and the people who attended - have done great things. By sitting, talking (in person & on screen), making friends. Drinking beer. Easy innit?

I wish I could say that this event was simple this year. But, after 3 years “off the bike”, riding it again was hard. Things didn't always go as we would like. But, next Thursday, for the first time in over 3 years, at 6pm, we open the gates. To - what I call - The Garden of Earthly Delights. Some of the best beer and Cider that you can get. From the UKs finest breweries (and one or two from further afield….

I've blathered enough.

So, what have we got?

Keg

Brewery                                                Beer                                                       ABV           Style

8 Arch                                                               Pendulum                                                         4.8               Idaho7 Pale

Abbeydale Funk                                             Funk Dungeon - Cellar Master’s Reserve 4.8               Lapsang Souchong Gose

Abbeydale Funk x London Beer Factory   Funk Dungeon - Coolship Release             5.2               Farmhouse Ale

Aben                                                                  5th Anniversary WC                                      8             WC DIPA

Ampersand                                                       Sand & Sea                                                      5.2         ESB

Attic                                                                   Birmingham Pilsner                                                      Pilsner

Bexar County                                                   With A Little Help From Friends                 4.2               Graff

Brew York                                                        Fairytale of Brew York                                  4.9               Gingerbread Stout

Brewery of St Mars of the Desert              Schwarzbock                                                   6.3               Schwarzbock

Burning Soul                                                    Belgian IPA                                                      6               Belgian IPA

Campervan                                                      Nelson Haze                                                    4.5               Hazy Pale

Carnival?                                                          Pom Sour                                                         5               Pomegranate Sour

Chain House                                                    I’m a Stranger on my Street                        5             Pale Ale

Cloudwater                                                      TBC                                                                    TBC        TBC

Dog Falls                                                           Konventional Wisdom                                  4.8               Kolsch Style Lager

Dois Corvos                                                     While My Barrel Gently Weeps                  6.7               Farmhouse Saison

Dolphin                                                             Melody Maker                                                5.2               Blackberry, Apple &

Rhubarb Sour

Double Barrelled                                            Art or Vandalism                                            4.8         Pale Ale

Double Barrelled                                            Born to be a box salesman                          4.8               American Brown

Elusive                                                               Dubious Legal Status                                   5               Belgian White

Elusive                                                               Lebkuchen                                                     5.2               Stout

Epochal                                                             Cube Duplicator                                            4.3               Smoked Table Porter

Fonta Flora                                                      Bread Tree                                                      6.8               Brown Ale

Jawbone                                                           Rhombus                                                        5.2         IPA

Kernel                                                                London Brick                                                 7             Red Rye Ale

Kernel                                                                Imp Brown Stout                                         9.5         Imp Brown Stout

Lakes                                                                 Soer                                                               10.5         Maple & Pecan Danish Imp

Stout

Little Earth                                                       Organic Harvest Saison 2021                   6.3         3 Barrel Blended Saison

Lost & Grounded                                            Spectres                                                        6.8               Baltic Porter

Low Key Barrel Project x Black Iris Unravel 10 BA Choc/Rasp Imp Stout

Marble                                                             Lebkuchen                                                   9.7               Imperial Stout

McColls                                                             Flock                                                             3.2               Table Beer

Neptune                                                           Pluvio                                                            4.6               Amber Rye

North Brewing x VarVar                               Smoked Stout                                              8.2               Smoked Stout

Northern Alchemy                                         No Reason                                                    2.6               Light Passion Fruit Pale

Otherworld Brewing                                     Avalon                                                            5.5               Pasilla de Oaxaca Porter

(Smoked Applewood)

Pastore x Wiper & True                                Foresta Nera                                                   8               Dark Wild Ale

Pentrich                                                            We Need to Talk About Bacon                   6               Smoked Porter

Pig & Porter                                                     Showroom Dummies                                   5.2             Marzen

Pomona                                                            I Did A Pigmy                                                  8               DIPA

Rigg & Furrow                                                 Paddock Pils                                                  4.4            Czech Inspired Pils

Rivington                                                         Haze on The Horizon                                    5.4         Soft Pale

Rock Leopard                                                  TBC                                                                 TBC        TBC

Runaway                                                          Calder Valley Honey Stingo                       7.5              Wine Barrel Honey Saison

Runaway                                                          The Blackley Mosher                                  6.3              Wine Barrel Saison (Black

Lime)

Runaway                                                          Rum BA Tropical Stout                                  8               Export Oatmeal Stout

( Rum Barrel BA)

Simple Things Fermentations                      Helles Bock                                                   TBC             Bock

Siren x Fierce                                                   Destination Unknown                                   9               Wee Heavy

Solvay Society                                                 Furry Logic                                                       5.7           Saison w / Kiwi

Squawk                                                             Skua                                                                   4.5           Session Porter

Stardust                                                            Lighthouse                                                       4.8         Pale Ale

Sureshot                                                           TBC                                                                    TBC        TBC

Temper Brewing                                             The Noise Thereafter                                    5.6         NE Pale

Three Blind Mice                                            Citra Sabro                                                       4.5         Pale

Toms Tap & Brewhouse                                Barley Wine                                                      10.5            Barley Wine

Torrside                                                           Stanlius Caesar                                               10               Bretted Imp Stout

Torrside x Otters Tears                                Blimey The Elders                                          9               Elderberry Imperial Stout

Track                                                               Dreaming Of...HBC 586                                7               DDH IPA

Turning Point                                                 Night Lapse                                                      4.8          Coffee Porter

Two Towns Down                                          Back To 505                                                     4             Pale Ale

