Daily archives: January 13, 2016

TWINNED BY A LOVE OF BEER

 in Press Releases

13th January 2016

For Immediate Release:

TWINNED BY A LOVE OF BEER

 Manchester Beer & Cider Festival confirms unique partnership with Barcelona Beer Festival

 It what may be the first tie up of its kind, Manchester Beer & Cider Festival (MBCF) has twinned with its equivalent in another of Europe’s top beer destinations – Spain’s second city Barcelona. The partnership with March’s Barcelona Beer Festival (BBF) will see each festival curate a special selection of beers to feature at the opposite number. Brewers from each region will also travel to meet customers at the festivals.

The two festivals have much in common – both cities are leading the way for great beer in their respective countries; as Manchester Beer & Cider Festival enters its third year, 2016 will see just the fifth BBF; and both have iconic venues – while MBCF moves to Manchester Central, BBF 2016 will be held at the city’s historic Maritime Museum from 4th – 6th March.

For next week’s Manchester event, the organisers of Barcelona’s annual beer celebration have curated a carefully selected range of 16 beers from 4 of the most highly rated Spanish craft breweries which are being imported specially for the festival. The featured breweries are Dougall’s and Bidassoa from the Basque region, Catalonian favourites Cervesa Guineu and one of the smallest but most innovative in Quer brewery. It will be the first time most of these beers have ever been available in Britain.

Brewers from Quer and Bidassoa will be in Manchester for the festival which opens on Wednesday 20th January and will also be teaming up with local brewers Blackjack Beers and Runaway to brew up a couple of international collaboration beers while they are here.

Barcelona Beer Festival organiser Mikel Rius said “Barcelona Beer Festival is a young festival, as is our beer scene. BBF wants to establish relationships with other beer festivals who share the same ideas about spread the beer culture. This time we have teamed up with this amazing festival that you have in Manchester. With this collaboration, six breweries from Greater Manchester area will come to the BBF in March, and four Catalan and Spanish breweries will come to MBCF”

For the Barcelona Beer Festival, MBCF organisers will return the favour by curating a range of 24 beers from 6 Mancunian brewers which will be shipped out to Barcelona in March to feature on a Manchester Bar at the Spain’s largest beer festival which attracts up to 30,000 customers. These will include 12 cask conditioned ales – the traditional British style being revered as the peak of the brewer’s art amongst Spanish craft beer fans, much as it is across the world.

Blackjack Beers Head Brewery Rob Hamilton said “Barcelona is my favourite city in the world, full of amazing architecture, friendly people and in recent years, some of the very best beer in the world. When I was approached to ask whether would be interested in going over to Barcelona Beer Festival with my beers, I didn’t need a second to think about it – if my beer is there, I’ll be there too!”

The Spanish Beers will feature on one of two international bars at MBCF alongside an extensive range of draught & bottled beers from Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy and well as more well travelled beers from New Zealand and the USA.

 For further information, contact:

David Rigby
See contact page

Notes to editors:
1) The Manchester Beer & Cider Festival is organised by the Greater Manchester Branches of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The festival opens at Manchester Central from 20th – 23rd January 2016

2) The 2015 festival attracted around 11,500 customers to Manchester Velodrome over 4 days from 21st – 24th January 2015.

3) Barcelona Beer Festival 2016 takes place from Friday 4th – Sunday 6th March at Museu Marítim de Barcelona. Full details are available from the festival website http://www.barcelonabeerfestival.com

4) About the breweries:

  • Dougall’s (Liérganes – Cantabria): Andrew Douglass was born in London. He fell in love of this little village in the north of Spain but he missed good beer. So, he started to brew it. Ten years after is one of the best breweries with a great variety of good beers.
  • Quer (Berga – Catalunya): A very small brewery on the hearth of Catalonia. With small batches (400 litres) has become one of the most surprising breweries in Catalonia with a huge number of great beers. Most part of them called with circus motifs.
  • Guineu (Valls de Torroella – Catalunya): Creativity and more creativity making amazing beers. A lot of collaborations with great breweries from all over Europe. Beer tributes to so different characters like Peter Higgs or Marky Ramone. Have we said amazing (and creative) beers?
  • Bidassoa Basque Brewing (Irún – Basque Country): The passion of three friends and beer lovers become reality few years ago with the creating of one of the most promising breweries of the new beer scene at the Basque Country. Beers with international inspiration and local roots.

5) The Spanish beers will feature on one of two Bière Sans Frontières bars with an International range including beers from Germany, Beligium, Netherlands, Italy, France, Sweden, Denmark, Czech Republic, USA & New Zealand