Two x Two                                                       Albion Pale                                                      5             NZ Hazy Pale

Villages                                                            Rodeo                                                               4.6         Pale Ale

Wander Beyond                                             Coconut Crater 2022                                     12          Coconut Imperial Stout

Weird Beard                                                    Russian Warship Go                                      9.8         WC DIPA

Werewolf                                                         Creepster                                                        5.1         US Brown

Wilderness                                                      Brave Faces                                                   6.5        Bordeaux BA Farmhouse

Yonder Attack of the Lemonoids 4 Mixed Citrus Sour

Cask

Brewery Beer ABV Style

Blackjack TBC 4.5 Session Pale (W/Honey)

Blue Bee TBC 3.9 Cask hopped Pale Ale

Brass Castle Duality 5 DDH Pale (Citra/Amarillo)

Brewsmith Oatmeal Pale 3 Mosaic / Azacca Oat Pale

Chin Chin Not Shy of a Spark 4.6 Mosaic & Citra Pale

Five Towns Fantastic Voyage 8.5 Chocolate Stout

Grizzly Grains Midnight Farmhouse 4.8 UK Hopped Farmhouse Pale

The Kernel Table Beer 2.9 Table Beer

Libatory By The Gas Works Wall 4.5 Porter

Mallinsons Arcade 7 4.6 Cask Hopped) Pale Ale

Marble Patience 4.2 Dry Hop (in cask) pilsner

Neepsend Taranaki 4.7 Pacific Red

Neptune Hear The Sirens 10 BA Imperial Stout

North Riding Sun Machine 6.2 IPA (Centennial, Simcoe)

North Riding Brewpub Black IPA 4.3 Cascadian Dark Ale

Pictish Golden Years 4.3 Golden Ale

Redwillow Heritage Porter (Wood) 5.3 Porter

Revolutions Switch version 28 4.5 Pale Ale

Roosters Echo Chamber 4.5 DDH Pale

Steelfish (Xmas Beer) 8 Old Ale/ Barleywine Hybrid

Thirst Class Venn Diagram 5.4 Sorachi/Sabro Pale

Thornbridge Roisin 4 Irish Red Ale

Torrside Walk Without Rhythm 8.2 Turmeric Imperial Stout

Wishbone Wet Wired 5 Pale (Hallertau/Nelson)

Cider

All from the magnificent Ross Cider

FOXWHELP – 2019 – 5.7%

 Foxwhelp. It seems the world just cannot get enough of this sour, tangy, zippy, crushing, punchy, powerful acidic number. The big red button for intense, flavoursome cider. This is a pure 2019 vintage cider – but even after three years, the intensity of the Foxwhelp is still there, and so is all of the strawberry and rhubarb fruit flavours cruising through the drink.

MAJOR S.V. – 2021 – 6.8%

A bold and characterful bittersweet apple, Major is always a cider that packs plenty of flavour. Rich, and fruity, Major tends to have a combination of bold spiced apple in the mid palate with medicinal, phenolic tannins on the finish. A real favourite of Ross Cider drinkers and a statement cider.

SOMERSET REDSTREAK S.V. 2021 – 6.6%

Pét Nat

A favourite bittersweet, Somerset Redstreak is a softer, lighter apple with gentle tannins that make for a very drinkable and enjoyable cider. An apple with medium body, juicy red apple flavours, with some apricot and pineapple high notes giving a fruity character.

Reinette d'Obry SV - 6.0%

A widespread but undervalued apple - it produces a soft sharp flavour with gentle lemony acidity, with notes of yellow fruits - pineapple, banana, a touch of melon. A really juicy and delightful, easy to drink cider.

Bartestree Squash & Gin Pear Blend Perry 5.6% -

A really refreshing and fruity perry.

Bartestree Squash provides some gentle and pleasant green kiwi-like acidity which melds seamlessly into our Gin Pear - a floral perry with lip-smacking, bitter tannins that give structure and elegance to this delightful drink. Our Gin Pear trees have all been killed by fireblight since we made this perry, but 50p from every pint drank will be spent on repopulating our perry orchards and helping to propagate the new varieties of the future!

I think we said there might be a 6th line? And to put Birdbarker on it? That's kinda what my notes say but they are distressingly vague in hindsight. If so:

Birdbarker’ – 5.7%

Medium Dry Sparkling Cider, a blend of bittersharps and bittersweets with carbonation – resulting in a cider with a full mouthfeel, and a more tannic backbone than mainstream commercial ciders. Easy to drink, entry level cider, with a fun modern label featuring our loyal collie Summer. Without sheep on the farm to herd, she took to chasing the birds.

We’ll have some beautiful gins (courtesy of the lovely Charlie) maybe the odd Gin/Cider Cocktail!

And softies from Steep Soda too!

Will that do?

Unfortunately, due to post Brexit paperwork issues - and time constraints - the Catalan Event had to be cancelled. For those with tickets to that, those will be refunded prior to the event. We tried. We really did. And huge thanks to Mark and especially Joan for their efforts. We’re all gutted.

Remember, ALL beers are served from the off on Thursday evening! Or #ThirstChanceThursday!

Ordinarily, every beer would be a “First Pour” in the Manchester area. However, times are damned hard in the game at the moment, so that “ISBF Rule”, whilst 90 odd % intact, has been bent slightly. There were simply breweries I wanted IN. No matter what. Breweries with us from Year 1.

Friends.

So come along, drink some fabulous beer, raise a glass, whilst raising much needed funds for a noble cause.

And if you haven’t yet got tickets, here’s the link to the remaining sessions…..

And be kind to one another. See you next week?

Jim x

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#ISBF7 - Wrapping Up

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